Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 04-03-09

USCCB.org/New American Bible ^ | 04-03-09 | New American Bible

[Salvation]

April 3, 2009

Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Reading 1 Responsorial Psalm Gospel

Reading 1
Jer 20:10-13

I hear the whisperings of many:
"Terror on every side!
Denounce! let us denounce him!"
All those who were my friends
are on the watch for any misstep of mine.
"Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail,
and take our vengeance on him."
But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion:
my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.
In their failure they will be put to utter shame,
to lasting, unforgettable confusion.
O LORD of hosts, you who test the just,
who probe mind and heart,
Let me witness the vengeance you take on them,
for to you I have entrusted my cause.
Sing to the LORD,
praise the LORD,
For he has rescued the life of the poor
from the power of the wicked!

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 18:2-3a, 3bc-4, 5-6, 7

R. (see 7) In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
The breakers of death surged round about me,
the destroying floods overwhelmed me;
The cords of the nether world enmeshed me,
the snares of death overtook me.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
In my distress I called upon the LORD
and cried out to my God;
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.

Gospel
Jn 10:31-42

The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus.
Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from my Father.
For which of these are you trying to stone me?"
The Jews answered him,
"We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy.
You, a man, are making yourself God."
Jesus answered them,
"Is it not written in your law, 'I said, You are gods"'?
If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came,
and Scripture cannot be set aside,
can you say that the one
whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world
blasphemes because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?
If I do not perform my Father's works, do not believe me;
but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me,
believe the works, so that you may realize and understand
that the Father is in me and I am in the Father."
Then they tried again to arrest him;
but he escaped from their power.

He went back across the Jordan
to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained.
Many came to him and said,
"John performed no sign,
but everything John said about this man was true."
And many there began to believe in him.

[Salvation]

For your reading, reflection, faith-sharing, comments, questions, discussion.

[Salvation]

King of Endless Glory Ping!

Please notify me via FReepmail if you would like to be added to or taken off the King of Endless Glory Ping List.

[Salvation]

The Passion of Lent [Passiontide - the last two weeks of Lent]

Passiontide and Holy Week

[Salvation]

Whatever happened to (Lenten) obligations? [Prayer, Fasting, Almsgiving]Archbishop John Vlazny
Vatican Presents Lenten Website: LENT 2009
A Scriptural Way of the Cross with Meditations by Saint Alphonsus Liguori (Lenten Prayer/Devotional)
Prayer, Fasting and Mercy by St. Peter Chrysologus, Early Church Father [Catholic Caucus]
History of Lent (Did the Church always have this time before Easter?)

Beginning of Lent
Lent (Catholic Encyclopedia - Caucus Thread)
At Lent, let us pray for the Pope (Muslim converts ask us to pray for the pope)
Daily Lenten Reflections 2009
LENTEN STATIONS [Stational Churches for Lent] (Catholic Caucus)

40 Days for Life campaign is now under way (February 25 - April 5]
This Lent, live as if Jesus Christ is indeed Lord of your life
Reconciliation, forgiveness, hope – and Lent
Intro to Fast and Abstinence 101
Lent: Why the Christian Must Deny Himself (with Scriptural references)

40 Ways to Improve Your Lent
Everything Lent (Lots of links)
The Best Kind of Fasting
Getting Serious About Lent
Lent Overview

Meditations on the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ [Devotional]
On Lent... and Lourdes (Benedict XVI's Angelus address)
Lent for Newbies
Lent -- 2008 -- Come and Pray Each Day
Lent: Why the Christian Must Deny Himself

Lenten Workshop [lots of ideas for all]
Lent and Reality
Forty Days (of Lent) [Devotional/Reflections]
Pope Benedict takes his own advice, plans to go on retreat for Lent
GUIDE FOR LENT - What the Catholic Church Says

Message of His Holiness Benedict XVI for Lent 2008
40 Days for Life: 2008 Campaigns [Lent Registration this week]
Vatican Web Site Focuses on Lent
Almsgiving [Lent]
Conversion Through Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving [Lent]

Feasting on Purple [Lent]
Lent: A Time for Prayer, Reflection and Giving
Denver Archbishop’s Lenten Message: “Restore us as a culture of Life”
Where does Ash Wednesday get its ashes?
Catholic Caucus: Daily Rosary Prayer for Lent

On the 40 Days of Lent General Audience of Pope Benedict XVI
Lenten Stations -- Stational Churches - visit each with us during Lent {Catholic Caucus}
Something New for Lent: Part I -- Holy Souls Saturdays
Reflections for Lent (February, March and April, 2007)
Lent 2007: The Love Letter Written by Pope Benedict

Pre-Lent through Easter Prayer and Reflections -- 2007
Stations of the Cross [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
For study and reflection during Lent - Mind, Heart, Soul [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Ash Wednesday and the Lenten Fast-Family observance Lenten season [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Pre-Lenten Days -- Family activities-Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras)[Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
40 Ways to Get the Most Out of Lent! [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]

Lenten Fasting or Feasting? [Catholic Caucus]
Pope's Message for Lent-2007
THE TRUE NATURE OF FASTING (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)
The Triduum and 40 Days
The Three Practices of Lent: Praying, Fasting. Almsgiving

Why We Need Lent
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI FOR LENT 2006
Lent a Time for Renewal, Says Benedict XVI
Why You Should Celebrate Lent
Getting the Most Out of Lent

Lent: A Time to Fast From Media and Criticism Says President of Pontifical Liturgical Institute
Give it up (making a Lenten sacrifice)
The History of Lent
The Holy Season of Lent -- Fast and Abstinence
The Holy Season of Lent -- The Stations of the Cross

Lent and Fasting
Mardi Gras' Catholic Roots [Shrove Tuesday]
Kids and Holiness: Making Lent Meaningful to Children
Ash Wednesday
All About Lent

[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. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day He rose again. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence 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 will be forever. Amen.

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 Sorrowful Mysteries
(Tuesdays and Fridays)
1. The Agony in the Garden (Matthew 26:36-46, Luke 22:39-46) [Spiritual fruit - God's will be done]
2. The Scourging at the Pillar (Matthew 27:26, Mark 15:15, John 19:1) [Spiritual fruit - Mortification of the senses]
3. The Crowning with Thorns (Matthew 27:27-30, Mark 15:16-20, John 19:2) [Spiritual fruit - Reign of Christ in our heart]
4. The Carrying of the Cross (Matthew 27:31-32, Mark 15:21, Luke 23:26-32, John 19:17) [Spiritual fruit - Patient bearing of trials]
5. The Crucifixion (Matthew 27:33-56, Mark 15:22-39, Luke 23:33-49, John 19:17-37) [Spiritual fruit - Pardoning of Injuries]

[Salvation]

~ 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 evil spirits
who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
 Amen
+

[Salvation]

Change Worth Praying For

[Salvation]

April Devotion: The Blessed Sacrament

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The Church traditionally encouraged the month of April for increased devotion to Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. "The Church in the course of the centuries has introduced various forms of this Eucharistic worship which are ever increasing in beauty and helpfulness; as, for example, visits of devotion to the tabernacles, even every day; Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament; solemn processions, especially at the time of Eucharistic Congresses, which pass through cities and villages; and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament publicly exposed . . . These exercises of piety have brought a wonderful increase in faith and supernatural life to the Church militant upon earth and they are re-echoed to a certain extent by the Church triumphant in heaven, which sings continually a hymn of praise to God and to the Lamb 'Who was slain.'" --Pope Pius XII

ACT OF ADORATION
I adore Thee, 0 Jesus, true God and true Man, here present in the Holy Eucharist, humbly kneeling before Thee and united in spirit with all the faithful on earth and all the blessed in heaven. In deepest gratitude for so great a blessing, I love Thee, my Jesus, with my whole heart, for Thou art all perfect and all worthy of love.

Give me grace nevermore in any way to offend Thee, and grant that I, being refreshed by Thy Eucharistic presence here on earth, may be found worthy to come to the enjoyment with Mary of Thine eternal and everblessed presence in heaven. Amen.

FAITH IN THE EUCHARIST
O my God, I firmly believe that Thou art really and corporally present in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar. I adore Thee here present from the very depths of my heart, and I worship Thy sacred presence with all possible humility. O my soul, what joy to have Jesus Christ always with us, and to be able to speak to Him, heart to heart, with all confidence. Grant, O Lord, that I, having adored Thy divine Majesty here on earth in this wonderful Sacrament, may be able to adore it eternally in Heaven. Amen.

PETITION
Believing that Thou, my God, hast in any way revealed to us--grieving for all my sins, offenses and negligences--hoping in Thee, O Lord, who wilt never let me be confounded--thanking Thee for this supreme gift, and for all the gifts of Thy goodness--loving Thee, above all in this sacrament of Thy love--adoring Thee in this deepest mystery of Thy condescension: I lay before Thee all the wounds and wants of my poor soul, and ask for all that I need and desire. But I need only Thyself, O Lord; I desire none but Thee--Thy grace, and the grace to use well Thy graces, the possession of Thee by grace in this life, and the possession of Thee forever in the eternal kingdom of Thy glory.

FOR THE PEACE OF CHRIST
O most sacred, most loving heart of Jesus, Thou art concealed in the Holy Eucharist, and Thou beatest for us still. Now as then Thou sayest, "With desire I have desired." I worship Thee, then, with all my best love and awe, with my fervent affection, with my most subdued, most resolved will. O make my heart beat with Thy heart. Purify it of all that is earthly, all that is proud and sensual, all that is hard and cruel, of all perversity, of all disorder, of all deadness. So fill it with Thee, that neither the events of the day nor the circumstances of the time may have power to ruffle it; but that in Thy love and Thy fear it may have peace. --Cardinal Newman

ACT OF LOVE
I believe Thou art present in the Blessed Sacrament, O Jesus. I love Thee and desire Thee. Come into my heart. I embrace Thee, O never leave me. I beseech Thee, O Lord Jesus, may the burning and most sweet power of Thy love absorb my mind, that I may die through love of Thy love, who wast graciously pleased to die through love of my love. --St. Francis of Assisi

ACT OF REPARATION
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, well known in connection with devotion to the Sacred Herat of Jesus, led the way in making reparation to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament for the coldness and ingratitude of men. This prayer of hers can become our own as we attempt to make amends for our own and others' neglect of the great Sacrament of His love, the Eucharist.
O kind and merciful savior, from my heart I earnestly desire to return Thee love for love. My greatest sorrow is that Thou art not loved by men, and, in particular, that my own heart is so cold, so selfish, so ungrateful. Keenly aware of my own weakness and poverty, I trust that Thy own grace will enable me to offer Thee an act of pure love. And I wish to offer Thee this act of love in reparation for the coldness and neglect that are shown to Thee in the sacrament of Thy love by Thy creatures. O Jesus, my supreme good, I love Thee, not for the sake of the reward which Thou hast promised to those who love Thee, but purely for Thyself. I love Thee above all things that can be loved, above all pleasures, and above myself and all that is not Thee, promising in the presence of heaven and earth that I will live and die purely and simply in Thy holy love, and that if to love Thee thus I must endure persecution and suffering I am completely satisfied, and I will ever say with Saint Paul: Nothing "will be able to separate us from the love of God." 0 Jesus, supreme master of all hearts, I love Thee, I adore Thee, I praise Thee, I thank Thee, because I am now all Thine own. Rule over me, and transform my soul into the likeness of Thyself, so that it may bless and glorify Thee forever in the abode of the saints.
--Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

OFFERING
My Lord, I offer Thee myself in turn as a sacrifice of thanksgiving. Thou hast died for me, and I in turn make myself over to Thee. I am not my own. Thou hast bought me; I will by my own act and deed complete the purchase. My wish is to be separated from everything of this world; to cleanse myself simply from sin; to put away from me even what is innocent, if used for its own sake, and not for Thine. I put away reputation and honor, and influence, and power, for my praise and strength shall be in Thee. Enable me to carry out what I profess. Amen. --Cardinal Newman

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

The best, the surest , and the most effective way of establishing everlasting peace on the face of the earth is through the great power of perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament." -- Pope John Paul II

"Could you not watch one hour?" -- Mark 14:37

I am happy to testify that many young people are discovering the beauty of adoration, whether personal or in community. I invite priests to encourage youth groups in this, but also to accompany them to ensure that the forms of adoration are appropriate and dignified, with sufficient times for silence and listening to the word of God. In life today, which is often noisy and scattered, it is more important than ever to recover the capacity for interior silence and recollection: Eucharistic adoration permits one to do this not only within one's "I" but rather in the company of that "You" full of love who is Jesus Christ, "the God who is near us."

 

~Pope Benedict XVI

Holy Communion and Non-Catholics (with a Quiz!)
Beginning Catholic: The Eucharist: In the Presence of the Lord Himself [Ecumenical]
Beginning Catholic: Receiving the Lord in Holy Communion [Ecumenical]
Faithful Invited to Follow Pope, Adore Eucharist [Catholic Caucus]
Christmas and the Eucharist(Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)

Eucharist kneeling request sparks controversy [Catholic Caucus]
Eucharist vs. the Word (which is more important in the Catholic Church)
Christ the Miracle Worker in the Eucharist(Catholic Caucus)
Imitating Christ in the Eucharist(Catholic Caucus)
The Eucharist - the Lord's Sacrifice, Banquet and Presence (OPEN)

Pope Calls Eucharist History's Greatest Revolution [OPEN]
A Brief Catechism for Adults - Lesson 22: The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist (Holy Communion)
A series of reflections from St. Peter Julian Eymard Blessed Sacrament(Catholic Caucus)
Eucharist, Holy Meal
Imitating Christ in the Eucharist

Christmas and the Eucharist
Prayer Before the Blessed Sacrament
This is My Body, This is My Blood
THE HOLY EUCHARIST IS THE WHOLE CHRIST
Gift Of Life, Gift Eternal: The Most Holy Eucharist and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

Area worshipers march to celebrate Holy Eucharist
Grace of the Eucharist is secret to holy priests, says Pope
The Disposition of Priests [Valid Mass, Valid Holy Eucharist?]
The Body of Christ?
Holy Sacrifice, Living Sacrament

Knights of the Eucharist
The Banquet of Corpus Christi - "Why did Jesus give us His Body and Blood?"
The Eucharist: Eternity and Time Together
Restored Order of the Sacraments of Initiation? Confirmation and First Eucharist together? (Vanity)
Reflections of Cardinal Ratzinger on the Eucharist

THE HOLY EUCHARIST: NOURISHMENT TO FINISH OUR COURSE
The Eucharist in Scripture - Part 1 - Old Testament
LITANY OF REPARATION TO OUR LORD IN THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
POPE GRANTS PLENARY INDULGENCE FOR YEAR OF THE EUCHARIST

New Plenary Indulgence to Mark Year of the Eucharist
Kneeling and Faith in the Eucharist
The Immaculate Conception and the Eucharist, a course in Christian culture in Tashkent
The Year of the Eucharist by Bishop Donald Wuerl
"While We're At It": What can we do to show that the Eucharist is a communal activity?

CATHOLICS AND BAPTISTS WITNESSED UNUSUAL IMAGES IN BLESSED SACRAMENT
The Discipline of the Eucharist Holy See Releases Redemptionis Sacramentum...
Vatican: Matters to be observed or to be avoided regarding the Most Holy Eucharist (April 23, 2004)
Devotion to the Holy Eucharist Advances Devotion to Jesus' Person
New rules on the Holy Eucharist on Holy Thursday

The Reverence due to the Holy Eucharist
The Holy Face of Jesus Christ as appeared on the Holy Eucharist
The Fourth Cup: The Sacrament of the Eucharist [Holy Thursday] [Passover]
Holy Father stresses Need of Devotion to Holy Eucharist outside of Mass: Pope Paul VI

[Salvation]

Holy Father's Prayer Intentions For April 2009

General: That the Lord may bless the farmers with an abundant harvest and sensitise the richer populations to the drama of hunger in the world

Mission: That the Christians who work in areas where the conditions of the poor, the weak and the women and children are most tragic, may be signs of hope, thanks to their courageous testimony to the Gospel of solidarity and love.

[Salvation]

From: Jeremiah 20:10-13

Jeremiah’s fifth “confession”

---

[10] For I hear many whispering.
Terror is on every side!
“Denounce him! Let us denounce him!”
say all my familiar friends,
watching for my fall.
“Perhaps he will be deceived,
then we can overcome him,
and take our revenge on him.”
[11] But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior;
therefore my persecutors will stumble,
they will not overcome me.
They will be greatly shamed,
for they will not succeed.
Their eternal dishonour
will never be forgotten.
[12] O Lord of hosts, who triest the righteous,
who seest the heart and the mind,
let me see thy vengeance upon them,
for to thee have I committed my cause.

[13] Sing to the Lord;
praise the Lord!
For he has delivered the life of the needy
from the hand of evildoers.

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

20:7-18. This last, very dramatic “confession” is one of the most impressive
passages in prophetical literature. It (especially vv. 14-18) has features in
common with Job 3:1-10. It could have been uttered around 605-604 BC when
Jeremiah was being persecuted by King Jehoiakim. Despite all his efforts,
Jeremiah feels that he has failed; he believes in God – but could it be that he
never received a special call? It is a time of inner crisis for Jeremiah. He la-
ments his vocation, for it has led to his persecution (vv. 7-9); then he makes
an act of trust in God despite the harassment he is suffering (vv. 10-13); the
passage ends with a series of imprecations (vv. 14-18).

The prophet confides his feelings to God and complains about his calling (v.
7a). It looks as if God has misled him (v. 7b): the prophet has made enemies
on every side. When he proclaims the word of God no one listens: reproach
and derision are the only response he gets (v. 10). He would like to walk away.
Yet he cannot, for God is like a “burning fire” in his heart (v. 9). Despite all his
difficulties, his zeal for the Lord wins the day: it only goes to prove that those
who have experienced desire to make him known to others – to those who once
knew him and have forgotten him, and to those who have never heard of him.
That is the message that Theodoret of Cyrus takes from this passage, recalling
the example of St. Paul: “The same happened to St. Paul as he stood in silence
in Athens. His soul burned within him when he saw the terrible idolatry that was
practiced in that city (cf. Acts 17:16). The prophet had the same experience”
(Interpretatio in Jeremiam, 20, 9). And when Origen reads this passage and
asks himself whether God could ever deceive someone, he explains: “We are
little children, and we must be treated as little children. God, therefore, en-
trances us in order to form us, although we may not be aware of this captivation
before the appropriate time comes. God does not deal with us as people who
have already left childhood, who can no longer be led by sweet words but only
by deeds” (Homiliae in Jeremiam, 19, 15).

In spite of everything, Jeremiah is sure that God will never forsake him (v. 11).
>From what he says, we can see that there is an inner tension between his
experience of all kinds of sufferings (vv. 14-18) and the conviction that God will
never leave him (vv. 12-13). What he says in v. 18 could suggest that he is
utterly depressed, but what he is doing is baring his soul to someone whom
he loves and trusts entirely, even in the midst of total darkness and a sense of
powerlessness. Events will show this to be the case: Jeremiah did not give up
his ministry but persevered in it to the end of his life. He admits his limitations
but he stays true to God: this bears out what the Lord will tell St. Paul when he
feels the situation is beyond him: “My power is made perfect in your weakness”
(2 Cor 12:9).

Meditating on this “confession” of Jeremiah, St. John of the Cross concludes that
sometimes God’s purposes are impossible to understand: “It is very difficult to
attempt to understand fully the words and deeds of God, or even to decide what
they may be, without falling often into error or becoming very confused. The
prophets who were entrusted with the word of God knew this well; their task of
prophesying to the people was a daunting one, for the people could not always
see what was spoken coming to pass. Therefore, they mocked and laughed at
the prophets, as Jeremiah says: I have become a laughingstock all the day;
every one mocks me (20:7). Although the prophet speaks as though resigned
to his fate, in the voice of a weak man who is unable to bear any longer the vi-
cissitudes of God, he makes clear the difference between the prophecy and its
fulfillment and the common sense that the divine sayings contain, because he
knows that the prophets were often taken as mischief-makers” (Ascent of Mount
Carmel, 2, 20, 6).

*********************************************************************************************
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 10:31-42

Jesus and the Father Are One (Continuation)

---

[31] The Jews took stones again to stone Him (Jesus). [32] Jesus answered
them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of these
do you stone Me?” [33] The Jews answered Him, “We stone you for no good
work but for blasphemy; because You, being a man, make Yourself God.”
[34] Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said you are gods’?
[35] If He called them gods to whom the word of God came (and Scripture cannot
be broken), [36] do you say of Him whom the Father consecrated and sent into
the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? [37] If
I am not doing the works of My Father, then do not believe Me; [38] but if I do
them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know
and understand that the Father is in Me and I am in the Father.” [39] Again they
tried to arrest Him, but He escaped from their hands.

[40] He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John at first
baptized, and there He remained. [41] And many came to Him; and they said,
“John did no sign, but everything that John said about this Man was true.” [42]
And many believed in Him there.

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

31-33. The Jews realize that Jesus is saying that He is God, but they interpret
His words as blasphemy. He was called a blasphemer when He forgave the sins
of the paralytic (Matthew 9:1-8), and He will also be accused of blasphemy when
He is condemned after solemnly confessing His divinity before the Sanhedrin
(Matthew 26:63-65). Our Lord, then, did reveal that He was God; but His hearers
rejected this revelation of the mystery of the Incarnate God, refusing to examine
the proof Jesus offered them; consequently, they accuse Him, a man, of making
Himself God. Faith bases itself on reasonable evidence—miracles and prophecies
—for believing that Jesus is really man and really God, even though our limited
minds cannot work out how this can be so. Thus, our Lord, in order to affirm His
divinity once more, uses two arguments which His adversaries cannot refute—the
testimony of Sacred Scripture (prophecies) and that of His own works (miracles).

34-36. On a number of occasions the Gospel has shown our Lord replying to the
Jews’ objections. Here He patiently uses a form of argument which they regards
as decisive—the authority of Sacred Scripture. He quotes Psalm 82 in which God
upbraids certain judges for acting unjustly despite His reminding them that “You
are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you” (Psalm 82:6). If this psalm calls the
sons of Israel gods and sons of God, with how much more reason should He be
called God who has been sanctified and sent by God? Christ’s human nature,
on being assumed by the Word, is sanctified completely and comes to the world
to sanctify men. “The Fathers of the Church constantly proclaim that what was
not assumed by Christ was not healed. Now Christ took a complete human
nature just as it is found in us poor unfortunates, but one that was without sin,
for Christ said of Himself that He was the one ‘whom the Father consecrated
and sent into the world’” (Vatican II, “Ad Gentes”, 3).

By using Sacred Scripture (cf. Matthew 4:4, 7, 10; Luke 4:1, 17) Jesus teaches
us that Scripture comes from God. Therefore, the Church believes and affirms
that “those divinely revealed realities which are contained and presented in Sa-
cred Scripture have been committed to writing under the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit. Holy Mother Church, relying on the belief of the Apostles, holds that the
books of both the Old and New Testament in their entirety, with all their parts,
are sacred and canonical because, having been written under the inspiration of
the Holy Spirit (cf. John 20:31; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-21; 3:15-16) they
have God as their author and have been handed on as such to the Church. [...]
Therefore, since everything asserted by the inspired authors or sacred writers
must be held to be asserted by the Holy Spirit, it follows that the books of Scrip-
tures must be acknowledged as teaching firmly, faithfully, and without error that
truth which God wanted put into the sacred writings for the sake of our salvation”
(Vatican II, “Dei Verbum”, 11).

37-38. The works which our Lord is referring to are His miracles, through which
God’s power is made manifest. Jesus presents His words and His works as for-
ming a unity, with the miracles confirming His words and His words explaining
the meaning of the miracles. Therefore, when He asserts that He is the Son of
God, this revelation is supported by the credentials of the miracles He works:
hence, if no one can deny the fact of the miracles, it is only right for Him to
accept the truth of the words.

41-42. The opposition offered by some people (cf. John 10:20, 31, 39) contrasts
with the way other people accept Him and follow Him to where He goes after this.
St. John the Baptist’s preparatory work is still producing results: those who
accepted the Baptist’s message now look for Christ and they believe when they
see the truth of what the Precursor said: Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God
(John 1:34).

Work done in the Lord’s name is never useless: “Therefore, My beloved brethren,
be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that
in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). Just as the Baptist’s
word and example had the effect of helping many people later to believe in Jesus,
the apostolic example given by Christians will never be in vain, even though the
results may not come immediately. “To sow. The sower went out...Scatter your
seed, apostolic soul. The wind of grace will bear it away if the furrow where it
falls is not worthy.... Sow, and be certain that the seed will take root and bear
fruit” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 794).

*********************************************************************************************
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 taken from the Jerusalem Bible, published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd

Mass Readings

The alternative readings given here may be used on any day this week, especially if the Gospel story of the raising of Lazarus was not read on Sunday.

First reading

Jeremiah 20:10-13 ©

Jeremiah said: I hear so many disparaging me, ‘“Terror from every side!” Denounce him! Let us denounce him!’ All those who used to be my friends watched for my downfall, ‘Perhaps he will be seduced into error. Then we will master him and take our revenge!’ But the Lord is at my side, a mighty hero; my opponents will stumble, mastered, confounded by their failure; everlasting, unforgettable disgrace will be theirs. But you, O Lord of Hosts, you who probe with justice, who scrutinise the loins and heart, let me see the vengeance you will take on them, for I have committed my cause to you. Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, for he has delivered the soul of the needy from the hands of evil men.

Alternative first reading

2 Kings 4:18-21,32-37 ©

One day the son of the Shunammitess went out to his father who was with the reapers, and exclaimed to his father, ‘Oh, my head! My head!’ The father told a servant to carry him to his mother. He lifted him up and took him to his mother, and the boy sat on her knee until midday, when he died. She went upstairs, laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut the door on him and went out.   Elisha then went to the house, and there on his bed lay the child, dead. He went in and shut the door on the two of them and prayed to the Lord. Then he climbed on to the bed and stretched himself on top of the child, putting his mouth on his mouth, his eyes to his eyes, and his hands on his hands, and as he lowered himself on to him, the child’s flesh grew warm. Then he got up and walked to and fro inside the house, and then climbed on to the bed again and lowered himself on to the child seven times in all; then the child sneezed’ and opened his eyes. He then summoned Gehazi. ‘Call our Shunammitess’ he said; and he called her. When she came to him, he said, ‘Take up your son.’ She went in and, falling at his feet, bowed down to the ground; and taking up her son went out.

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 17:2-7

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 16:1,6-8,15

Gospel

John 10:31-42 ©

The Jews fetched stones to stone him, so Jesus said to them, ‘I have done many good works for you to see, works from my Father; for which of these are you stoning me?’ The Jews answered him, ‘We are not stoning you for doing a good work but for blasphemy: you are only a man and you claim to be God.’ Jesus answered: ‘Is it not written in your Law: I said, you are gods? So the Law uses the word gods of those to whom the word of God was addressed, and scripture cannot be rejected. Yet you say to someone the Father has consecrated and sent into the world, “You are blaspheming,” because he says, “I am the son of God.” If I am not doing my Father’s work, there is no need to believe me; but if I am doing it, then even if you refuse to believe in me, at least believe in the work I do; then you will know for sure that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.’ They wanted to arrest him then, but he eluded them.   He went back again to the far side of the Jordan to stay in the district where John had once been baptising. Many people who came to him there said, ‘John gave no signs, but all he said about this man was true’; and many of them believed in him.

Alternative gospel

John 11:1-45 ©

There was a man named Lazarus who lived in the village of Bethany with the two sisters, Mary and Martha, and he was ill. – It was the same Mary, the sister of the sick man Lazarus, who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair. The sisters sent this message to Jesus, ‘Lord, the man you love is ill.’ On receiving the message, Jesus said, ‘This sickness will end not in death but in God’s glory, and through it the Son of God will be glorified.’   Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, yet when he heard that Lazarus was ill he stayed where he was for two more days before saying to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judaea.’ The disciples said, ‘Rabbi, it is not long since the Jews wanted to stone you; are you going back again?’ Jesus replied: ‘Are there not twelve hours in the day? A man can walk in the daytime without stumbling because he has the light of this world to see by; but if he walks at night he stumbles, because there is no light to guide him.’ He said that and then added, ‘Our friend Lazarus is resting, I am going to wake him.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Lord, if he is able to rest he is sure to get better.’ The phrase Jesus used referred to the death of Lazarus, but they thought that by ‘rest’ he meant ‘sleep’, so Jesus put it plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead; and for your sake I am glad I was not there because now you will believe. But let us go to him.’ Then Thomas – known as the Twin – said to the other disciples, ‘Let us go too, and die with him.’   On arriving, Jesus found that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days already. Bethany is only about two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to sympathise with them over their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus had come she went to meet him. Mary remained sitting in the house. Martha said to Jesus, ‘If you had been here, my brother would not have died, but I know that, even now, whatever you ask of God, he will grant you.’ ‘Your brother’ said Jesus to her ‘will rise again.’ Martha said, ‘I know he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said: ‘I am the resurrection. If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ she said ‘I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world.’   When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in a low voice, ‘The Master is here and wants to see you.’ Hearing this, Mary got up quickly and went to him. Jesus had not yet come into the village; he was still at the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were in the house sympathising with Mary saw her get up so quickly and go out, they followed her, thinking that she was going to the tomb to weep there.   Mary went to Jesus, and as soon as she saw him she threw herself at his feet, saying, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ At the sight of her tears, and those of the Jews who followed her, Jesus said in great distress, with a sigh that came straight from the heart, ‘Where have you put him?’ They said, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus wept; and the Jews said, ‘See how much he loved him!’ But there were some who remarked, ‘He opened the eyes of the blind man, could he not have prevented this man’s death?’ Still sighing, Jesus reached the tomb: it was a cave with a stone to close the opening. Jesus said, ‘Take the stone away.’ Martha said to him, ‘Lord, by now he will smell; this is the fourth day.’ Jesus replied, ‘Have I not told you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus lifted up his eyes and said: ‘Father, I thank you for hearing my prayer. I knew indeed that you always hear me, but I speak for the sake of all these who stand round me, so that they may believe it was you who sent me.’ When he had said this, he cried in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, here! Come out!’ The dead man came out, his feet and hands bound with bands of stuff and a cloth round his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, let him go free.’   Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what he did believed in him.

[Salvation]

Friday, April 3, 2009
Lenten Weekday

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Jeremiah 20:10-13 Psalm 18:2-7 John 10:31-42 He that is mighty hath done great things to me, and holy is His Name. -- Luke i. 49

[Salvation]

The Angelus 

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: 
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. 

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen. 

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word. 

Hail Mary . . . 

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us. 

Hail Mary . . . 

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Let us pray: 

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen. 

[Salvation]

This is a wonderful success story!

Day 37— 325 babies saved

 

Wednesday April 1, 2009

---

"I Just Can't Take it Any More": Thanks to 40 Days for Life, Woman Wants Out of Abortion Business

 

Commentary by Shawn Carney, Spring Campaign Director, 40 Days for Life

April 1, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - I won't tell you where this is happening, but there is a woman we know of who's pondering a career change.

An abortion center employee has been talking to the 40 Days for Life prayer volunteers outside of her workplace - and she wants out!

Her message was simple - she just couldn't take it any longer. It was time to look for a new job.

She asked the vigil participants to pray for her. She said she couldn't simply quit her job, because she needs the income. Her prayer request was that she be able to find a suitable position elsewhere so she could give her notice at the clinic.

She also said the prayers of the vigil participants have a definite impact at the clinic. "When there are prayers happening outside, she said the tone of what happens inside changes," the local campaign coordinator told me. "Everyone is aware of their presence, and she for one, can no longer pretend that what is happening is OK."

There are women in Carson City, Nevada who "can't take it any longer" either. Because of 40 Days for Life, they've learned the shocking truth that the ob/gyn practice they go to for routine health care also does abortions.

It is indeed a fact that many people are simply unaware that abortions are going on in their own communities - even at their own doctors' offices. But thanks to vigil participants and pro-life supporters, 40 Days for Life is opening their eyes.

This ob/gyn practice is "feeling the heat of our presence," said Carol Marie, one of the local 40 Days for Life coordinators. "We know of at least three patients who have left the practice once they learned that abortions are performed."

One of those women told the abortion clinic staff she would no longer be their patient and the receptionist gave her a stack of forms to fill out. But the woman's response was that she was only interested in one form - a form where she could explain to this medical practice why she was going away.

"She then proceeded to put a long note in writing as to exactly what she thought of an ob/gyn center performing abortions as a part of their regular practice," Carol Marie said.

"This wonderful woman has ensured that they fully appreciate the reason they have lost her as a patient. By being present at the sidewalk, we are informing their patients about what is being done behind closed doors," she said. "With enough patients lost, they could rethink their commitment to performing abortions."

She added, "If you ever wondered if what we've been doing has been making a difference, well the Lord has given us an answer, loud and clear. Lives are being saved, people are leaving the business and we are costing

Source: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09040102.html

[Salvation]

Office of Readings and Invitatory Psalm

Office of Readings

If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, you should precede it with the Invitatory Psalm.

O God, come to my aid.

– O Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

  as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

  world without end.

Amen.

---

A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.

Psalm 34 (35)

The Lord, a saviour in time of persecution

Lord, rise up and defend me.

Judge, Lord, those who are judging me:

  attack those who are attacking me.

Take up your shield and come out to defend me.

  Brandish your spear and hold back my pursuers.

Say to my soul, “I am your deliverance.”

Let them be thrown into confusion,

  those who are after my life.

Let them be weakened and put to flight,

  those who plan harm to me.

Let them be like chaff blowing in the wind,

  when the angel of the Lord scatters them.

Let their paths be dark and slippery,

  when the angel of the Lord harries them.

For it was without cause that they spread out their nets to ensnare me,

  without cause that they dug a pit to take my life.

Let death come upon them suddenly,

  may they be entangled in their own nets.

But my soul will exult in the Lord

  and rejoice in his aid.

My bones themselves will say

  “Lord, who is your equal?”

You snatch the poor man

  from the hand of the strong,

the needy and weak

  from those who would destroy them.

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.

Lord, rise up and defend me.

---

Psalm 34 (35)

Judge my case, Lord: defend me, for you are strong.

Lying witnesses rose up against me;

  they asked me questions I could not answer.

They paid me back evil for the good I did,

  my soul is desolation.

Yet I – when they were ill, I put on sackcloth,

  I mortified my soul with fasting,

  I prayed for them from the depths of my heart.

I walked in sadness as for a close friend, for a brother;

  I was bowed down with grief as if mourning my own mother.

But they – when I was unsteady, they rejoiced and gathered together.

  They gathered and beat me: I did not know why.

They were tearing me to pieces, there was no end to it:

  they teased me, heaped derision on me, they ground their teeth at me.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

  as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

  world without end.

Amen.

Judge my case, Lord: defend me, for you are strong.

---

Psalm 34 (35)

All day my tongue will ponder your justice and utter your praise.

Lord, how long will you wait?

  Rescue my life from their attacks,

  my only life from the lions.

I will proclaim you in the great assembly,

  in the throng of people I will praise you.

Let not my lying enemies triumph over me,

  those who hate me for no reason,

who conspire against me by secret signs,

  who do not speak of peace,

  who plan crimes against the innocent,

who cry out slanders against me,

  saying “Yes! Yes! We saw it ourselves!”

You see them, Lord, do not stay silent:

  Lord, do not leave me.

Rise up and keep watch at my trial:

  my God and my Lord, watch over my case.

Judge me according to your justice,

  Lord: my God, let them not rejoice over me!

Let them not think to themselves,

  “Yes! We have what we wanted!”

Let them not say,

  “We have swallowed him up.”

But let those who support my cause rejoice,

  let them say always “How great is the Lord,

  who takes care of his servant’s welfare.”

And my tongue too will ponder your justice,

  and praise you all day long.

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.

All day my tongue will ponder your justice and utter your praise.

---

Turn back to the Lord your God,

– because he is tenderness and compassion.

---

Reading

Hebrews 7:11-28 ©

If perfection had been reached through the levitical priesthood because the Law given to the nation rests on it, why was it still necessary for a new priesthood to arise, one of the same order as Melchizedek not counted as being ‘of the same order as’ Aaron? But any change in the priesthood must mean a change in the Law as well.   So our Lord, of whom these things were said, belonged to a different tribe, the members of which have never done service at the altar; everyone knows he came from Judah, a tribe which Moses did not even mention when dealing with priests.   This becomes even more clearly evident when there appears a second Melchizedek, who is a priest not by virtue of a law about physical descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. For it was about him that the prophecy was made: You are a priest of the order of Melchizedek, and for ever. The earlier commandment is thus abolished, because it was neither effective nor useful, since the Law could not make anyone perfect; but now this commandment is replaced by something better – the hope that brings us nearer to God.   What is more, this was not done without the taking of an oath. The others, indeed, were made priests without any oath; but he with an oath sworn by the one who declared to him: The Lord has sworn an oath which he will never retract: you are a priest, and for ever. And it follows that it is a greater covenant for which Jesus has become our guarantee. Then there used to be a great number of those other priests, because death put an end to each one of them; but this one, because he remains for ever, can never lose his priesthood. It follows, then, that his power to save is utterly certain, since he is living for ever to intercede for all who come to God through him.   To suit us, the ideal high priest would have to be holy, innocent and uncontaminated, beyond the influence of sinners, and raised up above the heavens; one who would not need to offer sacrifices every day, as the other high priests do for their own sins and then for those of the people, because he has done this once and for all by offering himself. The Law appoints high priests who are men subject to weakness; but the promise on oath, which came after the Law, appointed the Son who is made perfect for ever.

---

Reading	From a treatise on faith addressed to Peter by Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe, bishop
Christ offered himself for us
The sacrifices of animal victims which our forefathers were commanded to offer to God by the holy Trinity itself, the one God of the old and the new testaments, foreshadowed the most acceptable gift of all. This was the offering which in his compassion the only Son of God would make of himself in his human nature for our sake.   The Apostle teaches that Christ offered himself for us to God as a fragrant offering and sacrifice. He is the true God and the true high priest who for our sake entered once for all into the holy of holies, taking with him not the blood of bulls and goats but his own blood. This was foreshadowed by the high priest of old when each year he took blood and entered the holy of holiest   Christ is therefore the one who in himself alone embodied all that he knew to be necessary to achieve our redemption. He is at once priest and sacrifice, God and temple. He is the priest through whom we have been reconciled, the sacrifice by which we have been reconciled, the temple in which we have been reconciled, the God with whom we have been reconciled. He alone is priest, sacrifice and temple because he is all these things as God in the form of a servant; but he is not alone as God, for he is this with the Father and the Holy Spirit in the form of God.   Hold fast to this and never doubt it: the only-begotten Son, God the Word, becoming man offered himself for us to God as a fragrant offering and sacrifice. In the time of the old testament, patriarchs, prophets and priests sacrificed animals in his honour, and in honour of the Father and the Holy Spirit as well.   Now in the time of the new testament the holy catholic Church throughout the world never ceases to offer the sacrifice of bread and wine, in faith and love, to him and to the Father and the Holy Spirit, with whom he shares one godhead.   Those animal sacrifices foreshadowed the flesh of Christ which he would offer for our sins, though himself without sin, and the blood which he would pour out for the forgiveness of our sins. In this sacrifice there is thanksgiving for, and commemoration of, the flesh of Christ that he offered for us, and the blood that the same God poured out for us. On this Saint Paul says in the Acts of the Apostles: Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock, in which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as bishops to rule the Church of God, which he won for himself by his blood.   Those sacrifices of old pointed in sign to what was to be given to us. In this sacrifice we see plainly what has already been given to us. Those sacrifices foretold the death of the Son of God for sinners. In this sacrifice he is proclaimed as already slain for sinners, as the Apostle testifies: Christ died for the wicked at a time when we were still powerless, and when we were enemies we were reconciled with God through the death of his Son.

---

Concluding Prayer

Absolve your people of their sins, O Lord.

  Our weakness has tied us up in the tangled knots of sin:

  in your goodness cut our bonds and make us free.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

  who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

  God for ever and ever.

Amen.

[Salvation]

Daily Readings (on USCCB site):
» April 03, 2009
(will open a new window)

Collect: Lord, grant us your forgiveness, and set us free from our enslavement to sin. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

« April 03, 2009 »

Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent
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• PRAYERS
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"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (Jn 8:12)." Like the forty days' fast of the Ninevites, our Lent continues in complete confidence in divine mercy; but our hope is founded not so much on our poor efforts at penance but on the passion of our Savior. No one is excluded from the redemption effected by the Blood of Christ; His grace is promised to all who believe in Him.

Stational Church

---

Meditation
What do we do for the salvation of souls? It is true that we pray for one another, offer a few words of comfort, and do each other slight favors; but we do little more. Christ was more generous. He endured the crowning of thorns and dragged the heavy cross to Calvary. We pamper our bodies as if they were our last end. We prefer to have our heads crowned with laurels and roses. We are impatient and consider ourselves unfortunate whenever we are called on to carry a mere splinter of the cross of Christ. Are we one in spirit with Him?

Now, during Passiontide, we must begin to love and treasure pain and suffering. In the cross, in suffering, in our crucifixion with Christ, we shall find salvation. For Him and with Him we should bear all the slight injustices committed against us. For Him we should suffer freely and willingly the unpleasant and disagreeable things that occur to us. But our faith is weak. We flee from the cross instead of holding it dear, instead of loving it and welcoming it as our Savior did.

What St. Paul says of many Christians of his day is equally true of many in our time: "For many walk, of whom I have told you often (and now tell you weeping) that they are enemies of the cross of Christ. Whose end is destruction; whose God is their belly; whose glory is in their shame; who mind earthly things" (Phil. 3:18 f.).

Excerpted from The Light of the World by Benedict Baur, O.S.B.

---

The Station, at Rome, is in the church of St. Stephen on Monte Celio. This church of the great proto-martyr was chosen as the place where the faithful were to assemble on the Friday of Passion week.

[T Minus Four]

This Psalm is so special it is repeated from 2 Samuel 22. Here is verse 1: David sang the words of this song to the Lord. He sang them when the Lord saved him from the powerful hand of all his enemies and of Saul. He said, (and then the psalm comprises the 51 verses of that chapter).

It has a very powerful message!

Psalm 18

For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. He sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.

2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

3 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.

4 The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

5 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called to the LORD;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.

7 The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.

8 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.

9 He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.

10 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.

12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.

13 The LORD thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.

14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies ,
great bolts of lightning and routed them.

15 The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.

17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.

18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the LORD was my support.

19 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.

20 The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.

21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD;
I have not done evil by turning from my God.

22 All his laws are before me;
I have not turned away from his decrees.

23 I have been blameless before him
and have kept myself from sin.

24 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,

26 to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.

27 You save the humble
but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.

28 You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.

29 With your help I can advance against a troop ;
with my God I can scale a wall.

30 As for God, his way is perfect;
the word of the LORD is flawless.
He is a shield
for all who take refuge in him.

31 For who is God besides the LORD ?
And who is the Rock except our God?

32 It is God who arms me with strength
and makes my way perfect.

33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he enables me to stand on the heights.

34 He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

35 You give me your shield of victory,
and your right hand sustains me;
you stoop down to make me great.

36 You broaden the path beneath me,
so that my ankles do not turn.

37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
I did not turn back till they were destroyed.

38 I crushed them so that they could not rise;
they fell beneath my feet.

39 You armed me with strength for battle;
you made my adversaries bow at my feet.

40 You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
and I destroyed my foes.

41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—
to the LORD, but he did not answer.

42 I beat them as fine as dust borne on the wind;
I poured them out like mud in the streets.

43 You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
you have made me the head of nations;
people I did not know are subject to me.

44 As soon as they hear me, they obey me;
foreigners cringe before me.

45 They all lose heart;
they come trembling from their strongholds.

46 The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted be God my Savior!

47 He is the God who avenges me,
who subdues nations under me,

48 who saves me from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
from violent men you rescued me.

49 Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD;
I will sing praises to your name.

50 He gives his king great victories;
he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.

NIV

[annalex]

Jn 10:31-42
#	Douay-Rheims	Vulgate
31	The Jews then took up stones to stone him.	sustulerunt lapides Iudaei ut lapidarent eum
32	Jesus answered them: Many good works I have shewed you from my Father. For which of those works do you stone me?	respondit eis Iesus multa opera bona ostendi vobis ex Patre meo propter quod eorum opus me lapidatis
33	The Jews answered him: For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy: and because that thou. being a, man, makest thyself God.	responderunt ei Iudaei de bono opere non lapidamus te sed de blasphemia et quia tu homo cum sis facis te ipsum Deum
34	Jesus answered them: Is it not written in your law: I said, you are gods?	respondit eis Iesus nonne scriptum est in lege vestra quia ego dixi dii estis
35	If he called them gods to whom the word of God was spoken; and the scripture cannot be broken:	si illos dixit deos ad quos sermo Dei factus est et non potest solvi scriptura
36	Do you say of him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world: Thou blasphemest; because I said: I am the Son of God?	quem Pater sanctificavit et misit in mundum vos dicitis quia blasphemas quia dixi Filius Dei sum
37	If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.	si non facio opera Patris mei nolite credere mihi
38	But if I do, though you will not believe me, believe the works: that you may know and believe that the Father is in me and I in the Father.	si autem facio et si mihi non vultis credere operibus credite ut cognoscatis et credatis quia in me est Pater et ego in Patre
39	They sought therefore to take him: and he escaped out of their hands.	quaerebant ergo eum prendere et exivit de manibus eorum
40	And he went again beyond the Jordan, into that place where John was baptizing first. And there he abode.	et abiit iterum trans Iordanen in eum locum ubi erat Iohannes baptizans primum et mansit illic
41	And many resorted to him: and they said: John indeed did no sign.	et multi venerunt ad eum et dicebant quia Iohannes quidem signum fecit nullum
42	But all things whatsoever John said of this man were true. And many believed n him.	omnia autem quaecumque dixit Iohannes de hoc vera erant et multi crediderunt in eum

[annalex]

31. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him,
32. Jesus answered them, "Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do you stone me?"
33. The Jews answered him, saying, "For a good work we stone you not; but for blasphemy; and because that you, being a man, make yourself God."
34. Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, you are gods?'
35. If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
36. Say you of him, whom the Father has sanctified, and sent into the world, you blaspheme; because I said, I am the Son of God?
37. If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
38. But if I do, though you believe not me, believe the works: that you may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him."

AUG. At this speech, I and My Father are one, the Jews could not restrain their rage, but ran to take up stones, after their hardhearted way: Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.

HILARY. The heretics now, as unbelieving and rebellious against our Lord in heaven, show their impious hatred by the stones, i.e. the words they cast at Him; as if they would drag Him down again from His throne to the cross.

THEOPHYL. Our Lord remonstrates with them; Many good works have I showed you from My Father, strewing that they had no just reason for their anger.

ALCUIN. Healing of the sick, teaching, miracles. He showed them of the Father, because He sought His Father's glory in all of them. For which of these works do you stone Me? They confess, though reluctantly, the benefit they have received from Him, but charge Him at the same time with blasphemy, for asserting His equality with the Father;

For a good work we stone you not, but for blasphemy; and because that You, being a man, make Yourself God.

AUG. This is their answer to the speech, I and My Father are one. Lo, the Jews understood what the Arians understand not. For they are angry, for this very reason, that they could not conceive but that by saying, I and My Father are one, He meant the equality of the Father and the Son.

HILARY. The Jew said, You being a man, the Arian, you being a creature: but both say, You make yourself God. The Arian supposes a God of a new and different substance a God of another kind, or not a God at all. He said, You are not Son by birth, you art not God of truth; you art a superior creature.

CHRYS. Our Lord did not correct the Jews, as if they misunderstood His speech, but confirmed and defended it, in the very sense in which they had taken it. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law,

AUG. i.e. the Law given to you, I have said, you are gods? God saith this by the Prophet in the Psalm. Our Lord calls all those Scriptures the Law generally, though elsewhere He spiritually distinguishes the Law from the Prophets. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

In another place He makes a threefold division of the Scriptures; All things must he fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms concerning Me. Now He calls the Psalms the Law, and thus argues from them; If he called them gods to whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken, say you of Him whom the Father has sanctified, and sent into the world, you blaspheme, because I said, I am the Son of God?

HILARY. Before proving that He and His Father are one, He answers the absurd and foolish charge brought against Him, that He being man made Himself God. When the Law applied this title to holy men, and the indelible word of God sanctioned this use of the incommunicable name, it could not be a crime in Him, even though He were man, to make Himself God.

The Law called those who were mere men, gods; and if any man could bear the name religiously, and without arrogance, surely that man could, who was sanctified by the Father, in a sense in which none else is sanctified to the Sonship; as the blessed Paul said, Declared to be the Son, of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness. For or all this reply refers to Himself as man; the Son of God being also the Son of man.

AUG. Or sanctified, i.e. in begetting, gave Him holiness, begat Him holy. If men to whom the word of God came were called gods, much more the Word of God Himself is God. If men by partaking of the word of God were made gods, much more is the Word of which they partake, God.

THEOPHYL. Or, sanctified, i.e. set apart to be sacrificed for the world: a proof that He was God in a higher sense than the rest. To save the world is a divine work, not that of a man made divine by grace.

CHRYS. Or, we must consider this a speech of humility, made to conciliate men. After it he leads them to higher things; If I do not the works of My Father, believe Me not; which is as much as to say, that He is not inferior to the Father. As they could not see His substance, He directs them to His works, as being like and equal to the Father's. For the equality of their works, proved tile equality of their power.

HILARY. What place has adoption, or the mere conception of a name then, that we should not believe Him to be the Son of God by nature, when He tells us to believe Him to be the Son of God, because the Father's nature showed itself in Him by His works?

A creature is not equal and like to God: no other nature has power comparable to the divine. He declares that He is carrying on not His own work, but the Father's, lest in the greatness of the works, the nativity of His nature be forgotten.

And as under the sacrament of the assumption of a human body in is the womb of Mary, the Son of God was not discerned, this must be gathered from His work; But if I do, though you believe not Me, believe the works.

Why does the sacrament of a human birth hinder the understanding of the divine, when the divine birth accomplishes all its work by aid of the human? Then He tells them what they should gather from His works; That you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him. The same declaration again, I am the Son of God: I and the Father are one.

AUG. The Son does not say, The Father is in Me, and I in Him, in the sense in which men who think and act aright may say the like; meaning that they partake of God's grace, and are enlightened by His Spirit. The Only-begotten Son of God is in the Father, and the Father in Him, as an equal in an equal.

39. Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,
40. And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.
41. And many resorted to him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spoke of this man were true.
42. And many believed in him there.

BEDE. The Jews still persist in their madness; Therefore they sought again to take Him.

AUG. To lay hold of Him, not by faith and the understanding, but with blood thirsty violence. Do you so lay hold of Him, that you may have sure hold; they would fain have laid hold on Him, but they could not: for it follows, But He escaped out of their hand. They did lay hold of Him with the hand of faith. It was no great matter for the Word to rescue His flesh from the hands of flesh.

CHRYS. Christ, after discoursing on some high truth, commonly retires immediately, to give time to the fury of people to abate, during His absence. Thus He did now: He went away again beyond Jordan, into the place where John at first baptized. He went there that He might recall to people's minds, what had gone on there; John's preaching and testimony to Himself.

BEDE. He was followed there by many: And many resorted to Him, and said, John did no miracle.

AUG. Did not cast out devils, did not give sight to the blind, did not raise the dead.

CHRYS. Mark their reasoning, John did no miracle, but this Man did; wherefore He is the superior. But lest the absence of miracles should lessen the weight of John's testimony, they add, But all things that John spoke of this Man were true.

Though he did no miracle, yet every thing he said of Christ was true, whence they conclude, if John was to be believed, much more this Man, who has the evidence of miracles. Thus it follows, And many believed in Him.

AUG. These laid hold of Him while abiding, not, like the Jews, when departing. Let us approach by the candle to the day. John is the candle, and gave testimony to the day.

THEOPHYL. We may observe that our Lord often brings out the people into solitary places, thus ridding them of the society of the unbelieving, for their furtherance in the faith: just as He led the people into the wilderness, when He gave them the old Law.

Mystically, Christ departs from Jerusalem, i.e. from the Jewish people; and goes to a place where are springs of water, i.e. to the Gentile Church, that has the waters of baptism. And many resort to Him, passing over the Jordan, i.e. through baptism.

Catena Aurea John 10

[annalex]

Ecce Homo Triptych

Maerten van Heemskerck

1559-60
Panel, 219 x 150 cm (central panel)
Frans Halsmuseum, Haarlem

[Salvation]

Lauds -- Morning Prayer

Morning Prayer (Lauds)

If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, you should precede it with the Invitatory Psalm.

O God, come to my aid.

– O Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

  as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

  world without end.

Amen.

---

A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.

Psalm 50 (51)

God, have mercy on me

Lord, you will accept lawful sacrifice on your altar.

Take pity on me, Lord, in your mercy;

  in your abundance of mercy wipe out my guilt.

Wash me ever more from my guilt

  and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know how guilty I am:

  my sin is always before me.

Against you, you alone have I sinned,

  and I have done evil in your sight.

Know this, so that you may give just sentence

  and an unbiased judgement.

See, I was conceived in guilt,

  in sin my mother conceived me;

but you love truth in the heart,

  and deep within me you have shown me your wisdom.

You will sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be made clean;

  you will wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

You will make me hear the sound of joy and gladness;

  the bones you have crushed will rejoice.

Turn your face away from my sins

  and wipe out all my transgressions;

create a pure heart in me, God,

  put a steadfast spirit into me.

Do not send me away from your presence,

  or withdraw your holy spirit from me;

give me again the joy of your salvation,

  and be ready to strengthen me with your spirit.

I will teach the unjust your ways,

  and the impious will return to you.

Free me from the guilt of bloodshed, God, God my saviour,

  and my voice will glory in your justice.

Open my lips, Lord,

  and my mouth will proclaim your praise;

for you do not delight in sacrifices:

  if I offered you a burnt offering, it would not please you.

The true sacrifice is a broken spirit:

  a contrite and humble heart, O God, you will not refuse.

Be pleased, Lord, to look kindly on Zion,

  so that the walls of Jerusalem can be rebuilt,

Then indeed you will accept the proper sacrifices, gifts and burnt offerings;

  then indeed will bullocks be laid upon your altar.

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.

Lord, you will accept lawful sacrifice on your altar.

---

Canticle	Isaiah 45
All peoples, turn to the Lord
In the Lord all descendants of Israel will receive justice and glory.
In truth you are a hidden God,   the God and Saviour of Israel. They were dismayed and ashamed, all the makers of idols,   all of them fled in dismay. Israel has been saved by the Lord, saved for ever;   you will not be dismayed or ashamed,   to the end of time. For thus says the Lord, the God   who made the heavens,   who made the earth, shaped it, set it firm – he did not make it to be empty,   but to be full of life – “I am the Lord, there is no other.   I have not spoken secretly,   in some dark corner of the earth. I have not said to the children of Jacob, ‘seek me in vain.’   I am the Lord who speaks justice, who proclaims uprightness. “Gather together, come, approach me   all you who have been rescued from the Gentiles. They were ignorant, who raised up wooden idols   and begged favours of a god without power. Announce it – come, ponder it together –   who was saying this from the beginning, who foretold this from the start? Am I not the Lord?   Is there any other God but me?   Do you seek a just God who will save you? There is no other. “Turn to me and you will be saved, all you ends of the earth;   for I am God, there is no other. “I have sworn by my own being,   I have decreed a judgement that will not be revoked; for every knee will bend to me,   every tongue swear by my name.” “Only in the Lord,” they will say,   “are there justice and strength!” All who resisted him will come to him, and be dismayed;   but in the Lord all descendants of Israel   will receive justice and glory. 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.
In the Lord all descendants of Israel will receive justice and glory.

---

Psalm 99 (100)

Enter the Temple with joy

Come in triumph before the face of the Lord.

Rejoice in the Lord, all the earth,

  and serve him with joy.

Exult as you enter his presence.

Know that the Lord is God.

He made us and we are his

 – his people, the sheep of his flock.

Cry out his praises as you enter his gates,

  fill his courtyards with songs.

Proclaim him and bless his name;

  for the Lord is our delight.

His mercy lasts for ever,

  his faithfulness through all the ages.

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.

Come in triumph before the face of the Lord.

---

Short reading	Isaiah 52:13-15 ©
See, my servant will prosper, he shall be lifted up, exalted, rise to great heights. As the crowds were appalled on seeing him – so disfigured did he look that he seemed no longer human – so will the crowds be astonished at him, and kings stand speechless before him; for they shall see something never told and witness something never heard before.

---

Canticle	Benedictus
The Messiah and his forerunner
‘I have done many good works for you,’ says the Lord. ‘For which of these are you stoning me?’
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,   for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption. He has raised up the sign of salvation   in the house of his servant David, as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones,   his prophets through the ages: to rescue us from our enemies   and all who hate us, to take pity on our fathers,   to remember his holy covenant and the oath he swore to Abraham our father,   that he would give himself to us, that we could serve him without fear  – freed from the hands of our enemies – in uprightness and holiness before him,   for all of our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High:   for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path, to let his people know their salvation,   so that their sins may be forgiven. Through the bottomless mercy of our God,   one born on high will visit us to give light to those who walk in darkness,   who live in the shadow of death;   to lead our feet in the path of peace. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,   as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,   world without end. Amen.
‘I have done many good works for you,’ says the Lord. ‘For which of these are you stoning me?’

---

Prayers and Intercessions

?

Let us give thanks to Christ the Lord, who by dying on the Cross conferred life on us. From the depths of our hearts let us pray: – By your death give us life. Our Master and our Saviour, you have given us proof of your faith and you have renewed us by your glorious passion:   let us not grow old in sin. – By your death give us life. Grant that we may fast our well-fed bodies today,   and give help to our poor and hungry brethren. – By your death give us life. May we devoutly receive from you the gift of this Lenten day:   may we consecrate it to you with acts of compassion. – By your death give us life. Discipline our rebellious minds:   make us great in spirit. – By your death give us life.

---

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.

---

Absolve your people of their sins, O Lord.

  Our weakness has tied us up in the tangled knots of sin:

  in your goodness cut our bonds and make us free.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

  who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

  God for ever and ever.

Amen.

---

May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life.

A M E N

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: John 10:31-42

The Jewish leaders had to admit that there was actually some good in Jesus.

He was awakening sincere faith in many people, and was even convincing sinners to return to God. But now he made a statement they just couldn’t stand for. He had already called himself the “Son of God,” which was troubling enough. Now he claimed he was equal to God! Picking up rocks, they closed in on Jesus, intending to silence his blasphemy once and for all.

If we were faced with this situation, we might want to look for the easy way out. But Jesus responded directly to his attackers: “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?” (John 10:32). Jesus wasn’t trying to show off his miracle-working power; he just wanted them to see the Father’s love. He wasn’t trying to claim any glory for himself, either. All he wanted to do was give glory to his Father.

Nor would we ever wish to deny Jesus. How could we possibly keep quiet about him? He is the one behind all the works of mercy that the church does around the world. He is the one behind every word of love, reconciliation, and hope that we speak. It is Christ himself who gives us our strength. It is only because he has touched our hearts, taken away our sins, and filled us with his Spirit that we can minister his love and provision to others.

To keep our witness strong, we too need to be connected to the Father. We should always strive to put our relationship with him above everything else in our lives. This is the only way we can continue to receive his inspiration, power, and grace. Then, when our faith is challenged, we can respond with the one thing that will convince a skeptical heart: the love of Jesus. When others see Christ in our words and actions, they will be drawn to him, and they will know that he is the answer they have been looking for.

“Jesus, I can do nothing apart from you. Only your love will change hearts of stone into hearts that worship and praise you. Give me the courage never to deny you.”

Jeremiah 20:10-13; Psalm 18:2-7

[Salvation]

Vultus Christi

Stabat Mater

By

Father Mark

on April 3, 2009 8:05 AM |

This is the lovely translation of the Stabat Mater given in Maurice Zundel's classic, The Splendour of the Liturgy (New York: Sheed and Ward, 1939).

Plunged in grief the mother stood,
Weeping where the crimsoned wood
Held on high her dying son.

Through her soul, whose mourning low,
Told how grievous was her woe,
Sorrow like a sword had gone.

Oh! how sad, how sorrow laden,
Stood the meek and blessed maiden,
God's true mother undefiled.

Trembling, weeping, whelmed in woes,
Winessing the dying throes
Of her own immortal child.

Who is he who would not weep,
Could he know what anguish deep,
Pierced the mother of the Lord?

Who from sorrow could refrain,
Gazing on that mother's pain,
Weeping with her son adored?

She beheld the torments sore,
He for his own people bore,
Bowed beneath that scourging dread.

She beheld her only-born,
Death struck, utterly forlorn,
When his parting spirit fled.

Come, O mother, love's sweet spring,
Let me share thy sorrowing,
Let my tears unite with thine.

Let my heart be all on fire,
Still to seek with fond desire
Christ, my God, my love divine.

Holy mother, this impart,
Deeply print upon my heart,
All the wounds my saviour bore.

Let me share his pains with thee,
Who so tenderly for me
Deigned his sacred blood to pour.

Let our tears in mingling tide
Flow for Jesus crucified,
Till life cease within my breast.

By the cross to take my station,
Sharing thy sweet lamentation,
This is my most fond request.

Holiest of the virgin train,
Do not thou my prayer disdain;
Come and share thy griefs with me.

Let me trace his sufferings o'er;
Bear the very death he bore,
When they nailed him to the tree:

Tell his wounds within my heart,
In his chalice take my part,
All for love of thy dear Son.

Wrapt in flames of love divine,
Keep me still, O mother mine,
When the judgement day draws on.

Lord, when these my days are done,
Let thy mother lead me on
To the palm of victory.

When this mortal body dies,
May my soul to heaven uprise,
Glorified and blest for thee. Amen.

[Salvation]

Vultus Christi

Eia, Mater, Fons Amoris

By

Father Mark

on April 3, 2009 6:10 AM |

Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Commemoration of the Sorrowful Compassion of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Virgin of Sorrows is the Portress of the Holy Mysteries, the Keeper of the Door of Christ's Pierced Heart, the Mother of our Joy. The last edition of the Missale Romanum, published in 2002, contains two modifications, discreet touches that will leave in the Missal of Paul VI the unmistakable imprint of the Servant of God, Pope John Paul II.

The first of these concerns the Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent, the Friday before Palm Sunday. The 2002 edition of the Missal restores the Commemoration of the Compassion of the Virgin Mary formerly celebrated on the Friday of Passion Week, and offers for the Fifth Friday of Lent the following collect:

O God, who during this time
graciously grant to your Church
devoutly to imitate blessed Mary
in contemplation of the Passion of Christ,
grant us, we pray,
through the intercession of the same Virgin,
to cling each day more firmly to your Only-Begotten Son,
and to come at length to the fullness of his grace.

The second touch is in a rubric concerning the chants during the Good Friday adoratio crucis: it suggests that after the traditional chants given in the Missal and the Graduale Romanum the Stabat Mater also be sung in commemoration of the Blessed Virgin’s sorrowful compassion. In this way, a thirteenth century text, presumed to be of Franciscan origin -- it is attributed to Jacopone da Todi --takes it place alongside the ancient antiphon Crucem tuam, the Improperia, and the hymn to the Cross of Venantius Fortunatus.

The Stabat Mater is strong medicine for those who, being of a more abstract or cerebral disposition, would approach the Passion of Christ without getting bloodied, without being set ablaze, without feeling a melting in their breast.

Stabat Mater Dolorosa
Translated by Denis Florence MacCarthy (1817-1882)

Although I grew up with the beautiful Caswell translation of the Stabat Mater, my favourite English translation was done by the Irish author, poet, and translator Denis Florence MacCarthy. Three strophes are particularly noteworthy:

Sancta Mater, istud agas
Blessed Mother of prediction,
Stamp the marks of crucifixion
Deeply on my stony heart,
Ever leading where thy bleeding
Son is pleading for my needing,
Let me in his wounds take part.

Virgo virginum praeclara
Queen of virgins, best and dearest,
Grant, oh, grant the prayer thou hearest.
Let me ever mourn with me;
Let compassion me so fashion
That Christ’s wounds, his death and passion,
Be each day renewed in me.

Christe, cum sit hinc exire
May that cross be my salvation;
Make Christ’s death my preservation;
May his grace my heart make wise;
And when death my body taketh,
May my soul when it awaketh
Ope in heaven its raptured eyes.

The complete text follows:

By the cross, on which suspended,
With his bleeding hands extended,
Hung that Son she so adored,
Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
She whose heart, its silence keeping,
Grief had cleft as with a sword.

Oh, that Mother’s sad affliction--
Mother of all benediction--
Of the sole-begotten One;
Oh, the grieving, sense-bereaving,
Of her heaving breast, perceiving
The dread sufferings of her Son.

What man is there so unfeeling,
Who, his heart to pity steeling,
Could behold that sight unmoved?
Could Christ’s Mother see there weeping,
See the pious Mother keeping
Vigil by the Son she loved?

For his people’s sins atoning,
She saw Jesus writhing, groaning,
'Neath the scourge wherewith he bled;
Saw her loved one, her consoler,
Dying in his dreadful dolour,
Till at length his spirit fled.

O thou Mother of election,
Fountain of all pure affection,
Make thy grief, thy pain, my own;
Make my heart to God returning,
In the love of Jesus burning,
Feel the fire that thine has known.

Blessed Mother of prediction,
Stamp the marks of crucifixion
Deeply on my stony heart,
Ever leading where thy bleeding
Son is pleading for my needing,
Let me in his wounds take part.

Make me truly, each day newly
While life lasts, O Mother, duly
Weep with him, the Crucified.
Let me, 'tis my sole demanding,
Near the cross, where thou art standing,
Stand in sorrow at thy side.

Queen of virgins, best and dearest,
Grant, oh, grant the prayer thou hearest.
Let me ever mourn with me;
Let compassion me so fashion
That Christ’s wounds, his death and passion,
Be each day renewed in me.

Oh, those wounds, do not deny me;
On that cross, oh, crucify me;
Let me drink his blood, I pray:
Then on fire, enkindled, daring,
I may stand without despairing
On that dreadful judgment-day.

May that cross be my salvation;
Make Christ’s death my preservation;
May his grace my heart make wise;
And when death my body taketh,
May my soul when it awaketh
Ope in heaven its raptured eyes.

[Salvation]

Vespers -- Evening Prayer

Vespers (Evening Prayer)

O God, come to my aid.

– O Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

  as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

  world without end.

Amen.

---

A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.

Psalm 40 (41)

Prayer in time of sickness

Heal my soul, Lord, for I have sinned against you.

Blessed is he who takes thought for the helpless,

  for the Lord will keep him safe in time of trouble.

The Lord will guard him and give him life.

  He will give him good fortune on the earth,

  and not betray him into the power of his enemies.

The Lord will lend him strength on his bed of pain;

  you will transform all his sickness into health.

I said, “Lord, have mercy, heal my soul,

  for I have sinned against you.”

My enemies spoke against me, saying: “When will he die?

  When will his name perish?”

When one of them came to visit me, he talked of nothing,

  but stored up wickedness in his heart.

  He went out, and told tales against me.

All my enemies whispered together against me,

  imagined the worst:

“A plague has taken hold of him:

  he has lain down and will not rise.”

Even my dearest friend, in whom I put my trust, who had eaten my bread –

  even he trampled me down.

But you, Lord – have mercy on me,

  revive me, and I will pay them back.

This is how I know that I have your favour,

  when my enemy cannot triumph over me,

when you raise me up because of my innocence,

  and put me in your presence for all eternity.

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,

  from the beginning to the end of time.

  Amen! Amen!

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.

Heal my soul, Lord, for I have sinned against you.

---

Psalm 45 (46)

God, our refuge and our strength

The Lord of might is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge.

The Lord is our refuge and our strength,

  a true help in our troubles.

Therefore we do not fear,

  even when the earth is shaken and mountains fall into the depths of the sea,

the waves roar and foam

  and rise up to shake the mountains.

The streams of the river give joy to the city of God,

  the holy dwelling-place of the Most High.

God is within it, it will not be shaken;

  God will give help as the day dawns.

The nations are in turmoil and kingdoms totter:

  at the sound of his voice, the earth flows like water.

The Lord of strength is with us,

  the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Come and see the works of the Lord,

  who has done wonders on the earth.

He puts an end to wars over all the world:

  he tramples the bow, shatters weapons, and burns the shields with fire.

Stop and see that I am God:

  I will be exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.

The Lord of strength is with us,

  the God of Jacob is our refuge.

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.

The Lord of might is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge.

---

Canticle	Apocalypse 15
A hymn of adoration
All nations will come and worship in your presence, O Lord.
Great and wonderful are your works, Lord God Almighty;   just and true are your ways, King of all nations! Who, Lord, will not revere and glorify your name?   For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship in your presence,   for your judgements have been seen by all. 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.
All nations will come and worship in your presence, O Lord.

---

Short reading	1 Peter 2
Christ's passion, freely chosen
Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, to follow in his path. He committed no sin, in his speech there was no deceit;   when they cursed him, he did not curse them;   when he suffered, he did not threaten retribution, but committed them to the one just judge. He endured our sins in the sufferings of his body on the tree,   so that we would die to our sins and live for righteousness –   and by his bruises you have been healed.

---

Canticle	Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
Even if you refuse to believe in me, at least believe in the works I do, which I do in the name of God.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,   and my spirit rejoices in God, my salvation. For he has shown me such favour –   me, his lowly handmaiden. Now all generations will call me blessed,   because the mighty one has done great things for me. His name is holy,   his mercy lasts for generation after generation   for those who revere him. He has put forth his strength:   he has scattered the proud and conceited,   torn princes from their thrones;   but lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things;   the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel,   he has remembered his mercy as he promised to our fathers,   to Abraham and his children for ever. 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.
Even if you refuse to believe in me, at least believe in the works I do, which I do in the name of God.

---

Prayers and Intercessions

?

The Lord Jesus sanctified his people with his own blood. We pray to him: – Take pity on your people, Lord. You are our redeemer and we believe in you. Through your Passion, make us more able to mortify our bodies; support us in our struggles against evil and adversity; and strengthen us with a firmer hope,   make us eager to celebrate your resurrection. – Take pity on your people, Lord. You have given Christians the gift of prophecy. Let them use it to spread news of you everywhere:   give them burning faith, hope, and charity, to confirm the story they have to tell. – Take pity on your people, Lord. Give your strength to all the afflicted,   and make us fulfil our duty of care to them. – Take pity on your people, Lord. Teach the faithful in adversity to share in your passion,   and let the light of your salvation shine out through them. – Take pity on your people, Lord. Source of all life, remember those who have left this life   make a gift to them of the glory of your resurrection. – Take pity on your people, Lord.

---

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.

---

Absolve your people of their sins, O Lord.

  Our weakness has tied us up in the tangled knots of sin:

  in your goodness cut our bonds and make us free.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

  who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

  God for ever and ever.

Amen.

---

May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life.

A M E N

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

Provoking a Decision
April 3, 2009

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Father Robert Presutti, LC

John 10: 31-42
The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus. Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?” The Jews answered him, "We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy. You, a man, are making yourself God.” Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, ´I said, ´You are gods?’ If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came, and scripture cannot be set aside, can you say that the one whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world blasphemes because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I do not perform my Father´s works, do not believe me; but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Then they tried again to arrest him; but he escaped from their power. He went back across the Jordan to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained. Many came to him and said, "John performed no sign, but everything John said about this man was true." And many there began to believe in him.

 

Introductory Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you once again for this time of prayer. Help me each day to grow in my love and appreciation for prayer and the intimacy you offer.

Petition: Lord Jesus, once again I ask for the gift of self-detachment. May I never unknowingly reject you.

1. Faithlessness Paints Everything Black.    The Pharisees are again picking up rocks to stone the Lord. Christ points out to his would-be-assassins that all he has ever done is good. Christ’s life is composed of one good work after another. The Pharisees don’t see the obvious because they are willfully resisting the Lord, and, in the end, are too attached to themselves to let go. The effect of willful resistance to the Lord is that it distorts our view of everything else.

2. Humble Strength.    Jesus never imposes himself or exercises his divine authority for self-satisfying justification. Rather than continue to provoke the unbelieving Pharisees, he quietly retires across the Jordan. This was where John had baptized Jesus, and where the Lord’s public ministry had begun. In the face of opposition, difficulty and apparent defeat, Jesus teaches us to go to the roots of our vocation and there encounter renewed strength.

3. The Many Believe in Him.    The simple crowds display a greater acceptance of Christ than the educated leaders. The common folk accepted, loved and followed the Lord not because he fit their pre-selected categories or because they perfectly understood him, but because they allow their hearts and minds to be shaped by the Lord’s message and life. Our pathway to the Lord lies more in decisions of the heart than in exercises of the mind. I need to understand Christ by accepting and following him, rather than accepting and following him only when I have him perfectly figured out.

Dialogue with Christ: Jesus, thank you for the gift of the Gospel and the gift of your Holy Spirit that enable me to understand your words and apply them to my own life. I pray that I might never fall into a hypocritical self-righteous attitude that would make me see you and your teaching as a threat.

Resolution: I will make a special effort today to give constant, silent testimony to my faith.

[Salvation]

Homily of the Day

Do You Hear Mainly What You Want to Hear?

April 3rd, 2009 by Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.

Jer 20:10-13 / Jn 10:31-42

For too many of us too often, conversation is a game whose only goal is winning.  It’s a deadly game, and both truth and love are its victims.  How clearly we can see that in today’s gospel.  Jesus wanted to give His listeners life, but all His listeners wanted was to win an argument.  It was a short-sighted, fear-driven choice to be sure, and it left them empty-handed in the end.

Jesus is making the same offer to us now.  “Come with Me,” He says, and I’ll show you the way to a life that’s not only full and rich but everlasting as well.  Just walk with Me, listen to Me, watch what I do, and then you do the same.  It will take some close listening and some re-thinking of old habits, but “I’ll help you,” says Jesus.

What a great offer Jesus is making to all of us: To be our mentor as we try to grow up and grow whole.  But our selective listening, our hearing only what we want to hear or expect to hear, can frustrate even Jesus’ best efforts.  If the re-thinking that we’re supposed to be doing in Lent is to have any value, our listening skills have to improve and our hearts have to become much more open, and much less fearful.

Trust the Lord and take the risk of listening to everything He has to tell you.  After all, He knows it all.  Wouldn’t you be foolish not to listen?

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

 

<< Friday, April 3, 2009 >>

Saint of the Day

Jeremiah 20:10-13
View Readings

Psalm 18:2-7

John 10:31-42

MIXED EMOTIONS

"I hear the whisperings of many." —Jeremiah 20:10

 

A week from today will be Good Friday. We almost cringe as we think of hearing the reading of Christ's passion and death. How will we be able to endure venerating the cross by kissing His wounds? We naturally are upset when we recall the death of our older Brother and loving Savior. We are even more disturbed when we realize that, through our sins, we were part of the gang that murdered Him (see Catechism, 598).

At first, the blood Jesus shed horrifies us; but when we see it covering our sins, we begin to rejoice in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Gal 6:14). The horror of Calvary becomes the joy of Good Friday. What began as the worst day in the history of the human race ended as the greatest day. This was the day of our salvation. So "sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, for He has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!" (Jer 20:13)

Lord Jesus crucified, have mercy on us.

 

Prayer: Father, may the last week of Lent be among the most important weeks of my life.

Promise: " 'John may never have performed a sign,' they commented, 'but whatever John said about this Man was true.' In that place, many came to believe in Him." —Jn 10:41-42

Praise: By not eating lunch on Fridays, Mary is able to witness to her co-workers about Jesus and the power that comes from fasting for love of Him.

[Salvation]

Compline -- Night Prayer

Compline (Night Prayer)

O God, come to my aid.

– O Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

  as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

  world without end.

Amen.

---

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

---

Hymn

Now that the daylight dies away,

By all thy grace and love,

Thee, Maker of the world, we pray

To watch our bed above.

Let dreams depart and phantoms fly,

The offspring of the night,

Keep us, like shrines, beneath thine eye,

Pure in our foe’s despite.

This grace on thy redeemed confer,

Father, co-equal Son,

And Holy Ghost, the Comforter,

Eternal Three in One.

---

Psalm 87 (88)

The prayer of one gravely ill

I cry out to you, Lord, by day and by night.

Lord God, my saviour,

  I have cried out to you by day and by night.

Let my prayer come before you:

  turn your ear to my request.

For my soul is full of evils,

  my life has come close to its end.

I am counted with those who go down to the pit:

  I am left without help.

I am one of the dead,

  like the murdered who sleep in their tombs,

who lie there forgotten,

  cut off from your care.

You have thrust me down into the pit,

  to the gloom and the shadow of death.

Your anger weighs heavy upon me;

  you have drowned me under your waves.

You have taken my friends away from me:

  you have made me hateful in their sight,

  I am shut in, I may not go out.

My eyes are weak from my sufferings.

I have called to you, Lord, all the day;

  I have stretched out my hands to you.

Is it for the dead that you perform your wonders?

  Will the ghosts rise up and proclaim you?

In the tomb, will they tell of your kindness?

  Will they tell of your faithfulness in the place of the lost?

Will your wonders be known in the darkness,

  or your righteousness in the land of oblivion?

And so I have called out to you, Lord,

  and in the morning my prayer will come before you.

With what purpose, Lord, do you reject my soul?

  Why do you hide your face from me?

I am poor; from my youth I have been dying;

  I have borne the terrors you sent, I am lost in confusion.

Your anger has overrun me, your terrors have broken me:

  they have flowed round me like water,

  they have besieged me all the day long.

You have taken my friends and those close to me:

  all I have left is shadows.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

  as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

  world without end.

Amen.

I cry out to you, Lord, by day and by night.

---

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

---

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

---

Canticle	Nunc Dimittis
Keep us safe, Lord, while we are awake, and guard us as we sleep, so that we can keep watch with Christ and rest in peace.
Now, Master, you let your servant go in peace.   You have fulfilled your promise. My own eyes have seen your salvation,   which you have prepared in the sight of all peoples. A light to bring the Gentiles from darkness;   the glory of your people Israel. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,   as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,   world without end. Amen.
Keep us safe, Lord, while we are awake, and guard us as we sleep, so that we can keep watch with Christ and rest in peace.

---

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

---

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

A M E N

An anthem to Our Lady should be recited here.

[Salvation]

I totally forgot the First Friday posts.

First Friday Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus [St. Margaret Mary Alacoque]

As a New Year Begins Chance to Start 2006 with 'First Friday' Devotions

[Salvation]

The best, the surest , and the most effective way of establishing everlasting peace on the face of the earth is through the great power of perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament." -- Pope John Paul II

"Could you not watch one hour?" -- Mark 14:37

I am happy to testify that many young people are discovering the beauty of adoration, whether personal or in community. I invite priests to encourage youth groups in this, but also to accompany them to ensure that the forms of adoration are appropriate and dignified, with sufficient times for silence and listening to the word of God. In life today, which is often noisy and scattered, it is more important than ever to recover the capacity for interior silence and recollection: Eucharistic adoration permits one to do this not only within one's "I" but rather in the company of that "You" full of love who is Jesus Christ, "the God who is near us."

 

~Pope Benedict XVI

[Salvation]

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