Reading 1 Sir 3:17-18, 20, 28-29

My child, conduct your affairs with humility,
and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.
Humble yourself the more, the greater you are,
and you will find favor with God.
What is too sublime for you, seek not,
into things beyond your strength search not.
The mind of a sage appreciates proverbs,
and an attentive ear is the joy of the wise.
Water quenches a flaming fire,
and alms atone for sins.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 68:4-5, 6-7, 10-11

R. (cf. 11b) God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.
The just rejoice and exult before God;
they are glad and rejoice.
Sing to God, chant praise to his name;
whose name is the LORD.
R. God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.
The father of orphans and the defender of widows
is God in his holy dwelling.
God gives a home to the forsaken;
he leads forth prisoners to prosperity.
R. God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.
A bountiful rain you showered down, O God, upon your inheritance;
you restored the land when it languished;
your flock settled in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided it for the needy.
R. God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.

Reading 2 Heb 12:18-19, 22-24a

Brothers and sisters:
You have not approached that which could be touched
and a blazing fire and gloomy darkness
and storm and a trumpet blast
and a voice speaking words such that those who heard
begged that no message be further addressed to them.
No, you have approached Mount Zion
and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and countless angels in festal gathering,
and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven,
and God the judge of all,
and the spirits of the just made perfect,
and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant,
and the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel.

Alleluia Mt 11:29ab

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Take my yoke upon you, says the Lord,
and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 14:1, 7-14

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 every one who exalts himself will be humbled,
but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Then he said to the host who invited him,
“When you hold a lunch or a dinner,
do not invite your friends or your brothers
or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors,
in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.
Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

From: Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29

Humility

[17] My son, perform your tasks in meekness; then you will be
loved by those whom God accepts.
[18] The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself;
so you will find favour in the sight of the Lord.
[20] For great is the might of the Lord;
he is glorified by the humble.
[28] The affliction of the proud has no healing,
for a plant of wickedness has taken root in him.
[29] The mind of the intelligent man will ponder a parable,
and an attentive ear is the wise man’s desire.

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

3:1-16:23. Throughout the book each doctrinal passage is followed by a section
to do with practical applications, sapiential thoughts on moral conduct, eulogies
of virtues and sapiential advice on where to seek things that are truly good, etc.
This is the first such section. In it the reader will find an exhortation to prudence
in all its various forms.

3:17-29. In line with scholastic custom, the author addresses the reader as a
teacher would his pupil: “My son” (v. 17; cf. Prov 1:8; etc.). He is about to deal
with a virtue essential for a lover of wisdom â€“ the humility of recognizing one’s
shortcomings and being ready to learn from others. At the same time Ben Si-
rach wrote his work, Greek philosophy and new learning were proving very influ-
ential. Some Jews turned their backs on the Law of God and the traditional tea-
ching of Israel, to follow foreign teachers. Reason, in its pride, thought it could
find the answer to everything — which made it difficult to accept in all simplicity
truths that God put within the reach of those who sincerely sought true wisdom.

Part of the legacy of the Old Testament is the idea that God shows his favour to
the humble (Prov. 3:34; Ps 25:14). In the New Testament the Blessed Virgin ex-
periences this, and her joy overflows in the Magnificat. She considers herself the
humble handmaid of the Lord, and proclaims that God “has regarded her low
estate” (cf. Lk 1:48) and uses her to bring salvation to his people. Very much in
line with what Ben Sirach says here, great thinkers such as St Bonaventure have
seen that humble devotion is necessary for getting to the truth of things: “Spiri-
tual reading without repentance is not sufficient; nor knowledge without devotion;
nor inquiry without the capacity to be surprised; nor prudence without openness
to joy; nor any activity devoid of a religious spirit; nor wisdom without charity, in-
telligence without humility; study without divine grace, or reflection without the
wisdom inspired by God” (Itinerarium mentis in Deum, prol., 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: Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a

Striving for Peace; Purity; Reverent Worship (Continuation)

[18] For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness,
and gloom, and a tempest, [19] and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose
words made the hearers entreat that no further messages be spoken to them.

[22] But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the hea-
venly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, [23] and to the
assembly of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to a judge who is God
of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, [24a] and to Jesus, the media-
tor of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks more graciously
than the blood of Abel.

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

18-21. The text recalls in detail all the physical signs which accompanied the ma-
nifestation of God on the heights of Sinai (cf. Ex 19:12-16; 20:18), and to these it
adds other things taken from Jewish oral tradition.

