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March 8, 2014Saturday after Ash Wednesday    Reading 1 Is 58:9b-14 Thus says the LORD:If you remove from your midst oppression,false accusation and malicious speech;If you bestow your bread on the hungryand satisfy the afflicted;Then light shall rise for you in the darkness,and the gloom shall become for you like midday;Then the LORD will guide you alwaysand give you plenty even on the parched land.He will renew your strength,and you shall be like a watered garden,like a spring whose water never fails.The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake,and the foundations from ages past you shall raise up;“Repairer...

I received this morning a heart–rending request for prayers to Saint Dymphna on behalf of a woman who has been suffering from mental illness for many years. Although I cannot reveal the details of the request, I would ask my dear readers, of their charity, to say the following prayer to Saint Dymphna for this suffering handmaid of God.O glorious Saint Dymphna, virgin martyr and chaste bride of Christ, child of Ireland, bereft of thy mother, object of thy grief-stricken father’s unlawful desires, pure dove who, to preserve thy purity, didst fly to foreign shores, dauntless follower of the immolated...

February 23, 2014Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 Lv 19:1-2, 17-18 The LORD said to Moses,“Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them:Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy. “You shall not bear hatred for your brother or sister in your heart.Though you may have to reprove your fellow citizen,do not incur sin because of him.Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against any of your people.You shall love your neighbor as yourself.I am the LORD.” Responsorial Psalm Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13 R/ (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.Bless the...

February 22, 2014Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle    Reading 1 1 Pt 5:1-4 Beloved:I exhort the presbyters among you,as a fellow presbyter and witness to the sufferings of Christand one who has a share in the glory to be revealed.Tend the flock of God in your midst,overseeing not by constraint but willingly,as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly.Do not lord it over those assigned to you,but be examples to the flock.And when the chief Shepherd is revealed,you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Responsorial Psalm Ps 23:1-3a, 4, 5, 6 R....

February 21, 2014Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 Jas 2:14-24, 26 What good is it, my brothers and sisters,if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?If a brother or sister has nothing to wearand has no food for the day,and one of you says to them,“Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,”but you do not give them the necessities of the body,what good is it?So also faith of itself,if it does not have works, is dead. Indeed someone might say, “You have faith and I...

February 17, 2014Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 Jas 1:1-11 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,to the twelve tribes in the dispersion, greetings. Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters,when you encounter various trials,for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.And let perseverance be perfect,so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.But if any of you lacks wisdom,he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly,and he will be given it.But he should ask in faith, not doubting,for the one...

February 14, 2014Memorial of Saints Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bishop    Reading 1 1 Kgs 11:29-32; 12:19 Jeroboam left Jerusalem,and the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road.The two were alone in the area,and the prophet was wearing a new cloak.Ahijah took off his new cloak,tore it into twelve pieces, and said to Jeroboam: “Take ten pieces for yourself;the LORD, the God of Israel, says:‘I will tear away the kingdom from Solomon’s graspand will give you ten of the tribes.One tribe shall remain to him for the sake of David my servant,and of Jerusalem,the city I have...

February 10, 2014Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin    Reading 1 1 Kgs 8:1-7, 9-13 The elders of Israel and all the leaders of the tribes,the princes in the ancestral houses of the children of Israel,came to King Solomon in Jerusalem,to bring up the ark of the LORD’s covenantfrom the City of David, which is Zion.All the people of Israel assembled before King Solomonduring the festival in the month of Ethanim (the seventh month).When all the elders of Israel had arrived,the priests took up the ark;they carried the ark of the LORDand the meeting tent with all the sacred vesselsthat...

February 8, 2014Saturday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 1 Kgs 3:4-13 Solomon went to Gibeon to sacrifice there,because that was the most renowned high place.Upon its altar Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings.In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night.God said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.”Solomon answered:“You have shown great favor to your servant, my father David,because he behaved faithfully toward you,with justice and an upright heart;and you have continued this great favor toward him, even today,seating a son of his on his throne.O...

February 6, 2014Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs    Reading 1 1 kgs 2:1-4, 10-12 When the time of David’s death drew near,he gave these instructions to his son Solomon:“I am going the way of all flesh.Take courage and be a man.Keep the mandate of the LORD, your God, following his waysand observing his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decreesas they are written in the law of Moses,that you may succeed in whatever you do,wherever you turn, and the LORD may fulfillthe promise he made on my behalf when he said,‘If your sons so conduct themselvesthat they remain...

