From: 1 John 4:7-10

God is Love. Brotherly Love, the Mark of Christians

[7] Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born
of God and knows God. [8] He who does not love does not know God; for God
is love. [9] In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent
his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. [10] In this is love,
not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation
for our sins.

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Commentary:

7-21. St John now expands on the second aspect of the divine commandment
(cf. 1 Jn 3:23) — brotherly love. The argument is along these lines: God is love
and it was he who loved us to begin with (vv. 7-10); brotherly love is the response
which God’s love calls for (vv. 11-16); when our love is perfect, we feel no fear (vv.
17-18); brotherly love is an expression of love of God (vv. 19-21).

This is not tiresome repetition of the ideas already discussed (2:7-11; 3:11-18):
contrary to the false teaching which is beginning to be spread, charity is the sure
mark, the way to recognize the genuine disciple. St Jerome hands down a tradi-
tion concerning the last years of St John’s life: when he was already a very old
man, he used always say the same thing to the faithful: “My children, love one
another!” On one occasion, he was asked why he insisted on this: “to which he
replied with these words worthy of John: ‘Because it is the Lord’s commandment,
and if you keep just this commandment, it will suffice”’ (”Comm. in Gal.”, Ill. 6,
10).

7. The divine attributes, God’s perfections, which he has to the highest degree,
are the cause of our virtues: for example, because God is holy, we have been
given a capacity to be holy. Similarly, because God is love, we can love. True
love, true charity, comes from God.

8. “God is love”: without being strictly speaking a definition (in 1:5 he says “God
is light”), this statement reveals to us one of the most consoling attributes of God:
“Even if nothing more were to be said in praise of love in all the pages of this epis-
tle”, St Augustine explains, “even if nothing more were to be said in all the pages
of Sacred Scripture, and all we heard from the mouth of the Holy Spirit were that
‘God is love’, there would be nothing else we would need to look for” (”In Epist.
Ioann. ad Parthos”, 7, 5).

God’s love for men was revealed in Creation and in the preternatural and super-
natural gifts he gave man prior to sin; after man’s sin, God’ s love is to be seen
above all, in forgiveness and redemption (as St John goes on to say: v. 9), for the
work of salvation is the product of God’s mercy: “It is precisely because sin ex-
ists in the world, which ‘God so loved...that he gave his only Son’ (Jn 3:16), that
God, who ‘is love’ (1 Jn 4:8), cannot reveal himself other than as mercy. This cor-
responds not only to the most profound truth of that love which God is, but also
to the whole interior truth of man and of the world which is man’s temporary
homeland” (John Paul II, “Dives In Misercordia”, 13).

9. God has revealed his love to men by sending his own Son; that is, it is not on-
ly Christ’s teachings which speak to us of God’s love, but, above all, his presence
among us: Christ himself is the fullness of revelation of God (cf. Jn 1:18; Heb 1:1)
and of his love for men. “The source of all grace is God’s love for us, and he has
revealed this not just in words but also in deeds. It was divine love which led the
second Person of the most holy Trinity, the Word, the son of God the Father, to
take on our flesh, our human condition, everything except sin. And the Word, the
Word of God, is the Word from which Love proceeds (cf. “Summa Theologiae”, I,
q. 43, a. 5, quoting St Augustine, “De Trinitate”, IX, 10).

“Love is revealed to us in the incarnation, the redemptive journey which Jesus
Christ made on our earth, culminating in the supreme sacrifice of the cross. And
on the cross it showed itself through a new sign: ‘One of the soldiers pierced his
side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water’ (Jn 19:34). This
water and blood of Jesus speaks to us of a self-sacrifice brought to the last ex-
treme: ‘It is finished’ (Jn 19:30) — everything is achieved, for the sake of love” (St.
J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 162).

“Among us”: it is difficult to convey in English everything the Greek contains.
The Greek expression means that the love of God was shown to those who wit-
nessed our Lord’s life (the Apostles) and to all other Christians, whose partici-
pate in this apostolic witness (cf. note on 1 Jn 1:1-3; this idea is repeated in vv.
14 and 16). But it also means “within us”, inside us, in our hearts, insofar as we
partake of God’s own life by means of sanctifying grace: every Christian is a wit-
ness to the fact that Christ has come so that men “may have life, and have it
abundantly” (Jn 10:10).

