The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)

"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42).

Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: January 29th

Wednesday of the Third Week of Ordinary Time

MASS READINGS

January 29, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

Almighty ever-living God, direct our actions according to your good pleasure, that in the name of your beloved Son we may abound in good works. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

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Old Calendar: St. Francis De Sales, bishop, confessor and doctor; St. Gildas the Wise, abbot (Hist)

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Francis de Sales. In the Ordinary Rite his feast is celebrated on January 24.

Historically today is the feast of St. Gildas the Wise, Scottish bishop and author and sometimes listed as Badonicus. He was born in the Clyde River area of Scotland. After becoming a disciple of St. Finnian, Gildas was a hermit for a time in Wales. He was also trained by St. Illtyd. He was famous for writing De Excidiio Britanniae, a Latin work describing moral decline in Britain.

St. Gildas the Wise
He was probably born about 517, in the North of England or Wales. His father's name was Cau (or Nau) and that he came from noble lineage.

He lived in a time when the glory of Rome was faded from Britain. The permanent legions had been withdrawn by Maximus, who used them to sack Rome itself and make himself Emperor.

Gildas noted for his piety was well educated, and was not afraid of publicly rebuking contemporary monarchs, at a time when libel was answered by a sword, rather than a Court order.

He lived for many years as an ascetic hermit on Flatholm Island in the Bristol Channel. Here he established his reputation for that peculiar Celtic sort of holiness that consists of extreme self-denial and isolation. At around this time, according to the Welsh, he also preached to Nemata, the mother of St David, while she was pregnant with the Saint.

In about 547 he wrote De Excidio Britanniae (The Ruin of Britain). In this he writes a brief tale of the island from pre-Roman times and criticizes the rulers of the island for their lax morals and blames their sins (and those that follow them) for the destruction of civilization in Britain. The book was avowedly written as a moral tale.

He also wrote a longer work, the Epistle. This is a series of sermons on the moral laxity of rulers and of the clergy. In these Gildas shows that he has a wide reading of the Bible and of some other classical works.

Gildas was an influential preacher, visiting Ireland and doing missionary work. He was responsible for the conversion of much of the island and may be the one who introduced anchorite customs to the monks of that land.

He retired from Llancarfan to Rhuys, in Brittany, where he founded a monastery. Of his work on the running of a monastery (one of the earliest known in the Christian Church), only the so-called Penitential, a guide for Abbots in setting punishment, survives.

He died around 571, at Rhuys. The monastery that he had founded became the center of his cult.

St. Gildas is regarded as being one of the most influential figures of the early English Church. The influence of his writing was felt until well into the Middle Ages, particularly in the Celtic Church.

Things to Do:

Read St. Gildas's work The Ruin of Britain here.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Mark 4:1-20

3rd Week in Ordinary Time

The mystery of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you. (Mark 4:11)

In World War II, the Nazis believed the secret code they were using to transmit radio messages was unbreakable. But men and women at the now famous Bletchley Park in Britain were finally able to crack the code, and their work is credited with shortening the war by up to two years.

Have you ever felt as if you were trying to crack a secret code when you read Scripture? It’s not always easy to understand what the Gospel writers, St. Paul, or any of the Bible’s authors, for that matter, were trying to convey. But Jesus told the disciples—and us—that “the mystery of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you” (Mark 4:11). That’s why he sent his Holy Spirit, the ultimate “Code Breaker.” He is the One who enlightens us as we read, opening our hearts and minds to understand and internalize God’s word.

So the first and most important thing you can do is to call on the Holy Spirit every time you open the Bible. Just as the disciples asked Jesus for an explanation of his parable, you can ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand what you read. He can turn what might seem at first glance a dense paragraph into a clear and eloquent passage that moves you deeply.

Second, invest in a Catholic study Bible with footnotes as well as a good Bible commentary. These are invaluable aids that will help you understand the history, context, and genre of each book you read. You might also consider joining a Bible study or studying one-on-one with a friend or your spouse.

Third, get in the habit of regularly praying with Scripture. For example, the parable in today’s Gospel of the sower and the seed can be the basis of a rich meditation. You might ask yourself, “What kind of soil have I been lately? Am I letting anxiety about worldly things or the lure of riches get in the way?”

Finally, be persistent. You might not always understand everything you read, but don’t get discouraged. Keep asking the Holy Spirit for help. Believe that over time, the Spirit will continue to reveal the mysteries of his kingdom to you.

“Thank you, Holy Spirit, for opening my heart and mind to God’s holy word.”

