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From: Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13

Kings and princes condemned

[4] They made kings, but not through me.
They set up princes, but without my knowledge.
With their silver and gold they made idols
for their own destruction.
[5] l have spurned your calf, O Samaria.
My anger burns against them.
How long will it be
till they are pure [6] in Israel?

A workman made it;
it is not God.
The calf of Samaria
shall be broken to pieces.
[7] For they sow the wind,
and they shall reap the whirlwind.
The standing grain has no heads,
it shall yield no meal;
if it were to yield,
aliens would devour it.

Israel ruined by relying on foreign help

[11]Because Ephraim has multiplied altars for sinning,
they have become to him altars for sinning.
[12] Were I to write for him my laws by ten thousands,
they would be regarded as a strange thing.
[13] They love sacrifice;
they sacrifice flesh and eat it;
but the Lord has no delight in them.
Now he will remember their iniquity,
and punish their sins;
they shall return to Egypt.

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Commentary:

8:1-14. This passage begins and ends with imperatives (v. 1; cf. 9:1). The first
stanza (vv. 1-7) gives God’s order to Hosea to be his herald (to blow the trumpet
or horn), to warn against impending danger: a vulture is hovering over “the house
of the Lord”, probably a reference to the shrine at Bethel (v. 1). The people re-
spond (”My God”: v. 2) and back their cry for help by saying that he should hear
them because they acknowledge him as their God: “we Israel know thee.”

But the Lord, through the prophet, says that that is not so: Israel does not know
him, for it has “spurned the good” (v. 3). The prophet denounces two sins here:
they have acted without reference to God, by appointing kings “but not through
me” (v. 4); and they have made idols of silver and gold (the golden calf of Sa-
maria gets special mention: vv. 4-5). These are grievous sins; therefore, having
sown the wind, “they shall reap the whirlwind”, to quote the proverb, and a short
wisdom maxim tells them what punishment awaits them (vv. 6-7).

The punishment announced in v. 7 (being “devoured by aliens”) has already be-
fallen Israel in the first verse of the second stanza (vv. 8-14), which denounces
foreign pacts (vv. 9-10) and the idolatry that Israel falls into as a consequence
of them (vv. 11-13). The prophet begins by saying that the alliances that Israel
tries to make with foreign powers, involving probably tribute to the king of As-
syria (vv. 8-10), will be to no avail. What these three verses seem to be saying
is that Israel now tries to make alliances that are at odds with its true nature:
inevitably, they will take its freedom away. The oracle goes on to denounce
the effects that these pacts will have on worship of the Lord: there will be an in-
creased number of places of worship but, because Canaanite rites will be mixed
in with Yahwist ones, the religious services, far from expiating sins, will multiply
them (v. 11). Moreover, even the offerings that they do make to the Lord will not
be pleasing to him, for they will not he backed up by fulfilment of the Law of the
Lord (vv. 12-13). The same point is being made as in 6:6: “Outward sacrifice, to
be genuine, must be the expression of spiritual sacrifice: ‘The sacrifice accepta-
ble to God is a broken spirit ...’ (Ps 51:19). The prophets of the Old Covenant of-
ten denounced sacrifices that were not from the heart or not coupled with love of
neighbour” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2100). So, the prophet sees that
Israel needs to be cleansed; hence the threat that “they shall return to Egypt”,
that is, become enslaved once again.

The last verse re-introduces the idea of “forgetting God”. By building palaces and
fortresses, Israel is showing that he “has forgotten his Maker”, that is, does not
put his trust in him: if Assyria “devours” part of the nation’s land (vv. 8-9), the fire
of God will “devour” the strongholds, on which it had relied (v. 14). “Forgetting
God” is a favourite theme of Hosea’s (cf. 2:13; 4:6), but the threat of destruction
by fire is repeated a number of times in Amos (cf. Amos 1:4, 7, 10, 12; 2:5).

*********************************************************************************************
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: Matthew 9:32-38
The Dumb Devil

[32] As they were going away, behold, a dumb demoniac was brought to Him
(Jesus). [33] And when the demon had been cast out, the dumb man spoke;
and the crowds marvelled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.”
[34] But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”

The Need for Good Shepherds

[35] And Jesus went about all the cities and villages teaching in their synagogues
and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every
infirmity. [36] When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because
they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. [37] Then He
said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; [38] pray
therefore the Lord of harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
35. The Second Vatican Council uses this passage when teaching about the
message of Christian charity which the Church should always be spreading:
“Christian charity is extended to all without distinction of race, social condition
or religion, and seeks neither gain nor gratitude. Just as God loves us with a
gratuitous love, so too the faithful, in their charity, should be concerned for man-
kind, loving it with that same love with which God sought man. As Christ went
about all the towns and villages healing every sickness and infirmity, as a sign
that the Kingdom of God had come, so the Church, through its children, joins it-
self with men of every condition, but especially with the poor and afflicted, and
willingly spends herself for them” (”Ad Gentes”, 12).
36. “He had compassion for them”: the Greek verb is very expressive; it means
“He was deeply moved”. Jesus was moved when He saw the people, because
their pastors, instead of guiding them and tending them, led them astray, beha-
ving more like wolves than genuine shepherds of their flock. Jesus sees the
prophecy of Ezekiel 34 as now being fulfilled; in that passage God, through the
prophet, upbraids the false shepherds of Israel and promises to send them the
Messiah to be their new leader.
“If we were consistent with our faith when we looked around us and contemplated
the world and its history, we would be unable to avoid feeling in our own hearts
the same sentiments that filled the heart of our Lord” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is
Passing By”, 133). Reflection on the spiritual needs of the world should lead us
to be tirelessly apostolic.
37-38. After contemplating the crowds neglected by their shepherds, Jesus uses
the image of the harvest to show us that that same crowd is ready to receive the
effects of Redemption: “I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see now the fields are
already white for harvest” (John 4:35). The field of the Jewish people cultivated
by the prophets—most recently by John the Baptist—is full of ripe wheat. In farm
work, the harvest is lost if the farmer does not reap at the right time; down the
centuries the Church feels a similar need to be out harvesting because there is
a big harvest ready to be won.
However, as in the time of Jesus, there is a shortage of laborers. Our Lord tells
us how to deal with this: we should pray to God, the Lord of harvest, to send the
necessary laborers. If a Christian prays hard, it is difficult to imagine his not fee-
ling urged to play his part in this apostolate. In obeying this commandment to
pray for laborers, we should pray especially for there to be no lack of shepherds,
who will be able to equip others with the necessary means of sanctification
needed to back up the apostolate.
In this connection [Pope] Paul VI reminds us: “the responsibility for spreading
the Gospel that saves belongs to everyone—to all who have received it! The mis-
sionary duty concerns the whole body of the Church; in different ways and to
different degrees, it is true, but we must all of us be united in carrying out this
duty. Now let the conscience of every believer ask himself: Have I carried out
my missionary duty? Prayer for the Missions is the first way of fulfilling this
duty” (”Angelus Address”, 23 October 1977).
*********************************************************************************************
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
Hosea 8:4-7,11-13 ©

They have sown the wind; they will reap the whirlwind

Thus says the Lord:

They have set up kings, but not with my consent,

and appointed princes, but without my knowledge.

Out of their own silver and gold they have made idols,

which are doomed to destruction.

I spurn your calf, Samaria,

my anger blazes against it.

(How long will it be before they purge themselves of this,

the sons of Israel?)

A workman made the thing,

this cannot be God!

Yes, the calf of Samaria shall go up in flames.

They sow the wind, they will reap the whirlwind;

their wheat will yield no ear,

the ear will yield no flour,

or, if it does, foreigners will swallow it.

