Posted on 04/06/2019 9:53:16 PM PDT by Salvation
KEYWORDS: catholic; jn8; lent; prayer;
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From: Isaiah 43:16-21
Announcement of a New Exodus (Continuation)
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Commentary:
43:14-21. This oracle is part of the doctrinal core of the “Book of Consolation”
(40:1-48:22), where we can see the exodus from Egypt as the prototype of every
instance of liberation brought about by the Lord. Its most direct reference would
be to the return of those exiled in Babylon. The original exodus from Egypt was
quite remarkable and well worth pondering; but this exodus is truly “new”, surpas-
sing what happened in former times (cf. vv. 18-19). This prophecy is very carefully
constructed. It first acknowledges God by giving an impressive list of divine titles,
repeated several times: Lord, Redeemer, Holy One of Israel, Creator, King (vv. 14-
15); then comes the announcement of the new exodus based on traditions to do
with the first exodus, without mentioning it specifically (vv. 16-21); it recalls, with
sadness, yet serenity, the people’s infidelities (vv. 22-24); and it ends with God
asserting his forgiveness in the context of a “rib”, that is, a “legal hearing” (vv.
25-28).
The prophet’s words are designed to fill the people with hope that they will soon
be able to return home, and also with the energy to undertake the religious resto-
ration of Israel. But they are also a reminder to people at all times that God never
abandons his chosen ones, and a constant encouragement to renew their fervor.
The only proviso is that they must have recourse to the mercy of God and sin-
cerely admit their sins. Thus, we find St Gregory the Great interpreting the “suit”
in v. 26 as describing the examination of conscience that leads to the confession
of sins: “The conscience accuses, reason judges, fear binds, and suffering tor-
tures” (”Moralia in Job”, 25,7, 12-13).
*********************************************************************************************
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: Philippians 3:8-14
The Righteousness of God Is Better Than That of the Law (Continuation)
[12] Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to
make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
The Spiritual Athlete
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Commentary:
8. St Paul has a great love for his people. In Romans he shows that he would be
ready to accept any sacrifice “for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen of the
flesh” (Rom 9:3f). However, he recognizes that everything in which he gloried be-
fore his conversion is worthless in comparison with the grace of knowledge of
Christ: that is the hidden treasure, the precious pearl referred to in Gospel para-
bles (cf. Mt 13:44-46). For “once a person experiences the riches of Christ the
Lord, he looks down on everything else: property, wealth and honors he views as
filth. For there is nothing that can compare with that supreme treasure, nothing
that can be placed beside it” (”St Pius V Catechism”, IV, 11, 15).
9. St Paul makes the distinction between “a righteousness of my own” attainable
by personal effort, and that which comes from God. The former is the righteous-
ness a person can attain by fulfilling the Mosaic Law; it is a good thing, but it is
insufficient to give one the full revelation of God in Christ, insufficient to give one
a share in the glory of his Resurrection (vv. 10-11). For that, one needs to have
righteousness from God, that is, supernatural grace: “not the justice by which
he is himself just, but the justice by which he makes us just, namely, the justice
which we have as a gift from him and by which we are renewed in the spirit of our
mind. And not only are we considered just, but we are truly said to be just, and
we are just” (Council of Trent, “De Iustificatione”, chap. 7). For a more detailed
explanation of the concept of the righteousness that comes from God, see the
note on Romans 1:17.
10-12. The calling to holiness which every Christian receives is not a reward for
personal merit: it comes from God’s initiative; God desires all men to be saved
and to come to the knowledge of the truth (cf. 1 Tim 2:4), that is, to know God
himself. The Apostle bears witness to this when he says that “Christ Jesus has
made me his own.” However, he also says that, in order to grow in knowledge of
Christ and enjoy God in heaven, one needs to strive to share in Christ’s sufferings.
“The Christian is certainly bound both by need and by duty to struggle with evil
through many afflictions and to suffer death; but, as one who has been made a
partner in the paschal mystery and has been configured to the death of Christ,
he will go forward, strengthened by hope, to the resurrection” (Vatican II, “Gau-
dium Et Spes”, 22). This struggle, which sometimes calls for heroism, is usual-
ly pitched in the incidents of one’s ordinary day. Heroism in the everyday battle
proves the sincerity of our love and is a sure way to holiness.
“Certainly our goal is both lofty and difficult to attain. But please do not forget
that people are not born holy. Holiness is forged through a constant interplay of
God’s grace and man’s response. As one of the early Christian writers says, re-
ferring to union with God, ‘Everything that grows begins small. It is by constant
and progressive feeding that it gradually grows big’ (St Mark the Hermit, “De Lege
Spirituali”, 172). So I say to you, if you want to become a thorough-going Chris-
tian—and I know you do, even though you often find it difficult to conquer yourself
or to keep climbing upwards with this poor body—then you will have to be very at-
tentive to the minutest of details, for the holiness that our Lord demands of you
is to be achieved by carrying out with love of God your work and your daily duties,
and these will almost always consist of ordinary little things” (St. J. Escriva,
“Friends of God”, 7).
“That if possible I may attain the resurrection of the dead”: St Paul is referring
here to the glorious resurrection of the just, whom the power of the risen Christ
will rescue from the domain of death. At the second coming of the Lord, both the
souls of the blessed in heaven and the souls of those who are still in purgatory
undergoing the temporal punishment due to sins they committed will be reunited
with their now glorified bodies. The reprobate will also rise, but their destiny is to
suffer for ever the pains of hell in body and soul (cf. Second Council of Lyons,
“Profession of Faith of Michael Paleologue”).
Man’s supernatural last end consists in knowing God as he is and enjoying him
in heaven. When he attains this, man finds complete fulfillment. His life on earth
has been a route leading to this perfection, a perfection which can only be fully
attained by resurrection in glory. The Apostle recognizes that he needs the help
of grace to be “perfect” (that is, faithful unto death) and thereby attain the prize
promised by God: perseverance right to the end is not entirely a function of the
merit a person has built up; it is a gift from God (cf. “De Iustificatione”, chap. 13).
However, God does not dispense man from generously responding to grace in or-
der to attain holiness. As St Teresa of Avila says. “It matters a great deal, it is
essential [...], that one have very great, very determined, resolution not to halt un-
til one attains it, come what may, whatever happens, however much one suffers,
however much people may gossip, whether I get there or not, even if I die on the
way or am not able to face all the effort involved, even if the world collapses
around me” (”Way of Perfection”, 35, 2).
12-14. Growth in holiness always demands an effort. St Paul here uses a vivid
comparison — races in the stadium. He describes ascetical struggle in terms of
enjoyable supernatural sport. Realizing that he has not reached perfection, he
strains to win: Christ already made him his own (cf. v. 12) by entering his life on
the Damascus road; from that moment onwards he has striven single-mindedly
to serve God.
Our Lord helps everyone to discover his or her particular supernatural vocation.
In response to that calling a person should seek to serve God in such a way that
“everything good he does, interiorly or externally, he does for the glory and plea-
sure of God, like a loyal slave who gives everything he gets to his master. More-
over,” St John of Avila goes on, “even though he has worked as a servant for ma-
ny years past, he is not easy-going or careless [...]. He always has that ‘hunger
and thirst for righteousness’ (Mt 5:6): he puts little weight on everything he has
done, thinking of how much he has received and how much is due to the Lord he
serves” (”Audi, Filia”, 92).
In making one’s way towards perfection it is important to be always trying to ad-
vance spiritually. “What does walking mean?”, St Augustine asked himself; “I
shall answer very briefly: it means going forward [...]. Examine yourself. You
should always be unhappy with what you are, if you want to attain what you are
not yet. For when you were content with yourself, you stayed where you were,
because if you say ‘Enough’, you are finished that very minute. Always grow, al-
ways walk on, always advance; do not stop on the way, do not turn back, do not
go off course. One who does not advance is standing still; one who returns to the
things he already abandoned is going backwards; one who goes off course com-
mits apostasy. It is better to hobble along the road than run on any other route”
(”Sermon” 169, 15, 18).
*********************************************************************************************
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: John 8:1-11
The Adulterous Woman
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Commentary:
1-11. This passage is absent from many ancient codices, but it was in the Vul-
gate when the Magisterium, at the Council of Trent, defined the canon of Sacred
Scripture. Therefore, the Church regards it as canonical and inspired, and has
used it and continues to use it in the liturgy. It is also included in the New Vul-
gate, in the same position as it occupied before.
St. Augustine said that the reason doubts were raised about the passage was
that it showed Jesus to be so merciful that some rigorists thought it would lead
to a relaxation of moral rules—and therefore many copyists suppressed it from
their manuscripts (cf. “De Coniugiis Adulterinis”, 2, 6).
In commenting on the episode of the woman caught in adultery Fray Luis de Gra-
nada gives these general considerations on the mercy of Christ: “Your feelings,
your deeds and your words should be akin to these, if you desire to be a beauti-
ful likeness of the Lord. And therefore the Apostle is not content with telling us to
be merciful; he tells us, as God’s sons, to put on ‘the bowels of mercy’ (cf. Colos-
sians 3:12). Imagine, then, what the world would be like if everyone arrayed them-
selves in this way.
“All this is said to help us understand to some degree the great abundance of
the goodness and compassion of our Savior, which shine forth so clearly in
these actions of His, for [...] in this life we cannot know God in Himself; we can
know Him only through His actions. [...] But it should also be pointed out that
we should never act in such a way in view of God’s mercy, that we forget about
His justice; nor should we attend to His justice forgetting about His mercy; for
hope should have in it an element of fear, and fear an element of hope” (”Life of
Jesus Christ”, 13, 4).
1. We know that on a number of occasions our Lord withdrew to the Mount of
Olives to pray (cf. John 18:2; Luke 22:39). This place was to the east of Jerusa-
lem; the Kidron Valley (cf. John 18:1) divided it from the hill on which the temple
was built. It had from ancient times been a place of prayer: David went there to
adore God during the difficult period when Absalom was in revolt (2 Samuel 15:
32), and there the prophet Ezekiel contemplated the glory of Yahweh entering
the temple (Ezekiel 43:1-4). At the foot of the hill there was a garden, called
Gethsemane or “the place of the oil-press”, an enclosed plot containing a plan-
tation of olive trees. Christian tradition has treated this place with great respect
and has maintained it as a place of prayer. Towards the end of the fourth centu-
ry a church was built there, on whose remains the present church was built.
There are still some ancient olive trees growing there which could well derive
from those of our Lord’s time.
6. The question put by the scribes and Pharisees has a catch: our Lord had of-
ten shown understanding to people they considered sinners; they come to Him
now with this case to see if He will be equally indulgent—which will allow them to
accuse Him of infringing a very clear precept of the Law (cf. Leviticus 20:10).
7. Jesus’ reply refers to the way stoning was carried out: those who witnessed
the crime had to throw the first stones, and then others joined in, to erase the
slur on the people which the crime implied (cf. Deuteronomy 17:7). The question
put to Jesus was couched in legal terms; He raises it to the moral plane (the ba-
sis and justification of the legal plane), appealing to the people’s conscience. He
does not violate the law, St. Augustine says, and at the same time He does not
want to lose what He is seeking—for He has come to save that which was lost:
“His answer is so full of justice, gentleness and truth. [...] O true answer of Wis-
dom. You have heard: Keep the Law, let the woman be stoned. But how can sin-
ners keep the Law and punish this woman? Let each of them look inside himself
and enter the tribunal of his heart and conscience; there he will discover that he
is a sinner. Let this woman be punished, but not by sinners; let the Law be ap-
plied, but not by its transgressors” (St. Augustine, “In Ioann. Evang.”, 33, 5).
11. “The two of them were left on their own, the wretched woman and Mercy.
But the Lord, having smitten them with the dart of justice, does not even deign
to watch them go but turns His gaze away from them and once more writes on
the ground with His finger. But when the woman was left alone and they had all
gone, He lifted up His eyes to the woman. We have already heard the voice of
justice; let us now hear the voice of gentleness. I think that the woman was the
more terrified when she heard the Lord say, ‘Let him who is without sin among
you be the first to throw a stone at her,’ [...] fearing now that she would be pu-
nished by Him, in whom no sin could be found. But He, who had driven away
her adversaries with the tongue of justice, now looking at her with the eyes of
gentleness asks her, ‘Has no one condemned you?’ She replies, ‘No one, Lord.’
And He says, ‘Neither do I condemn you; I who perhaps you feared would punish
you, because in Me you have found no sin.’ Lord, can it be that You favor sin-
ners? Assuredly not. See what follows” ‘Go and sin no more.’ Therefore the Lord
also condemned sin, but not the woman’ (St. Augustine, “In Ioann. Evang.”, 33,
5-6).
Jesus, who is the Just One, does not condemn the woman; whereas these peo-
ple are sinners, yet they pass sentence of death. God’s infinite mercy should
move us always to have compassion on those who commit sins, because we
ourselves are sinners and in need of God’s forgiveness.
*********************************************************************************************
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.
Liturgical Colour: Violet.
First reading | Isaiah 43:16-21 © |
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See, I am doing a new deed, and I will give my chosen people drink |
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Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 125(126) © |
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Second reading |
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Philippians 3:8-14 © |
I look on everything as so much rubbish if only I can have Christ |
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Gospel Acclamation | Joel2:12-13 |
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Gospel | John 8:1-11 © |
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'Let the one among you who has not sinned be the first to throw a stone' |
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John | |||
English: Douay-Rheims | Latin: Vulgata Clementina | Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000) | |
John 8 |
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1. | AND Jesus went unto mount Olivet. | Jesus autem perrexit in montem Oliveti : | ιησους δε επορευθη εις το ορος των ελαιων |
2. | And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came to him, and sitting down he taught them. | et diluculo iterum venit in templum, et omnis populus venit ad eum, et sedens docebat eos. | ορθρου δε παλιν παρεγενετο εις το ιερον και πας ο λαος ηρχετο [προς αυτον] και καθισας εδιδασκεν αυτους |
3. | And the scribes and the Pharisees bring unto him a woman taken in adultery: and they set her in the midst, | Adducunt autem scribæ et pharisæi mulierem in adulterio deprehensam : et statuerunt eam in medio, | αγουσιν δε οι γραμματεις και οι φαρισαιοι προς αυτον γυναικα επι μοιχεια κατειλημμενην και στησαντες αυτην εν μεσω |
4. | And said to him: Master, this woman was even now taken in adultery. | et dixerunt ei : Magister, hæc mulier modo deprehensa est in adulterio. | λεγουσιν αυτω [πειραζοντες] διδασκαλε ταυτην ευρομεν επ αυτοφωρω μοιχευομενην |
5. | Now Moses in the law commanded us to stone such a one. But what sayest thou? | In lege autem Moyses mandavit nobis hujusmodi lapidare. Tu ergo quid dicis ? | εν δε τω νομω ημων μωυσης ενετειλατο τας τοιαυτας λιθοβολεισθαι συ ουν τι λεγεις [περι αυτης] |
6. | And this they said tempting him, that they might accuse him. But Jesus bowing himself down, wrote with his finger on the ground. | Hoc autem dicebant tentantes eum, ut possent accusare eum. Jesus autem inclinans se deorsum, digito scribebat in terra. | τουτο δε ελεγον πειραζοντες αυτον ινα εχωσιν κατηγοριαν κατ αυτου ο δε ιησους κατω κυψας τω δακτυλω εγραφεν εις την γην μη προσποιουμενος |
7. | When therefore they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said to them: He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. | Cum ergo perseverarent interrogantes eum, erexit se, et dixit eis : Qui sine peccato est vestrum, primus in illam lapidem mittat. | ως δε επεμενον ερωτωντες αυτον ανακυψας ειπεν προς αυτους ο αναμαρτητος υμων πρωτος επ αυτην τον λιθον βαλετω |
8. | And again stooping down, he wrote on the ground. | Et iterum se inclinans, scribebat in terra. | και παλιν κατω κυψας εγραφεν εις την γην |
9. | But they hearing this, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest. And Jesus alone remained, and the woman standing in the midst. | Audientes autem unus post unum exibant, incipientes a senioribus : et remansit solus Jesus, et mulier in medio stans. | οι δε ακουσαντες και υπο της συνειδησεως ελεγχομενοι εξηρχοντο εις καθ εις αρξαμενοι απο των πρεσβυτερων [εως των εσχατων] και κατελειφθη μονος ο ιησους και η γυνη εν μεσω ουσα |
10. | Then Jesus lifting up himself, said to her: Woman, where are they that accused thee? Hath no man condemned thee? | Erigens autem se Jesus, dixit ei : Mulier, ubi sunt qui te accusabant ? nemo te condemnavit ? | ανακυψας δε ο ιησους και μηδενα θεασαμενος πλην της γυναικος ειπεν αυτη [γυναι] που εισιν εκεινοι οι κατηγοροι σου ουδεις σε κατεκρινεν |
11. | Who said: No man, Lord. And Jesus said: Neither will I condemn thee. Go, and now sin no more. | Quæ dixit : Nemo, Domine. Dixit autem Jesus : Nec ego te condemnabo : vade, et jam amplius noli peccare. | η δε ειπεν ουδεις κυριε ειπεν δε [αυτη] ο ιησους ουδε εγω σε κατακρινω πορευου και [απο του νυν] μηκετι αμαρτανε |
Pray for Pope Francis.
50 Boko Haram Islamic Radicals Killed; 1,000 Hostages, Women and Children, Rescued in Nigeria
Nigeria: In the Face of Ongoing Islamist Attacks, the Faith is Growing
US Promises to Help Nigeria Exterminate Boko Haram
Is This Bishop Right about the Rosary Conquering Boko Haram? [Catholic Caucus]
Why Boko Haram and ISIS Target Women
Report reveals scale of Boko Haram violence inflicted on Nigerian Catholics
Military evacuating girls, women rescued from Boko Haram
Echos of Lepanto Nigerian bishop says rosary will bring down Boko Harm
After vision of Christ, Nigerian bishop says rosary will bring down Boko Haram (Catholic Caucus)
Nigerian Bishop Says Christ Showed Him How to Beat Islamic Terror Group
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.
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]
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]
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