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To: All
One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body


<< Friday, July 10, 2009 >>
Saint of the Day
 
Genesis 46:1-7, 28-30
View Readings
Psalm 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40 Matthew 10:16-23
 

MARTYR

 
"You will be brought to trial before rulers and kings, to give witness before them and before the Gentiles on My account." —Matthew 10:18
 

Jesus is the Truth (Jn 14:6), the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth. He does not conceal from us the more difficult realities of following Him. He bluntly states we are sent out "like sheep among wolves" (Mt 10:16). The government will bring us to trial; the religious leaders will flog us; even our families will turn us over to the police because of our Christian witness (Mt 10: 17, 18, 21). We "will be hated by all" on account of Jesus (Mt 10:22).

We are followers of Jesus, not because we don't know any better, but because we love Him. Naturally, we don't want to suffer or be rejected. Nonetheless, our love for Jesus is stronger than our love of self or our fear of pain. We want to be with our Lord, even at the foot of the cross. We prefer to die with Jesus rather than live without Him. We love Him "for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health."

Even death will never separate us from Him, for love is stronger than death (Rm 8:35, 38-39; Sg 8:6). Jesus, the Bridegroom, I love You; I live for You.

 
Prayer: Jesus, if it be Your will, may I die a martyr's death for love of You.
Promise: "As soon as he saw him, he flung himself on his neck and wept a long time in his arms." —Gn 46:29
Praise: As he grew older, poorer, and sicker, Andrew's faith grew stronger and deeper.
 

26 posted on 07/10/2009 11:03:21 PM PDT by Salvation (With God all things are possible.)
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To: All
Compline -- Night Prayer

Compline (Night Prayer)

Introduction
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.

This is an excellent moment for an examination of conscience. In a communal celebration of Compline, one of the penitential acts given in the Missal may be recited.


Hymn
Christ, thou who art the light and day,
Who chasest nightly shades away,
Thyself the Light of Light confessed,
And promiser of radiance blest:
O holy Lord, we pray to thee,
Throughout the night our guardian be;
In thee vouchsafe us to repose,
All peaceful till the night shall close.
O let our eyes due slumber take,
Our hearts to thee forever wake:
And let thy right hand from above
Shield us who turn to thee in love.
O strong defender, hear our prayers,
Repel our foes and break their snares,
And govern thou thy servants here,
Those ransomed with thy life-blood dear.
Almighty Father, this accord
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord,
Who with the Holy Ghost and thee
Doth reign through all eternity.

Psalm 87 (88)
The prayer of one gravely ill
I cry out to you, Lord, by day and by night.
Lord God, my saviour,
  I have cried out to you by day and by night.
Let my prayer come before you:
  turn your ear to my request.
For my soul is full of evils,
  my life has come close to its end.
I am counted with those who go down to the pit:
  I am left without help.
I am one of the dead,
  like the murdered who sleep in their tombs,
who lie there forgotten,
  cut off from your care.
You have thrust me down into the pit,
  to the gloom and the shadow of death.
Your anger weighs heavy upon me;
  you have drowned me under your waves.
You have taken my friends away from me:
  you have made me hateful in their sight,
  I am shut in, I may not go out.
My eyes are weak from my sufferings.
I have called to you, Lord, all the day;
  I have stretched out my hands to you.
Is it for the dead that you perform your wonders?
  Will the ghosts rise up and proclaim you?
In the tomb, will they tell of your kindness?
  Will they tell of your faithfulness in the place of the lost?
Will your wonders be known in the darkness,
  or your righteousness in the land of oblivion?
And so I have called out to you, Lord,
  and in the morning my prayer will come before you.
With what purpose, Lord, do you reject my soul?
  Why do you hide your face from me?
I am poor; from my youth I have been dying;
  I have borne the terrors you sent, I am lost in confusion.
Your anger has overrun me, your terrors have broken me:
  they have flowed round me like water,
  they have besieged me all the day long.
You have taken my friends and those close to me:
  all I have left is shadows.
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.
I cry out to you, Lord, by day and by night.

Reading (Jeremiah 14:9)
You, Lord, are in our midst, and we are called by your name; therefore do not abandon us, Lord, our God.

Short Responsory
Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
You have redeemed us, Lord, God of faithfulness.
Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

Canticle Nunc Dimittis
Keep us safe, Lord, while we are awake, and guard us as we sleep, so that we can keep watch with Christ and rest in peace.
Now, Master, you let your servant go in peace.
  You have fulfilled your promise.
My own eyes have seen your salvation,
  which you have prepared in the sight of all peoples.
A light to bring the Gentiles from darkness;
  the glory of your people Israel.
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.
Keep us safe, Lord, while we are awake, and guard us as we sleep, so that we can keep watch with Christ and rest in peace.

Let us pray.
Lord, let us be so united with your only Son that we become worthy to rise with him into new life, who lives and reigns for ever and ever, Amen.

May the almighty Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end.

A M E N

Salve Regina
Hail to you, O Queen, mother of loving kindness,
  our life, our happiness, our hope.
Hear us cry out to you,
  children of Eve in our exile.
Hear as we sigh, with groaning and weeping
  in this life, this valley of tears.
Come then, our Advocate, turn towards us
  the gaze of your kind and loving eyes.
And show us Jesus, the blessed fruit of your womb,
  when at last our exile here is ended.

27 posted on 07/10/2009 11:05:41 PM PDT by Salvation (With God all things are possible.)
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