All this helps to inspire feelings of religious reverence and fear, which explains
why the people begged God not to speak further, for they were afraid they would
die. To assert his transcendence God forbade anyone to put foot on the moun-
tain (Ex 19:12, 21); this was a way of showing this as yet uncivilized people the
difference between the true God and idols.

There is no mention in the Pentateuch of Moses being frightened of the vision he
saw when God manifested himself on Sinai; when his fear is mentioned (Deut 9:
19) it is in the context of the second time he went up the mountain to be given re-
placements for the tables he had broken in a fit of rage (Deut 9:15-18; Ex 32:19-
20). His fear was that God would punish with death those who had adored the gol-
den calf. When telling (cf. Acts 7:32) the story of God’s first revelation to Moses
in the burning bush, St Stephen says that “Moses trembled and did not dare to
look”: thus, the presence of divinity provokes in him the deepest feelings of re-
verence and fear (cf. the attitude of Abraham: Gen 15:12; of Zechariah: Lk 1:12;
of Isaiah: Is 6:4-5; of Jeremiah: Jer 1:6; of Gideon: Judg 6:22-23; etc.).

22-24. The sacred text dramatically contrasts two scenes—that of the establish-
ment of the Covenant on Sinai, and the vision of the heavenly city, the dwelling-
place of the angels and saints. The comparison implies a rhetorical question: if
the setting of the Old Covenant was so solemn and awesome, and if the Cove-
nant itself was so supernatural and divine, what must not be said of the New Co-
venant?

We have therefore overwhelming reasons for staying faithful: what awaits us is
not an austere and vengeful God but, rather, the joy and splendor of the heavenly
city. For the Hebrew people Mount Sinai was the most important symbol of their
special connection with God, reminding them that the Almighty was also the Su-
preme Judge who claimed their exclusive devotion and who abominated idolatry.
Similarly, another mountain, Mount Zion, on which the Temple was built, repre-
sented God’s protective presence in the midst of his people. Both mountains, Si-
nai and Zion, prefigured the mountain from which the Messiah-King would reign
and towards which all peoples would flock to worship the true God (cf. Ps 2:6;
Is 2:2).

The vision which Judaism, on the basis of Scripture, had elaborated of heaven as
the “new Jerusalem” is now extended: not only is it the holy mountain, the source
of the light and glory of Yahweh (cf. Is 8:18; 28:16; 60: 1-11; Ps 50:2; 74:2; Joel 3:
17), the city of peace (cf. Is 33:20); it is the city where the angels and saints dwell
and rejoice, the demesne of the living God and of Jesus—the heavenly and everlas-
ting Jerusalem, which is also illustrated in the Book of Revelation (cf. Rev 21:15-
17; 22:1-5).

The text once more recalls the Exodus (cf. Heb 3:16-18; 4:1-2; 9:18-20; 10:19-22).
Christians are making their way to heaven, their lasting homeland, their true place
of rest, just as the ancient Israelites made their way out of Egypt and crossed the
desert to reach the land promised to their forefathers.

However, despite this parallel there are differences: the Old Covenant, although it
did include expressions and promises of joy and jubilation, was set in an atmo-
sphere of religious fear and trembling; whereas the New Covenant is full of joy and
exultation, although in the midst of suffering.

“It is a question [...] of the glorious and supernatural joy, prophesied for the new
Jerusalem redeemed from the exile and loved with a mystical love by God himself
[...]. Through the course of many centuries and in the midst of most terrible trials,
these promises wonderfully sustained the mystical hope of ancient Israel. And it
is ancient Israel that transmitted them to the Church of Jesus Christ, in such a
way that we are indebted to ancient Israel for some of the purest expressions of
our hymn of joy. And yet, according to faith and the Christian experience of the
Holy Spirit, this peace which is given by God and which spreads out like an over-
flowing torrent when the time of ‘consolation’ comes, is linked to the coming and
presence of Christ” (Paul VI, “Gaudete In Domino”, 2-3).

22. The mention of Zion recalls the other mountain on which the Covenant was
made (Sinai), as also the many prophetical texts which proclaimed that the Mes-
siah’s reign would begin on Zion, his holy mountain (cf. Ps 2:6; Is 2:2-4:25:6;
Zech 14:4). Thus, Mount Zion, the city of the living God, and the heavenly Jeru-
salem all mean the Church in triumph in heaven.

St Thomas emphasizes that part of eternal happiness in heaven consists in the
vision of the heavenly assembly: “for in the glory of heaven there are two things
which most cause the blessed to rejoice enjoyment of the Godhead and the fel-
lowship of the saints” (”Commentary on Heb., ad loc.”).