Ephraim has built altar after altar,

they have only served him as occasion for sin.

Were I to write out the thousand precepts of my Law for him,

they would be paid no more attention than those of a stranger.

They love sacrificing; right, let them sacrifice!

They love meat; right, let them eat it!

The Lord takes no pleasure in these.

He is now going to remember their iniquity

and punish their sins;

they will have to go back to Egypt.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 113B(115):3-10 ©

Sons of Israel, trust in the Lord.

or

Alleluia!

Our God, he is in the heavens;

he does whatever he wills.

The idols of the heathen are silver and gold,

the work of human hands.

Sons of Israel, trust in the Lord.

or

Alleluia!

They have mouths but they cannot speak;

they have eyes but they cannot see;

they have ears but they cannot hear;

they have nostrils but they cannot smell.

Sons of Israel, trust in the Lord.

or

Alleluia!

With their hands they cannot feel;

with their feet they cannot walk.

Their makers will come to be like them

and so will all who trust in them.

Sons of Israel, trust in the Lord.

or

Alleluia!

Sons of Israel, trust in the Lord;

he is their help and their shield.

Sons of Aaron, trust in the Lord;

he is their help and their shield.

Sons of Israel, trust in the Lord.

or

Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation	cf.Ep1:17,18

Alleluia, alleluia!

May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

enlighten the eyes of our mind,

so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.

Alleluia!

Or:	Jn10:14

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;

I know my own sheep and my own know me.

Alleluia!

Gospel	Matthew 9:32-37 ©

The harvest is rich but the labourers are few

A man was brought to Jesus, a dumb demoniac. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb man spoke and the people were amazed. ‘Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel’ they said. But the Pharisees said, ‘It is through the prince of devils that he casts out devils.’

Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness.

And when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.’

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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.

Matthew
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Matthew 9
32.	And when they were gone out, behold they brought him a dumb man, possessed with a devil.	Egressis autem illis, ecce obtulerunt ei hominem mutum, dæmonium habentem.	αυτων δε εξερχομενων ιδου προσηνεγκαν αυτω ανθρωπον κωφον δαιμονιζομενον
33.	And after the devil was cast out, the dumb man spoke, and the multitudes wondered, saying, Never was the like seen in Israel.	Et ejecto dæmonio, locutus est mutus, et miratæ sunt turbæ, dicentes : Numquam apparuit sic in Israël.	και εκβληθεντος του δαιμονιου ελαλησεν ο κωφος και εθαυμασαν οι οχλοι λεγοντες ουδεποτε εφανη ουτως εν τω ισραηλ
34.	But the Pharisees said, By the prince of devils he casteth out devils.	Pharisæi autem dicebant : In principe dæmoniorum ejicit dæmones.	οι δε φαρισαιοι ελεγον εν τω αρχοντι των δαιμονιων εκβαλλει τα δαιμονια
35.	And Jesus went about all the cities, and towns, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease, and every infirmity.	Et circuibat Jesus omnes civitates, et castella, docens in synagogis eorum, et prædicans Evangelium regni, et curans omnem languorem, et omnem infirmitatem.	και περιηγεν ο ιησους τας πολεις πασας και τας κωμας διδασκων εν ταις συναγωγαις αυτων και κηρυσσων το ευαγγελιον της βασιλειας και θεραπευων πασαν νοσον και πασαν μαλακιαν εν τω λαω
36.	And seeing the multitudes, he had compassion on them: because they were distressed, and lying like sheep that have no shepherd.	Videns autem turbas, misertus est eis : quia erant vexati, et jacentes sicut oves non habentes pastorem.	ιδων δε τους οχλους εσπλαγχνισθη περι αυτων οτι ησαν εσκυλμενοι και ερριμμενοι ωσει προβατα μη εχοντα ποιμενα
37.	Then he saith to his disciples, The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few.	Tunc dicit discipulis suis : Messis quidem multa, operarii autem pauci.	τοτε λεγει τοις μαθηταις αυτου ο μεν θερισμος πολυς οι δε εργαται ολιγοι
38.	Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth labourers into his harvest.	Rogate ergo Dominum messis, ut mittat operarios in messem suam.	δεηθητε ουν του κυριου του θερισμου οπως εκβαλη εργατας εις τον θερισμον αυτου

