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Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 10-31-09
USCCB.org/New American Bible ^
| 10-31-09
| New American Bible
Posted on 10/31/2009 12:07:22 AM PDT by Salvation
October 31, 2009
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Saturday of the Thirtieth Week
in Ordinary Time
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Rom 11:1-2a, 11-12, 25-29
Brothers and sisters:
I ask, then, has God rejected his people?
Of course not!
For I too am a child of Israel, a descendant of Abraham,
of the tribe of Benjamin.
God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.
Do you not know what the Scripture says about Elijah,
how he pleads with God against Israel?
Hence I ask, did they stumble so as to fall?
Of course not!
But through their transgression
salvation has come to the Gentiles,
so as to make them jealous.
Now if their transgression is enrichment for the world,
and if their diminished number is enrichment for the Gentiles,
how much more their full number.
I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers and sisters,
so that you will not become wise in your own estimation:
a hardening has come upon Israel in part,
until the full number of the Gentiles comes in,
and thus all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
The deliverer will come out of Zion,
he will turn away godlessness from Jacob;
and this is my covenant with them
when I take away their sins.
In respect to the Gospel, they are enemies on your account;
but in respect to election,
they are beloved because of the patriarch.
For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.
Ps 94:12-13a, 14-15, 17-18
R. (14a) The Lord will not abandon his people.
Blessed the man whom you instruct, O LORD,
whom by your law you teach,
Giving him rest from evil days.
R. The Lord will not abandon his people.
For the LORD will not cast off his people,
nor abandon his inheritance;
But judgment shall again be with justice,
and all the upright of heart shall follow it.
R. The Lord will not abandon his people.
Were not the LORD my help,
my soul would soon dwell in the silent grave.
When I say, “My foot is slipping,”
your mercy, O LORD, sustains me.
R. The Lord will not abandon his people.
Lk 14:1, 7-11
On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees,
and the people there were observing him carefully.
He told a parable to those who had been invited,
noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table.
“When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet,
do not recline at table in the place of honor.
A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him,
and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say,
‘Give your place to this man,’
and then you would proceed with embarrassment
to take the lowest place.
Rather, when you are invited,
go and take the lowest place
so that when the host comes to you he may say,
‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’
Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table.
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
TOPICS: Catholic; General Discusssion; Prayer; Worship
KEYWORDS: catholic; catholiclist; ordinarytime
For your reading, reflection, faith-sharing, comments, questions, discussion.
1
posted on
10/31/2009 12:07:24 AM PDT
by
Salvation
To: nickcarraway; Lady In Blue; NYer; ELS; Pyro7480; livius; Catholicguy; RobbyS; markomalley; ...
Alleluia Ping!
Please notify me via FReepmail if you would like to be added to or taken off the Alleluia Ping List.
2
posted on
10/31/2009 12:13:21 AM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
3
posted on
10/31/2009 12:14:14 AM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
4
posted on
10/31/2009 12:15:21 AM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
Jesus. High Priest
The Year of the Priest
We thank you, God our Father, for those who have responded to your call to priestly ministry.
Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf: Fill your priests with the sure knowledge of your love.
Open their hearts to the power and consolation of the Holy Spirit.
Lead them to new depths of union with your Son.
Increase in them profound faith in the Sacraments they celebrate as they nourish, strengthen and heal us.
Lord Jesus Christ, grant that these, your priests, may inspire us to strive for holiness by the power of their example, as men of prayer who ponder your word and follow your will.
O Mary, Mother of Christ and our mother, guard with your maternal care these chosen ones, so dear to the Heart of your Son.
Intercede for our priests, that offering the Sacrifice of your Son, they may be conformed more each day to the image of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Saint John Vianney, universal patron of priests, pray for us and our priests
5
posted on
10/31/2009 12:17:41 AM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.
1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day He rose again. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
3. The Lord's Prayer: OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)
5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.
Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.
End with the Hail Holy Queen:
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Final step -- The Sign of the Cross
The Mysteries of the Rosary
By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary.
The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.
The Joyful Mysteries
(Mondays and Saturdays)
1. The Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) [Spiritual fruit - Humility]
2. The Visitation (Luke 1: 39-56) [Spiritual fruit - Love of Neighbor]
3. The Nativity (Luke 2:1-20) [Spiritual fruit - Poverty of Spirit]
4. The Presentation (Luke 2:21-38) [Spiritual fruit - Purity of mind & body]
5. The Finding of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52) [Spiritual fruit - Obedience ]
6
posted on
10/31/2009 12:32:28 AM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
~ PRAYER ~
St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle
Be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the devil;
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God,
Cast into hell Satan and all evil spirits
who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen
+
7
posted on
10/31/2009 12:33:33 AM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
8
posted on
10/31/2009 12:34:40 AM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: Salvation
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October Devotion: The Holy Rosary
Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. Pope Leo XIII personally started the practice of devoting October to the Rosary devotion. In a letter of September 1, 1883, mindful of the Rosary's power to strengthen faith and foster a life of virtue, he outlined the triumphs of the Rosary in past times and admonished the faithful to dedicate the month of October to the Blessed Virgin through the daily recitation of her Rosary in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, in order to obtain through her intercession the grace that God would console and defend His Church in her sufferings. We highly recommend that you read Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, or "On the Most Holy Rosary." It explains even further this wonderful devotion, and introduces the optional mysteries of light, or Luminous mysteries.
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INVOCATION
Queen of the most holy Rosary, pray for us.
TO THE QUEEN OF THE HOLY ROSARY
Queen of the most holy Rosary, in these times of such brazen impiety, manifest thy power with the signs of thine ancient victories, and from thy throne, whence thou dost dispense pardon and graces, mercifully regard the Church of thy Son, His Vicar on earth, and every order of clergy and laity, who are sore oppressed in the mighty conflict. Do thou, who art the powerful vanquisher of all heresies, hasten the hour of mercy, even though the hour of God's justice is every day provoked by the countless sins of men. For me who am the least of men, kneeling before thee in supplication, do thou obtain the grace I need to live righteously upon earth and to reign among the just in heaven, the while in company with all faithful Christians throughout the world, I salute thee and acclaim thee as Queen of the most holy Rosary:
Queen of the most holy Rosary, pray for us.
TO OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY
O Virgin Mary, grant that the recitation of thy Rosary may be for me each day, in the midst of my manifold duties, a bond of unity in my actions, a tribute of filial piety, a sweet refreshment, an encouragement to walk joyfully along the path of duty. Grant, above all, O Virgin Mary, that the study of thy fifteen mysteries may form in my soul, little by little, a luminous atmosphere, pure, strengthening, and fragrant, which may penetrate my understanding, my will, my heart, my memory, my imagination, my whole being. So shall I acquire the habit of praying while I work, without the aid of formal prayers, by interior acts of admiration and of supplication, or by aspirations of love. I ask this of thee, O Queen of the holy Rosary, through Saint Dominic, thy son of predilection, the renowned preacher of thy mysteries, and the faithful imitator of thy virtues. Amen.
FOR THE CRUSADE OF THE FAMILY ROSARY
The Family Rosary Crusade, organized and directed by Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., sought to revive the practice of families reciting the Rosary daily within their homes. The Crusade has the encouragement and support of Pope Pius XII and it is succeeding admirably in realizing the desire of the Pope that no family would allow a day to pass without the recitation of the Rosary. This prayer was composed by Cardinal Spellman when the Crusade visited his Archdiocese.
O Queen of the most holy Rosary: with hearts full of confidence we earnestly beseech you to bless the Crusade of the Family Rosary. From you came the grace to begin it. >From you must come the grace to win souls to it. We beg you to bless this Crusade so that from every home the incense of this prayer will daily rise before you, O admirable Mother.
O Queen of Homes: by the power of the Rosary we beseech you to embrace all the members of our family in the love of your Immaculate Heart. May you abide with us and we with you, praying to you while you pray for us. May you preside in our homes as once you did at Nazareth with Jesus and Joseph, filling them with the holiness of your presence and inspiration.
O Queen of Peace: it is you who have placed the Rosary in our hands. It is you who bid us to recite it daily. By the power of the Family Rosary we beseech you to obtain peace for uspeace within our hearts, our homes, our country and throughout the world. Through the daily recitation of the Family Rosary we beg you to keep sin from our souls, enmities from our hearts and war from our shores. By the graces received from the devotion of the Family Rosary we pray to be made helpful to one another in following the paths of virtue so that we may be found worthy to be called children of your family, children of your home. Amen.
Cardinal Spellman
Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954
1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day He rose again. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
3. The Lord's Prayer: OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)
5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.
Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.
End with the Hail Holy Queen:
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Final step -- The Sign of the Cross
The Mysteries of the Rosary
By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary.
The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.
The Joyful Mysteries
(Mondays and Saturdays)
1. The Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) [Spiritual fruit - Humility]
2. The Visitation (Luke 1: 39-56) [Spiritual fruit - Love of Neighbor]
3. The Nativity (Luke 2:1-20) [Spiritual fruit - Poverty of Spirit]
4. The Presentation (Luke 2:21-38) [Spiritual fruit - Purity of mind & body]
5. The Finding of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52) [Spiritual fruit - Obedience ]
The Luminous Mysteries or Mysteries of Light
(Thursdays) see Rosarium Virginis Mariae
1. Jesus' Baptism in the Jordan (II Corinthians 5:21, Matthew 3:17 and parallels) [Spiritual fruit - Gratitude for the gift of Faith]
2. Jesus' self-manifestation at the wedding of Cana (John 2:1- 12) [Spiritual fruit - Fidelity]
3. Jesus' proclamation of the Kingdom of God, with His call to conversion (Mark 1:15, Mark 2:3-13; Luke 7:47- 48, John 20:22-23) [Spiritual fruit - Desire for Holiness]
4. Jesus' Transfiguration (Luke 9:35 and parallels) [Spiritual fruit - Spiritual Courage]
5. Jesus' institution of the Eucharist, as the sacramental expression of the Paschal Mystery. (Luke 24:13-35 and parallels, 1 Corinthians 11:24-25) [Spiritual fruit - Love of our Eucharistic Lord]
The Sorrowful Mysteries
(Tuesdays and Fridays)
1. The Agony in the Garden (Matthew 26:36-46, Luke 22:39-46) [Spiritual fruit - God's will be done]
2. The Scourging at the Pillar (Matthew 27:26, Mark 15:15, John 19:1) [Spiritual fruit - Mortification of the senses]
3. The Crowning with Thorns (Matthew 27:27-30, Mark 15:16-20, John 19:2) [Spiritual fruit - Reign of Christ in our heart]
4. The Carrying of the Cross (Matthew 27:31-32, Mark 15:21, Luke 23:26-32, John 19:17) [Spiritual fruit - Patient bearing of trials]
5. The Crucifixion (Matthew 27:33-56, Mark 15:22-39, Luke 23:33-49, John 19:17-37) [Spiritual fruit - Pardoning of Injuries]
The Glorious Mysteries
(Wednesdays and Sundays)
1.The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-18, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-29) [Spiritual fruit - Faith]
2. The Ascension (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:6-11) [Spiritual fruit - Christian Hope]
3. The Descent of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:1-13) [Spiritual fruit - Gifts of the Holy Spirit]
4. The Assumption [Spiritual fruit - To Jesus through Mary]
5. The Coronation [Spiritual fruit - Grace of Final Perseverance]
The Rosary and Me - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
Rosary promoted as path to Christ and peace [at third annual Rosary Bowl NW]
The Efficacy and Power of One Hail Mary [Ecumenical]
“Let Us Do It!“ (Sunday: Rosary to be simultaneously prayed on five continents)
Beginning Catholic: How to Pray the Rosary: Contemplating Christ With Mary [Ecumenical]
[Oregon] Rosary Bowl focuses on links between prayer, evangelization
Rosary Is a School of Mary, Says Pope: Encourages Recitation [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
The Rosary and the Republic
Protestants and the rosary
Estimated 50,000 recite rosary in event at Rose Bowl
The Rosary and Orthodoxy
Father Benedict Groeschel on the Rosary
THE HOLY ROSARY
Catholic Caucus: The Holy Rosary
The Power of the Rosary - A Weapon Against Terrorism
Rosary May Contribute to Unity Says Protestant Theologian
Papal Address on the Rosary as a Weapon of Peace
Very simple guide to praying/learning the Rosary
October: Month of the Holy Rosary
Rosary-Prayers Aiming to Break Record [Catholic Caucus]
Rosary vs. Repetitious Prayer [Ecumenical]
The Luminous Mysteries [of the Rosary]: Knowing Jesus in His Public Ministry
New campaign launched to promote family rosary
Chant the Rosary... in Latin!
Protestants and the rosary
Estimated 50,000 recite rosary in event at Rose Bowl
Our Lady of Victory (HLI Page)
Tips on Praying a Family Rosary
SRI LANKA CATHOLICS START ROSARY CHAIN FOR PEACE
Rosary Aids Spiritual Growth, Says Pope
Pray the Rosary
Rosary to Mark St. Martha's Feast
THE HOLY ROSARY
Catholic Caucus: The Holy Rosary
[Catholic Caucus] One Million Rosaries
Praying the Rosary By Bishop Fulton J. Sheen(Catholic Caucus)
____________________________________________________________
Pray the Rosary.
Pray without ceasing.
How Europe Escaped Speaking Arabic
The Battle of Lepanto
Civilization in the Balance: The Battle of Lepanto and Election ‘08
LEPANTO
A Call To Prayer: This Lepanto Moment [Repost]
Lepanto, 1571: The Battle That Saved Europe
Celebrating the Battle of Lepanto
Clash of civilizations: Battle of Lepanto revisited
Lepanto, Bertone e Battesimo, Oh My!
Lepanto Sunday
Our Lady of the Rosary of La Naval (A Mini-Lepanto in the Philippines)
Swiss Guards at the Battle of Lepanto, 7 October 1571
Battle of Lepanto
LEPANTO, 7 OCTOBER 1571: The Defense of Europe
Battle of Lepanto
Remember Lepanto!
The Battle of Lepanto
On This Day In History, The Battle of Lepanto
The Battle of Lepanto
Chesterton's Lepanto
The Miracle At Lepanto...
Lepanto
The Naval Battle of Lepanto
The Battle of Lepanto
9
posted on
10/31/2009 12:35:38 AM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
Holy Father's Prayer Intentions For October 2009
General: That Sunday may be lived as the day on which Christians gather to celebrate the risen Lord, participating in the Eucharist.
Mission: That the entire People of God, to whom Christ entrusted the mandate to go and preach the Gospel to every creature, may eagerly assume their own missionary responsibility and consider it the highest service they can offer humanity.
10
posted on
10/31/2009 12:36:47 AM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
Romans 11:1-2a, 11-12, 25-29
The New Chosen People
[1] I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israe-
lite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. [2a] God has
not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture
says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?
[11] So I ask, have they stumbled so as to fall? By no means! But through their
trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. [12]
No if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches
for the Gentiles, how much more will their inclusion mean!
The Conversion of the Jews
[25] Lest you be wise in our own conceits, I want you to understand this myste-
ry, brethren: a hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the
Gentiles come in, [26] and so all Israel will be saved; as it is written, “The Delive-
rer will come upon Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; [27] “and this
will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” [28] As regards the
gospel they are enemies of God, for your sake; but as regards election they are
beloved for the sake of their forefathers. [29] For the gifts and the call of God are
irrevocable.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
2-5. When Israel fell into idolatry, God raised up the prophet Elijah, who confron-
ted the king with the sins of the people, who were worshipping idols and liste-
ning to false prophets (cf. 1 Kings 19:9-18). The king, instead of listening to Eli-
jah, persecuted him; he had to flee to Mount Horeb. There he complained to God
about Israel, and God in reply told him that he would punish them: the sons of
Israel would die by the sword, but not all of them. God would preserve seven thou-
sand of them, who had remained faithful to him. St Paul recalls this episode as
an example of God intervening in Salvation History through men he has specially
chosen. Even in times when sinfulness was rampant the Lord kept certain indivi-
duals faithful; these acted as his instruments to revive and extend people’s grasp
of true teaching and love of his laws, and to render due worship to the Creator:
for example, he chose Noah and his family when the world was full of wickedness
(Gen 6:5-8), and Abraham, when men had forgotten the true God (Josh 24:2ft),
and he did the same when the people of Israel fell into idolatry.
The Prophets describe those who stay faithful to Yahweh as “the remnant of Is-
rael”, or words to that effect (cf. Jer 3:14; Ezek 9:8; Amos 3:12; Is 4:2-3; Mic 4:7;
Zeph 2:7, 9), and prophesy that this “remnant” will be found, fIrst, among those
deported to Babylonia, later among the repatriated exiles and, finally, after the
exile, among the servants of God, after the still unfaithful people are decimated
and purified.
25-32. We all yearn for the fulfillment of these words—threatening yet consoling
— which Christ addressed to the scribes and Pharisees: “For I tell you, you will
not see me again, until you say ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord”’ (Mt 23:39). “Together with the prophets and the Apostle, the Church
awaits the day, known to God alone, when all peoples will call on God with one
voice and ‘serve him with one accord’ (Zeph 3:9)” (Vatican II, “Nostra Aetate”, 4).
The conversion of the Jews is a secret—a mystery, the text says (v. 25) — hidden
in the future, which will come about when the Incarnation of the Word achieves
its ultimate purpose.
This conversion will follow on that of the Gentiles, which will be as it were a pre-
lude to it. Jesus has foretold that “Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gen-
tiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Lk 21:24; cf. note on same),
which in some way suggests that the Jews will be converted at the end of time.
However, when the Church in its preaching touches on the main signs of the end
of the world, it only refers to the proclamation of the Gospel throughout the world,
to apostasy and to the Antichrist, but it has nothing to say about the conversion
of the Jews (cf. “St Pius V Catechism”, I, 8, 7). What the Church does do, and
what we should do, is to pray the Lord to listen to its prayers that the people you
first made your own may arrive at the fullness of redemption” (”Roman Missal”,
Good Friday Liturgy, Prayer of the Faithful).
“The same thing is happening, St Paul explains, now that the Gospel is being
preached. The people of Israel in general are not accepting it and are not beco-
ming part of the Church; only a small number of Jews have believed, and these
are the “remnant” of Israel, chosen by God so that in them the promises might
be kept. The conversion of Paul himself is an example and an earnest of this re-
turn of the people of Israel to their God, in line with the invitation that Hosea ad-
dressed to them: “Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled
because of your iniquity” (Hos 14:2).
Throughout the history of the Church lapses of this type have occurred, with a
consequent breakdown in morality. Whenever this happens, those Christians
who stay true to the faith may, like Elijah, feel inclined to despair; but they should
react with a realistic and vigilant optimism and not indulge in useless lamentation.
In the presence of God, they should reflect on the fact that God actually wants to
use them and their holy lives to turn the situation around: “A secret, an open se-
cret: these world crises are sanctity crises. God wants a handful of men ‘of his
own’ in every human activity. And then...’”pax Christi in regno Christi”—the peace
of Christ in the kingdom of Christ” (St. J. Escriva, The Way, 301).
29. God never goes back on anything he promises; therefore he continues to call
the Jews to enter the chosen people. He does not take account of their disobe-
dience or their sins: he will love them with an everlasting love, as he promised the
patriarchs and in line with the merits accruing to them for their fidelity (cf. Rom 9:
4-5). It is this very immutability of God’s love that makes it possible for “all Israel”
(v. 26) to be saved. God’s calling, which is eternal, cannot cease; but we for our
part can reject his call. The immutability of God’s plan is reassuring to us: it
means that even if we abandon him at any point, we can always return to our ear-
lier fidelity: he is still there, waiting for us.
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
11
posted on
10/31/2009 12:38:01 AM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
From: Luke 14:1, 7-11
[1] One Sabbath when He (Jesus) went to dine at the house of a ruler who be-
longed to the Pharisees, they were watching Him.
A Lesson About Humility
[7] Now He told a parable to those who were invited, when He marked how they
chose the places of honor, saying to them, [8] “When you are invited by any one
to a marriage feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest a more eminent man
than you be invited by him; [9] and he who invited you both will come and say to
you, ‘Give place to this man’ and then you will begin with shame to take the low-
est place. [10] But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that
when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher’; then you will
be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. [11] For every one
who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
11. Humility is necessary for salvation that Jesus takes every opportunity to
stress its importance. Here He uses the attitudes of people at banquet to re-
mind us again that it is God who assigns the places at the Heavenly banquet.