February 3, 2014Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 2 Sm 15:13-14, 30; 16:5-13 An informant came to David with the report,“The children of Israel have transferred their loyalty to Absalom.”At this, David said to all his servantswho were with him in Jerusalem:“Up! Let us take flight, or none of us will escape from Absalom.Leave quickly, lest he hurry and overtake us,then visit disaster upon us and put the city to the sword.” As David went up the Mount of Olives, he wept without ceasing.His head was covered, and he was walking barefoot.All those who...

February 2, 2014Feast of the Presentation of the Lord    Reading 1 Mal 3:1-4 Thus says the Lord God:Lo, I am sending my messengerto prepare the way before me;And suddenly there will come to the templethe LORD whom you seek,And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.Yes, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.But who will endure the day of his coming?And who can stand when he appears?For he is like the refiner’s fire,or like the fuller’s lye.He will sit refining and purifying silver,and he will purify the sons of Levi,Refining them like gold or like silverthat...

January 31, 2014Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest    Reading 1 2 Sm 11:1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17 At the turn of the year, when kings go out on campaign,David sent out Joab along with his officersand the army of Israel, and they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah.David, however, remained in Jerusalem.One evening David rose from his siesta and strolled about on the roof of the palace.From the roof he saw a woman bathing, who was very beautiful.David had inquiries made about the woman and was told, “She is Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam, and wife of Joab’s armor bearer Uriah...

January 28, 2014Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church    Reading 1 2 Sm 6:12b-15, 17-19 David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the City of David amid festivities.As soon as the bearers of the ark of the LORD had advanced six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling.Then David, girt with a linen apron, came dancing before the LORD with abandon, as he and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORDwith shouts of joy and to the sound of...

January 25, 2014Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle    Reading 1 Acts 22:3-16 Paul addressed the people in these words:“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia,but brought up in this city.At the feet of Gamaliel I was educated strictly in our ancestral lawand was zealous for God, just as all of you are today.I persecuted this Way to death,binding both men and women and delivering them to prison.Even the high priest and the whole council of elderscan testify on my behalf.For from them I even received letters to the brothersand set out for Damascus to...

Converted and Converting Posted by Dr. Scott Hahn on 01.22.14 |Our patron, St. Paul, isn’t any ordinary saint. He’s a singularity. He’s unique. And the Church calendar reflects the extraordinary role he played in God’s revelation. It was he who brought the Gospel to the world beyond Israel — the Gentiles. He’s credited as author of more than half the books of the New Testament, and it was under Paul’s tutelage that Luke composed his Gospel and Acts.The Apostle to the Gentiles gets not one but two feasts on the Church’s Western calendar. In June he shares a feast...

January 24, 2014Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church    Reading 1 1 Sm 24:3-21 Saul took three thousand picked men from all Israel and went in search of David and his men in the direction of the wild goat crags.When he came to the sheepfolds along the way, he found a cave, which he entered to relieve himself.David and his men were occupying the inmost recesses of the cave. David’s servants said to him, “This is the day of which the LORD said to you, ‘I will deliver your enemy into your grasp;...

 January 23, 2014Thursday of the Second week in Ordinary Time   Reading 1 1 Sm 18:6-9;19:1-7 When David and Saul approached(on David’s return after slaying the Philistine), women came out from each of the cities of Israel to meet King Saul,singing and dancing, with tambourines, joyful songs, and sistrums.The women played and sang: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” Saul was very angry and resentful of the song, for he thought:“They give David ten thousands, but only thousands to me.All that remains for him is the kingship.”And from that day on, Saul was jealous of David....

January 21, 2014Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr    Reading 1 1 Sm 16:1-13 The LORD said to Samuel:“How long will you grieve for Saul,whom I have rejected as king of Israel?Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way.I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem,for I have chosen my king from among his sons.”But Samuel replied:“How can I go?Saul will hear of it and kill me.”To this the LORD answered:“Take a heifer along and say,‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I myself will tell you what to do;you...

January 20, 2014Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 1 Sm 15:16-23 Samuel said to Saul:“Stop! Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night.”Saul replied, “Speak!” Samuel then said: “Though little in your own esteem,are you not leader of the tribes of Israel?The LORD anointed you king of Israel and sent you on a mission, saying,‘Go and put the sinful Amalekites under a ban of destruction.Fight against them until you have exterminated them.’Why then have you disobeyed the LORD?You have pounced on the spoil, thus displeasing the LORD.”Saul answered Samuel: “I...