Posted on 09/11/2013 8:31:51 PM PDT by Salvation
September 12, 2013
Thursday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1 Col 3:12-17
Brothers and sisters:
Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
bearing with one another and forgiving one another,
if one has a grievance against another;
as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.
And over all these put on love,
that is, the bond of perfection.
And let the peace of Christ control your hearts,
the peace into which you were also called in one Body.
And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,
as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another,
singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs
with gratitude in your hearts to God.
And whatever you do, in word or in deed,
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 150:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6
R. (6) Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise the LORD in his sanctuary,
praise him in the firmament of his strength.
Praise him for his mighty deeds,
praise him for his sovereign majesty.
R. Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise him with the blast of the trumpet,
praise him with lyre and harp,
Praise him with timbrel and dance,
praise him with strings and pipe.
R. Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise him with sounding cymbals,
praise him with clanging cymbals.
Let everything that has breath
praise the LORD! Alleluia.
R. Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Gospel Lk 6:27-38
Jesus said to his disciples:
“To you who hear I say, love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you,
pray for those who mistreat you.
To the person who strikes you on one cheek,
offer the other one as well,
and from the person who takes your cloak,
do not withhold even your tunic.
Give to everyone who asks of you,
and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
For if you love those who love you,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners love those who love them.
And if you do good to those who do good to you,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners do the same.
If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners lend to sinners,
and get back the same amount.
But rather, love your enemies and do good to them,
and lend expecting nothing back;
then your reward will be great
and you will be children of the Most High,
for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.
Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful.
“Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you.”
St. Eanswida
Feast Day: September 12
Born: (around) 580 / Died: 640
Eanswida was the granddaughter of St. Ethelbert, the first Christian king of England. Eanswida's father Prince Edbald later became the king of Kent.
Edbald was not a religious man at first, but he learned a great deal about Christianity from his little daughter. She was a very good Christian as well as attractive.
Her father found a handsome man to marry her, a pagan prince from Northumbria. But Eanswida was not at all pleased. She kindly refused to marry him so that her father would not be offended.
He respected her wish and surprised everyone when he allowed his daughter to become a nun.
Princess Eanswida was a very happy nun and she soon started a Benedictine convent. She lived simply and prayerfully like the rest of the sisters.
She spent the rest of her life in penance and prayer for herself and for all the people of her homeland. Eanswida died on the last day of August in 640.
The Danes finally destroyed her convent, but Benedictine monks started the monastery again in 1095.
In pictures & art St. Eanswida is shown as a nun wearing a crown, holding a church or a fish.
Thursday, September 12
Liturgical Color: Green
It is the optional memorial of the Most
Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Church venerates Mary as the most
exalted of all God's creatures. Devotion
to her can be traced to Apostolic times.
Daily Readings for: September 12, 2013
(Readings on USCCB website)
Collect: Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, for all who celebrate the glorious Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she may obtain your merciful favor. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
RECIPES
ACTIVITIES
o Celebrating the Feasts of the Blessed Virgin
o Feasts of Mary in the Family
o Feasts of Our Lady in the Home
PRAYERS
o Table Blessing for the Feasts of the Mother of God
o Litany of the Holy Name of Mary
o
Ordinary Time: September 12th
Optional Memorial of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Old Calendar: Most Holy Name of Mary
On this day dedicated to the Holy Name of Mary let us repeat that wonderful prayer of Saint Bernard, responding to Pope Benedict XVI's invitation to “invite everyone to become a trusting child before Mary, even as the Son of God did. Saint Bernard says, and we say with him: 'Look to the star of the sea, call upon Mary … in danger, in distress, in doubt, think of Mary, call upon Mary. May her name never be far from your lips, or far from your heart … If you follow her, you will not stray; if you pray to her, you will not despair; if you turn your thoughts to her, you will not err. If she holds you, you will not fall; if she protects you, you need not fear; if she is your guide, you will not tire; if she is gracious to you, you will surely reach your destination”' (Benedict XVI, address at Heiligenkreuz Abbey, September 9, 2007). — Luciano Alimandi
Most Holy Name of Mary
In accordance with Jewish custom our Lady's parents named her eight days after her birth, and were inspired to call her Mary. The feast of the Holy Name of Mary therefore follows that of her Birthday, as the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus follows Christmas. The feast originated in Spain and was approved by the Holy See in 1513; Innocent XI extended its observance to the whole Church in 1683 in thanksgiving to our Lady for the victory on September 12, 1683 by John Sobieski, king of Poland, over the Turks, who were besieging Vienna and threatening the West. This day was commemorated in Vienna by creating a new kind of pastry and shaping it in the form of the Turkish half-moon. It was eaten along with coffee which was part of the booty from the Turks.
The ancient Onomastica Sacra have preserved the meanings ascribed to Mary's name by the early Christian writers and perpetuated by the Greek Fathers. "Bitter Sea," "Myrrh of the Sea," "The Light Giver," "The Enlightened One," "Lady," "Seal of the Lord," and "Mother of the Lord" are the principal interpretations. These etymologies suppose that the Hebrew form of the name is Maryãm, not Miryãm. From the time of St. Jerome until the 16th century, preferred interpretations of Mary's name in the West were "Lady," "Bitter Sea," "The Light Giver," and especially "Star of the Sea." Stella Maris was by far the favored interpretation. The revival of Hebraic studies, which accompanied the Renaissance, led to a more critical appraisal of the meanings assigned to Our Lady's name. Miryãm has all the appearance of a genuine Hebrew name, and no solid reason has been discovered to warrant rejecting the Semitic origin of the word. The Hebrew name of Mary, Miryãm, (in Latin Domina) means lady or sovereign; this Mary is in virtue of her Son's sovereign authority as Lord of the World. We call Mary our Lady as we call Jesus our Lord, and when we pronounce her name we affirm her power, implore her aid and place ourselves under her protection.
Excerpted from Mariology by Juniper B. Carol, O.F.M.
Patron: People named Stella Maris, Estelle, Astrid, Astra, Muriel or Mary.
Symbols: Star of David, or six-pointed star appropriate for this feast.
Things to Do:
The Most Holy Name of Mary
… Singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16)
After years of ministry that included hardship and persecution, Paul again found himself imprisoned, his fate uncertain. But far from sinking into despair or self-pity, Paul turned his attention toward the young Colossian Church. This was the time, he told them, to praise the Lord!
Doesn’t this sound illogical? Who really thinks that joy-filled singing is the right response to arrest and imprisonment? Who really thinks it’s a good idea when your Church is facing the threat of division from within and false teaching from without? Paul does, that’s who!
This is a message for us as well. In fact, we should be singing and worshipping at all times. Why? Because no matter what is happening right now, three things never change: our heavenly Father loves us, Jesus has redeemed us, and his Spirit lives in us.
“But what if I don’t feel like singing? What if I’m not a demonstrative person?” Well, think of it this way. What mother feels like singing to her distressed child in the middle of the night? Yet she does it, and by making that choice, her song is an even greater gift of love. In the same way, we can sing and worship the Lord despite our feelings or inclinations. Not only do a mother’s lullabies soothe her baby, they also help her to deepen her love and dedication to her child. Similarly, our praise and worship not only glorify God, they help build a strong foundation in our hearts and minds!
There are many ways to praise the Lord—and some are especially helpful if you don’t “feel” like it! You can use the words of many of the psalms. Read them out loud, and proclaim them as true. Or you can sing your favorite hymns from Mass—hymns that speak of God’s love and salvation. Or you can write your own prayers of praise and gratitude, recalling all that God has done for you. Whatever you choose, remember that God is near to you, and he is very good. Worship, especially when it is a concrete decision, has the power to open prison doors and bring you into his very presence.
“Father, teach me to sing your praises no matter what my circumstances are. I know your love will never fail!”
Psalm 150:1-6; Luke 6:27-38
Daily Marriage Tip for September 12, 2013:
Want to pray more, but not sure how? Try taping a list of people you want to pray for (or a morning offering) to the bathroom mirror. Make sure your spouse is #1. You both will see it every day. Maybe alternate the responsibility for this each week.
My friendship
Thursday, 12 September 2013 19:37
Learn to listen to Me and I will speak to you heart to heart as a man converses with his friend. I long to hold conversation with you. I want to speak to you, to instruct you, to guide you, to comfort you, just as I instructed, guided, and comforted Saint John and My other disciples.
My Heart’s desire is that all priests should enter into the gift of My Divine Friendship. I desire that My priests, My chosen ones, should turn to Me in their doubts, their fears, their perplexities, and their weaknesses.
I desire that they should learn to share all things with Me. It is not enough to seek Me at certain times only, nor is it enough to share with Me only a part of what they live, or pieces of their existence. To live in My friendship is to share all things with Me, to keep no secrets, to reserve nothing for oneself alone. It is not good for man to be alone. For this reason have I made Myself ever present and available in the Sacrament of My Love.
The soul who spends time in My presence, close to My open Heart, will learn all that My Heart contains, and will come to share in all My sentiments and desires.
Remain in My presence whenever and for as long as you can. Being with Me is the great means to healing and to holiness. It is enough to remain with Me if you be like Me. Come to Me, full of expectant hope, and I will do all the rest. To adore Me is to seek My Face and to approach My Heart, full of wonder and of holy fear, and above all, full of love. Adoration is the wordless confession of My Divinity.