“Together with humility, the realization of the greatness of man’s dignity—and of
the overwhelming fact that, by grace, we are made children of God—forms a sin-
gle attitude. It is not our own efforts that save us and gives us life; it is the grace
of God. This is a truth which must never be forgotten” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is
Passing By”, 133).
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
12
posted on
10/31/2009 12:39:09 AM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: Salvation
Scripture readings taken from the Jerusalem Bible, published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd
Mass Readings
| First reading |
Romans 11:1-2,11-12,25-29 © |
|
Let me put a further question: is it possible that God has rejected his people? Of course not. I, an Israelite, descended from Abraham through the tribe of Benjamin, could never agree that God had rejected his people, the people he chose specially long ago. Do you remember what scripture says of Elijah – how he complained to God about Israel’s behaviour? Let me put another question then: have the Jews fallen for ever, or have they just stumbled? Obviously they have not fallen for ever: their fall, though, has saved the pagans in a way the Jews may now well emulate. Think of the extent to which the world, the pagan world, has benefited from their fall and defection – then think how much more it will benefit from the conversion of them all. There is a hidden reason for all this, brothers, of which I do not want you to be ignorant, in case you think you know more than you do. One section of Israel has become blind, but this will last only until the whole pagan world has entered, and then after this the rest of Israel will be saved as well. As scripture says: The liberator will come from Zion, he will banish godlessness from Jacob. And this is the covenant I will make with them when I take their sins away.
The Jews are enemies of God only with regard to the Good News, and enemies only for your sake; but as the chosen people, they are still loved by God, loved for the sake of their ancestors. God never takes back his gifts or revokes his choice.
|
| Psalm or canticle: Psalm 93:12-15,17-18 |
| Gospel |
Luke 14:1,7-11 © |
|
On a sabbath day Jesus had gone for a meal to the house of one of the leading Pharisees; and they watched him closely. He then told the guests a parable, because he had noticed how they picked the places of honour. He said this, ‘When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take your seat in the place of honour. A more distinguished person than you may have been invited, and the person who invited you both may come and say, “Give up your place to this man.” And then, to your embarrassment, you would have to go and take the lowest place. No; when you are a guest, make your way to the lowest place and sit there, so that, when your host comes, he may say, “My friend, move up higher.” In that way, everyone with you at the table will see you honoured. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’
|
13
posted on
10/31/2009 12:45:52 AM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Saturday Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary |
First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:
|
Romans 11:1-2, 11-12, 25-29
Psalm 94:12-13, 14-15, 17-18
Luke 14:1, 7-11
Guard your eyes that they may not look upon anything contrary to purity; your ears, that they may not listen to evil conversation; your mind, by banishing from it all suggestive thoughts; your heart, by stifling impure desires at their very birth. -- St. John Baptist de la Salle |
|
14
posted on
10/31/2009 12:48:58 AM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
|
The Angelus
|
|
The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.
Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
Hail Mary . . .
And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary . . .
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray:
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
|
15
posted on
10/31/2009 12:50:56 AM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
Pray for an end to abortion and a return to a culture of life in our nation.
16
posted on
10/31/2009 12:53:39 AM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
Office of Readings and Invitatory Psalm
Office of Readings
If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, you should precede it with the Invitatory Psalm.
O God, come to my aid.
– O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen. Alleluia.
A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.
| Psalm 135 (136) |
| A paschal hymn |
|
The Lord alone performs great wonders: his mercy lasts for ever.
|
|
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his love is for ever.
Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his love is for ever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his love is for ever.
He alone works wonders,
for his love is for ever.
In his wisdom he made the heavens,
for his love is for ever.
He set the Earth upon the waters,
for his love is for ever.
He created the great lights,
for his love is for ever.
The sun, to rule over the day,
for his love is for ever.
The moon and stars, to rule over the night,
for his love is for ever.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
|
|
The Lord alone performs great wonders: his mercy lasts for ever.
|
| Psalm 135 (136) |
|
With a strong hand and an outstretched arm he led Israel out from the midst of Egypt.
|
|
He struck down the first-born of Egypt,
for his love is for ever.
He led Israel out from their midst,
for his love is for ever.
With a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
for his love is for ever.
He divided the Red Sea in two,
for his love is for ever.
He led Israel out through the sea,
for his love is for ever.
He overthrew Pharaoh and his army,
for his love is for ever.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
|
|
With a strong hand and an outstretched arm he led Israel out from the midst of Egypt.
|
| Psalm 135 (136) |
|
Give thanks to the Lord of heaven: he has rescued us from our enemies.
|
|
He led his people through the wilderness,
for his love is for ever.
He struck down great kings,
for his love is for ever.
Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his love is for ever.
And Og, the king of Bashan,
for his love is for ever.
He gave their land to his people,
for his love is for ever.
A heritage for Israel his servant,
for his love is for ever.
He remembered us in our affliction,
for his love is for ever.
He rescued us from our enemies,
for his love is for ever.
He gives food to all creatures that live,
for his love is for ever.
Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his love is for ever.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
|
|
Give thanks to the Lord of heaven: he has rescued us from our enemies.
|
|
Lord, show me your ways,
– and teach me your paths.
|
| Reading |
Wisdom 11:21-12:2,11-19 © |
|
Lord, who can withstand the might of your arm?
In your sight the whole world is like a grain of dust that tips the scales,
like a drop of morning dew falling on the ground.
Yet you are merciful to all, because you can do all things
and overlook men’s sins so that they can repent.
Yes, you love all that exists, you hold nothing of what you have made in abhorrence,
for had you hated anything, you would not have formed it.
And how, had you not willed it, could a thing persist,
how be conserved if not called forth by you?
You spare all things because all things are yours, Lord, lover of life,
you whose imperishable spirit is in all.
Little by little, therefore, you correct those who offend,
you admonish and remind them of how they have sinned,
so that they may abstain from evil and trust in you, Lord.
Nor was it from awe of anyone that you left them unpunished for their sins.
Who would venture to say, ‘What have you done?’
Who would dare to defy your sentence?
Who arraign you for destroying nations which you have created?
What champion of guilty men dare come to confront you and challenge you?
For there is no god, other than you, who cares for every thing,
to whom you might have to prove that you never judged unjustly;
as for those you punished, no king, no despot, dare reproach you with it to your face.
Being just yourself, you order all things justly,
holding it unworthy of your power
to condemn a man who has not deserved to be punished.
Your justice has its source in strength,
your sovereignty over all makes you lenient to all.
You show your strength when your sovereign power is questioned
and you expose the insolence of those who know it;
but, disposing of such strength, you are mild in judgement,
you govern us with great lenience,
for you have only to will, and your power is there.
By acting thus you have taught a lesson to your people
how the virtuous man must be kindly to his fellow men,
and you have given your sons the good hope
that after sin you will grant repentance.
|
| Reading |
St Catherine of Siena's Dialogue on Divine Providence |
| How good and how delightful is your spirit, Lord, in all men! |
|
The eternal Father, indescribably kind and tender, turned his eye to this soul and spoke to her thus:
‘O dearest daughter, I have determined to show my mercy and loving kindness to the world, and I choose to provide for mankind all that is good. But man, ignorant, turns into a death-giving thing what I gave in order to give him life. Not only ignorant, but cruel: cruel to himself. But still I go on providing. For this reason I want you to know: whatever I give to man, I do it out of my great providence.
‘So it was that when, by my providence, I created man, I looked into myself and fell in love with the beauty of the creature I had made – for it had pleased me, in my providence, to create man in my own image and likeness.
‘Moreover, I gave man memory, to be able to remember the good things I had done for him and to be able to share in my own power, the power of the eternal Father.
‘Moreover, I gave man intellect, so that, seeing the wisdom of my Son, he could recognise and understand my own will; for I am the giver of all graces and I give them with a burning fatherly love.
‘Moreover, I gave man the desire to love, sharing in the tenderness of the Holy Spirit, so that he might love the things that his intellect had understood and seen.
‘But my kind providence did all this solely that man might be able to understand me and enjoy me, rejoicing in my vision for all eternity. And as I have told you elsewhere, the disobedience of your first parent Adam closed heaven to you – and from that disobedience came all evil through the whole world.
‘To relieve man of the death that his own disobedience had brought, I tenderly and providently gave you my only-begotten Son to heal you and bring satisfaction for your needs. I gave him the task of being supremely obedient, to free the human race of the poison that your first parent’s disobedience had spread throughout the world. Falling in love, as it were, with his task, and truly obedient, he hurried to a shameful death on the most holy Cross. By his most holy death he gave you life: not human life this time, but with the strength of his divinity.’
|
| Concluding Prayer |
|
Almighty and ever-living God, give us more faith, more hope, and more love.
Make us love what you have taught,
so that we are worthy to receive what you have promised.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen.
|
17
posted on
10/31/2009 11:19:17 AM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: Salvation
18
posted on
10/31/2009 11:30:39 AM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
Catholic Culture
Daily Readings for: October 31, 2009
(Readings on USCCB website)
Collect: Almighty and ever-living God, strengthen our faith, hope, and love. May we do with loving hearts what you ask of us and come to share the life you promise. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
RECIPES
ACTIVITIES
PRAYERS
Ordinary Time: October 
31st
Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week of Ordinary Time; All Hallows' Eve
Today we celebrate the eve of All Saints. Pope Sixtus IV in 1484 established November 1, the feast of All Saints, as a holy day of obligation and gave it both a vigil (known today as "All Hallows' Eve" or "Hallowe'en") and an eight-day period or octave to celebrate the feast. By 1955, the octave of All Saints was removed.
All Hallows' Eve
Halloween
or All Hallows' Eve is not a liturgical feast on the Catholic calendar, but the celebration has deep ties to the Liturgical Year. These three consecutive days — Halloween, All Saints Day and All Souls Day — illustrate the Communion of Saints. The Church Militant (those on earth, striving to get to heaven) pray for the Church Suffering (those souls in Purgatory) especially on All Souls Day and the month of November. We also rejoice and honor the Church Triumphant (the saints, canonized and uncanonized) in heaven. We also ask the Saints to intercede for us, and for the souls in Purgatory.
Since Vatican II, some liturgical observances have been altered, one example being "fast before the feast" is no longer required. Originally, the days preceding great solemnities, like Christmas and All Saints Day, had a penitential nature, requiring abstinence from meat and fasting and prayer. Although not required by the Church, it is a good practice to prepare spiritually before great feast days.
In England, saints or holy people are called "hallowed," hence the name "All Hallow's Day." The evening, or "e'en" before the feast became popularly known as "All Hallows' Eve" or even shorter, "Hallowe'en."
Since the night before All Saints Day, "All Hallows Eve" (now known as Hallowe'en), was the vigil and required fasting, many recipes and traditions have come down for this evening, such as pancakes, boxty bread and boxty pancakes, barmbrack (Irish fruit bread with hidden charms), colcannon (combination of cabbage and boiled potatoes). This was also known as "Nutcrack Night" in England, where the family gathered around the hearth to enjoy cider and nuts and apples.
Halloween is the preparation and combination of the two upcoming feasts. Although the demonic and witchcraft have no place for a Catholic celebration, some macabre can be incorporated into Halloween. It is good to dwell on our impending death (yes, everyone dies at one point), the Poor Souls in Purgatory, and the Sacrament of the Sick. And tied in with this theme is the saints, canonized and non-canonized. What did they do in their lives that they were able to reach heaven? How can we imitate them? How can we, like these saints, prepare our souls for death at any moment?
For more information see Catholic Culture's Halloween page.
Also read from Catholic Culture's library:
19
posted on
10/31/2009 11:41:37 AM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
Lauds -- Morning Prayer
Morning Prayer (Lauds)
If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, you should precede it with the Invitatory Psalm.
O God, come to my aid.
– O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen. Alleluia.
A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.
| Psalm 91 (92) |
| Praise of God, the Creator |
|
Lord, we proclaim your loving kindness in the morning and your truth throughout the night.
|
|
It is good to praise the Lord,
and to sing psalms to your name, O Most High,
to proclaim your mercy in the morning
and your faithfulness by night;
on the ten-stringed lyre and the harp,
with songs upon the lyre.
For you give me joy, Lord, in your creation:
I rejoice in the work of your hands.
How great are your works, O Lord,
how immeasurably deep your thoughts.
The fool does not hear,
the slow-witted do not understand.
When the wicked sprout up like grass,
and the doers of evil are in full bloom,
it will come to nothing, for they will perish for ever and ever;
but you, Lord, are the Highest eternally.
For behold, Lord, your enemies, how your enemies will perish,
how wrongdoers will be scattered.
You will give me strength as the wild oxen have;
I have been anointed with the purest oil.
I will look down upon my enemies,
and hear the plans of those who plot evil against me.
The just will flourish like the palm tree,
grow tall like the cedar of Lebanon.
They will be planted in the house of the Lord;
in the courts of our God they will flourish.
They will bear fruit even when old,
fresh and luxuriant through all their days.
They will proclaim how just is the Lord, my refuge,
for in him there is no unrighteousness.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
|
|
Lord, we proclaim your loving kindness in the morning and your truth throughout the night.
|
| Canticle |
Deuteronomy 32 |
| The things God has done for his people |
|
Proclaim the greatness of our God.
|
|
Listen, heavens to what I say;
earth, hear the words of my mouth!
Let my teaching fall like the rain,
my speech descend like the dew,
like a shower on the grass,
like rain on the wheat.
For I shall call on the name of the Lord:
give praise to the greatness of our God!
His works are like a rock: they are perfect,
for all his ways are just.
God is faithful, he can do no wrong:
he is just and upright.
They have sinned against him, they are no children of his –
this filthy generation, wicked and perverse.
Is this how you repay the Lord,
you foolish and witless people?
Is he not your father, who took charge of you,
created you and made you exist?
Remember the days of old: think upon each generation.
Ask your father and he will tell you;
ask your ancestors, and they will let you know.
When the Most High divided the peoples,
when he was separating the children of Adam,
he laid down the boundaries of the people
according to the number of the children of Israel:
the Lord’s own portion was his people,
Jacob the measure of his inheritance.
He found him in a desert land, in a place of horror,
in the howling wilderness.
He protected him, looked after him,
guarded him as the apple of his eye.
Like an eagle teaching its chicks to fly, hovering close above them,
he spread out his wings and lifted him up,
carried him on his back.
The Lord alone led Jacob; no foreign god was with him.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
|
|
Proclaim the greatness of our God.
|
| Psalm 8 |
| The greatness of God, the dignity of man |
|
How wonderful is your name over all the earth, O Lord.
|
|
How wonderful is your name over all the earth,
O Lord, our Lord!
How exalted is your glory
above the sky!
Out of the mouths of children and infants you have brought praise,
to confound your enemies, to destroy your vengeful foes.
When I see the heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and stars, which you set in their place –
what is man, that you should take thought for him?
what is the son of man, that you should look after him?
You have made him but one step lower than the angels;
you have crowned him with glory and honour;
you have set him over the works of your hands.
You have put everything beneath his feet,
cattle and sheep and the beasts of the field,
the birds in the air and the fish in the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the waters.
How wonderful is your name above all the earth,
O Lord, our Lord!
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
|
|
How wonderful is your name over all the earth, O Lord.
|
| Short reading |
Romans 12:14-16 © |
|
Bless those who persecute you: never curse them, bless them. Rejoice with those who rejoice and be sad with those in sorrow. Treat everyone with equal kindness; never be condescending but make real friends with the poor.
|
| Canticle |
Benedictus |
| The Messiah and his forerunner |
|
Lord, lead our feet in the path of peace.
|
|
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption.
He has raised up the sign of salvation
in the house of his servant David,
as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones,
his prophets through the ages:
to rescue us from our enemies
and all who hate us,
to take pity on our fathers,
to remember his holy covenant
and the oath he swore to Abraham our father,
that he would give himself to us,
that we could serve him without fear
– freed from the hands of our enemies –
in uprightness and holiness before him,
for all of our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High:
for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path,
to let his people know their salvation,
so that their sins may be forgiven.
Through the bottomless mercy of our God,
one born on high will visit us
to give light to those who walk in darkness,
who live in the shadow of death;
to lead our feet in the path of peace.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
|
|
Lord, lead our feet in the path of peace.
|
| Prayers and Intercessions |
? |
|
Let us celebrate Christ’s goodness and wisdom. We can see him in every one of our brethren, and love him; especially in those who are suffering. Let us pray to him urgently:
– Lord, make us perfect in love.
This morning we honour your resurrection once more,
and wish for everyone the effects of your Redemption.
– Lord, make us perfect in love.
Lord, grant that we may bear witness to you today
and through you offer a holy sacrifice acceptable to the Father.
– Lord, make us perfect in love.
Make us see your image in everyone we meet,
and serve you by tending to their needs.
– Lord, make us perfect in love.
Christ, you are the true vine and we are your branches:
grant that we may remain with you, bearing abundant fruit and giving glory to God the Father.
– Lord, make us perfect in love.
|
|
Our Father, who art in Heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
|
|
May our mouths praise you, O Lord. May our souls and our lives give you praise.
It is by your gift that we have life:
may the whole act of living be our gift to you.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen.
|
|
May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life.
|
| A M E N |
20
posted on
10/31/2009 11:57:42 AM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
The Word Among Us
Meditation: Romans 11:1-2, 11-12,25-29
The gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. (Romans 11:29)
St. Paul grieved deeply that many of his fellow Jews had not accepted the gospel message. Earlier in his letter to the Romans, Paul expressed “great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart” for the Jewish people, and even went so far as to say that he himself would willingly separate himself from Christ if only they would believe (9:2-3).
However, in today’s passage from Romans, it’s clear that Paul has not given up hope. He believes that the salvation experienced by the Gentiles will cause the Jewish people to desire Christ. And, he says, although they have not yet believed in Christ, they are still “beloved” by God (Romans 11:28). “God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew” (11:2).
We all know family members and loved ones who do not know Christ, and like Paul, we also grieve for them. We want them to experience the awesome love and mercy that God has showered on us, as well as the freedom to live an abundant and fruitful life. Like Paul, we also know that we can’t force anyone to believe. All we can do is pray that their hearts will someday be open and willing to receive all that God has for them.
In the meantime, we can also have hope. Just as it was for the Jewish people, so it is for all of us: God’s gifts and call are irrevocable. He will never withdraw them; it would be against his nature to do so. He has not rejected anyone, even those who don’t yet know him. In fact, his greatest desire is to have all of us close to his heart every moment of every day.
So let’s continue praying for our loved ones and for all who are far from the Lord. Let’s pray that God’s light will shine in their lives. Let’s also pray for ourselves and other Christians who are sent into the world to preach the gospel so that others may hear it. As Paul says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:15).
“Jesus, you call everyone to yourself, even those who don’t yet know you. Open their hearts to your grace. Give us the boldness and courage to share all that you have done in our own lives with them.”
Psalm 94:12-15,17-18; Luke 14:1,7-11
21
posted on
10/31/2009 12:02:31 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
Secret Harbor ~ Portus Secretioris
On this Vigil of All Saints and as we enter into a rare Sunday celebration of the Solemnity of All Saints, we learn more about the saints and how to be a saint from this Discourse of Saint Anselm’s Proslogion. This particular excerpt has several themes to ponder. First, God is wholly God forever. He is the Supreme Good. In other words, the saints are saints because of God, Who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Second, the saints in heaven receive all goods because they love the one Good, Who is every good. Third, Saint Anselm challenges us to consider our own longings, our own desires; and then he explains that the fulfillment of those desires are to be found in heaven, where the saints dwell. Complete fulfillment or even a partial fulfillment, however, would be without joy, if it weren’t for God, the Source of all joy. Jesus promised a joy that is complete. The key to entering wholly into that joy, as Saint Anselm continues, is to rejoice, a great challenge for us in this highly secularized culture we live in. Finally, as if to expose our own human weaknesses while encouraging us to hand them over to God that He may extract good from them, Saint Anselm demonstrates his impatience in receiving the fulfillment of joy, by praying for his advancement in joy day after day. As mentioned at the start, the saints are saints because of God; and Saint Anselm shows us that becoming a saint begins here and now, by laying up treasures in heaven, that our hearts may be there as well (cf. Matthew 6:20-21).
You alone, Lord, You are Who You are, and You are the One Who is. Things that obey the law of change, one thing in the whole and another in the parts, is not altogether what it is. And what begins from non-existence, and can be conceived not to exist, and unless it subsists through something else, returns to non-existence; and what has a past existence, which is no longer, or a future existence, which is not yet, this does not properly and absolutely exist. But You, O Lord, You are what You are because whatever You are at any time, or in any way, You are as a whole and forever. In fact, You are He Who You are, properly and simply; for You have neither a past existence nor a future, but only a present existence; nor can You be conceived as at any time non-existent. But You, O Lord, are Life, and Light, and Wisdom, and Blessedness. And yet You are only One Supreme Good; You are all-sufficient to Yourself, and do not need anything; and You are He Whom all things need for their existence and wellbeing. This Good is You, God the Father; this is Your Word, Your Son. In fact, the Word by which You do express Yourself, that of You nothing can be born other than what You are. Your Word is truthful, as You are truthful, hence, it is Truth itself, just as You are, no other truth than You. And You are of so simple a nature, that of You nothing can be born other than what You are.
This highest good is the one love unique and common to You and to Your Son, that is, the Holy Spirit proceeding from both. For this love is not unequal to You or to Your Son; seeing that You do love Yourself and Him, and He, You and Himself, to the whole extent of Your Being and His. The Holy Spirit cannot differ from You, Father, or from Your Son, since He is the equal of both. Since He is Supreme Simplicity, He can only proceed from the Father and the Son. But what each is, separately, this is the whole Trinity at once, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; seeing that each separately is none other than the supremely simple Unity, and the supremely unitary Simplicity which can neither be multiplied nor varied. Moreover, there is a single necessary Being. Now, this is that single, necessary Being, in which is every good, and a single entire Good, and the only Good. Now, my soul, arise and lift up all your understanding, and conceive, so far as you can, of what character and how great is that Good!
If individual goods are delectable, conceive in earnestness how delectable is that Good which contains the pleasantness of all goods. It is a joy, however, very different from what we have experienced in created objects, as different as the Creator from the creature. If the created life is good, how good is the creative life! If the salvation given is delightful, how delightful is the Salvation which has given all salvation! If wisdom in the knowledge of the created world is lovely, how lovely is the Wisdom which has created all things from nothing! What goods and how great, belong to those who enjoy this Good! Joy is multiplied in the blessed from the blessedness and joy of others. Who shall enjoy this Supreme Good? And what shall belong to him, and what shall not belong to him? Whatever he wishes shall be his, and whatever he shall not wish shall not be his. These goods of body and soul will be such as eye has not seen nor ear heard, neither has the heart of man conceived (
cf. Isaiah 64:4; 1 Corinthians 2:9). Why, then, do you wander abroad, small man, in your search for the goods of your soul and your body? Love the One Good in which are all goods, and it suffices; desire the Simple Good which is every good, and it is enough.
What are your longings, my flesh? What do you yearn for, my soul? What fulfills your desires is in heaven. If beauty delights you, there shall the righteous shine forth as the sun (
cf. Matthew 13:43). Do you delight in swiftness or endurance, or freedom of body, which no one can withstand? The resurrection of the dead shall be like the angels, because it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body (
cf. 1 Corinthians 15:44). If it is a long and healthy life that pleases you, in God there is an eternity of health, for the righteous shall live forever (
cf. Wisdom 5:16), and the salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord (
cf. Psalm 36:39). If it is satisfaction of hunger, they shall be satisfied when the glory of the Lord has appeared (
cf. Exodus 16:7; Psalm 16:15). Do you want to taste an unspeakable joy? There draw water with joy from the springs of salvation (
cf. Isaiah 12:3). If it is melody, there the choirs of angels sing forever before God. If it is chaste delights, in heaven you shall drink from the river of divine delights (
cf. Psalm 35:9). If it is wisdom that delights you, the very Wisdom of God will reveal itself to you. Do you want the delights of friendship? There you will love God more than yourself, and others as yourself. God shall love you more than you yourself; for you love Him, and yourself, and others, through Him, and He, Himself and all, through Himself.
Are you looking for harmony? You’ll find it in heaven because the elect will have a single will. If power, you shall have all power to fulfill your will, as God to fulfill His. As God will have power to do what He wills, through Himself, so the blessed will have power, through Him, to do what they will. If honor and riches, God shall make His good and faithful servants rulers over many things (
cf. Luke 12:42). In fact, they shall be called sons of God, and share in His divinity; and where His Son shall be, there they shall be also, heirs indeed of God, and joint-heirs with Christ (
cf. Romans 8:17). If true security delights you, undoubtedly they shall be as sure that those goods, or rather that Good, will never and in no way fail them; as they shall be sure that they will not lose it of their own accord; and that God, Who loves them, will not take it away from those who love Him; and that nothing more powerful than God will separate Him from them against His will and theirs.
The possession of the highest Good is accompanied by an indescribable happiness. If you could dive into that ocean of joy, your human heart, so poor, so experienced in pain, even submerged in it, would be filled with delight. Ask your inmost mind whether it could contain its joy over so great a blessedness on its own. Yet assuredly, if any other whom you did love altogether as yourself possessed the same blessedness, your joy would be doubled, because you would rejoice no less for him than for yourself. But, if two, or three, or many more, had the same joy, you would rejoice as much for each one as for yourself, if you did love each as yourself. Thus, in that perfect love of innumerable blessed angels and sainted men, where none shall love another less than himself, every one shall rejoice for each other as for himself.
How shall the human heart contain its joy over its own great good, how shall it contain so many and so great joys? Doubtless, seeing that everyone loves another so far as he rejoices in the other's good, and as, in that perfect felicity, each one should love God beyond compare, more than himself and all the others with him; so he will rejoice beyond reckoning in the felicity of God, more than in his own and that of all the saints with him. The elect shall love God with all their heart, and all their mind, and all their soul. But if all the heart, all the mind, and all the soul will not equal the greatness of this love, how will they be able to support the fullness of their joy? My Lord and my God, You are the hope and joy of my heart. You have promised this happiness for my soul, saying through the Mouth of Your Divine Son: “Ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full” (
John 16:24).
My meditation revealed the existence of an overabundance of joy that fills the heart, soul and mind. It penetrates the whole person and will still remain beyond measure. Not all of that joy shall enter into those who rejoice; but those who rejoice shall wholly enter into that joy. Speak to Your servant in his inmost heart the joy that is prepared for those who enter into Your Kingdom of heaven; Your saints will enjoy those things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man (
cf. 1 Corinthians 2:9). My words and thoughts could never conceive how greatly those blessed ones of Yours shall rejoice. They shall rejoice according as they shall love; and they shall love according as they shall know. How far they will know You, Lord, then, and how much they will love You! Hear, O Lord, my voice: If I cannot attain to full joy in this life, may I at least advance from day to day, until that joy shall come to the full. Meanwhile, let my mind meditate upon it; let my tongue speak of it. Let my heart love it; let my mouth talk of it; let my soul hunger for it; let my flesh thirst for it; let my whole being desire it, until I enter into the joy of my Lord, Who is the Triune God, blessed forever. Amen.
22
posted on
10/31/2009 2:07:15 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
Vultus Christi
Here (once again) is the homily I preached in French two years ago at the Monastère Saint-Benoît in Nans-sous-Sainte-Anne, France. Richard Chonak's fine translation follows. Thank you, Richard.
« Voici le peuple immense de ceux qui t'ont cherché ».
Oui, Seigneur Jésus, tous ils ont cherché ton Visage.
Tous, ils ont pris à cœur cette parole
que ton Esprit Saint a fait chanter le roi prophète :
« Mon cœur t'a déclaré : je cherche le Seigneur. . .
c'est ta Face, Seigneur, que je rechercherai.
Ne détourne pas de moi ton Visage » (Ps 26, 8-9).
Tous, ils sont devenus miroirs vivants de ta Sainte Face,
selon ce que dit ton Apôtre :
« Et nous tous qui, le visage découvert,
réfléchissons comme en un miroir la gloire du Seigneur,
nous sommes transformés en cette même image,
toujours plus glorieuse,
comme il convient à l'action du Seigneur, qui est l'Esprit » (2 Cor 3, 18).
Seigneur Jésus, la beauté de la gloire de tes saints nous ravit
parce qu'elle est le reflet sur leurs visages de la beauté de la gloire de ta Face !
Aujourd'hui tu nous révèles,
aujourd'hui tu nous redis le secret de toute sainteté :
la recherche de ta Face.
À quiconque cherche ta Face, Seigneur Jésus, tu la révèles,
et celui à qui tu révèles ta Face ne peut que l'adorer.
Cette adoration de ta Sainte Face est transformante,
C'est toujours le roi prophète qui nous donne de chanter chaque nuit :
« Sur nous s'est imprimé, Seigneur, la lumière de ta Face » (Ps 4, 7).
Parmi tous ces visages illuminés par la beauté de ta Face,
il y a un visage qui rayonne d'une splendeur qui fait pâlir le soleil.
C'est le visage de ta Mère, la toute belle, la toute pure.
Tu es toute belle, ô Marie, car sur ton visage nous voyons
le reflet éblouissant de Celui
qui est « le resplendissement de la gloire du Père
et l'effigie de sa substance » (Hb 1, 3).
Toi, la reine de tous les saints,
tu es le signe grandiose qui apparaît dans le ciel :
la Femme revêtue du soleil,
ayant la lune sous ses pieds,
et portant une couronne sertie de douze étoiles.
Je dois vous avouer, chères sœurs,
que dès que nous avons chanté l'antienne du Magnificat aux premières vêpres,
j'ai compris que la foi d'Abraham restait, en quelque sorte, inachevée,
tant qu'elle n'a pas trouvé en Marie sa plénitude.
Les fils et les filles d'Abraham, plus nombreux que les étoiles du ciel,
sont tous sans exception aucune, fils et filles de Marie,
de celle qui a cru « en l'accomplissement de ce qui lui fut dit
de la part du Seigneur » (Lc 1, 45).
C'est Marie qui entraîne tous les saints dans le chant qui, un jour,
déborda de son Cœur immaculé :
« Le Puissant a fait pour moi des merveilles » (Lc 1, 49).
Voici le chant de tous les saints.
Chacun le reçoit des lèvres de Marie pour le reprendre à son tour »
chacun avec sa voix, chacun avec son accent,
chacun avec la mélodie que lui inspire le Saint-Esprit.
C'est cela ce grand bruit qui remplit le ciel ;
c'est le chant de Marie repris par le chœur des saints.
Et qui sont ces saints, tous enfants de Marie ?
Ils sont les bienheureux de l'évangile que vous venez d'entendre.
À chacun des béatitudes correspond cette parole de Jésus crucifié,
ce testament d'amour confié au disciple bien-aimé : « Voici ta Mère » (Jn 19, 27).
Il me faut donc dire :
Vous, les pauvres de cœur, voici votre Mère,
la Vierge des pauvres telle qu'elle s'est manifestée à Banneux,
la Reine des anawim, de ceux qui attendent tout de Dieu.
Vous, les doux, voici votre Mère,
Marie, la bonne agnelle,
celle dont la mansuétude dépasse celle du roi David,
celle dont a douceur apaise tous nos conflits et calme toutes nos tempêtes.
Vous qui pleurez, voici votre Mère,
celle que l'Église, riche de l'expérience de deux millénaires,
appelle Consolatrix Afflictorum, la Consolatrice des Affligés.
Vous qui avez faim et soif de la justice, voici votre Mère,
la Mère de l'Eucharistie,
celle qui a donné de son corps et de son sang
pour que, de son sein virginal, fécondé par la puissance du Saint Esprit,
soient offerts au monde entier le Corps et le Sang du Christ
pour vous rassasier.
Vous les miséricordieux, voici votre Mère,
celle que l'Église, dans ce chant sublime qui s'élève des monastères de par le monde entier tous les soirs, appelle Mater misericordiae.
Marie ne s'effraie point à la vue de vos misères.
Elle les prend toutes dans son Cœur pour les tremper
dans l'huile et dans le vin du Saint Esprit.
Vous les cœurs purs, voici votre Mère,
l'Immaculée, la toute belle, celle qui opère dans le cœur dans pécheurs
des merveilles de pureté et de candeur.
Vous les artisans de paix, voici votre Mère, Regina pacis,
celle qui n'a jamais oublié le chant angélique qui a fait tressaillir les étoiles
en la nuit où elle a mis au monde le Prince de la Paix :
« Gloire à Dieu au plus haut des cieux, et paix sur la terre
aux hommes qu'il aime » (Lc 2, 14).
Vous les persécutés pour la justice, voici votre Mère,
la Regina Martyrum, celle dont l'âme fut transpercée d'un glaive de douleur.
Elle s'est tenue debout près de la croix de son Fils.
Elle a sondé toutes les amertumes et,
avec son Enfant crucifié, a bu le calice que le Père leur avait présenté.
Vous les insultés et les calomniés, voici votre Mère,
celle qui, rayonnante d'amour et de vérité, éclairera tous vos chemins.
C'est elle qui soutient les martyrs.
Rien de ce que vous souffrez ne lui est étranger.
Vous qui êtes dans la joie,
vous qui jubilez d'allégresse, voici votre Mère,
la Causa nostrae laetitiae.
Votre joie est la sienne, et sa joie à elle,
elle la déverse à flots dans les cœurs de tous les saints
jusque dans les siècles des siècles.
Sainte Marie, Mère et Reine de tous les saints,
nous voulons, comme l'apôtre Jean,
te prendre dès maintenant chez nous,
pour que tu nous apprennes les béatitudes
dont tu es l'icône parfaite.
Fais nous goûter au bonheur de tous les saints.
Et maintenant, accompagne-nous à l'autel du Saint Sacrifice.
Un jour, nous l'espérons fermement,
tu seras là pour nous accueillir au banquet qui déjà nous est préparé au ciel,
celui des Noces de l'Agneau.
Amen.
"Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face."
Yes, Lord Jesus, they all came to seek your face.
They all took to heart this word which your Holy Spirit made King David the prophet sing:
"My heart has said: I seek the Lord; it is your face, O Lord, that I shall seek. Turn not your face from me." (Ps 27: 8-9)
They all became living mirrors of your Holy Face, as your Apostle says:
"And we all who, with faces unveiled, reflect the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are transformed into his very image, ever more glorious, as befits the work of the Lord who is the Spirit." (2 Cor 3: 18).
Lord Jesus, the beauty of the glory of your saints ravishes us because it is the reflection on their faces of the beauty of the glory of your Face!
Today you reveal to us,
today you tell us again the secret of all sanctity:
to seek your face.
To anyone who seeks your face,
Lord Jesus, you reveal it,
and he to whom you reveal your face can only adore it.
This adoration of your Holy Face is transforming;
it is again the prophet-king who gives us the words to sing each night:
"Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord."
(Ps 4, 7).
Among all these faces illumined by the beauty of your Face, there is one countenance radiant with a splendor that makes the sun pale.
It is the face of your Mother, the all-beautiful, the all-pure.
You are all beautiful, O Mary, for in your face we see the radiant reflection of Him who is "the brightness of the Father's glory and the image of his being" (Heb 1:3).
You, the queen of all the saints, you are the great sign that appeared in the heavens:
the Woman clothed with the sun,
having the moon beneath her feet,
and bearing a crown with twelve stars.
I must say to you, dear sisters, that since we sang the antiphon of the Magnificat at first Vespers, I have understood that the faith of Abraham remained, in a sense, unfulfilled, inasmuch as it had not yet found its fullness in Mary.
The sons and daughters of Abraham, more countless than the stars of heaven, are all without any exception, sons and daughters of Mary, of her who believed "that the word of the Lord to her would be fulfilled." (Luke 1:45).
It is Mary who leads all the saints in the song that once poured out of her immaculate Heart: "The Almighty has done great things for me" (Lk 1:49).
This is the song of all the saints.
Each one receives it from the lips of Mary, to take it up in his own turn,
each with his own voice, each with his own accent,
each with the melody which the Holy Spirit inspires in him.
That is the great sound that fills Heaven:
it is the song of Mary, taken up by the choir of the saints.
And who are these saints, all children of Mary?
They are the ones blessed by the gospel which you just heard.
This word of Jesus crucified fits with each of the beatitudes: "Behold your Mother" (Jn 19:27), the testament of love entrusted to his beloved disciple.
So I should say:
You poor of heart, behold your Mother,
the Virgin of the poor as she appeared at Banneux,
the Queen of the anawim, of those who depend on God for everything.
You meek, behold your Mother,
Mary, the good shepherdess,
whose care surpasses that of David,
whose gentleness brings peace to our conflicts and calms all our tempests.
You who weep, behold your Mother,
whom the Church, rich in the experience of two millennia,
called Consolatrix Afflictorum, the Consoler of the Afflicted.
You who hunger and thirst for justice, behold your Mother,
the Mother of the Eucharist,
who gave of her own body and blood
so that, from her virginal womb, made fruitful by the power of the Holy Spirit,
the Body and the Blood of Christ would be offered to the whole world
to satisfy you.
You merciful, behold your Mother,
whom the Church, in that sublime song that rises from monasteries through the entire world each evening, calls Mater misericordiae.
Mary is not frightened at all at the sight of your sufferings.
She takes them all into her Heart to wash them
in the oil and wine of the Holy Spirit.
You pure of heart, behold your Mother,
Immaculate, all-beautiful, who works marvels in the hearts of sinners, marvels of purity and openness.
You peacemakers, behold your Mother, Regina pacis,
who has never forgotten the angels' song that traversed the stars on the night when she brought into the world the Prince of Peace:
"Glory to God in the highest heavens, and peace on earth to the people he loves." (Lk 2:14)
You persecuted for righteousness, behold your Mother, the Regina Martyrum, whose soul was transpierced by a blade of sorrow.
She remained standing by the cross of her Son.
She experienced all its bitterness and, with her crucified Son, drank the chalice which the Father had presented to her.
You who are insulted and slandered, behold your Mother who, radiant with love and truth, will enlighten all your ways.
It is she who sustains the martyrs.
Nothing of what you suffer is foreign to her.
You who are rejoice and are glad, behold your Mother,
the Causa nostrae laetitiae.
Your joy is hers, and she pours out her joy in it, in torrents in the hearts of all the saints,
unto ages of ages.
Holy Mary, Mother and Queen of all the saints,
we desire, like the apostle John,
to bring you into our homes from this day forward,
so that you may teach us the beatitudes
of which you are the perfect icon.
Make us taste the happiness of all the saints.
And now, accompany us to the altar of the Holy Sacrifice.
One day, we firmly hope,
you will be there to receive us at the banquet which is already prepared for us in Heaven,
the wedding banquet of the Lamb.
Amen
23
posted on
10/31/2009 2:12:09 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
Vespers -- Evening Prayer
Vespers (Evening Prayer)
(These are the First Vespers of tomorrow, All Saints)
O God, come to my aid.
– O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen. Alleluia.
A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.
| Psalm 112 (113) |
| Praise of the Lord's name |
|
Perpetual light will shine on your saints, Lotd, through all eternity. Alleluia.
|
|
Praise, servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord.
Let the Lord’s name be blessed,
now and for ever.
From the sun’s rising to its setting,
the Lord’s name is to be praised.
The Lord is high over all peoples,
his glory is above the heavens.
Who is like the Lord our God, who lives on high,
who bends down to watch over heaven and earth?
He raises the weak from the ground,
the poor from the dunghill,
raises them among the princes,
the princes of his people.
He gives the barren woman a household,
makes her the happy mother of children.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
|
|
Perpetual light will shine on your saints, Lotd, through all eternity. Alleluia.
|
| Psalm 147 (147B) |
| God, the foundation of Jerusalem |
|
Jerusalem, city of God, you will rejoice in your children, because all of them will be blessed and gathered in to the Lord. Alleluia.
|
|
Praise the Lord, Jerusalem
— Zion, praise your God.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates,
he has blessed your children.
He keeps your borders in peace,
he fills you with the richest wheat.
He sends out his command over the earth,
and swiftly runs his word.
He sends down snow that is like wool,
frost that is like ashes.
He sends hailstones like crumbs
— who can withstand his cold?
He will send out his word, and all will be melted;
his spirit will breathe, and the waters will flow.
He proclaims his word to Jacob,
his laws and judgements to Israel.
He has not done this for other nations:
he has not shown them his judgements.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
|
|
Jerusalem, city of God, you will rejoice in your children, because all of them will be blessed and gathered in to the Lord. Alleluia.
|
| Canticle |
(Apocalypse 19) |
| The wedding of the Lamb |
|
The saints will sing a new song before the throne of God and the Lamb, and their voices will resound through all the earth. Alleluia.
|
|
Alleluia.
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
because his judgements are true and just.
Alleluia.
Alleluia.
Praise our God, all his servants,
and you who fear him, small and great.
Alleluia.
Alleluia.
For the Lord reigns, our God, the Almighty:
let us rejoice and exult and give him glory.
Alleluia.
Alleluia.
The marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his spouse has made herself ready.
Alleluia.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
|
|
The saints will sing a new song before the throne of God and the Lamb, and their voices will resound through all the earth. Alleluia.
|
| Short reading |
Hebrews 12:22-24 © |
|
What you have come to is Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem where the millions of angels have gathered for the festival, with the whole Church in which everyone is a ’first-born son’ and a citizen of heaven. You have come to God himself, the supreme Judge, and been placed with spirits of the saints who have been made perfect; and to Jesus, the mediator who brings a new covenant and a blood for purification which pleads more insistently than Abel’s.
|
| Canticle |
Magnificat |
| My soul rejoices in the Lord |
|
The glorious choir of Apostles, the noble ranks of prophets, the shining army of martyrs, all praise you. All the saints and the chosen proclaim your name, holy Trinity, one God.
|
|
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God, my salvation.
For he has shown me such favour –
me, his lowly handmaiden.
Now all generations will call me blessed,
because the mighty one has done great things for me.
His name is holy,
his mercy lasts for generation after generation
for those who revere him.
He has put forth his strength:
he has scattered the proud and conceited,
torn princes from their thrones;
but lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things;
the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel,
he has remembered his mercy as he promised to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
|
|
The glorious choir of Apostles, the noble ranks of prophets, the shining army of martyrs, all praise you. All the saints and the chosen proclaim your name, holy Trinity, one God.
|
| Prayers and Intercessions |
? |
|
Christ has taken pity on his hungry people and has worked wonders of love for them. In gratitude and devotion we pray to him:
– Lord, show us your love.
Lord, we acknowledge that all the good things that came to us today came to us from your kindness.
May that kindness not be wasted on us: may it bear fruit in our hearts.
– Lord, show us your love.
Light and salvation of all peoples, watch over those whom you have sent all over the world to bear witness to you:
kindle the fire of your Spirit within them.
– Lord, show us your love.
Make everyone work together to make the world a more perfect place:
guide them to respond to the most urgent needs of our time.
– Lord, show us your love.
Doctor and healer of both body and soul, soothe the sick and be close to the dying:
in your compassion come to us also, and restore our strength.
– Lord, show us your love.
Deign to add those who have died to the number of your saints,
whose names are written in the book of life.
– Lord, show us your love.
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Our Father, who art in Heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
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Almighty and ever-living God, you have allowed us to venerate the merits of all your saints in one single feast.
Grant us, through the intercession of them all,
the abundant kindness we seek from you.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen.
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May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life.
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| A M E N |
24
posted on
10/31/2009 2:18:06 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: Salvation
| Luke |
| |
English: Douay-Rheims |
Latin: Vulgata Clementina |
Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000) |
| |
Luke 14
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| 1. |
AND it came to pass, when Jesus went into the house of one of the chief of the Pharisees, on the sabbath day, to eat bread, that they watched him. |
Et factum est cum intraret Jesus in domum cujusdam principis pharisæorum sabbato manducare panem, et ipsi observabant eum. |
και εγενετο εν τω ελθειν αυτον εις οικον τινος των αρχοντων των φαρισαιων σαββατω φαγειν αρτον και αυτοι ησαν παρατηρουμενοι αυτον |
| [...] |
| 7. |
And he spoke a parable also to them that were invited, marking how they chose the first seats at the table, saying to them: |
Dicebat autem et ad invitatos parabolam, intendens quomodo primos accubitus eligerent, dicens ad illos : |
ελεγεν δε προς τους κεκλημενους παραβολην επεχων πως τας πρωτοκλισιας εξελεγοντο λεγων προς αυτους |
| 8. |
When thou art invited to a wedding, sit not down in the first place, lest perhaps one more honourable than thou be invited by him: |
Cum invitatus fueris ad nuptias, non discumbas in primo loco, ne forte honoratior te sit invitatus ab illo. |
οταν κληθης υπο τινος εις γαμους μη κατακλιθης εις την πρωτοκλισιαν μηποτε εντιμοτερος σου η κεκλημενος υπ αυτου |
| 9. |
And he that invited thee and him, come and say to thee, Give this man place: and then thou begin with shame to take the lowest place. |
Et veniens is, qui te et illum vocavit, dicat tibi : Da huic locum : et tunc incipias cum rubore novissimum locum tenere. |
και ελθων ο σε και αυτον καλεσας ερει σοι δος τουτω τοπον και τοτε αρξη μετ αισχυνης τον εσχατον τοπον κατεχειν |
| 10. |
But when thou art invited, go, sit down in the lowest place; that when he who invited thee, cometh, he may say to thee: Friend, go up higher. Then shalt thou have glory before them that sit at table with thee. |
Sed cum vocatus fueris, vade, recumbe in novissimo loco : ut, cum venerit qui te invitavit, dicat tibi : Amice, ascende superius. Tunc erit tibi gloria coram simul discumbentibus : |
αλλ οταν κληθης πορευθεις αναπεσε εις τον εσχατον τοπον ινα οταν ελθη ο κεκληκως σε ειπη σοι φιλε προσαναβηθι ανωτερον τοτε εσται σοι δοξα ενωπιον των συνανακειμενων σοι |
| 11. |
Because every one that exalteth himself, shall be humbled; and he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted. |
quia omnis, qui se exaltat, humiliabitur : et qui se humiliat, exaltabitur. |
οτι πας ο υψων εαυτον ταπεινωθησεται και ο ταπεινων εαυτον υψωθησεται |
25
posted on
10/31/2009 2:48:04 PM PDT
by
annalex
(http://www.catecheticsonline.com/CatenaAurea.php)
To: annalex
1. And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.
CYRIL; Although our Lord knew the malice of the Pharisees, yet He became their guest, that He might benefit by His words and miracles those who were present. Whence it follows, And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him; to see whether He would despise the observance of the law, or do any thing that was forbidden on the sabbath day. When then the man with the dropsy came into the midst of them, He rebukes by a question the insolence of the Pharisees, who wished to detect Him;
7. And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying to them,
8. When you are bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honor man than you be bidden of him;
9. And he that bade you and him come and say to you, Give this man place; and you begin with shame to take the lowest room.
10. But when you are bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade you comes, he may say to you, Friend, go up higher: then shall you have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with you.
11. For whosoever exalts himself shall be abased; and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.
AMBROSE; First the dropsical man is cured, in whom the abundant discharges of the flesh crushed down the powers of the soul quenched the ardor of the Spirit. Next, humility is taught, when at the nuptial feast the desire of the highest place is forbidden. As it is said, And he spoke, Sit not down in the highest room.
CYRIL; For to rush forward hastily to honors which are not fitting for us, indicates rashness. and casts a slur upon our actions. Hence it follows, lest a more honorable man than you be invited, &c.
CHRYS. And so the seeker of honor obtained not that which he coveted, but suffered a defeat, and busying himself how he might be loaded with honors, is treated with dishonor. And because nothing is of so much worth as modesty, He leads His hearer to the opposite of this; not only for- him to seek the highest place, but bidding him search for the lowest. As it follows; But when you are bidden go and sit down in the lowest room.
CYRIL; For if a man wishes not to be set before others, he obtains this honor according to the divine word. As it follows; That when he that bade you comes, he may say to you, Friend, go up higher. In these words He does not harshly chide, but gently admonishes; for a word of advice is enough for the wise. And thus for their humility men are crowned with honors; as it follows, Then shall you have worship.
BASIL; To take then the lowest place at a feast, according to our Lord's command, is becoming to every man, but again to rush contentiously after this is to be condemned as a breach of order and cause of tumult; and a strife raised about it, will place you on a level with those who dispute concerning the highest place. Wherefore, as our Lord here says, it becomes him who makes the feast to arrange the order of sitting down. Thus in patience and love should we mutually bear ourselves, following all things decently according to order, not for external appearance or public display; nor should we seem to study or affect humility by violent contradiction, but rather gain it by condescension or by patience. For resistance or opposition is a far stronger token of pride than taking the first seat at meat, when we obtain it by authority.
THEOPHYL. Now let no one deem the above precepts of Christ to be trifling, and unworthy of the sublimity and grandeur of the Word of God. For you would not call him a merciful physician who professed to heal the gout, but refilled to cure a scar on the finger or a tooth-ache. Besides, how can that passion of vainglory appear slight, which moved or agitated those who sought the first seats. It became then the Master of humility to cut off every branch of the bad root. But observe this also, that when the supper was ready, and the wretched guests were contending for precedency before the eyes of the Savior, there was a fit occasion for advice.
CYRIL; Having shown therefore from so slight an example the degradation of the ambitious and the exaltation of the humble-minded, He adds a great thing to a little, pronouncing a general sentence, as it follows, For every one who exalts himself shall be abased, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted. This is spoken according to the divine judgment, not after human experience, in which they who desire after glory obtain it, while others who humble themselves remain inglorious.
THEOPHYL. Moreover, he is not to be respected in the end, nor by all men, who thrusts himself into honors; but while by some he is honored, by others he is disparaged, and sometimes even by the very men who outwardly honor him.
