May 1, 2012

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

Reading 1 Acts 11:19-26

Those who had been scattered by the persecution
that arose because of Stephen
went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch,
preaching the word to no one but Jews.
There were some Cypriots and Cyrenians among them, however,
who came to Antioch and began to speak to the Greeks as well,
proclaiming the Lord Jesus.
The hand of the Lord was with them
and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
The news about them reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem,
and they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch.
When he arrived and saw the grace of God,
he rejoiced and encouraged them all
to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart,
for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.
And a large number of people was added to the Lord.
Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch.
For a whole year they met with the Church
and taught a large number of people,
and it was in Antioch that the disciples
were first called Christians.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 87:1b-3, 4-5, 6-7

R. (117:1a) All you nations, praise the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
His foundation upon the holy mountains
the LORD loves:
The gates of Zion,
more than any dwelling of Jacob.
Glorious things are said of you,
O city of God!
R. All you nations, praise the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I tell of Egypt and Babylon
among those who know the LORD;
Of Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia:
"This man was born there."
And of Zion they shall say:
"One and all were born in her;
And he who has established her
is the Most High LORD."
R. All you nations, praise the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
They shall note, when the peoples are enrolled:
"This man was born there."
And all shall sing, in their festive dance:
"My home is within you."
R. All you nations, praise the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel Jn 10:22-30

The feast of the Dedication was taking place in Jerusalem.
It was winter.
And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon.
So the Jews gathered around him and said to him,
"How long are you going to keep us in suspense?
If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."
Jesus answered them, "I told you and you do not believe.
The works I do in my Father's name testify to me.
But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep.
My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father's hand.
The Father and I are one."

You’re the person fortunate enough to get advice from a Priest about this Catholic thread.

I don’t think the Obama bumper-sticker, quoting Psalm 109: 8, is quite what a Priest would recommend for a bumper-sticker as a >stand-alone quote.

That line: ‘Let his days be few’ could be interpreted as a non-Christian prayer.

A Priest might edit the quote a bit and just say,
‘Let another take his place of leadership’
VOTE PRO-LIFE 2012.
______

The Psalm 109 teaching note in my Catholic Bible: ‘A lament notable for the length and >vehemence of its prayer against evildoers.’
As I understand it, we are suppose to pray for ‘evildoers’ that they will repent of their evil-doing & become ‘living saints.’

21 posted on 05/01/2012 6:34:15 AM PDT by gghd (A Pro-life Palinista & a member of the NRA)

I’m a guy so of course I forgot to say Thank-you for all the good prayers & the work you do on this thread.

Good statement about the “full extent of the power we have available through prayer.”
The Priests in their Homilies >always point out the the Parable of the Persistent Widow. Luke 18: 1-8.
The gals in the Church be a powerful force in the Church keeping the Ark on course through prayer.

22 posted on 05/01/2012 6:49:58 AM PDT by gghd (A Pro-life Palinista & a member of the NRA)

Saint Joseph the Worker

Saint Joseph

Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Solemnity
March 19th

Saint Joseph the Worker
Memorial
May 1st

Saint Joseph
Detail from the right wing of Triptych of the Annunication - Robert Campin, Netherlands (Bruges), ca 1378-1444 (Oil on Panel)
The Cloisters Collection, 1956 - The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Christ the Lord allowed Himself to be considered the son of a carpenter: come, let us adore Him, Alleluia

-- Invitiatory Antiphon for Saint Joseph the Worker

Readings | Prayers | Family activities | Popes on St. Joseph

Pope John Paul II, in his Angelus Message on March 17, 2002, stressed that Saint Joseph is a model of fatherhood in the following excerpts:
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The day after tomorrow, March 19, we will celebrate the solemnity of Saint Joseph, spouse of the Virgin Mary and patron of the universal Church. The extreme discretion with which Joseph carried out the role entrusted to him by God highlights his faith even more, which consisted in always listening to the Lord, seeking to understand his will and to obey it with his whole heart and strength. This is why the Gospel describes him as a "just" man (Mt 1,19). In fact, the just man is the person who prays, lives by faith, and seeks to do good in every concrete circumstance of life.
Saint Joseph and fathers
Faith nourished by prayer: this is the most precious treasure that Saint Joseph transmits to us. Generations of fathers have followed in his footsteps who, with the example of a simple and laborious life, imprinted on their children's souls the inestimable value of faith, without which every other good runs the risk of being in vain. So even now, I am happy to assure all fathers of a special prayer, on the day dedicated to them: I ask God that they be men of a robust interior life, in order to fulfil their mission in the family and society in an exemplary way.
Saint Joseph
What we know about the life of Saint Joseph is contained in the gospels of Saint Matthew and Saint Luke. He has become known as the "Just man".
The name foster-father of Our Lord appears in local martyrologies of the ninth and tenth centuries. The first church dedicated in his honor was in 1129 in Bologna. Pope Sixtus IV(1471-84) added the feast of Saint Joseph to the Roman Calendar. Pope Pius IX placed the whole Church under the Patronage of Saint Joseph in 1870.
In 1989, Pope John Paul II reflected deeply on the life and witness of Saint Joseph in Redemptoris Custos "Guardian of the Redeemer" (q.v).
Among the saints known to have had particular devotions to Saint Joseph are Saint Bernard, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Gertrude, Saint Bridget of Sweden, Saint Alphonsus and Saint Teresa of Avila.
As the Bible tells us, Saint Joseph was descended from the royal house of David. A village carpenter of Nazareth, he was chosen among all men to be the husband and protector of the Virgin Mother of Jesus Christ. To his loving care was entrusted the childhood and youth of the Redeemer of the world. He reveals to us the perfect model of Christianity through his purity of heart, patience, and fortitude.
Poor in worldly possessions, he was rich in grace. Devotion to Saint Joseph, was fervent in the East from the early ages, and has spread and increased. Today, Catholics of all nations honor him.
There are many stories about the miraculous intervention of Saint Joseph. One is a medieval account of how a famine in Sicily was ended after a Novena to Saint Joseph. A more recent story is of the mysterious "itinerant carpenter" who volunteered to build an architecturally unique spiral staircase in a convent chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which is as sound today as when it was first built, and has never needed repair.
According to ancient tradition, Saint Joseph watches over and protects the Church. He is considered the model of perfect Christian life and the patron of a happy death. His patronage extends over the Mystical Body of Christ, over the Christian family and schools, carpenters, fathers, laborers, and all individuals who appeal to his charity and intercession, especially in the hour of death. Joseph, when dying, received the loving ministry of his foster Son, Jesus, and his spouse, the Blessed Virgin Mary, so it is believed that his intercession may well obtain the mercy of God and the grace of a peaceful and holy death.
His feast is celebrated on March 19, and a special memorial to Saint Joseph the Worker is observed on May 1.
Readings for the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Collect
Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that by Saint Joseph's intercession
your Church may constantly watch over
the unfolding of the mysteries of human salvation,
whose beginnings you entrusted to his faithful care.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.
First Reading - 2 Samuel 7: 4-5a, 12-14a, 16
The word of the Lord came to Nathan:
"Go and tell My servant David, 'Thus says the Lord: Would you build Me a house to dwell in? When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. When he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men. And your house and our kingdom shall be made sure for ever before Me; your thorne shall be established for ever.'"
Second Reading - Romans 4: 13, 16-18, 22
A promise to Abraham and his descendants, that they should inherit the world, did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendents -- not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, for he is the father of us all, as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations" -- in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. That is why his faith was "reckoned to him as righteous".
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29
R. The son of David will live for ever.
I will sing of thy steadfast love, O LORD,
for ever; with my mouth I will proclaim thy
faithfulness to all generations.
For thy steadfast love was established for ever,
thy faithfulness is firm as the heavens.
R. The son of David will live for ever.
Thou hast said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant:
'I will establish your descendants for ever,
and build your throne for all generations.'"
R. The son of David will live for ever.
He shall cry to me, 'Thou art my Father, my God,
and the Rock of my salvation.'
My steadfast love I will keep for him for ever,
and my covenant will stand firm for him.
R. The son of David will live for ever.
Gospel - Matthew 1: 16, 18-21, 24a
Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with Child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly. But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, but knew her not until she had borne a Son; and he called His name Jesus.
or
Luke 2:41-51a
Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up according to custom; and when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing Him to be in the company they went a day's journey, and they sought Him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances; and when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. After three days they found Him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions; and all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. And when they saw Him they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, Your father and I have been looking for You anxiously." And He said to them, "How is it that you sought Me? Did you not know that I must be in My Father's house?" And they did not understand the saying which He spoke to them. And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them.
Readings for the Memorial of Saint Joseph, the Worker
Collect
O God, Creator of all things,
who laid down for the human race the law of work,
graciously grant
that by the example of Saint Joseph and under his patronage
we may complete the works you set us to do
and attain the rewards you promise.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns wiht you in the unity of 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 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 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 Col 3:14-15, 17, 23-24
Gospel Reading - Matthew 13: 54-58
Coming to His own country Jesus taught them in the synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And are not His brethen James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all His sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?" And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house." And He did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.
(Revised Standard Version - Catholic edition)
Prayers to Saint Joseph
Prayer to Saint Joseph
To thee, O Blessed Joseph, we have recourse in our affliction, and having implored the help of thy most holy Spouse, we seek with confidence thy patronage also. By that affection wherewith thou wast united to the Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God; by the fatherly love with which thou didst embrace the Child Jesus, we humbly beseech thee to look down with gracious eye upon that inheritance which Jesus Christ purchased for us by His Blood, and to help us in our need by thy powerful intercession.
Defend, O thou most watchful guardian of the Holy Family, the chosen offspring of Jesus Christ. Keep from us, O most loving father, all blight of error and corruption. Aid us from on high, O thou our most valiant defender, in this conflict with the powers of darkness. And even as of old thou didst rescue the Child Jesus from the peril of His life, so now defend God's Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity. Shield us ever under thy patronage, so that imitating thy example and strengtheded by thy help, we may live a holy life, die a happy death, and attain to everlasting bliss in heaven. Amen.
Litany of Saint Joseph
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Holy Joseph, pray for us.
Illustrious Son of David, pray for us.
Light of the Patriarchs, pray for us.
Spouse of the Mother of God, pray for us.
Chaste Guardian of the Virgin, pray for us.
Foster-Father of the Son of God, pray for us.
Faithful Protector of Christ, pray for us.
Head of the Holy Family, pray for us.
Joseph most just, pray for us.
Joseph most chaste, pray for us.
Joseph most prudent, pray for us.
Joseph most courageous, pray for us.
Joseph most obedient, pray for us.
Joseph most faithful, pray for us.
Mirror of patience, pray for us.
Lover of poverty, pray for us.
Model of working men, pray for us.
Ornament of the domestic life, pray for us.
Guardian of virgins, pray for us.
Pillar of the family, pray for us.
Consoler of the miserable, pray for us.
Hope of the sick, pray for us.
Patron of the dying, pray for us.
Terror of demons, pray for us.
Protector of the Holy Church, pray for us.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.
V. He hath made him master of His house.
R. And ruler of all His possessions.
Let us pray.
O God, who in Thy ineffable providence didst vouchsafe to choose blessed Joseph to be the Spouse of Thy most holy Mother: grant, we beseech Thee, that we may have him for our intercessor in Heaven, whom on earth we venerate as out most holy Protector. Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.
Novena to Saint Joseph
O Saint Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires.
O Saint Joseph, assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain for me from your Divine Son all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, Our Lord; so that having engaged here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of Fathers.
O Saint Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms; I dare not approach whil He reposes near your heart. Press Him in my name and kiss His fine head for me, and ask Him to return the Kiss when I draw my dying breath, Amen.
O Saint Joseph, hear my prayers and obtain my petitions. O Saint Joseph, pray for me. (mention your intention)
St. Joseph Novena
O good father Joseph! I beg you, by all your sufferings, sorrows and joys, to obtain for me what I ask.
(Here name your petition).
Obtain for all those who have asked my prayers, everything that is useful to them in the plan of God. Be near to me in my last moments, that I may eternally sing the praises of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Amen.
(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be)
Family activities for Saint Joseph's Day

* Because a Novena to Saint Joseph resulted in deliverance from a famine in Sicily, the saint is particularly revered in Italy. It became a custom to make "Saint Joseph altars" in family houses, and to have children dressed as Mary and Joseph go from door to door seeking admittance to the "inn".
Italian-American parishes often have special observances on this day -- usually involving blessed loaves of bread that are given to the people after Mass.

*In recent years the practice has arisen of burying a statuette of Saint Joseph in the yard of property that is for sale in the belief that the sale will be concluded quickly. (Probably because of the saint's association with building and carpentry he has been adopted as the patron of real estate agents.)
But for Catholics to bury an image of Saint Joseph to effect a quick sale is not a worthy remembrance of this saint! In fact, it is superstitious. To help distinguish true intercessory prayer from superstitious actrions, the Catechism of the Catholic Church says this:

§2110: Superstition is the deviation of religious feeling and of the practices this feeling imposes. It can even affect the worship we offer the true God, e.g., when one attributes an importance in some way magical to certain practices otherwise lawful or necessary. To attribute the efficacy of prayers or of sacramental signs to their mere external performance, apart from the interior dispositions that they demand, is to fall into superstition. (emphasis added)
§2138: Superstition is a departure from the worship that we give to the true God. It is manifested in idolatry, as well as in various forms of divination and magic.

*In addition to including the Prayer to Saint Joseph (above) either with the meal prayers on this day, or at bedtime, we like to include special foods traditionally associated with Saint Joseph.
*Both traditional recipes following are from A Continual Feast by Evelyn Birge Vitz, originally published by Harper & Row in 1995, now available in paperback from Ignatius Press (see links page).
Saint Joseph's rice fritters
Frittelle Di San Giusepe
2 1/4 cups milk
1 cup raw rice
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons fruit brandy (optional)
Grated rind of 1 large orange
3 tablespoons golden raisins
3 tablespoons pine nuts
Oil for deep frying
Confectioners' sugar
Bring the milk to a boil in a saucepan. Add the rice, salt, vanilla, and granulated sugar. Cover the pan, and simmer gently until the rice is fully cool.)
Mix the rice thoroughly with the eggs, flour, baking powder, brandy, orange rind, raisins, and pine nuts.
Heat the oil to 375° F. for deep-fat frying. Drop the Frittelle mixture 1 tablespoon at a time into the oil. Cook a few at a time, keeping the Frittelle separate. Fry until golden brown.
Drain the Frittelle on paper towels. Serve them hot, sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.

Yield: about 25 Frittelle

Pretzels
The pretzel represents the shape of the penitent's crossed arms, and was a traditional Lenten food in central European towns. Because the pretzel is shaped like arms folded in prayer, the German tribes who invaded Rome called the bracellæ "brezel'" or "prezel". Pretzels are traditionally eaten throughout Lent, and in some places are especially associated with Saint Joseph's Day [March 19] which usually falls within Lent. A recipe for soft pretzels follows:
This recipe is for a chewy soft pretzel, like those hot pretzel vendors sell.
Combine in a mixing bowl:
1 cup warm water
1 package (1 1 1/2 T) active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
Add and beat at least 3 minutes:
1 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour
2 Tbsp soft butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
Stir in 1 1/4 cups sifted all purpose flour and knead until the dough loses its stickiness.
Let the dough rise in a covered greased bowl until it is doubled in bulk (this is called "proofing" the dough). Punch down and divide it into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope and form it into a pretzel shape. Place the pretzels on a greased baking sheet and let them rise until almost doubled in bulk. Preheat oven to 475°F.
In a large non aluminum kettle, prepare a boiling solution of
4 cups water
5 tsp baking soda
With a slotted spoon, carefully lower the pretzels into the water and boil about 1 minute or until they float to the top. Return them to the greased sheet. Sprinkle them with coarse salt. (Sea salt or Kosher salt.) Bake the pretzels until they are nicely browned, about 10-12 minutes. Pretzels are best when eaten while still warm, but they may be stored in an air tight container for up to a week, or frozen. (Makes twelve 6 inch pretzels)

POPES ON ST. JOSEPH
Pope Benedict XVI
The silence of Saint Joseph is given a special emphasis. His silence is steeped in contemplation of the mystery of God in an attitude of total availability to divine desires. It is a silence thanks to which Joseph, in unison with Mary, watches over the Word of God, known through the Sacred Scriptures, continuously comparing it with the events of the life of Jesus; a silence woven of constant prayer, a prayer of blessing of the Lord, of the adoration of His holy will and of unreserved entrustment to his providence. It is no exaggeration to think that it was precisely from his "father" Joseph that Jesus learned -- at the human level -- that steadfast interiority which is a presupposition of authentic justice.... Let us allow ourselves to be "filled" with Saint Joseph's silence! In a world that is often too noisy, that encourages neither recollection nor listening to God's voice.

Pope Benedict XVI
Angelus
December 18, 2005

***

Pope John Paul II
GENERAL AUDIENCE OF JOHN PAUL II
Solemnity of Saint Joseph
Wednesday, 19 March 2003
St Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church
1. Today we are celebrating the Solemnity of St Joseph, the Husband of Mary (Mt 1,24; Lk 1,27). Scripture points him out to us as the "father" of Jesus (Lk 2,27.33.41.43.48), prepared to carry out the divine plan, even when it eluded human understanding. To him, "son of David" (Mt 1,20; Lk 1,27), God entrusted the safekeeping of the Eternal Word, made man by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. St Joseph is described in the Gospel as a "just man" (Mt 1,19), and for all believers he is a model of life in faith.
2. The word "just" evokes his moral rectitude, his sincere attachment to the practice of the law and his attitude of total openness to the will of the heavenly Father. Even in difficult and sometimes tragic moments, the humble carpenter of Nazareth never claimed for himself the right to dispute God's plan. He awaited the call from on High and in silence respected the mystery, letting himself be guided by the Lord. Once he received the mission, he fulfils it with docile responsibility. He listens attentively to the angel, when he is asked to take as his wife the Virgin of Nazareth (cf. Mt 1,18-25), in the flight into Egypt (cf. Mt 2,13-15) and in the return to Israel (cf. ibid., 2,19-23). In few, but significant strokes, the Evangelists describe him as the caring guardian of Jesus, an attentive and faithful husband, who exercises his family authority in a constant attitude of service.
Nothing else is said about him in the Sacred Scriptures, but this silence contains the special style of his mission: a life lived in the greyness of everyday life, but with steadfast faith in Providence.
3. Every day St Joseph had to provide for the family's needs with hard manual work. Thus the Church rightly points to him as the patron of workers.
Today's solemnity is also a wonderful occasion to reflect on the importance of work in the life of the human person, the family and the community.
The human being is the subject and the primary agent of work, and in the light of this truth, we can clearly perceive the fundamental connection between the person, work and society. Human activity - the Second Vatican Council recalls - proceeds from the human person and is ordered to the person. According to God's design and will, it must serve the true good of humanity and allow "man as an individual and as a member of society to cultivate and carry out his integral vocation" (cf. Gaudium et spes, n. 35).
In order to fulfil this mission, a "tested spirituality of human work" must be cultivated that is firmly rooted in the "Gospel of work" and believers are called to proclaim and to witness to the Christian meaning of work in their many activities and occupations (cf. Laborem exercens, n. 26).
4. May St Joseph, such a great and humble saint be an example that inspires Christian workers, who should call on him in every circumstance. Today I wish to entrust to the provident guardian of the Holy Family of Nazareth the young people who are training for their future profession, the unemployed, and those who are suffering from the hardship of the shortage of employment, families and the whole world of work, with the expectations and challenges, the problems and prospects that characterize it.
May St Joseph, the Patron of the universal Church, watch over the entire ecclesial community and, as the man of peace that he was, may he obtain for all humanity, especially for the peoples threatened at this time by war, the precious gift of harmony and peace.

