For your reading, reflection, faith-sharing, comments, questions, discussion.

KEYWORDS: catholic; mk3; ordinarytime; prayer;

Alleluia Ping

Please FReepmail me to get on/off the Alleluia Ping List.

From: Genesis 3:9-15

Temptation and the First Sin (Continuation)

[9] But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”
[10] And he said, “I heard the sound of thee in the garden, and I was afraid, be-
cause I was naked; and I hid myself.” [11] He said, “Who told you that you were
naked? Have you eaten of the tree which I commanded you not to eat?” [12] The
man said, “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me fruit of the
tree, and I ate.” [13] Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you
have done?” The woman said, “The serpent beguiled me, and I ate.” [14] The Lord
said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all cattle,
and above all wild animals; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life. [15] I will put enmity between you and the woman, and
between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise
his heel.”

********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

3:7-13. This passage begins the description of the effects of the original sin.
Man and woman have come to know evil, and it shows, initially, in a most direct
way — in their own bodies. The inner harmony described in Genesis 2:25 is bro-
ken, and concupiscence rears its head. Their friendship with God is also broken,
and they flee from his presence, to avoid their nakedness being seen. As if his
Creator could not see them! The harmony between man and woman is also frac-
tured: he puts the blame on her, and she puts it on the serpent. But all three
share in the responsibility, and therefore all three are going to pay the penalty.

“The harmony in which they found themselves, thanks to original justice, is now
destroyed: the control of the soul’s spiritual faculties over the body is shattered:
the union of man and woman becomes subject to tensions (cf. Gen 3:7-16),
their relations henceforth marked by lust and domination. Harmony with creation
is broken: visible creation has become alien and hostile to man (cf. Gen 3:17,
19). Because of man, creation is now subject ‘to its bondage to decay’ (Rom 8:
21). Finally, the consequence explicitly foretold for this disobedience will come
true: man will ‘return to the ground’ (Gen 3:19), for out of it he was taken. ‘Death
makes its entrance into human history’ (cf. Roman 5:12)” (”Catechism of the
Catholic Church”, 400).

3:14-15. The punishment God imposes on the serpent includes confrontation
between woman and the serpent, between mankind and evil, with the promise
that man will come out on top. That is why this passage is called the “Proto-
gospel”: it is the first announcement to mankind of the good news of the Re-
deemer-Messiah. Clearly, a bruise to the head is deadly, whereas a bruise to
the heel is curable.

As the Second Vatican Council teaches, “God, who creates and conserves all
things by his Word, (cf. In 1:3), provides men with constant evidence of himself
in created realities (cf. Rom 1:19-20). And furthermore, wishing to open up the
way to heavenly salvation, by promising redemption (cf. Gen 3:15); and he has
never ceased to take care of the human race. For he wishes to give eternal life
to all those who seek salvation by patience in well-doing (cf. Rom 2:6-7)” (”Dei
Verbum”, 3).

Victory over the devil will be brought about by a descendant of the woman, the
Messiah. The Church has always read these verses as being messianic, refer-
ring to Jesus Christ; and it was seen in the woman the mother of the promised
Savior; the Virgin Mary is the new Eve. “The earliest documents, as they are
read in the Church and are understood in the light of a further and full revelation,
bring the figure of a woman, Mother of the Redeemer, into a gradually clearer
light. Considered in this light, she is already prophetically foreshadowed in the
promise of victory over the serpent which was given to our first parents after
their fall into sin (cf. Gen 3:15) [...]. Hence not a few of the early Fathers gladly
assert with Irenaeus in their preaching: ‘the knot of Eve’s disobedience was un-
tied by Mary’s obedience: what the virgin Eve bound through her disbelief, Mary
loosened by her faith’ (St Irenaeus, “Adv. haer.” 3, 22, 4) Comparing Mary with
Eve, they call her ‘Mother of the living’ (St Epiphanius, “Adv. haer. Panarium”
78, 18) and frequently claim: ‘death through Eve, life through Mary’ (St Jerome,
“Epistula” 22, 21; etc.)” (Vatican II, “Lumen Gentium”, 55-56).

So, woman is going to have a key role in that victory over the devil. In his Latin
translation of the Bible, the “Vulgate”, St Jerome in fact reads the relevant pas-
sage as “she [the woman] shall bruise your head”. That woman is the Blessed
Virgin, the new Eve and the mother of the Redeemer, who shares (by anticipa-
tion and pre-eminently) in the victory of her Son. Sin never left its mark on her,
and the Church proclaims her as the Immaculate Conception.

St Thomas explains that the reason why God did not prevent the first man from
sinning was because ‘God allows evils to be done in order to draw forth some
greater good. Thus St Paul says, ‘Where sin increased, grace abounded all the
more’ (Rom 5:20); and the “Exultet” sings, ‘O happy fault,...which gained for us
so great a Redeemer’” (”Summa Theologiae”, 3, 1, 3 and 3; cf. “Catechism of
the Catholic Church”, 412).

