Reading 1 Ex 14:5-18

When it was reported to the king of Egypt
that the people had fled,
Pharaoh and his servants changed their minds about them.
They exclaimed, “What have we done!
Why, we have released Israel from our service!”
So Pharaoh made his chariots ready and mustered his soldiersB
six hundred first-class chariots
and all the other chariots of Egypt, with warriors on them all.
So obstinate had the LORD made Pharaoh
that he pursued the children of Israel
even while they were marching away in triumph.
The Egyptians, then, pursued them;
Pharaoh’s whole army, his horses, chariots and charioteers,
caught up with them as they lay encamped by the sea,
at Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

Pharaoh was already near when the children of Israel looked up
and saw that the Egyptians were on the march in pursuit of them.
In great fright they cried out to the LORD.
And they complained to Moses,
“Were there no burial places in Egypt
that you had to bring us out here to die in the desert?
Why did you do this to us?
Why did you bring us out of Egypt?
Did we not tell you this in Egypt, when we said,
‘Leave us alone. Let us serve the Egyptians’?
Far better for us to be the slaves of the Egyptians
than to die in the desert.”
But Moses answered the people,
“Fear not! Stand your ground,
and you will see the victory the LORD will win for you today.
These Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again.
The LORD himself will fight for you; you have only to keep still.”

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me?
Tell the children of Israel to go forward.
And you, lift up your staff and, with hand outstretched over the sea,
split the sea in two,
that the children of Israel may pass through it on dry land.
But I will make the Egyptians so obstinate
that they will go in after them.
Then I will receive glory through Pharaoh and all his army,
his chariots and charioteers.
The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD,
when I receive glory through Pharaoh
and his chariots and charioteers.”

Responsorial Psalm Exodus 15:1bc-2, 3-4, 5-6

R. (1b) Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
I will sing to the LORD, for he is gloriously triumphant;
horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
He is my God, I praise him;
the God of my father, I extol him.
R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
The LORD is a warrior,
LORD is his name!
Pharaoh’s chariots and army he hurled into the sea;
the elite of his officers were submerged in the Red Sea.
R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
The flood waters covered them,
they sank into the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, O LORD, magnificent in power,
your right hand, O LORD, has shattered the enemy.
R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.

Alleluia Ps 95:8

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 12:38-42

Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,
“Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”
He said to them in reply,
“An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign,
but no sign will be given it
except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights,
so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth
three days and three nights.
At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah;
and there is something greater than Jonah here.
At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon;
and there is something greater than Solomon here.”

From: Exodus 14:5-18

The Egyptians in Pursuit

[5] When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pha-
roah and his servants was changed toward people, and they said, “What is this
we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” [6] So he made ready
his chariot and took his army with him [7] and took six hundred picked chariots
and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. [8] And the Lord
hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt and he pursued the people of Israel
as they went forth defiantly. [9] The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s hor-
ses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped
at the sea, by Pi-ha-hiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

[10] When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and be-
hold, the Egyptians were marching after them; and they were in great fear. And
the people of Israel cried out to the Lord; “and they said to Moses, “Is it because
there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness?
What have you done to us, in bringing us out of Egypt? [12] Is not this what we
said to you in Egypt. ‘Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians’? For it would
have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” [13]
And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the
Lord which he will work for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today, you
shall never see again. [14] The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be still.”

Crossing the Red Sea

[15] The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to
go forward. [16] Lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide
it, that the people of Israel may go on dry ground through the sea. [17] And I will
harden the heart of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get
glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horse men. [18] And the
Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh,
his chariots, and his horsemen.”

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

14:10-14. The Egyptians get so close that the Israelites are terrified; this produ-
ces their first crisis of faith: the liberty they seek means giving up a quiet life in
Egypt. Moses begins to reveal himself not just as a charismatic leader but as a
mediator between the people and God. The words of v. 13 underlie the theological
virtue of hope: God is the one who acts, man has to stand firm in faith; he has no
reason to fear. As the Letter to the Hebrews teaches, Jesus is the model of faith-
fulness and hope: “Therefore [...] let us run with perseverance the race that is set
before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy
that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated
at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb 12:12)

14:17-18. The military language and the depiction of God as a warrior should
cause no surprise: it is a daring anthropomorphism which shows that God is al-
mighty and therefore can deliver the elect from any danger that threatens: “You,
too, if you distance yourself from the Egyptians and flee far from the power of
demons,” Origen comments, “will see what great helps will be provided to you
each day and what great protection is available to you. All that is asked of you
is that you stand firm in the faith and do not let yourself be terrified by either the
Egyptian cavalry or the noise of their chariots” (”Homiliae in Exodum”, 5, 4).

