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On Priestly Identity
What Can I Do For the Year of the Priest?
The Rosary for the Year of the Priest [Catholic Caucus]

Pope Notes His Goal for Year for Priests
On the Year for Priests
WHY A YEAR FOR PRIESTS?
Curé d'Ars: Model Priest [Year of the Priest]
ZENIT Launches Column on Priesthood

[Justin] Cardinal Rigali on the Year for Priests
Church Being Given Chance to Rediscover Priesthood [Year of the Priest]
Celebrating the Year of the Priesthood
St. John Vianney's Pastoral Plan
LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI PROCLAIMING A YEAR FOR PRIESTS [Catholic Caucus]

Year of the Priest Letter (Media immediately scrutinize its contents for controversy)
Year of the Priest [Catholic Caucus]
The Year for Priests [Catholic Caucus]
Year of the Priest Begins Friday
U.S. bishops launch website for Year for Priests

Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

Pray the Rosary

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

~ 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
+

July Devotion: The Precious Blood

July Devotion: The Precious Blood

Like the Sacred Wounds of Jesus, His Precious Blood deserves special honor because of its close relation to the Sacred Passion. That honor was given to it from the beginning by the Apostles who praised its redeeming power. (Rom. 5:9 "we are justified by His blood"; Heb. 13:12 "and so Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people by His blood, suffered outside the gate"; 1 John 1:7 "and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.")

The Church has always held devotion to the Precious Blood in high esteem. We continue to recognize and publicly acknowledge the profound indebtedness of the whole human race to Christ, Priest and Victim.

Standing at the foot of the cross, we see Jesus' head, hands, feet, and side pouring out streams of precious blood. It is precious because it:

· Redeems us and atones for our sins. Through His precious blood we are reconciled to God, made one with Him. Death ceases to be death and heaven's gates are opened to us.

· Cleanses us from all sin.

· Preserves us and keeps us safe from the grasp of evil. When the Father sees us washed in the Blood of the Lamb we are spared.

· Comforts us. It is the constant reminder that Jesus - true God and true man suffered and died to save us and to open heaven to us because He loves us.

· Sanctifies us. The same blood that justifies by taking away sin, continues to work within us. Its action gives us the grace to continue on the path toward the Kingdom of God. It assists us in achieving our new nature, leading us onward in subduing sin and in following the commands of God.

Jesus shed His precious blood seven times during His life on earth. They events were:

· Jesus shed His Blood in the Circumcision

· Jesus shed His Blood whilst praying in the Garden of Olives

· Jesus shed His Blood in the scourging

· Jesus shed His Blood in the crowning with thorns

· Jesus shed His Blood while carrying His cross

· Jesus shed His Blood in the crucifixion

· Jesus shed His Blood and water when His side was pierced

The Power of the Precious Blood

"I adore You, O Precious Blood of Jesus, flower of creation, fruit of virginity, ineffable instrument of the Holy Spirit, and I rejoice at the thought that You came from the drop of virginal blood on which eternal Love impressed its movement; You were assumed by the Word and deified in His person. I am overcome with emotion when I think of Your passing from the Blessed Virgin's heart into the heart of the Word, and, being vivified by the breath of the Divinity, becoming adorable because You became the Blood of God." (St. Albert the Great)

At their recent meeting, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops had continuous Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for "healing and peace." They encouraged parishes and communities to have ongoing Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. In these dark months of woundedness, pain and violence we need to turn to the Precious Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist, for healing, peace, and light.

"What power we have in the Precious Blood of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist! He is there to protect us, to be our refuge and our redemption. (In Exodus 12, God told Moses to have His chosen people mark their door posts with the blood of an unblemished lamb, during the first Passover. Those who did this were spared when the Angel of the death passed by). This is why Archbishop Sheen said that we must call down the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. For, he warned, when we stop calling down the Blood of the Lamb, we start calling down the blood of each other." (From our book Bread of Life)

"And the Lamb on the throne will shepherd them. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water" (Rev 7:17).

"In the tumultuous events of our time, it is important to look to the Eucharist: it must be at the heart of the life of priests and consecrated people; the light and strength of spouses in putting into practice their commitment to fidelity, chastity and the apostolate; the ideal in education and in training children, adolescents and young people; the comfort and support of those who are troubled, of the sick and all who are weeping in the Gethsemane of life." (Pope John Paul II)

Precious Blood of Jesus, save us!

"The only time our Lord asked the Apostles for anything was the night when He went into His agony. But as often in the history of the church since that time, evil was awake, but the disciples were asleep. That is why there came out of His anguished and lonely Heart a sigh: 'Could you not watch one hour with Me?'" (Mt 26:40). Not for an hour of activity did he plead, but for an hour of friendship (Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen).

St. Maria Goretti, Patroness of Youth & Children of Mary, Feast-July 6 St. Maria of Italy (1890-1902), couldn't wait to make her First Communion. She wanted to receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist so that she could become more beautiful and pure like Him; she wanted Him to live in her, close to her heart. After she received Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament for the first time, she stayed in Church for a long time after Mass to talk to Him. Maria's family lived with and worked for a farmer. His son Alessandro kept trying to make Maria sin against purity. One day, when everyone else was working, Alessandro grabbed Maria and tried to make her sin. Maria kept crying out for him to stop, and each time she did, he stabbed her. Courageously, Maria resisted him and was stabbed fourteen times. St. Maria died the next day.

"Look at Maria Goretti.... Like her, be capable of defending your purity of heart and body. Be committed to the struggle against evil and sin. Always esteem and love, purity and virginity." (Pope John Paul II, 1990)

A Prayer for Priests

O my God, help those priests who are faithful to remain faithful; to those who are falling, stretch forth Your Divine Hand that they may grasp it as their support. In the great ocean of Your mercy, lift those poor unfortunate ones who have fallen, that being engulfed therein they may receive the grace to return to Your Great Loving Heart. Amen. Precious Blood of Jesus, protect them!A

menHe

"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you" (Jn 6:53).

The Eucharist is the fruit of our Lords Passion. Jesus gave up His Body on the cross so that He may give you His Body in the Holy Eucharist. Jesus poured out His very last drop of Blood on the cross so that He may fill you with His Divine Love each time that you receive Him in Holy Communion and visit Him in Eucharistic Adoration!

"The Eucharist, in the Mass and outside of the Mass, is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, and is therefore deserving of the worship that is given to the living God, and to Him alone" (Pope John Paul II, September 29, 1979, Phoenix Park, Ireland)

"The bread and wine, fruit of human hands, transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit into the body and blood of Christ, become a pledge of the 'new heaven and new earth,' announced by the Church in her daily mission." "In Christ, whom we adore present in the mystery of the Eucharist, the father uttered his final word with regard to humanity and human history." "To live the Eucharist, it is necessary, as well, to spend much time in adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament, something which I myself experience every day drawing from it strength, consolation and assistance." "How could the Church fulfill her vocation without cultivating a constant relationship with the Eucharist, without nourishing herself with this food which sanctifies, without founding her missionary activity on this indispensable support?" "To evangelize the world there is need of apostles who are 'experts' in the celebration, adoration and contemplation of the Eucharist" (Pope John Paul II, World Mission Message 2004).

The Power of the Precious Blood of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist

"The Precious Blood belongs in an especial manner to men. Much more, therefore, does God invite them to come to its heavenly baths, and receive therein, not only the cleansing of their souls, but the power of a new and amazing life. Every doctrine in theology is a call to the Precious Blood. Every ceremony in the Church tells of it . . . . Every supernatural act is a growth of it. Everything that is holy on earth is either a leaf, bud, blossom or fruit of the Blood of Jesus. To its fountains God calls the sinner, that he may be lightened of his burdens. There is no remission of him in anything else. Only there is his lost sonship to be found. The saints are no less called by God to these invigorating streams. It is out of the Precious Blood that men draw martyrdoms, vocations, celebacies, austerities, heroic charities, and all the magnificent graces of high sanctity. The secret nourishment of prayer is from those fountains" (Father Faber, The Precious Blood).

Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood
The Traditional Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Catholic Caucus)
Devotion to the Precious Blood
DOCTRINE OF THE BLOOD OF CHRIST
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,And More on the Precious Blood

Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ
NOTHING IS MORE POTENT AGAINST EVIL THAN PLEADING THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST
FORMER PENTECOSTAL RELATES MIRACLE THAT OCCURRED WITH THE PRECIOUS BLOOD
Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus
St.Gaspar:Founder of the Society of the Precious Blood[AKA The Hammer of Freemasons]

Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Holy Father's Prayer Intentions For July 2009

General: That the Christians of the Middle East may live their faith in full freedom and be an instrument of peace and reconciliation.

Mission: That the Church may be the seed and nucleus of a humanity reconciled and reunited in God's one and only family, thanks to the testimony of all the faithful in every country in the world.

See you all later. I am going to meet my daughter and grand-daughter to watch the fireworks.

Blessings from the “hot” state of Oregon. At least the temperature was up there today!

Is Not This the Carpenter, the Son of Mary?

Biblical Reflection for 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time B

By Father Thomas Rosica, CSB

TORONTO, JULY 1, 2009 (Zenit.org).- We know today's Gospel story well, perhaps too well! It would have been customary for Jesus to go to the synagogue each week during the Sabbath, and when his turn came, to read from the scriptures during the Sabbath service.

His hometown folks listened ever so attentively to his teaching because they had heard about the miracles he had performed in other towns. What signs would their hometown boy work on his own turf?

In today's story, Jesus startled his own people with a seeming rebuke that no prophet of God can receive honor among his own people. The people of Nazareth took offense at him and refused to listen to what he had to say. They despised his preaching because he was from the working class; a carpenter, a mere layman and they despised him because of his family. Jesus could do no mighty works in their midst because they were closed and disbelieving toward him.

If people have come together to hate and to refuse to understand, then they will see no other point of view than their own, and they will refuse to love and accept others. Does the story sound familiar to us? How many times have we found ourselves in similar situations?

Homecoming

We often think that Luke is the only evangelist who records Jesus' visit to Nazareth, "where he had been brought up" and that programmatic episode in the Nazareth synagogue (Luke 4:16). Mark and Matthew also refer to this episode, although without mentioning the name of the town, calling it simply "his hometown" or "his native place" (Mark 6:1; Matthew 13:54). There are, however, several differences between the story told by Luke and those of Mark and Matthew. In the Gospels of Mark and Matthew, people consider the humble origin of Jesus who was "the carpenter" (Mark 6:3), "the son of the carpenter" (Matthew 13:55) and use it to doubt the greatness of his mission. Luke, on the other hand, makes no mention of Jesus' humble origins.

In Mark, Jesus' visit to his hometown is found not at the beginning of his ministry, but after a long period of preaching the Gospel and healing, even after the talks on the parables (Mark 4:1-34) and the resurrection of Jairus' daughter (Mark 5:21-43). In Matthew, Jesus has also already pronounced his address on mission to the "Twelve Apostles" (10:2-42).

What was the meaning of the peoples' questions about Jesus in Mark's account (6:1-6) that forms this Sunday's Gospel? "'Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?' And they took offense at him."

"Who do you think you are?" they seem to be asking him. Jesus sees that the questions about him correspond to a deeply possessive attitude: Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and therefore one of us? You belong to us and therefore you must do for us all that you are able to do. We own you!

"Prophets are not without honor except in their hometowns and among their own kin, and even in their own homes." Jesus resists the possessive attitude manifested by his people. The people of Jesus' native place were suffering from a particular form of blindness -- a blindness that sometimes affects us, too. Jesus refuses to place his extraordinary gifts at the service of his own people, putting strangers first.

Vision and heart

Today's Gospel shows how difficult it is for us to attain to a universal vision. When we are faced with someone like Jesus, someone with a generous heart, a wide vision and a great spirit, our reactions are very often filled with jealousy, selfishness, and meanness of spirit. His own people couldn't recognize the holiness of Jesus, because they had never really accepted their own. They couldn't honor his relationship with God because they had never fully explored their own sense of belonging to the Lord. They couldn't see the Messiah standing right beside them, because he looked too much like one of them. Until we see ourselves as people beloved of God, miracles will be scarce and the prophets and messengers who rise among us will struggle to be heard and accepted for whom they truly are.

In today's Gospel story, Mark tells us that Jesus was amazed at their unbelief. Listening to Jesus, his own people were initially filled with admiration in him and pride because of him. His message of liberation was marvelous. Then they recognize this young prophet as one of them and they say: "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?"

The most severe critics are often people very familiar to us, a member of our family, a relative, or neighbor we rub shoulders with on a regular basis. The people of Nazareth refused to renounce their possessive attitude toward Jesus. When possessive love is obstructed it produces a violent reaction. This sort of reaction provokes many dramas of jealousy and passion. They took offence at him in Mark's account just as "everyone in the synagogue was enraged (Luke 4:28) and they sought to kill him" (4:29) in Luke's version of the story. Refusal to open our heart can lead to such extremes.

Jesus was bitterly criticized because he demonstrated great openness of heart, particularly toward people on the fringes and borders of society. His openness caused rising opposition that led him to the cross. In the Acts of the Apostles we read more than once that the success of St. Paul's preaching to the gentiles provoked jealousy among some of the Jews, who opposed the Apostle and stirred up persecution against him (Acts 13:45; 17,5; 22,21-22). Also within the Christian community, we need only recall the situation in Corinth where similar possessive attitudes caused serious harm when many believers attached themselves jealously to one apostle or another; causing conflict and division in the community. Paul had to intervene forcefully (1 Corinthians 1:10-3:23).

Today's Gospel warns us to be on guard against certain attitudes that are incompatible with the example of Jesus: the human tendency to be possessive, and egoistic and small in mind and heart. We cannot forget that Jesus is the Savior of the world (John 4:42), and not of the village, town, city or nation!

In order to approach and imitate Jesus, who is total beauty and uniqueness, the quality of magnanimity is necessary in our hearts and minds. The opposite and enemy of magnanimity is envy. Envy is that fault in the human character that cannot recognize the beauty and uniqueness of the other, and denies the other honor. Envy can no longer see because the eyes are "nailed shut," blinded to one's own beauty and the beauty in others. Envy inevitably leads to forms of violence and destruction, of self and of others. In order to approach and imitate Jesus, who is total beauty and uniqueness, the attitude of envy must be first acknowledged and then banished.

Magnanimity lets others be free, for the other person must become great enough to be an image of God's beauty. Magnanimity arouses the desire in each of us for the other to receive the greatest possible satisfaction and happiness that rightly belongs to the other! Magnanimity is capable of looking beyond itself, it can grant the other what oneself perhaps bitterly lacks, and can perhaps even rejoice in the other's goodness, greatness and beauty.

Let us pray that Jesus not be amazed at our own unbelief, but rather rejoice in our small, daily acts of fidelity to him and our service to our sisters and brothers. May the Lord grant us magnanimous hearts so that we may look far beyond ourselves and recognize the goodness, greatness and beauty of other people, instead of being jealous of their gifts. God's power alone can save us from emptiness and poverty of spirit, from confusion and error, and from the fear of death and hopelessness. The gospel of salvation is "great news" for us today.

Basilian Father Thomas Rosica, chief executive officer of the Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation and Television Network in Canada, is a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

From: Ezekiel 2:2-5

The Prophet’s mission

[2] And when he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me upon my
feet; and I heard him speaking to me. [3] And he said to me, “Son of man, I
send you to the people of Israel, to a nation of rebels, who have rebelled against
me; they and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. [4]
The people also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them; and you shall
say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ [5] And whether they ear or refuse to
hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that there has been a pro-
phet among them.

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

2:1-3:3. The vision by the river Chebar is all about the grandeur and glory of God,
who is sovereign over all things; whereas the account given of the call of Ezekiel
tells us about the prophet and about the people of Israel, for whom the message
is meant. The prophet is described as a son of man, whom the Spirit moves, a
prophet among the people; and they are a rebellious people. The account takes
the form of an address by the Lord containing a command to pass his word on
to the people (2: 1-7) and a symbolic action in which Ezekiel eats the scroll gi-
ven to him by God (2:8-3:3).

2:1. “Son of man”: this title is used repeatedly in these opening chapters. It oc-
curs later on, too, more than ninety times; but it has special significance here,
which is the first time it is used. Because Ezekiel is living in exile in a foreign
and therefore unclean country, he cannot be given grand titles. He is an ordinary
mortal, one creature among many, on an infinitely lower level than the Lord; one
more among his people, like them an exile, a person brought low, but also some-
one who has hope in his heart. St Gregory the Great explains the title like this:
“He is brought up often into heaven and his soul rejoices at great and beautiful
mysteries which remain invisible to us. But it is fitting that he be called “son of
man” while he contemplates those hidden wonders, so that he will not forget
who he is or glory in the splendour that has been revealed to him” (”Homiliae in
Ezechielem prophetam”, 1, 12, 22).

2:2. “The Spirit set me upon my feet”. In the vision of God’s glory, the word
“spirit” has three meanings. It is a natural thing — a stormy wind, breath, spirit
(1:4; cf. 13:11). From this comes the second meaning: “spirit” is an inner,
superhuman strength which guides the actions of living creatures and cherubim,
deciding when they should move and where they should go (cf. 1:12, 20, 21).
But in the account of the call of Ezekiel, “spirit” has a third meaning: it is life-
force, reminiscent of the “breath of life” that God breathed into man at the mo-
ment of creation (cf. Gen 2:7); this meaning will be seen more clearly in the vi-
sion of the bones brought back to life (cf. 37:5, 6, 8, 10). As a life-force, every
time that the spirit affects Ezekiel, it is to ‘‘set him on his feet’’ (cf. 2:1; 3:20),
to “lift him up’’ (cf. 3:12, 14, 24), so that he is better able to hear the word of
God and to see what is happening in the temple of Jerusalem cf. 8:3; 11:1; 43:
5) or in Babylon (cf. 11:24). It is therefore an inner energy that transforms the
prophet and helps him to hear or see things that he could not if left on his own,
for he is a mere “son of man”.

2:3. Israel is a “nation of rebels” or, as it is put a little further on in the text, a “re-
bellious house” (2:8). The book defines the people of Israel in this negative way
(cf. 2:5, 6, 8; 3:9) because it sums up the sinful history of their forebears and their
own hostility towards God. Their rebelliousness involves arrogance towards God,
rejection of his commandments, and refusal to listen to what he says. It makes
them stubborn: one can even see it in their faces. Time and again Ezekiel tells
them that their sin is grave, for they have freely chosen to adopt this attitude.
They “will not listen to you”, the Lord says to Ezekiel, “for they are not willing to
listen to me” (3:7). Precisely because sin requires a free act of the will, the pro-
phet puts special emphasis on personal responsibility. Each individual will be
punished for his or her sins, not for those of their forebears (cf. 18:1 32). Be-
cause the people are so rebellious, God wants the prophet to he especially do-
cile: “Do not be rebellious” (2:8). The Lord asks him to listen carefully to the
word of God and to accept it joyfully. The gesture of eating the scroll shows
what docility requires. Even though the scroll contains “words of lamentation
and mourning and woe” (2:10), the prophet will find it “sweet as honey” when he
does what he is told.

2:4. “Thus says the Lord God”: this makes it clear that the prophet is not speak-
ing on his own behalf. It is usually termed a “messenger formula” (words a mes-
senger uses to preface his message), and occurs often in other prophetical
books, particularly Isaiah and Jeremiah. However, in Ezekiel, where it appears
almost 130 times, the name of God is reinforced (“Lord God”), to signal the infinite
majesty of the Lord who speaks with full authority. The people’s stubbornness in
rejecting God’s word is an act of rebellion, and the docility shown by the prophet
is an almost obligatory act of submission. Ezekiel never resists the voice of the
Lord, never raises any personal objection or difficulty unlike Isaiah and Jeremiah.
On the contrary, knowing that he is passing on a divine message, not inventing
one of his own, he must do this bravely, and never flag, even if the people refuse
to listen (cf. 2:6-7; 3:11). “True prophets are those who say the words that God
has spoken to them; the prophet of God is the one who delivers the words of
God to men who cannot or do not deserve to understand God himself” (St Augus-
tine, “Quaestiones in Heptateuchum”, 2, 17).

2:5. “They will know that there has been a prophet among them”: a formal con-
firmation that Ezekiel is indeed a prophet. At a time when there was no king (for
he was the prisoner of Nebuchadnezzar) and no temple (for it had been profaned
and destroyed) and no social or religious institutions among the Jews, prophets
acquired increased status. The prophet was God’s only representative among
the people; he was the only one with authority to demand that they listen to his
message.

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

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

From: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Visions and Revelations

[7] And to keep me [Paul] from being too elated by the abundance of revelations,
a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep
me from being too elated. [8] Three times I besought the Lord about this, that it
should leave me; [9] but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my
power is made perfect in weakness.” I will all the more gladly boast of my weak-
nesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. [10] For the sake of Christ,
then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hard- ships, persecutions, and ca-
lamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

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

7-10. Displaying admirable humility, St Paul now refers to the weakness God al-
lowed him to experience to ensure his supernatural gifts did not make him proud.
It is impossible to say what exactly the “thorn in his flesh” was. Some Fathers—
St Augustine, for example—and modern commentators think that it was some
particularly painful and humiliating physical ailment, possibly the same one as
he refers to in Galatians 4:13f, where he also speaks in general terms. Others,
like St John Chrysostom, are of the view that he is referring to the pain which
continual persecution caused him. Others—from St Gregory the Great onwards
—opt for an ascetical interpretation; they say he is referring to temptations to do
with conscience; but the supporters of the two other theses argue, for example,
that it is unlikely that St Paul would have mentioned anything of that kind, be-
cause it could have given his enemies ammunition for further attacks.

St Paul asked God to take this “thorn” away, but the heavenly answer he re-
ceived is very revealing: God’s grace is enough to enable him to cope with this
difficulty—which serves to reveal God’s power. And so it is that he boasts of and
is content with his weaknesses and the persecution he suffers: in these circum-
stances he is stronger than ever, thanks to God’s supernatural help.

When commenting on this passage, St Thomas explains that God sometimes
permits certain kinds of evil in order to draw out greater good: for example, in or-
der to protect people from pride—the root of all vices — he sometimes allows his
chosen ones to be humiliated by an illness, or a defect, or even by mortal sin, in
order that “the person who is humbled in this way might recognize that he cannot
stand firm by his own efforts alone. Hence it is said in Romans 8:28, ‘We know
that in everything God works for good with those who love him’—not of course that
God seeks the sin but [the sinner’s] turning to him” (”Commentary on 2 Cor, ad
loc.”).

7. “A messenger of Satan”, an angel of Satan: this is how he describes the hu-
miliating “thorn”. This suggests that the disability could have been seen as an
obstacle to his work of evangelization—which the devil, logically, would have
been keen to frustrate (cf. 2:11; 11:14f).

8-10. Christians can learn a great deal about the ascetical struggle from these
words. They remind us, on the one hand, of the need to ask the Lord to help us
when we experience difficulties, and at the same time to be full of trust and to
abandon ourselves to God, who knows what is best for us. “The Lord is good”,
St Jerome teaches, “because he often does not give us what we desire, in order
to give us something we would prefer” (”Epist. ad Paulinum”).

The passage also shows us what attitude we should take to our own weakness:
“We have to glory”, St Alphonsus says, “in the knowledge of our own weakness
in order to acquire the strength of Jesus Christ, which is holy humility”, without
“giving in to lack of confidence, as the devil wants, and falling into more serious
sins” (”Treasury of Preaching Material”, II, 6).

At the same time this passage teaches us that awareness of our personal short-
comings should lead us to put all our trust in God: “We have to cry out cease-
lessly with a strong and humble faith, ‘Lord, put not your trust in me. But I, I put
my trust in you. ‘ Then, as we sense in our hearts the love, the compassion, the
tenderness of Christ’s gaze upon us (for he never abandons us) we shall come
to understand the full meaning of those words of St Paul, “virtus in infirmitate
perficitur” (2 Cor 12:9). If we have faith in our Lord, in spite of our failings — or
rather, with our failings—we shall be faithful to our Father, God; his divine power
will shine forth in us, sustaining us in our weakness” (St. J. Escriva, “Friends
of God”, 194).

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

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

From: Mark 6:1-6

No Prophet Is Honored In His Own Country

[1] He (Jesus) went away from there and came to His own country; and His
disciples followed Him. [2] And on the Sabbath He began to teach in the syna-
gogue; and many who heard Him were astonished saying, “Where did this man
get all this? What is the wisdom given to Him? What mighty works are wrought
by His hands! [3] Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James
and Joses and Judah and Simon, and are not His sisters here with us?” And
they took offense at Him. [4] And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without
honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.”
[5] And He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands upon
a few sick people and healed them. [6] And He marvelled because of their un-
belief.

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

1-3. Jesus is here described by His occupation and by the fact that He is the
son of Mary. Does this indicate that St. Joseph is dead already? We do not
know, but it is likely. In any event, the description is worth underlining: in the
Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke we are told of the virginal conception of
Jesus. St. Mark’s Gospel does not deal with our Lord’s infancy, but there may
be an allu- sion here to His virginal conception and birth, in His being described
as “the son of Mary.”

“Joseph, caring for the Child as he had been commanded, made Jesus a crafts-
man, transmitting his own professional skill to him. So the neighbors of Naza-
reth will call Jesus both “faber” and “fabri filius”: the craftsman and the son of
the craftsman” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 55). This message of
the Gospel reminds us that our vocation to work is not marginal to God’s plans.

“The truth that by means of work man participates in the activity of God Himself,
his Creator, was ‘given particular prominence by Jesus Christ’—the Jesus at
whom many of His first listeners in Nazareth ‘were astonished, saying, “Where
did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to Him?... Is not this the
carpenter?’” (Mark 6:23). For Jesus not only proclaimed but first and foremost
fulfilled by His deeds the ‘Gospel’, the word of eternal Wisdom, that had been
entrusted to Him. Therefore this was also ‘the gospel of work’, be- cause ‘He
who proclaimed it was Himself a man of work’, a craftsman like Joseph of Naza-
reth (cf. Matthew 13:55). And if we do not find in His words a special command
to work—but rather on one occasion a prohibition against too much anxiety about
work and life—(Matthew 6:25-34)—at the same time the elo- quence of the life of
Christ is unequivocal: He belongs to the `working world’, He has appreciation
and respect for human work. It can indeed be said the ‘He looks with love upon
human work’ and the different forms that it takes, seeing in each one of these
forms a particular facet of man’s likeness with God, the Creator and Father”
(John Paul II, “Laborem Exercens”, 26).

St. Mark mentions by name a number of brothers of Jesus, and refers in general
to His sisters. But the word “brother” does not necessarily mean son of the
same parents. It can also indicate other degrees of relationship—cousins, ne-
phews, etc. Thus in Genesis 13:8 and 14:14 and 16 Lot is called the brother of
Abraham (translated as “kinsman” in RSV), whereas we know that he was Abra-
ham’s nephew, the son of Abraham’s brother Haran. The same is true of Laban,
who is called the brother of Jacob (Genesis 29:15) although he was his mother’s
brother (Genesis 29:15); there are other instances: cf. 1 Chronicles 23:21-22,
etc. This confusion is due to the poverty of Hebrew and Aramaic language: in the
absence of distinct terms, the same word, brother, is used to designate different
degrees of relationship.

>From other Gospel passages we know that James and Joses, who are mentioned
here, were sons of Mary of Clophas (John 19:25). We know less about Judas and
Simon: it seems that they are the Apostles Simon the Cananaean (Matthew 10:4)
and Judas the son of James (Luke 6:16), the author of the Catholic Epistle, in
which he describes himself as “brother” of James. In any event, although James,
Simon and Judas are referred to as brothers of Jesus, it is nowhere said they were
“sons of Mary”—which would have been the natural thing if they had been our Lord’s
brothers in the strict sense. Jesus always appears as an only son: to the people
of Nazareth, He is “the son of Mary” (Matthew 13:55). When He was dying Jesus
entrusted His mother to St. John (cf. John 19:26-27), which shows that Mary had
no other children. To this is added the constant belief of the Church, which regards
Mary as the ever-virgin: “a perfect virgin before, while, and forever after she gave
birth” (Paul IV, “Cum Quorumdam”).

5-6. Jesus worked no miracles here: not because He was unable to do so, but as
punishment for the unbelief of the townspeople. God wants man to use the grace
offered him, so that, by cooperating with grace, he become disposed to receive
further graces. As St. Augustine neatly puts it, “He who made you without your
own self, will not justify you without yourself” (”Sermon” 169).

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

His Native Place

July 4th, 2009 by Fr. Paul Scalia

Tucked away in a little room on the ground floor of the National Gallery of Art you will find a wonderful medieval sculpture called “Holy Kinship.” It depicts Jesus, Mary and Joseph — and our Lord’s grandmother, grandfather, aunts, uncles and cousins. It shows His family to be much like any other. He has the bald uncle and the uncle with the funny beard. He has the aunts who look just like his mom (but not as pretty). He has cousins who are goofing off and ruining the family portrait.

When St. Mark tells us that our Lord “came to His native place” (Mk 6:1), he touches on this holy kinship. He identifies the town of our Lord’s youth and family, where He grew up knowing His mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, uncles, aunts, etc. No, He did not have any brothers or sisters (at least not in the literal sense of having been born of the same mother). But He did have cousins so close they were like siblings.

Our Lord grew up in a family. That was His native place. He did not come down from heaven full grown. He actually lived in a family and with all the relatives in the town. We know nothing about those 30 years of His life. We know nothing because those years are unremarkable; because He lived in the village, among His relatives, in His family — as all the others did.

This explains why they could not accept Him on His return: “[M]any who heard Him were astonished. They said, ‘Where did this man get all this? … Is He not the Carpenter, the Son of Mary?’” (Mk 6:2-3). They think it is all too much. They cannot bear to believe in Him as a great prophet, much less as God. They refuse to believe because He is so familiar. “They took offense at Him” (Mk 6:3). Their astonishment and offense provide positive witness to the ordinariness and simplicity of our Lord’s family life. They cannot believe because His family life was so ordinary.

The whole encounter calls to mind the importance of the family. Our Lord sanctified family life by living family life. By those 30 years He endorsed the family as His first community, His native place. It is indeed the world’s first community — willed by God at creation and chosen by God at the Incarnation. The family comes before every state and government — before every job, before every salary. It is there that we learn what it means to be human — to love, to pray, to work, to suffer, to forgive, to believe. Without the family, the individual, the society, the parish and the Church all suffer.

As the family in our society decays before our very eyes, the silence of our Lord’s 30 years in Nazareth becomes more and more eloquent. He placed Himself in the family; but our culture says that the family is somehow optional. Worse still, forces in our society want to redefine the family. Of course, if we change the definition of the family to suit ourselves it does not acquire new meaning — it ceases to have any meaning whatsoever.

The importance our Lord attached to the family should inspire us to defend it. We do not define this institution. God does. It is, in the end, not ours to manipulate and reconstruct to our liking. It is God’s — in the order both of creation and of redemption. It is his native place — which he has entrusted to us for our good. Indeed, for our salvation: “The history of mankind, the history of salvation, passes by way of the family” (John Paul II).

Fr. Scalia is parochial vicar of St. Rita parish in Alexandria, VA.

(This article courtesy of the Arlington Catholic Herald.)

The Work of God

Year B

- 14th Sunday in ordinary time

A prophet is despised in his own country, and in his own house, and among his own kindred.

Mark 6:1-6

1 And going out from there, he went into his own country; and his disciples followed him.
2 And when the sabbath had come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were in admiration at his doctrine, saying: How came this man by all these things? and what wisdom is this that is given to him, and such mighty works as are wrought by his hands?
3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joseph, and Jude, and Simon? are not also his sisters here with us? And they were scandalized in regard of him.
4 And Jesus said to them: A prophet is despised in his own country, and in his own house, and among his own kindred.
5 And he could not do any miracles there, only that he cured a few that were sick, laying his hands upon them.
6 And he wondered because of their unbelief, and he went through the villages round about teaching.

Inspiration of the Holy Spirit - From the Sacred Heart of Jesus

14th Sunday in ordinary time - A prophet is despised in his own country, and in his own house, and among his own kindred.

It was very disconcerting for me to see how many people would marvel temporarily about my miracles, about the words of wisdom they listened to and how even then they would not realize that God was doing wonders among them. All the prophets demonstrated that they were bringing a divine message and they deserved to be listened to, however they all perished because of the hypocrisy of those who heard them with doubts and contempt, they sinned by underestimating the gift of God, together with those who didn’t listen to me and don’t even listen now but reject my Word.

Who can have words like God, who can unite power to his word the way God does, who can speak perfectly without error, expressing himself directly from Wisdom, the way God does? There is only one who has been able to do that, and He is the same Word of God, He who is the Incarnate Word, the Wisdom of God that has come to the earth, Jesus, your friend, your heavenly doctor, the true way, the truth and the life.

How difficult it was for me to convince the humanity that listened to me, even demonstrating my power, so that they would see that the Holy Scriptures were being fulfilled before their eyes, many were called, but few were chosen.

Many expected the Messiah, but few recognized Him when he came, many sought Him, but few found Him, and even after finding Him and listening to His testimony, they rejected His teachings and preferred to put Him aside. For this reason, their hearts were filled with jealousy and evil, beginning with those who knew me since my childhood and could not accept what their eyes were seeing, those who studied the law of Moses and had been filled with human precepts that had nothing to do with the divine teachings. Finding something new, something unconventional, those people rejected me totally, they despised the gift that God had sent them and they closed their eyes so that they would not see the Light that descended from above.

For many souls who look for God, it is very difficult to recognize the spiritual encounter that I have with each one, many think, “I am not worthy to receive the Lord”, then, closed in their almost noble concepts, they don’t realize about my Presence, they reject the inspirations of my Holy Spirit, they despise the opportunities to do good, without knowing that I am providing them with ways to get close to Me. Eventually they become cold in the faith, they come to the point of even forgetting that I am really Present in the Church, just as I promised; doubts run through their minds, especially about my Sacramental Presence.

Many Christians ask themselves, who is this, of flesh and blood, who wears a robe, who is claiming to consecrate bread and wine and brings Jesus to the altar, how is it, that a man has the power to forgive sins and unite me to God? Well, these are doing exactly the same they did to me in my own land; they are despising me in those that I have anointed with my Divine Word, which is capable of doing anything. Those who reject my priests are rejecting Me, those who don’t open their spiritual ears because they are bound to their material world, are missing out on the gift that God is offering for the healing of all their evils.

If there was not faith before my corporal Presence here on earth, it is more difficult to believe in me now, when minds are saturating themselves daily with the rubbish of the world, this is why I have destined throughout all generations faithful instruments to my Word who are the means of reaching out to those who are about to be lost forever. Blessed are those who believe in me without seeing, those who without experiencing my miracles have faith, because they recognize the dignity of my Person and the unique value of my Word.

I have many blessings in store for those who have faith in me. My Peace and my Grace flow into their lives like rivers of Heavenly Light, their joy is continuous and secure, because they are walking firmly on my way.

Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary

The Road to Emmaus

Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

By Brian Pizzalato *

First Reading – Ez. 2:2-5Responsorial Psalm – Ps. 123:1-2, 2, 3-4

Second Reading – 2 Cor. 12:7-10

Gospel Reading – Mk. 6:1-6

The Gospel reading for this Sunday stands in stark contract from what has just taken place in the reading last week. In Mark 5:21-43 Jesus healed a woman who was hemorrhaging for twelve years, and raised a twelve year old girl from the dead. The people “were overcome with amazement” (5:42b).

Jesus now travels back to his hometown of Nazareth, a city of no more than a few hundred people. In a real sense they would have been considered family. Their reaction to his miracle, however, is quite different than those outside of his hometown. They are not “overcome with amazement.” They are astonished in a different sense. They approach Jesus with doubt and skepticism. They consider him to be a nobody. “They took offense at him” (Mark 6:3c).

Whereas the people of Mark 5:21-43 are overcome with amazement at Jesus works, Jesus, in Mark 6:1-6, is “marveled because of their unbelief.”

Jesus places himself within a long line of prophets who have been rejected. “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house” (Mark 6:4). As Mary Healy notes in her commentary, The Gospel of Mark, “By referring to himself as a prophet Jesus links himself to that of the long line of Old Testament prophets who suffered rejection or violence because of the unpopularity of their message” (p. 113, cf. 2 Chronicles 24:19; 36:16; Nehemiah 9:26, 30; Jeremiah 35:15; Daniel 9:6, 10; Hosea 9:7).

The Old Testament reading for this Sunday is taken from the prophet Ezekiel. He too was rejected.

The days of Ezekiel

Ezekiel was a prophet who lived during the seventy-year Babylonian captivity of the southern Kingdom of Judah. Ezekiel was taken away into captivity by the Babylonians during the second of three waves of deportation. At the time of the third wave of deportations, the Babylonians also destroyed Jerusalem, and most importantly, the temple.

The reading from Ezekiel 2:2-5 for this Sunday takes place before the third wave of deportations and the destruction of the temple. Ezekiel, in chapter four, will go on to warn the people that the temple will be destroyed.

The people of Ezekiel’s day were “a nation of rebels…impudent and stubborn” (2:3,4). They were idolatrous to the very heart. They would go on to reject Ezekiel, like they had all of the prophets before him, thus Jerusalem and the temple would be destroyed in 587 B.C.

Back to Jesus

Jesus is a prophet much like Ezekiel. He prophesies to his own people and he is rejected. The people acknowledge his “wisdom” and “mighty works,” but as Mary Healy notes, “The people cannot bring themselves to draw the logical conclusion of their reasoning” (p. 112). What logical conclusion might that be? The logical conclusion based on Scripture is that Jesus is in fact God.

Healy says, “Wisdom and mighty deeds (dynameis) are attributes of God himself (Jer 10:12; 51:15; Dan 2:20), and Scripture often refers to the great deeds accomplished by God’s ‘hand’ (Exod 32:11; Deut 4:34; 7:19)” (p. 112).

The consequences of the people’s rejection of Jesus will be similar to those of Ezekiel’s day. In Mark 13, Jesus, as he makes his way out of the temple, foretells of its destruction, “There will not be one stone left upon another that will not be thrown down” (v. 2).

One further lesson <

One further point that might be mentioned about this Sunday’s Gospel reading is that it gives us a glimpse into the extraordinary ordinariness of Jesus’ everyday life while growing up in Nazareth. Nothing spectacular took place during those years, no mighty deeds, not signs and wonders.

During these years Jesus sanctified family life and work, through his humble participation in these activities of everyday life.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church quotes Pope Paul VI’s words during his pilgrimage to Nazareth. He says, “The home of Nazareth is the school where we begin to understand the life of Jesus - the school of the Gospel. First, then, a lesson of silence. May esteem for silence, that admirable and indispensable condition of mind, revive in us…A lesson on family life. May Nazareth teach us what family life is, its communion of love, its austere and simple beauty, and its sacred and inviolable character...A lesson of work. Nazareth, home of the ‘Carpenter's Son,’ in you I would choose to understand and proclaim the severe and redeeming law of human work…To conclude, I want to greet all the workers of the world, holding up to them their great pattern their brother who is God” (533).

Sunday, July 5, 2009
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

First Reading:
Psalm:
Second Reading:
Gospel:

Ezekiel 2:2-5
Psalm 123:1-4
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Mark 6:1-6

We live poverty by filling the hours of the day usefully, doing everything as well as we can, and living little details of order, punctuality and good humor.

-- St. Jose Maria Escriva de Balaguer

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.

Stop abortion!

Mass Readings

First reading	Ezekiel 2:2-5 ©
The spirit came into me and made me stand up, and I heard the Lord speaking to me. He said, ‘Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to the rebels who have turned against me. Till now they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me. The sons are defiant and obstinate; I am sending you to them, to say, “The Lord says this.” Whether they listen or not, this set of rebels shall know there is a prophet among them.’

First reading

Ezekiel 2:2-5 ©

The spirit came into me and made me stand up, and I heard the Lord speaking to me. He said, ‘Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to the rebels who have turned against me. Till now they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me. The sons are defiant and obstinate; I am sending you to them, to say, “The Lord says this.” Whether they listen or not, this set of rebels shall know there is a prophet among them.’

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 122:1-4

Second reading	2 Corinthians 12:7-10 ©
In view of the extraordinary nature of these revelations, to stop me from getting too proud I was given a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan to beat me and stop me from getting too proud! About this thing, I have pleaded with the Lord three times for it to leave me, but he has said, ‘My grace is enough for you: my power is at its best in weakness.’ So I shall be very happy to make my weaknesses my special boast so that the power of Christ may stay over me, and that is why I am quite content with my weaknesses, and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and the agonies I go through for Christ’s sake. For it is when I am weak that I am strong.

Second reading

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 ©

In view of the extraordinary nature of these revelations, to stop me from getting too proud I was given a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan to beat me and stop me from getting too proud! About this thing, I have pleaded with the Lord three times for it to leave me, but he has said, ‘My grace is enough for you: my power is at its best in weakness.’ So I shall be very happy to make my weaknesses my special boast so that the power of Christ may stay over me, and that is why I am quite content with my weaknesses, and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and the agonies I go through for Christ’s sake. For it is when I am weak that I am strong.

Gospel	Mark 6:1-6 ©
Jesus went to his home town and his disciples accompanied him. With the coming of the sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue and most of them were astonished when they heard him. They said, ‘Where did the man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been granted him, and these miracles that are worked through him? This is the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joset and Jude and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here with us?’ And they would not accept him. And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country, among his own relations and in his own house’; and he could work no miracle there, though he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Gospel

Mark 6:1-6 ©

Jesus went to his home town and his disciples accompanied him. With the coming of the sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue and most of them were astonished when they heard him. They said, ‘Where did the man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been granted him, and these miracles that are worked through him? This is the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joset and Jude and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here with us?’ And they would not accept him. And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country, among his own relations and in his own house’; and he could work no miracle there, though he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

http://beingbob.wordpress.com/2009/07/05/sunday-bible-readings-july-5-2009-14th-week-in-ordinary-time-2/

Sunday Bible Readings July 5 2009 14th Week in Ordinary Time

Posted by Bob on July 5, 2009

July 5 2009 Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

About the sources used. The readings on this site are not official for the Mass of Roman Rite of the Catholic Church in the USA, but are from sources free from copyright. They are here to present the comparable readings alongside traditional Catholic commentary as published in the Haydock Bible for your own personal study. Readings vary depending on your local calendar.

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/070509.shtml

Ezekiel 2:2-5
Douay-Rheims Challoner

And the spirit entered into me after that he spoke to me, and he set me upon my feet: and I heard him speaking to me, And saying:

Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious people, that hath revolted from me, they, and their fathers, have transgressed my covenant even unto this day. And they to whom I send thee are children of a hard face, and of an obstinate heart: and thou shalt say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: If so be they at least will hear, and if so be they will forbear, for they are a provoking house: and they shall know that there hath been a prophet in the midst of them.

Responsorial Psalm 122:1-2, 2, 3-4 (Ps 123 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

To thee have I lifted up my eyes, who dwellest in heaven.
Behold as the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters,
As the eyes of the handmaid are on the hands of her mistress:
so are our eyes unto the Lord our God, until he have mercy on us.
Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us:
for we are greatly filled with contempt.
For our soul is greatly filled: we are a reproach to the rich,
and contempt to the proud.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Haydock New Testament

And lest the greatness of the revelations should puff me up, there was given me a sting of my flesh, an angel of Satan, to buffet me. For which thing I thrice besought the Lord, that it might depart from me: And he said to me: My grace is sufficient for thee: for power is made perfect in infirmity. Gladly, therefore, will I glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I take pleasure in my infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am powerful.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Mark 6:1-6
Haydock New Testament

AND going out from thence, he went into his own country; and his disciples followed him. And when the sabbath was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were in admiration at his doctrine: saying:

How came this man by all these things? And what wisdom is this that is given to him, and such mighty works as are wrought by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joseph, and Jude and Simon? Are not also his sisters here with us?

And they were scandalized in regard of him. And Jesus said to them:

A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and in his own house, and among his own kindred.

And he could not do any miracle there, only that he healed a few that were sick, laying hands upon them; And he wondered because of their unbelief, and he went through the villages round about teaching.

Haydock Commentary Ezekiel 2:2-5
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

Ver. 2. Spirit of prophecy; (S. Jer. T.) or, I revived, and took courage.
Ver. 3. Israel. His commission was chiefly to them. C.
Ver. 5. Forbear to sin. H. — He thus insinuates free-will. S. Jer. — If they refuse to hear my prophet, they will at least perceive that hey are inexcusable. C.

Haydock Commentary 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Ver. 7-10. A sting of my flesh,[1] an angel, or a messenger of Satan, to buffet me. The Latin word signifies any thing that pricks or stings, the Greek word a sharp stick or pale: he speaks by a metaphor, as also when he says to buffet me; that is, by causing great trouble or pain. Some understand by it a violent headache or pain, or distemper in the body. S. Aug. mentions this opinion, and does not reject it, in Ps. xcviii. tom. 4. p. 1069. in Ps. cxxx. p. 1465. S. Jer. also speaks of it in c. iv. ad Galatas, tom. 4. p. 274. Ed. Ben. But S. Chrys. by sting, and the angel of Satan, understands that opposition which S. Paul met with from his enemies, and those of the gospel; as Satan signifies an adversary. Others understand troublesome temptations of the flesh, immodest thoughts, and representations, suggested by the devil, and permitted by Almighty God for his greater good. — Thrice I besought the Lord. That is, many times, to be freed from it, but received only this answer from God, that his grace was sufficient to preserve me from consenting to sin. And that power and strength in virtue should increase, and be perfected in weakness, and by temptations, when they are resisted. S. Aug. seems to favour this exposition, in Ps. lviii. Conc. 2. p. 573. S. Jerom, in his letters to Eustochium, to Demetrias, and to Rusticus, the monk. And it is the opinion of S. Greg. l. 23. moral. tom. 1. p. 747. and of many others. Wi. — If there were any danger of pride from his revelations, the base and filthy suggestions of the enemy of souls must cause humiliations, and mke him blush. But these are to be borne with submission to the will of God, for his power is more evident in supporting man under the greatest trials, than in freeing him from the attacks. — Power is made perfect. The strength and power of God more perfectly shines forth in our weakness and infirmity; as the more weak we are of ourselves, the more illustrious is his grace in supporting us, and giving us the victory under all trials and conflicts. Ch. — When I am weak. The more I suffer for Christ, the more I perceive the effects of his all-powerful grace, which sustains, enlightens, and strengthens me: the more also the glory and power of God appeareth in me. The pagans themselves were not ignorant that calamity was the soil in which virtue usually grows to perfection. Calamitas virtutis occasio est. Seneca. — Optimos nos esse dum infirmi sumus. Plin. vii. ep. 26.

Haydock Commentary Mark 6:1-6

Ver. 1. After the miracles that Christ had performed, though he was not ignorant how much they despised him, yet that there might be no excuse for their disbelief, he condescended to return to them. Theophylactus.
Ver. 3. S. Matthew relates that they asked: Is not this the son of the carpenter? It is not improbable that both questions were asked; it was certainly very natural to take him for a carpenter, who was the son of one. S. Austin. — They were scandalized at his lowly birth and humble parentage. Hence Jesus Christ take occasion to expose the malice and envy of the Jews, in refusing him, and to shew that the Gentiles would more esteem him. See Luke iv. 25, and John i.

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. Alleluia.

A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.

Psalm 103 (104)
Hymn to God the Creator
My Lord God, you are robed in majesty and splendour, wrapped in light as in a cloak. Alleluia.
Bless the Lord, my soul! Lord, my God, how great you are! You are robed in majesty and splendour; you are wrapped in light as in a cloak. You stretch out the sky like an awning, you build your palace upon the waters. You make the clouds your chariot, you walk upon the wings of the wind. You make the breezes your messengers, you make burning fire your minister. You set the earth upon its foundation: from age to age it will stand firm. Deep oceans covered it like a garment, and the waters stood high above the mountains; but you rebuked them and they fled; at the sound of your thunder they fled in terror. They rise to the mountains or sink to the valleys, to the places you have decreed for them. You have given them a boundary they must not cross; they will never come back to cover the earth. You make springs arise to feed the streams, that flow in the midst of the mountains. All the beasts of the field will drink from them and the wild asses will quench their thirst. Above them will nest the birds of the sky, from among the branches their voices will sound. 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.
My Lord God, you are robed in majesty and splendour, wrapped in light as in a cloak. Alleluia.

Psalm 103 (104)
The Lord brought forth bread from the land, and wine to make man’s heart strong. Alleluia.
From your palace you water the mountains, and thus you give plenty to the earth. You bring forth grass for the cattle, and plants for the service of man. You bring forth bread from the land, and wine to make man’s heart rejoice. Oil, to make the face shine; and bread to make man’s heart strong. The trees of the Lord have all that they need, and the cedars of Lebanon, that he planted. Small birds will nest there, and storks at the tops of the trees. For wild goats there are the high mountains; the crags are a refuge for the coneys. He made the moon so that time could be measured; the sun knows the hour of its setting. You send shadows, and night falls: then all the beasts of the woods come out, lion cubs roaring for their prey, asking God for their food. When the sun rises they come back together to lie in their lairs; man goes out to his labour, and works until evening. 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 brought forth bread from the land, and wine to make man’s heart strong. Alleluia.

Psalm 103 (104)
God saw all that he had made, and indeed it was very good. Alleluia.
How many are your works, O Lord! You have made all things in your wisdom, and the earth is full of your creatures. The sea is broad and immense: sea-creatures swim there, both small and large, too many to count. Ships sail across it; Leviathan lives there, the monster; you made him to play with. All of them look to you to give them their food when they need it. You give it to them, and they gather; you open your hand, they are filled with good things. But turn away, and they are dismayed; take away their breath, and they die, once more they will turn into dust. You will send forth your breath, they will come to life; you will renew the face of the earth. Glory be to the Lord, for ever; let the Lord rejoice in his works. He turns his gaze to the earth, and it trembles; he touches the mountains, and they smoke. I will sing to the Lord all my life; as long as I exist, I will sing songs to God. May my praises be pleasing to him; truly I will delight in the Lord. Let sinners perish from the earth, let the wicked vanish from existence. Bless the Lord, my soul! 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.
God saw all that he had made, and indeed it was very good. Alleluia.

Happy are your eyes, because they see.

– Happy are your ears, because they hear.

Reading	2 Samuel 12:1-25 ©
The Lord sent Nathan the prophet to David. He came to him and said: ‘In the same town were two men, one rich, the other poor. The rich man had flocks and herds in great abundance; the poor man had nothing but a ewe lamb, one only, a small one he had bought. This he fed, and it grew up with him and his children, eating his bread, drinking from his cup, sleeping on his breast; it was like a daughter to him. When there came a traveller to stay, the rich man refused to take one of his own flock or herd to provide for the wayfarer who had come to him. Instead he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for his guest.’ David’s anger flared up against the man. ‘As the Lord lives,’ he said to Nathan ‘the man who did this deserves to die! He must make fourfold restitution for the lamb, for doing such a thing and showing no compassion.’ Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man. The Lord the God of Israel says this, “I anointed you king over Israel; I delivered you from the hands of Saul; I gave your master’s house to you, his wives into your arms; I gave you the House of Israel and of Judah; and if this were not enough, I would add as much again for you. Why have you shown contempt for the Lord, doing what displeases him? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, taken his wife for your own, and killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. So now the sword will never be far from your House, since you have shown contempt for me and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.” ‘Thus the Lord speaks, “I will stir up evil for you out of your own House. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to your neighbour, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. You worked in secret, I will work this in the face of all Israel and in the face of the sun.”’ David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ Then Nathan said to David, ‘The Lord, for his part, forgives your sin; you are not to die. Yet because you have outraged the Lord by doing this, the child that is born to you is to die.’ Then Nathan went home. The Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David and it fell gravely ill. David pleaded with the Lord for the child; he kept a strict fast and went home and spent the night on the bare ground, covered with sacking. The officials of his household came and stood round him to get him to rise from the ground, but he refused, nor would he take food with them. On the seventh day the child died. David’s officers were afraid to tell him the child was dead. ‘Even when the child was alive’ they thought ‘we reasoned with him and he would not listen to us. How can we tell him the child is dead? He will do something desperate.’ David, however, noticed that his officers were whispering among themselves, and realised that the child was dead. ‘Is the child dead?’ he asked the officers. They answered, ‘He is dead.’ David got up from the ground, bathed and anointed himself and put on fresh clothes. Then he went into the sanctuary of the Lord and prostrated himself. On returning to his house he asked for food to be set before him, and ate. His officers said, ‘Why are you acting like this? When the child was alive you fasted and wept; now the child is dead you get up and take food.’ ‘When the child was alive’ he answered ‘I fasted and wept because I kept thinking, “Who knows? Perhaps the Lord will take pity on me and the child will live.” But now he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him but he cannot come back to me.’ David consoled his wife Bathsheba. He went to her and slept with her. She conceived and gave birth to a son whom she named Solomon. The Lord loved him and made this known through the prophet Nathan who named him Jedidiah in accordance with the word of the Lord.

Reading

2 Samuel 12:1-25 ©

The Lord sent Nathan the prophet to David. He came to him and said:

‘In the same town were two men,

one rich, the other poor.

The rich man had flocks and herds

in great abundance;

the poor man had nothing but a ewe lamb,

one only, a small one he had bought.

This he fed, and it grew up with him and his children,

eating his bread, drinking from his cup,

sleeping on his breast; it was like a daughter to him.

When there came a traveller to stay, the rich man

refused to take one of his own flock or herd

to provide for the wayfarer who had come to him.

Instead he took the poor man’s lamb

and prepared it for his guest.’

David’s anger flared up against the man. ‘As the Lord lives,’ he said to Nathan ‘the man who did this deserves to die! He must make fourfold restitution for the lamb, for doing such a thing and showing no compassion.’

Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man. The Lord the God of Israel says this, “I anointed you king over Israel; I delivered you from the hands of Saul; I gave your master’s house to you, his wives into your arms; I gave you the House of Israel and of Judah; and if this were not enough, I would add as much again for you. Why have you shown contempt for the Lord, doing what displeases him? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, taken his wife for your own, and killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. So now the sword will never be far from your House, since you have shown contempt for me and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.”

‘Thus the Lord speaks, “I will stir up evil for you out of your own House. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to your neighbour, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. You worked in secret, I will work this in the face of all Israel and in the face of the sun.”’

David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ Then Nathan said to David, ‘The Lord, for his part, forgives your sin; you are not to die. Yet because you have outraged the Lord by doing this, the child that is born to you is to die.’ Then Nathan went home.

The Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David and it fell gravely ill. David pleaded with the Lord for the child; he kept a strict fast and went home and spent the night on the bare ground, covered with sacking. The officials of his household came and stood round him to get him to rise from the ground, but he refused, nor would he take food with them. On the seventh day the child died. David’s officers were afraid to tell him the child was dead. ‘Even when the child was alive’ they thought ‘we reasoned with him and he would not listen to us. How can we tell him the child is dead? He will do something desperate.’ David, however, noticed that his officers were whispering among themselves, and realised that the child was dead. ‘Is the child dead?’ he asked the officers. They answered, ‘He is dead.’

David got up from the ground, bathed and anointed himself and put on fresh clothes. Then he went into the sanctuary of the Lord and prostrated himself. On returning to his house he asked for food to be set before him, and ate. His officers said, ‘Why are you acting like this? When the child was alive you fasted and wept; now the child is dead you get up and take food.’ ‘When the child was alive’ he answered ‘I fasted and wept because I kept thinking, “Who knows? Perhaps the Lord will take pity on me and the child will live.” But now he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him but he cannot come back to me.’

David consoled his wife Bathsheba. He went to her and slept with her. She conceived and gave birth to a son whom she named Solomon. The Lord loved him and made this known through the prophet Nathan who named him Jedidiah in accordance with the word of the Lord.

Reading	From a sermon by Saint Augustine, bishop
A sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit
I acknowledge my transgression, says David. If I admit my fault, then you will pardon it. Let us never assume that if we live good lives we will be without sin; our lives should be praised only when we continue to beg for pardon. But men are hopeless creatures, and the less they concentrate on their own sins, the more interested they become in the sins of others. They seek to criticise, not to correct. Unable to excuse themselves, they are ready to accuse others. This was not the way that David showed us how to pray and make amends to God, when he said: I acknowledge my transgression, and my sin is ever before me. He did not concentrate on others’ sins; he turned his thoughts on himself. He did not merely stroke the surface, but he plunged inside and went deep down within himself. He did not spare himself, and therefore was not impudent in asking to be spared. Do you want God to be appeased? Learn what you are to do that God may be pleased with you. Consider the psalm again: If you wanted sacrifice, I would indeed have given it; in burnt offerings you will take no delight. Are you then to be without sacrifice? Are you to offer nothing? Will you please God without an offering? Consider what you read in the same psalm: If you wanted sacrifice, I would indeed have given it; in burnt offerings you will take no delight. But continue to listen, and say with David: A sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit; God does not despise a contrite and humble heart. Cast aside your former offerings, for now you have found out what you are to offer. In the days of your fathers you would have made offerings of cattle – these were the sacrifices. If you wanted sacrifice, I would indeed have given it. These then, Lord, you do not want, and yet you do want sacrifice. You will take no delight in burnt offerings, David says. If you will not take delight in burnt offerings, will you remain without sacrifice? Not at all. A sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit; God does not despise a contrite and humble heart. You now have the offering you are to make. No need to examine the herd, no need to outfit ships and travel to the most remote provinces in search of incense. Search within your heart for what is pleasing to God. Your heart must be crushed. Are you afraid that it might perish so? You have the reply: Create a clean heart in me, O God. For a clean heart to be created, the unclean one must be crushed. We should be displeased with ourselves when we commit sin, for sin is displeasing to God. Sinful though we are, let us at least be like God in this, that we are displeased at what displeases him. In some measure then you will be in harmony with God’s will, because you find displeasing in yourself what is abhorrent to your Creator.

Reading

From a sermon by Saint Augustine, bishop

A sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit

I acknowledge my transgression, says David. If I admit my fault, then you will pardon it. Let us never assume that if we live good lives we will be without sin; our lives should be praised only when we continue to beg for pardon. But men are hopeless creatures, and the less they concentrate on their own sins, the more interested they become in the sins of others. They seek to criticise, not to correct. Unable to excuse themselves, they are ready to accuse others. This was not the way that David showed us how to pray and make amends to God, when he said: I acknowledge my transgression, and my sin is ever before me. He did not concentrate on others’ sins; he turned his thoughts on himself. He did not merely stroke the surface, but he plunged inside and went deep down within himself. He did not spare himself, and therefore was not impudent in asking to be spared.

Do you want God to be appeased? Learn what you are to do that God may be pleased with you. Consider the psalm again: If you wanted sacrifice, I would indeed have given it; in burnt offerings you will take no delight. Are you then to be without sacrifice? Are you to offer nothing? Will you please God without an offering? Consider what you read in the same psalm: If you wanted sacrifice, I would indeed have given it; in burnt offerings you will take no delight. But continue to listen, and say with David: A sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit; God does not despise a contrite and humble heart. Cast aside your former offerings, for now you have found out what you are to offer. In the days of your fathers you would have made offerings of cattle – these were the sacrifices. If you wanted sacrifice, I would indeed have given it. These then, Lord, you do not want, and yet you do want sacrifice.

You will take no delight in burnt offerings, David says. If you will not take delight in burnt offerings, will you remain without sacrifice? Not at all. A sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit; God does not despise a contrite and humble heart.

You now have the offering you are to make. No need to examine the herd, no need to outfit ships and travel to the most remote provinces in search of incense. Search within your heart for what is pleasing to God. Your heart must be crushed. Are you afraid that it might perish so? You have the reply: Create a clean heart in me, O God. For a clean heart to be created, the unclean one must be crushed.

We should be displeased with ourselves when we commit sin, for sin is displeasing to God. Sinful though we are, let us at least be like God in this, that we are displeased at what displeases him. In some measure then you will be in harmony with God’s will, because you find displeasing in yourself what is abhorrent to your Creator.

Hymn	Te Deum
God, we praise you; Lord, we proclaim you! You, the Father, the eternal – all the earth venerates you. All the angels, all the heavens, every power – The cherubim, the seraphim – unceasingly, they cry: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts: heaven and earth are full of the majesty of your glory!” The glorious choir of Apostles – The noble ranks of prophets – The shining army of martyrs – all praise you. Throughout the world your holy Church proclaims you. – Father of immeasurable majesty, – True Son, only-begotten, worthy of worship, – Holy Spirit, our Advocate. You, Christ: – You are the king of glory. – You are the Father’s eternal Son. – You, to free mankind, did not disdain a Virgin’s womb. – You defeated the sharp spear of Death, and opened the kingdom of heaven to those who believe in you. – You sit at God’s right hand, in the glory of the Father. – You will come, so we believe, as our Judge. And so we ask of you: give help to your servants, whom you set free at the price of your precious blood. Number them among your chosen ones in eternal glory. Bring your people to safety, Lord, and bless those who are your inheritance. Rule them and lift them high for ever. Day by day we bless you, Lord: we praise you for ever and for ever. Of your goodness, Lord, keep us without sin for today. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us. Let your pity, Lord, be upon us, as much as we trust in you. In you, Lord, I trust: let me never be put to shame.

Hymn

Te Deum

God, we praise you; Lord, we proclaim you!

You, the Father, the eternal –

all the earth venerates you.

All the angels, all the heavens, every power –

The cherubim, the seraphim –

unceasingly, they cry:

“Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts:

heaven and earth are full of the majesty of your glory!”

The glorious choir of Apostles –

The noble ranks of prophets –

The shining army of martyrs –

all praise you.

Throughout the world your holy Church proclaims you.

– Father of immeasurable majesty,

– True Son, only-begotten, worthy of worship,

– Holy Spirit, our Advocate.

You, Christ:

– You are the king of glory.

– You are the Father’s eternal Son.

– You, to free mankind, did not disdain a Virgin’s womb.

– You defeated the sharp spear of Death, and opened the kingdom of heaven to those who believe in you.

– You sit at God’s right hand, in the glory of the Father.

– You will come, so we believe, as our Judge.

And so we ask of you: give help to your servants, whom you set free at the price of your precious blood.

Number them among your chosen ones in eternal glory.

Bring your people to safety, Lord, and bless those who are your inheritance.

Rule them and lift them high for ever.

Day by day we bless you, Lord: we praise you for ever and for ever.

Of your goodness, Lord, keep us without sin for today.

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us.

Let your pity, Lord, be upon us, as much as we trust in you.

In you, Lord, I trust: let me never be put to shame.

Concluding Prayer
O God, the world had fallen flat in the dust but your Son’s humility stood it upright once more. Fill your faithful people with a holy joy: take those whom you have torn away from slavery to sin and make them rejoice eternally. 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.

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings (on USCCB site):
» July 05, 2009
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Collect: Father, through the obedience of Jesus, your servant and your Son, you raised a fallen world. Free us from sin and bring us the joy that lasts for ever. 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.

« July 05, 2009 »

Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
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And on the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue; and many who heard him were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to him? What mighty works are wrought by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house (Mk 6:2-4)."

The feast of St. Anthony Zaccaria (which would normally be celebrated today) is superceded by the Sunday Liturgy.

Sunday Readings
The first reading is taken from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel 2:2-5 and treats of the Exekiel's appointment as prophet among the exiles in Babylon.

The second reading is from the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians12:7-10. St Paul feels forced to prove that he was a true Apostle — who suffered much for Christ and his Gospel and who also had been given the privilege of special visions and revelations. He goes on to describe some weakness he had which troubled him very much. He concludes that he is content with weakness and sufferings because the power and strength of Christ, working through a weak instrument, will be all the more visible and convincing.

The Gospel is from St. Mark 6:1-6. What happened in Nazareth was a foretaste of the later reaction of the scribes and Pharisees, the leaders of the people, to Christ's claim to be the promised Messiah. What the people of Nazareth tried to do (Lk. 4:29-30), the religious authorities in Jerusalem succeeded in doing, because they were able to threaten the Roman governor with blackmail. Even in their wickedness and unknown to themselves, they were putting into action God's plan for mankind. It was necessary that Christ should die so that all men could live forever with God. Christ's death, followed by his resurrection, was the key that opened the door of eternity for the human race.

Unfortunately for the leaders of the Jews, the good end did not justify the evil intentions and evil means which they used. It is hard to understand the irrational opposition of the Nazarites on this occasion, and of the Pharisees of Jerusalem later. The people of Nazareth had heard nothing but marvelous reports of his wonderful preaching and outstanding miracles. One would therefore expect that if they were at all reasonable, they would rejoice on having one of their fellow-citizens admired by thousands and looked upon by so many as the long-promised Messiah. Instead, they turned against him in bitter hatred and there and then decided to put an end to his career (Lk. 4:29). Why? Because the demon of envy, a daughter of pride, laid hold of their hearts and minds. Why should a neighbor's son, and one of a lower status than many of them—a mere carpenter, be given this privilege while their sons were passed over? This could not be, their envy told them, and so they shut their minds against any proof to the contrary.

It was the same later in the case of the Pharisees. The same vices, pride and envy, darkened their intellects and prevented them from seeing the truth. They were the religious leaders of the people, or so they thought themselves to be. If the Messiah had come they felt that he should have come through them and with their approval. This impostor Jesus could not possibly be the Messiah. Not only was he not keeping the law as strictly as they kept it, but he was friendly with sinners and tax-gatherers. Furthermore, he was talking of some faraway kingdom in heaven and not of the earthly empire which they decided the real Messiah would establish. They had not only heard of his extraordinary miracles but had seen some of those who were cured. In Bethany only a few miles from Jerusalem Lazarus had been raised to life after four days in the grave. They tried very hard to deny these miracles (see Jn. 9: the man born blind), and they even thought of killing Lazarus to make the people forget the miracle! (Jn. 12:11). Thus their pride and envy made them irrational. Nothing but the cruelest possible death of the one hated could satisfy their hatred. But that very death was Christ's road to glory. Lifted up on the cross he drew all men to himself as he had foretold (Jn. 12:32). Those on Calvary beheld the triumph of failure.

Would that all the opposition to Christ and his teaching, caused by human pride and envy, had ended with the Nazarites and Pharisees! Far from it. Pride and envy are still rife among us. All through the twenty centuries of Christianity, there have been proud men, men high in their own esteem. Not only would they not have Christ to reign over them, but they have tried to prevent his reign over even those who are gladly and proudly his subjects. Not content with dethroning Christ in their own hearts and minds, they have devoted all their energies to abolishing him and his Church from the face of our earth. Such enemies of Christ are still among us. They are more numerous than ever today but just as their predecessors failed in the past, so will these fail today. Christ will continue to reign and his Church will continue its mission of leading to heaven all men whose minds are free from sinful pride and therefore open to the truth.

Let us renew our loyalty to Christ today. He humbled himself so that we might be raised to the standing of sons of God. He shared our human nature with us so that we could share his divine nature. He died a cruel death on Calvary so that we could have an eternal life in heaven. We pray for light for those whose foolish pride has left them groping in darkness. Let us also ask the good God to keep us ever on the road of truth, the road of Christian humility which leads to the eternal home which Christ has won for us by his incarnation.

Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.

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. Alleluia.

A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.

Psalm 117 (118)
A cry of rejoicing and triumph
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, and his kindness is for ever. Now let Israel say, he is good and his kindness is for ever. Now let the house of Aaron say it too: that his kindness is for ever. Now let all who fear the Lord say it too: that his kindness is for ever. In my time of trial I called out to the Lord: he listened, and led me to freedom. The Lord is with me, I will fear nothing that man can do. The Lord, my help, is with me, and I shall look down upon my enemies. It is good to seek shelter in the Lord, better than to trust in men. It is good to seek shelter in the Lord, better than to trust in the leaders of men. All the nations surrounded me, and in the Lord’s name I slew them. They crowded in and besieged me, and in the Lord’s name I slew them. They surrounded me like swarms of bees, they burned like a fire of dry thorns, and in the Lord’s name I slew them. They chased and pursued me, to make me fall, and the Lord came to my help. The Lord is my strength and my rejoicing: he has become my saviour. A cry of joy and salvation in the dwellings of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand has triumphed! The Lord’s right hand has raised me up; the Lord’s right hand has triumphed.” I shall not die, but live, and tell of the works of the Lord. The Lord chastised me severely but did not let me die. Open the gates of righteousness: I will go in, and thank the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; it is the upright who enter here. I will thank you, for you listened to me, and became my saviour. The stone that the builders rejected has become the corner-stone. It was the Lord who did this – it is marvellous to behold. This is the day that was made by the Lord: let us rejoice today, and be glad. Lord, keep me safe; O Lord, let me prosper! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, he shines upon us! Arrange the procession, with close-packed branches, up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, I will give thanks to you; my God, I will give you praise. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, and his kindness is 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.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Alleluia.

Canticle	Daniel 3
Let every creature praise the Lord
Let us sing a hymn to our God. Alleluia.
Blessed are you, Lord God of our fathers, praised and exalted for ever. Blessed is the holy name of your glory praised above all things and exalted for ever. Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory praised and glorious above all things for ever. Blessed are you who gaze on the depths, seated on the cherubim, praised and exalted for ever. Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven praised and glorious for ever. Bless the Lord, all his works, praise and exalt him 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.
Let us sing a hymn to our God. Alleluia.

Psalm 150
Praise the Lord
Praise the Lord for all his greatness. Alleluia.
Praise the Lord in his sanctuary, praise him in his mighty firmament. Praise him for his mighty deeds, praise him for all his greatness. Praise him with trumpet-blasts, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dance, praise him with strings and pipes, praise him with cymbals resounding, praise him with cymbals of jubilation. All that breathes, praise the Lord! 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.
Praise the Lord for all his greatness. Alleluia.

Short reading	Ezekiel 36:25-27 ©
I shall pour clean water over you and you will be cleansed; I shall cleanse you of all your defilement and all your idols. I shall give you a new heart, and put a new spirit in you; I shall remove the heart of stone from your bodies and give you a heart of flesh instead. I shall put my spirit in you, and make you keep my laws and sincerely respect my observances.

Canticle	Benedictus
The Messiah and his forerunner
I tell you solemnly, no prophet is accepted in his own country.
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 tell you solemnly, no prophet is accepted in his own country.

Prayers and Intercessions	?
Let us give thanks to our Saviour who came down into this world as God in our midst. Let us cry out to him: – Christ, king of glory, be our light and our joy! Christ our Lord, you are the light dawning from on high, the first-fruits of the resurrection that is to come: may we not remain in shadow but follow you and walk in the light of true life. – Christ, king of glory, be our light and our joy! Make us perceive your goodness in every created thing, so that we see your glory wherever we look. – Christ, king of glory, be our light and our joy! Lord, do not let evil defeat us today, but may we, armed with goodness, defeat evil ourselves. – Christ, king of glory, be our light and our joy! You were baptized in Jordan and anointed with the Holy Spirit: make us give thanks to that same Spirit today. – Christ, king of glory, be our light and our joy!

Prayers and Intercessions

?

Let us give thanks to our Saviour who came down into this world as God in our midst. Let us cry out to him:

– Christ, king of glory, be our light and our joy!

Christ our Lord, you are the light dawning from on high, the first-fruits of the resurrection that is to come:

may we not remain in shadow but follow you and walk in the light of true life.

– Christ, king of glory, be our light and our joy!

Make us perceive your goodness in every created thing,

so that we see your glory wherever we look.

– Christ, king of glory, be our light and our joy!

Lord, do not let evil defeat us today,

but may we, armed with goodness, defeat evil ourselves.

– Christ, king of glory, be our light and our joy!

You were baptized in Jordan and anointed with the Holy Spirit:

make us give thanks to that same Spirit today.

– Christ, king of glory, be our light and our joy!

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.

O God, the world had fallen flat in the dust but your Son’s humility stood it upright once more.

Fill your faithful people with a holy joy:

take those whom you have torn away from slavery to sin

and make them rejoice eternally.

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

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Ezekiel 2:2-5

We tend to think of a “prophet” as someone who forecasts the future.

Of course, some Old Testament prophets did know the future. But being a prophet is a much broader call to proclaim the good news of what God has done and what he is prepared to do. When you look at it this way, you can see that we are all called to be prophets.

Does this sound scary to you? Don’t worry. You have, dwelling in your heart, the same Spirit who empowered Ezekiel, Isaiah, Elijah, and all the others. You have all you need to become a prophetic voice in your home and community!

A word of caution, a: A prophet speaks God’s word, and that word comes from the Holy Spirit, not just from the prophet’s own thoughts and imaginings. So the best thing we can do is to open our hearts to the Holy Spirit more and more each day. As we learn how to do this, we’ll begin to hear him speaking to our hearts. We will feel him prompting us to speak to this or that person, and we will get a sense of what we should say—and what we should not say!

How can we tell if something is coming from the Holy Spirit? If the sense you are getting leads you to love Jesus more, to be more compassionate and kind, or to be more courageous in evangelizing, it’s probably from the Spirit. If it leads to self-reliance, fear, or frustration, it’s probably from another source. And even if the “good” senses are coming from your own mind, they won’t hurt you. Time and the fruit will tell where it really did come from.

God doesn’t want to make it hard for us to become prophetic. We just have to step out in faith and test the results. We really can light the way for others, telling them about the abundant life that God has in store for them. And we’ll actually be giving them a glimpse into the future!

“Jesus, I accept your call to be a prophet. Pour out your Holy Spirit on me so that I can proclaim your saving love.”

Psalm 123:1-4; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10; Mark 6:1-6

Vultus Christi

My grace is enough for thee

By

Father Mark

on July 5, 2009 8:14 AM |

Fifth Sunday After Pentecost
Fourteenth Sunday of the Year B

Ezekiel 2:2-5
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Mark 6:1-6

God Chooses the Broken Man

Prophets are often held in contempt and rejected by those to whom they are sent. The choice of God rarely, if ever, meets the narrow and shortsighted criteria set up by men. God chooses the broken man and promises to repair him. He chooses the fallen man and promises to raise him up. He chooses the man deformed by sin and promises to reform him by grace. Even more surprising is that God does not wait until the broken are completely repaired, the fallen steady on their feet, and the deformed totally reformed, before using them. He chooses his prophets, entrusts them with a mission, and sends them out while they are still imperfect.

Faults, Limitations, and Neuroses

In his best seller, My Life With the Saints, Jesuit Father James Martin tells about coming to terms with the paradox of having a vocation and having at the same time a lot of sinful baggage. This is what he says -- I don't often quote Jesuits, so pay attention -- "It seemed that I was being called to be a Jesuit not despite my faults, my limitations, and my neuroses, but with them, maybe even because of them. God was calling all of me -- even the parts of me I didn't especially like -- to be with him."

Get Real

About thirty years ago a certain Abbot decreed new admissions policies for his monastery. In order to be accepted as a postulant one had to have had a happy childhood; one could not come from a broken home; one had to have affective and sexual maturity and a blameless record of unsullied virtue; one had to have no past history of problems with drugs or alcohol and no alcoholism or mental illness in one's family; one had to have an undergraduate degree and be free of debts; and one had to have good teeth with no cavities. Paradise is peopled with saints who would not have measured up to the Reverend Father's standards. As a youthful friend of mine would say, "Dude! Get real!"

My Grace Is Enough for Thee

Saint Paul, in a very candid autobiographical passage, speaks today of his thorn in the flesh and of his own weakness (2 Cor 12:7-9). "And indeed, for fear that these surpassing revelations should make me proud, I was given a sting in the flesh to distress my outward nature, an angel of Satan sent to rebuff me. Three times it made me entreat the Lord to rid me of it. ; but He told me, My grace is enough for thee; my strength finds it full scope in thy weakness. More than ever, then, I delight to boast of the weaknesses that humiliate me, so that the strength of Christ may enshrine itself in me'" (2 Cor 12:7-9).

Stings in the Flesh

What kind of person does God call to live intimately with Christ, preferring nothing to His love and putting nothing before the Work of God? Men and women who are weak, imperfect, struggling along, like Paul, with a sting in the flesh (2 Cor 12:7) or, like Jacob, with a thigh put out of joint from having wrestled with an angel (Gen 32:25). Weakness is no obstacle to holiness, not in priests, not in nuns or monks, nor in anyone of us. Writing to the Fathers of Jesus Crucified in 1938, Mother Marie des Douleurs had this to say: "It is with nothing -- and with us who are nothings -- that God is doing something. Your weakness or your defects are, therefore, not an obstacle."

The Choice of God

All too often when the choice of God doesn't correspond to what folks think it ought to be, they reject it and reject the one chosen. Our Lord, in the Gospel, is rejected by those who saw Him grow up, by those who knew His mother and family, by those who knew Him first, not as a rabbi of astounding wisdom and mighty works, but as a lowly village carpenter (Mk 6:1-6). The townsfolk knew the mother of Jesus and His relations. Their familiarity with Jesus, and with His human background, blinded them to His mission. It made them skeptical and doubtful of His message. They were unwilling to admit that God had chosen one of their own. "Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to Him (Mk 6:2)?

Unbelief

Saint John describes this very drama in his Prologue. "He came to His own home, and His own people received him not" (Jn 1:11). The unbelief of Jesus' own people impedes His work and frustrates the fruitfulness of His mission. Saint Mark says, "He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them" (Mk 6:5).

Thwarting God's Plan

Each of us has the frightful possibility of thwarting God's plans, of frustrating His desires, and of impeding His work by refusing God's choice of ourselves or by refusing His choice of another. Each of us also has the blessed possibility of corresponding to God's plan, of living out the mystery of our vocation.

The World

A vocation is an invitation to paint one's life with broad strokes and bold colours. As prophets chosen by God, priests and religious are bound to be critical of prevailing cultural standards, philosophies, and systems. Shortly after the Second Vatican Council when people were reading Gaudium et Spes through a kind of rose-coloured haze, they thought they were being called to blend in with the world. It was all very heady stuff: dialogue, adaptation, and openness.

Crisis

What happened? The reality was one-sided: the Church listening to the world without the world listening to the Church. The Church adapting to the world without the world adapting to Church. The Church open to world without the world open to the Church. Instead of the Church evangelizing the world, the world began secularizing the Church. Confusion ensued. In many cases, the General Chapters of Renewal for religious Orders and Congregations mandated by the Second Vatican Council were, in effect, Chapters of Demolition, breaking with the past and intoxicated with change for the sake of change. Seminaries and novitiates closed. People stopped going to Mass. Children stopped learning their catechism and their prayers. In a single generation, families that had been strong in the Catholic faith for centuries fell away from the Church, some into agnosticism, some into neo-paganism, some into materialism and indifference.

An Adult Faith

Pope Benedict XVI alluded to all of this when, in his homily before the opening of the Conclave that elected him, he said: "How many winds of doctrine have we known in recent decades, how many ideological currents, how many ways of thinking." Only now are we beginning to recover from it. The Holy Father announced the dawning of new day when he said: "An 'adult' faith is not a faith that follows the trends of fashion and the latest novelty; a mature adult faith is deeply rooted in friendship with Christ. It is this friendship that opens us up to all that is good and gives us a criterion by which to distinguish the true from the false, and deceit from truth."

A New Day

The new day dawning in the Church will be marked by the return of prophets and of saints. God will demonstrate again the power of His grace by choosing and calling the weak, the broken, and the fallen. Weak men will again become the living evidence of His power. Broken people will become the vehicles of His all-sufficient grace. Fallen sinners will be raised up and sent forth as the heralds of spiritual resurrection. Divine mercy will have the last word as, one by one, souls are brought, under the protection of the Mother of God, to the Eucharistic Face of Christ and to His pierced Heart. The priesthood will shine with a new holiness.

A Prophet Among Them

There is every reason to be full of hope, "gladly boasting of our weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon us" (cf. 2 Cor 12:9). If we have fallen away from our first love, it is not too late to recover it. If we have compromised with worldliness and exchanged the patrimony of the saints against a few tawdry comforts, it is not too late to change. Looking for prophets, the eye of Christ has fallen on us. No one of us is too old, too sick, too dull, or too far-gone to be used for the designs of His Heart. Approaching the adorable Mysteries of His Body and Blood today, say "Yes" again. "And whether they hear or refuse to hear . . . they will know that there has been a prophet among them" (Ez 2:5).

This Optional Memorial is repressed due to the Sunday liturgy.

St Anthony Mary Zaccaria: Barnabites, Clerics Regular of Saint Paul

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. Alleluia.

A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.

Psalm 109 (110)
The Messiah, king and priest
Christ the Lord is a priest for ever, a priest of the order of Melchisedech. Alleluia.
The Lord has said to my lord: “Sit at my right hand while I make your enemies your footstool.” From Zion the Lord will give you a sceptre, and you will rule in the midst of your foes. Royal power is yours in the day of your strength, among the sacred splendours. Before the dawn, I begot you from the womb. The Lord has sworn, and he will not repent: “You are a priest for ever, a priest of the priesthood of Melchisedech.” The Lord is at your right hand, and on the day of his anger he will shatter kings. He will drink from the stream as he goes – he will hold his head high. 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.
Christ the Lord is a priest for ever, a priest of the order of Melchisedech. Alleluia.

Psalm 113B (115)
Praise of the true God
Our God is in the heavens; and what he wills, he does. Alleluia.
Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to your own name give the glory, because of your kindness and faithfulness. Why should the nations say: “Where is their God?” Our God is in the heavens, and what he wills, he does. The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths but do not speak, they have eyes but do not see. They have ears but do not hear, they have nostrils but do not smell. They have hands but they do not feel, they have feet but they do not walk; no voice comes from their throats. Their makers will be like them, and all who put their trust in them. The house of Israel trusts in the Lord; he is their help and their shield. The house of Aaron trusts in the Lord; he is their help and their shield. All who fear the Lord trust in the Lord; he is their help and their shield. The Lord has remembered us and he will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron – he will bless all who fear the Lord. May the Lord add to your numbers and to those of your children. May the Lord bless you, the Lord who made heaven and earth. The heavens are the Lord’s, but the earth he has given to men. It is not the dead who will praise you, O Lord, nor those who go down into the silence; but we, who live, will bless the Lord, now and 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.
Our God is in the heavens; and what he wills, he does. Alleluia.

Canticle	(Apocalypse 19)
The wedding of the Lamb
Praise God, all his servants, small and great. Alleluia.
Alleluia. Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, because his judgements are true and just. Alleluia. Alleluia. Praise our God, all his servants, and you who fear him, small and great. Alleluia. Alleluia. For the Lord reigns, our God, the Almighty: let us rejoice and exult and give him glory. Alleluia. Alleluia. The marriage of the Lamb has come, and his spouse has made herself ready. Alleluia. 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.
Praise God, all his servants, small and great. Alleluia.

Short reading	2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 ©
We feel that we must be continually thanking God for you, brothers whom the Lord loves, because God chose you from the beginning to be saved by the sanctifying Spirit and by faith in the truth. Through the Good News that we brought he called you to this so that you should share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Canticle	Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
Leaving his home town, Jesus made a tour round the villages, teaching.
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.
Leaving his home town, Jesus made a tour round the villages, teaching.

Prayers and Intercessions	?
Christ gives eternal salvation to those who come to God through him: he lives and intercedes for us for ever. Filled with this belief we give him praise and honour and humbly beg him: – Lord, remember your people. As the sun is setting we call on you, the Sun of righteousness that never sets: may all mankind be bathed in your light for ever. – Lord, remember your people. Uphold the Covenant that you sealed with your holy blood: sanctify your Church and make her pure. – Lord, remember your people. Remember, Lord, your people: your people, in whom you dwell. – Lord, remember your people. Guide travellers on straight and peaceful paths: may they arrive safely where they are going. – Lord, remember your people. Accept, Lord, the souls of the deceased: give them forgiveness and everlasting glory. – Lord, remember your people.

Prayers and Intercessions

?

Christ gives eternal salvation to those who come to God through him: he lives and intercedes for us for ever. Filled with this belief we give him praise and honour and humbly beg him: