Posted on 07/24/2006 6:34:49 AM PDT by Salvation
Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1
Mi 6:1-4, 6-8
Hear what the LORD says:
Arise, present your plea before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your voice!
Hear, O mountains, the plea of the LORD,
pay attention, O foundations of the earth!
For the LORD has a plea against his people,
and he enters into trial with Israel.
O my people, what have I done to you,
or how have I wearied you? Answer me!
For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
from the place of slavery I released you;
and I sent before you Moses,
Aaron, and Miriam.
With what shall I come before the LORD,
and bow before God most high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with myriad streams of oil?
Shall I give my first-born for my crime,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
You have been told, O man, what is good,
and what the LORD requires of you:
Only to do the right and to love goodness,
and to walk humbly with your God.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 50:5-6, 8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23
R. (23b) To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Gather my faithful ones before me,
those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
And the heavens proclaim his justice;
for God himself is the judge.
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.
I take from your house no bullock,
no goats out of your fold.”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
Gospel
Mt 12:38-42
Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,
“Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”
He said to them in reply,
“An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign,
but no sign will be given it
except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights,
so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth
three days and three nights.
At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah;
and there is something greater than Jonah here.
At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon;
and there is something greater than Solomon here.”
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According to what I have this is an Optional Memorial, not a Feast. (Makes a difference in how the Mass is said.)
I thought my computer friedn itself last night in all this heat since I do not have air conditioning, But apparently, it's OK> But if I disappear without a warning, you will know that my computer is protecting itself.
The condos I am in will not permit a room air conditioner, so it's the entire system or nothing at all. (I did move the fan that I keep in my bedroom into this room, however.) Hope that will suffice to keep my computer from automatically tuening itself off.
| First reading | Micah 6:1 - 8 © |
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| Now listen to what the Lord is saying: Stand up and let the case begin in the hearing of the mountains and let the hills hear what you say. Listen, you mountains, to the Lord’s accusation, give ear, you foundations of the earth, for the Lord is accusing his people, pleading against Israel: My people, what have I done to you, how have I been a burden to you? Answer me. I brought you out of the land of Egypt, I rescued you from the house of slavery; I sent Moses to lead you, with Aaron and Miriam. ‘With what gift shall I come into the Lord’s presence and bow down before God on high? Shall I come with holocausts, with calves one year old? Will he be pleased with rams by the thousand, with libations of oil in torrents? Must I give my first-born for what I have done wrong, the fruit of my body for my own sin?’ – What is good has been explained to you, man; this is what the Lord asks of you: only this, to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with your God. |
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| Psalm or canticle: Psalm 49 |
| Gospel | Matthew 12:38 - 42 © |
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| Some of the scribes and Pharisees spoke up. ‘Master,’ they said ‘we should like to see a sign from you.’ He replied, ‘It is an evil and unfaithful generation that asks for a sign! The only sign it will be given is the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the sea-monster for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. On Judgement day the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here. On Judgement day the Queen of the South will rise up with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here.’ | |
O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
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. Alleluia.
A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.
