Introduction |
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Hymn |
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Psalm 121 (122) Jerusalem, the holy city |
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Psalm 126 (127) Without the Lord, we labour in vain |
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Canticle | Ephesians 1 |
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God the Saviour |
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Short reading | 1 Peter 5:5-7 © |
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Short Responsory |
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Canticle | Magnificat |
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My soul rejoices in the Lord |
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Prayers and Intercessions |
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Pentecost Anticipated | ||
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Monday, 9th week in Ordinary Time
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May 31, 2010 Luke 1:39-56 Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe in your supreme goodness and love. I entrust my entire self to you with all of my hopes, fears and joys. Thank you for giving us the gift of yourself in the Eucharist. Thank you, too, for giving us your own mother to be our mother during our exile on this earth and journey home to you in heaven. Here I am, like her, to do your will. Petition: Mary, help me to grow in humility. 1. Prompt and Joyful Charity What has impelled Mary to undertake her perilous journey not only alone, but also in haste? An irresistible force was acting within Mary: the presence of the Holy Spirit overshadowed and filled her since the moment of the Annunciation. This same Holy Spirit has filled the heart of Elizabeth at Marys greeting and moved the infant within her womb. What is the first fruit of the fullness of the Holy Spirit? Joy. Pope Benedict XVI comments on the relationship of joy to the truth who is Christ himself: Jesus Christ, who is the fullness of truth, attracts to himself the heart of every man, dilates it, and fills it with joy. Only the truth is capable of invading the mind and making it fully joyful. This joy expands the dimensions of the human spirit, raising it from the anxieties of egoism, making it capable of authentic love (Discourse to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, February 10, 2005). 2. Elizabeth The Unworthy Host Elizabeths moving question reflects the one virtue necessary for a person to be invaded by the Holy Spirit: humility. Elizabeth is profoundly aware of her own lowliness in the face of a visit from the mother of her Lord. Mary herself echoes these sentiments of deep humility throughout her Magnificat. What is the reason her Creator has done great things for her, so much so that all generations will call her blessed? It is not due to any talent or quality she might possess of herself. There is no magnificent grandeur by which she has captivated the Almighty. God has simply looked upon his handmaids lowliness. Do I rejoice in my own littleness, knowing that it enables the Holy Spirit to make his dwelling within me and do great things for Christ with my life? 3. The Hymn of Gods Praise Mary is so filled with the Holy Spirit that her whole being bursts forth in a hymn of joy and praise to the Almighty. Pope Benedict reflects on Marys joy at the infant Lords presence within her womb: This is the joy the heart feels when we kneel to adore Jesus in faith (Discourse to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, February 10, 2005). The joy of Christ, the joy of the Holy Spirit, gratitude to God for the great things he has done in us, impels us to bring Our Lord to others, just as Mary brought him to Elizabeth even before his birth. As she sings her Magnificat, Mary does not remain closed within herself, but reflects on what God has done for her in light of his saving plan for all his people. May the joy of the Holy Spirit bring about a new Pentecost that radiates from our lives. Conversation with Christ: Thank you, Lord! The great gift of your Holy Spirit fills our lives with the unspeakable joy of your own presence within us. Help me to respond with haste -- as Mary did -- to the impulses of charity from the Holy Spirit. Resolution: I will look for occasions to speak about Christ with others and do acts of charity for them with joy and haste, just as Mary did in the Gospel. |