*********************************************************************************************
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.

From: Matthew 12:38-42

The Sign of Jonah

[38] Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him (Jesus), “Teacher, we
wish to see a sign from you.” [39] But he answered them, “An evil and adulte-
rous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign
of the prophet Jonah. [40] For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the
belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the
heart of the earth. [41] The men of Nineveh will arise at the judgment with this
generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and
behold, something greater than Jonah is here. [42] The queen of the South will
arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from
the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something
greater than Solomon is here.”

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

39-40. This sign the Jews were asking for would have been a miracle or some
other prodigy; they wanted Jesus, incongruously, to confirm his preaching —
given with such simplicity—by dramatic signs. Our Lord replies by announcing
the mystery of his death and resurrection, using the parallel of the case of Jo-
nah: “No sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Jesus’
glorious resurrection is the “sign” “par excellence”, the decisive proof of the di-
vine character of his person, of his mission and of his teaching.

When St. Paul (1 Cor 14:3-4) confesses that Jesus Christ “was raised on the
third day in accordance with the scriptures” (words which later found their way
into the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, the Creed used in the Mass), he
must have had this passage particularly in mind. We can see another allusion
to Jonah in the words our Lord spoke shortly before his ascension: “Thus it is
written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead”
(Lk 24:45-46).

41-42. Nineveh was a city in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) to which the prophet
Jonah was sent. The Ninevites did penance (Jn 3:6-9) because they recognized
the prophet and accepted his message; whereas Jerusalem does not wish to
recognize Jesus, of whom Jonah was merely a figure. The queen of the South
was the queen of Sheba in southwestern Arabia, who visited Solomon (1 Kings
10:1-10) and was in awe of the wisdom with which God had endowed the King
of Israel. Jesus is also prefigured in Solomon, whom Jewish tradition saw as
the epitome of the wise man. Jesus’ reproach is accentuated by the example
of pagan converts, and gives us a glimpse of the universal scope of Christianity,
which will take root among the Gentiles.

There is a certain irony in what Jesus says about “something greater” than Jo-
nah or Solomon having coming: really, he is infinitely greater, but Jesus prefers
to tone down the difference between himself and any figure, no matter how im-
portant, in the Old Testament.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Matthew
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Matthew 12
38.	Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying: Master we would see a sign from thee.	Tunc responderunt ei quidam de scribis et pharisæis, dicentes : Magister, volumus a te signum videre.	τοτε απεκριθησαν τινες των γραμματεων και φαρισαιων λεγοντες διδασκαλε θελομεν απο σου σημειον ιδειν
39.	Who answering said to them: An evil and adulterous generation seeketh a sign: and a sign shall not be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.	Qui respondens ait illis : Generatio mala et adultera signum quærit : et signum non dabitur ei, nisi signum Jonæ prophetæ.	ο δε αποκριθεις ειπεν αυτοις γενεα πονηρα και μοιχαλις σημειον επιζητει και σημειον ου δοθησεται αυτη ει μη το σημειον ιωνα του προφητου
40.	For as Jonas was in the whale's belly three days and three nights: so shall the Son of man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.	Sicut enim fuit Jonas in ventre ceti tribus diebus, et tribus noctibus, sic erit Filius hominis in corde terræ tribus diebus et tribus noctibus.	ωσπερ γαρ ην ιωνας εν τη κοιλια του κητους τρεις ημερας και τρεις νυκτας ουτως εσται ο υιος του ανθρωπου εν τη καρδια της γης τρεις ημερας και τρεις νυκτας
41.	The men of Ninive shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they did penance at the preaching of Jonas. And behold a greater than Jonas here.	Viri Ninivitæ surgent in judicio cum generatione ista, et condemnabunt eam : quia pœnitentiam egerunt in prædicatione Jonæ. Et ecce plus quam Jonas hic.	ανδρες νινευιται αναστησονται εν τη κρισει μετα της γενεας ταυτης και κατακρινουσιν αυτην οτι μετενοησαν εις το κηρυγμα ιωνα και ιδου πλειον ιωνα ωδε
42.	The queen of the south shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold a greater than Solomon here.	Regina austri surget in judicio cum generatione ista, et condemnabit eam : quia venit a finibus terræ audire sapientiam Salomonis, et ecce plus quam Salomon hic.	βασιλισσα νοτου εγερθησεται εν τη κρισει μετα της γενεας ταυτης και κατακρινει αυτην οτι ηλθεν εκ των περατων της γης ακουσαι την σοφιαν σολομωνος και ιδου πλειον σολομωνος ωδε

38. Then certain of the Scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from you.
39. But he answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
40. For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly: so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

CHRYS; Because the Lord had so oft repressed the shameless tongue of the Pharisees by His sayings, they now turn to His works, whereat the Evangelist wondering, says, Then certain of the Scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign of you; and that at a time when they should have been moved, when they should have wondered, and been dumb with astonishment; yet even at such time they desist not from their malice. For they say, We would see a sign of you, that they may take Him as in a snare.

JEROME; They require a sign of Him, as though what they had seen were not signs; and in another Evangelist what they required is more fully expressed, We would see of you a sign from heaven. Either they would have fire from heaven as Elias did; or after the example of Samuel the, would that in summer-time, contrary to the nature of the climate, thunder should be heard, lightning gleams, and rain descend; as though they could not have spoken falsely even against such miracles, and said that they befell by reason of divers hidden motions in the air. For if you cavils against what you not only behold with shine eyes, but feel with your hand, and reap the benefit of, what will you do in those things which come down from heaven. You might make answer, that in Egypt the magi also had given many signs from heaven.

CHRYS; But their words are full of hypocrisy and irony. But now they were railing against Him, saying that He had a demon; now they fawn upon Him, calling Him, Master. Wherefore the Lord rebukes them severely; He answered, and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign. When they railed on Him, He had answered them mildly, now they approached Him with smooth and deceitful words, He rebukes them sharply; showing that He was above either affection, and was neither moved to anger by evil speaking, nor was to be gained by flattery. What He says is this; What wonder that you do thus to Me who am unknown to you, when you have done the same to the Father of whom you have had such large knowledge, in that, despising Him you went after demons? He calls them and their generation, because they have ever been ungrateful to received benefactors, and were made worse when they received benefits, which is the extreme of wickedness.

JEROME; Excellently is that said, and adulterous, seeing she has put away her husband, and, according to Ezekiel, has joined herself to many lovers.

CHRYS; Which also proves Him to be equal to the Father, if not to believe in Him makes them adulterous.

RABAN; Then He begins to answer them giving them a sign not from heaven, which they were not worthy to see, but giving it to them from the deep beneath. But to His own disciples He gave a sign from heaven, whom He showed the glory of His blessed eternity both in a figure on the mount, and after in verity when He was taken up into heaven. Wherefore it follows, And there shall no sign be given it, out the sign of the Prophet Jonas.

CHRYS; For the signs He wrought were not in order to move them for He knew that they were hard as stone, but for the profit of others. Or because they had not received it when He bad given them a sign such as they now desired. And a sign was given them, when by their own punishment they learned His power. This He alludes to when He says, No sign shall be given it. As much as to say; I have shown you many mercies; yet none of these has brought you to honor My power, which you will then know when you shall behold your city thrown down upon the ground in punishment. In the mean time He brings in a saying concerning the Resurrection which they should after understand by those things that they should suffer; saying, Except the sign of the Prophet Jonas. For verily His Cross would not have been believed, unless it had had signs to testify to it. But if that were not believed, truly the Resurrection would not have been believed. For this reason also He calls this a sign, and brings forward a figure thereof, that the verity itself may be believed. It follows, As Jonas was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale.

RABAN; He shows that the Jews were as criminal as the Ninevites; and that unless they repented they would be destroyed. But like as punishment was denounced against the Ninevites, and at the same time a remedy was set before them, so neither should the Jews despair of pardon, if at least after Christ's resurrection they should do penitence. For Jonas, that is The Dove, or The mourner, is a sign of Him on whom the Holy Spirit descended in the form of Dove, and who bore our sorrows. The fish which has swallowed Jonas in the sea, shows forth the death which Christ suffered in the world. Three days and nights was the one in the whale's belly, the other in the tomb; the one was cast up on dry land, the other arose in glory.

AUG. Some not knowing the Scripture manner of speaking, would interpret as one night those three hours of darkness when the sun was darkened from the sixth to the ninth hour; and as a day in like manner those other three hours in which it was again restored to the world, from the ninth hour till Sunset. Then follows the night preceding the sabbath, which if we reckon with its own day we shall have thus two days and two nights. Then after the sabbath follows the night of the sabbath prime, that is of the dawning of the Lord's day on which the Lord arose. Thus we shall only get two nights and two days, with this one night to be added if we might understand the whole of it, and it could not be shown that that dawn was indeed the latter part of the night. So that not even by taking in those six hours; three of darkness, and three of restored light, can we establish the computation of three days and three nights. It remains therefore that we find the explanation in that usual manner of Scripture of putting a part for the whole.

JEROME; Not that He remained three whole days and three nights in hell, but that this be understood to imply a part of the preparation day, and of the Lord's day, and the whole sabbath day.

AUG. For that the three days were not three full and entire days, Scripture witnesses; the first day is reckoned because the latter end of it comes in; and the third day is likewise reckoned, because the first part of it is included; while the day between, that is the second day, appears in all its twenty-four hours, twelve of the night and twelve of the day. For the succeeding night up to the dawn when the Lord's resurrection was made known, belongs to the third day. For as the first days of creation were, because of man's coming fall, computed from morning to night; so these days are because of man's restoration computed from night to morning.

CHRYS. He said not openly that He should rise again, because they would have derided him, but hints it distantly that even they might believe that He foreknew it. He said not in the earth, but in the heart of the earth, therein declaring His tomb, and that none might suspect that there was only the semblance of death. Therefore also He spoke of three days, that it should be believed that He was dead. But the sign itself proves the truth of it, for Jonas was in the whale's belly not in figure but in deed; and surely the sign did not happen in very deed, if the thing signified happened only in figure. Wherefore it is manifest that they are children of the Devil who follow Marcion asserting that the passion of Christ was only a fantasy. And that He should suffer for them also, though they would not profit by it, is shown by that which He speaks, that to this generation should be given the Sign of Jonas the Prophet.

41. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
42. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

CHRYS; That none should think that the same things would come to pass now among the Jews, as had of old been among the Ninevites; that as Jonas converted them and their city was delivered out of danger, so the Jews should be converted after the resurrection, the Lord now shows the contrary, that they should have no fruit of the benefit of the passion, but should suffer moreover grievous things, as He signifies below in the example of the demon. But now He first shows what just punishment they shall suffer, saying, The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation.

REMIG; The Lord shows in these words that there shall be one resurrection of the good and the bad against certain heretics, who said that there should be two, one of the good, another of the bad. These words likewise overthrow that fable of the Jews, who use to say that the Resurrection shall be held a thousand years before the judgment; these words clearly proving that the Judgment shall ensue straight upon the Resurrection. And shall condemn it.

JEROME; Not by a sentence of judgment, but by the comparison of their example; as He adds, For they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. This word 'hie' is to be taken as an adverb of place, not as a pronoun. Jonas (according to the LXX) preached for three days, for this so long time; he to the Assyrians an unbelieving nation, I to God's own people the Jews; he preached with his voice only, doing no miracles, I, doing so many wonders, am falsely accused as Beelzebub.

CHRYS; Yet does not the Lord stay here, but adds another denunciation, saying, The queen of the South shall rise in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. This was yet more than that first Jonas went to them; the queen of the south waited not for Solomon to come to her, but herself sought him. Both a woman and a barbarian, and dwelling so far away, she was not afraid of death in her desire to hear his wise words. This woman went to Solomon, I came hither; she rose up from the ends of the earth, I go round about your towns and villages; he spoke of trees and wood, I of unspeakable mysteries.

JEROME; So the queen of the south will condemn the Jews in the same manner as the men of Nineveh will condemn unbelieving Israel. This is the queen of Saba, of whom we read in the book of Kings and Chronicles, who leaving her nation and kingdom came through so many difficulties to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and brought him many gifts. Also in these instances of Nineveh and the queen of Saba, the faith of the Gentiles is significantly set above that of Israel.

RABAN; The Ninevites typify those who cease from sin - the queen those that know not to sin; for penitence puts away sin, wisdom shuns it.

REMIG; Beautifully is the Church gathered out of the Gentiles spoken of as a queen who knows how to rule her ways. Of her the Psalmist speaks; The queen stood on your right hand. She is the queen of the south because she abounds in the fervor of the Holy Spirit. Solomon, interpreted 'peaceful', signifies Him of whom it is said, He is our peace.

Catena Aurea Matthew 12

Readings at Mass

First reading	Exodus 14:5-18 ©

When Pharaoh, king of Egypt, was told that the Israelites had made their escape, he and his courtiers changed their minds about the people. ‘What have we done,’ they said ‘allowing Israel to leave our service?’ So Pharaoh had his chariot harnessed and gathered his troops about him, taking six hundred of the best chariots and all the other chariots in Egypt, each manned by a picked team. The Lord made Pharaoh, king of Egypt, stubborn, and he gave chase to the sons of Israel as they made their triumphant escape. So the Egyptians gave chase and came up with them where they lay encamped beside the sea – all the horses, the chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen, his army – near Pi-hahiroth, facing Baal-zephon. And as Pharaoh approached, the sons of Israel looked round – and there were the Egyptians in pursuit of them!

The sons of Israel were terrified and cried out to the Lord. To Moses they said, ‘Were there no graves in Egypt that you must lead us out to die in the wilderness? What good have you done us, bringing us out of Egypt? We spoke of this in Egypt, did we not? Leave us alone, we said, we would rather work for the Egyptians! Better to work for the Egyptians than die in the wilderness!’

Moses answered the people, ‘Have no fear! Stand firm, and you will see what the Lord will do to save you today: the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. The Lord will do the fighting for you: you have only to keep still.’

The Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to me so? Tell the sons of Israel to march on. For yourself, raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and part it for the sons of Israel to walk through the sea on dry ground. I for my part will make the heart of the Egyptians so stubborn that they will follow them. So shall I win myself glory at the expense of Pharaoh, of all his army, his chariots, his horsemen. And when I have won glory for myself, at the expense of Pharaoh and his chariots and his army, the Egyptians will learn that I am the Lord.’

Canticle	Exodus 15:1-6 ©

I will sing to the Lord, glorious his triumph!

I will sing to the Lord, glorious his triumph!

Horse and rider he has thrown into the sea!

The Lord is my strength, my song, my salvation.

This is my God and I extol him,

my father’s God and I give him praise.

I will sing to the Lord, glorious his triumph!

The Lord is a warrior! ‘The Lord’ is his name.

The chariots of Pharaoh he hurled into the sea,

the flower of his army is drowned in the sea.

I will sing to the Lord, glorious his triumph!

The deeps hide them; they sank like a stone.

Your right hand, Lord, glorious in its power,

your right hand, Lord, has shattered the enemy.

I will sing to the Lord, glorious his triumph!

Gospel Acclamation	cf.2Tim1:10

Alleluia, alleluia!

Our Saviour Jesus Christ abolished death

and he has proclaimed life through the Good News.

Alleluia!

Or	Ps94:8

Alleluia, alleluia!

Harden not your hearts today,

but listen to the voice of the Lord.

Alleluia!

Gospel
Matthew 12:38-42 ©

Some of the scribes and Pharisees spoke up. ‘Master,’ they said ‘we should like to see a sign from you.’ He replied, ‘It is an evil and unfaithful generation that asks for a sign! The only sign it will be given is the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the sea-monster for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. On Judgement day the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here. On Judgement day the Queen of the South will rise up with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here.’

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, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there 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 ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

6. 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 ]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

July 20, 2015

Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Ex 14:5-18

Responsorial Psalm Exodus 15:1bc-2, 3-4, 5-6

Alleluia Ps 95:8

Gospel Mt 12:38-42

Readings at Mass