“Proceeding from the love of the eternal Father (cf. Titus 3:4), the Church was
founded by Christ in time and gathered into one by the Holy Spirit (cf. Eph 1:3,
5, 6, 13-14, 23). It has a saving and eschatological purpose which can be fully at-
tained only in the next life. But it is now present here on earth and is composed
of men; they, the members of the earthly city, are called to form the family of the
children of God in this present history of mankind and to increase it continually
until the Lord comes” (Vatican II, “Gaudium Et Spes”, 40).

23. “The assembly of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven”: the blessed, in-
cluding the righteous of the Old Testament, the Apostles and all Christians who
have attained the beatific vision. They are called first-born because, as in the
case of the Patriarchs, they were the first to have faith; because, as in the case
of the Apostles, it was they who received Christ’s call initially, to pass it on to
others; and, finally, because, as in the case of faithful Christians, they were cho-
sen by God from among the pagans (cf. Rom 8:29; Phil 3:20; Col 1:18; Rev 1:5;
14:4). Their names are written in heaven (cf. Lk 10:20; Rev 2:17; 3:5; 13:8; 17:8).

24. As Incarnate Word and High Priest, Jesus is the mediator of the New Cove-
nant (cf. Heb 8:6; 9:15; 1 Tim 2:5; cf. Heb 2:17; 13:1; 7:25). The letter focuses
for a moment on the most significant point in the alliance—the shedding of our
Lord’s blood, which ratifies the Covenant and cleanses mankind (cf. Ex 24:8; Heb
9:12-14, 20; 10:19, 28-29; 13:20; 1 Pet 1:2). This blood “speaks more graciously
an the blood of Abel”, “for the shedding of Christ’s blood was represented figura-
tively by the shedding of the blood of all the just there have been since the begin-
ning of the world [...]. Therefore, the spilling of Abel’s blood was a sign of this new
spilling of blood. But the blood of Christ is more eloquent than that of Abel, be-
cause Abel’s called for vengeance whereas the blood of Christ claims forgiveness”
(St Thomas Aquinas, “Commentary On Heb., ad loc.”). The confidence the blood
of Christ gives us makes us feel happy to be sinners who, repentant, take refuge
in his wounds.

“Sinners, says the Epistle, you are fortunate indeed, for after you sin you have re-
course to the crucified Jesus, who shed all his blood so that he might stand as
mediator to make peace between God and sinners, and win you forgiveness from
him. If your evildoing shouts against you, the Redeemer’s blood cries aloud in
your favor, and divine justice cannot but listen to what this blood says” (St Al-
phonsus, “The Love of Jesus Christ Reduced to Practice”, 3).

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

From: Luke 14:1, 7-11

Jesus Speaks to the Invited Guests

[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.

Attitude to the Poor

[12] He (Jesus) said to the man who had invited Him, “When you give a dinner or
a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your kinsmen or rich neigh-
bors, lest they also invite you in return, and you be repaid. [13] But when you give
a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, [14] and you will be
blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection
of the just.”

*********************************************************************************************
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 remind
us again that it is God who assigns the places at the Heavenly banquet. “Toge-
ther 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 single
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).

14. A Christian acts in the world in the same way anyone else does; but his dea-
lings with his colleagues and others should not be based on pursuit of reward or
vainglory: the first thing he should seek is God’s glory, desiring Heaven as his on-
ly reward (cf. Luke 6:32-34).

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

Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible by Darton, Longman & Todd

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading
Ecclesiasticus 3:19-21,30-31 ©

My son, be gentle in carrying out your business,

and you will be better loved than a lavish giver.

The greater you are, the more you should behave humbly,

and then you will find favour with the Lord;

for great though the power of the Lord is,

he accepts the homage of the humble.

There is no cure for the proud man’s malady,

since an evil growth has taken root in him.

The heart of a sensible man will reflect on parables,

an attentive ear is the sage’s dream.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 67:4-7,10-11 ©

In your goodness, O God, you prepared a home for the poor.

The just shall rejoice at the presence of God,

they shall exult and dance for joy.

O sing to the Lord, make music to his name;

rejoice in the Lord, exult at his presence.

In your goodness, O God, you prepared a home for the poor.

Father of the orphan, defender of the widow,

such is God in his holy place.

God gives the lonely a home to live in;

he leads the prisoners forth into freedom:

In your goodness, O God, you prepared a home for the poor.

You poured down, O God, a generous rain:

when your people were starved you gave them new life.

It was there that your people found a home,

prepared in your goodness, O God, for the poor.

In your goodness, O God, you prepared a home for the poor.

Second reading
Hebrews 12:18-19,22-24 ©

What you have come to is nothing known to the senses: not a blazing fire, or a gloom turning to total darkness, or a storm; or trumpeting thunder or the great voice speaking which made everyone that heard it beg that no more should be said to them. But 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.

Gospel Acclamation	Jn14:23

Alleluia, alleluia!

If anyone loves me he will keep my word,

and my Father will love him,

and we shall come to him.

Alleluia!

Or	Mt11:29

Alleluia, alleluia!

Shoulder my yoke and learn from me,

says the Lord,

for I am gentle and humble in heart.

Alleluia!

Gospel	Luke 14:1,7-14 ©

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.’

Then he said to his host, ‘When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not ask your friends, brothers, relations or rich neighbours, for fear they repay your courtesy by inviting you in return. No; when you have a party, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; that they cannot pay you back means that you are fortunate, because repayment will be made to you when the virtuous rise again.’

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 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 Spirit (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]

August Devotion -- The Immaculate Heart [of Mary]

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The month of August is traditionally dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The physical heart of Mary is venerated (and not adored as the Sacred Heart of Jesus is) because it is united to her person: and as the seat of her love (especially for her divine Son), virtue, and inner life. Such devotion is an incentive to a similar love and virtue.

This devotion has received new emphasis in this century from the visions given to Lucy Dos Santos, oldest of the visionaries of Fatima, in her convent in Tuy, in Spain, in 1925 and 1926. In the visions Our Lady asked for the practice of the Five First Saturdays to help make amends for the offenses given to her heart by the blasphemies and ingratitude of men. The practice parallels the devotion of the Nine First Fridays in honor of the Sacred Heart.

On October 31, 1942, Pope Pius XII made a solemn Act of Consecration of the Church and the whole world to the Immaculate Heart. Let us remember this devotion year-round, but particularly through the month of August.

INVOCATIONS

O heart most pure of the Blessed Virgin Mary, obtain for me from Jesus a pure and humble heart.

Sweet heart of Mary, be my salvation.

ACT OF CONSECRATION
Queen of the most holy Rosary, help of Christians, refuge of the human race, victorious in all the battles of God, we prostrate ourselves in supplication before thy throne, in the sure hope of obtaining mercy and of receiving grace and timely aid in our present calamities, not through any merits of our own, on which we do not rely, but only through the immense goodness of thy mother's heart. In thee and in thy Immaculate Heart, at this grave hour of human history, do we put our trust; to thee we consecrate ourselves, not only with all of Holy Church, which is the mystical body of thy Son Jesus, and which is suffering in so many of her members, being subjected to manifold tribulations and persecutions, but also with the whole world, torn by discords, agitated with hatred, the victim of its own iniquities. Be thou moved by the sight of such material and moral degradation, such sorrows, such anguish, so many tormented souls in danger of eternal loss! Do thou, O Mother of mercy, obtain for us from God a Christ-like reconciliation of the nations, as well as those graces which can convert the souls of men in an instant, those graces which prepare the way and make certain the long desired coming of peace on earth. O Queen of peace, pray for us, and grant peace unto the world in the truth, the justice, and the charity of Christ.

Above all, give us peace in our hearts, so that the kingdom of God may spread its borders in the tranquillity of order. Accord thy protection to unbelievers and to all those who lie within the shadow of death; cause the Sun of Truth to rise upon them; may they be enabled to join with us in repeating before the Savior of the world: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will."

Give peace to the nations that are separated from us by error or discord, and in a special manner to those peoples who profess a singular devotion toward thee; bring them back to Christ's one fold, under the one true Shepherd. Obtain full freedom for the holy Church of God; defend her from her enemies; check the ever-increasing torrent of immorality; arouse in the faithful a love of purity, a practical Christian life, and an apostolic zeal, so that the multitude of those who serve God may increase in merit and in number.

Finally, even as the Church and all mankind were once consecrated to the Heart of thy Son Jesus, because He was for all those who put their hope in Him an inexhaustible source of victory and salvation, so in like manner do we consecrate ourselves forever to thee also and to thy Immaculate Heart, O Mother of us and Queen of the world; may thy love and patronage hasten the day when the kingdom of God shall be victorious and all the nations, at peace with God .and with one another, shall call thee blessed and intone with thee, from the rising of the sun to its going down, the everlasting "Magnificat" of glory, of love, of gratitude to the Heart of Jesus, in which alone we can find truth, life, and peace. — Pope Pius XII

IN HONOR OF THE IMMACULATE HEART
O heart of Mary, mother of God, and our mother; heart most worthy of love, in which the adorable Trinity is ever well-pleased, worthy of the veneration and love of all the angels and of all men; heart most like to the Heart of Jesus, of which thou art the perfect image; heart, full of goodness, ever compassionate toward our miseries; deign to melt our icy hearts and grant that they may be wholly changed into the likeness of the Heart of Jesus, our divine Savior. Pour into them the love of thy virtues, enkindle in them that divine fire with which thou thyself dost ever burn. In thee let Holy Church find a safe shelter; protect her and be her dearest refuge, her tower of strength, impregnable against every assault of her enemies. Be thou the way which leads to Jesus, and the channel, through which we receive all the graces needful for our salvation. Be our refuge in time of trouble, our solace in the midst of trial, our strength against temptation, our haven in persecution, our present help in every danger, and especially) at the hour of death, when all hell shall let loose against u its legions to snatch away our souls, at that dread moment; that hour so full of fear, whereon our eternity depends. An,; then most tender virgin, make us to feel the sweetness of thy motherly heart, and the might of thine intercession with Jesus, and open to us a safe refuge in that very fountain of mercy, whence we may come to praise Him with thee in paradise, world without end. Amen.

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

Sacred Heart Of Jesus

Sacred Heart Of Jesus image

Immaculate Heart of Mary

Immaculate Heart of Mary image

Blessed be the Most Loving Heart and Sweet Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the most glorious Virgin Mary, His Mother, in eternity and forever. Amen.

....Only the Heart of Christ who knows the depths of his Father's love could reveal to us the abyss of his mercy in so simple and beautiful a way ----From the Catechism. P:1439

From the depth of my nothingness, I prostrate myself before Thee, O Most Sacred, Divine and Adorable Heart of Jesus, to pay Thee all the homage of love, praise and adoration in my power.
Amen. - - St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

The prayer of the Church venerates and honors the Heart of Jesus just as it invokes his most holy name. It adores the incarnate Word and his Heart which, out of love for men, he allowed to be pierced by our sins. Christian prayer loves to follow the way of the cross in the Savior's steps.-- >From the Catechism. P: 2669

The Salutation to the Heart of Jesus and Mary

An Offering of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Novena Prayer to Sacred Heart of Jesus

Prayer to the Wounded Heart of Jesus

Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart

Meditation & Novena Prayer on the Sacred Heart

Beads to the Sacred Heart

Novena Prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

A Solemn Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

The Daily Offering to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Exaltation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin

The Holy Heart of Mary Is, After the Heart of Jesus, the Most Exalted Throne of Divine Love
Let us recollect that God has given us the feast of the most pure Heart of the Blessed Virgin so that we may render on that day all the respect, honor and praise that we possibly can. To enkindle this spirit within us let us consider our motivating obligations.

The first is that we ought to love and honor whatever God loves and honors, and that by which He is loved and glorified. Now, after the adorable Heart of Jesus there has never been either in heaven or on earth, nor ever will be, a heart which has been so loved and honored by God, or which has given Him so much glory as that of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Never has there been, nor will there ever be a more exalted throne of divine love. In that Heart divine love possesses its fullest empire, for it ever reigns without hindrance or interruption, and with it reign likewise all the laws of God, all the Gospel maxims and every Christian virtue.

This incomparable Heart of the Mother of our Redeemer is a glorious heaven, a Paradise of delights for the Most Holy Trinity. According to St. Paul, the hearts of the faithful are the dwelling place of our Lord Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ Himself assures us that the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost take up Their abode in the hearts of those who love God. Who, therefore, can doubt that the Most Holy Trinity has always made His home and established the reign of His glory in an admirable and ineffable manner in the virginal Heart of her who is the Daughter of the Father, the Mother of the Son, the Spouse of the Holy Ghost, who herself loves God more than all other creatures together?

How much then are we not obliged to love this exalted and most lovable Heart?

— St. John Eudes

Today: Immaculate Heart of Mary [DEVOTIONAL]

The Immaculate Heart of Mary [Devotional] Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Saturdays and the Immaculate Heart of Mary [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
The Brown Scapular (Catholic Caucus)
The History of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Catholic Caucus)
Homilies preached by Father Robert Altier on the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Marian Associations Unite to Celebrate Immaculate Heart
Solemnity Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary
FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, AUGUST 22ND
Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

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August 28, 2016

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Sir 3:17-18, 20, 28-29

Responsorial Psalm Ps 68:4-5, 6-7, 10-11

Reading 2 Heb 12:18-19, 22-24a

Alleluia Mt 11:29ab

Gospel Lk 14:1, 7-14

Readings at Mass

August 2016

Pope's Intentions

General Intention: Sports, That sports may be an opportunity for friendly encounters between peoples and may contribute to peace in the world.

Evangelization: Living the Gospel, That Christians may live the Gospel, giving witness to faith, honesty, and love of neighbor.