BEDE; But as the Evangelist calls this admonition a parable, we must briefly examine what is its mystical meaning. Whosoever being bidden has come to the marriage feast of Christ's Church, being united to the members of the Church by faith, let him not exalt himself as higher than others by boasting of his merits. For he will have to give place to one more honorable who is bidden afterwards, seeing that he is overtaken by the activity of those who followed him, and with shame he occupies the lowest place, now that knowing better things of the others he brings low whatever high thoughts he once had of his own works. But a man sits in the lowest place according to that verse, The greater you are, humble yourself in all things. But the Lord when He comes, whomsoever He shall find humble, blessing him with the name of friend, He will command him to go up higher. For whoever humbles himself as a little child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. But it is well said, Then shall you have glory, that you may not begin to seek now what is kept for you in the end. It may also be understood, even in this life, for daily does God come to His marriage feast, despising the proud; and often giving to the humble such great gifts of His Spirit, that the assembly of those who sit at meat, i.e. the faithful, glorify them in wonder. But in the general conclusion which is added, it is plainly declared that the preceding discourse of our Lord must be understood typically. For not every one who exalts himself before men is abased; nor is he who humbles himself in their sight, exalted by them. But whoever exalts himself because of his merits, the Lord shall bring low, and him who humbles himself on account of his mercies, shall He exalt.
Catena Aurea Luke 14
26
posted on
10/31/2009 2:48:39 PM PDT
by
annalex
(http://www.catecheticsonline.com/CatenaAurea.php)
To: annalex
Feast in the House of Simon
Paolo Veronese
1556-60
Oil on canvas, 315 x 451 cm
Galleria Sabauda, Turin
27
posted on
10/31/2009 2:48:58 PM PDT
by
annalex
(http://www.catecheticsonline.com/CatenaAurea.php)
To: All
Regnum Christi
| Friend, Go Up Higher |
| | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY |
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Saturday, 30th week, OT
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Father James Swanson, LC
Luke 14:1, 7-11
On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully. He told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table. "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, ´Give your place to this man,´ and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place. Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, ´My friend, move up to a higher position.´ Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe in you with a faith that never seeks to test you. I trust in you, hoping to learn to accept and follow your will, even when it does not make sense to the way that I see things. May my love for you and those around me be similar to the love you have shown to me.
Petition: Lord, please help me to replace my selfishness with love.
1. I Want to Hear All about Myself Sooner or later we all experience the displeasure of having to be around someone who is always promoting himself. Perhaps we do it ourselves, without realizing how it disgusts the people around us. I remember working with one such fellow myself. He was the nicest guy in the world otherwise, but he consistently and continually talked about himself. He was his own favorite subject. It was his only noticeable flaw, but a fatal one. I’m sure he didn’t realize it. Probably if you asked him if he talked about himself more than other people talk about themselves, he would have answered that he talked about himself about the same amount as others do. He had plenty of other virtues, and I’m sure if he had rid himself of his major flaw he would have been one of the most well-liked people where I worked. But he was always putting himself in first place, and in our hearts we were always putting him in one of the last places.
2. Number One in your Heart On the other hand, you sometimes run into people who don’t wave their own flag. They seem to exist to support and help others. Maybe you don’t always notice when they are around, but you notice the effects. Everyone is happier. There is less stress. People seem less worried. These people grease the wheels. If you need a hand, they’ll give it to you and you don’t even need to ask. Their support and friendship are givens. You know you can count on them. They are assets wherever they work because they know how to make the people around them more effective. Everybody likes them. They may not have the greatest personality or a lot of social skills, but nobody cares because the goodness seems to just ooze out of them. While they seem unassuming and unimportant, everyone who is around them prizes them highly. Without even realizing it, they are at the highest places in everyone’s hearts.
3. Will I Develop my Ambition or my Love? Which kind of person am I? Am I a shameless self-promoter, always focused on getting as much for Number One as possible? This strategy might work well in a company where people are faceless widgets instead of personalities, where the bottom line is the bottom line, but it is never very successful in real life relationships. Perhaps I do what I can to help others whenever I can, to make others feel good. That is the way to real fulfillment. After all, Jesus said that those who wanted to be first must be the last of all and the servant of all. Have I been foolish enough to think that Jesus was saying that the way to achieve my ambitions is to serve? No way. Jesus isn’t concerned with us achieving ambitions, he is telling us how to be first in hearts. If you want to be first in hearts, be a servant of all. If you have the humility to serve others, you will attain to a high place in others’ hearts. When you take a low place, they will always raise you higher.
Conversation with Christ: Dear Jesus, I am always trying to serve myself and my ambitions, and you want me to be concerned with serving others. Help me to be more focused on what really matters – loving – than on what the world prizes – empty, self-serving actions.
Resolution: Today, I will perform some act of service for another person, preferably for someone close to me, preferably without their notice. These are the acts that most deeply express love. Remember, if you expect something in return, even just thanks, it isn’t love, it’s business. |
28
posted on
10/31/2009 8:30:31 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
One Bread, One BodyOne Bread, One Body
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Romans 11:1-2, 11-12, 25-29
View Readings |
Psalm 94:12-15, 17-18 |
Luke 14:1, 7-11
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HUMILITY INCARNATE
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"Go and sit in the lowest place." —Luke 14:10
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How's this for humility? Jesus was with God in the glory of heaven. Then He humbled Himself to take on human flesh and dwell on earth (Jn 1:14). He was born in the "lowest place," a stable, and was laid in a manger, an animal feeding trough from which no person would dream of eating (see Lk 2:7). He did not live in the royal city, Jerusalem, but in the lowly, disregarded village of Nazareth (see Jn 1:46). During His public ministry, He was homeless (see Lk 9:58) and was thrown out of towns (e.g. Lk 4:29). He was condemned to die the death of a criminal: crucifixion. Could there be any lower, more humbling place than hanging on a cross in agony, being mocked publicly and unmercifully? Jesus found a lower, more humbling place. He Who dwells "in unapproachable light" (1 Tm 6:16) has taken on the appearance of bread and wine in the Eucharist. He resides in the tabernacles of our churches, sometimes relegated to a humble place barely noticeable to the casual visitor. Often He is ignored in His eucharistic presence, even by Catholics. Won't Jesus ever stop finding the lowest place? Why does He so humble Himself? Jesus is "gentle and humble of heart" (Mt 11:29), and we are tortured and confused at heart (Jer 17:9). Jesus will continue to humble Himself if that's what it takes to penetrate our hardened hearts. In response, humble yourself before Him (Jas 4:10). This weekend, clothe yourself with humility (1 Pt 5:5), and spend at least ten minutes in prayer in front of the humble, eucharistic Jesus in the tabernacle of your church. |
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Prayer: Jesus, to the humble You show kindness (1 Pt 5:5). May I "bow humbly" (1 Pt 5:6) before You every day of my life.
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Promise: "All Israel will be saved." —Rm 11:26
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Praise: Jack led an immoral life for decades. His mother offered her sufferings from cancer for her son's conversion. After her death, John repented, returned to the Church, and began an apostolate to teach the faith to Catholics through television.
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29
posted on
10/31/2009 8:35:20 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
Compline -- Night Prayer
Compline (Night Prayer)
O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen. Alleluia.
This is an excellent moment for an examination of conscience. In a communal celebration of Compline, one of the penitential acts given in the Missal may be recited.
Christ, thou who art the light and day,
Who chasest nightly shades away,
Thyself the Light of Light confessed,
And promiser of radiance blest:
O holy Lord, we pray to thee,
Throughout the night our guardian be;
In thee vouchsafe us to repose,
All peaceful till the night shall close.
O let our eyes due slumber take,
Our hearts to thee forever wake:
And let thy right hand from above
Shield us who turn to thee in love.
O strong defender, hear our prayers,
Repel our foes and break their snares,
And govern thou thy servants here,
Those ransomed with thy life-blood dear.
Almighty Father, this accord
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord,
Who with the Holy Ghost and thee
Doth reign through all eternity.
Take pity on me, Lord, and listen to my prayer.
When I called out, he heard me, the God of my righteousness.
When I was in trouble, you gave me freedom:
now, take pity on me and listen to my prayer.
Sons of men, how long will your hearts be heavy?
Why do you seek for vain things?
Why do you run after illusions?
Know that the Lord has done marvellous things
for those he has chosen.
When I call upon the Lord, he will hear me.
Be vigorous, but do not sin:
speak in the silence of your heart,
in your bed, be at rest.
Offer righteousness as a sacrifice,
and put your trust in the Lord.
Many are saying, Who will give us good things?
Let your face shine on us, Lord,
let the light of your face be a sign.
You have given me a greater joy
than the others receive
from abundance of wheat and of wine.
In peace shall I sleep, Lord, in peace shall I rest:
firm in the hope you have given me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Take pity on me, Lord, and listen to my prayer.
Psalm 133 (134)
Evening prayer in the Temple |
Bless the Lord through the night.
Come, bless the Lord,
all you servants of the Lord
who stand through the night in the house of the Lord!
Lift up your arms to the sanctuary
and bless the Lord!
May the Lord bless you from Zion –
the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Bless the Lord through the night.
| Reading |
Deuteronomy 6:4-7 © |
Listen, Israel: the Lord our God is the one Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength. Let these words I urge on you today be written on your heart. You shall repeat them to your children and say them over to them whether at rest in your house or walking abroad, at your lying down or at your rising.
Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
You have redeemed us, Lord, God of faithfulness.
– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
Keep us safe, Lord, while we are awake, and guard us as we sleep, so that we can keep watch with Christ and rest in peace.
Now, Master, you let your servant go in peace.
You have fulfilled your promise.
My own eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all peoples.
A light to bring the Gentiles from darkness;
the glory of your people Israel.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Keep us safe, Lord, while we are awake, and guard us as we sleep, so that we can keep watch with Christ and rest in peace.
Let us pray.
Come to us, Lord, this night, and give us the strength to rise at dawn rejoicing in the resurrection of your Anointed, who lives and reigns for ever and ever, Amen.
May the almighty Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end.
A M E N
Hail to you, O Queen, mother of loving kindness,
our life, our happiness, our hope.
Hear us cry out to you,
children of Eve in our exile.
Hear as we sigh, with groaning and weeping
in this life, this valley of tears.
Come then, our Advocate, turn towards us
the gaze of your kind and loving eyes.
And show us Jesus, the blessed fruit of your womb,
when at last our exile here is ended.
30
posted on
10/31/2009 8:55:18 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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