********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1

He Is Sustained By Hope in Heaven

[13] Since we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, “I believed, and
so I spoke,” we too believe, and so we speak, [14] knowing that he who raised
the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his pre-
sence. [15] For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and
more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

Living by Faith

[16] So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner
nature is being renewed every day. [17] For this slight momentary affliction is pre-
paring for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, [18] because we
look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the
things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

[5:1] For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a buil-
ding from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

13-18. The Apostle explains where he gets the strength to bear all the tribulations
of life — from his hope in the resurrection and his expectation of being in heaven
with those to whom he is writing (v. 14). There is nothing selfish about this desire
for heaven: it helps us to stay true to the faith and it enables us to see all the suf-
ferings of this life as something transitory and slight (v. 17), a necessary step to
heaven and a way to obtain incomparably greater happiness. “If we wish to enjoy
the pleasures of eternity,” St. Alphonsus reminds us, “we must deprive ourselves
of the pleasures of time. ‘Whoever would save his life will lose it’ (Mt 16:25) [...].
If we wish to be saved, we must all be martyrs, either by the tyrant’s sword or
through our own mortification. Let us have this conviction — that everything we suf-
fer is nothing compared with the eternal glory that awaits us. ‘I consider the suffe-
rings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be re-
vealed to us’ (Rom 8:18). These momentary afflictions will bring us eternal happi-
ness (cf. 2 Cor 4:17)” (”Treasury of Preaching Material”, II, 9).

13. The Apostle’s faith leads him to keep on preaching, despite all the difficulties
this may involve. There is nothing else he can do: he is convinced that his faith is
what can save the world and he cannot but strive to spread it. If he acted other-
wise it would mean his faith was asleep and he did not truly love others. “When
you find that something has done you good,” St. Gregory the Great explains,
“try to bring it to the attention of others. You should, therefore, desire others to
join you on the ways of the Lord. If you are going to the forum or the baths, and
you meet someone who is not doing anything, you invite him to go along with
you. Apply this earthly custom to the spiritual sphere, and as you make your
way to God, do not do so alone” (”In Evangelia Homiliae”, 6, 6).

14. What inspires St. Paul’s apostolic activity and enables him to bear all the dif-
ficulties it involves, is his firm belief in resurrection in glory, the basis and cause
of which is Christ’s resurrection. He also has the hope of sharing this happiness
in heaven, in the presence of God, with all the faithful for whose salvation he is
working on earth.

15. After reminding the Corinthians that all the sufferings he has been speaking
about he has borne for their sake (cf. 4:5), St. Paul tells them what motivates
him most — the greater glory of God, to whom the faithful should turn in deep gra-
titude (cf. 1:11; 9:12). This should be man’s primary attitude to God — one of pro-
found adoration and thanksgiving for all his benefits, as we are daily reminded in
the Preface of the Mass.

“If life’s purpose were not to give glory to God, how contemptible, how hateful it
would be” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 783).

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Mark 3:20-35

His Relatives Are Concerned About Jesus

Then He (Jesus) went home; [20] and the crowd came together again, so that
they could not even eat. [21] And when His friends heard it, they went out to
seize Him, for they said, “He is beside Himself.”

Allegations of the Scribes

[22] And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He (Jesus) is pos-
sessed by Beelzebul, and by the prince of demons He casts out the demons.”
[23] And He called them to Him, and said to them in parables, “How can Satan
cast out Satan? [24] If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot
stand. [25] And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to
stand. [26] And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot
stand, but is coming to an end. [27] But no one can enter a strong man’s house
and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man; then indeed he may
plunder his house.”

Sins Against the Holy Spirit

[28] “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever
blasphemies they utter; [29] but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”—[30] for they had said, “He
has an unclean spirit.”

The True Kinsmen of Jesus

[31] And His (Jesus’) mother and His brethren came; and standing outside they
went to Him and called Him. [32] And a crowd was sitting about Him: and they
said to Him, “Your mother and Your brethren are outside, asking for You.” [33]
And He replied, “Who are My mother and My brethren?” [34] And looking around
on those who sat about Him, He said, “Here are My mother and My brethren!
[35] Whoever does the will of God is My brother, and sister, and mother.”

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

20-21. Some of His relatives, whose outlook was too human, regarded Jesus’
total commitment to apostolate as excessive: the only explanation, they thought,
was that He was out of His mind. On reading these words of the Gospel, we can-
not help being moved, realizing what Jesus did for love of us: people even thought
Him mad. Many saints, following Christ’s example, have been taken for madmen
— but they were mad with love, mad with love for Jesus Christ.

22-23. Even Jesus’ miracles were misunderstood by these scribes, who accuse
Him of being a tool of the prince of devils, Beelzebul. This name may be con-
nected with Beelzebub (which spelling is given in some codices), the name of a
god of the Philistine city of Eqron (Accaron), which means “god of the flies.” But
it is more likely that the prince of devils is called Beelzebul, which means “god
of excrement”: “excrement” is the word Jews used to describe pagan sacrifices.
Whether Beelzebub or Beelzebul, in the last analysis it refers to him to whom
these sacrifices were offered, the devil (1 Corinthians 10:20). He is the same
mysterious but real person whom Jesus calls Satan, which means “the enemy”,
whose dominion over the world Christ has come to wrest from him (1 Corinthians
15:24-28; Colossians 1:13f) in an unceasing struggle (Matthew 4:1-10; John 16:
11). These names show us that the devil really exists: he is a real person who
has at his beck and call others of his kind (Mark 5:9).

24-27. Our Lord invites the Pharisees, who are blind and obstinate, to think along
these lines: if someone expels the devil this means he is stronger than the devil:
once more we are exhorted to recognize in Jesus the God of strength, the God
who uses His power to free man from enslavement to the devil. Satan’s dominion
has come to an end: the prince of this world is about to be cast out. Jesus’ vic-
tory over the power of darkness, which is completed by His death and resurrec-
tion, shows that the light has already entered the world, as our Lord Himself told
us: “Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast
out; and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself” (John
12:31-32).

28-30. Jesus has just worked a miracle but the scribes refuse to recognize it “for
they had said `He has an unclean spirit’” (verse 30). They do not want to admit
that God is the author of the miracle. In this attitude lies the special gravity of
blasphemy against the Holy Spirit—attributing to the prince of evil, to Satan, the
good works performed by God Himself. Anyone acting in this way will become
like the sick person who has so lost confidence in the doctor that he rejects him
as if an enemy and regards as poison the medicine that can save his life. That
is why our Lord says that he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be
forgiven: not because God cannot forgive all sins, but because that person, in
his blindness towards God, rejects Jesus Christ, His teaching and His miracles,
and despises the graces of the Holy Spirit as if they were designed to trap him
(cf. “St. Pius V Catechism”, II, 5, 19; St. Thomas Aquinas, “Summa theologiae”,
II-II, q. 14, a. 3).

31-35. In Aramaic, the language used by the Jews, the word “brethren” is a broad
term indicating kinship: nephews, first cousins, and relatives in general are called
‘brethren’ (for further explanation cf. note on Mark 6:1-3). “Jesus did not say this
to disown His mother, but to show that she is worthy of honor not only account of
having given birth to Jesus, but also because she has all the virtues” (Theophylact,
“Enarratio In Evangelium Marci, in loc.”).

Therefore, the Church reminds us that the Blessed Virgin “in the course of her
Son’s preaching received the words whereby, in extolling a kingdom beyond the
concerns and ties of flesh and blood, He declared blessed those who heard and
kept the word of God as she was faithfully doing” (Vatican II, “Lumen Gentium”,
58).

Our Lord, then, is also telling us that if we follow Him we will share His life more
intimately than if we were a member of His family. St.Thomas explains this by
saying that Christ “had an eternal generation and a generation in time, and gave
preference to the former. Those who do the will of the Father reach Him by Hea-
venly generation [...]. Everyone who does the will of the Father, that is to say,
who obeys Him, is a brother or sister of Christ, because he is like Him who ful-
filled the will of His Father. But he who not only obeys but converts others, be-
gets Christ in them, and thus becomes like the Mother of Christ” (”Commentary
on St. Matthew”, 12, 49-50.)

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible by Darton, Longman & Todd

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading	Genesis 3:9-15 ©

'I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid'

The Lord God called to the man after he had eaten of the tree. ‘Where are you?’ he asked. ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden;’ he replied ‘I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.’ ‘Who told you that you were naked?’ he asked ‘Have you been eating of the tree I forbade you to eat?’ The man replied, ‘It was the woman you put with me; she gave me the fruit, and I ate it.’ Then the Lord God asked the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman replied, ‘The serpent tempted me and I ate.’

Then the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this,

‘Be accursed beyond all cattle,

all wild beasts.

You shall crawl on your belly and eat dust

every day of your life.

I will make you enemies of each other:

you and the woman,

your offspring and her offspring.

It will crush your head

and you will strike its heel.’

Responsorial Psalm	Psalm 129(130) ©

With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord,

Lord, hear my voice!

O let your ears be attentive

to the voice of my pleading.

With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt,

Lord, who would survive?

But with you is found forgiveness:

for this we revere you.

With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

My soul is waiting for the Lord.

I count on his word.

My soul is longing for the Lord

more than watchman for daybreak.

(Let the watchman count on daybreak

and Israel on the Lord.)

With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

Because with the Lord there is mercy

and fullness of redemption,

Israel indeed he will redeem

from all its iniquity.

With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

Second reading
2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 ©

We are being trained to carry the weight of eternal glory

As we have the same spirit of faith that is mentioned in scripture – I believed, and therefore I spoke – we too believe and therefore we too speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus to life will raise us with Jesus in our turn, and put us by his side and you with us. You see, all this is for your benefit, so that the more grace is multiplied among people, the more thanksgiving there will be, to the glory of God.

