Mercifull Samaritan

The Rossano Gospels

6th century

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« October 05, 2009 »

Monday of the Twenty-Seventh Week of Ordinary Time; St. Faustina Kowalska, virgin
Old Calendar: St. Placid and His Companions, martyrs #cal_links li { padding: 0px; }

Newly canonized in 2000, some areas celebrate the Optional Memorial of St. Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun who was chosen by Jesus to remind the world of the mystery of God's merciful love, the devotion to Divine Mercy.

Before the reform of the General Roman Calendar in 1969 today was the commemoration of St. Placid and His Companions. St. Placid was placed in the care of St. Benedict at Subiaco by his father when quite young. There had been a group of fourth-century Sicilian martyrs of whom one had the name Placid. This Placid was erroneously identified with the disciple of St. Benedict; thus arose the legend that the monk Placid, his sister, and thirty monks suffered martyrdom in the port of Messina at the hands of pirates.

St. Faustina Kowalska, Virgin
Saint Faustina was born in the 20th century, and canonized in the year 2000. Jesus chose her to deliver to the modern world a message as old as eternity. It is the message of his love for all people, especially sinners. Jesus said to Faustina, "Today I am sending you with my mercy to the people of the whole world." It is his desire to heal the aching world, to draw all people into his merciful heart of love.

On February 22, 1931, Jesus appeared to Faustina as the King of Divine Mercy. He asked her to have a picture painted of him as she saw him — clothed in white, with red and white rays of light streaming from his heart. The rays represent the blood and water that flowed from the side of Jesus on the cross. Under the image are the words, "Jesus, I trust in you."

Many people did not believe Faustina at first. The sisters in her own convent thought that Jesus could not possibly have selected her for this great favor. After all, she was an uneducated peasant girl. Her superiors often refused to give her permission to carry out Jesus' requests. Church theologians, too, doubted her word. Jesus told Faustina that he loved her obedience and that his will would be done in the end.

In June 1934 an artist completed the painting of the Divine Mercy according to her instructions; and it soon became a focus for devotion. Faustina continued to record in her diary the appearances of Jesus. The diary was translated into English and published in 1987 with the title Divine Mercy in My Soul.

Faustina, baptized Helena, had grown up in a poor Polish family of 10 children. When she was 15 years old, she quit school in order to work as a housemaid to help support her family. By the time she was 18, she was sure that God was calling her to a religious life, but her parents objected. So she tried to put it out of her mind. But one night, while the lively polka music was playing at a village dance, Helena saw Jesus, sad and suffering. The very next day she packed a small bag and went to the capital city of Warsaw to join the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. There she received the name Sister Mary Faustina.

About 10 years later, Faustina contracted tuberculosis. Soon she was too weak to manage the heavy gardening assigned to her. So she was given the job of gatekeeper. She was able to show mercy to the poor people who came to the convent looking for food. Once Jesus came to the door as a poor young man. After he had eaten the soup and bread Faustina gave him, she recognized him. Jesus told her he had come to experience with great joy her tender love and mercy.

Faustina was canonized by the first Polish pope, John Paul II, on April 30, 2000. The first Sunday after Easter was declared Divine Mercy Sunday.

Excerpted from Saints and Feast Days: A Resource and Activity Book by The Sisters of Notre Dame of Chardon, Ohio.

Symbols: young nun in habit; nun with vision of Jesus, with two streams of light, one red and white (Divine Mercy image).

Things to Do:

Read a short biography of Sr. Mary Faustina Kowalska from the Vatican.
Read the Holy Father's April 30, 2000 Homily at the solemn Mass celebrated for the canonization of Sr. Mary Faustina Kowalska.
From the Directory on Popular Piety and Liturgy: Devotion to the Divine Mercy
In connection with the octave of Easter, recent years have witnessed the development and diffusion of a special devotion to the Divine Mercy based on the writings of Sr. Faustina Kowalska who was canonized 30 April 2000. It concentrates on the mercy poured forth in Christ's death and resurrection, fount of the Holy Spirit who forgives sins and restores joy at having been redeemed. Since the liturgy of the Second Sunday of Easter or Divine Mercy Sunday — as it is now called — is the natural locus in which to express man's acceptance of the Redeemer's mercy, the faithful should be taught to understand this devotion in the light of the liturgical celebrations of these Easter days. Indeed, "the paschal Christ is the definitive incarnation of mercy, his living sign which is both historico-salvific and eschatological. At the same time, the Easter liturgy places the words of the psalm on our lips: "I shall sing forever of the Lord's mercy" (Ps 89[88]: 2).
Read more from our Catholic Culture library about the Divine Mercy devotion, in particular, a short description of The Divine Mercy devotion
St. Faustina came from Poland. John Paul II was also Polish, and had a great devotion to the Divine Mercy. He made it a feast day on the second Sunday after Easter. Find out more about Poland and its customs. It's a very Catholic country, with deep devotion to Our Lady. A wonderful book that gives a wonderful understanding of the culture is the Pope's biography A Witness to Hope by George Wiegel. This site contains many Polish Traditions. The Polish Art Center has many resources for Polish customs. Although considered a Slovakian country by some, Poland looks to the West for the liturgy; it follows the Roman Catholic liturgy for the Mass, unlike Ukraine and Slovakia have Byzantine rites.
Try your hand at a Polish dish or two. Perhaps practice making some of the favorite foods for the Polish Wigilia (Christmas Eve Dinner) Pierogi (or Pirohi) is one of the most popular Polish foods, but do some research to find other recipes.

St. Placid and His Companions

St. Placid was born in Rome, in the year 515, of a patrician family. When he was seven years old he was brought to St. Benedict by his father, to be trained in monastic life. He became the most illustrious member in the circle of Benedict's first followers. Alongside the awe-inspiring figure of the holy patriarch stands little Placid, and with the innocent simplicity of a child he does much to soften the austerity emanating from the patriarch of monks. Pope St. Gregory devotes several chapters to Placid in his second book of Dialogues. "Once while blessed Benedict was in his room, one of his monks, the boy Placid, went down to get some water. In letting the bucket fill too rapidly, he lost his balance and was pulled into the lake, where the current quickly seized him and carried him about a stone's throw from the shore. Though inside the monastery at the time, the man of God was instantly aware of what had happened and called out to Maurus: 'Hurry, Brother Maurus! The boy who just went down for water has fallen into the lake, and the current is carrying him away.'

"What followed was remarkable indeed, and unheard of since the time of Peter the apostle! Maurus asked for the blessing and on receiving it hurried out to fulfill his abbot's command. He kept on running even over the water till he reached the place where Placid was drifting along helplessly. Pulling him up by the hair, Maurus rushed back to shore, still under the impression that he was on dry land. It was only when he set foot on the ground that he came to himself and looking back realized that he had been running on the surface of the water. Overcome with fear and amazement at a deed he would never have thought possible, he returned to his abbot and told him what had taken place.

"The holy man would not take any personal credit for the deed but attributed it to the obedience of his disciple. Maurus on the contrary claimed that it was due entirely to his abbot's command. He could not have been responsible for the miracle himself, he said, since he had not even known he was performing it. While they were carrying on this friendly contest of humility, the question was settled by the boy who had been rescued. 'When I was being drawn out of the water,' he told them, 'I saw the abbot's cloak over my head; he is the one I thought was bringing me to shore.'" (From The Life and Miracles of St. Benedict by Pope Gregory the Great, translated by Odo Zimmermann, O.S.B. and Benedict Avery, O.S.B.)

Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch.

Symbols: Tongue and knife; crescent; sword.

Secret Harbor

05 October 2009

First Vespers for the Solemnity of Saint Bruno

Keep in mind dear readers, that Vespers is chanted in Latin at most Charterhouses. Thus, the English below is nothing "official" but merely a translation of the Latin that the Carthusians pray at First Vespers for the Solemnity of Holy Father Bruno.

Hymn:
Serve Dei, qui unicum

Servant of God, whose strength was steeled

To follow close God’s only Son,

Well didst thou brave thy battlefield,

And well thy heavenly bliss was won!

Now join thy prayers with ours, who pray

That God may pardon us and bless;

For prayer keeps evil’s plague away,

And draws from life its weariness.

Long, long ago, were loosed the chains

That held thy body once in thrall;

For us how many a bond remains!

O Love of God release us all.

All praise to God the Father be,

All praise to Thee, eternal Son;

All praise, O Holy Ghost, to Thee

While never ending ages run.

Sole Antiphon for the Psalms
Let your loins be girt and lamps burning in your hands.

Psalms (Latin Vulgate numbering)
113a

113b

114

115

116

128

Capitulum, Isaiah 56:7
I will bring them into My holy mount, and will make them joyful in My house of prayer: their holocausts, and their victims shall please Me upon My altar: for My house shall be called the house of prayer, for all nations.

R. Thanks be to God

Response
Blessed is the servant, whom when the Lord shall come, He shall find watching: Amen I say to you, He shall set him over all his goods.
He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, and mercy from God his Savior.
He shall set him over all his goods.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Blessed is the servant, whom when the Lord shall come, He shall find watching: Amen I say to you, He shall set him over all his goods.

Magnificat antiphon
Be ready like men who wait for their Lord, when He shall return from the wedding.

Prayer
Lord God, You chose Saint Bruno to give mankind an example of how the one thing necessary must be sought. Grant that by following in his footsteps, we may faithfully bear witness both to Your Divine Majesty and to our union with Christ, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

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 83 (84)
Longing for the Lord's temple
Blessed are those who dwell in your house, O Lord.
How delightful is your dwelling-place, Lord of hosts! My soul is weak with longing for the courts of your palace. My heart and my body rejoice in the living God. Even the sparrow finds itself a home, the swallow a nest to raise her young – in your altars, O Lord, Lord of strength, my king and my God. Blessed are they who dwell in your house: they will praise you for ever. Blessed the man whose help comes from you, who has set his heart on climbing to you. They pass through the valley of thirst and make a spring there: the morning rain will cover it with blessings. They will go from strength to strength: they will see the God of gods, in Zion. Lord God of hosts, listen to my prayer; hear me, O God of Jacob. Take notice of us, God our protector, and look on the face of your anointed one. One day in the courts of my God is worth more than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be at the doorstep of the house of my God than live in the dwellings of sinners. For the Lord my God is my sun and my shield. The Lord gives grace and glory. He will not deny his good things to those who walk in purity. Blessed is he who trusts in you, O Lord of hosts. 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 are those who dwell in your house, O Lord.

Canticle	Isaiah 2
The mountain of the house of the Lord
Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord.
In the last days, at the end of time, the mountain of the house of the Lord will be prepared high above all mountains. It will be raised above the hills and all nations will come to it. And many peoples will come there and say “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. Let him teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” For from Zion the law will go forth, from Jerusalem the word of the Lord. And he will judge the nations and rebuke many peoples. They will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into sickles. Nation will lift sword against nation no longer. No longer will they go out into battle. People of Jacob, come: let us walk in the light of 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.
Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord.

Psalm 95 (96)
The Lord, the universal King and judge
Sing to the Lord, bless his name.
Sing a new song to the Lord, sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless his name; day after day, proclaim his saving power. Proclaim his glory to the nations, proclaim to all peoples the wonders he has done. For the Lord is great; great is the praise we owe him, he is to be feared above all gods. The gods of the nations are foolishness, but the Lord made the heavens. Majesty and splendour are all about him, power and honour in his holy place. Bring to the Lord, clans of the peoples, bring to the Lord glory and power, bring to the Lord the glory that belongs to his name. Bring your offerings, enter his courts, worship the Lord in holy attire. Tremble at his presence, all the earth. Say to the nations: “The Lord reigns!” For he has set the world firm, so that it cannot be shaken, and he will judge the peoples with fairness. Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad, let the sea and its fulness resound. The fields will rejoice, and all that is in them, all the trees of the woods will rejoice at the Lord’s presence – for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge all the world with justice. He will judge all the peoples with fairness. 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.
Sing to the Lord, bless his name.

Short reading	James 2:12-13 ©
Talk and behave like people who are going to be judged by the law of freedom, because there will be judgement without mercy for those who have not been merciful themselves; but the merciful need have no fear of judgement.

Canticle	Benedictus
The Messiah and his forerunner
Blessed be the Lord our God.
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.
Blessed be the Lord our God.

Prayers and Intercessions	?
God put mankind into the world to work together and thereby give him glory. We beg him: – Lord, make us reflect your glory. God and Creator, we bless you for giving us the good things of the world to support and sustain our lives. – Lord, make us reflect your glory. Look with favour on us as we start our daily work: may we work with you and according to your will. – Lord, make us reflect your glory. Make what we do today bear good fruit for our brethren: with them and for them may we build an earthly city that is pleasing to you. – Lord, make us reflect your glory. Be close to us and everyone we meet today: give us the gift of joy and peace. – Lord, make us reflect your glory.

Prayers and Intercessions

?

God put mankind into the world to work together and thereby give him glory. We beg him:

– Lord, make us reflect your glory.

God and Creator, we bless you for giving us the good things of the world

to support and sustain our lives.

– Lord, make us reflect your glory.

Look with favour on us as we start our daily work:

may we work with you and according to your will.

– Lord, make us reflect your glory.

Make what we do today bear good fruit for our brethren:

with them and for them may we build an earthly city that is pleasing to you.

– Lord, make us reflect your glory.

Be close to us and everyone we meet today:

give us the gift of joy and peace.

– Lord, make us reflect your glory.

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.

Lord God, King of heaven and earth, guide and sanctify, rule and govern our hearts and our bodies, our feelings, words and actions, according to your law and following your commandments.

With your help, in this world and the next,

may we deserve to receive freedom and salvation.

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: Jonah 1:1–2:2,11

Most everyone is familiar with Jonah simply because his claim to fame is so unusual.

There is no other character in the Bible who spends three days in the belly of a fish! But what is this story really about? We could easily see it as a tale of divine justice. Jonah disobeys God and gets what’s coming to him. He winds up in a very nasty place and finds no escape until he gives in. Perhaps it serves him right: After all, God did tell him to go preach to the people of Nineveh!

However, judging by the story’s outcome, it’s more likely that God is trying to help Jonah rather than hurt him—even if he does so in a rather humorous fashion! He sends a storm to Jonah’s ship, but doesn’t sink it. He allows Jonah to be thrown overboard, but instead of letting him drown, provides him with another—albeit smellier—type of vessel. It’s almost as if God has decided to have a little fun at Jonah’s expense, so that he will finally take up his prophetic calling.

Of course, the story of Jonah is just that—an inspired story. Still, we can all relate to the predicament that the hero of this story finds himself in. We have all endured some kind of suffering, either as the result of a wrong choice we have made or through no fault of our own. Sometimes that suffering made us feel like Jonah, as if we were in complete darkness, and God had abandoned us. Yet after the fact, it’s obvious that he was guiding us through every turn—even though he let us take a few spills along the way.

The lesson Jonah can teach us is not just to obey God. This story also tells us to consider a new approach to our lives. Instead of worrying, we can trust that God already knows what’s ahead and embrace whatever comes. As Paul did, we can learn to be content in any circumstance (Philippians 4:11).

God doesn’t want us to be happy only some of the time. Walking with him means that we can rejoice always, for we know that he loves us and will never let us be tested beyond what we can endure (1 Corinthians 10:13).

“Father, I know you can move the mountains in my life. I trust that you can do all things. Please give me a grateful and humble heart!”

(Psalm) Jonah 2:3-5,8; Luke 10:25-37

Vultus Christi

I Will Have Mercy Upon Whom I Have Mercy

By

Father Mark

on October 5, 2009 8:26 AM |

Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska

One might say that Saint Maria Faustina belongs to the spiritual family of the Little Thérèse whom we remembered last Sunday, and of Saint Francis, the icon of Crucified Love whom we celebrated yesterday. She is certainly numbered among the little and the poor to whom the Father reveals the mysteries of the Kingdom. “I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will” (Lk 10:21). Our Lord spoke to Faustina in 1934, saying: “Although my greatness is beyond understanding, I commune only with those who are little. I demand of you a childlike spirit.”

Trust

God chose Faustina, a humble religious with little education, to glorify His Mercy and make it known to souls. On April 4, 1937, Our Lord said to her, “Tell all people, My daughter, that I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls. . . . Souls who spread the honour of My mercy I shield through their entire life as a tender mother her infant, and at the hour of death I will not be a Judge for them, but the Merciful Saviour. . . . Everything that exists is enclosed in the depths of My mercy, more deeply than an infant in its mother’s womb. How painfully distrust of My goodness wounds me! Sins of distrust wound me most painfully.”

Jezu, ufam tobie!

Preaching at the Mass of Faustina’s canonization on April 20, 2000, Pope John Paul II, said: "This consoling message is addressed above all to those who, afflicted by a particularly harsh trial or crushed by the weight of the sins they committed, have lost all confidence in life and are tempted to give in to despair. To them the gentle face of Christ is offered; those rays from his heart touch them and shine upon them, warm them, show them the way and fill them with hope. How many souls have been consoled by the prayer "Jesus, I trust in you", which Providence intimated through Sister Faustina! This simple act of abandonment to Jesus dispels the thickest clouds and lets a ray of light penetrate every life. Jezu, ufam tobie."

The Invocation and the Chaplet

Saint Faustina passed on what she herself received from the Lord. She faithfully transmitted the practices given her by Our Lord: simple means of opening oneself to Divine Mercy and to obtaining Mercy for souls. First, there are Saint Faustina’s two prayers: the simple invocation, “Jesus, I trust in you,” and then, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, a prayer that, in the most amazing way, has spread from the rising of the sun to its setting. Immense graces are attached to the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. It has obtained the conversion of hardened sinners, the reconciliation of enemies, and very, very often, when prayed at the side of the dying, the grace of a holy and peaceful death.

The Three O’Clock Prayer and the Feast of Divine Mercy

There is her Three O’Clock Prayer: the daily practice of recalling the pierced Heart of Jesus -- the mystery of the blood and the water --and of imploring mercy for the whole world. There is the Feast of Divine Mercy prepared by a Novena beginning on Good Friday. Pope John Paul II inscribed this feast in the universal calendar of the Church on the Second Sunday of Easter. He was to die on that very feast, after the First Vespers of Divine Mercy Sunday. Surely Saint Faustina came for him.

The Image

There is the image of the Merciful Christ: He is depicted with his pierced side exposed. From His Heart flows a double stream of blood and of water. Written on the image, according to Our Lord’s specific instruction, is the invocation, “Jesus, I trust in you.”

The Practice of Mercy

Finally, there is the practice of mercy. One who has received mercy from God cannot refuse mercy to another. There is but one way of depriving ourselves of the mercy of God: it is by refusing to show mercy to one’s brother or sister. One who seeks vengeance, even in little things, cuts himself off from the mercy of God.

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 122 (123)
The Lord guards his people
We keep our eyes on the Lord our God as we wait for his kindness.
To you I lift up my eyes, to you who dwell in the heavens. Like the eyes of a servant watching his master, like the eyes of a maid on her mistress’s hands, so we keep our eyes on the Lord our God, as we wait for his kindness. Take pity on us, Lord, take pity: we have had our fill of contempt. Our souls have had their fill of the laughter of the rich, of the contempt of the proud. 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.
We keep our eyes on the Lord our God as we wait for his kindness.

Psalm 123 (124)
Our help is in the name of the Lord
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
If the Lord had not been with us (so let Israel sing), If the Lord had not been with us when men rose up against us, they might have skinned us alive, such was their anger. The waters could have drowned us, the torrent poured over us, the foaming waters poured over us. Blessed be the Lord, who saved us from being torn to pieces by their teeth. We have escaped, like a bird from the snare of the fowler. The snare was broken, and we escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 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 help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Canticle	Ephesians 1
God the Saviour
Through his Son, God chose us to be his adopted children.
Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us, in Christ, with every spiritual blessing in heaven. In love, he chose us before the creation of the world, to be holy and spotless in his sight. He predestined us to be his adopted children through Jesus Christ, simply because it pleased him to do so. This he did for the praise of the glory of his grace, of his free gift to us in his Beloved, in whose blood we have gained redemption, and the forgiveness of our sins. This he did according to the riches of his grace, which he gave us in abundance, with all wisdom and discernment, revealing to us the mysteries of his will, because it pleased him to do so. In this action he has planned, in the fulfilment of time, to bring all things together in Christ, from the heavens and from the earth. 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.
Through his Son, God chose us to be his adopted children.

Short reading	James 4:11-12 ©
Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who slanders a brother, or condemns him, is speaking against the Law and condemning the Law. But if you condemn the Law, you have stopped keeping it and become a judge over it. There is only one lawgiver and he is the only judge and has the power to acquit or to sentence. Who are you to give a verdict on your neighbour?

Canticle	Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
My soul proclaims the greatness of my Lord, because God has looked upon my lowliness.
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.
My soul proclaims the greatness of my Lord, because God has looked upon my lowliness.

Prayers and Intercessions	?
It is Christ’s will to lead all men to final salvation. With sincere hearts let us pray to him: – Lord, draw all things to yourself. Blessed are you, Lord: with your precious blood you ransomed us from the slavery of sin: give us the freedom that belongs to the children of glory. – Lord, draw all things to yourself. Give your grace to our Bishop N., and to all the bishops of your Church may they celebrate your mysteries with ardent joy. – Lord, draw all things to yourself. To all who seek the truth, grant the joy of finding what they seek, and let them live always according to that truth. – Lord, draw all things to yourself. Lord, be near to orphans, widows, and all who are abandoned: may they feel your presence and keep always close to you. – Lord, draw all things to yourself. In your goodness, receive our deceased into your heavenly city, where you, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, will be all in all. – Lord, draw all things to yourself.

Prayers and Intercessions

?

It is Christ’s will to lead all men to final salvation. With sincere hearts let us pray to him: