Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 11-14-18

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 11-14-18 | Revised New American Bible

[Salvation]

(For if he had not hoped that they that were slain should rise again, it would have seemed superfluous and vain to pray for the dead,) And because he considered that they who had fallen asleep with godliness, had great grace laid up for them. It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins." II Maccabees 12

 

November Devotion: The Holy Souls in Purgatory

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. As a reminder of our duty to pray for the suffering faithful in Purgatory, the Church has dedicated the month of November to the Holy Souls. The Holy Souls are those who have died in the state of grace but who are not yet free from all punishment due to their unforgiven venial sins and all other sins already forgiven for which satisfaction is still to be made. They are certain of entering Heaven, but first they must suffer in Purgatory. The Holy Souls cannot help themselves because for them the night has come, when no man can work (John 9:4). It is our great privilege of brotherhood that we can shorten their time of separation from God by our prayers, good works, and, especially, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

To Help the Holy Souls in Purgatory:

1. Have the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered up for them.

2. Pray the Rosary and or the Chaplet of Divine Marcy for them, or both.

3. Pray the Stations of the Cross.

4. Offer up little sacrifices and fasting.

5. Spread devotion to them, so that others may pray for them.

6. Attend Eucharistic Adoration and pray for them.

7. Gain all the indulgences you can, and apply them to the Holy Souls

8. Visit to a Cemetery

 

Litany for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

The just shall be in everlasting remembrance; 

He shall not fear the evil hearing.

V. Absolve, O Lord, the souls of the faithful departed 

from every bond of sin, 

R. And by the help of Thy grace

may they be enabled to escape the avenging judgment, 

and to enjoy the happiness of eternal life. 

Because in Thy mercy are deposited the souls that departed 

in an inferior degree of grace,

Lord, have mercy.

Because their present suffering is greatest 

in the knowledge of the pain that their separation from Thee is causing Thee,

Lord, have mercy. 

Because of their present inability to add to Thy accidental glory, 

Lord, have mercy.

Not for our consolation, O Lord; 

not for their release from purgative pain, O God; 

but for Thy joy 

and the greater accidental honour of Thy throne, O Christ the King,

Lord, have mercy.

For the souls of our departed friends, relations and benefactors, 

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For those of our family who have fallen asleep in Thy bosom, O Jesus, 

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For those who have gone to prepare our place,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

(For those who were our brothers [or sisters] in Religion,)

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For priests who were our spiritual directors,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For men or women who were our teachers in school,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For those who were our employers (or employees),

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For those who were our associates in daily toil,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For any soul whom we ever offended,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For our enemies now departed,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For those souls who have none to pray for them,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For those forgotten by their friends and kin,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For those now suffering the most,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For those who have acquired the most merit,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For the souls next to be released from Purgatory,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For those who, while on earth, 

were most devoted to God the Holy Ghost, 

to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, 

to the holy Mother of God,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For all deceased popes and prelates,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For all deceased priests, seminarians and religious, 

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For all our brethren in the Faith everywhere, 

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For all our separated brethren who deeply loved Thee, 

and would have come into Thy household had they known the truth,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For those souls who need, or in life asked, our prayers,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

For those, closer to Thee than we are, whose prayers we need,

grant light and peace, O Lord.  

That those may be happy with Thee forever, 

who on earth were true exemplars of the Catholic Faith, 

grant them eternal rest, O Lord.

That those may be admitted to Thine unveiled Presence, 

who as far as we know never committed mortal sin,     

grant them eternal rest, O Lord.  

That those may be housed in glory, 

who lived always in recollection and prayer,

grant them eternal rest, O Lord.  

That those may be given the celestial joy of beholding Thee, 

who lived lives of mortification and self-denial and penance,

grant them eternal rest, O Lord.  

That those may be flooded with Thy love, 

who denied themselves even Thy favours of indulgence 

and who made the heroic act 

for the souls who had gone before them,

grant them eternal rest, O Lord.  

That those may be drawn up to the Beatific Vision, 

who never put obstacles in the way of sanctifying grace 

and who ever drew closer in mystical union with Thee,

grant them eternal rest, O Lord.  

V. Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord, 

R. And let perpetual light shine upon them. 

Let Us Pray 

Be mindful, O Lord, 

of Thy servants and handmaids, 

N. and N., 

who are gone before us 

with the sign of faith 

and repose in the sleep of grace.  

To these, O Lord, 

and to all who rest in Christ, 

grant, we beseech Thee, 

a place of refreshment, 

light and peace, 

through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen

Bringing back the dead… Catholic style
All Souls, Purgatory and the Bible

Letter #95: Remembering the Dead
Hungry Souls (a bit of a [Book] review) Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
What Is All Souls Day (Commemoration of the Faithful Departed)?
All Saints or All Souls? Differences should be black and white
All Souls' Day [Catholic Caucus]
Why I Am Catholic: For Purgatory, Thank Heavens (Ecumenical)
Q and A: Why Pray for the Dead? [Ecumenical]
“….and Death is Gain” – A Meditation on the Christian View of Death [Catholic Caucus]
99 & 1/2 Won’t Do – A Meditation on Purgatory
The Month of November: Thoughts on the "Last Things"
To Trace All Souls Day

November 2 -- All Souls Day
On November: All Souls and the "Permanent Things"
"From the Pastor" ALL SAINTS & ALL SOULS
Praying for the Dead [All Souls Day] (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)
To Trace All Souls Day [Ecumenical]
All Souls Day [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
The Roots of All Souls Day
The Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
During Month of Souls, Recall Mystic, St. Gertrude the Great
All Saints and All Souls

[Salvation]

November, 2018

The Holy Father's Prayer Intention

Universal – In Service of Peace, That the language of love and dialogue may always prevail over the language of conflict.

[Salvation]

'Children ought not to be seated until all the others have been given a place.'

[Salvation]

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:  And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.  Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.  Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.  Hail Mary . . .  And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.  Hail Mary . . .  Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.  Let us pray:  Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.  "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)   "Blessed are you among women,  and blessed is the fruit of your womb" (Lk 1:42).

[Salvation]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3705954/posts?page=2

Saint of the Day — Saint Gertrude the Great

[Salvation]

On St. Gertrude
SAINT GERTRUDE Abbess of Eisleben (1264-1334) SAINT EDMUND Archbishop of Canterbury (†1240)
During Month of Souls, Recall Mystic, St. Gerturde the Great
Saint Gertrude The Great

[Salvation]

Information: St. Lawrence O'Toole

Feast Day: November 14

Born: 1128, Castledermot, Kildare, Ireland

Died: November 14, 1180, Normandy, France

Canonized: 1225 by Pope Honorius III

Major Shrine: St Lawrence's church in Chorley, England

[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: November 14th

Wednesday of the Thirty-Second Week of Ordinary Time

MASS READINGS

November 14, 2018 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

Almighty and merciful God, graciously keep from us all adversity, so that, unhindered in mind and body alike, we may pursue in freedom of heart the things that are yours. 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.

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Recipes (1)

• Pumpkin Tarts

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Activities (4)

• Motivating Children to Perform Good Deeds
• Praying for the Dead and Gaining Indulgences During November
• Religion in the Home for Elementary School: November
• Religion in the Home for Preschool: November

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Prayers (6)

• Prayer for the Dead
• November Devotion: The Holy Souls in Purgatory
• Little Litany of the Holy Souls
• Prayer for the Dead - 2
• Prayer for a Happy Death
• Daily Acceptance of Death

Library (0)

» Enjoy our Liturgical Seasons series of e-books!

Old Calendar: St. Josaphat, bishop and confessor; St. Lawrence O'Toole (Hist)

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Josephat, a Catholic of the Ruthenian rite. He was an apostle of the return of the Orthodox schismatics to the Church of Rome. At the age of twenty he became a Basilian monk, and while still young was made superior of his monastery, then archimandrite of Vilna and finally Archbishop of Polotsk. The young Archbishop's zeal for the cause of the "uniates" aroused the hatred of the schismatics, and he was murdered by a mob at Vitebsk in 1623 at the age of forty-three. His prayer contained the conversion of his murderers. He is one of the patrons of Poland. His feast in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite is celebrated on November 12.

Historically today is the feast of St. Lawrence O'Toole the Archbishop of Dublin during the takeover of Ireland by the Normans and King Henry II. His efforts in the peace process and his frustration with King Henry probably caused his early death. Highly honoured at Eu in Normandy, France, where he died.

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St. Lawrence O'Toole
St. Lawrence O'Toole was born around 1128 in County Kildare, Ireland. His father was the chief of Hy Murray, and his mother one of the Clan O'Byrne. At the age of 10, Lawrence was given up as a hostage to King Mac Murehad of Leinster, who treated him with such inhumanity that his father obliged the King to turn him over to the Bishop of Glendalough.

St. Lawrence grew to be such a model of virtue, that at the young age of 25 he was chosen to replace the Bishop as abbot upon the Bishop’s death. He governed his community with virtue and prudence, and was unanimously chosen to fill the new See of Dublin in 1161.

In 1171, St. Lawrence visited King Henry II of England to handle affairs of his diocese. While approaching the altar to officiate at Mass, the Archbishop was violently attacked by a maniac. Everyone present thought he was mortally wounded, but Saint Lawrence came to, asked for some water, blessed it and applied it to his wound. The bleeding immediately stopped and the Archbishop continued to celebrate Mass.

St. Lawrence was most widely known for his piety, charity, and prudence, and was respected as a negotiator.

He died on November 14, 1180, at Eu in Normandy. He was canonized in 1225 by Honorius III.

Excerpted from Catholic News Agency

Things to Do:

• Read more about St. Lawrence O'Toole here and here

• Visit A Year of Prayer: 365 Rosaires for another life of St. Lawrence O'Toole.

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Purgatory is Temporary
Purgatory is not eternal. Its duration varies according to the sentence pronounced at each particular judgment. It may be prolonged for centuries in the case of the more guilty souls, or of those who, being excluded from the Catholic communion, are deprived of the suffrages of the Church, although by the divine mercy they have escaped hell. But the end of the world, which will be also the end of time, will close for ever the place of temporary expiation. God will know how to reconcile His justice and His goodness in the purification of the last members of the human race, and to supply by the intensity of the expiatory suffering what may be wanting in duration. But, whereas a favorable sentence at the particular judgment admits of eternal beatitude being suspended and postponed, and leaves the bodies of the elect to the same fate as those of the reprobate; at the universal judgment, every sentence, whether for heaven or for hell, will be absolute, and will be executed immediately and completely. Let us, then, live in expectation of the solemn hour, when "the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God." He that is to come will come, and will not delay, as the Doctor of the Gentiles reminds us; His arrival will be sudden, as that of a thief, we are told, not only by St. Paul, but also by the prince of the apostles and the beloved disciple; and these in turn are but echoing the words of our Lord Himself: "As lightning cometh out of the east and appears even unto the west: so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be."

Excerpted from The Liturgical Year, Abbot Gueranger O.S.B.

Things to Do:

• Say a prayer for the Poor Souls; for instance, recite the Little Litany of the Holy Souls.

• Offer up some small sacrifice for the relief of the most abandoned soul. "It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins" (Mc. 12:46).

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Titus 3:1-7

32nd Week in Ordinary Time

When the kindness and generous love of God our savior appeared . . . (Titus 3:4)

Often, a proofreader will read a text backwards. This forces the eyes to slow down and notice each word individually. If we modify it just a bit, this technique can help us read and ponder the Scriptures more carefully and prayerfully.

Take today’s first reading, for example. There is so much here that explains God’s eternal love and his plan for us that we might miss if we read it too quickly. So let’s try reading it “backwards.”

The last line of the text talks about our becoming “heirs in hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:7). This is the foundation of everything God has done for us! He created us to be with him forever and to inherit all of his spiritual riches. This intention of his has never changed. Even in our darkest sins, he still longs for us to be with him.

With this truth in our hearts, we find it easier to embrace the line just before it: “That we might be justified by his grace” (Titus 3:7). If you want to be with God forever, you need to embrace his salvation. You need his grace to set you free from sin. You don’t have to be afraid of your past, for there is no condemnation, only hope.

Continuing back, we read these words: “. . . through Jesus Christ our savior” (Titus 3:6). Everything points to Jesus. If we fix our eyes on him, we can’t help but come to love him. Seeing his perfection and his glory, we will want to surrender our lives to him and receive his healing, his freedom, and his Spirit.

Speaking of the Spirit, the next line tells us that God has “richly poured” him out on us (Titus 3:6). Our generous Father is always offering us a share in his life. He wants nothing more than to fill us with his divine life, which only his Spirit can provide.

Now, as you read back through this passage in its original order, ask the Spirit to move these truths from your head to your heart. Remember, his word is not just letters on paper. It’s living and active!

“Holy Spirit, I want to know Jesus more. Help me to receive the abundant life you have for me in your word. Open my heart and fill me.”

Psalm 23:1-6
Luke 17:11-19

[Salvation]

Daily Gospel Commentary

Saint Bernard (1091-1153)
Cistercian monk and doctor of the Church
Various sermons, no.27

"Where are the other nine?"

In our own day we see many people at prayer but, unfortunately, we see none of them turning back to give thanks to God... “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine?” As I think you will remember, it was in these words that our Savior complained about the lack of gratitude of the other nine lepers. We read that they knew well how to make “supplications, prayers, petitions” since they lifted up their voices, crying out: “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” But they lacked the fourth thing required by the apostle Paul: “thanksgiving” (1Tm 2:1) for they did not turn back nor give thanks to God.

We see still more in our own day people who implore God for what they lack but a mere handful who seem to be grateful for the blessings they have received. There is no harm in imploring him, but what causes God not to grant our prayers is his finding us lacking in gratitude. After all, perhaps it is even an act of mercy on his part to hold back from the ungrateful what they are asking for so that they may not be judged all the more rigorously on account of their ingratitude... For it is sometimes out of mercy that God holds back his mercy...

So you see that not all those who are healed of the leprosy of this world, I mean their manifest complaints, profit by their healing. Indeed, many are secretly afflicted with an ulcer worse than leprosy, all the more dangerous in that it is more interior. That is why it was right that the Savior of the world should ask where the other nine lepers were, since sinners avoid healing. So, too, after his sin, God questioned the first man: “Where are you?” (Gn 3:9).

[Salvation]

Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for November 14, 2018:

The holiday season is fast approaching! Check in with your spouse about what holiday traditions they want to observe this year so you can start planning together.

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

November 14, 2018 – The Highest of All Prayers

Wednesday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time

Father Alex Yeung, LC

Luke 17: 11-19

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As they were going, they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”

 

Introductory Prayer: I love you my Lord, because you are love itself. Forgive all that is in me that does not come from your love and does not reflect your love. If I am to become what you want me to be, it will happen only if I allow you to act in me.

Petition: Lord, grant me the gift of gratitude towards you.

1. From Receiver to Giver: These poor lepers are outcasts, banned from communion with all society. Their only hope is Christ. They have nothing to lose by asking, and so they make their plea. Standing at a distance from Christ, according to the law, they acknowledge their own helplessness and beg for mercy. They receive it: Christ heals them, and they go on their way, satisfied with his gift. To our Lord’s dismay, however, only one returns to give thanks. To give thanks in Greek is EuXaristia. Only one is Eucharistic; only one is saved.

 

2. A Just Return: Our Lord rewards gratitude. Why is our thanksgiving so important to God? In a way, by showing gratitude we justly return to God what he deserves. Take the example of the lepers: They are helpless outcasts. They can’t do anything for themselves except beg – much like our situation before God. We, too, are spiritual lepers begging God’s mercy. If we were to accept God’s gift without giving thanks, we would be reduced to mere consumers of grace, incapable of giving anything back. But God wants to save us from that predicament, and he asks our thanksgiving, euXaristia.