2 Samuel 7:4-17
Psalm 89:4-5, 27-30

Regnum Christi

January 29, 2020 – Fertile Ground for the Harvest

29 Jan 2020

Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

Mark 4:1-20

On another occasion he began to teach by the sea. A very large crowd gathered around him so that he got into a boat on the sea and sat down. And the whole crowd was beside the sea on land. And he taught them at length in parables, and in the course of his instruction he said to them, “Hear this! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it and it produced no grain. And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit. It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” He added, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.” And when he was alone, those present along with the Twelve questioned him about the parables. He answered them, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been granted to you. But to those outside everything comes in parables, so that ‘they may look and see but not perceive, and hear and listen but not understand, in order that they may not be converted and be forgiven.’” Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones on the path where the word is sown. As soon as they hear, Satan comes at once and takes away the word sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground who, when they hear the word, receive it at once with joy. But they have no root; they last only for a time. Then when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Those sown among thorns are another sort. They are the people who hear the word, but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word, and it bears no fruit. But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I want to spend these moments close to you. I believe that you are here with me. Take over my life more and more and make it what it was meant to be. Lord, I put my trust in you.

Petition: Jesus, make the soil of my heart open to your word, so that it will bear fruit for eternal life.

A Sabotaged Plan: What the Father has planted in our lives is good. Goodness can bear fruit. But Christ has shown us that there is someone who does not want us to bear fruit. The devil tries to take goodness from our lives through enticing us with evil, filling our hearts with selfishness, and making us insensitive to the movements of grace in our soul. We need to renounce Satan every day by fixing our will on the goodness of Christ. This is done through sincere prayer and generosity of spirit.
Make Your Furrows Deep: The strength of our resolve is tested by the difficulties we face. If we go deeper in our prayer each day and build up the habit of letting go of our own ego, we can face the bad times with peace and trust. When our spiritual roots are not deep, we find ourselves disoriented, even defeated by the tribulations that are part of an authentic Christian life. Christ teaches us to dig deep. With him as our friend, difficulties become a way to show our love and to do something that has eternal value. If I don’t fight, how can I merit a crown of victory?
Docility, Not Passivity: In order to bear fruit we must be docile to God’s word. But being docile does not mean being passive. For a Christian, docility to Christ and the Holy Spirit means willingness to work and serve. We are followers of the One who came to serve. The Spirit that is self-surrender moves us. To hear the Word of God and accept it means to make our lives an imitation of Christ’s total self-giving—day in and day out. God will grant fruit to our lives if we are willing to be other Christs in the here and now.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, thank you for showing me how to bear fruit in my life. I want to imitate your self-surrender to the Father and to souls. I know that this requires a constant effort to go deep in my life and be docile to the Holy Spirit. Help me to live as a giver, not a taker. Your love will always be there to accompany me.

Resolution: Today I will offer up a small sacrifice to ask God for the grace of acquiring the virtue that I need the most.

Homily of the Day

January 29, 2020

Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

Today’s parable is quite self-explanatory. Which makes it a problem for us is that we tend to take it for granted more often than not. The only problem we have is applying it to ourselves. We can think of the many people which the parable describes as those who have worries of the world, of those who are lured by riches, of those whose passions come in to choke the word of God. This may actually be OUR situation.

The word of God is what gives faith to a person. And that faith gives fruit to eternal life. We often equate many things falsely to eternal life. Economic progress is not eternal life. Human achievements and success are not eternal life. Material wealth, all the more, is not eternal life. Eternal life is our first priority, but if we examine our lives, it is actually the last priority after the needs of our flesh, of our family, of our jobs, of our homes.

The word of God is choked by the passions of the world., taken away by the birds and doesn’t find any roots. All these distractions produce NOTHING. And nothing is nothing. We may end up at the end of our lives realizing that all that we have worked for is really for nothing.

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Espanol

All Issues > Volume 36, Issue 1

<< Wednesday, January 29, 2020 >>

2 Samuel 7:4-17
View Readings

Psalm 89:4-5, 27-30

Mark 4:1-20
Similar Reflections

LIVING OR DYING EXAMPLES?

"To you the mystery of the reign of God has been confided." �Mark 4:11

Throughout the history of the Church, the Holy Spirit has made many Christians holy by leading them to pray the Mass frequently or daily. However, when daily communicants didn't appear that holy, the practice of daily Mass waned, and the Church weakened.

Many of you reading this book pray the Mass daily or at least frequently. If your holy Masses make you holy, the practice of daily Mass will grow, and the Church will become stronger. If, however, you are not holy, a de-emphasis of daily Mass may well contribute to the Church being further victimized by the culture of death.

Your holy Masses will probably make you holy if you listen to God's Word at Mass, take it to heart, and yield a great harvest (Mk 4:20). For example, after God's Word burned in the hearts of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, they recognized the risen Christ in the breaking of the bread (Lk 24:30ff). We too will probably recognize Christ and become holy as He is holy, if we let God's Word penetrate our hearts. Thus, Jesus warns us to guard against choking God's Word by "anxieties over life's demands, and the desire for wealth, and cravings of other sorts" (Mk 4:19).

Guard and mortify your senses and worldly desires. Don't be an example of the non-importance of daily Mass. Rather, be an example of Eucharistic holiness.

Prayer: Father, may daily communicants be free from the sins of racism, impurity, and laziness.

Promise: "Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before Me; your throne shall stand firm forever." —2 Sm 7:16

Praise: Pat comes early to prepare herself for Mass and stays to linger afterward in the Lord's presence.

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