That is why there is no weakening on our part, and instead, though this outer man of ours may be falling into decay, the inner man is renewed day by day. Yes, the troubles which are soon over, though they weigh little, train us for the carrying of a weight of eternal glory which is out of all proportion to them. And so we have no eyes for things that are visible, but only for things that are invisible; for visible things last only for a time, and the invisible things are eternal.

For we know that when the tent that we live in on earth is folded up, there is a house built by God for us, an everlasting home not made by human hands, in the heavens.

Gospel Acclamation	Jn14:23

Alleluia, alleluia!

If anyone loves me he will keep my word,

and my Father will love him,

and we shall come to him.

Alleluia!

Or:	Jn12:31,32

Alleluia, alleluia!

Now the prince of this world is to be overthrown,

says the Lord.

And when I am lifted up from the earth,

I shall draw all men to myself.

Alleluia!

Gospel	Mark 3:20-35 ©

A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand

Jesus went home with his disciples, and such a crowd collected that they could not even have a meal. When his relatives heard of this, they set out to take charge of him, convinced he was out of his mind.

The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, ‘Beelzebul is in him’ and, ‘It is through the prince of devils that he casts devils out.’ So he called them to him and spoke to them in parables, ‘How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot last. And if a household is divided against itself, that household can never stand. Now if Satan has rebelled against himself and is divided, he cannot stand either – it is the end of him. But no one can make his way into a strong man’s house and burgle his property unless he has tied up the strong man first. Only then can he burgle his house.

‘I tell you solemnly, all men’s sins will be forgiven, and all their blasphemies; but let anyone blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and he will never have forgiveness: he is guilty of an eternal sin.’ This was because they were saying, ‘An unclean spirit is in him.’

His mother and brothers now arrived and, standing outside, sent in a message asking for him. A crowd was sitting round him at the time the message was passed to him, ‘Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside asking for you.’ He replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking round at those sitting in a circle about him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and mother.’

Pray for Pope Francis.

It's time to kneel down and pray for our nation (Sacramental Marriage)

Perpetual Novena for the Nation (Ecumenical)

Prayers for The Religion Forum (Ecumenical)

7 Powerful Ways to Pray for Christians Suffering in the Middle East

Pray the Rosary!

50 Boko Haram Islamic Radicals Killed; 1,000 Hostages, Women and Children, Rescued in Nigeria
Nigeria: In the Face of Ongoing Islamist Attacks, the Faith is Growing
US Promises to Help Nigeria Exterminate Boko Haram
Is This Bishop Right about the Rosary Conquering Boko Haram? [Catholic Caucus]
Why Boko Haram and ISIS Target Women
Report reveals scale of Boko Haram violence inflicted on Nigerian Catholics
Military evacuating girls, women rescued from Boko Haram
Echos of Lepanto Nigerian bishop says rosary will bring down Boko Harm
After vision of Christ, Nigerian bishop says rosary will bring down Boko Haram (Catholic Caucus)
Nigerian Bishop Says Christ Showed Him How to Beat Islamic Terror Group

Jesus, High Priest

We thank you, God our Father, for those who have responded to your call to priestly ministry.

Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf: Fill your priests with the sure knowledge of your love.

Open their hearts to the power and consolation of the Holy Spirit.

Lead them to new depths of union with your Son.

Increase in them profound faith in the Sacraments they celebrate as they nourish, strengthen and heal us.

Lord Jesus Christ, grant that these, your priests, may inspire us to strive for holiness by the power of their example, as men of prayer who ponder your word and follow your will.

O Mary, Mother of Christ and our mother, guard with your maternal care these chosen ones, so dear to the Heart of your Son.

Intercede for our priests, that offering the Sacrifice of your Son, they may be conformed more each day to the image of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Saint John Vianney, universal patron of priests, pray for us and our priests

This icon shows Jesus Christ, our eternal high priest.

The gold pelican over His heart represents self-sacrifice.

The border contains an altar and grapevines, representing the Mass, and icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.

Melchizedek: king of righteousness (left icon) was priest and king of Jerusalem. He blessed Abraham and has been considered an ideal priest-king.

St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests.

Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

3. The Lord's Prayer: 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. Amen.

4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)

5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

6. Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.

Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.

End with the Hail Holy Queen:
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Final step -- The Sign of the Cross

The Mysteries of the Rosary By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary. The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.

The Glorious Mysteries
(Wednesdays and Sundays)
1.The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-18, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-29) [Spiritual fruit - Faith]
2. The Ascension (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:6-11) [Spiritual fruit - Christian Hope]
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-13) [Spiritual fruit - Gifts of the Holy Spirit]
4. The Assumption [Spiritual fruit - To Jesus through Mary]
5. The Coronation [Spiritual fruit - Grace of Final Perseverance]

St. Michael the Archangel

~ PRAYER ~

St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle
Be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the devil;
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God,
Cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen
+

June Devotion: The Sacred Heart

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The month of June is set apart for devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. "From among all the proofs of the infinite goodness of our Savior none stands out more prominently than the fact that, as the love of the faithful grew cold, He, Divine Love Itself, gave Himself to us to be honored by a very special devotion and that the rich treasury of the Church was thrown wide open in the interests of that devotion." These words of Pope Pius XI refer to the Sacred Heart Devotion, which in its present form dates from the revelations given to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1673-75.