32. As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.
33. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spoke: and the multitudes marveled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.
34. But the Pharisees said He casts out devils through the prince of the devils.
35. And Jesus went about all the cities and villages , teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

REMIG; Observe the beautiful order of His miracles; how after He has given sight to the blind, He restored speech to the dumb and healed the possessed of the demon; by which He shows Himself the Lord of power, and the author of the heavenly medicine. For it was said by Isaiah, Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped, and the tongue of the dumb loosed. Whence it is said, When they were gone forth, they brought to him a man dumb, and possessed with a demon.

JEROME; The Greek word here is more frequent in common speech in the sense of deaf; but it is the manner of Scripture to use it indifferently as either.

CHRYS; This was not a mere natural defect; but was from the malignity of the demon; and therefore he needed to be brought of others, for he could not ask any thing of others as living without voice, and the demon chaining his spirit together with his tongue. Therefore Christ does not require faith of him, but immediately healed his disorder; as it follows, And when the demon was cast out, then the dumb spoke.

HILARY; The natural order of things is here preserved; the demon is first cast out, and there the functions of the members proceed. And the multitude marveled saying, It was never so seen in Israel.

CHRYS; They set Him thus above others, because He not only healed, but with such ease, and quickness; and cured diseases both infinite in number, and in quality cured incurable. This most grieved the Pharisees, that they set Him before all others, not only those that then lived, but all who had lived before, on which account it follows, But the Pharisees said, He casts out demons through the Prince of demons.

REMIG; Thus the Scribes and Pharisees denied such of the Lord's miracles as they could deny; and such as they could not they explained by an evil interpretation, according to that, In the multitude of your excellency your enemies shall lie to you.

CHRYS; What can be more foolish than this speech of theirs? For it cannot be pretended that one demon would cast out another; for they are wont to consent to one another's deeds, and not to be at variance among themselves. But Christ not only cast out demons, but healed the lepers, raised the dead, forgave sins, preached the kingdom of God, and brought men to the Father, which a demon neither could nor would do.

RABAN; Figuratively; as in the two blind men were denoted both nations, Jews and Gentiles, so in the man dumb and afflicted with die demon is denoted the whole human race.

HILARY; Or; by the dumb and deaf; and demoniac, is signified the Gentile world, needing health in every part; for sunk in evil of every kind, they are afflicted with disease of every part of the body.

REMIG; For the Gentiles were dumb; not being able to open their month in the confession of the true faith, and the praises of the Creator, or because in paying worship to dumb idols they were made like them. They were afflicted with a demon, because by dying in unbelief they were made subject to the power of the Devil.

HILARY; But by the knowledge of God the frenzy of superstition being chased away, the sight, the hearing and the word of salvation is brought in to them.

JEROME; As the blind receive light, so the tongue of the dumb is loosed, that he may confess Him whom before he denied. The wonder of the multitude is the confession of the nations. The scoff of the Pharisees is the unbelief of the Jews, which is to this day.

HILARY; The wonder of the multitude is followed up by the confession, It was never so seen in Israel; because he, for whom there was no help under the Law, is saved by the power of the Word.

REMIG; They who brought the dumb to be healed by the Lord, signify the Apostles and preachers, who brought the Gentile people to be saved before the face of divine mercy.

