From: Genesis 8:6-13, 20-22

The flood subsides

[6] At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark which he had
made, [7] and sent forth a raven; and it went to and fro until the waters were dried
up from the earth. [8] Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had
subsided from the face of the ground; [9] but the dove found no place to set her
loot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of
the whole earth. So he put forth his hand and took her and brought her into the
ark with him. [10] He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove
out of the ark; [11] and the dove came back to him in the evening, and lo, in her
mouth a freshly plucked olive leaf; so Noah knew that the waters had subsided
from the earth. [12] Then he waited another seven days, and sent forth the dove;
and she did not return to him any more.

[13] In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month,
the waters were dried from off the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the
ark, and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry.

Leaving the ark

[20] Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of
every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. [21] And when the Lord
smelled the pleasing odour, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse
the ground because of man, for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his
youth; neither will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done. [22]
While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and
winter, day and night, shall not cease.”

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

8:6-12. The sending of the raven and the dove shows how anxious and how hope-
ful of salvation those in the Ark are; it also shows Noah’s wisdom and, yet again,
the harmony there should be between man and the animal world for things to go
well. This episode has led to the dove and the olive-branch becoming symbols of
peace and co-operation.

In Christian tradition the dove became a symbol of the Holy Spirit. On the basis
of this image Rupert of Deutz offers a spiritual application of this entire passage:
“The dove that Noah sent out from the ark means the Holy Spirit, and he sent it
three times because every faithful soul draws from the sacraments of Christ or
of the Church a triple grace of the Holy Spirit. The first grace is remission of sins;
the second, distribution of the various gifts; the third, recompense in the resurrec-
tion of the dead [. . .]. Therefore, the first sending of the dove means the remis-
sion of sins which Christ, the true Noah, sent immediately after his resurrection
when he said: ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are for-
given; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained’ (Jn 20:23) [. . .]. After it was
sent the second time, the dove came back in the evening hearing in its beak a
small olive leaf, because the apostles were given the Holy Spirit a second time on
the day of the Pentecost, who at the end of the life of each of them called them to
the rest enjoyed by the heavenly Church with the eternal reward of perfect peace.
After the dove was sent the third time it did not return, because after the resurrec-
tion of the dead (which will be the third outpouring of the Holy Spirit) they will not
be sent out to return once more, for they will go out not to work but to reign for e-
ver. So too as regards the elect: this same dove comes to them three times: first
when they are baptized, for the remission of sins; second, to receive the imposi-
tion of hands from the bishops; third (as I have said) in the resurrection of the
dead” (”Commentarium in Genesim”, 4:23).

8:13. The year ‘six hundred and one” in the life of Noah.

8:20-22. The sacred writer highlights this first sacrifice that mankind offered God
after emerging from the flood. Here man is acknowledging God, and God is plea-
sed to accept man’s gesture. God’s contentment (described in very human terms)
is to be seen particularly in his decision not to punish man any further: man’s ve-
ry nature (which he gets from Adam) inclines him towards evil, so in view of his
weakness, God undertakes never again to disturb the order of the cosmos. Ren-
dering God due worship (both interiorly and externally) is a duty man has by his
very nature. Thus, through religious cult and specifically through some form of
sacrifice, man recognizes God as his Creator and Lord, to whom he owes every-
thing that he is and everything he has, even his own life. Acknowledging God in
this way is a form of prayer, for, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church says,
“prayer is lived in the first place beginning with the realities of creation. The first
nine chapters of Genesis describe this relationship with God as an offering of
the first-born of Abel’s flock, as the invocation of the divine name at the time of
Enoch, and as ‘walking with God’ (cf. Gen 4:4, 26; 5:24). Noah’s offering is plea-
sing to God, who blesses him and through him all creation (cf. Gen 8:20-9:l7),
because his heart was upright and undivided; Noah, like Enoch before him,
‘walks with God’ (cf. Gen 6:9). This kind of prayer is lived by many righteous peo-
ple in all religions. In his indefectible covenant with every living creature (cf. Gen
9:8-16), God has always called people to prayer. But it is above all beginning
with our father Abraham that prayer is revealed in the Old Testament” (no. 2569).

Seen from a Christian perspective, the different kinds of sacrifices mentioned in
the course of Old Testament salvation history point to the perfect and enduring
sacrifice which Christ offered on the cross and which is perpetuated century af-
ter century in the holy sacrifice of the Mass. Commenting on the present pas-
sage, St Bede observes: “Just as Abel consecrated the start of the first age of
the world by means of a sacrifice to God, so Noah began the second age”; and
(after recalling the sacrifices offered by Abraham, Melchizedek, and the patri-
archs, kings and priests of the Old Testament) he goes on to say that “All those
sacrifices were figures of our supreme King and true priest who on the altar of
the holy cross offered God the host of his body and his blood” (”Hexaemeron,
2: in Gen 8:21”).

*********************************************************************************************
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: Mark 8:22-26

The Curing of a Blind Man at Bethsaida

[22] And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to Him (Jesus) a
blind man, and begged Him to touch him. [23] And He took the blind man by
the hand, and led him out of the village. And when He had spit on his eyes and
laid His hands upon him, He asked, “Do you see anything?” [24] And he looked
up and said, “I see men, but they look like trees, walking.” [25] Then again He
laid His hands upon his eyes; and He looked intently and was restored, and saw
everything clearly. [26] And He sent him away to his home, saying, “Do not even
enter the village.”

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

22-25. Normally the cures which Jesus worked were instantaneous; not so in
this case. Why? Because the blind man’s faith was very weak, it would seem,
to begin with. Before curing the eyes of his body, Jesus wanted the man’s faith
to grow; the more it grew and the more trusting the man became, the more sight
Jesus gave him. In this way Jesus acted in keeping with His usual pattern: not
working miracles unless there was a right predisposition, yet encouraging a good
disposition in the person and giving more grace as he responds to the grace al-
ready given.

God’s grace is essential even for desiring holy things: “Give us light, Lord. Be-
hold, we need it more than the man who was blind from his birth, for he wished
to see the light and could not, whereas nowadays, Lord, no one wishes to see
it. Oh, what a hopeless ill is this! Here, my God, must be manifested by Thy
power and Thy mercy” (St. Teresa, “Exclamations of the Soul to God”, 8).

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible by Darton, Longman & Todd

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading
Genesis 8:6-13,20-22 ©

The dove returns

At the end of forty days Noah opened the porthole he had made in the ark and he sent out the raven. This went off, and flew back and forth until the waters dried up from the earth. Then he sent out the dove, to see whether the waters were receding from the surface of the earth. The dove, finding nowhere to perch, returned to him in the ark, for there was water over the whole surface of the earth; putting out his hand he took hold of it and brought it back into the ark with him. After waiting seven more days, again he sent out the dove from the ark. In the evening, the dove came back to him and there it was with a new olive-branch in its beak. So Noah realised that the waters were receding from the earth. After waiting seven more days he sent out the dove, and now it returned to him no more.

It was in the six hundred and first year of Noah’s life, in the first month and on the first of the month, that the water dried up from the earth. Noah lifted back the hatch of the ark and looked out. The surface of the ground was dry!

Noah built an altar for the Lord, and choosing from all the clean animals and all the clean birds he offered burnt offerings on the altar. The Lord smelt the appeasing fragrance and said to himself, ‘Never again will I curse the earth because of man, because his heart contrives evil from his infancy. Never again will I strike down every living thing as I have done.

‘As long as earth lasts,

sowing and reaping,

cold and heat,

summer and winter,

day and night

shall cease no more.’

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 115(116):12-15,18-19 ©

A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord.

Alleluia!

How can I repay the Lord

for his goodness to me?

The cup of salvation I will raise;

I will call on the Lord’s name.

A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord.

Alleluia!

My vows to the Lord I will fulfil

before all his people.

O precious in the eyes of the Lord

is the death of his faithful.

A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord.

Alleluia!

My vows to the Lord I will fulfil

before all his people,

in the courts of the house of the Lord,

in your midst, O Jerusalem.

A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord.

Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation	Ps118:105

Alleluia, alleluia!

Your word is a lamp for my steps

and a light for my path.

Alleluia!

Or:	cf.Ep1:17,18

Alleluia, alleluia!

May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

enlighten the eyes of our mind,

so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.

Alleluia!

Gospel	Mark 8:22-26 ©

The blind man was cured and could see everything distinctly

Jesus and his disciples came to Bethsaida, and some people brought to him a blind man whom they begged him to touch. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Then putting spittle on his eyes and laying his hands on him, he asked, ‘Can you see anything?’ The man, who was beginning to see, replied, ‘I can see people; they look like trees to me, but they are walking about.’ Then he laid his hands on the man’s eyes again and he saw clearly; he was cured, and he could see everything plainly and distinctly. And Jesus sent him home, saying, ‘Do not even go into the village.’

Mark
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Mark 8
22.	And they came to Bethsaida; and they bring to him a blind man, and they besought him that he would touch him.	Et veniunt Bethsaidam, et adducunt ei cæcum, et rogabant eum ut illum tangeret.	και ερχεται εις βηθσαιδαν και φερουσιν αυτω τυφλον και παρακαλουσιν αυτον ινα αυτου αψηται
23.	And taking the blind man by the hand, he led him out of the town; and spitting upon his eyes, laying his hands on him, he asked him if he saw any thing.	Et apprehensa manu cæci, eduxit eum extra vicum : et exspuens in oculos ejus impositis manibus suis, interrogavit eum si quid videret.	και επιλαβομενος της χειρος του τυφλου εξηγαγεν αυτον εξω της κωμης και πτυσας εις τα ομματα αυτου επιθεις τας χειρας αυτω επηρωτα αυτον ει τι βλεπει
24.	And looking up, he said: I see men as it were trees, walking.	Et aspiciens, ait : Video homines velut arbores ambulantes.	και αναβλεψας ελεγεν βλεπω τους ανθρωπους οτι ως δενδρα ορω περιπατουντας
25.	After that again he laid his hands upon his eyes, and he began to see, and was restored, so that he saw all things clearly.	Deinde iterum imposuit manus super oculos ejus : et cœpit videre : et restitutus est ita ut clare videret omnia.	ειτα παλιν επεθηκεν τας χειρας επι τους οφθαλμους αυτου και εποιησεν αυτον αναβλεψαι και αποκατεσταθη και ενεβλεψεν τηλαυγως απαντας
26.	And he sent him into his house, saying: Go into thy house, and if thou enter into the town, tell nobody.	Et misit illum in domum suam, dicens : Vade in domum tuam : et si in vicum introieris, nemini dixeris.	και απεστειλεν αυτον εις [τον] οικον αυτου λεγων μηδε εις την κωμην εισελθης μηδε ειπης τινι εν τη κωμη

22. And he comes to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man to him, and besought him to touch him.
23. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.
24. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
25. After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.
26. And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.

GLOSS. After the feeding of the multitude, the Evangelist proceeds to the giving sight to the blind, saying, And they come to Bethsaida, and they bring a blind man to him, and besought him to touch him.

BEDE; Knowing that the touch of the Lord could give sight to a blind man as well as cleanse a leper. It goes on, And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town.

THEOPHYL. For Bethsaida appears to have been infected with much infidelity, wherefore the Lord reproaches it, Woe to you, Bethsaida, for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. He then takes out of the town the blind man, who had been brought to Him, for the faith of those who brought him was not true faith. It goes on; And when he had spit in his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.

PSEUD-CHRYS. He spat indeed, and put His hand upon the blind man, because He wished to show that wonderful are the effects of the Divine word added to action; for the hand is the symbol of working, but the spittle, of the word proceeding out of the mouth. Again He asked him whether he could see any thing, which he had not done in the case of any whom He had healed, thus showing that by the weak faith of those who brought him, and of the blind man himself, his eyes could not altogether be opened.

Wherefore there follows: And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees walking; because he was still under the influence of unfaithfulness, he said that he saw men obscurely.

BEDE; Seeing indeed the shapes of bodies amongst the shadows, but unable to distinguish the outlines of the limbs, from the continued darkness of his sight; just as trees standing thick together are wont to appear to men who see them from afar, or by the dim light of the night, so that it cannot easily he known whether they be trees or men.

THEOPHYL. But the reason why he did not see at once perfectly, but in part, was, that he had not perfect faith; for healing is bestowed in proportion to faith.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. From the commencement, however, of the return of his senses, he leads him to apprehend things by faith, and thus makes him see perfectly; wherefore it goes on, After that, he put his hands again upon his eyes, and he began to see, and afterwards he adds, And he was restored, and saw all things clearly; that is, being perfectly healed in his senses and his intellect.

It goes on: And he sent him away to his house, saying, Go in to your home, and if you enter in to the town, tell it not to anyone.

THEOPHYL. These precepts he gave him, because they were unfaithful, as has been said, lest perchance he should receive hurt in his soul from them, and they by their unbelief should run into a more grievous crime.

BEDE; Or else, he leaves an example to His disciples that they should not seek for popular favor by the miracles which they did. Mystically, however, Bethsaida is interpreted 'the house of time valley,' that is, the world, which is the vale of tears. Again, they bring to the Lord a blind man, that is, one who neither sees what he has been, what he is, nor what he is to be. They ask Him to touch him, for what is being touched, but feeling compunction?

BEDE; For the Lord touches us, when He enlightens our minds with the breath of His Spirit, and he stirs us up that we may recognize our own infirmity, and be diligent in good actions. He takes the hand of the blind man, that He may strengthen him to the practice of good works.

PSEUDO-JEROME; And He brings him out of the town, that is, out of the neighborhood of the wicked; and lie puts spittle into his eyes, that he may see the will of God, by the breath of the Holy Ghost; and putting His hands upon him, He asked him if he could see, because by the works of the Lord His majesty is seen.

BEDE; Or else, putting spittle into the eyes of the blind man, he hays His hands upon him that he may see, because He has wiped away the blindness of the human race both by invisible gifts, and by the Sacrament of His assumed humanity; for the spittle, proceeding from the Head, points out the grace of the Holy Ghost. But though by one word He could cure the man wholly and all at once, still He cures him by degrees, that He may show the greatness of the blindness of man, which can hardly, and only as it were step by step, be restored to light; and He exhibits to us His grace, by which He furthers each step towards perfection. Again, whoever is weighed down by a blindness of such long continuance, that he is unable to distinguish between good and evil, sees as it were men like trees walking, because he sees the deeds of the multitude without the light of discretion.

PSEUDO-JEROME; Or else, he sees men as trees, because he thinks all men higher than himself. But He put His hands again upon his eyes, that he might see all things clearly, that is, understand invisible things by visible, and with the eye of a pure mind contemplate, what the eye has not seen, the glorious state of his own soul after the rust of sin. He sent him to his home, that is, to his heart; that he might see in himself things which he had not seen before; for a man despairing of salvation does not think that he can do at all what, when enlightened, he can easily accomplish.

THEOPHYL. Or else, after He has healed him He sends him to his home; for the home of every one of us heaven, and the mansions which are there.

PSEUDO-JEROME. And He says to him, If thou enter into the town, tell it not to any one, that is, relate continually to your neighbors your blindness, but never tell them of your virtue.

Catena Aurea Mark 8

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.

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]

February Devotion: The Holy Family

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The month of February has been primarily asociated with the Holy Family, probably due to the feast of Our Lord's presentation at the temple, celebrated on February 2. At the very outset of Christ's work on earth, God showed the world a family in which, as Pope Leo XIII teaches, "all men might behold a perfect model of domestic life, and of all virtue and holiness." The harmony, unity, and holiness which characterized this holy Family make it the model for all Christian families.

INVOCATION
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph most kind, Bless us now and in death's agony.

FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE HOLY FAMILY
Grant unto us, Lord Jesus, ever to follow the example of Thy holy Family, that in the hour of our death Thy glorious Virgin Mother together with blessed Joseph may come to meet us and we may be worthily received by Thee into everlasting dwellings: who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.
Roman Missal

CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY FAMILY
O Jesus, our most loving Redeemer, who having come to enlighten the world with Thy teaching and example, didst will to pass the greater part of Thy life in humility and subjection to Mary and Joseph in the poor home of Nazareth, thus sanctifying the Family that was to be an example for all Christian families, graciously receive our family as it dedicates and consecrates itself to Thee this day. Do Thou defend us, guard us and establish amongst us Thy holy fear, true peace, and concord in Christian love: in order that, by conforming ourselves to the divine pattern of Thy family, we may be able, all of us without exception, to attain to eternal happiness.

Mary, dear Mother of Jesus and Mother of us, by thy kindly intercession make this our humble offering acceptable in the sight of Jesus, and obtain for us His graces and blessings.

O Saint Joseph, most holy guardian of Jesus and Mary, assist us by thy prayers in all our spiritual and temporal necessities; that so we may be enabled to praise our divine Savior Jesus, together with Mary and thee, for all eternity.

Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory be, three times.

IN HONOR OF THE HOLY FAMILY
O God, heavenly Father, it was part of Thine eternal decree that Thine only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, should form a holy family with Mary, His blessed mother, and His foster father, Saint Joseph. In Nazareth home life was sanctified, and a perfect example was given to every Christian family. Grant, we beseech Thee, that we may fully comprehend and faithfully imitate the virtues of the Holy Family so that we may be united with them one day in their heavenly glory. Through the same Christ our Lord. 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

Holy Family Chaplet

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with me in my last hour.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul
in peace with you.

Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse. Amen.

Say 3 Our Father's, 3 Hail Mary's, and 3 Glory be's.

The Holy Family Icon by Nicholas Markell

PRAYER TO
THE HOLY FAMILY
===================================================================== ================

GOD our Heavenly Father, You call all peoples to be united as one family in worshipping You as the one and true God. You willed that Your Son become man, giving Him a virgin mother and a foster father to form the Holy Family of Nazareth.

WE pray: may the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, image and model of every human family unit walk in the spirit of Nazareth and grow in the understanding of its particular mission in society and the Church. May our families be living cells of love, faithfulness and unity, thus reflecting God's covenant with humanity and Christ's redeeming love for His Church.

JESUS, Mary and Joseph protect our families from all evil; keep us, who are away from home, one in love with our dear ones.

Parent's Prayer

Jesus, Son of God, Son of Man, and Son of Mary, I thank you for the gift of life you have entrusted to my care. Help me be a parent both tender and wise, both loving and forgiving.

Mary, Holy Mother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and our Motherly Queen of Heaven, nourish our family with your heavenly grace. Help us to remain faithful to The Most Holy Trinity, in all our sorrows and joys.

Joseph, Earthly father to our Lord God, guardian and spouse of Mary, keep our family safe from harm. Help us in all times of discouragement or anxiety.

Holy Family of Nazareth, help our family to walk in your footsteps. May we be peace-loving and peace-giving.
Amen.

Imitating the Holy Family: Four Traits that Make It Possible
[Catholic Caucus] On the Holy Family [Angelus]
Biblical Teachings on Marriage and Family. A Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family
Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
Recovering God's Plan for Marriage and Family: A Sermon on the Feast of the Holy Family

"Why were you looking for me?" (On the Feast of The Holy Family)
U.S. Postal Service Issues Holy Family Forever Stamp
On Prayer in the Life of the Holy Family
The Holy Family - held together by Love through all their problems [Ecumenical]
Feast of the Holy Family: The Christian Family is a Domestic Church
Chesterton on "The Human Family and the Holy Family"
Joseph, Mary and Jesus: A Model Family
ADVICE TO PARENTS by Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
The Holy Family
St. Joseph as Head of the Holy Family (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)

Feast of the Holy Family
Feast of the Holy Family (Dom Guéranger OSB)
The Feast of the Holy Family
The Holy Family vs. The Holy Innocents: A Christmas season reflection [Catholic Caucus]
Vatican creche to place Holy Family in Joseph's carpentry workshop
The Redemption and Protection of the Family [Feast of the Holy Family]
Study Backs Tradition of Loreto House - Stones in Altar Match Those in Nazareth, It Says
Unraveling Jesus' mystery years in Egypt
Gaudi's Church of the Holy Family to be ready for worship in 2008
Imitating the Holy Family; Four Traits that Make It Possible
Lots of Graphics: Post your favorite image of the St. Mary and Child, the Holy Family...

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

February 20, 2019

Wednesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Gn 8:6-13, 20-22

Responsorial Psalm pS 116:12-13, 14-15, 18-19

Alleluia See Eph 1:17-18

Gospel Mk 8:22-26

Readings at Mass

February, 2019

The Holy Father's Prayer Intention

Human Trafficking, For a generous welcome of the victims of human trafficking, of enforced prostitution, and of violence.