3. From Thanksgiving to Communion: What is the dynamic of thanksgiving? When we give thanks, we are no longer passive recipients; we become active givers, giving back to One who has given us what we do not deserve. When we become active givers, God places us on another level – another level capable of receiving even more from him. By giving thanks for what he had received, the leper was capable of receiving more from God. Indeed, he did receive more – he was saved. Saved by God’s mercy, he was now capable of receiving still more, of growing in intimacy with God. God invites us into a personal relationship today, into a Eucharistic relationship in which we are no longer mere passive recipients of his grace, but coworkers of his redemption. In living a life of thanksgiving, a Eucharistic life, we attract many blessings for our own souls, our families, our parish, and for souls in danger of being lost.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, make me aware of the many gifts you have given me so that I may respond to them and give you what you deserve: my heartfelt thanksgiving. May I be more thankful and thus deepen my communion with you.

 

Resolution: I will make a visit to the Eucharist today and consider the many gifts God has given me. In adoration I will thank him with all my being.

[Salvation]

Homily of the Day

November 14, 2018

In the first reading Paul summarizes how God has saved us “not because of good deeds we may have done but for the sake of his own mercy..”

In the Gospel reading the Lord cures ten lepers. Only one returns to thank and praise God and this one was a Samaritan, “Were not all ten healed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God but this alien?”

Only one of the ten cured of their leprosy came back to thank Jesus. His was the complete healing because of his deep faith and gratitude. This one was a Samaritan, an outcast not only because of his leprosy but also because of his different background. Luke wished to point out the ingratitude of Jesus’ own people in contrast with that of the Samaritan, “Was no one found to return and give praise to God but this alien?”

What makes us remiss in expressing gratitude and praise to God for all the good gifts he has given us? Are we just too busy? Do we not appreciate the goodness of his gifts, that our life and all else are his free loving gifts to us? Or do we feel at times that these talents and achievements are really ours, and ours alone?

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Espanol

All Issues > Volume 34, Issue 6

<< Wednesday, November 14, 2018 >>

Titus 3:1-7
View Readings

Psalm 23:1-6

Luke 17:11-19
Similar Reflections

SAVING SAYINGS

"He saved us." �Titus 3:5

"When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us" (Ti 3:4-5). "He saved us through the baptism of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit He lavished on us through Jesus Christ our Savior" (Ti 3:5-6). We have been saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8; see also Lk 17:19). Jesus, Whose name means "Yahweh saves," is our Savior, our only Savior (see Acts 4:12).

The Lord commands us to:

• Rejoice in our salvation (Is 25:9). With Mary, we exclaim: "My being proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit finds joy in God my Savior" (Lk 1:46-47).
• "Work with anxious concern to achieve [our] salvation" (Phil 2:12). This means we should live our salvation by being faithful to our baptismal promises.
• Share our salvation by witnessing for Jesus (Acts 1:8) and making disciples of all nations (Mt 28:19), for Jesus wants all to be saved (1 Tm 2:4).

Remember that without being saved by Jesus, we would be "foolish, disobedient, and far from true faith" (Ti 3:3), for "we were the slaves of our passions and of pleasures of various kinds. We went our way in malice and envy, hateful ourselves and hating one another" (Ti 3:3). Our lives would be hell on earth and hell after earth but for Jesus our Savior. We owe everything to Him. Therefore, let us rejoice in our salvation, live it to the full, and share it with everyone. Praise Jesus, our only Savior!

Prayer: Lord, I will make "myself all things to all men in order to save at least some of them" (1 Cor 9:22).

Promise: "One of them, realizing that he had been cured, came back praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself on his face at the feet of Jesus and spoke His praises." —Lk 17:15-16

Praise: Jack arrived at a weekend Life in the Spirit seminar in a wheelchair. Receiving both the Spirit and a healing, he walked out of the seminar pushing his wheelchair to his car.

[Salvation]

[goodform1966]

Thank you for inviting me to your ping list. Yes, please add me. For some reason Freep won’t let me respond to your private message. It’s saying my account is too new. I opened my account back in the early 2000’s, but I haven’t been active for a number of years so maybe that put me back over in the newby category.