| Psalm 72 (73) |
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| Why should the just suffer? |
| How good God is to the upright, to those who are pure of heart! But as for me, my feet nearly stumbled, my steps were on the point of going astray, as I envied the boasters and sinners, envied their comfort and peace. For them there are no burdens, their bellies are full and sleek. They do not labour, like ordinary men; they do not suffer, like mortals. They wear their pride like a necklace, their violence covers them like a robe. Wickedness oozes from their very being, the thoughts of their hearts break forth: they deride, they utter abominations, and from their heights they proclaim injustice. They have set their mouth in the heavens, and their tongue traverses the earth. Thus they sit in their lofty positions, and the flood-waters cannot reach them. They ask, “How can God know? Does the Most High have any understanding?” Behold, then, the wicked, always prosperous: their riches growing for ever. 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. |
| Psalm 72 (73) |
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| I said, “It was pointless to purify my heart, to wash my hands in innocence – for still I suffered all through the day, still I was punished every morning”. If I had said, “I will speak like them”, I would have betrayed the race of your children. I pondered and tried to understand: my eyes laboured to see – until I entered God’s holy place and heard how they would end. For indeed you have put them on a slippery surface and have thrown them down in ruin. How they are laid waste! How suddenly they fall and perish in terror! You spurn the sight of them, Lord, as a dream is abandoned when the sleeper awakes. 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. |
| Psalm 72 (73) |
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| My heart was sore, my being was troubled – I was a fool, I knew nothing; I was like a dumb beast before you. But still I stay with you: you hold my right hand. You lead me according to your counsel, until you raise me up in glory. For who else is for me, in heaven? On earth, I want nothing when I am with you. My flesh and heart are failing, but it is God that I love: God is my portion for ever. Behold, those who abandon you will perish: you have condemned all who go whoring away from you. But for myself, I take joy in clinging to God, in putting my trust in the Lord, my God, to proclaim your works at the gates of the daughters of Sion. 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. |
| Reading | 2 Corinthians 1:15 - 2:11 © |
|---|---|
| I had meant to come to you first, so that you would benefit doubly; staying with you before going to Macedonia and coming back to you again on the way back from Macedonia, for you to see me on my way to Judaea. Do you think I was not sure of my own intentions when I planned this? Do you really think that when I am making my plans, my motives are ordinary human ones, and that I say Yes, yes, and No, no, at the same time? I swear by God’s truth, there is no Yes and No about what we say to you. The Son of God, the Christ Jesus that we proclaimed among you – I mean Silvanus and Timothy and I – was never Yes and No: with him it was always Yes, and however many the promises God made, the Yes to them all is in him. That is why it is ‘through him’ that we answer Amen to the praise of God. Remember it is God himself who assures us all, and you, of our standing in Christ, and has anointed us, marking us with his seal and giving us the pledge, the Spirit, that we carry in our hearts. By my life, I call God to witness that the reason why I did not come to Corinth after all was to spare your feelings. We are not dictators over your faith, but are fellow workers with you for your happiness; in the faith you are steady enough. Well then, I made up my mind not to pay you a second distressing visit. I may have hurt you, but if so I have hurt the only people who could give me any pleasure. I wrote as I did to make sure that, when I came, I should not be distressed by the very people who should have made me happy. I am sure you all know that I could never be happy unless you were. When I wrote to you, in deep distress and anguish of mind, and in tears, it was not to make you feel hurt but to let you know how much love I have for you. Someone has been the cause of pain; and the cause of pain not to me, but to some degree – not to overstate it – to all of you. The punishment already imposed by the majority on the man in question is enough; and the best thing now is to give him your forgiveness and encouragement, or he might break down from so much misery. So I am asking you to give some definite proof of your love for him. What I really wrote for, after all, was to test you and see whether you are completely obedient. Anybody that you forgive, I forgive; and as for my forgiving anything – if there has been anything to be forgiven, I have forgiven it for your sake in the presence of Christ. And so we will not be outwitted by Satan – we know well enough what his intentions are. |
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| Reading | St Ignatius of Antioch's letter to the Magnesians |
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| United in one prayer and one hope, in joy and holiness | |
| Since I have met the persons I have just mentioned and seeing and embracing them I have seen and embraced your whole congregation, I exhort you — be zealous to do all things in harmony with God, with the bishop presiding in the place of God, and the presbyters in the place of the Council of the Apostles, and the deacons, who are most dear to me, entrusted with the service of Jesus Christ, who was from eternity with the Father and was made manifest at the end of time. Be all in conformity with God, and respect one another, and let no man judge his neighbour according to the flesh, but in everything love one another in Jesus Christ. Let there be nothing in you which can divide you, but be united with the bishop and with those who preside over you as an example and lesson of immortality. Just as the Lord was united to the Father and did nothing without him, neither by himself nor through the Apostles, so you also must do nothing without the bishop and the presbyters. Do not attempt to make anything appear right for you by yourselves, but let there be in common one prayer, one supplication, one mind, one hope in love, in the joy which is without fault, the joy that is Jesus Christ, than whom there is nothing better. Hasten all to come together as to one temple of God, as to one altar, to one Jesus Christ, who came from the one Father, and is with one Father, and returned to one Father. Do not let yourselves be seduced by foreign teachings or by old and worthless fables. If we continue to live according to Jewish law then we are simply showing that we have not received grace. Look at their holy prophets: their lives were filled with Jesus Christ and inspired by his grace to teach doubters that there is one God, and for this they were persecuted. That one God manifested himself through Jesus Christ his son, who is his Word proceeding from silence and in all respects was well-pleasing to the One who sent him. You see how the followers of the ancient customs have come to a new hope. They no longer rule their lives by the Sabbath but by the Lord’s Day, which is our day also, the day on which also our life sprang up through him and his death. Though some deny it, it is by this mystery that we received faith, and for this reason also we suffer, that we may be found to be true disciples of Jesus Christ our only teacher. If all this is true, how can we possibly not give him a place in our lives, since even the prophets were his disciples in the Spirit and looked forward to him as their teacher? They waited for him in righteousness, and when he came he raised them from the dead. |
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| A concluding prayer may follow here. |
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July 24, 2006
 St. Sharbel Makhlouf
(1828-1898)
Although this saint never traveled far from the Lebanese village of Beka-Kafra, where he was born, his influence has spread widely.
Joseph Zaroun Maklouf was raised by an uncle because his father, a mule driver, died when Joseph was only three. At the age of 23, Joseph joined the Monastery of St. Maron at Annaya, Lebanon, and took the name Sharbel in honor of a second-century martyr. He professed his final vows in 1853 and was ordained six years later. Following the example of the fifth-century St. Maron, Sharbel lived as a hermit from 1875 until his death. His reputation for holiness prompted people to seek him to receive a blessing and to be remembered in his prayers. He followed a strict fast and was very devoted to the Blessed Sacrament. When his superiors occasionally asked him to administer the sacraments to nearby villages, Sharbel did so gladly. He died in the late afternoon on Christmas Eve. Christians and non-Christians soon made his tomb a place of pilgrimage and of cures. Pope Paul VI beatified him in 1965 and canonized him in 1977. Quote:
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| Monday, July 24, 2006 Feria |
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Prayers:
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July 24, 2006    Optional Memorial of St. Sharbel (Charbel) Makhloof, priest Old Calendar: St. Christina, virgin and martyr
St. Sharbel was a Lebanese monk, born in a small mountain village and ordained in 1858. Devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary, he spent the last twenty-three years of his life as a hermit. Despite temptations to wealth and comfort, Saint Sharbel taught the value of poverty, self-sacrifice and prayer by the way he lived his life. This optional memorial is new to the USA liturgical calendar and will be inscribed on July 24, 2004. Before the reform of the General Roman Calendar, today was the commemoration of St. Christina who was martyred at Bolsena in Italy, probably under Diocletian (c. 307). She has been greatly venerated since at least the 6th century.
St. Sharbel (Charbel) Makhloof  Joseph Makhlouf was born in 1828 at Beqa-Kafra, Lebanon. His peasant family lived a strong faith, were attentive to the Divine Liturgy, and had a great devotion to the Mother of God. At the age of twenty-three, Charbel (the name he chose when entering the Novitiate) left his loving and closely knit family to enter the Lebanese-Maronite Monastery called Notre-Dame de Mayfouk. Following studies and perpetual profession at St. Cyprian de Kfifane Monastery, he was ordained in 1859. For the next seven years, Charbel lived in the mountainous community of Anaya. After that he spent the next twenty-three years in complete solitude at Sts. Peter and Paul Hermitage near Anaya. He died there on Christmas Eve, 1898. Charbel had a reputation for his austerity, penances, obedience, and chastity. At times, Charbel was gifted with levitations during prayer, and he had great devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament. In all things, Charbel maintained perfect serenity. He was beatified in 1965 by Pope Paul VI and canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1977. On May 8, 1828 in a mountain village of Beka'kafra, the highest village in the near-east, Charbel was born to a poor Maronite family. From childhood his life revealed a calling to "bear fruit as a noble Cedar of Lebanon". Charbel "grew in age and wisdom before God and men". At 23 years old he entered the monastery of Our Lady of Mayfouk (north of Byblos) where he became a novice. After two years of novitiate, in 1853, he was sent to St. Maron monastery where he pronounced the monastic vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Charbel was then transferred to the monastery of Kfeifan where he studied philosophy and theology. His ordination to the priesthood took place in 1859, after which he was sent back to St. Maron monastery. His teachers provided him with good education and nurtured within him a deep love for monastic life. During his 19 years at St. Maron monastery, Charbel performed his priestly ministry and his monastic duties in an edifying way. He totally dedicated himself to Christ with undivided heart to live in silence before Nameless One. In 1875 Charbel was granted permission to live as a hermit nearby the monastery at St. Peter and Paul hermitage. His 23 years of solitary life were lived in a spirit of total abandonment to God.
"Father of Truth, behold Your Son a sacrifice pleasing to You, accept this offering of Him who died for me..."On the evening of his funeral, his superior wrote: "Because of what he will do after his death, I need not talk about his behavior". A few months after his death a bright light was seen surrounding his tomb. The superiors opened it to find his body still intact. Since that day a blood-like liquid flows from his body. Experts and doctors are unable to give medical explanations for the incorruptibility and flexibility. In the years 1950 and 1952 his tomb was opened and his body still had the appearance of a living one. The spirit of Charbel still lives in many people. His miracles include numerous healings of the body and of the spirit. Thomas Merton, the American Hermit, wrote in his journal: "Charbel lived as a hermit in Lebanon—he was a Maronite. He died. Everyone forgot about him. Fifty years later, his body was discovered incorrupt and in short time he worked over 600 miracles. He is my new companion. My road has taken a new turning. It seems to me that I have been asleep for 9 years—and before that I was dead." At the closing of the Second Vatican Council, on December 5, 1965 Charbel was beatified by Pope Paul VI who said: "...a hermit of the Lebanese mountain is inscribed in the number of the blessed...a new eminent member of monastic sanctity is enriching, by his example and his intercession, the entire Christian people... May he make us understand, in a world largely fascinated by wealth and comfort, the paramount value of poverty, penance, and asceticism, to liberate the soul in its ascent to God..."On October 9, 1977 during the World Synod of Bishops, Pope Paul VI canonized Blessed Charbel among the ranks of the Saints. Taken from Opus Libani Things to Do:
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O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
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. Alleluia.
A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.
| Psalm 89 (90) |
|---|
| Let the Lord's glory shine upon us |
| Lord, you have been our refuge from generation to generation. Before the mountains were born, before earth and heaven were conceived, from all time to all time, you are God. You turn men into dust, you say to them “go back, children of men”. A thousand years in your sight are like yesterday, that has passed; like a short watch in the night. When you take them away, they will be nothing but a dream; like the grass that sprouts in the morning: in the morning it grows and flowers, in the evening it withers and dries. For we are made weak by your anger, thrown into confusion by your wrath. You have gazed upon our transgressions; the light of your face illuminates our secrets. All our days vanish in your anger, we use up our years in a single breath. Seventy years are what we have, or eighty for the stronger ones; and most of that is labour and sadness – quickly they pass, and we are gone. Who can comprehend the power of your wrath? Who can behold the violence of your anger? Teach us to reckon our days like this, so that our hearts may be led at last to wisdom. Turn to us, Lord, how long must we wait? Let your servants call on you and be answered. Fill us with your kindness in the morning, and we shall rejoice and be glad all the days of our life. Give us joy for as long as you afflicted us, for all the years when we suffered. Let your servants see your great works, and let their children see your glory. Let the glory of the Lord God be upon us: make firm the work of your hands. Make firm the work of your hands. 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. |
| Canticle | Isaiah 42 |
|---|---|
| God, the victor and saviour | |
| Sing a new song to the Lord: sing his praise from the ends of the earth. Praise him, who go down to the sea; and all that are in the sea, islands and their inhabitants. Let the desert rejoice, and the cities of the desert, the villages where the people of Kedar live. Let those who dwell in Petra rejoice, and cry out from the mountain-tops. Let them give glory to the Lord, and proclaim his praise among the islands. The Lord will go forth like a warrior, like a man of war he will stir up zeal; he will shout and cry out; he will prevail against his foes. “I have always been silent, I have kept silence and waited; but now I shall cry out like a woman in labour, I shall groan and tremble. I shall lay waste the mountains and hills, I shall wither their grass, I shall turn rivers into deserts, I shall dry up the marshes. I shall lead the blind along a way they do not know; in paths unknown to them I shall make them walk. I shall make the darkness that is around them into light. I shall make crooked things straight”. 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. |
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| Psalm 134 (135) |
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| Praise the Lord, the wonder-worker |
| Praise the name of the Lord: praise it, servants of the Lord, you who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing to his name, for it brings happiness. For the Lord chose Jacob for his own, he chose Israel for his possession. I know how great is the Lord, how great is our God above all gods. The Lord accomplishes all that he wills, in the heavens and on the earth, in the sea and the depths of the oceans. He brings in clouds from the ends of the earth, makes lightning for the rain-clouds, from his storehouse he calls forth the winds. He struck down the first-born of Egypt, of man and of beast alike. He sent signs and wonders among them, to Pharaoh and all his servants. He shattered nation after nation, killed powerful kings: Sihon, king of the Amorites, Og, the king of Bashan, all the kingdoms of Canaan. He gave their lands as a birthright, as a birthright for Israel his people. 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. |
| A short Bible reading and responsory may follow here. |
| Canticle | Benedictus |
|---|---|
| The Messiah and his forerunner | |
| Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption. He has raised up the sign of salvation in the house of his servant David, as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones, his prophets through the ages: to rescue us from our enemies and all who hate us, to take pity on our fathers, to remember his holy covenant and the oath he swore to Abraham our father, that he would give himself to us, that we could serve him without fear – freed from the hands of our enemies – in uprightness and holiness before him, for all of our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High: for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path, to let his people know their salvation, so that their sins may be forgiven. Through the bottomless mercy of our God, one born on high will visit us to give light to those who walk in darkness, who live in the shadow of death; to lead our feet in the path of peace. 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. |
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| Some short prayers may follow here, to offer up the day's work to God. |
| 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 that trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. |
| A concluding prayer may follow here. |
| May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life. |
| A M E N |
| Mt 12:38-42 | ||
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| # | Douay-Rheims | Vulgate |
| 38 | Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying: Master, we would see a sign from thee. | tunc responderunt ei quidam de scribis et Pharisaeis dicentes magister volumus a te signum videre |
| 39 | Who answering said to them: An evil and adulterous generation seeketh a sign: and a sign shall not be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. | qui respondens ait illis generatio mala et adultera signum quaerit et signum non dabitur ei nisi signum Ionae prophetae |
| 40 | For as Jonas was in the whale's belly three days and three nights: so shall the Son of man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. | sicut enim fuit Ionas in ventre ceti tribus diebus et tribus noctibus sic erit Filius hominis in corde terrae tribus diebus et tribus noctibus |
| 41 | The men of Ninive shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they did penance at the preaching of Jonas. And behold a greater than Jonas here. | viri ninevitae surgent in iudicio cum generatione ista et condemnabunt eam quia paenitentiam egerunt in praedicatione Ionae et ecce plus quam Iona hic |
| 42 | The queen of the south shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold a greater than Solomon here. | regina austri surget in iudicio cum generatione ista et condemnabit eam quia venit a finibus terrae audire sapientiam Salomonis et ecce plus quam Salomon hic |
St. Charbel, pray for the people of Lebanon and their tormentors.
Faith-sharing bump.
Prayer bump.
Beautiful mosaic!
I hasten to say that "Saints crowned with glory" is not the complete description; the iconographic canon calls for Kings David and Solomon, depicted here, and generally for the Old Testament Righteous displayed greeting Adam and Eve as Christ rescues them.
Another variation is that the Devil is shown bound in the Hades. The Gates of Hell sometime resemble the planks of the Cross.
Lovely photo of Maronite paintings, thanks for posting.
No Readings posted yet for 07/25 ???
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Charbel's companions in the hermitage were the Sons of God, as encountered in the Scriptures and in the Eucharist, and the Blessed Mother. The Eucharist became the center of his life. He consumed the Bread of his Life and was consumed by it. Though this hermit did not have a place in the world, the world had a great place in his heart. Through prayer and penance he offered himself as a sacrifice so that the world would return to God. It is in this light that one sees the importance of the following Eucharistic prayer in his life: