Sep 05, Night Prayer for Monday of the 23rd week of Ordinary Time

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours:
Vol I, page 1175
Vol II, Page 1632
Vol III, Page 1275
Vol IV, Page 1239

Christian Prayer:
Page 1041

General instruction:
Please pray with us actively, especially by joining with us in saying antiphons and responses, most of which are indicated in this highlight.

Consider an examination of your own conscience before beginning to best make use of our time together in prayer.

Night Prayer for Monday

God, come to my assistance.
– Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

Examination of conscience:
We are called to have a clear conscience toward God and toward men, in our hearts and in our minds, in our actions and inactions. To do so, it is vital that we examine our conscience daily and to ask for God’s mercy as we fall short and to ask for His strength to do better.

Lord Jesus,
you came to reconcile us to one another and to the Father:
Lord, have mercy.
– Lord, have mercy.

Lord Jesus,
you heal the wounds of sin and division:
Christ, have mercy.
– Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus,
you intercede for us with your Father:
Lord, have mercy.
– Lord, have mercy.

HYMN

The day Thou gavest, Lord, is ended,
The darkness falls at Thy behest;
To Thee our morning hymns ascended,
Thy praise shall sanctify our rest.

We thank Thee that Thy church, unsleeping,
While earth rolls onward into light,
Through all the world her watch is keeping,
And rests not now by day or night.

As o’er each continent and island
The dawn leads on another day,
The voice of prayer is never silent,
Nor dies the strain of praise away.

The sun that bids us rest is waking
Our brethren ’neath the western sky,
And hour by hour fresh lips are making
Thy wondrous doings heard on high.

So be it, Lord; Thy throne shall never,
Like earth’s proud empires, pass away:
Thy kingdom stands, and grows forever,
Till all Thy creatures own Thy sway.

“The Day Thou Gavest” by The Choir of St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral; Words: John Ellerton, 1870; Music: Clement Scholefield, 1874
“The Day Thou Gavest” by The Choir of St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral is available from Amazon.com

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 O Lord, our God, unwearied is your love for us.

Psalm 86
Poor man’s prayer in trouble
Blessed be God who comforts us in all our trials (2 Corinthians 1:3, 4).

Turn your ear, O Lord, and give answer
for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my life, for I am faithful;
save the servant who trusts in you.

You are my God, have mercy on me, Lord,
for I cry to you all day long.
Give joy to your servant, O Lord,
for to you I lift up my soul.

O Lord, you are good and forgiving,
full of love to all who call.
Give heed, O Lord, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my voice.

In the day of distress I will call
and surely you will reply.
Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord;
nor work to compare with yours.

All the nations shall come to adore you
and glorify your name, O Lord:
for you are great and do marvelous deeds,
you who alone are God.

Show me, Lord, your way
so that I may walk in your truth.
Guide my heart to fear your name.

I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart
and glorify your name for ever;
for your love to me has been great:
you have saved me from the depths of the grave.

The proud have risen against me;
ruthless men seek my life;
to you they pay no heed.

But you, God of mercy and compassion,
slow to anger, O Lord,
abounding in love and truth,
turn and take pity on me.

O give your strength to your servant
and save your handmaid’s son.
Show me the sign of your favor
that my foes may see to their shame
that you console me and give me your help.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. O Lord, our God, unwearied is your love for us.

READING 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10

God has destined us for acquiring salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us, that all of us, whether awake or asleep, together might live with him.

RESPONSORY

Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

You have redeemed us, Lord God of truth.
– I commend my spirit.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

CANTICLE OF SIMEON

Ant. Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in his peace.

Luke 2:29-32
Christ is the light of the nations and the glory of Israel

Lord, now you let your servant go in peace;
your word has been fulfilled:

my own eyes have seen the salvation
which you have prepared in the sight of every people:

a light to reveal you to the nations
and the glory of your people Israel.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in his peace.

Concluding Prayer

Lord,
give our bodies restful sleep
and let the work we have done today
bear fruit in eternal life.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
– Amen.

BLESSING

May the all-powerful Lord grant us a restful night and a peaceful death.
– Amen.

Antiphon or song in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy!
Our life, our sweetness, and our hope!
To you do we cry, poor banished
children of Eve, to you do we send
up our sighs, mourning and weeping
in this valley, of tears.
Turn, then, most gracious advocate,
your eyes of mercy toward us; and
after this our exile show unto us the
blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus;
O clement, O loving, O sweet virgin Mary.

God Bless you all, friends in Christ. Sorry, I was away for a while.

And markomalley and I are still here! Miracles, miracles....LOL!

Luke
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Luke 6
6.	And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue, and taught. And there was a man, whose right hand was withered.	Factum est autem in alio sabbato, ut intraret in synagogam, et doceret. Et erat ibi homo, et manus ejus dextra erat arida.	εγενετο δε και εν ετερω σαββατω εισελθειν αυτον εις την συναγωγην και διδασκειν και ην εκει ανθρωπος και η χειρ αυτου η δεξια ην ξηρα
7.	And the scribes and Pharisees watched if he would heal on the sabbath; that they might find an accusation against him.	Observabant autem scribæ et pharisæi si in sabbato curaret, ut invenirent unde accusarent eum.	παρετηρουν δε οι γραμματεις και οι φαρισαιοι ει εν τω σαββατω θεραπευσει ινα ευρωσιν κατηγοριαν αυτου
8.	But he knew their thoughts; and said to the man who had the withered hand: Arise, and stand forth in the midst. And rising he stood forth.	Ipse vero sciebat cogitationes eorum : et ait homini qui habebat manum aridam : Surge, et sta in medium. Et surgens stetit.	αυτος δε ηδει τους διαλογισμους αυτων και ειπεν τω ανθρωπω τω ξηραν εχοντι την χειρα εγειραι και στηθι εις το μεσον ο δε αναστας εστη
9.	Then Jesus said to them: I ask you, if it be lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to destroy?	Ait autem ad illos Jesus : Interrogo vos si licet sabbatis benefacere, an male : animam salvam facere, an perdere ?	ειπεν ουν ο ιησους προς αυτους επερωτησω υμας τι εξεστιν τοις σαββασιν αγαθοποιησαι η κακοποιησαι ψυχην σωσαι η αποκτειναι
10.	And looking round about on them all, he said to the man: Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it forth: and his hand was restored.	Et circumspectis omnibus dixit homini : Extende manum tuam. Et extendit : et restituta est manus ejus.	και περιβλεψαμενος παντας αυτους ειπεν αυτω εκτεινον την χειρα σου ο δε εποιησεν και αποκατεσταθη η χειρ αυτου υγιης ως η αλλη
11.	And they were filled with madness; and they talked one with another, what they might do to Jesus.	Ipsi autem repleti sunt insipientia, et colloquebantur ad invicem, quidnam facerent Jesu.	αυτοι δε επλησθησαν ανοιας και διελαλουν προς αλληλους τι αν ποιησειαν τω ιησου

6. And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered.
7. And the Scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him.
8. But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth.
9. Then said Jesus to them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?
10. And looking round about upon them all, he said to the man, Stretch forth your hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
11. And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus.

AMBROSE; The Lord now proceeds to another work. For He who had determined to make the whole man safe, was able to cure each member. Hence it is said, And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught.

THEOPHYL; He chiefly heals and teaches on the sabbaths, not only to convey the meaning of a spiritual sabbath, but because of the more numerous assembly of the people.

CYRIL; But He taught things far beyond their comprehension, and opened to his hearers the way to future salvation by Him; and then after having first taught them, He suddenly showed His divine power, as it follows, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.

THEOPHYL; But since the Master had excused by an undeniable example the breach of the sabbath, with which they charged His disciples, their object is now by watching to bring a false accusation against the Master Himself. As it follows, And the Scribes and Pharisees watched him, if he would heal on the sabbath, that if He did not, they might accuse Him of cruelty or impotence; if He did, of violation of the sabbath. Hence it follows, that they might find an accusation against him.

CYRIL; For this is the way of the envious man, he feeds in himself his pang of grief with the praises of others. But the Lord knew all things, and searches the hearts; as it follows, But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand. And he arose, and stood forth, that perchance he might stir up the cruel Pharisees to pity, and allay the flames of their passion.

THEOPHYL; But the Lord anticipating the false charge which they were preparing against Him, reproves those who by wrongly interpreting the law thought that they must rest on the sabbath-day even from good works; whereas the law commands us to abstain from servile works, i.e. from evil, on the sabbath. Hence it follows, Then said Jesus to them, I ask you, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath, &c.

CYRIL; This is a very useful question, for if it is lawful to do good on the sabbath, and there is no reason why those who work should not obtain mercy from God, cease to gather up accusation against Christ. But if it be not lawful to do good on the sabbath, and the law prohibits the safety of life, you are become the accuser of the law. For if we examine the very institution of the sabbath, we shall find it was introduced for an object of mercy, for God commanded to keep holy the sabbath, that may rest your man servant and your maid servant, and all your cattle. But he who has mercy on his ox, and the rest of his cattle, how much rather will he not have mercy on man troubled with a severe disease?

AMBROSE; But the law by things present prefigured the form of things future, among which surely the days of rest to come are to be not from good works but from evil. For although secular works may be given up, yet it is no idle act of a good work to rest in the praise of God.

AUG. But though our Lord was healing the body, He asked this question, "is it lawful to save the soul or to lose it?" either because He performed His miracles on account of faith in which is the salvation of the soul; or, because the cure of the right hand signified the salvation of the soul, which ceasing to do good works, seemed in some measure to have a withered right hand, i.e. He placed the soul for the man, as men are wont to say, "So many souls were there."

AUG. But it may be questioned how Matthew came to say, that they asked the Lord, whether it was lawful to heal on the sabbath, when Luke in this place states that they rather were asked of the Lord. We must therefore believe that they first asked the Lord, and that then He understanding by their thoughts that they sought an opportunity to accuse Him, placed the man in the midst whom He was going to heal, and asked the question which Mark and Luke relate Him to have asked. It follows, And looking round about upon them all.

TITUS BOS. When the eyes of all were, as it were riveted together, and their minds also fixed upon the consideration of the matter, he said to the man, Stretch forth your hand; I command you, Who created man. But he who had the withered hand hears, and is made whole hole, as it follows, And be stretched it, and it was restored.

But they who should have been astonished at the miracle, increased in malice; as it follows, But they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they should do to Jesus.

CHRYS. And as Matthew relates, they go out to take counsel, that they should kill him.

CYRIL; You perceive, O Pharisee, a divine Worker, and Him Who delivers the sick by His heavenly power, and out of envy you breath forth death.

THEOPHYL; The man represents the human race, withered by the unfruitfulness of good works, because of the hand in our first parent stretched forth to take the apple, which was healed by the innocent hand stretched forth on the cross. And rightly was the withered hand in the synagogue, because where there is the greater gift of knowledge, there the transgressor lies under the greater blame.

AMBROSE; You have heard then the words of Him who says, Stretch forth your hand. That is a frequent and common cure, and you that think your hand is whole, beware lest it be contracted by avarice or sacrilege. Stretch it forth oftener to help your neighbor, to protect the widow, to save from injury him whom you see the victim of unjust attack; stretch it forth to the poor man who beseeches you; stretch it forth to the Lord, to ask pardon of your sins; as the hand is stretched forth so is it healed.

Catena Aurea Luke 6

Jesus heals the man with a withered hand

Arabic manuscript of the Gospels by Matthew (Mattá), Mark (Marquṣ), Luke (Lūqā), and John (Yūḥannā)
Walters Ms. W.592, Gospels

Ilyās Bāsim Khūrī Bazzī Rāhib Anno Mundi 7192 / AD 1684

Abstract from the source

Text title
Anājīl
Vernacular: اناجيل

Abstract
This illuminated and illustrated Arabic manuscript of the Gospels by Matthew (Mattá), Mark (Marquṣ), Luke (Lūqā), and John (Yūḥannā) was copied in Egypt by Ilyās Bāsim Khūrī Bazzī Rāhib, who was most likely a Coptic monk, in Anno Mundi 7192 / 1684 CE. The text is written in naskh in black ink with rubrics in red. The decoration is comprised of illuminated headpieces, numerous floral paintings, and approximately fifty illustrations (fols. 3a, 8a, 10a, 18a, 20b, 23a, 24a, 25a, 31b, 39a, 41a, 43a, 47a, 48b, 58a, 74a, 81b, 85b, 86b, 88b, 89b, 131b, 134b, 137b, 138b, 143b, 151a, 157a, 161a, 166a, 169a, 188b, 190b, 192b, 196a, 201a, 204b, 207a, 208b, 212a, 215a, 219a, 223b, 231a, 234a, 240b, 244a, 245a, 254b, and 260a ). The brown goatskin binding with blind-tooled central oval medallion, pendants, and cornerpieces is contemporary with the manuscript.

annalex is here too! God bless. Let’s keep going!

Information: St. Bertin

Feast Day:	September 5
Born:	615, Constance
Died:	709

Interactive Saints for Kids

St. Lawrence Justinian

Feast Day: September 5
Born: 1381 :: Died: 1455

Lawrence was born in Venice, in Italy. His mother sometimes thought her son's dreams were too big. He always told her that he wanted to become a saint.

When he was nineteen years old, he wished to serve God in a special way and asked his uncle, a holy priest of the community of St. George for advice.

"Do you have the courage to turn down the joys of the world and to live a life of penance?" asked his uncle. Lawrence was quiet for a long time. Then he looked up at a crucifix and said, "You, O Lord, are my hope. In this cross there is comfort and strength."

His mother wanted him to marry, but Lawrence joined the community of St. George as a priest. His first job was to go out among the people of his city and ask for donations to support the St. George community.

Lawrence was not ashamed to beg. He realized that the offerings of money or goods would help God's work. He even went to his own home and asked for charity.

His mother would try to fill up his sack with food, so that he could return to the monastery early without having to go all over town. But Lawrence would only take two loaves of bread from his mother and then go off to the next house. In this way, he learned how to make little sacrifices and grew very dear to God.

One day a friend of his came to try and make Lawrence leave the monastery. Instead, the saint spoke of how short life is and how wise it is to live for heaven. His friend was very impressed and decided to become a religious himself.

Later, Lawrence was made a bishop, even though he was not happy about it. His people soon learned what a kind and holy man their bishop was and crowds came to him for help every day.

When he was dying, he refused to lie on a soft bed. "That shall not be!" he exclaimed humbly. "My Lord was stretched out on a hard and painful tree." St. Lawrence Justinian died in 1455.

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta
(August 26, 1910 - September 5, 1997)

Beatification - October 19, 2003
Optional Memorial
September 5th

Make us worthy, Lord, to serve those people throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger. Give them through our hands, this day, their daily bread, and by our understanding love, give them peace and joy.
- Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Mother Teresa signed the Affirmation for Catholic Women in January 1986. Here is her signature. All the Missionaries of Charity in the United States signed this statement of fidelity to the Church.

On October 23, 1987, during the Synod on the Laity, a list of 40,000 Affirmation signers (including Mother Teresa's) was presented to the Holy See. CLICK HERE for complete account.

In August 1987, Mother Teresa sent this message to Women for Faith & Family:

Biography of Mother Teresa
(from the Vatican Website)
"By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus".
Small of stature, rocklike in faith, Mother Teresa of Calcutta was entrusted with the mission of proclaiming God's thirsting love for humanity, especially for the poorest of the poor. "God still loves the world and He sends you and me to be His love and His compassion to the poor." She was a soul filled with the light of Christ, on fire with love for Him and burning with one desire: "to quench His thirst for love and for souls."
This luminous messenger of God's love was born on August 26, 1910 in Skopje, a city situated at the crossroads of Balkan history. The youngest of the children born to Nikola and Drane Bojaxhiu, she was baptised Gonxha Agnes, received her First Communion at the age of five and a half and was confirmed in November 1916. From the day of her First Holy Communion, a love for souls was within her. Her father's sudden death when Gonxha was about eight years old left in the family in financial straits. Drane raised her children firmly and lovingly, greatly influencing her daughter's character and vocation. Gonxha's religious formation was further assisted by the vibrant Jesuit parish of the Sacred Heart in which she was much involved.
At the age of eighteen, moved by a desire to become a missionary, Gonxha left her home in September 1928 to join the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known as the Sisters of Loreto, in Ireland. There she received the name Sister Mary Teresa after St. Thérèse of Lisieux. In December, she departed for India, arriving in Calcutta on January 6, 1929. After making her First Profession of Vows in May 1931, Sister Teresa was assigned to the Loreto Entally community in Calcutta and taught at St. Mary's School for girls. On May 24, 1937, Sister Teresa made her Final Profession of Vows, becoming, as she said, the "spouse of Jesus" for "all eternity." From that time on she was called Mother Teresa. She continued teaching at St. Mary's and in 1944 became the school's principal. A person of profound prayer and deep love for her religious sisters and her students, Mother Teresa's twenty years in Loreto were filled with profound happiness. Noted for her charity, unselfishness and courage, her capacity for hard work and a natural talent for organization, she lived out her consecration to Jesus, in the midst of her companions, with fidelity and joy.
On September 10, 1946 during the train ride from Calcutta to Darjeeling for her annual retreat, Mother Teresa received her "inspiration," her "call within a call." On that day, in a way she would never explain, Jesus' thirst for love and for souls took hold of her heart and the desire to satiate His thirst became the driving force of her life. Over the course of the next weeks and months, by means of interior locutions and visions, Jesus revealed to her the desire of His heart for "victims of love" who would "radiate His love on souls." "Come be My light," He begged her. "I cannot go alone." He revealed His pain at the neglect of the poor, His sorrow at their ignorance of Him and His longing for their love. He asked Mother Teresa to establish a religious community, Missionaries of Charity, dedicated to the service of the poorest of the poor. Nearly two years of testing and discernment passed before Mother Teresa received permission to begin. On August 17, 1948, she dressed for the first time in a white, blue-bordered sari and passed through the gates of her beloved Loreto convent to enter the world of the poor.
After a short course with the Medical Mission Sisters in Patna, Mother Teresa returned to Calcutta and found temporary lodging with the Little Sisters of the Poor. On December 21 she went for the first time to the slums. She visited families, washed the sores of some children, cared for an old man lying sick on the road and nursed a woman dying of hunger and TB. She started each day in communion with Jesus in the Eucharist and then went out, rosary in her hand, to find and serve Him in "the unwanted, the unloved, the uncared for." After some months, she was joined, one by one, by her former students.
On October 7, 1950 the new congregation of the Missionaries of Charity was officially established in the Archdiocese of Calcutta. By the early 1960s, Mother Teresa began to send her Sisters to other parts of India. The Decree of Praise granted to the Congregation by Pope Paul VI in February 1965 encouraged her to open a house in Venezuela. It was soon followed by foundations in Rome and Tanzania and, eventually, on every continent. Starting in 1980 and continuing through the 1990s, Mother Teresa opened houses in almost all of the communist countries, including the former Soviet Union, Albania and Cuba.
In order to respond better to both the physical and spiritual needs of the poor, Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity Brothers in 1963, in 1976 the contemplative branch of the Sisters, in 1979 the Contemplative Brothers, and in 1984 the Missionaries of Charity Fathers. Yet her inspiration was not limited to those with religious vocations. She formed the Co-Workers of Mother Teresa and the Sick and Suffering Co-Workers, people of many faiths and nationalities with whom she shared her spirit of prayer, simplicity, sacrifice and her apostolate of humble works of love. This spirit later inspired the Lay Missionaries of Charity. In answer to the requests of many priests, in 1981 Mother Teresa also began the Corpus Christi Movement for Priests as a "little way of holiness" for those who desire to share in her charism and spirit.
During the years of rapid growth the world began to turn its eyes towards Mother Teresa and the work she had started. Numerous awards, beginning with the Indian Padmashri Award in 1962 and notably the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, honored her work, while an increasingly interested media began to follow her activities. She received both prizes and attention "for the glory of God and in the name of the poor."
The whole of Mother Teresa's life and labor bore witness to the joy of loving, the greatness and dignity of every human person, the value of little things done faithfully and with love, and the surpassing worth of friendship with God. But there was another heroic side of this great woman that was revealed only after her death. Hidden from all eyes, hidden even from those closest to her, was her interior life marked by an experience of a deep, painful and abiding feeling of being separated from God, even rejected by Him, along with an ever-increasing longing for His love. She called her inner experience, "the darkness." The "painful night" of her soul, which began around the time she started her work for the poor and continued to the end of her life, led Mother Teresa to an ever more profound union with God. Through the darkness she mystically participated in the thirst of Jesus, in His painful and burning longing for love, and she shared in the interior desolation of the poor.
During the last years of her life, despite increasingly severe health problems, Mother Teresa continued to govern her Society and respond to the needs of the poor and the Church. By 1997, Mother Teresa's Sisters numbered nearly 4,000 members and were established in 610 foundations in 123 countries of the world. In March 1997 she blessed her newly-elected successor as Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity and then made one more trip abroad. After meeting Pope John Paul II for the last time, she returned to Calcutta and spent her final weeks receiving visitors and instructing her Sisters. On September 5 Mother Teresa's earthly life came to an end. She was given the honor of a state funeral by the Government of India and her body was buried in the Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity. Her tomb quickly became a place of pilgrimage and prayer for people of all faiths, rich and poor alike. Mother Teresa left a testament of unshakable faith, invincible hope and extraordinary charity. Her response to Jesus' plea, "Come be My light," made her a Missionary of Charity, a "mother to the poor," a symbol of compassion to the world, and a living witness to the thirsting love of God.
Less than two years after her death, in view of Mother Teresa's widespread reputation of holiness and the favors being reported, Pope John Paul II permitted the opening of her Cause of Canonization. On December 20, 2002 he approved the decrees of her heroic virtues and miracles.
http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20031019_madre-teresa_en.html
LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI TO Sr. MARY PREMA, SUPERIOR GENERAL OF THE MISSIONARIES OF CHARITY ON THE 100th ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF BLESSED MOTHER TERESA OF CALCUTTA
To Sister Prema, M.C. Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity
I send cordial greetings to you and to all the Missionaries of Charity as you begin the centenary celebrations of the birth of Blessed Mother Teresa, foundress of your Congregation and an exemplary model of Christian virtue. I am confident that this year will be for the Church and the world an occasion of joyful gratitude to God for the inestimable gift that Mother Teresa was in her lifetime, and continues to be through the affectionate and tireless work of you, her spiritual children.
In you preparation for this year you strove to draw closer to the person of Jesus, whose thirst for souls is sated by your ministry to him in the poorest of the poor. Having responded with trust to the direct call of the Lord, Mother Teresa exemplified before the world the words of Saint John: "Beloved, if God so loves us, we ought also to love one another. If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us" (cf. Jn 4:11-12).
May this love continue to inspire you as Missionaries of Charity, to give yourselves generously to Jesus, whom you see and serve in the poor, the sick, the lonely and the abandoned. I encourage you to draw constantly from the spirituality and example of Mother Teresa and, in her footsteps, to take up Christ’s invitation: "Come, be my light". Joining myself spiritually to the centenary celebrations, and with great affection in the Lord, I cordially impart to the Missionaries of Charity, and to all those whom you serve, my paternal Apostolic Blessing.
BENEDICTUS PP. XVI
© Copyright 2010 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/letters/2010/documents/hf_ben-xvi_let_20100826_missionaries-charity_en.html

Related page: Targeting Mother Teresa — by Colleen Carroll Campbell, Pentecost 2010 Issue

Excerpt from: LECTURE BY H.E. CARDINAL RATZINGER AT THE BISHOPS' CONFERENCE OF THE REGION OF CAMPANIA IN BENEVENTO (ITALY) ON THE TOPIC: "EUCHARIST, COMMUNION AND SOLIDARITY", Sunday June 2, 2002
For complete text click here (Links to Vatican website)
Martin de Porres, Mother Teresa
The great social saints were in reality always the great Eucharistic saints. I would like to mention just two examples chosen entirely at random.
First of all, the beloved figure of St Martin de Porres, who was born in 1569 in Lima, Peru, the son of an Afro-American mother and a Spanish nobleman. Martin lived from the adoration of the Lord present in the Eucharist, passing entire nights in prayer before the crucified Lord in the tabernacle, while during the day he tirelessly cared for the sick and assisted the socially outcast and despised, with whom he, as a mulatto, identified because of his origins. The encounter with the Lord, who gives himself to us from the cross, makes all of us members of the one body by means of the one bread, which when responded to fully moves us to serve the suffering, to care for the weak and the forgotten.
In our time, we can recall the person of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Wherever she opened the houses of her sisters to the service of the dying and outcast, the first thing she asked for was a place for the tabernacle, because she knew that only beginning from there, would come the strength for such service.
Whoever recognizes the Lord in the tabernacle, recognizes him in the suffering and the needy; they are among those to whom the world's judge will say: "I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me" (Mt 25,35).
Briefly, I would like to recall a second important New Testament text concerning the word "communion" (koinonia). It is found right at the beginning of the first Letter of John (1,3-7), where he speaks of the encounter granted him with the Word made flesh. John says that he is transmitting what he has seen with his own eyes and touched with his own hands. This encounter has given him the gift of koinonia - communion - with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. It has become a true "communion" with the living God. As John expresses it, the communion has opened his eyes and he now lives in the light, that is, in the truth of God, which is expressed in the unique, new commandment, which encompasses everything - the commandment to love. And so the communion with the "Word of life" becomes the just life, becomes love. In this way it also becomes reciprocal communion: "If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we are in communion one with another" (I Jn 1,6).
The text shows the same logic of communio that we already found in Paul: communion with Jesus becomes communion with God himself, communion with the light and with love; it becomes in this way an upright life, and all of this unites us with one another in the truth. Only when we regard communion in this depth and breadth do we have something to say to the world.

Catholic Caucus: California Gov Candidate Jerry Brown using Mother Teresa to get elected
Cathedral honouring Mother Teresa dedicated in Kosovo

Mother Teresa - ignored and hated
With this stamp, the U.S. Postal Service recognizes Mother Teresa (Did you get yours yet?)
Russia To Honor Most Famous Nun of All Times
Something Beautiful for God: The Gift of [Blessed] Mother Teresa
"Mother Teresa, a miracle for the world"
Catholic dissenters back Empire State Building’s refusal to honor Mother Teresa (Catholic Caucus)
Pro-Abortion ‘Catholic’ Groups Oppose Mother Teresa Honor
Pro-Abortion Activists Oppose Mother Teresa [Ecumenical]
[CATHOLIC/ORTHODOX CAUCUS]Missionary of Charity: Mother Teresa taught me to never complain
[CATHOLIC CAUCUS] Protest rally organized at Empire State Building on birthday of Bl. Mother Teresa

Peace Bridge on Niagara River to honor Mother Teresa’s birthday in lights
The day Mother Teresa told me, "Your poverty is greater than ours"
The lives (and faces) of Mother Teresa and Helen Thomas: the good, the mad, and the ugly
USS Intrepid honors (Mother) Teresa
NY service day to fete famed nun, not lit building
Empire State Building: No Lights for Mother Teresa
NY's Empire State Building Says 'No' To Catholic Group's Request For Mother Teresa Lighting
Effort to have Empire State Building honor Mother Teresa mobilizes 40,000
No Empire State Lights for Mother Teresa
NY's Empire State Bldg says 'no' to Mother Teresa

NY's Empire State Bldg says 'no' to Mother Teresa
Screw Mother Teresa - We Celebrate Communism
Catholic League petitioning Empire State Building to honor Mother Teresa
EMPIRE STATE BUILDING vs. MOTHER TERESA
Empire State Building Snubs Mother Teresa
“Any controversy has since faded” (Postmaster General to dedicate Mother Teresa stamp)
Stamp for Pro-Life Heroine Mother Teresa Hits September
Confirmed! [Mother Teresa stamp to be release]
Who Hates Mother Teresa?
Mother Teresa is still inspiring…hate

Atheist Group Protests Mother Teresa's Commemorative U.S. Postal Stamp
Atheist Group Blasts Postal Service for Mother Teresa Stamp
Atheists attack Mother Teresa (Say she's not worthy of memorial stamp)
2010 Stamps Unveiled: USPS Recognizes Mother Teresa
US Postal Service Honors Mother Teresa With Stamp
The Philosophy of Mao and Mother Teresa?/a>
Martin Luther King III Visits Mother Teresa's Tomb
Mother Teresa's Relic Heads For Europe
Mother Teresa's Successor Adds Voice to Vatican Call for Moratorium on Abortion
Indian priest says his cure was miracle through Mother Teresa

The ‘Atheism’ of Mother Teresa [Dark Night of her Soul?]
Who Hates Mother Teresa?
US Postal Service Honors Mother Teresa With Stamp
Indian priest says his cure was miracle through Mother Teresa
The ‘Atheism’ of Mother Teresa [Dark Night of her Soul?]
Jesuit Philosopher Recounts Time with Mother Teresa [Fr. John Kavanaugh, S.J.]
Faith Crisis? Not the Mother Teresa He Knew
Vatican mapping miracles by Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa's Reaction to Pres. Clinton's Access to Abortion Clinics Act Recalled by Fr. Pavone
Mother Teresa of Calcutta on abortion

There are no atheists in the streets of Calcutta
Christian Leaders Weigh in on Mother Teresa's 'Crisis of Faith'
A Suffering Servant: The Letters of Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa's Letters Show Heroic Spiritual Struggle
Mother Teresa 'simply loved life'
Mother Teresa's canonisation not at risk
Mother Teresa Did Not Feel Christ's Presence for Last Half of Her Life, Letters Reveal
Mother Teresa's Crisis of Faith
Quotes >From Mother Teresa of Calcutta on the Most Blessed Sacrament(catholic Caucus)
Joy and Hope by Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

9/5/97 Mother Teresa (Gonxhe Bojaxhiu) (b.1910),dies of heart failure in Calcutta
Mother Teresa on Abortion
Priestly Celibacy by Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Beatification of Mother Teresa of Calcutta - October 19, 2003
The gift of Priestly celibacy as a sign of the charity of Christ, by Mother Teresa of Calcutta
The Beatification of Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa not to be exhumed
What Made Mother Teresa So Special, Part I
Mother Teresa's Saintly Spirit Remembered, in a Truly Balkan Way
Mother Teresa's Beatification to Be a Worldwide Television Event

WHATEVER YOU DID UNTO ONE OF THE LEAST, YOU DID UNTO ME, M. Teresa, Senate & House Prayer Breakfast
Mother Teresa's Beatification and Related Events
Mother Teresa's "Secret"
Slur on Mother Teresa in paper stuns Church
Why Mother Teresa Should Not Be a Saint
Pope credits Mother Teresa with miracle
Mother Teresa's Mystical Experiences[her letters to Archbishop Perier]
Miracle Approved; Beatification Set for Mother Teresa
[WARNING: I think this is a fabrication] Prophecy attributed to Mother Teresa?
Mother Teresa's Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech

Labor Day

Labor Day
First Monday in September (USA)

Georges de La Tour
Christ in the Carpenter's Shop
1645 -- Oil on canvas, 137 x 101 cm
Musée du Louvre, Paris

History of Labor Day go to The United States Department of Labor

Collect:
God our Creator,
it is your will that man accept the duty of work.
In your kindness may the work we begin
bring us growth in this life
and help to extend the kingdom of Christ.
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.

or

God our Father,
by the labor of man you govern and guide to perfection
the work of creation.
Hear the prayers of your people
and give all men work that enhances their human dignity
and draws them closer to each other
in service of their brothers.
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.

First Reading: Genesis 1: 26-2:3
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth." And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so. And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all His work which He had done in creation.
or
I Thessalonians 4:1-2,9-12
Finally, brethren, we beseech and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God, just as you are doing, you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
But concerning love of the brethren you have no need to have any one write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another; and indeed you do love all the brethren throughout Macedonia. But we exhort you, brethren, to do so more and more, to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we charged you; so that you may command the respect of outsiders, and be dependent on nobody.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 25:14-30
"For it will be as when a man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted to them his property; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents more. So also, he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.' And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.' He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' But his master answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed, and gather where I have not winnowed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.'

On Human Work/Laborem exercens -- Pope John Paul II
REFLECTION: On Labor Day, Human Work Made New

Catholic

Almanac:


Monday, September 5
Liturgical Color: Green
Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta died on this day in 1997. She dedicated her life to helping the poor in India and around the world. She was beatified in 2003 and her cause for canonization continues.

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: September 05, 2011
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: God our Father, you redeem us and make us your children in Christ. Look upon us, give us true freedom and bring us to the inheritance you promised. Grant 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.

ACTIVITIES

PRAYERS

September Devotion: Our Lady of Sorrows

5th

Monday of the Twenty-Third Week of Ordinary Time: Blessed Teresa of Calcutta; Labor Day (USA) Old Calendar: St. Laurence Justinian, Bishop and Confessor

Today the Missionaries of Charity and their friends will be celebrating the new feast day of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. September 5th is the anniversary of her death, and at present is acknowledged as her feast day.

St. Laurence Justinian was one of the great Italian Saints of the 15th century. A great religious as well as a great bishop, he maintained his austerity as Patriarch of Venice. His mother had planned a glorious career for him, but he preferred a simple and holy life. He joined the canons of St. George of Alga and lived among them in constant prayer and penance until Eugene IV called him to the episcopate. Finally, he became the first Patriarch of Venice when the title was transferred from Grado: at that period the city reached the apex of its power and glory. He combated the excesses of humanism and his austerity made him an example to great and simple alike. He died in 1455. According to the 1962 Missal of Bl. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is his feast.

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta
“By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus. ”Small of stature, rocklike in faith, Mother Teresa of Calcutta was entrusted with the mission of proclaiming God’s thirsting love for humanity, especially for the poorest of the poor. “God still loves the world and He sends you and me to be His love and His compassion to the poor.” She was a soul filled with the light of Christ, on fire with love for Him and burning with one desire: “to quench His thirst for love and for souls.”

This luminous messenger of God’s love was born on 26 August 1910 in Skopje, a city situated at the crossroads of Balkan history. The youngest of the children born to Nikola and Drane Bojaxhiu, she was baptised Gonxha Agnes, received her First Communion at the age of five and a half and was confirmed in November 1916. From the day of her First Holy Communion, a love for souls was within her. Her father’s sudden death when Gonxha was about eight years old left the family in financial straits. Drane raised her children firmly and lovingly, greatly influencing her daughter’s character and vocation. Gonxha’s religious formation was further assisted by the vibrant Jesuit parish of the Sacred Heart in which she was much involved.

At the age of eighteen, moved by a desire to become a missionary, Gonxha left her home in September 1928 to join the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known as the Sisters of Loreto, in Ireland. There she received the name Sister Mary Teresa after St. Thérèse of Lisieux. In December, she departed for India, arriving in Calcutta on 6 January 1929. After making her First Profession of Vows in May 1931, Sister Teresa was assigned to the Loreto Entally community in Calcutta and taught at St. Mary’s School for girls. On 24 May 1937, Sister Teresa made her Final Profession of Vows, becoming, as she said, the “spouse of Jesus” for “all eternity.” From that time on she was called Mother Teresa. She continued teaching at St. Mary’s and in 1944 became the school’s principal. A person of profound prayer and deep love for her religious sisters and her students, Mother Teresa’s twenty years in Loreto were filled with profound happiness. Noted for her charity, unselfishness and courage, her capacity for hard work and a natural talent for organization, she lived out her consecration to Jesus, in the midst of her companions, with fidelity and joy.

On 10 September 1946 during the train ride from Calcutta to Darjeeling for her annual retreat, Mother Teresa received her “inspiration," her “call within a call.” On that day, in a way she would never explain, Jesus’ thirst for love and for souls took hold of her heart and the desire to satiate His thirst became the driving force of her life. Over the course of the next weeks and months, by means of interior locutions and visions, Jesus revealed to her the desire of His heart for “victims of love” who would “radiate His love on souls.” “Come be My light,” He begged her. “I cannot go alone.” He revealed His pain at the neglect of the poor, His sorrow at their ignorance of Him and His longing for their love. He asked Mother Teresa to establish a religious community, Missionaries of Charity, dedicated to the service of the poorest of the poor. Nearly two years of testing and discernment passed before Mother Teresa received permission to begin. On August 17, 1948, she dressed for the first time in a white, blue-bordered sari and passed through the gates of her beloved Loreto convent to enter the world of the poor.

After a short course with the Medical Mission Sisters in Patna, Mother Teresa returned to Calcutta and found temporary lodging with the Little Sisters of the Poor. On 21 December she went for the first time to the slums. She visited families, washed the sores of some children, cared for an old man lying sick on the road and nursed a woman dying of hunger and TB. She started each day in communion with Jesus in the Eucharist and then went out, rosary in her hand, to find and serve Him in “the unwanted, the unloved, the uncared for.” After some months, she was joined, one by one, by her former students.

On 7 October 1950 the new congregation of the Missionaries of Charity was officially established in the Archdiocese of Calcutta. By the early 1960s, Mother Teresa began to send her Sisters to other parts of India. The Decree of Praise granted to the Congregation by Pope Paul VI in February 1965 encouraged her to open a house in Venezuela. It was soon followed by foundations in Rome and Tanzania and, eventually, on every continent. Starting in 1980 and continuing through the 1990s, Mother Teresa opened houses in almost all of the communist countries, including the former Soviet Union, Albania and Cuba.

In order to respond better to both the physical and spiritual needs of the poor, Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity Brothers in 1963, in 1976 the contemplative branch of the Sisters, in 1979 the Contemplative Brothers, and in 1984 the Missionaries of Charity Fathers. Yet her inspiration was not limited to those with religious vocations. She formed the Co-Workers of Mother Teresa and the Sick and Suffering Co-Workers, people of many faiths and nationalities with whom she shared her spirit of prayer, simplicity, sacrifice and her apostolate of humble works of love. This spirit later inspired the Lay Missionaries of Charity. In answer to the requests of many priests, in 1981 Mother Teresa also began the Corpus Christi Movement for Priests as a “little way of holiness” for those who desire to share in her charism and spirit.

During the years of rapid growth the world began to turn its eyes towards Mother Teresa and the work she had started. Numerous awards, beginning with the Indian Padmashri Award in 1962 and notably the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, honoured her work, while an increasingly interested media began to follow her activities. She received both prizes and attention “for the glory of God and in the name of the poor.”

The whole of Mother Teresa’s life and labour bore witness to the joy of loving, the greatness and dignity of every human person, the value of little things done faithfully and with love, and the surpassing worth of friendship with God. But there was another heroic side of this great woman that was revealed only after her death. Hidden from all eyes, hidden even from those closest to her, was her interior life marked by an experience of a deep, painful and abiding feeling of being separated from God, even rejected by Him, along with an ever-increasing longing for His love. She called her inner experience, “the darkness.” The “painful night” of her soul, which began around the time she started her work for the poor and continued to the end of her life, led Mother Teresa to an ever more profound union with God. Through the darkness she mystically participated in the thirst of Jesus, in His painful and burning longing for love, and she shared in the interior desolation of the poor.

During the last years of her life, despite increasingly severe health problems, Mother Teresa continued to govern her Society and respond to the needs of the poor and the Church. By 1997, Mother Teresa’s Sisters numbered nearly 4,000 members and were established in 610 foundations in 123 countries of the world. In March 1997 she blessed her newly-elected successor as Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity and then made one more trip abroad. After meeting Pope John Paul II for the last time, she returned to Calcutta and spent her final weeks receiving visitors and instructing her Sisters. On 5 September Mother Teresa’s earthly life came to an end. She was given the honour of a state funeral by the Government of India and her body was buried in the Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity. Her tomb quickly became a place of pilgrimage and prayer for people of all faiths, rich and poor alike. Mother Teresa left a testament of unshakable faith, invincible hope and extraordinary charity. Her response to Jesus’ plea, “Come be My light,” made her a Missionary of Charity, a “mother to the poor,” a symbol of compassion to the world, and a living witness to the thirsting love of God.

Less than two years after her death, in view of Mother Teresa’s widespread reputation of holiness and the favours being reported, Pope John Paul II permitted the opening of her Cause of Canonization. On 20 December 2002 he approved the decrees of her heroic virtues and miracles.

Excerpted from the Vatican Website

St. Lawrence Justinian
Lawrence, an illustrious example of humility, the "ornament and glory of bishops" (according to Pope Eugene IV), was the first patriarch of Venice. A very pious youth, he was favored in his nineteenth year with a vision of the Eternal Wisdom in the guise of a maiden encircled with light. She invited him to seek her with happiness, rather than satiate his baser lusts. He obeyed the invitation. Soon thereafter he became a clerk regular of St. George on the island of Alga, later bishop of Venice.

Some of St. Lawrence's special charisms were the gift of tears, power over devils, prophecy. One Christmas night the Christ-Child appeared to him. When an attempt was made during his last sickness to put him on a more comfortable bed, he refused this pleasure with the words, "My Savior died not on feathers but on the hard wood of the Cross," and requested to be laid on his usual couch. As he felt his last moments approaching, he lifted his eyes to heaven and said, "I am coming, good Jesus, to You," and slept blessedly in the Lord (January 8, 1455). At the time Venice was at the zenith of its influence and wealth. But God made that proud city understand that her greatness resulted more from the sanctity of her poor patriarch Lawrence than from the diplomacy of her doges and the power of her galleys.

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

Symbols: Bishop’s mitre; bishop’s crosier.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Luke 6:6-11

“They became enraged and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.” (Luke 6:11)

While no Pharisees are directly implicated in Jesus’ crucifixion by the Romans, it is clear that many of them hated Jesus and wanted to see him killed. They saw him as a threat to their religion and their own elevated social status. Jesus didn’t show deference to them or submit to their interpretation of the Law, and that made some of them furious. They could not let this “nobody” unseat them in the eyes of the people.

What’s striking is how these men’s rage affected their thinking. Though they were committed to living out the Law of Moses, Jesus’ authoritative teaching style and growing popularity caused them to break the Law they loved in their attempts to trap him. How could these men be so stubborn? Even more important, how could their thinking become so unclear?

Perhaps a look inside our own hearts would be helpful. How many times have resentment, jealousy, or anger tempted us to do something that we knew was wrong? Have we ever caught ourselves seriously contemplating something against God’s law out of a desire for revenge or as a way of blowing off steam? Even within the church, we can find ourselves speaking against people whose experience of God or expression of faith doesn’t conform to our own.

So how can we make sure that our own irrational temptations don’t overpower us and make us act like these Pharisees? Here are a few simple suggestions: Don’t let any particular temptation become too strong before you deal with it. If you see an issue becoming too dominant in your mind, try to resolve it—even if all you can do is bring it to prayer. As hard as it may be, try not to let old resentments and past hurts influence your thinking. If you see them rising up in a situation, be very careful not to say something you may regret later. Finally, examine your conscience every night before bed, and repent of any lingering sins or negative thoughts. Keep your heart pliable and open to the Spirit, and you’ll find yourself far more forgiving and open toward everyone else.

“Holy Spirit, soften my heart. Teach me how to love, and help me to forgive. I want to walk in your freedom!”

Colossians 1:24–2:3; Psalm 62:6-7,9

Marriage = One Man and One Woman

Daily Marriage Tip for September 5, 2011:

(Labor Day) “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” – and a spouse boring. Think about the time you save by using a labor saving device (washer, microwave, car, blender, etc.) and do something fun with your honey.

Regnum Christi

Do Good, Always and Everywhere

INTERNATIONAL | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Monday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time (Sept. 5, 2011)

September 5, 2011
Monday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time
Father Patrick Butler, LC

Luke 6: 6-11

On a certain Sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the Sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him. But he realized their intentions and said to the man with the withered hand, "Come up and stand before us." And he rose and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" Looking around at them all, he then said to him, "Stretch out your hand." He did so and his hand was restored. But they became enraged and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.

Introductory Prayer: God the Father, thank you for the gift of creation, including my own life. God the Son, thank you for redeeming me at the price of your own Body and Blood. God the Holy Spirit, thank you for being the sweet guest of my soul, enlightening my mind, strengthening my spirit, and kindling the fire of your love in my heart.

Petition: Lord, make me a magnanimous, great-hearted person, one who always desires the good of others.

1. Teaching and Doing: When Jesus speaks, he convinces those of good will who are present. The people commented that Jesus spoke convincingly, not like the Pharisees. That’s because Jesus preached only what he was willing to put into practice himself. He practices what he preaches. This is my Teacher and Master, who speaks of compassion and shows it. This is he who lowers himself to washing his followers’ feet at the Last Supper because he wants me to do the same.

2. Doing Good, Regardless of What Others Think: Jesus is omniscient, knowing even what others are thinking. He often chides the Pharisees, because he sees their nitpicking and pettiness. They are guides of the people, yet they stand aloof from their needs and constrain the people to follow many rules that they themselves do not fulfill. Jesus sees a person in need whom he can help. Although he sees around him many critics scrutinizing his words and actions, nothing will keep him from doing this good deed. When I feel the weight of others’ eyes upon me, can I still practice charity regardless of what they think?

3. Saving Life: There is a culture of death and a culture of life in this Gospel. The judgments of the Pharisees make them critical of Jesus to the point that they become enraged. Eventually, they will plot to kill Jesus. They couldn’t care less about the plight of the man Jesus heals. Jesus speaks the words of life in the synagogue. He enriches life through healing. I must learn from Jesus how to be a beacon of light and life amid the divisive culture of egoism and death that surrounds me.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, you can read my heart, as you read the hearts of the Pharisees. I also have a tendency to be critical and not always constructive. Make my heart be more like yours, desiring good, and being generous despite the criticisms that might come my way.

Resolution: I will strive to perceive the needs of another person today, someone in particular. Then, I will seek to do what I can to help that person, if possible in a way that does not draw attention to myself.

One Bread, One Body

<< Monday, September 5, 2011 >>

Saint of the Day

Colossians 1:24—2:3
View Readings

Psalm 62:6-7, 9

Luke 6:6-11

LOVING TO SUFFER

"Even now I find my joy in the suffering I endure for you." —Colossians 1:24

Naturally we want to avoid suffering. Supernaturally we can and must embrace certain sufferings, which are a share in Christ's sufferings. Love is the only thing stronger than our natural aversion to suffering. Those who choose suffering in the pattern of Jesus' death (Phil 3:10) do so only because of love.

Therefore, to take up the daily cross of redemptive suffering (Lk 9:23), we must ask the Holy Spirit to produce in us the fruit of love (Gal 5:22). We must "seek eagerly after love" (1 Cor 14:1) and ask the Lord to make us "overflow with love for one another and for all" (1 Thes 3:12). We should pray that our "love may more and more abound, both in understanding and wealth of experience, so that with a clear conscience and blameless conduct [we] may learn to value the things that really matter" (Phil 1:9-10), even suffering.

"Thus you will be able to grasp fully, with all the holy ones, the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ's love, and experience this love" (Eph 3:18-19). Naturally we don't like to suffer. Supernaturally we must love in order to suffer. Love to suffer.

Prayer: Father, heal me from unnecessary suffering for redemptive suffering.

Promise: "His hand was perfectly restored." —Lk 6:10

Praise: John has grown in love since he daily cared for his mentally disabled son.

September 5, 2011

Monday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Col 1:24:2:3

Responsorial Psalm Ps 62:6-7, 9

Gospel Lk 6:6-11

St. Lawrence Justinian

Daily Readings for: September 05, 2011
(Readings on USCCB website)

ACTIVITIES

PRAYERS

Monday of the Twenty-Third Week of Ordinary Time: Blessed Teresa of Calcutta; Labor Day (USA) Old Calendar: St. Laurence Justinian, Bishop and Confessor

Meditation: Luke 6:6-11

One Bread, One Body

LOVING TO SUFFER

September 5, 2011

Monday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Col 1:24:2:3

Responsorial Psalm Ps 62:6-7, 9

Gospel Lk 6:6-11

St. Lawrence Justinian

Daily Readings for: September 05, 2011(Readings on USCCB website)

ACTIVITIES

PRAYERS

Monday of the Twenty-Third Week of Ordinary Time: Blessed Teresa of Calcutta; Labor Day (USA) Old Calendar: St. Laurence Justinian, Bishop and Confessor

Meditation: Luke 6:6-11

One Bread, One Body

LOVING TO SUFFER

Daily Readings for: September 05, 2011
(Readings on USCCB website)