Catholic Caucus: Sunday Mass Readings, 11-22-15, SOL, Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 11-22-15 | Revised New American Bible

[Salvation]

November 22, 2015

The Solemnity Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Reading 1 Dn 7:13-14

As the visions during the night continued, I saw
one like a Son of man coming,
on the clouds of heaven;
when he reached the Ancient One
and was presented before him,
the one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship;
all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not be taken away,
his kingship shall not be destroyed.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 93:1, 1-2, 5

R. (1a) The LORD is king; he is robed in majesty.
The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.
R. The LORD is king; he is robed in majesty.
And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O LORD.
R. The LORD is king; he is robed in majesty.
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed;
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, for length of days.
R. The LORD is king; he is robed in majesty.

Reading 2 Rv 1:5-8

Jesus Christ is the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,
who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father,
to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.
Behold, he is coming amid the clouds,
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him.
All the peoples of the earth will lament him.
Yes. Amen.

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, " says the Lord God,
"the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty."

Alleluia Mk 11:9, 10

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Jn 18:33b-37

Pilate said to Jesus,
"Are you the King of the Jews?"
Jesus answered, "Do you say this on your own
or have others told you about me?"
Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I?
Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me.
What have you done?"
Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world.
If my kingdom did belong to this world,
my attendants would be fighting
to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.
But as it is, my kingdom is not here."
So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?"
Jesus answered, "You say I am a king.
For this I was born and for this I came into the world,
to testify to the truth.
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."

[Salvation]

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[Salvation]

From: Daniel 7:13-14

Daniel’s Vision (Continuation)

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[13] I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came
one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented
before him. [14] And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all
peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlas-
ting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be
destroyed.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

7:9-14. Divine judgment is passed on the kingdoms in this scene. God is depic-
ted as being seated on a throne in heaven, his glory flashing out and angels all
around. Judgment is about to take place, and it will be followed by execution of
the sentence. The books (v. 10) contain all the actions of men (cf. Jer 17:1; Mal
3:16; Ps 56:8; Rev 20:12). The seer is shown history past (not laid out accor-
ding to chronology: all the empires are included in one glance), and he notes
that a more severe sentence is passed on the blasphemous horn than on the
other beasts. They had their lives extended (v. 12), that is, their deprivation of
power did not spell the end; but the little horn is destroyed forthwith. “Following
in the steps of the prophets and John the Baptist, Jesus announced the judg-
ment of the Last Day in his preaching (cf. Dan 7:10; Joel 3-4; Mal 3:19; Mt 3:7-
42)” (”Catechism of the Catholic Church”, 678).

The one “like a son of man” who comes with the clouds of heaven and who, after
the judgment, is given everlasting dominion over all the earth, is the very antithe-
sis of the beasts. He has not risen from a turbulent sea like them; there is no-
thing ferocious about him. Rather, he has been raised up by God (he comes with
the clouds of heaven) and he shares the human condition. The dignity of all man-
kind is restored through this son of man’s triumph over the beasts. This figure,
as we will discover later, stands for ‘the people of the saints of the Most High’ (7:
27), that is, faithful Israel. However, he is also an individual (just as the winged li-
on was an individual, and the little horn), and insofar as he is given a kingdom,
he is a king. What we have here is an individual who represents the people. In
Jewish circles around the time of Christ, this “son of man” was interpreted as
being the Messiah, a real person (cf. “Book of the Parables of Enoch”); but it
was a title that became linked to the sufferings of the Messiah and to his resur-
rection from the dead only when Jesus Christ applied it to himself in the Gospel.
“Jesus accepted Peter’s profession of faith, which acknowledged him to be the
Messiah, by announcing the imminent Passion of the Son of Man (cf. Mt 16:23).
He unveiled the authentic content of his messianic kingship both in the transcen-
dent identity of the Son of Man ‘who came down from heaven’ (Jn 3:13; cf. Jn 6:
62; Dan 7:13), and in his redemptive mission as the suffering Servant: ‘The Son
of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for
many’ (Mt 20:28; cf. Is 53:10-12)” (”Catechism of the Catholic Church”, 440).

When the Church proclaims in the Creed that Christ is seated at the right hand
of the Father, she is saying that it was to Christ that dominion was given; “Being
seated at the Father’s right hand signifies the inauguration of the Messiah’s king-
dom, the fulfillment of the prophet Daniel’s vision concerning the Son of man; ‘To
him was given domination and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and
languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall
not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed’ (Dan 7:14). Af-
ter this event the apostles became witnesses of the ‘kingdom [that] will have no
end’ (Nicene Creed)” (”Catechism of the Catholic Church”, 664).

*********************************************************************************************
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. We encourage readers to purchase
The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter

[Salvation]

From: Revelation 1:5-8

Address and Greeting

---

[5] And from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the
ruler of kings on earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood [6] and made
us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for
ever and ever. Amen. [7] Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye
will see him, every one who pierced him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on
account of him. Even so. Amen.

[8] “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was
and who is to come, the Almighty.”

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

5-6. Three messianic titles taken from Psalm 89:28-38 are given a new meaning
in the light of fulfillment of Christian faith and applied to Jesus Christ. He is “the
faithful witness” of the fulfillment of God’s Old Testament promises of a Savior, a
son of David (cf. 2 Sam 7:14; Rev 5:5;), for it is Christ who has in fact brought a-
bout salvation. That is why, later on in the book, St John calls Jesus Christ “the
Amen” (Rev 3:4) — which is like saying that through what Christ did God has ra-
tified and kept his word; St John also calls him “Faithful and True” (Rev 19;11),
because God’s fidelity and the truth of his promises have been manifested in
Jesus. This is to be seen in the Resurrection, which made Jesus “the first-born
from the dead”, in the sense that the Resurrection constituted a victory in which
all who abide in him share (cf. Col 1:18). Christ is also “the ruler of kings on
earth” because he is Lord of the world: this will be clearly seen when he comes
a second time, but his dominion is already making itself felt because he has be-
gun to conquer the power of sin and death.

The second part of v. 5 and all v. 6 are a kind of paean in praise of Christ recalling
his great love for us as expressed in his words, “Greater love has no man than
this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13). Christ’s love for us
knows no bounds: his generosity led him to sacrifice his life by the shedding of
his blood, which redeemed us from our sins. There was nothing we could have
done to redeem ourselves. “All were held captive by the devil”, St Augustine com-
ments, “and were in the thrall of demons; but they have been rescued from that
captivity. The Redeemer came and paid the ransom: he shed his blood and with
it purchased the entire orb of the earth” (”Enarrationes in Psalmos”, 95, 5).

Not content with setting us free from our sins, our Lord gave us a share in his
kingship and priesthood. “Christ the Lord, high priest taken from among men (cf.
Heb 5:1-5), made the new people ‘a kingdom of priests to his God and Father’
(Rev 1:6; cf. 5:9-10). The baptized, by regeneration and the anointing of the Holy
Spirit, are consecrated to be a spiritual house and a holy priesthood, that through
all the works of Christian men and women they may offer spiritual sacrifices and
proclaim the perfection of him who has called them out of darkness into his mar-
velous light (cf. 1 Pet 2:4-10)” (Vatican II, “Lumen Gentium”, 10).

7. Christ’s work is not finished. He has assembled his holy people on earth to
bring them enduring salvation, and he will be revealed in all his glory to the whole
world at the end of time. Although the text speaks in the present tense — “he is
coming with the clouds”—this should be understood as referring to the future: the
prophet was seeing future events as if they were actually happening (cf. Dan 7:
13). This will be the day of final victory, when those who crucified Jesus, “every
one who pierced him” (cf. Zech 12:10; Jn 19:37), will be astonished by the gran-
deur and glory of the crucified One. “The Sacred Scriptures inform us that there
are two comings of the Son of God—one when he assumed human flesh for our
salvation in the womb of a virgin; the other when he shall come at the end of the
world to judge all mankind [...]; and if, from the beginning of the world that day of
the Lord, on which he was clothed with our flesh, was sighed for by all as the
foundation of their hope of deliverance; so also, after the death and ascension
of the Son of God, we should make that other day of the Lord the object of our
most earnest desires, ‘awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of
our great God’ (Titus 2:13)” (”St Pius V Catechism”, I, 8, 2).

Commenting on this passage of the Apocalypse, St Bede says: “He who at his
first coming came in a hidden way and in order to be judged (by men) will then
come in a manifest way. (John) recalls these truths in order to help the Church
bear its suffering: now it is being persecuted by its enemies, later it will reign at
Christ’s side” (”Explanatio Apocalypsis”, 1, 1).

The joy of those who put their hope in this glorious manifestation of Christ will
contrast with the pains of those who reject God’s love and mercy to the very end.
“Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man co-
ming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Mt 24:30).

8. The coming of the Lord in glory, the climax of his dominion, is guaranteed by
the power of God, the absolute master of the world and its destiny. Alpha and
Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet; here they are used
to proclaim that God is the beginning and end of all things, of the world and of
history; he is present at all times — times past, present and future.

*********************************************************************************************
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.

[Salvation]

From: John 18:33b-37

The Trial before Pilate: Jesus is King (Continuation)

---

[33] Pilate entered the praetorium again and called Jesus, and said to him,
“Are you the King of the Jews?” [34] Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your
own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” [35] Pilate answered, “Am I
a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me; what
have you done?” [36] Jesus answered, “My kingship is not of this world; if my
kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed
over to the Jews; but my kingship is not from the world.” [37] Pilate said to him,
“So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was
born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every
one who is of the truth hears my voice.”

*******************************************************************************************
Commentary

33-34. There is no onus on Pilate to interfere in religious questions, but because
the accusation levelled against Jesus had to do with politics and public order, he
begins his interrogation naturally by examining him on the main charge: “Are you
the King of the Jews?”

By replying with another question, Jesus is not refusing to answer: he wishes to
make quite clear, as he has always done, that his mission is a spiritual one. And
really Pilate’s was not an easy question to answer, because, to a Gentile, a king
of the Jews meant simply a subverter of the Empire; whereas, to a Jewish natio-
nalist, the King-Messiah was a politico-religious liberator who would obtain their
freedom from Rome. The true character of Christ’s messiahship completely tran-
scends both these concepts—as Jesus explains to the procurator, although he
realizes how enormously difficult it is for Pilate to understand what Christ’s King-
ship really involves.

35-36. After the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and the fish, Jesus re-
fused to be proclaimed king because the people were thinking in terms of an ear-
thly kingdom (cf. Jn 6:15). However, Jesus did enter Jerusalem in triumph, and
he did accept acclamation as King-Messiah. Now, in the passion, he acknowled-
ges before Pilate that he is truly a King, making it clear that his kingship is not
an earthly one. Thus, “those who expected the Messiah to have visible temporal
power were mistaken. ‘The kingdom of God does not mean food and drink but
righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit’ (Rom 14:17). Truth and jus-
tice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. That is the kingdom of Christ: the divine
activity which saves men and which will reach its culmination when history ends
and the Lord comes from the heights of paradise finally to judge men” (St. J. Es-
criva, “Christ is Passing By”, 180).

37. This is what his kingship really is: his kingdom is “the kingdom of Truth
and Life, the kingdom of Holiness and Grace, the kingdom of Justice, Love and
Peace” (Preface of the Mass of Christ the King). Christ reigns over those who
accept and practise the truth revealed by him—his Father’s love for the world (Jn
3:16; 1 Jn 4:9). He became man to make this truth known and to enable men to
accept it. And so, those who recognize Christ’s kingship and sovereignty accept
his authority, and he thus reigns over them in an eternal and universal kingdom.

For its part, “the Church, looking to Christ who bears witness to the truth, must
always and everywhere ask herself, and in a certain sense also the contempo-
rary ‘world’, how to make good emerge from man, how to liberate the dynamism
of the good that is in man, in order that it may be stronger than evil, than any mo-
ral, social or other evil” (John Paul II, “General Audience”, 21 February 1979).

“If we [Christians] are trying to have Christ as our king we must be consistent.
We must start by giving him our heart. Not to do that and still talk about the king-
dom of Christ would be completely hollow. There would be no real Christian sub-
stance in our behavior. We would be making an outward show of a faith which
simply did not exist. We would be misusing God’s name to human advantage. If
we let Christ reign in our souls, we will not become authoritarian. Rather we will
serve everyone. How l like that word: service! To serve my king and, through him,
all those who have been redeemed by his blood. I really wish we Christians knew
how to serve, for only by serving can we know and love Christ and make him
known and loved” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ is Passing By”, 181-182).

By his death and resurrection, Jesus shows that the accusations laid against
him were based on lies: it was he who was telling the truth, not his judges and
accusers, and God confirms the truth of Jesus—the truth of his words, of deeds,
of his revelation—by the singular miracle of his resurrection. To men Christ’s king-
ship may seem paradoxical: he dies, yet he lives for ever; he is defeated and is
crucified, yet he is victorious. “When Jesus Christ him appeared as a prisoner
before Pilate’s tribunal and was interrogated by him...did he not answer: ‘For this
I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth’?
It was as if with these words [...] he was once more confirming what he had said
earlier: ‘You will know the truth, and truth will make you free’. In the course of so
many centuries, of so many generations, from the time of the Apostles on, is it
not often Jesus Christ himself that has made an appearance at the side of peo-
ple judged for the sake of truth? And has he not gone to death with people con-
demned for the sake of truth? Does he ever cease to be the continuous spokes-
man and advocate for person who lives ‘in spirit and truth’ (cf. Jn 4:23)? Just as
he does not cease to be it before the Father, he is it also with regard to the his-
tory of man” (John Paul II, “Redemptor Hominis”, 12).

*********************************************************************************************
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.

[Salvation]

Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible are published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman &Todd

Readings at Mass

---

First reading	Daniel 7:13-14 ©

I gazed into the visions of the night.

And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven,

one like a son of man.

He came to the one of great age

and was led into his presence.

On him was conferred sovereignty,

glory and kingship,

and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.

His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty

which shall never pass away,

nor will his empire ever be destroyed.

---

Psalm	Psalm 92:1-2,5 ©

The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed.

The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed;

  the Lord has robed himself with might,

  he has girded himself with power.

The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed.

The world you made firm, not to be moved;

  your throne has stood firm from of old.

  From all eternity, O Lord, you are.

The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed.

Truly your decrees are to be trusted.

  Holiness is fitting to your house,

  O Lord, until the end of time.

The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed.

---

Second reading

Apocalypse 1:5-8 ©

Grace and peace to you from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the First-born from the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the earth. He loves us and has washed away our sins with his blood, and made us a line of kings, priests to serve his God and Father; to him, then, be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen. It is he who is coming on the clouds; everyone will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the races of the earth will mourn over him. This is the truth. Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega’ says the Lord God, who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.

---

Gospel Acclamation	Mk11:10

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord!

Blessings on the coming kingdom of our father David!

Alleluia!

---

Gospel	John 18:33-37 ©

‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ Pilate asked. Jesus replied, ‘Do you ask this of your own accord, or have others spoken to you about me?’ Pilate answered, ‘Am I a Jew? It is your own people and the chief priests who have handed you over to me: what have you done?’ Jesus replied, ‘Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. But my kingdom is not of this kind.’ ‘So you are a king then?’ said Pilate. ‘It is you who say it’ answered Jesus. ‘Yes, I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.’

[Salvation]

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[Salvation]

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[Salvation]

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[Salvation]

7 Powerful Ways to Pray for Christians Suffering in the Middle East

[Salvation]

Pray the rosary!

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Echos of Lepanto Nigerian bishop says rosary will bring down Boko Harm
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[Salvation]

 

Jesus, High Priest

 

We thank you, God our Father, for those who have responded to your call to priestly ministry.

Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf: Fill your priests with the sure knowledge of your love.

Open their hearts to the power and consolation of the Holy Spirit.

Lead them to new depths of union with your Son.

Increase in them profound faith in the Sacraments they celebrate as they nourish, strengthen and heal us.

Lord Jesus Christ, grant that these, your priests, may inspire us to strive for holiness by the power of their example, as men of prayer who ponder your word and follow your will.

O Mary, Mother of Christ and our mother, guard with your maternal care these chosen ones, so dear to the Heart of your Son.

Intercede for our priests, that offering the Sacrifice of your Son, they may be conformed more each day to the image of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Saint John Vianney, universal patron of priests, pray for us and our priests

This icon shows Jesus Christ, our eternal high priest.

The gold pelican over His heart represents self-sacrifice.

The border contains an altar and grapevines, representing the Mass, and icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.

Melchizedek: king of righteousness (left icon) was priest and king of Jerusalem.  He blessed Abraham and has been considered an ideal priest-king.

St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests.

[Salvation]

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[Salvation]

Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

3. The Lord's Prayer: 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 who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)

5. Glory Be: 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.

6. Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.

Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.

End with the Hail Holy Queen:
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Final step -- The Sign of the Cross

The Mysteries of the Rosary By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary. The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.

The Glorious Mysteries
(Wednesdays and Sundays)
1.The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-18, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-29) [Spiritual fruit - Faith]
2. The Ascension (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:6-11) [Spiritual fruit - Christian Hope]
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-13) [Spiritual fruit - Gifts of the Holy Spirit]
4. The Assumption [Spiritual fruit - To Jesus through Mary]
5. The Coronation [Spiritual fruit - Grace of Final Perseverance]

[Salvation]

St. Michael the Archangel

~ PRAYER ~

St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle
Be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the devil;
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God,
Cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen
+

[Salvation]

From an Obama bumper sticker on a car:
"Pray for Obama. Psalm 109:8"

PLEASE JOIN US - Evening Prayer
Someone has said that if people really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless.
Did you know that during WWII there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every day at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace?

There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America. If you would like to participate: Every evening at 9:00 PM Eastern Time (8:00 PM Central) (7:00 PM Mountain) (6:00 PM Pacific), stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, and for a return to a Godly nation. If you know anyone else who would like to participate, please pass this along. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have. Please forward this to your praying friends.

[Salvation]

(For if he had not hoped that they that were slain should rise again, it would have seemed superfluous and vain to pray for the dead,) And because he considered that they who had fallen asleep with godliness, had great grace laid up for them. It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins." II Maccabees 12

 

November Devotion: The Holy Souls in Purgatory

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. As a reminder of our duty to pray for the suffering faithful in Purgatory, the Church has dedicated the month of November to the Holy Souls. The Holy Souls are those who have died in the state of grace but who are not yet free from all punishment due to their unforgiven venial sins and all other sins already forgiven for which satisfaction is still to be made. They are certain of entering Heaven, but first they must suffer in Purgatory. The Holy Souls cannot help themselves because for them the night has come, when no man can work (John 9:4). It is our great privilege of brotherhood that we can shorten their time of separation from God by our prayers, good works, and, especially, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

To Help the Holy Souls in Purgatory:

1. Have the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered up for them.

2. Pray the Rosary and or the Chaplet of Divine Marcy for them, or both.

3. Pray the Stations of the Cross.

4. Offer up little sacrifices and fasting.

5. Spread devotion to them, so that others may pray for them.

6. Attend Eucharistic Adoration and pray for them.

7. Gain all the indulgences you can, and apply them to the Holy Souls

8. Visit to a Cemetery

 

Litany for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

The just shall be in everlasting remembrance; 

He shall not fear the evil hearing.

V. Absolve, O Lord, the souls of the faithful departed 

from every bond of sin, 

R. And by the help of Thy grace

may they be enabled to escape the avenging judgment, 

and to enjoy the happiness of eternal life. 

Because in Thy mercy are deposited the souls that departed 

in an inferior degree of grace,

Lord, have mercy.

Because their present suffering is greatest 

in the knowledge of the pain that their separation from Thee is causing Thee,

Lord, have mercy. 

Because of their present inability to add to Thy accidental glory, 

Lord, have mercy.

Not for our consolation, O Lord; 

not for their release from purgative pain, O God; 

but for Thy joy 

and the greater accidental honour of Thy throne, O Christ the King,

Lord, have mercy.

For the souls of our departed friends, relations and benefactors, 

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For those of our family who have fallen asleep in Thy bosom, O Jesus, 

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For those who have gone to prepare our place,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

(For those who were our brothers [or sisters] in Religion,)

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For priests who were our spiritual directors,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For men or women who were our teachers in school,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For those who were our employers (or employees),

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For those who were our associates in daily toil,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For any soul whom we ever offended,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For our enemies now departed,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For those souls who have none to pray for them,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For those forgotten by their friends and kin,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For those now suffering the most,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For those who have acquired the most merit,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For the souls next to be released from Purgatory,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For those who, while on earth, 

were most devoted to God the Holy Ghost, 

to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, 

to the holy Mother of God,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For all deceased popes and prelates,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For all deceased priests, seminarians and religious, 

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For all our brethren in the Faith everywhere, 

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For all our separated brethren who deeply loved Thee, 

and would have come into Thy household had they known the truth,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For those souls who need, or in life asked, our prayers,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For those, closer to Thee than we are, whose prayers we need,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

That those may be happy with Thee forever, 

who on earth were true exemplars of the Catholic Faith, 

grant them eternal rest, O Lord.

That those may be admitted to Thine unveiled Presence, 

who as far as we know never committed mortal sin,     

grant them eternal rest, O Lord.  

That those may be housed in glory, 

who lived always in recollection and prayer,

grant them eternal rest, O Lord.  

That those may be given the celestial joy of beholding Thee, 

who lived lives of mortification and self-denial and penance,

grant them eternal rest, O Lord.  

That those may be flooded with Thy love, 

who denied themselves even Thy favours of indulgence 

and who made the heroic act 

for the souls who had gone before them,

grant them eternal rest, O Lord.  

That those may be drawn up to the Beatific Vision, 

who never put obstacles in the way of sanctifying grace 

and who ever drew closer in mystical union with Thee,

grant them eternal rest, O Lord.  

V. Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord, 

R. And let perpetual light shine upon them. 

Let Us Pray 

Be mindful, O Lord, 

of Thy servants and handmaids, 

N. and N., 

who are gone before us 

with the sign of faith 

and repose in the sleep of grace.  

To these, O Lord, 

and to all who rest in Christ, 

grant, we beseech Thee, 

a place of refreshment, 

light and peace, 

through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen

Halloween and All Saints Day
All Saints or All Souls? Differences should be black and white
All Souls' Day [Catholic Caucus]
Why I Am Catholic: For Purgatory, Thank Heavens (Ecumenical)
Q and A: Why Pray for the Dead? [Ecumenical]
“….and Death is Gain” – A Meditation on the Christian View of Death [Catholic Caucus]
99 & 1/2 Won’t Do – A Meditation on Purgatory
The Month of November: Thoughts on the "Last Things"
To Trace All Souls Day....... Catholics)

November 2 -- All Souls Day
On November: All Souls and the "Permanent Things"
"From the Pastor" ALL SAINTS & ALL SOULS
Praying for the Dead [All Souls Day] (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)
To Trace All Souls Day [Ecumenical]
All Souls Day [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
The Roots of All Souls Day
The Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
During Month of Souls, Recall Mystic, St. Gertrude the Great
All Saints and All Souls

[Salvation]

November 2015

Pope's Intentions

Universal, Dialogue: That we may be open to personal encounter and dialogue with all, even those whose convictions differ from our own.

Evangelization, Pastors: That pastors of the Church, with profound love for their flocks, may accompany them and enliven their hope.

[Salvation]

Daily Gospel Commentary

Our Lord Jesus Christ the King - Solemnity - Year B

Commentary of the day
Saint Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church
Tractate 115 on the Gospel of John, 2 (translated from the French)

"They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world."

Listen everybody, Jews and Gentiles… Listen, all the kingdoms of the earth! I am not preventing you from ruling over this world, "my kingdom is not of this world." (Jn 18:36) So don't be afraid with that senseless fear which seized Herod when my birth was announced to him. . ."No," the Savior says, "my kingdom is not of this world." All of you, come to a kingdom, which is not of this world; come by faith. May you not be made cruel by fear. It is true that the Son of God, speaking of the Father, says in a prophecy: "Through him, I was established as king on Zion, his holy mountain." (Ps 2:6) But that Zion and that mountain are not of this world.

And what is his kingdom? It is they who believe in him, those to whom he says: "You are not of the world, just as I am not of the world." But he nevertheless wants them to be in the world; he prays to his Father: "I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but to protect them from the evil one." (Jn 17:15) For he did not say: "My kindom is not in this world," but rather: "It is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over."

For his kingdom really is here on earth until the end of the world, until the harvest of weeds is mingled with the good seed (Mt 13:24f.). . . His kingdom is not from here, for he is like a traveler in this world. To those over whom he reigns, he says: "You do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world." (Jn 15:19) So they did belong to this world when they were not yet his kingdom, and they belonged to the prince of this world (Jn 12:3). . . All who are born of Adam's sinful race belong to this world; all who were reborn in Jesus Christ belong to his kingdom and no longer belong to this world. For "God has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son." (Col 1:13)

[Salvation]

Zenit.org

King of Truth and Love

Lectio Divina: 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Solemnity of Christ the King, Year B

Paris, November 20, 2015 (ZENIT.org) Archbishop Francesco Follo | 993 hits

Roman Rite

Dn 7, 13-14; Ps 93; Rev 1, 5-8; Jn 18, 33b-37

Ambrosian Rite

Is 19.18 to 24; Ps 86; F 3.8 to 13; Mk 1, 1-8?

The children of the Kingdom

A King crowned with thorns, a witness (martyr) of the truth of love.

On this last Sunday of the liturgical year we are invited to celebrate Christ the King of a "kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace" (Preface of the Mass of Christ the King). To Pilate, who asked him if he was a king, Jesus replied that the royalty claimed by him is not political, but completely different. It is a royalty of truth and love, which is exercised as a witness to the truth and not as an imposition of a domain. In fact, in today's Gospel Jesus concludes: "I am the king, for this I was born and for this I came into the world to bear witness to the truth" (Jn 18, 37). I think that it is fair to say that in his reply to Pilate Christ not only speaks about what truth is, but answers to the question "Who is the truth?".

The kingship of Christ reveals Him who is the Truth of love of which he is a witness, namely a martyr.

In his brief and intense dialogue with Pilate, Jesus also says another important thing: "Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice." In order to understand the kingship of Jesus and become his subjects in his kingdom, which is a kingdom of the other world but not a kingdom of the dead, it is necessary to have chosen truth. It is a kingdom of the other world because there the power of love will "reign". It is a king who does not condemn to death his fragile subjects but gives his life so that they may have life.

There are people who are "on the side of the truth" and others that instead are "on the side of falsehood." It is not simply a matter of lies but a basic attitude, a choice of values. In the narration of the trial these two opposing possibilities are embodied by two characters facing each other: Jesus and Pilate.

On the one hand Jesus, who is the Truth, gives himself fully in the hands of the Father without hesitating to give his life. On the other hand there is Pilate who instead represents a political power that serves the truth but not beyond a certain price. A power that believes to have more important values to save. Three times Pilate recognizes the innocence of Jesus and declares it publicly, and three times he tries to save him. However at the end he condemns him to the cross.

This Prosecutor of the human kingdom sentences to death an innocent and denies justice and truth to save himself.

Christ, however, is a king who does not kill anyone, on the contrary he dies for everyone. He does not spill the blood of anyone, He sheds his blood for all. He does not sacrifice anyone, he sacrifices himself for his servants that he calls friends. The Redeemer manifests the truth of God who is Father and the Father is the one who gives life and freedom to his children, not the one who takes away life and freedom from his children.

Christ the King "uses" power according with truth, according with justice, namely according with the truth of love. It is a power exercised by the Savior who takes a cross as throne and thorns as crown. It is the same power of humble love that at the Last Supper had driven Jesus to exercise his kingship by washing the feet of the apostles. Jesus is a chief and a king who really puts himself at the service of his subjects. A king who knows how to give bread instead of taking it, who knows how to give life rather than taking it, who knows how to free form the law instead of imposing it.

A special subject: the good thief.

One man that understood the truth of Jesus was the good thief who, hanging on the cross next to Christ, asked "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom" (Lk 23, 42). In response the King on the cross said to him "Today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43). For this thief the way of the cross became, infallibly, the way to heaven, the way of truth and life and the way of the kingdom.

Let's make ours the openness of heart and the prayer of this thug whom the Christian tradition calls “the good thief". Although he was on the cross, this wrongdoer had a heart and an intelligence of such an openness that he has been able to recognize a dying man as a King. He has been able to seize the kingship of Christ that manifested himself on a paradoxical throne, the Cross, so to ask "Remember me in your kingdom". He recognized this kingdom to be a real, happy and everlasting one. The closeness to Christ is not enough, because in the moment of passion others were close, but they despised and blasphemed him. The good-hearted thief, animated by a holy desire, asked salvation and he was the first to enter with Christ into heaven.

Let each of us pray "Jesus, remember me, remember my fellow human beings to whom I want to give daily the bread of your true and living Gospel". If we persevere in the prayer "Thy kingdom come", we will see Christ's promise come true. If we are firmly beside him letting us be drawn by Him on the cross, we will become like Him witnesses (= martyrs) of Truth.

In addition to the way of the good thief, there is another way to stand beside Christ, King of the Cross, and this is the one of the Virgin Mary, who was so associated in the kingship of Christ that we rightly sing in the sacred liturgy "Holy Mary, Queen of heaven and mistress of the world, stricken with grief, stood by the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ "(Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows). Francis Suarez wrote" Like Christ, who for the particular title of the redemption, is our lord and king, so the Blessed Virgin (is Our Lady) for the singular participation to our redemption, by giving her being and offering it to us voluntarily wishing, wondering and funding in a unique way our salvation "(De mysteriis vitae Christi, disp. XXII, sect. II and. Vives, XIX, 327).

Even the consecrated Virgins in the world are called to participate in the kingship of Christ and of the Virgin Mary, giving their testimony to the truth of Love.

The character of martyrdom (= witness) is also rightly attributed to virginity. Virginity is indeed considered a form of martyrdom, being a life totally given to Christ, Bridegroom and King. As a result, a royal dignity is recognized to virginity and virginity is crowned by her groom, the king of the universe. For this reason, during the Rite of Consecration, a veil that has the meaning of a royal crown is placed on the head of the virgin.

It is true that the first meaning of the veil is to indicate that the consecrated virgin is the bride only of Christ subtracted from the eyes of men to be always under the gaze of God and to please him for the purity and the intensity of love. But it is equally true that the veil is a sign of consecration to Christ and consequently it is a sign of a high nobility, that of the bride of Christ the King. Could there be a higher dignity for a woman? I think not, but the veil keeps her in humility.

Veiled, but present- like the Virgin Mary - the woman is totally dedicated to the Lord in prayer. The virgin is not a disembodied and indifferent being, distant from ordinary people, but a woman able to give love and a gift unselfish, chaste, universal, and free because virginal. This is the mystical meaning of the veil on the head of the consecrated women, hidden in the world to be in the heart of the world and bring all people in the heart of Christ, the only spouse of the Church.

--

[1] The solemnity of Christ the King was instituted by Pope Pius XI on December 11, 1925 with the encyclical Quas Primas. It is, therefore, a relatively recent liturgical feast. However the idea of royalty attributed to Christ is already in the Holy Scriptures, in the Fathers of the Church, in the theologians, and even in the sacred and in the common sense of the faithful who all agree on this royalty. When asked "What is this kingship of Christ?" the Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said "It is not that of the kings and of the great of this world; it is the divine power to give eternal life, to liberate from evil, to defeat the dominion of death. It is the power of Love that can draw good from evil, soften a hardened heart, bring peace to the bitterest conflict, turn the thickest darkness into hope. This Kingdom of Grace is never imposed and always respects our freedom. " (Address at the Angelus, November 22, 2009)

[2] As I mentioned several times the Greek word martyr means witness. We should keep in mind that in the language of St. John "truth" is the truth of God, his love for man, for every man.