The devotion consists in the divine worship of the human heart of Christ, which is united to His divinity and which is a symbol of His love for us. The aim of the devotion is to make our Lord king over our hearts by prompting them to return love to Him (especially through an act of consecration by which we offer to the Heart of Jesus both ourselves and all that belongs to us) and to make reparation for our ingratitude to God.

INVOCATION

O Heart of love, I put all my trust in Thee; for I fear all things from my own weakness, but I hope for all things from Thy goodness.
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART

Devotion to the Sacred Heart was the characteristic note of the piety of Saint Gertrude the Great (1256-1302), Benedictine nun and renowned mystic. She was, in fact, the first great exponent of devotion to the Sacred Heart. In our efforts to honor the Heart of Jesus we have this prayer as a model for our own:
Hail! O Sacred Heart of Jesus, living and quickening source of eternal life, infinite treasure of the Divinity, and burning furnace of divine love. Thou art my refuge and my sanctuary, 0 my amiable Savior. Consume my heart with that burning fire with which Thine is ever inflamed. Pour down on my soul those graces which flow from Thy love, and let my heart be so united with Thine, that our wills may be one, and mine in all things be conformed to Thine. May Thy divine will be equally the standard and rule of all my desires and of all my actions. Amen.
Saint Gertrude

FOR THE CHURCH

O most holy Heart of Jesus, shower Thy blessings in abundant measure upon Thy holy Church, upon the Supreme Pontiff and upon all the clergy; to the just grant perseverance; convert sinners; enlighten unbelievers; bless our relations, friends and benefactors; assist the dying; deliver the holy souls in purgatory; and extend over all hearts the sweet empire of Thy love. Amen.

A PRAYER OF TRUST

O God, who didst in wondrous manner reveal to the virgin, Margaret Mary, the unsearchable riches of Thy Heart, grant that loving Thee, after her example, in all things and above all things, we may in Thy Heart find our abiding home.
Roman Missal

ACT OF LOVE

Reveal Thy Sacred Heart to me, O Jesus, and show me Its attractions. Unite me to It for ever. Grant that all my aspirations and all the beats of my heart, which cease not even while I sleep, may be a testimonial to Thee of my love for Thee and may say to Thee: Yes, Lord, I am all Thine;
pledge of my allegiance to Thee rests ever in my heart will never cease to be there. Do Thou accept the slight amount of good that I do and be graciously pleased to repair all m] wrong-doing; so that I may be able to bless Thee in time and in eternity. Amen.
Cardinal Merry del Val

MEMORARE TO THE SACRED HEART
Remember, O most sweet Jesus, that no one who has had recourse to Thy Sacred Heart, implored its help, or sought its mercy was ever abandoned. Encouraged with confidence, O tenderest of hearts, we present ourselves before Thee, crushed beneath the weight of our sins. In our misery, O Sacred Heart of Jesus, despise not our simple prayers, but mercifully grant our requests. Amen.

Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954

Only for Love: The Sacred Heart and the Priesthood [Catholic Caucus]

Catholic Word of the Day: LITANY OF THE SACRED HEART, 10-19-09
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Devotion to the Sacred Heart Today
The Biblical Foundation of Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus [Ecumenical]
Heart to Heart (Sacred Heart of Jesus Devotion) [St. Margaret Mary Alacoque]
(June) The Month of the Sacred Heart {Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
First Friday Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus [St. Margaret Mary Alacoque]
The Heart of the World (On the Sacred Heart of Jesus) (Catholic Caucus)
The Sacred Heart Is The Holy Eucharist(Catholic Caucus)
The Origin of the Sacred Heart Badge

Importance of Devotion to the Sacred Heart
An Awesome Homily on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus by Father Edmond Kline
Catholic Prayer and Devotion: June the Month of the Sacred Heart
Catholic Devotions: Sacred Heart of Jesus
Pope Urges Jesuits to Spread Sacred Heart Devotion
Homilies preached by Father Altier on the Feast of the Sacred Heart
Catholic Meditation and Devotion: The Sacred Heart of Jesus
Daily Recomendation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus powerful prayer!
The Sacred Heart and the Eucharist
The Love of the Sacred Heart

On the Sacred Heart - "We Adore God's Love of Humanity"
HAURIETIS AQUAS (On Devotion To The Sacred Heart) - Encyclical by Pope Pius XII
Solemnity Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary
Sacred Heart a Feast of God's Love, Says John Paul II
The Sacred Heart of Jesus: Symbol of Combativity and the Restoration of Christendom
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus-The Early Church, Middle Ages up to St. Margaret Mary
See this Heart
‘God Will Act and Will Reign’
About Devotion To The Sacred Heart:The Story Of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
Rediscover Feast of Sacred Heart, John Paul II Tells Youth

"Behold this Heart which has loved men so much, and yet men do not want to love Me in return. Through you My divine Heart wishes to spread its love everywhere on earth."

- Jesus to Saint Margaret Mary

Our Lord also made 12 promises to St. Margaret Mary for those that are devoted to His Sacred Heart.

I will give them all the graces necessary for their state in life.
I will give peace in their families.
I will console them in all their troubles.
They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of death.
I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.
Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
Tepid souls shall become fervent.
Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.
I will bless the homes in which the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honoured.
I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.
Those who propagate this devotion shall have their name written in My Heart, and it shall never be effaced.
The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under My displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Heart shall be their assured refuge at the last hour.

June, 2018

The Holy Father's Prayer Intention

Universal – Social Networks, That social networks may work towards that inclusiveness which respects others for their differences.

Zenit.org

Wikipedia.single-post .entry-title::after { border-color: ; }

Archbishop Follo: The True Family of Christ, Where the Earth Becomes Heaven

With the wish to understand that to obey to the love of God makes us members of the family of Christ.

June 08, 2018 18:09Francesco FolloSunday Readings

Tenth Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year B – June 10, 2018

Roman Rite
Gen 3,9-15; Ps 130; 2 Cor 4,13-5,1; Mk 3: 20-35

Ambrosian Rite
Gen 2: 18-25; Ps 9; Eph 5,21-33; Mk 10: 1-12
Third Sunday after Pentecost

1) The true family of Christ.

The Gospel proposed today by the Liturgy of the Church reminds us that the will of God is the will of love, justice, and truth. It is the will of a Father who, with his commandments, shows us the path of true, happy and eternal life.

With their disobedience to the God who had created them, Adam and Eve separated the human will from the divine will. With his obedience, Jesus reconciled these two wills fulfilling the desire of Adam, and of all of us, to be free and of to live in heaven.

To continue the work of liberation of Christ, we must obey him by

saying “Our Father who art in heaven … thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” so that we may recognize that the “place” where God’s will is done is in heaven;
doing the will of God, that is, observing the commandments. Doing this, we will make the ‘earth’ ‘heaven’, that is, the place of the presence of love, goodness, truth, and divine beauty;
following the will of God every day and taking upon us our daily cross that will make us “Christopher”, a word of Greek origin that means bearers of Christ.

Thanks to this obedience of love, not only we will live a greater familiarity taking with Christ our ‘earth’ into ‘heaven’, but we will be true members of his family.

The thing that makes us the “true” family of Christ is the consonance with Him in carrying out “the will of the Father”. By putting ourselves in this harmony, we become “kinsman with Christ” in the Spirit. There are no other ways to be his family. Doing the will of the Father who is in heaven is the decisive element that puts us “inside” the true family of the Redeemer: “Not everyone who says to me: Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of the My Father, who is in heaven “(Mt 7,21).

If this applies to the disciples of Christ, it is eminent for Our Lady. In this regard, in Sermon 72, St. Augustine asked himself: ” Did not the Virgin Mary, who by faith believed, by faith conceived, was chosen so that salvation could come to us through her, and was created by Christ before Christ was done in his womb, do the will of the Father? “. Our Lady did the will of the Father and did it entirely; therefore, she became the mother of Christ and his highest disciple.

Let’s look with gratitude to the obedience of the Virgin Mother, to her yes, pronounced not only at the time of the Annunciation but incessantly repeated up to the foot of the cross, and let’s ask her the strength to “do”, as she “did”, the will of God, of whom we will experience love and fidelity. This obedience is possible through the impulse of the Spirit of Christ, whom we invoke through the intercession of the Virgin: “Come, Holy Spirit, come by Mary, and give us a great heart, open to your silent and powerful inspiring word and closed to every petty ambition; a great and strong heart to love everyone, to serve all, to suffer with all; a great, strong, happy heart to beat only with the heart of God “(Blessed Paul VI).

2) Imitating the Mother in doing the will of the Father.

To the words of Christ: “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” … “Behold my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God, he is my brother, sister, and mother “(Mt 3, 33-35), today, as two thousand years ago, we can react with the so-called good sense and think that Christ was offering his relatives and above all his mother. Doing so, we would be wrong because we would judge Christ by our small human measure. Jesus did not disavow the Mother to serve the Father. Christ teaches that Mary was his Mother because she had done and was doing the will of the Father. “This is what the Lord wanted to exalt in her: to have done the will of the Father, not to have generated from her flesh the flesh of the Word” (St. Augustine, In I. Evang. Tract., 10.3 – PL 35.1468).

For the Virgin Mother – and in this, we must imitate her – doing God’s will was not to hear the commandments as an external constraint, with the consequence of having a servile relationship with God and a “legalistic” one with his word. For her, doing God’s will was to say yes to love and to give flesh to this redemptive Love.

Renewing her yes (fiat) to God, Our Lady made love, which is the “full fulfillment of the law” (Rom 13: 10), dwell in her heart and became the mother and the apostle of the Love, who wants our good.

Let’s do the same. If we live like Mary, we will live Jesus.

In summary: doing God’s will means “to live Jesus, of Jesus and like Jesus”, that is, to live that relationship of love with the Father that become real in doing his will: children in the Son.

By doing this, we will understand that the only will of God that we must fulfill, is to love.

We must discover how to love in the concrete circumstances of life using discernment. Therefore, we must know how to seek and discern the will of God. In this regard, the Apostle Paul recommends: “Do not conform to the will of this century but transform yourself … in order to discern the will of God” (Rom 12: 2).

God’s will is discovered moment by moment with listening and docility to the voice of the Spirit within us: “Walk according to [that is, under the impulse of] the Spirit”, the Apostle of the Gentiles writes again (Galatians 5:16). Hence, it is necessary to refine the supernatural sensitivity and the evangelical “instinct” that the Spirit has given us and that develops only by exercising it.

To achieve this sensitivity to the voice of the Spirit, St. Paul considers still necessary two things.

The first is the inclusion and the progress in the life of mutual love within the life of the Church that manifests itself in the diocesan, parish or religious community: ” And this is my prayer: that your love [= Christian love lived in the community] may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, “(Phil 1: 9-10).

The second is prayer because the knowledge of God’s will is a gift: “Let us not cease to pray for you and ask that you have full knowledge of his will” (Col 1,9).

3) The example of the consecrated Virgins.

A special example of how one can do the will of the Father comes to us from the consecrated Virgins, who, with a life totally given to Christ the Bridegroom, do the will of God and offer him not only what they have but what they are. With the “propositum” of obedience, they have entirely given their heart to God, with the one of chastity they have offered their body and, with the one of poverty, their goods to be put at the service of the love of God and the neighbor. To these three arms of the spiritual cross (obedience, chastity, and poverty), I add the one of humility.

Humility is not – nowadays and, perhaps it never was- greatly esteemed, but the consecrated Virgins in the world know that this virtue makes fruitful the work in the vineyard of God. Humility comes from the Latin word humilitas, which has to do with hummus (earth), that is, with adherence to the earth, to reality. These women, who have given themselves completely to God, live like humble people because living in Him and for Him, they humbly listen to Christ, the Word of God, and tend to have the same feelings of their beloved Spouse (“Have in you the same sentiments of Christ Jesus “- Phil 2: 5). As St. Augustine said: “There is no charity without humility” (Prologue of the Commentary on the Letter of Saint John). In another book, he writes: “Custodian of virginity is charity; humility is the house where this guardian lives “(On Holy Virginity, 51, 52).

The vocation to live consecrated virginity as a complete gift of self to Christ and sign of the Bride Church, is expressed in their trust without reserve in the love of their Bridegroom, in the intensity of communion with him, in the humble charity that becomes disinterested service to the Church and a luminous testimony of faith, hope and charity in the context of ordinary life. As requested by the Rite of their consecration (see nos. 14-18) every virgin belonging to the Ordo is constantly committed and knows that prayer is not only a personal, generous response to the voice of the Bridegroom and a humble request for help to remain faithful to holy purpose and the gift received, but it is an intimate participation in the life of the mystical body of Christ, untiring intercession for the Church and for the world

Archdiocese of Washington

Three Crucial Questions, One Crucial Plan: A Homily for the 10th Sunday of the Year

Msgr. Charles Pope • June 9, 2018 •

Adam and Eve, Charles-Joseph Natoire (1740)

In the first reading for Sunday (from Genesis) the Lord asks three important questions and sets into motion a “crucial” plan for our salvation. The word “crucial” is rooted in the Latin word for cross (crux or crucis). As such, it indicates something that is central by a coming together of the horizontal and vertical. It also points to a suffering that needs healing. Let’s look at each question in turn and then observe God’s saving plan.

I. “Adam, where are you?” – God’s first question has almost the quality of a plaintive cry. Because Adam is the head of his household, when God calls Adam He is also seeking Eve.

Of course, God knows where Adam and Eve are. He is really saying, “Adam, Eve: your heart has been hidden from me. What has happened? Where are you going with your life?” This is a crucial question for all of us who are so easily wayward and dull of heart: Where are you?

It is almost as if Adam and Eve had a place in God’s heart and suddenly are absent from that place. Noticing it at once, God seeks them as a shepherd looks for lost sheep.

It is interesting that He is seeking them, not pursuing them. There is nothing here to imply an angry Father, bent on punishment and venting His anger, pursuing those who have done wrong. No, this is a soulful cry.

God is not unaware of what has happened or where they are. The question is deeper: Where is your heart?

We are asked this same question: Where is our heart? On what are our desires focused? Where are we and where are we going? It is much like what Jesus asked Peter: “Do you love me?” How will we answer?

II. “Who told you that you were naked?” – We do well to understand that the nakedness here is about more than a lack of clothes (which they didn’t even need moments ago). It more fully refers to the experience of feeling exposed, vulnerable, inadequate, and unduly humiliated before God and others.

Proper sorrow for sin is a good thing, but if it descends to deep degradation and feelings of worthlessness, we are robbed of our dignity and capacity to withstand sin in the future. St. Paul says,

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. (2 Cor. 7:10).

Proper sorrow bids us to seek God for healing. Note that Adam is hiding from God. He has a servile fear of punishment. Instead of running to God, Adam hides; he is fearful and resentful. How quickly he blames his wife for the whole thing: “It was that woman you put here with me!”

God asks us this question, too: “Who told you that you were naked?” In other words, who told you that were wretched and inadequate such that you need to hide from me? I never told you that. Clearly, Satan has bedeviled you and lied to you.

Here are some further things for many of us: “Who told you that you are ugly, that others are better than you, that you do not measure up, that others are laughing at you, that your inadequacies are all that others see? I did not tell you this. They are not the source of your dignity, I am.”

It is a terrible thing to sin, but it is even worse to then lose all hope, to despair, and to feel incapable of emerging from the nakedness of humiliation. Judas despaired of his sin in this way and refused to live with his nakedness and exposure to humiliation. In contrast, Peter waited for the Lord, lived with his sorrow, and then experienced His forgiveness at the lakeside (Jn 21:15ff).

Let the Lord ask you: “Who told you that you were naked?” What does nakedness mean in your life?

Remember, the Lord did not forsake Adam and Eve. He prepares their salvation (as we shall see) and meanwhile He clothed them: The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them (Gen 3:21). Later, Jesus clothed us in righteousness (Rev 19:8).

III. “Why did you do such a thing?” – The tone here could be rhetorical, as if to say, “How could you have done such a thing?” For our purpose, though, it is better to understand the question as an invitation to look into our heart and ponder our motivations.

The Catechism speaks to Adam and Eve’s motivations in the following way:

Man, tempted by the devil, let his trust in his Creator die in his heart and, abusing his freedom, disobeyed God’s command. This is what man’s first sin consisted of. All subsequent sin would be disobedience toward God and lack of trust in his goodness (CCC # 397).

So, at the heart of Adam and Eve’s fall was a lack of trust in God’s goodness and truthfulness. They accepted Satan’s lie that God was not really good and that He was holding the best things back from them, that He was preventing them from being gods. This also aroused their pride and made them ungrateful for what they had. These are the deeper drives behind their external act.

In asking this question, God invites Adam and Eve to ponder the motivations of their hearts and come to greater self-knowledge.

This same question must be asked of us when we sin: Why did you do such a thing? It is good to confess our sinful behavior, but it is more healing to ponder the deep drives of sin and seek the Lord’s healing. There are many deep drives of sin: pride, greed, lust, anger, envy, gluttony, sloth, ingratitude, fear, worldliness, stubbornness, and so forth. We do well to study our hearts and learn to name the vices and virtues we discover there. Through self-knowledge and grace, we can take greater authority over our lives.

The Crucial Plan: The text from Genesis 3 also announces the “protoevangelium” (the first Gospel) after Original Sin. The Lord does not forsake Adam, Eve, or us. He sets forth a crucial plan wherein one of Eve’s own progeny will rise to conquer Satan’s pride by His humble acceptance of the Cross:

Then the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you shall be banned from all the animals and from all the wild creatures; on your belly shall you crawl, and dirt shall you eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.”

In effect, God says that this attack on His people will not stand. He will set this right. In setting it right He will include His people in the very solution. The man, woman, and tree involved in this fall will also be its undoing. There will be a new Adam (Christ), a new Eve (Mary), and the tree of the Cross. In the very act of striking at Christ’s heel, the serpent’s head will be crushed. Your power will be crushed, Satan.

So indeed, it happened. God had a “crucial” plan: the plan of the Cross. Pride would defeat humility as light casts out darkness and love drives out hatred.

Whatever your sins, never forget that God has a plan to save you. Let God find you as He calls “Where are you?” Let Him clothe your nakedness and help you to understand your heart. Finally, let Him apply the crucial remedy, the cross. All He needs is your ongoing yes!

June 10, 2018

Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Gn 3:9-15

Responsorial Psalm Ps 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

Reading 2 2 Cor 4:13—5:1

Alleluia Jn 12:31b-32

Gospel Mk 3:20-35

Readings at Mass

June, 2018

The Holy Father's Prayer Intention

Universal – Social Networks, That social networks may work towards that inclusiveness which respects others for their differences.

Archbishop Follo: The True Family of Christ, Where the Earth Becomes Heaven

Three Crucial Questions, One Crucial Plan: A Homily for the 10th Sunday of the Year