Adoration proclaims that I am all and that all else is nought. When Saint Francis repeated during the hours of the night, “My God and My all!” he was offering Me the adoration in spirit and in truth that My Father desires. His prayer ascended through Me even into the presence of the Father.
So it is with every prayer addressed to Me. All who would reach the Father must pass through Me. For this reason was My Side opened by the soldier’s lance. It is the way to My Father. If you would speak to My Father, speak to Me. If you would see My Father, fix your gaze upon My Eucharistic Face. If you would serve My Father, serve Me, especially in the weakest and poorest members of My Mystical Body. Whatsoever you do unto them, you do unto Me, and what is done unto Me becomes an offering pleasing in My Father’s sight.
It is enough to begin by seeking Me out in the Sacrament of My Love as often as possible. That is how every true friendship begins — by seeking out the presence and the company of the loved one. Then, allow Me to love you in return, to speak to your heart, to touch you by means of the operations of My Holy Spirit in your soul.
The way to holiness is the path of My Friendship. There are many who complicate the way to holiness and who make it seem forbidding and unattainable to others. It is enough to accept My gift of Friendship. It is this that leaves Me free to act upon you, and with you, and through you.
(From In Sinu Iesu, The Journal of a Priest)
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Thursday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time
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Father Patrick Butler, LC Luke 6: 27-38 Jesus said to his disciples: "To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit (is) that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as (also) your Father is merciful. "Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you." Introductory Prayer: God the Father, thank you for the gift of creation, including my own life. God the Son, thank you for redeeming me at the price of your own Body and Blood. God the Holy Spirit, thank you for being the sweet guest of my soul, enlightening my mind, strengthening my spirit and kindling the fire of your love in my heart. Petition: Lord Jesus, help me to actively seek the perfection you desire for me. 1. Revolution or Civil War? The values that Jesus proposes in his sermon on the mountain might be termed “revolutionary.” Never had the ideal of love been placed so high, demanding such heroism in practice. That’s why what Jesus asks provokes a struggle within me, between the “old man,” who resists this message, and the ideals my Lord places before me. This might be termed a “civil war” played out on the battlefield of my heart. 2. The Golden Rule: Jesus gives me what has been termed the “Golden Rule”: do to others as you would have them do to you. Since I naturally love myself to the point of desiring all good things and nothing bad to come my way, Jesus exhorts me to transfer that benevolence to others. This requires an effort for me, since I tend towards egoism. What can lift me up out of my smallness, my narrowness? 3. Becoming like God: God’s plan for me is marvelous. It exceeds my comprehension to hear Jesus tell me to be perfect, not according to a standard of human perfection, but according to divine perfection. My vocation is to become like God – for his divine life to increase in me and for my narrow, egoistic standards to diminish and disappear. I would not strive for such a high goal, if it were not commanded by my Lord. I must trust that he can do it in me. What I have to do is to collaborate with him, seeking him in prayer and discerning his will for me always. Conversation with Christ: I thank you, Lord Jesus, for wanting to transform me into a greater likeness of God. Without you, this is impossible. With you, everything is possible, even in me with all my weaknesses and limitations. Your will be done! Resolution: I will transform my way of judging from my point of view to God’s. Today I will strive to put into practice the “Golden Rule” |
The lesson offered to us in today’s reading is much easier said than done, easier spoken than lived. Who would ever enjoy loving one’s enemy? Giving the other cheek to the one who strikes us ? Lending our things without expecting their return? This would be impossible to do! One would even enjoy taking vengeance against one’s enemies if there is an opportunity. But Jesus, the Son of God, teaches us otherwise. And he did not only tell us but showed us by his life, how he lived according to God’s will even to the point of selflessness. But Jesus is also God! Is it possible for me to live this kind of life, me, a mere human being and a sinner?
If we look around¸ we can find not far away, a perfect model of a follower of Jesus, our Blessed Mother Mary who is human in every way and who has followed Jesus so closely in utter simplicity and humility. She did not publish her privilege of being chosen the mother of God, but openly accepted her vocation in quiet simplicity, though she was forewarned of the double sword that would pierce her heart when she presented the child Jesus in the Temple. We also have other saints as examples who were inspired to live as Jesus had lived. So if they were able to do it, this must be possible for me and for you, too. Why shouldn’t we give it a try? Loving our enemies and doing good to them? This is something new for us, but with and in Jesus, nothing is impossible.
Language: English | Español
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May each father love his child as God has loved him.
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English: Douay-Rheims | Latin: Vulgata Clementina | Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000) | |
Luke 6 |
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27. | But I say to you that hear: Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you. | Sed vobis dico, qui auditis : diligite inimicos vestros, benefacite his qui oderunt vos. | αλλ υμιν λεγω τοις ακουουσιν αγαπατε τους εχθρους υμων καλως ποιειτε τοις μισουσιν υμας |
28. | Bless them that curse you, and pray for them that calumniate you. | Benedicite maledicentibus vobis, et orate pro calumniantibus vos. | ευλογειτε τους καταρωμενους υμιν προσευχεσθε υπερ των επηρεαζοντων υμας |
29. | And to him that striketh thee on the one cheek, offer also the other. And him that taketh away from thee thy cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also. | Et qui te percutit in maxillam, præbe et alteram. Et ab eo qui aufert tibi vestimentum, etiam tunicam noli prohibere. | τω τυπτοντι σε επι την σιαγονα παρεχε και την αλλην και απο του αιροντος σου το ιματιον και τον χιτωνα μη κωλυσης |
30. | Give to every one that asketh thee, and of him that taketh away thy goods, ask them not again. | Omni autem petenti te, tribue : et qui aufert quæ tua sunt, ne repetas. | παντι δε τω αιτουντι σε διδου και απο του αιροντος τα σα μη απαιτει |
31. | And as you would that men should do to you, do you also to them in like manner. | Et prout vultis ut faciant vobis homines, et vos facite illis similiter. | και καθως θελετε ινα ποιωσιν υμιν οι ανθρωποι και υμεις ποιειτε αυτοις ομοιως |
32. | And if you love them that love you, what thanks are to you? for sinners also love those that love them. | Et si diligitis eos qui vos diligunt, quæ vobis est gratia ? nam et peccatores diligentes se diligunt. | και ει αγαπατε τους αγαπωντας υμας ποια υμιν χαρις εστιν και γαρ οι αμαρτωλοι τους αγαπωντας αυτους αγαπωσιν |
33. | And if you do good to them who do good to you, what thanks are to you? for sinners also do this. | Et si benefeceritis his qui vobis benefaciunt, quæ vobis est gratia ? siquidem et peccatores hoc faciunt. | και εαν αγαθοποιητε τους αγαθοποιουντας υμας ποια υμιν χαρις εστιν και γαρ οι αμαρτωλοι το αυτο ποιουσιν |
34. | And if you lend to them of whom you hope to receive, what thanks are to you? for sinners also lend to sinners, for to receive as much. | Et si mutuum dederitis his a quibus speratis recipere, quæ gratia est vobis ? nam et peccatores peccatoribus fnerantur, ut recipiant æqualia. | και εαν δανειζητε παρ ων ελπιζετε απολαβειν ποια υμιν χαρις εστιν και γαρ αμαρτωλοι αμαρτωλοις δανειζουσιν ινα απολαβωσιν τα ισα |
35. | But love ye your enemies: do good, and lend, hoping for nothing thereby: and your reward shall be great, and you shall be the sons of the Highest; for he is kind to the unthankful, and to the evil. | Verumtamen diligite inimicos vestros : benefacite, et mutuum date, nihil inde sperantes : et erit merces vestra multa, et eritis filii Altissimi, quia ipse benignus est super ingratos et malos. | πλην αγαπατε τους εχθρους υμων και αγαθοποιειτε και δανειζετε μηδεν απελπιζοντες και εσται ο μισθος υμων πολυς και εσεσθε υιοι υψιστου οτι αυτος χρηστος εστιν επι τους αχαριστους και πονηρους |
36. | Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. | Estote ergo misericordes sicut et Pater vester misericors est. | γινεσθε ουν οικτιρμονες καθως και ο πατηρ υμων οικτιρμων εστιν |
37. | Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven. | Nolite judicare, et non judicabimini : nolite condemnare, et non condemnabimini. Dimitte, et dimittemini. | και μη κρινετε και ου μη κριθητε μη καταδικαζετε και ου μη καταδικασθητε απολυετε και απολυθησεσθε |
38. | Give, and it shall be given to you: good measure and pressed down and shaken together and running over shall they give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you shall mete withal, it shall be measured to you again. | Date, et dabitur vobis : mensuram bonam, et confertam, et coagitatam, et supereffluentem dabunt in sinum vestrum. Eadem quippe mensura, qua mensi fueritis, remetietur vobis. | διδοτε και δοθησεται υμιν μετρον καλον πεπιεσμενον και σεσαλευμενον και υπερεκχυνομενον δωσουσιν εις τον κολπον υμων τω γαρ αυτω μετρω ω μετρειτε αντιμετρηθησεται υμιν |
Touch not then the destructive monster. For what advantage that the poverty of today is escaped, if it falls upon us repeatedly, and is increased? Reflect then how can you restore yourself? Whence shall your money be so multiplied as that it will partly relieve your want, partly refresh your capital, , and besides bring forth interest? But you say, How shall I get my living? I answer, work, serve, last of all, beg; any thing is more tolerable than borrowing upon interest.
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