AUG; This account of the two blind men and the dumb demon is read in Matthew only. The two blind men of whom the others speak are not the same as these, though something similar was done with them. So that even if Matthew had not also recorded their cure, we might have seen that this present narrative was of a different transaction. And this we ought diligently to remember, that many actions of our Lord are very much like one another, but are proved not to be the same action, by being born related at different times by the same Evangelist. So that when we find cases in which one is recorded by one Evangelist, and another by another, and some difference which we cannot reconcile between their accounts, we should suppose that they are like, but not the same, events.

36. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
37. Then he said to his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few;
38. Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest.

CHRYS; The Lord would refute by actions the charge of the Pharisees, who said, He casts out demons by the prince of demons; for a demon having suffered rebuke, does not return good but evil to those who have not shown him honor. But the Lord on the other hand, when He has suffered blasphemy and contumely, not only does not punish, but does not utter a hard speech, yea he shows kindness to them that did it, as it here follows, And Jesus went about all their to towns and villages. Herein He teaches us not to return accusations to them that accuse us but kindness. for he that ceases to do good because of accusation, shows that his good has been done because of men. But if for God's sake you do good to your fellow-servants, you will not cease from doing good whatever they do , that your reward may be greater.

JEROME; Observe how equally in villages, cities, and towns, that is to great as well as small, He preaches the Gospel, not respecting the might of the noble, but the salvation of those that believe. It follows, Teaching in their synagogues; this was His meat, going about to do the will of His Father, and saving by His teaching such as yet believed not.

GLOSS; He taught in their synagogues the Gospel of the Kingdom, as it follows, Preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom.

REMIG; Understand, 'of God;' for though temporal blessings are also proclaimed, yet they are not called The Gospel. Hence the Law was not called a Gospel, because to such as kept. it, it held out not heavenly, but earthly, goods.

JEROME; He first preached and taught, an d then proceeded to heal sicknesses, that the works might convince those who would not believe the words. Hence it follows, Healing every sickness and every disease, for to him alone nothing is impossible.

GLOSS; By disease we may understand complaints of long standing, by sickness any lesser infirmity.

REMIG. It. should be known that those whom He healed Outwardly in their bodies, He also healed inwardly in their souls. Others cannot do this of their own power, but can by God's grace.

CHRYS; Nor does Christ's goodness rest here, but He manifests His care for them, opening the bowels of His mercy towards them; whence it follows, And seeing the multitudes, He had compassion upon them.

REMIG; Herein Christ shows in Himself the disposition of the good shepherd and not that of the hireling. Why He pitied them is added, Because they were troubled, and sick as sheep that have no shepherd - troubled either by demons, or by diverse sicknesses and infirmities.

GLOSS; Or, troubled by demons, and sick, that is, benumbed and unable to rise; and though they had shepherds, yet they were as though they had them not.

CHRYS; This is an accusation against the rulers of the Jews, that being shepherds they appeared like wolves; not only not improving the multitude, but hindering their progress. For When the multitude marveled and said, It was never so seen in Israel, these opposed themselves , saying, He casts out demons by the prince of the demons.

REMIG; But when the Son of God ,looked down from heaven upon the earth, to hear the groans of the captives, straight a great harvest began to ripen; for the multitude of the human race would never have come near to the faith, had not the Author of human salvation looked down from heaven; and it follows, Then said he unto his disciples, the harvest truly is great, butt the laborers are few.

GLOSS; The harvest are those men who can he reaped by the preachers, and separated from the number of the damned, as grain is beaten out from the chaff that it may be laid up in granaries.

JEROME; The great harvest denotes the multitude of the people; the few laborers, the want of instructors.

REMIG; For the number of the Apostles was small in comparison of so great. crops to be reaped. The Lord exhorts His preachers, that. is, the Apostles and their followers, that they should daily desire an increase of their number; Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest.

CHRYS; He privately insinuates Himself to he the Lord; for it is He Himself who is Lord of the harvest. For if He sent the Apostles to reap what they had not sown, it is manifest that He sent them not to reap the things of others, but what He had sown by the Prophets. But since the twelve Apostles are the laborers, lie said, Pray the Lord of' the harvest, that he would send laborers into his harvest; and notwithstanding lie added none to their number, but rather He multiplied those twelve many times, not by increasing their numbers, but by giving them more abundant grace.

REMIG; Or, He then increased their number when He chose the seventy and two, and then when many preachers were made what time the Holy Spirit descended upon the believers.

CHRYS; He shows us that it is a great gift that one should have the power of rightly preaching, in that He tells them that they ought to pray for it. Also we are here reminded of the words of John concerning the threshing-floor, amid the fan, the chaff, and the wheat.

HILARY; Figuratively; when salvation was given to the Gentiles, then all cities and towns were enlightened by the power and entrance of Christ, and escaped every other sickness and infirmity. The Lord pities the people troubled with the violence of the unclean Spirit., and sick under the burden of the Law, and having no shepherd at hand to bestow on them the guardianship of the Holy Spirit. But of that gift there was a most abundant fruit., whose plenty far exceeded the multitude of those that drank thereof; how many ever take of it, yet an inexhaustible supply remains; and because it is profitable that there should be many to minister it, He bids us ask the Lord of the harvest, that God would provide a supply of reapers for the ministration of that gift of the Holy Spirit which was made ready; for by prayer this gift is poured out upon us from God.

Catena Aurea Matthew 9

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 Sorrowful Mysteries

(Tuesdays and Fridays)

1. The Agony in the Garden (Matthew 26:36-46, Luke 22:39-46) [Spiritual fruit - God's will be done]
2. The Scourging at the Pillar (Matthew 27:26, Mark 15:15, John 19:1) [Spiritual fruit - Mortification of the senses]
3. The Crowning with Thorns (Matthew 27:27-30, Mark 15:16-20, John 19:2) [Spiritual fruit - Reign of Christ in our heart]
4. The Carrying of the Cross (Matthew 27:31-32, Mark 15:21, Luke 23:26-32, John 19:17) [Spiritual fruit - Patient bearing of trials]
5. The Crucifixion (Matthew 27:33-56, Mark 15:22-39, Luke 23:33-49, John 19:17-37) [Spiritual fruit - Pardoning of Injuries]

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
+

Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ

July Devotion: The Precious Blood

July Devotion: The Precious Blood

Like the Sacred Wounds of Jesus, His Precious Blood deserves special honor because of its close relation to the Sacred Passion. That honor was given to it from the beginning by the Apostles who praised its redeeming power. (Rom. 5:9 "we are justified by His blood"; Heb. 13:12 "and so Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people by His blood, suffered outside the gate"; 1 John 1:7 "and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.")

The Church has always held devotion to the Precious Blood in high esteem. We continue to recognize and publicly acknowledge the profound indebtedness of the whole human race to Christ, Priest and Victim.

Standing at the foot of the cross, we see Jesus' head, hands, feet, and side pouring out streams of precious blood. It is precious because it:

• Redeems us and atones for our sins. Through His precious blood we are reconciled to God, made one with Him. Death ceases to be death and heaven's gates are opened to us.

• Cleanses us from all sin.

• Preserves us and keeps us safe from the grasp of evil. When the Father sees us washed in the Blood of the Lamb we are spared.

• Comforts us. It is the constant reminder that Jesus - true God and true man suffered and died to save us and to open heaven to us because He loves us.

• Sanctifies us. The same blood that justifies by taking away sin, continues to work within us. Its action gives us the grace to continue on the path toward the Kingdom of God. It assists us in achieving our new nature, leading us onward in subduing sin and in following the commands of God.

Jesus shed His precious blood seven times during His life on earth. They events were:

• Jesus shed His Blood in the Circumcision

• Jesus shed His Blood whilst praying in the Garden of Olives

• Jesus shed His Blood in the scourging

• Jesus shed His Blood in the crowning with thorns

• Jesus shed His Blood while carrying His cross

• Jesus shed His Blood in the crucifixion

• Jesus shed His Blood and water when His side was pierced

The Power of the Precious Blood

"I adore You, O Precious Blood of Jesus, flower of creation, fruit of virginity, ineffable instrument of the Holy Spirit, and I rejoice at the thought that You came from the drop of virginal blood on which eternal Love impressed its movement; You were assumed by the Word and deified in His person. I am overcome with emotion when I think of Your passing from the Blessed Virgin's heart into the heart of the Word, and, being vivified by the breath of the Divinity, becoming adorable because You became the Blood of God." (St. Albert the Great)

At their recent meeting, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops had continuous Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for "healing and peace." They encouraged parishes and communities to have ongoing Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. In these dark months of woundedness, pain and violence we need to turn to the Precious Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist, for healing, peace, and light.

"What power we have in the Precious Blood of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist! He is there to protect us, to be our refuge and our redemption. (In Exodus 12, God told Moses to have His chosen people mark their door posts with the blood of an unblemished lamb, during the first Passover. Those who did this were spared when the Angel of the death passed by). This is why Archbishop Sheen said that we must call down the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. For, he warned, when we stop calling down the Blood of the Lamb, we start calling down the blood of each other." (From our book Bread of Life)

"And the Lamb on the throne will shepherd them. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water" (Rev 7:17).

"In the tumultuous events of our time, it is important to look to the Eucharist: it must be at the heart of the life of priests and consecrated people; the light and strength of spouses in putting into practice their commitment to fidelity, chastity and the apostolate; the ideal in education and in training children, adolescents and young people; the comfort and support of those who are troubled, of the sick and all who are weeping in the Gethsemane of life." (Pope John Paul II)

Precious Blood of Jesus, save us!

"The only time our Lord asked the Apostles for anything was the night when He went into His agony. But as often in the history of the church since that time, evil was awake, but the disciples were asleep. That is why there came out of His anguished and lonely Heart a sigh: 'Could you not watch one hour with Me?'" (Mt 26:40). Not for an hour of activity did he plead, but for an hour of friendship (Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen).

St. Maria Goretti, Patroness of Youth & Children of Mary, Feast-July 6 St. Maria of Italy (1890-1902), couldn't wait to make her First Communion. She wanted to receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist so that she could become more beautiful and pure like Him; she wanted Him to live in her, close to her heart. After she received Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament for the first time, she stayed in Church for a long time after Mass to talk to Him. Maria's family lived with and worked for a farmer. His son Alessandro kept trying to make Maria sin against purity. One day, when everyone else was working, Alessandro grabbed Maria and tried to make her sin. Maria kept crying out for him to stop, and each time she did, he stabbed her. Courageously, Maria resisted him and was stabbed fourteen times. St. Maria died the next day.

"Look at Maria Goretti.... Like her, be capable of defending your purity of heart and body. Be committed to the struggle against evil and sin. Always esteem and love, purity and virginity." (Pope John Paul II, 1990)

A Prayer for Priests

O my God, help those priests who are faithful to remain faithful; to those who are falling, stretch forth Your Divine Hand that they may grasp it as their support. In the great ocean of Your mercy, lift those poor unfortunate ones who have fallen, that being engulfed therein they may receive the grace to return to Your Great Loving Heart. Amen. Precious Blood of Jesus, protect them!

The Eucharist is the fruit of our Lords Passion. Jesus gave up His Body on the cross so that He may give you His Body in the Holy Eucharist. Jesus poured out His very last drop of Blood on the cross so that He may fill you with His Divine Love each time that you receive Him in Holy Communion and visit Him in Eucharistic Adoration!

"The Eucharist, in the Mass and outside of the Mass, is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, and is therefore deserving of the worship that is given to the living God, and to Him alone" (Pope John Paul II, September 29, 1979, Phoenix Park, Ireland)

"The bread and wine, fruit of human hands, transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit into the body and blood of Christ, become a pledge of the 'new heaven and new earth,' announced by the Church in her daily mission." "In Christ, whom we adore present in the mystery of the Eucharist, the father uttered his final word with regard to humanity and human history." "To live the Eucharist, it is necessary, as well, to spend much time in adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament, something which I myself experience every day drawing from it strength, consolation and assistance." "How could the Church fulfill her vocation without cultivating a constant relationship with the Eucharist, without nourishing herself with this food which sanctifies, without founding her missionary activity on this indispensable support?" "To evangelize the world there is need of apostles who are 'experts' in the celebration, adoration and contemplation of the Eucharist" (Pope John Paul II, World Mission Message 2004).

The Power of the Precious Blood of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist

"The Precious Blood belongs in an especial manner to men. Much more, therefore, does God invite them to come to its heavenly baths, and receive therein, not only the cleansing of their souls, but the power of a new and amazing life. Every doctrine in theology is a call to the Precious Blood. Every ceremony in the Church tells of it . . . . Every supernatural act is a growth of it. Everything that is holy on earth is either a leaf, bud, blossom or fruit of the Blood of Jesus. To its fountains God calls the sinner, that he may be lightened of his burdens. There is no remission of him in anything else. Only there is his lost sonship to be found. The saints are no less called by God to these invigorating streams. It is out of the Precious Blood that men draw martyrdoms, vocations, celebacies, austerities, heroic charities, and all the magnificent graces of high sanctity. The secret nourishment of prayer is from those fountains" (Father Faber, The Precious Blood).

The Most Precious Blood of Jesus
July is traditionally associated with the Precious Blood of Our Lord. It may be customary to celebrate the votive Mass of the Precious Blood on July 1.

The extraordinary importance of the saving Blood of Christ has ensured a central place for its memorial in the celebration of this cultic mystery: at the centre of the Eucharistic assembly, in which the Church raises up to God in thanksgiving "the cup of blessing" (1 Cor 10, 16; cf Ps 115-116, 13) and offers it to the faithful as a "real communion with the Blood of Christ" (1 Cor 10, 16); and throughout the Liturgical Year. The Church celebrates the saving Blood of Christ not only on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, but also on many other occasions, such that the cultic remembrance of the Blood of our redemption (cf 1 Pt 1, 18) pervades the entire Liturgical Year. Hence, at Vespers during Christmastide, the Church, addressing Christ, sings: "Nos quoque, qui sancto tuo redempti sumus sanguine, ob diem natalis tui hymnum novum concinimus." In the Paschal Triduum, the redemptive significance and efficacy of the Blood of Christ is continuously recalled in adoration. During the adoration of the Cross on Good Friday the Church sings the hymn: "Mite corpus perforatur, sanguis unde profluit; terra, pontus, astra, mundus quo lavanturflumine", and again on Easter Sunday, "Cuius corpus sanctissimum in ara crucis torridum, sed et cruorem roesum gustando, Deo vivimus (194).

Catholic Word of the Day: LITANY OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD, 09-25-12
ST. GASPAR: Founder of the Society of the Precious Blood
Mass in the Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ (London, 9/18)

Devotion to the Drops of Blood Lost by our Lord Jesus Christ on His Way to Calvary (Prayer/Devotion)
Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood
Catholic Word of the Day: PRECIOUS BLOOD, 12-03-11
The Traditional Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Catholic Caucus)
Devotion to the Precious Blood
DOCTRINE OF THE BLOOD OF CHRIST
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,And More on the Precious Blood
Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ
NOTHING IS MORE POTENT AGAINST EVIL THAN PLEADING THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST
Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus

"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you" (Jn 6:53).

July 10, 2018

Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Hos 8:4-7, 11-13

Responsorial Psalm pS 115:3-4, 5-6, 7ab-8, 9-10

Alleluia Jn 10:14

Gospel Mt 9:32-38

Readings at Mass