Posted on 08/18/2007 8:37:24 PM PDT by Salvation
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Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Reading 1
Jer 38:4-6, 8-10
In those days, the princes said to the king:
“Jeremiah ought to be put to death;
he is demoralizing the soldiers who are left in this city,
and all the people, by speaking such things to them;
he is not interested in the welfare of our people,
but in their ruin.”
King Zedekiah answered: “He is in your power”;
for the king could do nothing with them.
And so they took Jeremiah
and threw him into the cistern of Prince Malchiah,
which was in the quarters of the guard,
letting him down with ropes.
There was no water in the cistern, only mud,
and Jeremiah sank into the mud.
Ebed-melech, a court official,
went there from the palace and said to him:
“My lord king,
these men have been at fault
in all they have done to the prophet Jeremiah,
casting him into the cistern.
He will die of famine on the spot,
for there is no more food in the city.”
Then the king ordered Ebed-melech the Cushite
to take three men along with him,
and draw the prophet Jeremiah out of the cistern before
he should die.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 40:2, 3, 4, 18
R. (14b) Lord, come to my aid!
I have waited, waited for the LORD,
and he stooped toward me.
R. Lord, come to my aid!
The LORD heard my cry.
He drew me out of the pit of destruction,
out of the mud of the swamp;
he set my feet upon a crag;
he made firm my steps.
R. Lord, come to my aid!
And he put a new song into my mouth,
a hymn to our God.
Many shall look on in awe
and trust in the LORD.
R. Lord, come to my aid!
Though I am afflicted and poor,
yet the LORD thinks of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O my God, hold not back!
R. Lord, come to my aid!
Reading II
Heb 12:1-4
Brothers and sisters:
Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us
and persevere in running the race that lies before us
while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus,
the leader and perfecter of faith.
For the sake of the joy that lay before him
he endured the cross, despising its shame,
and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God.
Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners,
in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.
In your struggle against sin
you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.
Gospel
Lk 12:49-53
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on a household of five will be divided,
three against two and two against three;
a father will be divided against his son
and a son against his father,
a mother against her daughter
and a daughter against her mother,
a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
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The Immaculate Heart [of Mary]
This devotion has received new emphasis in this century from the visions given to Lucy Dos Santos, oldest of the visionaries of Fatima, in her convent in Tuy, in Spain, in 1925 and 1926. In the visions Our Lady asked for the practice of the Five First Saturdays to help make amends for the offenses given to her heart by the blasphemies and ingratitude of men. The practice parallels the devotion of the Nine First Fridays in honor of the Sacred Heart.
On October 31, 1942, Pope Pius XII made a solemn Act of Consecration of the Church and the whole world to the Immaculate Heart. Let us remember this devotion year-round, but particularly through the month of August.
INVOCATIONS
O heart most pure of the Blessed Virgin Mary, obtain for me from Jesus a pure and humble heart.
Sweet heart of Mary, be my salvation.
ACT OF CONSECRATION
Queen of the most holy Rosary, help of Christians, refuge of the human race, victorious in all the battles of God, we prostrate ourselves in supplication before thy throne, in the sure hope of obtaining mercy and of receiving grace and timely aid in our present calamities, not through any merits of our own, on which we do not rely, but only through the immense goodness of thy mother's heart. In thee and in thy Immaculate Heart, at this grave hour of human history, do we put our trust; to thee we consecrate ourselves, not only with all of Holy Church, which is the mystical body of thy Son Jesus, and which is suffering in so many of her members, being subjected to manifold tribulations and persecutions, but also with the whole world, torn by discords, agitated with hatred, the victim of its own iniquities. Be thou moved by the sight of such material and moral degradation, such sorrows, such anguish, so many tormented souls in danger of eternal loss! Do thou, O Mother of mercy, obtain for us from God a Christ-like reconciliation of the nations, as well as those graces which can convert the souls of men in an instant, those graces which prepare the way and make certain the long desired coming of peace on earth. O Queen of peace, pray for us, and grant peace unto the world in the truth, the justice, and the charity of Christ.
Above all, give us peace in our hearts, so that the kingdom of God may spread its borders in the tranquillity of order. Accord thy protection to unbelievers and to all those who lie within the shadow of death; cause the Sun of Truth to rise upon them; may they be enabled to join with us in repeating before the Savior of the world: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will."
Give peace to the nations that are separated from us by error or discord, and in a special manner to those peoples who profess a singular devotion toward thee; bring them back to Christ's one fold, under the one true Shepherd. Obtain full freedom for the holy Church of God; defend her from her enemies; check the ever-increasing torrent of immorality; arouse in the faithful a love of purity, a practical Christian life, and an apostolic zeal, so that the multitude of those who serve God may increase in merit and in number.
Finally, even as the Church and all mankind were once consecrated to the Heart of thy Son Jesus, because He was for all those who put their hope in Him an inexhaustible source of victory and salvation, so in like manner do we consecrate ourselves forever to thee also and to thy Immaculate Heart, O Mother of us and Queen of the world; may thy love and patronage hasten the day when the kingdom of God shall be victorious and all the nations, at peace with God .and with one another, shall call thee blessed and intone with thee, from the rising of the sun to its going down, the everlasting "Magnificat" of glory, of love, of gratitude to the Heart of Jesus, in which alone we can find truth, life, and peace. — Pope Pius XII
IN HONOR OF THE IMMACULATE HEART
O heart of Mary, mother of God, and our mother; heart most worthy of love, in which the adorable Trinity is ever well-pleased, worthy of the veneration and love of all the angels and of all men; heart most like to the Heart of Jesus, of which thou art the perfect image; heart, full of goodness, ever compassionate toward our miseries; deign to melt our icy hearts and grant that they may be wholly changed into the likeness of the Heart of Jesus, our divine Savior. Pour into them the love of thy virtues, enkindle in them that divine fire with which thou thyself dost ever burn. In thee let Holy Church find a safe shelter; protect her and be her dearest refuge, her tower of strength, impregnable against every assault of her enemies. Be thou the way which leads to Jesus, and the channel, through which we receive all the graces needful for our salvation. Be our refuge in time of trouble, our solace in the midst of trial, our strength against temptation, our haven in persecution, our present help in every danger, and especially) at the hour of death, when all hell shall let loose against u its legions to snatch away our souls, at that dread moment; that hour so full of fear, whereon our eternity depends. An,; then most tender virgin, make us to feel the sweetness of thy motherly heart, and the might of thine intercession with Jesus, and open to us a safe refuge in that very fountain of mercy, whence we may come to praise Him with thee in paradise, world without end. Amen.
Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954
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Sacred Heart Of Jesus |
Immaculate Heart of Mary |
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Blessed be the Most Loving Heart and Sweet Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the most glorious Virgin Mary, His Mother, in eternity and forever. Amen. ....Only the Heart of Christ who knows the depths of his Father's love could reveal to us the abyss of his mercy in so simple and beautiful a way ----From the Catechism. P:1439 From the depth of my nothingness, I prostrate myself before Thee, O Most Sacred, Divine and Adorable Heart of Jesus, to pay Thee all the homage of love, praise and adoration in my power. The prayer of the Church venerates and honors the Heart of Jesus just as it invokes his most holy name. It adores the incarnate Word and his Heart which, out of love for men, he allowed to be pierced by our sins. Christian prayer loves to follow the way of the cross in the Savior's steps.-- >From the Catechism. P: 2669 |
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The first is that we ought to love and honor whatever God loves and honors, and that by which He is loved and glorified. Now, after the adorable Heart of Jesus there has never been either in heaven or on earth, nor ever will be, a heart which has been so loved and honored by God, or which has given Him so much glory as that of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Never has there been, nor will there ever be a more exalted throne of divine love. In that Heart divine love possesses its fullest empire, for it ever reigns without hindrance or interruption, and with it reign likewise all the laws of God, all the Gospel maxims and every Christian virtue.
This incomparable Heart of the Mother of our Redeemer is a glorious heaven, a Paradise of delights for the Most Holy Trinity. According to St. Paul, the hearts of the faithful are the dwelling place of our Lord Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ Himself assures us that the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost take up Their abode in the hearts of those who love God. Who, therefore, can doubt that the Most Holy Trinity has always made His home and established the reign of His glory in an admirable and ineffable manner in the virginal Heart of her who is the Daughter of the Father, the Mother of the Son, the Spouse of the Holy Ghost, who herself loves God more than all other creatures together?
How much then are we not obliged to love this exalted and most lovable Heart?
— St. John Eudes
The History of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Catholic Caucus)
Homilies preached by Father Robert Altier on the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Marian Associations Unite to Celebrate Immaculate Heart
Solemnity Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary
| First reading | Jeremiah 38:4 - 10 © |
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| The leading men of Jerusalem spoke to the king. ‘Let this man be put to death: he is unquestionably disheartening the remaining soldiers in the city, and all the people too, by talking like this. The fellow does not have the welfare of this people at heart so much as its ruin.’ ‘He is in your hands as you know,’ King Zedekiah answered ‘for the king is powerless against you.’ So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the well of Prince Malchiah in the Court of the Guard, letting him down with ropes. There was no water in the well, only mud, and into the mud Jeremiah sank. Ebed-melech came out from the palace and spoke to the king. ‘My lord king,’ he said ‘these men have done a wicked thing by treating the prophet Jeremiah like this: they have thrown him into the well where he will die.’ At this the king gave Ebed-melech the Cushite the following order: ‘Take three men with you from here and pull the prophet Jeremiah out of the well before he dies’. |
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| Psalm or canticle: Psalm 39 |
| Second reading | Hebrews 12:1 - 4 © |
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| With so many witnesses in a great cloud on every side of us, we too, then, should throw off everything that hinders us, especially the sin that clings so easily, and keep running steadily in the race we have started. Let us not lose sight of Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection: for the sake of the joy which was still in the future, he endured the cross, disregarding the shamefulness of it, and from now on has taken his place at the right of God’s throne. Think of the way he stood such opposition from sinners and then you will not give up for want of courage. In the fight against sin, you have not yet had to keep fighting to the point of death. | |
| Gospel | Luke 12:49 - 53 © |
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| Jesus said: ‘I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already! There is a baptism I must still receive, and how great is my distress till it is over! ‘Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on a household of five will be divided: three against two and two against three; the father divided against the son, son against father, mother against daughter, daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’ |
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| Sunday, August 19, 2007 Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time |
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| Other Articles by Fr. Paul Grankauskas Printer Friendly Version |
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| Prince of Peace, Cause of Division | ||
In this Gospel text, we hear Our Lord say something rather startling and perhaps disturbing. He asks, "Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division" (Le 12: 51). I say it is rather startling because on the night Jesus was born the angels sang, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased." One of Jesus' man titles is "Prince of Peace." If these things are true, then how can He say that He comes to bring division?
Jesus Christ is certainly the Prince of Peace insofar as He came to reconcile sinners with God. He unites fallen man with God once more. But, being His disciples often brings us into conflict with those who are closest to us.
For example, Francis de Sales' desire to be a priest was initially met with resistance from his own father, who was determined his son should be a lawyer. Elizabeth Ann Seton's desire to join the Roman Catholic Church, breaking away from her Episcopal upbringing, met with great resistance from her own family. Her desire to open a school in New York also met with resistance, leading to her move to Baltimore and, later on, Emmitsburg, Md.
These are just two simple examples from the lives of saints. There are plenty more, I am sure. It can also be certain that their stories are not unique. How many other men and women have entered religious life or the priesthood despite the protestations and lack of support from family members who could not understand the desire to serve Christ in that way? How may others have joined the Church despite opposition and lack of support from family and friends? It seems that being a disciple of Christ means sacrificing a great deal.
Does Our Lord delight in being a cause of division? I doubt it. It is simply that not all people come to grasp the truth about Christ or respond to God's love in the same way or at the same time. Jesus knew that. He experienced it even in the midst of His little band of apostles. Peter, the one He called the Rock, denied Him three times, and was in anguish over that fact. And yet he allows himself to be loved by Jesus and is reconciled with Him after the resurrection. Judas betrayed Christ, but in despair hung himself. Perhaps it was impossible for him to conceive that God could forgive such a great sin as betrayal, and yet Jesus still addresses him as friend even in the garden of Gethsemane. The love of God made manifest in Christ demands a response. It can be acceptance or rejection, and therein rests the reason for division.
This should not come as a surprise. Simeon prophesied that the Christ child would be set "for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against ... that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed" (Lk 2: 34-35).
But that same Jesus Christ who says He will be a source of division also offers a great re-assurance to those who seek to follow Him: "Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundred-fold and inherit eternal life" (Mt 19: 29).
Fr. Paul Grankauskas is parochial vicar at St. Mary of Sorrows Parish in Fairfax, Virginia.
(This article courtesy of the Arlington Catholic Herald.)
Year C- Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
"I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! Luke 12:49-5349 "I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! |
Before my ascension into heaven I said to my apostles, ?John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit very soon?. Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary
Catholic homilies - gospel inspirations - list
The Work of God - Index
www.theworkofgod.org
Salvation’s posting the Mass bump.
Bump for the folks on night shift.
We are all called to wage a war on evil and Satan.
We are called to love first and foremost. But that must be a Christian love. It is not a love that aids manipulators or those who abuse others in the name of love (sex).
In 1938/1939, the leaders of France and England sought Peace at any price. To this end, Czechoslovakia was given away. So was part of France. This peace at any price philosophy took a blind eye to the imprisonment of the Jews of Germany and other lands given to Nazi Germany.
Should there be fighting in a marriage to get a spouse/son/daughter to attend Mass (and dress properly)? Yes.
Should we try to get members of our family to go to confession more often (more than once a year)? Yes.
In our society today, many are enslaved to Satan -- TV, pornography, money, jobs that take people away from God except for a few days a month, etc.
I imagine the division will occur in families as one person accepts Satan for the pleasures and entertainment of sin where another person rejects sin and Satan. This can put the two people into conflict.
**In our society today, many are enslaved to Satan — TV, pornography, money, jobs that take people away from God except for a few days a month, etc.**
Excellent point on the division in families.
Thanks, Global.
Should there be fighting in a marriage to get a spouse/son/daughter to attend Mass (and dress properly)? Yes.
Should we try to get members of our family to go to confession more often (more than once a year)? Yes.
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 23 (24) |
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| The Lord comes to his temple |
| The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness, the world and all who live in it. He himself founded it upon the seas and set it firm over the waters. Who will climb the mountain of the Lord? Who will stand in his holy place? The one who is innocent of wrongdoing and pure of heart, who has not given himself to vanities or sworn falsely. He will receive the blessing of the Lord and be justified by God his saviour. This is the way of those who seek him, seek the face of the God of Jacob. Gates, raise your heads. Stand up, eternal doors, and let the king of glory enter. Who is the king of glory? The Lord of might and power. The Lord, strong in battle. Gates, raise your heads. Stand up, eternal doors, and let the king of glory enter. Who is the king of glory? The Lord of hosts – he is the king of glory. 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 65 (66) |
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| Hymn for a sacrifice of thanksgiving |
| Cry out to God, all the earth, sing psalms to the glory of his name, give him all glory and praise. Say to God, “How tremendous your works! Faced with the greatness of your power your enemies dwindle away. Let all the earth worship you and sing your praises, sing psalms to your name”. Come and see the works of God, be awed by what he has done for the children of men. He turned the sea into dry land, and they crossed the waters on foot: therefore will we rejoice in him. In his might he will rule for all time, his eyes keep watch on the nations: no rebellion will ever succeed. Bless our God, you nations, and let the sound of your praises be heard. Praise him who brought us to life, and saved us from stumbling. For you have tested us, O Lord, you have tried us by fire, as silver is tried. You led us into the trap, heaped tribulations upon us. You set other men to rule over us – but we passed through fire and water, and you led us out to our rest. 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 65 (66) |
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| I shall enter your house with burnt-offerings. I shall fulfil my vows to you, the vows that I made with my lips, the vows that I uttered in my troubles. I shall offer you rich burnt-offerings, the smoke of the flesh of rams; I shall offer you cattle and goats. Draw near and listen, you who fear the Lord, and I will tell all that he has done for me. I cried out aloud to him, and his praise was on my tongue. If I looked upon sin in the depths of my heart, the Lord would not hear me – but the Lord has listened, he has heard the cry of my appeal. Blessed be God, who has not spurned my prayer, who has not kept his mercy from 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. |
| Reading | Isaiah 6:1 - 13 © |
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| In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord of Hosts seated on a high throne; his train filled the sanctuary; above him stood seraphs, each one with six wings: two to cover its face, two to cover its feet and two for flying. And they cried out to one another in this way, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts. His glory fills the whole earth.’ The foundations of the threshold shook with the voice of the one who cried out, and the Temple was filled with smoke. I said: ‘What a wretched state I am in! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have looked at the King, the Lord of Hosts.’ Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding in his hand a live coal which he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. With this he touched my mouth and said: ‘See now, this has touched your lips, your sin is taken away, your iniquity is purged’. Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: ‘Whom shall I send? Who will be our messenger?’ I answered, ‘Here I am, send me’. He said: ‘Go, and say to this people, “Hear and hear again, but do not understand; see and see again, but do not perceive”. Make the heart of this people gross, its ears dull; shut its eyes, so that it will not see with its eyes, hear with its ears, understand with its heart, and be converted and healed.’’ Then I said, ‘Until when, Lord?’ He answered: ‘Until towns have been laid waste and deserted, houses left untenanted, countryside made desolate, and the Lord drives the people out. There will be a great emptiness in the country and, though a tenth of the people remain, it will be stripped like a terebinth of which, once felled, only the stock remains. The stock is a holy seed.’ |
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| Reading | From a homily on Matthew by St. John Chrysostom, bishop |
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| Salt of the earth and light of the world | |
| You are the salt of the earth. It is not for your own sake, he says, but for the world’s sake that the word is entrusted to you. I am not sending you only into two cities only or ten to twenty, not to a single nation, as I sent the prophets of old, but across land and sea, to the whole world. And that world is in a miserable state. For when he says: You are the salt of the earth, he is indicating that all mankind had lost its savour and had been corrupted by sin. Therefore, he requires of these men those virtues which are especially useful and even necessary if they are to bear the burdens of many. For the man who is kindly, modest, merciful and just will not keep his good works to himself but will see to it that these admirable fountains send out their streams for the good of others. Again, the man who is clean of heart, a peacemaker and ardent for truth will order his life so as to contribute to the common good. Do not think, he says, that you are destined for easy struggles or unimportant tasks. You are the salt of the earth. What do these words imply? Did the disciples restore what had already turned rotten? Not at all. Salt cannot help what is already corrupted. That is not what they did. But what had first been renewed and freed from corruption and then turned over to them, they salted and preserved in the newness the Lord had bestowed. It took the power of Christ to free men from the corruption caused by sin; it was the task of the apostles through strenuous labour to keep that corruption from returning. Have you noticed how, bit by bit, Christ shows them to be superior to the prophets? He says they are to be teachers not simply for Palestine but for the whole world. Do not be surprised, then, he says, that I address you apart from the others and involve you in such a dangerous enterprise. Consider the numerous and extensive cities, peoples and nations I will be sending you to govern. For this reason I would have you make others prudent, as well as being prudent yourselves. For unless you can do that, you will not be able to sustain even yourselves. If others lose their savour, then your ministry will help them regain it. But if you yourselves suffer that loss, you will drag others down with you. Therefore, the greater the undertakings put into your hands, the more zealous you must be. For this reason he says: But if the salt becomes tasteless, how can its flavour be restored? It is good for nothing now, but to be thrown out and trampled by men’s feet. When they hear the words: When they curse you and persecute you and accuse you of every evil, They may be afraid to come forward. Therefore he says: “Unless you are prepared for that sort of thing, it is in vain that I have chosen you. Curses shall necessarily be your lot but they shall not harm you and will simply be a testimony to your constancy. If through fear, however, you fail to show the forcefulness your mission demands, your lot will be much worse, for all will speak evil of you and despise you. That is what being trampled by men’s feet means”. Then he passes on to a more exalted comparison: You are the light of the world. Once again, “of the world”: not of one nation or twenty cities, but of the whole world. The light he means is an intelligible light, far superior to the rays of the sun we see, just as the salt is a spiritual salt. First salt, then light, so that you may learn how profitable sharp words may be and how useful serious doctrine. Such teaching holds in check and prevents dissipation; it leads to virtue and sharpens the mind’s eye. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor do men light a lamp and put it under a basket. Here again he is urging them to a careful manner of life and teaching them to be watchful, for they live under the eyes of all and have the whole world for the arena of their struggles. |
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| Hymn | Te Deum |
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| God, we praise you; Lord, we proclaim you! You, the Father, the eternal – all the earth venerates you. All the angels, all the heavens, every power – The cherubim, the seraphim – unceasingly, they cry: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts: heaven and earth are full of the majesty of your glory!” The glorious choir of Apostles – The noble ranks of prophets – The shining army of martyrs – all praise you. Throughout the world your holy Church proclaims you. – Father of immeasurable majesty, – True Son, only-begotten, worthy of worship, – Holy Spirit, our Advocate. You, Christ: – You are the king of glory. – You are the Father’s eternal Son. – You, to free mankind, did not disdain a Virgin’s womb. – You defeated the sharp spear of Death, and opened the kingdom of heaven to those who believe in you. – You sit at God’s right hand, in the glory of the Father. – You will come, so we believe, as our Judge. And so we ask of you: give help to your servants, whom you set free at the price of your precious blood. Number them among your chosen ones in eternal glory. Bring your people to safety, Lord, and bless those who are your inheritance. Rule them and lift them high for ever. Day by day we bless you, Lord: we praise you for ever and for ever. Of your goodness, Lord, keep us without sin for today. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us. Let your pity, Lord, be upon us, as much as we trust in you. In you, Lord, I trust: let me never be put to shame. 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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| Concluding Prayer |
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| O God, no-one has ever seen gifts like those you have prepared for your loving servants. Fill our hearts with your love; may we love and serve you in all things and above all things, and receive from you gifts that surpass all our desires. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen. |
From: Jeremiah 38:1-2ab, 4-6, 8-10
Jeremiah’s and the cistern of Malchiah
[8] Ebed-melech went from the king’s house and said to the king, [9] “My Lord the
king, these men have done evil in all that they did to Jeremiah the prophet by
casting him into the cistern; and he will die there of hunger, for there is no bread
left in the city.” [1-] Then the king commanded Ebed-melech, the Ethiopian,
”Take three men with you from here, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cis-
tern before he dies.”
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Commentary:
38:1-28. Like the previous chapter, this one also contains an account concerning
Jeremiah’s arrest (vv. 1-13) and a conversation that he had with the king (vv. 14-
28). Jeremiah keeps on urging submission to Babylon and personal conversion;
the princes, or nobles, will hear none of this. Wary, perhaps, about putting an
envoy of God to death, they put him into a big water-tank, from which he is res-
cued by a court official, a foreigner. Having escaped in this way, the prophet
manages to stay in the hall of the court guard without anyone observing him, it
seems (v. 13). One ecclesiastical writer, Olympiodorus, interpreted Jeremiah’s
imprisonment as a prefigurement of Jesus’ passion and death. Commenting on
v. 6, he said: “The prophet becomes a figure of the mystery of Christ, who was
handed over by Pilate to the Jews, descended into hell, and was raised from the
dead. Jeremiah climbs out of the cistern he was cast into; Scripture often refers
to hell as a cistern” (Fragmenta in Jeremiam, 38, 6).
In his conversation with the king, Jeremiah re-affirms his message (vv. 17-18);
Zedekiah is afraid of what will happen if he surrenders (v. 19), but the prophet
tells him he should trust in the Lord. If he fails to do so, his humiliation will be
great; even the women will despise him (v. 22). Zedekiah will be stuck in the
mire (v. 22) – and will suffer more than Jeremiah has suffered (v. 6).
Without saying why, the king asks the prophet not to reveal his prophecy (vv. 24-
26); and so Jeremiah keeps quiet a about it when the princes interrogate him
about his interview with the king (v. 27). The prophet’s response does not mean
that he is deceiving them (they had no right to be party to Jeremiah’s conversa-
tion with the king) or that he fears them; we know that his courage was never in
question.
These verses show how very different in attitude Zedekiah and Jeremiah were.
Zedekiah used all his ingenuity and political skill to save himself and Judah from
their enemies; but he lost both life and land. Jeremiah, however, preached the
word of God without diluting it in any way – even though people clamoured for his
death (v. 4); and when the Babylonians won the day, he was released from prison
and survived (v. 28). It is very much what Jesus taught: “Whoever would save
his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Mt 16:25).
Most of this passage forms a reading in the Divine Office for the 23rd Sunday in
Ordinary Time, and the response to that reading is a call to serve the Lord, no
matter what trials that involves. It links some words from Judith 8:23 (Vg) with
others from St Paul to do with predicaments he encountered that were similar to
the prophet’s: “as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: through
great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments
(2 Cor 6:4-5a).
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States
From: Hebrews 12:1-4
The Example of Christ
[3] Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against
himself, so that you may not grow weary or faint-hearted. [4] In your
struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of
shedding your blood.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
1-3. After recalling the exemplary faith and fidelity of the righteous
of the Old Testament, a moral lesson is now drawn: Christians should
be no less faithful—particularly since they have as a model not only
patriarchs, kings and prophets but also Christ Jesus himself, “the
pioneer and perfecter of our faith”, in other words, he is the perfect
example of obedience, of faithfulness to his mission, of union with the
Father, and of endurance in suffering.
Christ is depicted as the strong, generous athlete who runs a good race
(cf. 1 Cor 9:24; 1 Tim 6:12; 2 Tim 2:6), who starts and finishes well,
who does not flag and who wins the race. A Christian should live in the
same way (cf. Gal 2:2; Phil 2:16; 5:7). It is as if we were listening
again to what St Paul says in Philippians 2:5-9: “Have this mind among
yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus.” Christ’s example helps us to
overcome contempt and it reminds us that we should not be surprised
to meet up with humiliation and hostility rather than success and
rejoicing (cf. Mt 10:24; Lk 6:40). “Cross, toil, anguish: such will be
your lot as long as you live. That was the way Christ went, and the
disciple is not above his Master” ([St] J. Escriva, “The Way”, 699).
1. This verse contains three remarkable expressions which stress the
need to be faithful in spite of difficulties. The first is the “cloud
of witnesses”, a reference to the multitude of holy people in the
course of the history of Israel who stayed faithful to God (cf. 11:2,
4, 5, 39); they are a cloud, a huge number filling the sky. In
classical literature one often finds an army advancing in battle array
being compared with a storm forming in the sky. Also, the image of the
cloud suggests that these witnesses are high up, near the sun, a sign
of their spiritual stature.
They are “witnesses”, that is, active spectators of the combat in which
Christians are involved. This evokes the idea of spectators at the Games
who follow the events from the stands, applauding, shouting and
gesticulating.
“Sin which clings so closely”: one interpretation of the original is
“sin which watches us closely, like an enemy, to see where he can
attack us”. It is the same kind of idea as occurs in 1 Pet 5:8, where
it says that the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom
he may devour, and as in Gen 4:7 where God describes sin as couching
at the door (like a hungry wild animal ready to pounce). The verb used to
describe sin indicates it is something which surrounds one on all sides
(cf. RSV) and can easily get a foothold and is persistent. “We may have
here an allusion to occasions of sin, to the fact that sin is present
all around us, that is, in the world, in the flesh, in our neighbor and
in the devil” (St Thomas, “Commentary on Heb.”, ad loc.). Sin is also a
“weight” which hinders our movements and reduces our agility; there may
also be a reference here to being overweight. The athlete needs to shed
any surplus weight and keep to a strict training schedule involving
many small renunciations (cf. 1 Cor 9:25). His only hope of success in
the Games depends on this.
Finally, Christians are invited to “run with perseverance”. Theirs is
not a short race but a long test which calls for endurance and an
ability to cope with pain and fatigue. “Just as in a race and in combat
we need to shed everything that cramps our movements, the same
happens in the struggle of tribulation. ‘I have fought the good fight, I have
finished the race,’ St Paul says (2 Tim 4:7). So, he who wants to run
well towards God in the midst of tribulation should shed all useless
weight. The Apostle describes this encumbrance as ‘weight, and sin
which clings so closely’. This weight is the sins we have committed,
which pull the soul downwards and incline it to sin again” (”Commentary
on Heb, ad loc.”).
Essentially, the verse emphasizes the need for detachment if one is
to win in the struggle of life: “Anything that does not lead to God is a
hindrance. Root it out and throw it far from you” (St J. Escriva, “The
Way”, 189).
2. The Christian should fix his gaze on Jesus, in the same way as a
runner, once the race has begun, lets nothing distract him from his
determination to reach his goal.
“If you want to be saved,” St Thomas writes, “look at the face of your
Christ. He is the pioneer of our faith, in two senses. He teaches it
through his preaching and he also impresses it on our heart. In two
senses also is he the perfecter of our faith: he consigns faith by his
miracles and it is he who gives faith its reward” (”Commentary on Heb,
ad loc.”).
Christ is the “pioneer” of our faith in the sense that he has marked
out the path Christians should take. He is the captain and guide of
all the faithful, the champion who takes the lead and opens the way,
setting the pace. The reference evokes what Hebrews 6:20 says about
Jesus being our “forerunner”.
Christ is the “pioneer” of our faith, the cause of our faith; it is he
that we first believe in and, as author of grace, it is he who infuses
this virtue into our souls. The title of “pioneer”, initiator, may also
indicate that Christ is for the Christian—and for the
universe—beginning and end, alpha and omega (cf. Rev 1:17; 2:8;
22:13). In the same line, Jesus is also the “perfecter” of our faith,
for it is he who will lead us to perfection in faith and will transform
it into the perfection of glory. He will crown his work in us (cf. St
Augustine, “Letter 194”, 5), for if we believe it is because he has
moved us to faith, and if we are glorified it will be because he has
helped us to stay true to the end.
Everything Christ did in his life is a perfect example for us to follow
particularly the way he underwent his passion. “In the passion of
Christ there are three things to consider: in the first place what he
gave up, then what he suffered, and thirdly what he merited. As far
as the first is concerned, (Hebrews) speaks of his leaving ‘the joy that
was set before him’, that is, joy or happiness here on earth, as when
the crowd sought him out to make him king and he fled to the mountain
despising that honor [...]. Then describing the happiness of eternal
life as his reward, he ‘endured the cross’: that is the second thing,
namely, that he suffered the cross. ‘He humbled himself and became
obedient unto death, even death on a cross’ (Phil 2:8). In this the
terrible severity of his suffering is manifested, for he was nailed to
the cross by his hands and feet, and the opprobrium of this death,
for it was an ignominous death [...]. The third thing, that is, what he
merited, is being seated at the right hand of the Father. Thus, the
exaltation of Christ’s human nature was the reward for his passion”
(”Commentary on Heb, ad loc.”).
Christ is the pioneer of our faith by his death on the Cross, and its
perfecter by his glorification. Only those who share in Christ’s
sufferings will be raised up like him in glory (cf. Rom 6:8). The
Christian life begins in Christ and finds its climax in him.
To bring about our redemption any form of suffering would have sufficed;
but such was our Lord’s love for us that he accepted the ignominy of
death on a cross.
“By now they have fastened Jesus to the wooden cross. The executioners
have ruthlessly carried out the sentence. Our Lord, with infinite
meekness, has let them have their way.
“It was not necessary for him to undergo so much torment. He could
have avoided those trials, those humiliations, that ill-usage, that iniquitous
judgment, and the shame of the gallows, and the nails and the lance....
But he wanted to suffer all this for you and for me. And we, are we not
going to respond?
“Very likely there will be times, when alone in front of a crucifix,
you find tears coming to your eyes. Don’t try to hold them back.... But
try to ensure that those tears give rise to a resolution” ([St] J. Escriva,
“The Way of the Cross”, XI, 1). .
3. “What does Christ teach you from the height of the Cross, from which
he chose not to come down, but that you should arm yourself with valor
against those who revile you, and be strong with the strength of God?”
(St Augustine, “Enarrationes in Psalmos”, 70, 1). The difficulties Jesus
had to contend with were quite exceptional: Jews and Gentiles opposed
him; he suffered every kind of humiliation, to the extreme of his passion
and death; but what pained him most was the hardheartedness, spiritual
blindness and impenitence of those who had come to save. The “sinners”
who proved “hostile” to Jesus are not only Caiaphas, Herod, Pilate, etc.
but also those who continue to sin despite his redemptive sacrifice. Yet
our Lord bore all this patiently and exhibited to a supreme degree the
virtues and qualities he asks of his disciples.
In Christ, and in Christians, weakness becomes strength, humiliation
and glory. “(Jesus) dies nailed to the Cross. But if at the same time
in this weakness there is accomplished his “lifting up”, confirmed by
the power of the Resurrection, then this means that the weaknesses of
all human sufferings are capable of being infused with the same power
of God manifested in Christ’s Cross” (John Paul II, “Salvifici
Doloris”, 23).
The sacred text seeks to inspire the faithful with hope and strength by
suggesting that they contemplate Christ’s sufferings. That in fact has
led many Christians to turn over a new leaf. St Teresa of Avila
describes how it changed her: “By this time my soul was growing weary,
and, though it desired to rest, the miserable habits which now enslaved
it would not allow it to do so. It happened that, entering the oratory
one day, I saw an image which had been procured for a certain festival
that was observed in the house and had been taken there to be kept for
that purpose. It represented Christ sorely wounded; and so conducive
was it to devotion that when I looked at it I was deeply moved to see
him thus, so well did it picture what he suffered for us. So great was
my distress when I thought how ill I had repaid him for those wounds
that I felt as if my heart were breaking, and I threw myself down
beside him, shedding floods of tears and begging him to give me
strength once for all so that I might not offend him” (”Life”, IX, 1).
4-13. Following Christ’s example, Christians should struggle to avoid
sin; they should put up with trib lation and persecution because if
such adversity arises it means that the Lord permits it for our good.
The letter’s tone of encouragement seems to change here to one of
reproach. It is as if the writer were saying, “Christ gave his life for
your sins, contending even to the point of dying for you; how is it
that you do not put up with suffering, out of love for him? It is true
that you are being persecuted: God is disciplining you as a Father
disciplines his children. But you are children of God and therefore
your attitude should be one of abandonment to his will even when it
seems hard. That is the way a Father brings up his children.”
The main point is that the only important thing is fidelity to God, and
that the sin of apostasy is the greatest of all misfortunes. “Don’t
forget, my son, that for you on earth there is but one evil, which you
must fear and avoid with the grace of God: sin” ([St] J. Escriva, “The
Way”, 386).
*********************************************************************************************
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: Luke 12:49-53
Jesus the Cause of Dissension
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
49-50. In the Bible, fire is often used to describe God’s burning love
for men. This divine love finds its highest expression in the Son of
God become man: “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son”
(John 3:16). Jesus voluntarily gave up His life out of love for us,
and “greater love has no man than this, that a man lays down his life
for his friends” (John 15:13).
In these words reported by St. Luke, Jesus Christ reveals His aboun-
ding desire to give His life for love of us. He calls His death a baptism,
because from it He will arise victorious never to die again. Our
Baptism is a submersion in Christ’s death, in which we die to sin and
are reborn to the new life of grace: “We were buried therefore with Him
by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by
the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans
6:4).
Through this new life, we Christians should become set on fire in the
same way as Jesus set His disciples on fire: “With the amazing
naturalness of the things of God, the contemplative soul is filled with
apostolic zeal. `My heart became hot within me, a fire blazed forth
from my thoughts’ (Psalm 38:4). What could this fire be if not the
fire that Christ talks about: `I came to cast fire upon the earth, and
would that it were already kindled’ (Luke 12:49). An apostolic fire
that acquires its strength in prayer: there is no better way than this
to carry on, throughout the whole world, the battle of peace to which
every Christian is called to fill up what is lacking in the sufferings
of Christ (cf. Colossians 1:24)” ([St] J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing
By”, 120).
51-53. God has come into the world with a message of peace (cf.
Luke 2:14) and reconciliation (cf. Romans 5:11). By resisting, through
sin, the redeeming work of Christ, we become His opponents. Injustice
and error lead to division and war. “Insofar as men are sinners, the
threat of war hangs over them and will so continue until the coming of
Christ; but insofar as they can vanquish sin by coming together in
charity, violence itself will be vanquished” (Vatican II, “Gaudium Et
Spes”, 78).
During His own life on earth, Christ was a sign of contradiction (cf.
Luke 2:34). Our Lord is forewarning His disciples about the contention
and division which will accompany the spread of the Gospel (cf. Luke
6:20-23; Matthew 10:24).
*********************************************************************************************
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.
For those that our homebound, hospice or at any Hospital your local Parish or Parish local to where you are hospitalized can and should bring you Holy Eucharist once a week.
Just ask.
Careproviders can also participate.
Absolutely. In our town, one parish does a lot of the coverage. But other parishes take turns also.
Collect: God our Father, may we love you in all things and above all things and reach the joy you have prepared for us beyond all our imagining. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Jesus said to his disciples: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
Ordinarily the feast of St. John Eudes is celebrated today but the Sunday liturgy takes precedence.
Today, we focus on a particular aspect of this true faith in Jesus — zeal for the faith. The faith to which we’re called is a faith that helps us to put our sole treasure in God and the things of God. This faith always leads to love of God and real love of God always leads of faith. Jesus says in today’s Gospel, “I have come to light a fire on the earth and how I wish the blaze were ignited!” Jesus wants to ignite us with the fire of love, so that we might burn with zeal, with fervor for Him, who is the Truth and in whom we believe, and for others, for whom he himself continues to burn with love.
So often we can look at faith as the minimal obligations we need to fulfill in order not to go to Hell. Come to Mass. Don’t commit any mortal sins. Try not to set bad example. To be faithful, in this mindset, means not to betray God. Not to cheat on God. There’s some real good here. People who are faithful in this way are good people who gain our respect. And surely their efforts not to do evil and to remain faithful to Jesus’ words do please Jesus. But Jesus does want more, he wants the fire of love and zeal. The difference between this type of faithful Catholic and a Catholic on fire is the difference between a husband who is faithful to his wife and would never cheat on her and one who burns with love for his wife and is constantly trying to please her. The first man is a good man; the second man is a God-ly man, the type of man Jesus can make us and wants us to be. Jesus wants to enkindle in us the Flame given to us on the day of our baptism. He is the Light of the World and he wants to light our wicks so that we burn with his love. He can do this. He wants to do this. All we have to do is say yes to him.
And so this weekend we have to ask ourselves whether we really love God as he calls us to. Clearly all of us have some faith in God which brings us here. But is it the dry fidelity of a somebody who just wants to do the minimum and not be considered by him disloyal, or is it the burning love of the great saints? Do we love him enough to do more than the minimum? To strive toward the maximum? To put him first above all things. Do we love him like Abraham? If he asked us to leave everything right now to follow him to a foreign land, would we do it? To get rid of our property? Even to get rid of those persons we love most, as he was asked concerning Isaac His Son?
Jesus wants to set a fire on the earth. Fire has many characteristics. Fire warms. Fire purifies and refines. Fire transforms. Fire burns. The blaze Jesus came to ignite will do a little of all of these things. First, fire is meant to burn away anything that keeps us from God, so that we might put him first in all things. He wants to burn away everything we put in God’s place, whether it be work, money, family, property, sports. All of these things are good, but none is God and God always demands first place. Like Abraham, we’re called to love God and to trust in His all-loving, all-knowing Providence, even when he asks us to do things that we might find difficult. To trust him above our desire for retirement, above common sense, above our love for our children.
And this is NOT easy. If we’re tempted to think that it’s easy, it’s probably because we’re not yet aware that Jesus is asking us to burn away EVERYTHING that is keeping us from putting him first and being on fire with love for him. Lest we think it’s easy, Jesus describes right after he says he’s coming to light a fire on the earth, what it might entail. He says, “Don’t think I’ve come to establish peace on the earth; I have come for division. From now on, a household of five will be divided three against two and two against three; father will be split against son and mother against daughter, etc.” Jesus did not come to establish for us a “peaceful life” here on earth as typically we think of a peaceful life. “Nice family over here. Good job over here. Nice health over here. God and faith life over here.” Jesus came to reveal to us God and to make us to put God over here, here, here and here, to transform entirely all our relationships, so that at work, we’re serving God, at home, we’re serving God, at Church or at prayer we’re serving God, everywhere, we’re serving God.
Jesus explicitly stated that did not come to establish the peace that the world wants, a simple cosmetic “concord,” because he knew that some would always reject the truth and hence reject us. Faith doesn’t itself divide, but rather the rejection of faith divides. We see this in our homes, when couples fight because the husband doesn’t want to come to Mass. It happens at work, when a boss starts to insist that you put work before God and work rather than come to Mass. It happens at school, when people try to get you to do something immoral and make fun of you when you don’t. It’s always been that way. It was for Jeremiah in the first reading, when they rejected Him and tried to kill him in a cistern. It happened that way for Christ, when they rejected him and killed him on a Cross. It happened that way with the apostles, who were killed in all types of ways by those who rejected the message they bore. Really living the faith with fire and commitment will bring division, not because we want to divide from others, but because others will reject what we stand for. We see this in the world all the time. There are two options to take in response to this. One is the way many people in the world go. “I’ll compromise my faith,” they say, “or at least downplay it.” I won’t make an issue out of it. The other is the way of the saints. I’ll live it, I’ll be faithful and loving of God and put him first, come what may. With great trust in God, I’ll do whatever I know he’s asking, even if I personally have to suffer.
Once we allow the fire of Christ to burn away even our fear of suffering, pain and death, the next thing that that fire brings is passion. Christ wants us to be passionate for the faith, for him, for others, in love. There’s a reason why the pure, loving heart of the Blessed Mother in this statue of Our Lady of Fatima has a flame on it, because it’s burning with love. Her heart, which was pure from the first moment of her conception, burns out of love for God and for us. She wasn’t merely faithful, in the sense that she didn’t commit any mortal sins. She was zealous for the faith, and loved God and those God loves above all things. She was willing to do anything for God. Zeal always leads to risk-taking for the faith, to sacrificing of yourself for the faith, to trying to do the maximum rather than the minimum.
Zeal is what makes saints. In the second reading today from the Letter to the Hebrews, we read about the reality that “surrounded by a cloud of witnesses.” This cloud of witnesses are the saints, who have gone before us and who are still alive around us. This cloud of saints inspires us to leave behind every encumbrance of sin and persevere in running the race which lies ahead. The whole image is one of a sports competition in a stadium. Our biggest fans are the saints in the stands. We’re running the race in time and our eyes are fixed on the finish line who is Christ. Life is this race toward Christ. We’re called to run, so as to win. The finish line doesn’t come to us. The Christian life is not a couch potatoe limo ride through life. It’s not even a walk. It’s a race. And time is running out. Only so much time to love, to build up God’s kingdom. Like any athlete who desires to win anything, it means constantly trying to improve, getting up when we fall, hungering so much for the finish line that we don’t give up. It requires sacrifices, much like those of an athlete, enduring the Cross, enduring those sacrifices, heedless of the shame. It’s amazing to watch athletes train, because they care about the prize. Christians are called to do the same. Because our prize is one that’s really worth it. They strive for a Super Bowl Ring or a Stanley’s Cup or a Metal or a wreath around their head. But all of these things will perish. We strive, rather, for the Cup of Christ and an imperishable wreath, one that will never fade away. And if we don’t care about it, and don’t work to try to achieve with all of the great talent, we’d be akin to an athlete with all the talent in the world who just didn’t care. We’d be a loser, in more ways than one.
We are called to be saints. Mother Teresa didn’t just sit in a convent, letting students come to her. Rather, out of love, out of zeal, out of an inward flame of love, she decided to go into one of the biggest sewers in the world to care for the sick and the dying. She ran the race until 87. We’re called, each of us, to run that race as well. To put God first. To be on fire for him, as he is for us. To be joyous and enthusiastic about the faith. Do people realize how awesome God is? The great thing about our young people going to Steubenville East a couple of weeks ago is that they return with some fire, because they’re on fire for the faith there. The great thing about the Charismatic prayer night on Wednesdays is that they’re on fire there. They’re there, not because they have to, but because they want to praise the Lord.
Christ wants to light us on fire. He wants us to light us like a torch so that we might carry that torch throughout life, lighting up the world. On the day of our baptism, we received the Light of Christ and were instructed to keep that torch burning brightly until the return of Christ Jesus. How are we doing? Would others be able to say that we carry that light of Christ, the light of the joy of the Resurrection, no matter how much darkness there is, no matter how much suffering?
The Holy Spirit has been sent into our hearts at Confirmation to help us be ignited. And so we finish by praying to our patron: Come, Holy Spirit, Fill the Hearts of Your Faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love!
Praised be Jesus Christ!
— Fr. Roger J. Landry
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 117 (118) |
|---|
| A cry of rejoicing and triumph |
| Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, and his kindness is for ever. Now let Israel say, he is good and his kindness is for ever. Now let the house of Aaron say it too: that his kindness is for ever. Now let all who fear the Lord say it too: that his kindness is for ever. In my time of trial I called out to the Lord: he listened, and led me to freedom. The Lord is with me, I will fear nothing that man can do. The Lord, my help, is with me, and I shall look down upon my enemies. It is good to seek shelter in the Lord, better than to trust in men. It is good to seek shelter in the Lord, better than to trust in the leaders of men. All the nations surrounded me, and in the Lord’s name I slew them. They crowded in and besieged me, and in the Lord’s name I slew them. They surrounded me like swarms of bees, they burned like a fire of dry thorns, and in the Lord’s name I slew them. They chased and pursued me, to make me fall, and the Lord came to my help. The Lord is my strength and my rejoicing: he has become my saviour. A cry of joy and salvation in the dwellings of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand has triumphed! The Lord’s right hand has raised me up; the Lord’s right hand has triumphed”. I shall not die, but live, and tell of the works of the Lord. The Lord chastised me severely but did not let me die. Open the gates of righteousness: I will go in, and thank the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; it is the upright who enter here. I will thank you, for you listened to me, and became my saviour. The stone that the builders rejected has become the corner-stone. It was the Lord who did this – it is marvellous to behold. This is the day that was made by the Lord: let us rejoice today, and be glad. Lord, keep me safe; O Lord, let me prosper! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, he shines upon us! Arrange the procession, with close-packed branches, up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, I will give thanks to you; my God, I will give you praise. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, and his kindness is 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. |
| Canticle | Daniel 3 |
|---|---|
| Let every creature praise the Lord | |
| Blessed are you, Lord God of our fathers, praised and exalted for ever. Blessed is the holy name of your glory praised above all things and exalted for ever. Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory praised and glorious above all things for ever. Blessed are you who gaze on the depths, seated on the cherubim, praised and exalted for ever. Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven praised and glorious for ever. Bless the Lord, all his works, praise and exalt him 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 150 |
|---|
| Praise the Lord |
| Praise the Lord in his sanctuary, praise him in his mighty firmament. Praise him for his mighty deeds, praise him for all his greatness. Praise him with trumpet-blasts, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dance, praise him with strings and pipes, praise him with cymbals resounding, praise him with cymbals of jubilation. All that breathes, praise the Lord! 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. |
| Short reading | 2 Timothy 2:8 - 13 © |
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| Remember the Good News that I carry, ’Jesus Christ risen from the dead, sprung from the race of David’; Here is a saying that you rely on: ‘If we have died with him, then we shall live with him. If we hold firm, then we shall reign with him. If we disown him, then he will disown us. We may be unfaithful, but he is always faithful, for he cannot disown his own self.’ | |
| Canticle | Benedictus |
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| 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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| 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. |
| O God, no-one has ever seen gifts like those you have prepared for your loving servants. Fill our hearts with your love; may we love and serve you in all things and above all things, and receive from you gifts that surpass all our desires. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen. |
| May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life. |
| A M E N |
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