***

Redemptoris Custos - St. Joseph, Guardian of the Redeemer - Apostolic Exhortation, 1989, John Paul II

Pope Leo XIII
QUAMQUAM PLURIES
ENCYCLICAL OF POPE LEO XIII
ON DEVOTION TO ST. JOSEPH
To Our Venerable Brethren the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, and other Ordinaries, in Peace and Union with Holy See.
Although We have already many times ordered special prayers to be offered up in the whole world, that the interests of Catholicism might be insistently recommended to God, none will deem it matter for surprise that We consider the present moment an opportune one for again inculcating the same duty. During periods of stress and trial - chiefly when every lawlessness of act seems permitted to the powers of darkness - it has been the custom in the Church to plead with special fervour and perseverance to God, her author and protector, by recourse to the intercession of the saints - and chiefly of the Blessed Virgin, Mother of God - whose patronage has ever been the most efficacious. The fruit of these pious prayers and of the confidence reposed in the Divine goodness, has always, sooner or later, been made apparent. Now, Venerable Brethren, you know the times in which we live; they are scarcely less deplorable for the Christian religion than the worst days, which in time past were most full of misery to the Church. We see faith, the root of all the Christian virtues, lessening in many souls; we see charity growing cold; the young generation daily growing in depravity of morals and views; the Church of Jesus Christ attacked on every side by open force or by craft; a relentless war waged against the Sovereign Pontiff; and the very foundations of religion undermined with a boldness which waxes daily in intensity. These things are, indeed, so much a matter of notoriety that it is needless for Us to expatiate on the depths to which society has sunk in these days, or on the designs which now agitate the minds of men. In circumstances so unhappy and troublous, human remedies are insufficient, and it becomes necessary, as a sole resource, to beg for assistance from the Divine power.
2. This is the reason why We have considered it necessary to turn to the Christian people and urge them to implore, with increased zeal and constancy, the aid of Almighty God. At this proximity of the month of October, which We have already consecrated to the Virgin Mary, under the title of Our Lady of the Rosary, We earnestly exhort the faithful to perform the exercises of this month with, if possible, even more piety and constancy than heretofore. We know that there is sure help in the maternal goodness of the Virgin, and We are very certain that We shall never vainly place Our trust in her. If, on innumerable occasions, she has displayed her power in aid of the Christian world, why should We doubt that she will now renew the assistance of her power and favour, if humble and constant prayers are offered up on all sides to her? Nay, We rather believe that her intervention will be the more marvellous as she has permitted Us to pray to her, for so long a time, with special appeals. But We entertain another object, which, according to your wont, Venerable Brethren, you will advance with fervour. That God may be more favourable to Our prayers, and that He may come with bounty and promptitude to the aid of His Church, We judge it of deep utility for the Christian people, continually to invoke with great piety and trust, together with the Virgin-Mother of God, her chaste Spouse, the Blessed Joseph; and We regard it as most certain that this will be most pleasing to the Virgin herself. On the subject of this devotion, of which We speak publicly for the first time to-day, We know without doubt that not only is the people inclined to it, but that it is already established, and is advancing to full growth. We have seen the devotion to St. Joseph, which in past times the Roman Pontiffs have developed and gradually increased, grow into greater proportions in Our time, particularly after Pius IX., of happy memory, Our predecessor, proclaimed, yielding to the request of a large number of bishops, this holy patriarch the patron of the Catholic Church. And as, moreover, it is of high importance that the devotion to St. Joseph should engraft itself upon the daily pious practices of Catholics, We desire that the Christian people should be urged to it above all by Our words and authority.
3. The special motives for which St. Joseph has been proclaimed Patron of the Church, and from which the Church looks for singular benefit from his patronage and protection, are that Joseph was the spouse of Mary and that he was reputed the Father of Jesus Christ. From these sources have sprung his dignity, his holiness, his glory. In truth, the dignity of the Mother of God is so lofty that naught created can rank above it. But as Joseph has been united to the Blessed Virgin by the ties of marriage, it may not be doubted that he approached nearer than any to the eminent dignity by which the Mother of God surpasses so nobly all created natures. For marriage is the most intimate of all unions which from its essence imparts a community of gifts between those that by it are joined together. Thus in giving Joseph the Blessed Virgin as spouse, God appointed him to be not only her life's companion, the witness of her maidenhood, the protector of her honour, but also, by virtue of the conjugal tie, a participator in her sublime dignity. And Joseph shines among all mankind by the most august dignity, since by divine will, he was the guardian of the Son of God and reputed as His father among men. Hence it came about that the Word of God was humbly subject to Joseph, that He obeyed him, and that He rendered to him all those offices that children are bound to render to their parents. From this two-fold dignity flowed the obligation which nature lays upon the head of families, so that Joseph became the guardian, the administrator, and the legal defender of the divine house whose chief he was. And during the whole course of his life he fulfilled those charges and those duties. He set himself to protect with a mighty love and a daily solicitude his spouse and the Divine Infant; regularly by his work he earned what was necessary for the one and the other for nourishment and clothing; he guarded from death the Child threatened by a monarch's jealousy, and found for Him a refuge; in the miseries of the journey and in the bitternesses of exile he was ever the companion, the assistance, and the upholder of the Virgin and of Jesus. Now the divine house which Joseph ruled with the authority of a father, contained within its limits the scarce-born Church. From the same fact that the most holy Virgin is the mother of Jesus Christ is she the mother of all Christians whom she bore on Mount Calvary amid the supreme throes of the Redemption; Jesus Christ is, in a manner, the first-born of Christians, who by the adoption and Redemption are his brothers. And for such reasons the Blessed Patriarch looks upon the multitude of Christians who make up the Church as confided specially to his trust - this limitless family spread over the earth, over which, because he is the spouse of Mary and the Father of Jesus Christ he holds, as it were, a paternal authority. It is, then, natural and worthy that as the Blessed Joseph ministered to all the needs of the family at Nazareth and girt it about with his protection, he should now cover with the cloak of his heavenly patronage and defend the Church of Jesus Christ.
4. You well understand, Venerable Brethren, that these considerations are confirmed by the ,opinion held by a large number of the Fathers, to which the sacred liturgy gives its sanction, that the Joseph of ancient times, son of the patriarch Jacob, was the type of St. Joseph, and the former by his glory prefigured the greatness of the future guardian of the Holy Family. And in truth, beyond the fact that the same name - a point the significance of which has never been denied - was given to each, you well know the points of likeness that exist between them; namely, that the first Joseph won the favour and especial goodwill of his master, and that through Joseph's administration his household came to prosperity and wealth; that (still more important) he presided over the kingdom with great power, and, in a time when the harvests failed, he provided for all the needs of the Egyptians with so much wisdom that the King decreed to him the title "Saviour of the world." Thus it is that We may prefigure the new in the old patriarch. And as the first caused the prosperity of his master's domestic interests and at the same time rendered great services to the whole kingdom, so the second, destined to be the guardian of the Christian religion, should be regarded as the protector and defender of the Church, which is truly the house of the Lord and the kingdom of God on earth. These are the reasons why men of every rank and country should fly to the trust and guard of the blessed Joseph. Fathers of families find in Joseph the best personification of paternal solicitude and vigilance; spouses a perfect example of love, of peace, and of conjugal fidelity; virgins at the same time find in him the model and protector of virginal integrity. The noble of birth will earn of Joseph how to guard their dignity even in misfortune; the rich will understand, by his lessons, what are the goods most to be desired and won at the price of their labour. As to workmen, artisans, and persons of lesser degree, their recourse to Joseph is a special right, and his example is for their particular imitation. For Joseph, of royal blood, united by marriage to the greatest and holiest of women, reputed the father of the Son of God, passed his life in labour, and won by the toil of the artisan the needful support of his family. It is, then, true that the condition of the lowly has nothing shameful in it, and the work of the labourer is not only not dishonouring, but can, if virtue be joined to it, be singularly ennobled. Joseph, content with his slight possessions, bore the trials consequent on a fortune so slender, with greatness of soul, in imitation of his Son, who having put on the form of a slave, being the Lord of life, subjected himself of his own free-will to the spoliation and loss of everything.
5. Through these considerations, the poor and those who live by the labour of their hands should be of good heart and learn to be just. If they win the right of emerging from poverty and obtaining a better rank by lawful means, reason and justice uphold them in changing the order established, in the first instance, for them by the Providence of God. But recourse to force and struggles by seditious paths to obtain such ends are madnesses which only aggravate the evil which they aim to suppress. Let the poor, then, if they would be wise, trust not to the promises of seditious men, but rather to the example and patronage of the Blessed Joseph, and to the maternal charity of the Church, which each day takes an increasing compassion on their lot.
6. This is the reason why - trusting much to your zeal and episcopal authority, Venerable Brethren, and not doubting that the good and pious faithful will run beyond the mere letter of the law - We prescribe that during the whole month of October, at the recitation of the Rosary, for which We have already legislated, a prayer to St. Joseph be added, the formula of which will be sent with this letter, and that this custom should be repeated every year. To those who recite this prayer, We grant for each time an indulgence of seven years and seven Lents. It is a salutary practice and very praiseworthy, already established in some countries, to consecrate the month of March to the honour of the holy Patriarch by daily exercises of piety. Where this custom cannot be easily established, it is as least desirable, that before the feast-day, in the principal church of each parish, a triduo of prayer be celebrated. In those lands where the 19th of March - the Feast of St. Joseph - is not a Festival of Obligation, We exhort the faithful to sanctify it as far as possible by private pious practices, in honour of their heavenly patron, as though it were a day of Obligation.
7. And in token of heavenly favours, and in witness of Our good-will, We grant most lovingly in the Lord, to you, Venerable Brethren, to your clergy and to your people, the Apostolic blessing.
Given from the Vatican, August 15th, 1889, the 11th year of Our Pontificate.
LEO XIII
Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana

23 posted on 05/01/2012 8:29:11 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

24 posted on 05/01/2012 8:37:02 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Information: Joseph the Worker

Feast Day:	March 19
Died:	1st century
Patron of:	against doubt, against hesitation, Americas, bursars, cabinetmakers, Canada, carpenters, Catholic Church , confectioners, craftsmen, Croatian people , dying people, emigrants, engineers, expectant mothers, families, fathers, holy death, house hunters, immigrants, interior souls, laborers, married people, Oblates of Saint Joseph, people in doubt, people who fight Communism, pioneers, protection of the Church, social justice, travellers, unborn children, Universal Church , Vatican II, wheelwrights, workers, many more...

25 posted on 05/01/2012 4:28:40 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Interactive Saints for Kids

St. Joseph the Worker

Feast Day: May 01

St. Joseph is a very important saint. He is the husband of the Virgin Mary and the foster-father of Jesus. This is the second feast of St. Joseph the Church celebrates, the first falling on March 19.

The bible says very little about St. Joseph and does not contain even one word spoken by this carpenter of Nazareth. But even without words, he shows how deep his faith was, in this we see his greatness. > Saint Joseph is a man of great spirit. He is great in faith, not because he speaks his own words, but because he listens, in silence, to the words of the Living God.

Today we celebrate his witness of hard work. He was a carpenter who worked many hours a day and the little boy Jesus would help his dad in the small shop. St. Joseph teaches us that any work we do is important. Through it we do our part to serve our family and society.

But even more than that, as Christians we understand that our work is like a mirror of ourselves. It shows what kind of people we are, that is why we want our work to be done with care.

Many countries have one day every year to show their respect for workers. This helps people to see how good it is to work to make this world a better place. In 1955, the Church has given us a wonderful model of work, St. Joseph the worker.

26 posted on 05/01/2012 4:33:29 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Daytime Prayer

INTRODUCTION

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, will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

HYMN

This day the Lord has made his own,
Who broke from his confining grave,
His living presence fills the world
That by his cross he came to save.

To God the Father glory give
For Jesus Christ his deathless Son,
Who with the Holy Spirit lives
Immortal, and for ever one.

Tune: Solemnis Haec Festivas L.M.
Music: Graduale, 1685
Text: © 1974 Stanbrook Abbey. Used with permission.

PSALMODY

Ant. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Psalm 119:137-144
XVIII (Sade)

A mediation on God’s law

Loving God means keeping his commandments (1 John 5:3).

Lord, you are just indeed; *
your decrees are right.
You have imposed your will with justice *
and with absolute truth.

I am carried away by anger *
for my foes forget your word.
Your promise is tried in the fire, *
the delight of your servant.

Although I am weak and despised, *
I remember your precepts.
Your justice is eternal justice *
and your law is truth.

Though anguish and distress have seized me, *
I delight in your commands.
The justice of your will is eternal: *
if you teach me, I shall live.

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.

Psalm Prayer

You are just indeed, Lord, and your commandments are eternal. Teach us to love you with all our hearts and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Psalm 88
Prayer of a person who is gravely ill

This is your moment—when darkness reigns (Luke 22:53).

I

Lord my God, I call for help by day; *
I cry at night before you.
Let my prayer come into your presence. *
O turn your ear to my cry.

For my soul is filled with evils; *
my life is on the brink of the grave.
I am reckoned as one in the tomb: *
I have reached the end of my strength,

like one alone among the dead; *
like the slain lying in their graves;
like those you remember no more, *
cut off, as they are, from your hand.

You have laid me in the depths of the tomb, *
in places that are dark, in the depths.
Your anger weighs down upon me: *
I am drowned beneath your waves.

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.

II

You have taken away my friends *
and made me hateful in their sight.
Imprisoned, I cannot escape; *
my eyes are sunken with grief.

I call to you, Lord, all the day long; *
to you I stretch out my hands.
Will you work your wonders for the dead? *
Will the shades stand and praise you?

Will your love be told in the grave *
or your faithfulness among the dead?
Will your wonders be known in the dark *
or your justice in the land of oblivion?

As for me, Lord, I call to you for help: *
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
Lord, why do you reject me? *
Why do you hide your face?

Wretched, close to death from my youth, *
I have borne your trials; I am numb.
Your fury has swept down upon me; *
your terrors have utterly destroyed me.

They surround me all the day like a flood, *
they assail me all together.
Friend and neighbor you have taken away: *
my one companion is darkness.

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.

Psalm Prayer

Lord Jesus, redeemer of all and author of our salvation, for us you went down to the realm of death and became free of death. Hear the prayers of your family and lift us from our slavery to evil, that we may be redeemed by you and see your Father’s glory.

Ant. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

At the other hours, the complementary psalmody is used.

MIDMORNING

READING
See Acts 4:11-12

This Jesus is “the stone rejected by you the builders which has become the cornerstone.” There is no salvation in anyone else, for there is no other name in the whole world given to men by which we are to be saved.

The Lord is risen, alleluia.
– He has appeared to Simon, alleluia.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Let us pray.

All-powerful God,
help us to proclaim the power of the Lord’s resurrection.
May we who accept the sign of the love of Christ
come to share the eternal life he reveals,
for he lives and reigns for ever and ever.
– Amen.

Or:

Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that, celebrating the mysteries of the Lord’s Resurrection,
we may merit to inherit the joy of our redemption.
Through Christ our Lord.
– Amen.

ACCLAMATION

Let us praise the Lord.
– And give him thanks.

MIDDAY

READING
See 1 Peter 3:21-22a

You are now saved by a baptismal bath. This baptism is no removal of physical stain, but the pledge to God of an irreproachable conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He went to heaven and is at God’s right hand.

The disciples rejoiced, alleluia.
– When they saw the risen Lord, alleluia.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Let us pray.

All-powerful God,
help us to proclaim the power of the Lord’s resurrection.
May we who accept the sign of the love of Christ
come to share the eternal life he reveals,
for he lives and reigns for ever and ever.
– Amen.

Or:

MIDAFTERNOON

READING
Colossians 3:1-2

Since you have been raised up in company with Christ, set your heart on what pertains to higher realms where Christ is seated at God’s right hand. Be intent on things above rather than on things of earth.

Stay with us, Lord, alleluia.
– For evening draws near, alleluia.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Let us pray.

All-powerful God,
help us to proclaim the power of the Lord’s resurrection.
May we who accept the sign of the love of Christ
come to share the eternal life he reveals,
for he lives and reigns for ever and ever.
– Amen.

Or:

27 posted on 05/01/2012 4:35:59 PM PDT by annalex (http://www.catecheticsonline.com/CatenaAurea.php)

Vespers

The Optional Memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker may be observed today using the ferial texts with the Proper parts for the Memorial. Please scroll down for the entire Office.

INTRODUCTION

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.

HYMN

Come, O Christian people sing
In triumphant gladness;
God has rescued Israel,
Given joy for sadness;
Freed from Pharaoh’s bitter yoke
Jacob’s sons and daughters;
Leading them beyond all death
Through the Red Sea waters.

Spring is in our hearts today;
Christ has burst his prison
And from three days’ sleep in death
As a sun has risen.
All the winter of our sins,
Long and dark, is flying
From his light, to whom we give
Song and praise undying.

Now the queen of seasons, bright
With the day of splendor,
With the royal feast of feasts,
Far from dark December,
Comes to glad Jerusalem,
Who with true affection,
Welcomes with untiring praise
Jesus’ resurrection.

Neither could the gates of death,
Nor the tomb’s dark portal,
Nor the watchers, nor the seal,
Hold you as a mortal.
But today amid your own
You have stood bestowing
Your own peace which evermore
Passes human knowing.

Tune: Ave Virgo Virginum (Gaudeamus Pariter) 76.76 D
Music: Johann Horn, 1544
Text: As?µe? pa?te? ?a??, John of Damascus, c. 740
Translation: John Mason Neale, 1818-1866

Or:

I know that my Redeemer lives;
What joy the blest assurance gives!
He lives, he lives, who once was dead;
He lives, my everlasting Head!

He lives, to bless me with his love;
He lives, to plead for me above;
He lives, my hungry soul to feed;
He lives, to help in time of need.

He lives, and grants me daily breath;
He lives, and I shall conquer death;
He lives, my mansion to prepare;
He lives, to bring me safely there.

He lives, all glory to his name;
He lives, my Savior still the same;
What joy the blest assurance gives;
I know that my Redeemer lives!

Tune: Duke Street L.M.
Music: John Hatton, 1710-1793
Text: Samuel Medley, 1738-1799

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 Sing for us one of Zion’s songs, alleluia.

Psalm 137:1-6
By the rivers of Babylon

The Babylonian captivity is a type of our spiritual captivity (Saint Hilary).

By the rivers of Babylon *
there we sat and wept,
remembering Zion; †
on the poplars that grew there *
we hung up our harps.

For it was there that they asked us, *
our captors, for songs,
our oppressors, for joy. †
“Sing to us,” they said, *
“one of Zion’s songs.”

O how could we sing *
the song of the Lord
on alien soil? †
If I forget you, Jerusalem, *
let my right hand wither!

O let my tongue *
cleave to my mouth
if I remember you not, †
if I prize not Jerusalem *
above all my joys!

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.

Psalm Prayer

Lord, remember your pilgrim Church. We sit weeping at the streams of Babylon. Do not let us be drawn into the current of the passing world, but free us from every evil and raise our thoughts to the heavenly Jerusalem.

Ant. Sing for us one of Zion’s songs, alleluia.

Ant. 2 Though I am surrounded by affliction, you preserve my life, alleluia.

Psalm 138
Thanksgiving

The kings of the earth will bring his glory and honor into the holy city (see Revelation 21:24).

I thank you, Lord, with all my heart, *
you have heard the words of my mouth.
In the presence of the angels I will bless you. *
I will adore before your holy temple.