10. Given that love is an attribute of God (v. 8), men have a capacity to love inso-
far as they share in God’s qualities. So, the initiative always lies with God.

When explaining in what love consists, St John points to its highest form of ex-
pression: “he sent (his Son) to be the expiation of our sins” (cf. 2:2). Similar
turns of phrase occur throughout the letter: the Son of God manifested himself
“to destroy the works of the devil” (3:8); “he laid down his life for us” (3:16). All
these statements show that: 1) Christ’s death is a sacrifice in the strict sense
of the word, the most sublime act of recognition of God’s sovereignty; 2) it is an
atoning sacrifice, because it obtains God’s pardon for the sins of men; 3) it is
the supreme act of God’s love, so much so that St John actually says, “in this
is love.”

What is amazing, St Alphonsus teaches, “is that he could have saved us without
suffering or dying and yet he chose a life of toil and humiliation, and a bitter and
ignominious death, even death on a cross, something reserved for the very worst
offenders. And why was it that, when he could have redeemed us without suffe-
ring, he chose to embrace death on the Cross? To show us how much he loved
us” (”The Love of Jesus Christ”, chap. 1).

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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: Mark 6:34-44

First Miracles of the Loaves

[34] As he (Jesus) landed he saw a great throng, and he had compassion on
them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach
them many things. [35] And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and
said, “This is a lonely place, and the hour is now late; [36] send them away, to
go into the country and villages round about and buy themselves something to
eat.” [37] But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they
said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give
it to them to eat?” [38] And he said to them, “How many loaves have you? Go
and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” [39]
Then he commanded them all to sit down by companies upon the green grass.
[40] So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. [41] And taking the
five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke the
loaves, and gave them to the disciples to set before the people; and he divided
the two fish among them all. [42] And they all ate and were satisfied. [43] And
they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. [44] And those
who ate the loaves were five thousand men.

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Commentary:

34. Our Lord had planned a period of rest, for himself and his disciples, from
the pressures of the apostolate (Mk 6:31-32). And he has to change his plans
because so many people come, eager to hear him speak. Not only is he not an-
noyed with them: he feels compassion on seeing their spiritual need. “My peo-
ple are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hos 4:6). They need instruction and
our Lord wants to meet this need by preaching to them. “Jesus is moved by hun-
ger and sorrow, but what moves him most is ignorance” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ
Is Passing By”, 109).

37. A denarius was what an artisan earned for a normal day’s work. The disci-
ples must, therefore, have thought it little less than impossible to fulfill the Mas-
ter’s command, because they would not have had this much money.

41. This miracle is a figure of the Holy Eucharist: Christ performed it shortly be-
fore promising that sacrament (cf. Jn 6:1ff), and the Fathers have always so in-
terpreted it. In this miracle Jesus shows his supernatural power and his love for
men — the same power and love as make it possible for Christ’s one and only
body to be present in the eucharistic species to nourish the faithful down the
centuries. In the words of the sequence composed by St Thomas Aquinas for
the Mass of Corpus Christi : “Sumit unus, sumunt mille, quantum isti, tantum
ille, nec sumptus consumitur” (Be one or be a thousand fed, they eat alike that
living bread which, still received, ne’er wastes away).

This gesture of our Lord-looking up to heaven — is recalled in the Roman canon
of the Mass : “Et elevatis oculis in caelum, ad Te Deum Patrem suum omnipo-
tentem”(and looking up to heaven, to you, his almighty Father). At this point in
the Mass we are preparing to be present at a miracle greater than that of the
multiplication of the loaves — the changing of bread into his own body, offered
as food for men.

42. Christ wanted the left-overs to be collected (cf. Jn 6:12) to teach us not to
waste things God gives us, and also to have them as a tangible proof of the
miracle.

The collecting of the left-overs is a way of showing us the value of little things
done out of love for God — orderliness, cleanliness, finishing things completely.
It also reminds the sensitive believer of the extreme care that must be taken of
the eucharistic species. Also, the generous scale of the miracle is an expres-
sion of the largesse of the messianic times. The Fathers recall that Moses dis-
tributed the manna for each to eat as much as he needed but some left part of
it for the next day and it bred worms (Ex 16:16-20). Elijah gave the widow just
enough to meet her needs (1 Kings 17:13-16). Jesus, on the other hand, gives
generously and abundantly.

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: White.

First reading	1 John 4:7-10 ©

Let us love one another, since love comes from God

My dear people,

let us love one another

since love comes from God

and everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.

Anyone who fails to love can never have known God,

because God is love.

God’s love for us was revealed

when God sent into the world his only Son

so that we could have life through him;

this is the love I mean:

not our love for God,

but God’s love for us when he sent his Son

to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 71(72):1-4,7-8 ©

All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.

O God, give your judgement to the king,

to a king’s son your justice,

that he may judge your people in justice

and your poor in right judgement.

All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.

May the mountains bring forth peace for the people

and the hills, justice.

May he defend the poor of the people

and save the children of the needy.

All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.

In his days justice shall flourish

and peace till the moon fails.

He shall rule from sea to sea,

from the Great River to earth’s bounds.

All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.

Gospel Acclamation	cf.Mt4:23

Alleluia, alleluia!

Jesus proclaimed the Good News of the kingdom

and cured all kinds of diseases among the people.

Alleluia!

Or:	Lk4:17

Alleluia, alleluia!

The Lord has sent me to bring the good news to the poor,

to proclaim liberty to captives.

Alleluia!

Or:	Lk7:16

Alleluia, alleluia!

A great prophet has appeared among us;

God has visited his people.

Alleluia!

Or:	cf.1Tim3:16

Alleluia, alleluia!

Glory to you, O Christ,

proclaimed to the pagans;

glory to you, O Christ,

believed in by the world.

Alleluia!

Or:	Mt4:16

Alleluia, alleluia!

The people that lived in darkness

has seen a great light;

on those who dwell in the land and shadow of death

a light has dawned.

Alleluia!

Gospel	Mark 6:34-44 ©

The feeding of the five thousand

As Jesus stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length. By now it was getting very late, and his disciples came up to him and said, ‘This is a lonely place and it is getting very late. So send them away, and they can go to the farms and villages round about, to buy themselves something to eat.’ He replied, ‘Give them something to eat yourselves.’ They answered, ‘Are we to go and spend two hundred denarii on bread for them to eat?’ ‘How many loaves have you?’ he asked. ‘Go and see.’ And when they had found out they said, ‘Five, and two fish.’ Then he ordered them to get all the people together in groups on the green grass, and they sat down on the ground in squares of hundreds and fifties. Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing; then he broke the loaves and handed them to his disciples to distribute among the people. He also shared out the two fish among them all. They all ate as much as they wanted. They collected twelve basketfuls of scraps of bread and pieces of fish. Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men.

Mark
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Mark 6
34.	And Jesus going out saw a great multitude: and he had compassion on them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.	Et exiens vidit turbam multam Jesus : et misertus est super eos, quia erant sicut oves non habentes pastorem, et cœpit docere multa.	και εξελθων ειδεν ο ιησους πολυν οχλον και εσπλαγχνισθη επ αυτοις οτι ησαν ως προβατα μη εχοντα ποιμενα και ηρξατο διδασκειν αυτους πολλα
35.	And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came to him, saying: This is a desert place, and the hour is now past:	Et cum jam hora multa fieret, accesserunt discipuli ejus, dicentes : Desertus est locus hic, et jam hora præteriit :	και ηδη ωρας πολλης γενομενης προσελθοντες αυτω οι μαθηται αυτου λεγουσιν οτι ερημος εστιν ο τοπος και ηδη ωρα πολλη
36.	Send them away, that going into the next villages and towns, they may buy themselves meat to eat.	dimitte illos, ut euntes in proximas villas et vicos, emant sibi cibos, quos manducent.	απολυσον αυτους ινα απελθοντες εις τους κυκλω αγρους και κωμας αγορασωσιν εαυτοις αρτους τι γαρ φαγωσιν ουκ εχουσιν
37.	And he answering said to them: Give you them to eat. And they said to him: Let us go and buy bread for two hundred pence, and we will give them to eat.	Et respondens ait illis : Date illis vos manducare. Et dixerunt ei : Euntes emamus ducentis denariis panes, et dabimus illis manducare.	ο δε αποκριθεις ειπεν αυτοις δοτε αυτοις υμεις φαγειν και λεγουσιν αυτω απελθοντες αγορασωμεν δηναριων διακοσιων αρτους και δωμεν αυτοις φαγειν
38.	And he saith to them: How many loaves have you? go and see. And when they knew, they say: Five, and two fishes	Et dicit eis : Quot panes habetis ? ite, et videte. Et cum cognovissent, dicunt : Quinque, et duos pisces.	ο δε λεγει αυτοις ποσους αρτους εχετε υπαγετε και ιδετε και γνοντες λεγουσιν πεντε και δυο ιχθυας
39.	And he commanded them that they should make them all sit down by companies upon the green grass.	Et præcepit illis ut accumbere facerent omnes secundum contubernia super viride fœnum.	και επεταξεν αυτοις ανακλιναι παντας συμποσια συμποσια επι τω χλωρω χορτω
40.	And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds and by fifties.	Et discubuerunt in partes per centenos et quinquagenos.	και ανεπεσον πρασιαι πρασιαι ανα εκατον και ανα πεντηκοντα
41.	And when he had taken the five loaves, and the two fishes: looking up to heaven, he blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave to his disciples to set before them: and the two fishes he divided among them all.	Et acceptis quinque panibus et duobus pisces, intuens in cælum, benedixit, et fregit panes, et dedit discipulis suis, ut ponerent ante eos : et duos pisces divisit omnibus.	και λαβων τους πεντε αρτους και τους δυο ιχθυας αναβλεψας εις τον ουρανον ευλογησεν και κατεκλασεν τους αρτους και εδιδου τοις μαθηταις αυτου ινα παραθωσιν αυτοις και τους δυο ιχθυας εμερισεν πασιν
42.	And they all did eat, and had their fill.	Et manducaverunt omnes, et saturati sunt.	και εφαγον παντες και εχορτασθησαν
43.	And they took up the leavings, twelve full baskets of fragments, and of the fishes.	Et sustulerunt reliquias, fragmentorum duodecim cophinos plenos, et de piscibus.	και ηραν κλασματων δωδεκα κοφινους πληρεις και απο των ιχθυων
44.	And they that did eat, were five thousand men.	Erant autem qui manducaverunt quinque millia virorum.	και ησαν οι φαγοντες τους αρτους πεντακισχιλιοι ανδρες

34. And Jesus, when he came out, saw many people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.

PSEUDO-JEROME; Little indeed is the rest of the saints here on earth, long is their labor, but afterwards, they are bidden to rest from their labors. But as in the ark of Noah, the animals that were within were sent forth, and they that were without rushed in, so is it in the Church, Judas went, the thief came to Christ. But as long as men go back from the faith, the Church can have no refuge from grief; for Rachel weeping for her children would not be comforted. Moreover, this world is not the happiest, in which the new wine is drank, when the new song will be sung by men made anew, when this mortal shall have put in immortality.

BEDE; But when Christ goes to the deserts of the Gentiles, many bands of the faithful leaving the walls of their cities, that is their old manner of living, follow Him.

35. And when the day was now far spent, His disciples came to him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed:
36. Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat.
37. He answered and said to them, Give you them to eat. And they say to him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?
38. He said to them, How many loaves have you? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.
39. And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies on the green grass.
40. And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties.
41. And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, He looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.
42. And they did all eat, and were filled.
43. And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes.
44. And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.

THEOPHYL. The Lord, placing before them, first, what is most profitable, that is, the food of the word of God, afterwards also gave the multitude food for their bodies; in beginning to relate which the Evangelist says, And to when on, the day was now far spent, his disciples came to him, and said, This is a desert place.

BEDE; The time being far spent, points out that it was evening. Wherefore Luke says, But the day had begun to decline.

THEOPHYL. See now , how those who are disciples of Christ grow in love to man, for they pity the multitudes, and come to Christ to intercede for them. But the Lord tried them, to see whether they would know that His power was great enough to feed them.

Wherefore it goes on, He answered and said to them, Give you them to eat.

BEDE; By these words He calls on His Apostles, to break bread for the people, that they might be able to testify that they had no bread, and thus the greatness of the miracle might become more known.

THEOPHYL. But the disciples thought that He did not know what was necessary for the feeding of so large a multitude, for their answer shows that they were troubled. For it goes on, And they said to him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?

AUG. This in the Gospel of John is the answer of Philip, but Mark gives it as the answer of the disciples, wishing it to be understood that Philip made this answer as a mouthpiece of the others; although he might put the plural number for the singular, as is usual. It goes on, And he said to them, How many loaves have you? go and see. The other Evangelists pass over this being done by the Lord. It goes on, And when they knew, they say, Five, a two fishes. This, which was suggested by Andrew, as we learn from John, the other Evangelists, using the plural for the singular, have put into the mouth of the disciples.

It goes on, And he commanded them enter to make all sit do down by companies upon the green grass,

and they sat down in ranks by hundreds and by fifties. But we need not be perplexed, though Luke says that they were ordered to sit down by fifties , and Mark by hundreds and fifties, for, one was mentioned a part, the other the whole. Mark, who mentions the hundreds, fills up what the other has left out.

THEOPHYL. We are given to understand that they lay down in parties, separate from one another, for what is translated by companies, is repeated twice over in the Greek, as though it were by companies and companies. It goes on, And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them, and the two fishes divided he among them all.

CHRYS. Now it was with fitness that He looked up to heaven, for the Jews, when receiving manna in the desert, presumed to say of God, Can he give bread? To prevent this therefore before He performed the miracle, He referred to His Father what He was about to do.

THEOPHYL. He also looks up to heaven that He may teach us to seek our food from God, and not from the devil, as they do who unjustly feed on other man labors. By this also He intimated to the crowd, that He could not be opposed to God, since He called upon God. And He gives the bread to His disciple's to set before the multitude, that by handling the bread they might see that it was an undoubted miracle. It goes on: And they did all eat, and were filled:

and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments.

Twelve baskets of fragments remained over and above, that each of the Apostles, carrying a basket on his shoulder, might recognize the unspeakable Worker of the miracle. For it was a proof of overflowing power not only to feed so many men, but also to leave such a superabundance of fragments. Even though Moses gave manna, yet what was given to each was measured by his necessity, and what was over and above was overrun with worms. Elias also fed the woman, but gave her just what was enough for her; but Jesus, being the Lord, makes his gifts with superabundant profusion.

BEDE; Again, in a mystical sense, the Savior refreshes the hungry crowds at the day's decline, because, either, now that the end of the world approaches, or now that the Sun of justice has set in death for us, we are saved from wasting away in spiritual hunger. He calls the Apostles to Him at the breaking of bread, intimating that daily by them our hungry souls are fed, that is, by their letters and examples. By the five loaves are figured the Five Books of Moses, by the two fishes the Psalms and Prophets.

THEOPHYL. Or the two fishes are the discourses of fishermen that is, their Epistles and Gospel.

BEDE; There are five senses in the outward man which shows that by the five thousand men are meant those who, living in the world, know how to make a good use of external things.

GREG. The different ranks in which those who ate lie down, mark out the divers churches which make up the one Catholic. But the Jubilee rest is contained in the mystery of the number fifty, and fifty must be doubled before it reaches up to a hundred. As then the first step is to rest from doing evil, that afterwards the soul may rest more fully from evil thoughts, some lie down in parties of fifty, others of a hundred.

BEDE; Again, those men lie down on grass and are fed by the food of the Lord, who have trodden under foot their concupiscences by continence, and apply themselves diligently to hear and fulfill the words of God. The Savior, however, does not create a new sort of food; for when He came in the flesh He preached no other things than were predicted, but showed how pregnant with mysteries of grace were the writings of the Law and the Prophets. He looks up to heaven, that He may teach us that there we must look for grace. He breaks and distributes to the disciples that they may place the bread before the multitudes, because He has opened the mysteries of prophecy to holy doctors, who are to preach them to the whole world. What is left by the crowd is taken up by the disciples, because the more sacred mysteries, which cannot be received by the foolish, are not to be passed by with negligence, but to be inquired into by the perfect. For by the twelve baskets, the Apostles and the following Doctors are typified, externally indeed despised by men, but inwardly full of healthful food. For all know that carrying baskets is a part of the work of shaves.

PSEUDO-JEROME; Or, in the gathering of the twelve baskets full of fragments, is signified the time, when they shall sit on thrones, judging all who are left of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the twelve tribes of Israel, when the remnant of Israel shall be saved.

Catena Aurea Mark 6

Jesus, High 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

This icon shows Jesus Christ, our eternal high priest.

The gold pelican over His heart represents self-sacrifice.

The border contains an altar and grapevines, representing the Mass, and icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.

Melchizedek: king of righteousness (left icon) was priest and king of Jerusalem. He blessed Abraham and has been considered an ideal priest-king.

St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests.

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 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]

Feast of
the Holy Name of Jesus

Luke 2:21 "...Et vocatum est Nomen eius IESUS"
("And His Name was called JESUS")

Psalm 90:14 "Because he hoped in me I will deliver him:
I will protect him because he hath known My Name."

Zacharias 10:12 "I will strengthen them in the Lord,
and they shall walk in His Name, saith the Lord."

Apocalypse 3:8 "I know thy works. Behold, I have given before thee a door opened, which no man can shut: because thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied My Name."

Apocalypse 15:4 "Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and magnify Thy Name?..."

Blessed be the most holy Name of Jesus without end!

January Devotion: The Holy Name of Jesus

The month of January is traditionally dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. This feast is also celebrated on January 3. Here is an explanation of the devotion.

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has associated entire months to special devotions. The devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus has been traditionally associated with the month of January, due to its celebration on January 3. The name Jesus was given to the Holy Child at God's command (Luke 1:31). The Holy Name is all-powerful because of the Person who bears it; we honor it because of the command of Christ, that we should pray in His Name and because it reminds us of all the blessings we receive through our Holy Redeemer. Hence St. Paul was able to write to the Philippians: ". . . at the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth" (Phil. 2:10). By means of this devotion we also make amends for improper use of the Holy Name.

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

Prayer/Hymn in Honor of the Most Holy Name of Jesus - Iesu, Dulcis Memoria

Iesu, Dulcis Memoria is a celebrated 12th century hymn attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), Doctor Mellifluus. The entire hymn has some 42 to 53 stanzas depending upon the manuscript. Parts of this hymn were used for the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, which was formerly celebrated on the Sunday between the Circumcision and Epiphany, or failing such a Sunday, on January 2. The part below was used at Vespers. In the liturgical revisions of Vatican II, the feast was deleted, though a votive Mass to the Holy Name of Jesus had been retained for devotional use. With the release of the revised Roman Missal in March 2002, the feast was restored as an optional memorial on January 3.

Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills the breast!
Yet sweeter far Thy face to see
And in Thy presence rest.

No voice can sing, no heart can frame,
Nor can the memory find,
A sweeter sound than Jesus' name,
The Savior of mankind.

O hope of every contrite heart!
0 joy of all the meek!
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek!

But what to those who find? Ah! this
Nor tongue nor pen can show
The love of Jesus, what it is,
None but His loved ones know.

Jesus! our only hope be Thou,
As Thou our prize shalt be;
In Thee be all our glory now,
And through eternity. Amen.

---Roman Breviary

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

O Divine Jesus, Thou hast promised that anything we ask of the Eternal Father in Thy name shall be granted.

O Eternal Father. In the name of Jesus, for the love of Jesus, in fulfillment of this promise, and because Jesus has said it, grant us our petitions for the sake of Jesus, Thy Divine Son. 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

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Phil:2:10-11

The Most Holy Name
The Power of Jesus’ Name
What does IHS stand for? The meaning of the Holy Name of Jesus [Catholic Caucus]
Litany Of The Holy Name of Jesus
Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus
Jesus, The Name above all Names
Devotion to the Holy Name (of Jesus) [Catholic Caucus]
Lessons In Iconography : The Chi Rho - Christ
St. Francis de Sales on the Most Holy Name of Jesus (Excerpt from a Sermon) (Catholic Caucus)
St. Francis de Sales on the Most Holy Name of Jesus (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)

St. Bernard on the Most Holy Name of Jesus [Ecumenical]
Saving the day in His Holy Name: St. Genevieve gets a reprieve [Catholic Caucus]
The Holy Name of Jesus
Holy Name of Jesus [San Bernadino of Siena] Ecumenical
The Holy Name of Jesus
Devotion to the Holy Name [of Jesus]
The Name of Jesus: Its Power in Our Lives
The Holy Name of Jesus
Devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus
The Holy Name of Jesus

Philippians 2
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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January 8 2019

Tuesday after Epiphany

Reading 1 1 Jn 4:7-10

Responsorial Psalm Ps 72:1-2, 3-4, 7-8

Alleluia Lk 4:18

Gospel Mk 6:34-44

A Child is Born

Readings at Mass

Feast of
the Holy Name of Jesus