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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.

This site was down last night so am posing it now.

Daily Gospel Commentary

The Martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist - Memorial

Commentary of the day
Saint Bede the Venerable (c.673-735), monk, Doctor of the Church
Hymn for the Martyrdom of John the Baptist ; PL 94, 630

Forerunner in death as in life

The great forerunner of grace and messenger of truth,
John the Baptist, Christ’s shining torch,
Now becomes the preacher of eternal Light.
The prophetic witness that he never ceased to show
In his message, life, and all his mighty works,
Is signed today by the blood of his martyrdom.

He always went before his Lord:
In birth he declared his coming to the world;
By his baptism of sinners in the Jordan
He foretold the one by whom baptism would be instituted;
And by shedding his blood for him with love,
John the Baptist also experienced beforehand
The death of Christ our Savior, who gave life to the world.

A cruel tyrant may well conceal him in a prison, bound with irons,
Yet in Christ such chains could never bind a man
Whose heart in freedom opens to the Kingdom.
How could the darkness and torments of a dungeon dim
Gain mastery over one who sees Christ’s glory
And receives from him the Holy Spirit’s gifts?
Willingly he gives his head to the executioner’s sword;
How could he lose his head
Whose Head is Christ?

Happy is he who wins today his forerunner’s title
By his departure from this world of ours.
Today his death proclaims what he testified while living:
Christ who comes and now is here.
Could hell hold fast the messenger who escapes it?
The just, the prophets and the martyrs are full of joy
As they go with him to meet the Savior.
All surround John with their praises and their love
And, with him, beg Christ to come at last to those who are his own

O great forerunner of the Redeemer, he delays no longer
Who sets you free from death for evermore.
Led by your Lord,
Enter into glory with the saints!