I thank you for your faithfulness and love *
which excel all we ever knew of you.
On the day I called, you answered; *
you increased the strength of my soul.

All earth’s kings shall thank you *
when they hear the words of your mouth.
They shall sing of the Lord’s ways: *
“How great is the glory of the Lord!”

The Lord is high yet he looks on the lowly *
and the haughty he knows from afar.
Though I walk in the midst of affliction *
you give me life and frustrate my foes.

You stretch out your hand and save me, *
your hand will do all things for me.
Your love, O Lord, is eternal, *
discard not the work of your hands.

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.

Psalm Prayer

Listen to the prayers of your Church, Lord God; in the presence of the angels we praise your name. You keep the proud at a distance and look upon the lowly with favor. Stretch out your hand to us in our suffering, perfect in us the work of your love and bring us to life.

Ant. Though I am surrounded by affliction, you preserve my life, alleluia.

Ant. 3 Yours, O Lord, is majesty and power, glory and triumph, alleluia.

Canticle: Revelation 4:11; 5:9, 10, 12
Redemption hymn

O Lord our God, you are worthy *
to receive glory and honor and power.

For you have created all things; *
by your will they came to be and were made.

Worthy are you, O Lord, *
to receive the scroll and break open its seals.

For you were slain; *
with your blood you purchased for God
men of every race and tongue, *
of every people and nation.

You made of them a kingdom, †
and priests to serve our God, *
and they shall reign on the earth.

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain *
to receive power and riches,
wisdom and strength, *
honor and glory and praise.

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. Yours, O Lord, is majesty and power, glory and triumph, alleluia.

READING
1 Peter 2:4-5

Come to the Lord, a living stone, rejected by men but approved, nonetheless, and precious in God’s eyes. You too are living stones, built as an edifice of spirit into a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

RESPONSORY

The disciples rejoiced, alleluia, alleluia.
– The disciples rejoiced, alleluia, alleluia.

When they saw the risen Lord,
– alleluia, alleluia.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
– The disciples rejoiced, alleluia, alleluia.

CANTICLE OF MARY

Ant. I know my sheep and they follow me; I give them eternal life, alleluia.

Luke 1:46-55
The soul rejoices in the Lord

My + soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, †
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior *
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed: †
the Almighty has done great things for me, *
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel *
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.

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. I know my sheep and they follow me; I give them eternal life, alleluia.

INTERCESSIONS

By his resurrection Christ has given sure hope to his people. Let us ask him with our whole hearts:
Lord Jesus, you live forever; hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus, from your wounded side flowed blood and water,
– make the Church your spotless bride.
Lord Jesus, you live forever; hear our prayer.

Chief shepherd, after your resurrection you made Peter shepherd of your flock when he professed his love for you,
–increase from day to day the love and devotion of Benedict our Pope.
Lord Jesus, you live forever; hear our prayer.

You showed your disciples how to make a great catch of fish,
–send others to continue their work as fishers of men.
Lord Jesus, you live forever; hear our prayer.

At the lakeside you prepared bread and fish for your disciples,
–grant that we may never allow others to die of hunger.
Lord Jesus, you live forever; hear our prayer.

Jesus, the new Adam and life-giving spirit, transform the dead into your own likeness,
– that the fullness of your joy may be theirs.
Lord Jesus, you live forever; hear our prayer.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

(Gathering our prayer and praises into one, let us pray the prayer Christ himself taught us:)

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.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Almighty God,
as we celebrate the resurrection,
may we share with each other
the joy the risen Christ has won for us.
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:

Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that, celebrating the mysteries of the Lord’s Resurrection,
we may merit to inherit the joy of our redemption.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
– Amen.

DISMISSAL

May the Lord bless + us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
– Amen.

For the Memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker:

O Joseph, heavenly hosts thy worthiness proclaim,
And Christendom conspires to celebrate thy fame,
Thou who in purest bonds wert to the Virgin bound;
     How glorious is thy name renowned.

Thou, when thou didst behold thy Spouse about to bear,
Wert sore oppressed with doubt, wert filled with wondering care;
At length the Angel’s word thy anxious heart relieved:
     She by the Spirit hath conceived.

Thou with thy newborn Lord didst seek far Egypt’s land,
As wandering pilgrims ye fled o’er the desert sand;
That Lord, when lost, by thee is in the Temple found,
     While tears are shed, and joys abound.

Not till death’s hour is past do other men obtain
The meed of holiness, and glorious rest attain;
Thou, like to Angels made, in life completely blest,
     Dost clasp thy God unto thy breast.

O Holy Trinity, Thy suppliant servants spare;
Grant us to rise to heaven for Joseph’s sake and prayer,
And so our grateful hearts to Thee shall ever raise
     Exulting canticles of praise. Amen.

Melody, Mode I 12.12.12.8
Text: Te, Ioseph, celebrent agmina cælitum, Juan Escollar, +1700
Translation: The Saint Dunstan’s Hymnal

Or:

Come, O Christian people sing
In triumphant gladness;
God has rescued Israel,
Given joy for sadness;
Freed from Pharaoh’s bitter yoke
Jacob’s sons and daughters;
Leading them beyond all death
Through the Red Sea waters.

Spring is in our hearts today;
Christ has burst his prison
And from three days’ sleep in death
As a sun has risen.
All the winter of our sins,
Long and dark, is flying
From his light, to whom we give
Song and praise undying.

Now the queen of seasons, bright
With the day of splendor,
With the royal feast of feasts,
Far from dark December,
Comes to glad Jerusalem,
Who with true affection,
Welcomes with untiring praise
Jesus’ resurrection.

Neither could the gates of death,
Nor the tomb’s dark portal,
Nor the watchers, nor the seal,
Hold you as a mortal.
But today amid your own
You have stood bestowing
Your own peace which evermore
Passes human knowing.

Tune: Ave Virgo Virginum (Gaudeamus Pariter) 76.76 D
Music: Johann Horn, 1544
Text: As?µe? pa?te? ?a??, John of Damascus, c. 740
Translation: John Mason Neale, 1818-1866

READING
Colossians 3:23-24

Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord and not for others, knowing that you will receive from the Lord the due payment of the inheritance; be slaves of the Lord Christ.

RESPONSORY

The just man shall blossom like the lily, alleluia, alleluia.
– The just man shall blossom like the lily, alleluia, alleluia.

He will flourish for ever in the courts of our God,
– alleluia, alleluia.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
– The just man shall blossom like the lily, alleluia, alleluia.

CANTICLE OF MARY

Ant. Christ the Lord felt honored to be known as the son of a carpenter, alleluia.

Luke 1:46-55
The soul rejoices in the Lord

My + soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, †
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior *
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed: †
the Almighty has done great things for me, *
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel *
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.

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. Christ the Lord felt honored to be known as the son of a carpenter, alleluia.

INTERCESSIONS

All fatherhood in heaven and on earth has its origin in God. Let us turn to him and pray:
Our Father in heaven, hear our prayer.

All-holy Father, you revealed to Saint Joseph your eternal plan of salvation in Christ,
– deepen our understanding of your Son, true God and true man.
Our Father in heaven, hear our prayer.

Father in heaven, you feed the birds of the air and clothe the fields with the fruit of the earth,
– give all your children their daily bread to sustain soul and body.
Our Father in heaven, hear our prayer.

Maker of the universe, you have entrusted your creation to our safekeeping,
– may all who work receive a just reward for their labors.
Our Father in heaven, hear our prayer.

God of all righteousness, you want us all to be like you,
– may Saint Joseph inspire us all to walk always in your way of holiness.
Our Father in heaven, hear our prayer.

Look kindly on the dying and dead, and grant them your mercy,
– through the intercession of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
Our Father in heaven, hear our prayer.

God, our Father,
Creator and ruler of the universe,
in every age you call man
to develop and use his gifts for the good of others.
With Saint Joseph as our example and guide,
help us to do the work you have asked
and come to the rewards you have promised.
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:

O God, Creator of all things,
who laid down for the human race the law of work,
graciously grant
that by the example of Saint Joseph and under his patronage
we may complete the works you set us to do
and attain the rewards you promise.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
–Amen.

DISMISSAL

May the Lord bless + us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
– Amen.

28 posted on 05/01/2012 4:36:59 PM PDT by annalex (http://www.catecheticsonline.com/CatenaAurea.php)

John
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	John 10
11.	I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep.	Ego sum pastor bonus. Bonus pastor animam suam dat pro ovibus suis.	εγω ειμι ο ποιμην ο καλος ο ποιμην ο καλος την ψυχην αυτου τιθησιν υπερ των προβατων
12.	But the hireling, and he that is not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and flieth: and the wolf catcheth, and scattereth the sheep:	Mercenarius autem, et qui non est pastor, cujus non sunt oves propriæ, videt lupum venientem, et dimittit oves, et fugit : et lupus rapit, et dispergit oves ;	ο μισθωτος δε και ουκ ων ποιμην ου ουκ εισιν τα προβατα ιδια θεωρει τον λυκον ερχομενον και αφιησιν τα προβατα και φευγει και ο λυκος αρπαζει αυτα και σκορπιζει τα προβατα
13.	And the hireling flieth, because he is a hireling: and he hath no care for the sheep.	mercenarius autem fugit, quia mercenarius est, et non pertinet ad eum de ovibus.	ο δε μισθωτος φευγει οτι μισθωτος εστιν και ου μελει αυτω περι των προβατων
14.	I am the good shepherd; and I know mine, and mine know me.	Ego sum pastor bonus : et cognosco meas, et cognoscunt me meæ.	εγω ειμι ο ποιμην ο καλος και γινωσκω τα εμα και γινωσκομαι υπο των εμων
15.	As the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father: and I lay down my life for my sheep.	Sicut novit me Pater, et ego agnosco Patrem : et animam meam pono pro ovibus meis.	καθως γινωσκει με ο πατηρ καγω γινωσκω τον πατερα και την ψυχην μου τιθημι υπερ των προβατων
16.	And other sheep I have, that are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.	Et alias oves habeo, quæ non sunt ex hoc ovili : et illas oportet me adducere, et vocem meam audient, et fiet unum ovile et unus pastor.	και αλλα προβατα εχω α ουκ εστιν εκ της αυλης ταυτης κακεινα με δει αγαγειν και της φωνης μου ακουσουσιν και γενησεται μια ποιμνη εις ποιμην
17.	Therefore doth the Father love me: because I lay down my life, that I may take it again.	Propterea me diligit Pater : quia ego pono animam meam, ut iterum sumam eam.	δια τουτο ο πατηρ με αγαπα οτι εγω τιθημι την ψυχην μου ινα παλιν λαβω αυτην
18.	No man taketh it away from me: but I lay it down of myself, and I have power to lay it down: and I have power to take it up again. This commandment have I received of my Father.	Nemo tollit eam a me : sed ego pono eam a meipso, et potestatem habeo ponendi eam, et potestatem habeo iterum sumendi eam. Hoc mandatum accepi a Patre meo.	ουδεις αιρει αυτην απ εμου αλλ εγω τιθημι αυτην απ εμαυτου εξουσιαν εχω θειναι αυτην και εξουσιαν εχω παλιν λαβειν αυτην ταυτην την εντολην ελαβον παρα του πατρος μου

29 posted on 05/01/2012 4:38:14 PM PDT by annalex (http://www.catecheticsonline.com/CatenaAurea.php)

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: May 01, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, Creator of all things, who laid down for the human race the law of work, graciously grant that by the example of Saint Joseph and under his patronage we may complete the works you set us to do and attain the rewards you promise. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Easter: May 1st

Optional Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker Old Calendar: St. Joseph the Worker; St. Peregrine, priest & religious (Hist)

The feast of St. Joseph the Worker was established by Pope Pius XII in 1955 in order to Christianize the concept of labor and give to all workmen a model and a protector. By the daily labor in his shop, offered to God with patience and joy, St. Joseph provided for the necessities of his holy spouse and of the Incarnate Son of God, and thus became an example to all laborers. "Workmen and all those laboring in conditions of poverty will have reasons to rejoice rather than grieve, since they have in common with the Holy Family daily preoccupations and cares"(Leo XIII).

St. Joseph the Worker
"May Day" has long been dedicated to labor and the working man. It falls on the first day of the month that is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pope Pius XII expressed the hope that this feast would accentuate the dignity of labor and would bring a spiritual dimension to labor unions. It is eminently fitting that St. Joseph, a working man who became the foster-father of Christ and patron of the universal Church, should be honored on this day.

The texts of the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours provide a catechetical synthesis of the significance of human labor seen in the light of faith. The Opening Prayer states that God, the creator and ruler of the universe, has called men and women in every age to develop and use their talents for the good of others. The Office of Readings, taken from the document of the Second Vatican Council on the Church in the modern world, develops this idea. In every type of labor we are obeying the command of God given in Genesis 2:15 and repeated in the responsory for the Office of Readings. The responsory for the Canticle of Zechariah says that "St. Joseph faithfully practiced the carpenter's trade. He is a shining example for all workers." Then, in the second part of the Opening Prayer, we ask that we may do the work that God has asked of us and come to the rewards he has promised. In the Prayer after Communion we ask: "May our lives manifest your love; may we rejoice for ever in your peace."

The liturgy for this feast vindicates the right to work, and this is a message that needs to be heard and heeded in our modern society. In many of the documents issued by Pope John XXIII, Pope Paul VI, the Second Vatican Council and Pope John Paul II, reference is made to the Christian spirit that should permeate one's work, after the example of St. Joseph. In addition to this, there is a special dignity and value to the work done in caring for the family. The Office of Readings contains an excerpt from the Vatican II document on the modern world: "Where men and women, in the course of gaining a livelihood for themselves and their families, offer appropriate service to society, they can be confident that their personal efforts promote the work of the Creator, confer benefits on their fellowmen, and help to realize God's plan in history" (no. 34).

— Excerpted from Saints of the Roman Calendar by Enzo Lodi

Patron: Against doubt; against hesitation; Americas; Austria; diocese of Baton Rouge, California; Belgium; diocese of Biloxi, Mississippi; Bohemia; diocese of Buffalo, New York; bursars; cabinetmakers; Canada; Carinthia; carpenters; China; Church; confectioners; craftsmen; Croatian people (in 1687 by decree of the Croatian parliament) dying people; emigrants; engineers; expectant mothers; families; fathers; Florence, Italy; happy death; holy death; house hunters; immigrants; interior souls; Korea; laborers; diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin; archdiocese of Louisville, Kentucky; diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire; married people; Mexico; diocese of Nashville, Tennessee; New France; New World; Oblates of Saint Joseph; people in doubt; people who fight Communism; Peru; pioneers; pregnant women; protection of the Church; diocese of San Jose, California; Sicily; diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; social justice; Styria, Austria; travellers; Turin, Italy; Tyrol, Austria; unborn children; Universal Church; Vatican II; Vietnam; diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia; wheelwrights; workers; working people.

Symbols: Bible; branch; capenter's square; carpenter's tools; chalice; cross; hand tools; infant Jesus; ladder; lamb; lily; monstrance; old man holding a lily and a carpenter's tool such as a square; old man holding the infant Jesus; plane; rod.

Things to Do:

May 1 is celebrated in Communist countries as the Day of the International Solidarity of Workers. Today would be a good day to pray for athesistic Communism's influence to cease and a proper application of the principles explained by Leo XIII in Rerum novarum and John Paul II in Centesimus annus to be the guide used by nations.

St. Peregrine
As a young man St. Peregrine was a member of an anti-papal party until he encountered St. Philip Benizi, the head of the Servite order, who had been sent to try to reconcile the divided community. While trying to preach in Forli, Philip was heckled and even struck by Peregrine, who was overcome by momentary political fervor. But that moment also changed Peregrine. He began to channel his energies in new directions, engaged in good works and eventually joined the Servites in Siena and went on to be ordained a priest. Returning to his home town, he founded a new Servite house there and became well known for his preaching and holiness as well as his devotion to the sick and poor.

One of the special penances he imposed on himself was standing whenever it was not necessary to sit. Over time, Peregrine developed varicose veins and, in turn, cancer of the foot. The wound became painful and diseased and all medical treatment failed. The local surgeon determined amputation of the leg was called for.

Tradition has it that the night before surgery was scheduled, Peregrine spent much time in prayer before the crucified Jesus, asking God to heal him if it was God’s will to do so. Falling asleep at one point, Peregrine had a vision of the crucified Jesus leaving the cross and touching his cancerous leg. When Peregrine awoke, the wound was healed and his foot and leg, seemingly miraculously cured, were saved. He lived another 20 years.

Peregrine was canonized in 1726.

Excerpted from Saint of the Day: Lives, Lessons and Feast by Leonard Foley, O.F.M.

Patron:AIDS patients; cancer patients; open sores; skin diseases; sick people

30 posted on 05/01/2012 4:51:43 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

The Word Among Us

Meditation: John 10:22-30

“How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” (John 10:24)

The Jews gathered around Jesus, demanding to know, once and for all, whether he really was the Messiah. That kind of plea surfaces in everyone at times. We all want assurances from God—both about who he is and about our own lives. What job should I take? Whom should I marry? How should I manage my finances? We all want to do the right thing, to please him, and to trust him with our whole lives. But sometimes it seems hard to know how to do just that.

Look at how Jesus answered the Jews: I’ve told you. Look at what I’ve done. Consider it all, and you’ll figure it out. Just as he did back then, even today Jesus is inviting us to weigh the evidence and decide for ourselves on the best course of action. He will never force our hand. And he will never ask more of us than we can believe or do. I know you, he says. I know your strengths and your weaknesses, your hopes and your fears. He knows what you believe and what you aren’t yet ready to believe. So trust him, and don’t worry about getting everything right. Just do the best you can.

Where can you find the evidence to consider? Your first recourse should be to his words and deeds as recorded in Scripture. Read them as if they were spoken to you personally. Let them find a place in your heart. Recall them often to yourself. When fears or uncertainty begin to shake you, remind yourself of what he has said to you: I give you eternal life. No one can snatch you from me. My Father holds you in the palm of his hand, and no one can wrestle you away from him.

Jesus won’t keep you in suspense. Every day, he wants to reassure you of his love and care. Repeat it to yourself: God has good plans for me. He will lead me in the right path. He is all-powerful. Scripture is full of such promises. Ask to see them in your life today. God is big enough to take care of you, and to correct your missteps, if any occur. So based on what you know, decide to follow him the best you can.

“Jesus, I trust in your unfailing love!”

Acts 11:19-26; Psalm 87:1-7

31 posted on 05/01/2012 4:56:59 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

A Christian Pilgrim

MAN’S ACTIVITY IN THE WORLD

(A reading from the Constitution of the Second Vatican Council on the Church in the Modern World)

A Memoria of SAINT JOSEPH THE WORKER – 1^st of May

Man has always striven to develop his life through his mind and his work; today his efforts have achieved a measure of success, for with the help of science and technology, he has extended and continues to extend his mastery over nearly all spheres of nature. Thanks primarily to an increase in all kinds of interchange between nations, the human family is gradually coming to recognize itself as constituting one single community over the whole earth. As a result man now produces by his own enterprise many things which in former times he looked for from heavenly powers.

In the face of this immense enterprise now involving the whole human race men are troubled by numerous questions. What is the meaning and value of this feverish activity? How should all these things be used? To what goal is all this individual and collective enterprise heading?

The Church is guardian of the heritage of the divine Word and draws religious and moral principles from it, but she does not always have a ready answer to every question. Still, she is eager to associate the light of revelation with the experience of mankind in trying to clarify the course upon which mankind has just entered.

Individual and collective activity, that monumental effort of man through the centuries to improve the circumstances of the world, presents no problem to believers: considered in itself, it corresponds to the plan of God.

Man was created in God’s image and was commanded to conquer the earth with all it contains and to rule the world in justice and holiness: he was to acknowledge God as maker of all things and related himself and totality of creation to Him, so that through the dominion of all things by man the name of God would be majestic in all the earth.

This holds good also for our daily work. When men and women provide for themselves and their families in such a way as to be of service to the community as well, they can rightly look upon their work as a prolongation of the work of the Creator, a service to their fellow men, and their personal contribution to the fulfillment in history of the divine plan.

Far from considering the conquests of man’s genius and courage as opposed to God’s power, as if he set himself up as a rival to the Creator, the Christian ought to be convinced that the achievements of the human race are a sign of God’s greatness and the fulfillment of His ineffable design.

With an increase in human power comes a broadening of responsibility on the part of individuals and communities.

There is no question, then, of the Christian message inhibiting men from building up the world or making them disinterested in the good of their fellows; on the contrary, it is an incentive to do these very things.

Short Prayer: Heavenly Father, Lord God and Creator of the universe, You put man in the garden of Eden, to till the garden and keep it. You imposed on mankind the law of work. Give us grace, by Saint Joseph’s example and at his intercession, to finish the works You give us to do. We make our prayer in the most precious name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The text was taken from THE DIVINE OFFICE II – LENT AND EASTERTIDE – The Office of Reading – The Second Reading, pages 129*-130*.

32 posted on 05/01/2012 5:29:55 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Marriage = One Man and One Woman

Til' Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for May 1, 2012:

Make the extra effort. Husbands, it’s tempting to forego those dating niceties. Opening her door, pulling out her chair, walking on the curb side may seem old fashioned and sexist, but sometimes it’s fun to be treated like a queen. Go overboard and laugh about it.

34 posted on 05/01/2012 5:38:44 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

35 posted on 05/01/2012 5:46:51 PM PDT by annalex (http://www.catecheticsonline.com/CatenaAurea.php)

John
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	John 10
22.	And it was the feast of the dedication at Jerusalem: and it was winter.	Facta sunt autem Encænia in Jerosolymis, et hiems erat.	εγενετο δε τα εγκαινια εν ιεροσολυμοις και χειμων ην
23.	And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch.	Et ambulabat Jesus in templo, in porticu Salomonis.	και περιεπατει ο ιησους εν τω ιερω εν τη στοα σολομωνος
24.	The Jews therefore came round about him, and said to him: How long dost thou hold our souls in suspense? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.	Circumdederunt ergo eum Judæi, et dicebant ei : Quousque animam nostram tollis ? si tu es Christus, dic nobis palam.	εκυκλωσαν ουν αυτον οι ιουδαιοι και ελεγον αυτω εως ποτε την ψυχην ημων αιρεις ει συ ει ο χριστος ειπε ημιν παρρησια
25.	Jesus answered them: I speak to you, and you believe not: the works that I do in the name of my Father, they give testimony of me.	Respondit eis Jesus : Loquor vobis, et non creditis : opera quæ ego facio in nomine Patris mei, hæc testimonium perhibent de me :	απεκριθη αυτοις ο ιησους ειπον υμιν και ου πιστευετε τα εργα α εγω ποιω εν τω ονοματι του πατρος μου ταυτα μαρτυρει περι εμου
26.	But you do not believe, because you are not of my sheep.	sed vos non creditis, quia non estis ex ovibus meis.	αλλ υμεις ου πιστευετε ου γαρ εστε εκ των προβατων των εμων καθως ειπον υμιν
27.	My sheep hear my voice: and I know them, and they follow me.	Oves meæ vocem meam audiunt, et ego cognosco eas, et sequuntur me :	τα προβατα τα εμα της φωνης μου ακουει καγω γινωσκω αυτα και ακολουθουσιν μοι
28.	And I give them life everlasting; and they shall not perish for ever, and no man shall pluck them out of my hand.	et ego vitam æternam do eis, et non peribunt in æternum, et non rapiet eas quisquam de manu mea.	καγω ζωην αιωνιον διδωμι αυτοις και ου μη απολωνται εις τον αιωνα και ουχ αρπασει τις αυτα εκ της χειρος μου
29.	That which my Father hath given me, is greater than all: and no one can snatch them out of the hand of my Father.	Pater meus quod dedit mihi, majus omnibus est : et nemo potest rapere de manu Patris mei.	ο πατηρ μου ος δεδωκεν μοι μειζων παντων εστιν και ουδεις δυναται αρπαζειν εκ της χειρος του πατρος μου
30.	I and the Father are one.	Ego et Pater unum sumus.	εγω και ο πατηρ εν εσμεν

36 posted on 05/01/2012 5:51:08 PM PDT by annalex (http://www.catecheticsonline.com/CatenaAurea.php)

22. And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.
23. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.
24. Then came the Jews round about him, and said to him, How long do you make us to doubt? If you be the Christ, tell us plainly.
25. Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
26. But you believe not, because you are not of my sheep, as I said to you.
27. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
28. And I give to them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
30. I and my Father are one."

AUG. And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication. Encænia is the feast of the dedication of the temple; from the Greek word signifying new. The dedication of any thing new was called encænia.

CHRYS. It was the feast of the dedication of the temple, after the return from the Babylonish captivity.

ALCUIN. Or, it was in memory of the dedication under Judas Maccabeus. The first dedication was that of Solomon in the autumn; the second that of Zorobabel, and the priest Jesus in the spring. This was in winter time.

BEDE. Judas Maccabeus instituted an annual commemoration of this dedication.

THEOPHYL. The Evangelist mentions the time of winter, to show that it was near His passion. He suffered in the following spring; for which reason He took up His abode at Jerusalem.

GREG. Or because the season of cold was in keeping with the cold malicious hearts of the Jews.

CHRYS. Christ was present with much zeal at this feast, and thenceforth stayed in Judea; His passion being now at hand. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.

ALCUIN. It is called Solomon's porch, because Solomon went to pray there. The porches of a temple are usually named after the temple. If the Son of God walked in a temple where the flesh of brute animals was offered up, how much more will He delight to visit our house of prayer, in which His own flesh and blood are consecrated;

THEOPHYL. Be you also careful, in the winter time, i.e. while yet in this stormy wicked world, to celebrate the dedication of your spiritual temple, by ever renewing yourself, ever rising upward in heart. Then will Jesus be present with you in Solomon's porch, and give you safety under His covering. But in another life no man will be able to dedicate Himself.

AUG. The Jews cold in love, burning in their malevolence, approached Him not to honor, but persecute. Then came the Jews round about Him, and said to Him, How long do you make us to doubt? If You be the Christ, tell us plainly. They did not want to know the truth, but only to find ground of accusation.

CHRYS. Being able to find no fault with His works, they tried to catch Him in His words. And mark their perversity. When He instructs by His discourse, they say, What sign show You? When He demonstrates by His works, they say, If you be the Christ, tell us plainly. Either way they are determined to oppose Him.

There is great malice in that speech, Tell us plainly. He had spoken plainly, when up at the feasts, and had hid nothing. They preface however with flattery: How long do you make us to doubt? as if they were anxious to know the truth, but really only meaning to provoke Him to say something that they might lay hold of.

ALCUIN. They accuse Him of keeping their minds in suspense and uncertainty, who had come to save their souls.

AUG. They wanted our Lord to say, I am the Christ. Perhaps, as they had human notions of the Messiah, having failed to discern His divinity in the Prophets they wanted Christ to confess Himself the Messiah, of the seed of David; that they might accuse Him of aspiring to the regal power.

ALCUIN. And thus they intended to give Him into the hands of the Proconsul for punishment, as an usurper against the emperor. Our Lord so managed His reply as to stop the mouths of His calumniators, open those of the believers; and to those who inquired of Him as a man, reveal the mysteries of His divinity: Jesus answered them, I told you, and you believed not: the works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me.

CHRYS. He reproves their malice, for pretending that a single word would convince them, whom so many words had not. If you do not believe My works, He says, how will you believe My words? And He adds why they do not believe: But you believe not, because you are not of My sheep.

AUG. He saw that they were persons predestinated to eternal death, and not those for whom He had bought eternal life, at the price of His blood. The sheep believe, and follow the Shepherd.

THEOPHYL. After He had said, You are not of My sheep, He exhorts them to become such: My sheep hear My voice.

ALCUIN. i.e. Obey My precepts from the heart. And I know them, and they follow Me, here by walking in gentleness and innocence, hereafter by entering the joys of eternal life.

And I give to them eternal life.

AUG. This is the pasture of which He spoke before And shall find pasture. Eternal life is called a goodly pasture: the grass thereof wither not, all is spread with verdure. But these cavilers thought only of this present life. And they shall not perish eternally; as if to say, you shall perish eternally, because you are not of My sheep.

THEOPHYL. But how then did Judas perish? Because he did not continue to the end. Christ speaks of them who persevere. If any sheep is separated from the flock, and wanders from the Shepherd, it incurs danger immediately.

AUG. And He adds why they do not perish: Neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. Of those sheep of which it is said, The Lord knows them that are His, the wolf robs none, the thief takes none, the robber kills none. Christ is confident of their safety; and He knows what He gave up for them.

HILARY. This is the speech of conscious power. Yet to show, that though of the Divine nature He has His nativity from God, He adds, My Father which gave Me them is greater than all. He does not conceal His birth from the Father, but proclaims it. For that which He received from the Father, He received in that He was born from Him. He received it in the birth itself, not after it; though He was born when He received it.

AUG. The Son, born from everlasting of the Father, God from God, has not equality with the Father by growth, but by birth. This is that greater than all which the Father gave Him b; viz. to be His Word, to be His Only-Begotten Son, to be the brightness of His light.

Wherefore no man takes His sheep out of His hand, any more than from His Father's hand: And no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand. If by hand we understand power, the power of the Father and the Son is one, even as Their divinity is one. If we understand the Son, the Son is the hand of the Father, not in a bodily sense, as if God the Father had limbs, but as being He by Whom all things were made.

Men often call other men hands, when they make use of them for any purpose. And sometimes a man's work is itself called his hand, because made by his hand; as when a man is said to know his own hand, when be recognizes his own handwriting. In this place, however, hand signifies power. If we take it for Son, we shall be in danger of imagining that if the Father has a hand, and that hand is His Son, the Son must have a Son too.

HILARY. The hand of the Son is spoken of as the hand of the Father, to let you see, by a bodily representation, that both have the same nature, that the nature and virtue of the Father is in the Son also.

CHRYS. Then that you may not suppose that the Father's power protects the sheep, while He is Himself too weak to do so, He adds, I and My Father are one.

AUG. Mark both those words, one and are, and you will be delivered from Scylla and Charybdis. In that He says, one the Arian, in we are the Sabellian, is answered. There are both Father and Son. And if one, then there is no difference of persons between them.

AUG. We are one. What He is, that am I, in respect of essence, not of relation.

HILARY. The heretics, since they cannot gainsay these words, endeavor by an impious lie to explain them away. They maintain that this unity is unanimity only; a unity of will, not of nature, i.e. that the two are one, not in that they are the same, but in that they will the same. But they are one, not by any economy merely, but by the nativity of the Son's nature, since there is no falling off of the Father's divinity in begetting Him.

They are one whilst the sheep that are not plucked out of the Son's hand, are not plucked out of the Father's hand: whilst in Him working, the Father works; whilst He is in the Father, and the Father in Him. This unity, not creation but nativity, not will but power, not unanimity but nature accomplishes.

But we deny not therefore the unanimity of the Father and Son; for the heretics, because we refuse to admit concord in the place of unity, accuse us of making a disagreement between the Father and Son. We deny not unanimity, but we place it on the ground of unity. The Father and Son are one in respect of nature, honor, and virtue: and the same nature cannot will different things.

Catena Aurea John 10

37 posted on 05/01/2012 5:51:52 PM PDT by annalex (http://www.catecheticsonline.com/CatenaAurea.php)

The New Testament Trinity

19c.
Moscow Historical Museum

38 posted on 05/01/2012 5:52:20 PM PDT by annalex (http://www.catecheticsonline.com/CatenaAurea.php)

Compline

INTRODUCTION

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

A brief examination of conscience may be made. In the communal celebration of the office, a penitential rite using the formulas of the Mass may be inserted here.

[I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,

And, striking their breast, they say:

through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;

Then they continue:

therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.

The absolution by the Priest follows:

May almighty God have mercy on us,
forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
– Amen.]

HYMN

At the Lamb’s high feast we sing
Praise to our victorious King,
Who has washed us in the tide
Flowing from his wounded side;
Praise the Lord, whose love divine
Gives his sacred blood for wine,
Gives his body for the feast,
Christ the victim, Christ the priest.

Where the Paschal blood is poured,
Death’s dark angel sheathes his sword;
Israel’s host in triumph go
Through the waves that drown the foe.
Christ the Lamb whose blood was shed,
Paschal victim, Paschal bread;
Let us with a fervent love
Taste the manna from above.

Mighty Victim from on high,
Pow’rs of hell now vanquished lie;
Sin is conquered in the fight:
You have brought us life and light;
Your resplendent banners wave,
You have risen from the grave;
Christ has opened Paradise,
And in him all men shall rise.

Easter triumph, Easter joy,
Sin alone can this destroy;
Souls form sin and death set free
Glory in their liberty.
Hymns of glory, hymns of praise
Father unto you we raise;
Risen Lord, for joy we sing;
Let our hymns through heaven ring.

Tune: Salzburg 77.77 D
Music: Jacob Hintze, 1622-1702
Text: Ad regias Agni dapes
Translation: Robert Campbell, 1814-1868, adapted by Geoffrey Laycock

Or:

All praise to you, O God, this night
For all the blessings of the light;
Keep us, we pray, O King of kings,
Beneath your own almighty wings.

Forgive us, Lord, through Christ your Son,
Whatever wrong this day we’ve done;
Your peace give to the world, O Lord,
That man might live in one accord.

Enlighten us, O blessed Light,
And give us rest throughout this night.
O strengthen us, that for your sake,
We all may serve you when we wake.

Melody: Illsley L.M.
Music: J. Bishop, 1665-1737
Text: Thomas Ken, 1709, alt.

Or:

We praise you, Father, for your gifts
Of dusk and nightfall over earth,
Foreshadowing the mystery
Of death that leads to endless day.

Within your hands we rest secure;
In quiet sleep our strength renew;
Yet give your people hearts that wake
In love to you, unsleeping Lord.

Your glory may we ever seek
In rest, as in activity,
Until its fullness is revealed,
O source of life, O Trinity.

Melody: Te lucis ante terminum (plainchant) L.M.
Music: Anonymous, Gregorian
Text: West Malling Abbey

PSALMODY

Ant. Do not hide your face from me; in you I put my trust, alleluia.

Psalm 143:1-11
Prayer in distress

Only by faith in Jesus Christ is a man made holy in God’s sight. No observance of the law can achieve this (Galatians 2:16).

Lord, listen to my prayer: *
turn your ear to my appeal.
You are faithful, you are just; give answer. †
Do not call your servant to judgment *
for no one is just in your sight.

The enemy pursues my soul; *
he has crushed my life to the ground;
he has made me dwell in darkness *
like the dead, long forgotten.
Therefore my spirit fails; *
my heart is numb within me.

I remember the days that are past: *
I ponder all your works.
I muse on what your hand has wrought †
and to you I stretch out my hands. *
Like a parched land my soul thirsts for you.

Lord, make haste and answer; *
for my spirit fails within me.
Do not hide your face *
lest I become like those in the grave.

In the morning let me know your love *
for I put my trust in you.
Make me know the way I should walk: *
to you I lift up my soul.

Rescue me, Lord, from my enemies; *
I have fled to you for refuge.
Teach me to do your will *
for you, O Lord, are my God.
Let your good spirit guide me *
in ways that are level and smooth.

For your name’s sake, Lord, save my life; *
in your justice save my soul from distress.

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. Do not hide your face from me; in you I put my trust, alleluia.

READING
1 Peter 5:8-9a

Stay sober and alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, solid in your faith.

RESPONSORY

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

You have redeemed us, Lord God of truth,
– alleluia, alleluia.

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

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, alleluia.

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, alleluia.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Let us pray.

Lord,
fill this night with your radiance.
May we sleep in peace and rise with joy
to welcome the light of a new day in your name.
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

Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia.
The Son whom you merited to bear, alleluia,
has risen as he said, alleluia.
Pray for us to God, alleluia.

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia!
For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia!

Or:

Regina caeli, laetare, alleluia,
quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia,
resurrexit sicut dixit, alleluia;
ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.

Gaude et laetare, Virgo Maria, alleluia.
Quia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia.

Or:

Ave, Regina caelorum,
ave, Domina angelorum,
salve, radix, salve, porta,
ex qua mundo lux est orta.

Gaude, Virgo gloriosa,
super omnes speciosa;
vale, o valde decora,
et pro nobis Christum exora.

Or:

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 vale of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate,
your eyes of mercy toward us,
and after this exile
show us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving,
O sweet Virgin Mary.

Or:

Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with you!
Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.

Or:

Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae;
vita, dulcedo et spes nostra, salve,
Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Evae.
Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
in hac lacrimarum valle.

Eia ergo, advocata nostra,
illos tuos misericordes occulos
ad nos converte.
Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,
nobis post hoc exilium ostende.
O clemens, o pia, o dulcis Virgo Maria.

Or:

Loving mother of the Redeemer,
gate of heaven, star of the sea,
assist your people who have fallen yet strive to rise again.
To the wonderment of nature you bore your Creator,
yet remained a virgin after as before.
You who received Gabriel’s joyful greeting,
have pity on us poor sinners.

39 posted on 05/01/2012 5:56:09 PM PDT by annalex (http://www.catecheticsonline.com/CatenaAurea.php)

Security in Christ

How secure is your faith and trust in God? Scripture describes God’s word as a “lamp for our feet and a light for our steps” (Psalm 119:105). The Jewish Feast of the Dedication is also called the Festival of Lights or Hanakkuh. This feast was held in late December, near the time we celebrate Christmas. This is the time of year when the day is shortest and the night longest. Jesus used this occasion to declare that he is the true light of the world (John 8:12). In his light we can see who God truly is and we can find the true path to heaven. Jesus also speaks of the tremendous trust he has in God his Father and the tremendous trust we ought to have in him, our Good Shepherd. The security Jesus offers is an abiding relationship with the living God, and membership with his flock, the people of God. Jesus also promises the security of peace and protection from evil and the greatest harm that could befall us — eternal destruction. The Lord does not spare us from all trouble. In this life we will experience pain, suffering, sickness, and death. But through these the Lord will lead us to ultimate victory and safety in his everlasting home. Even in the midst of our sufferings we can find a peace and security which no one can give except God alone. We can confidently follow the Lord wherever he leads, trusting that nothing can keep us from God if we trust in him. Have you placed your life securely in God where it belongs?

Reflection written by Don Schwager of www.rc.net

40 posted on 05/01/2012 6:53:14 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794

May 1, 2012

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

Reading 1 Acts 11:19-26

Responsorial Psalm Ps 87:1b-3, 4-5, 6-7

Gospel Jn 10:22-30

St. Joseph the Worker

Daily Readings for: May 01, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)

RECIPES

ACTIVITIES

PRAYERS

LIBRARY

Meditation: John 10:22-30

Security in Christ

May 1, 2012

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

Reading 1 Acts 11:19-26

Responsorial Psalm Ps 87:1b-3, 4-5, 6-7

Gospel Jn 10:22-30

St. Joseph the Worker

Daily Readings for: May 01, 2012(Readings on USCCB website)

RECIPES

ACTIVITIES

PRAYERS

LIBRARY

Meditation: John 10:22-30

Security in Christ

Daily Readings for: May 01, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)