Life Lesson

 Life Lesson

    I came across an article that has made me sit down and take some stock about life. The article is about a seminarian who has terminal brain cancer and you can read the article for yourself by clicking here. This is not a sad article or a woe is me article. It is about taking life and living it no matter what is going on. Live your life and not sit on the sideline waiting for the end  or even you deciding when that end may be and how you want that end to be. 

     We do not know what will come our way in life nor can we control each aspect of our lives. There is more to this life then what we see with our eyes. Here we see a man who is looking down a path that will include suffering, pain, loss, and death, but instead of focusing on that he choose to enter seminary and focus on the will of God. This is where he feels that God is leading him and on this path he has taken the suffering and pain and turned that into understanding and sharing with those who also are suffering. It is what we make of the life we have not what life make of us. 

    I will in the future really sit down and write about what I have learned from this but for now I ask that if you have not read the article please do so and if you have then please think what you can take and learn from it. 

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and enjoy and live  your life for God.

Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 477

Reading 1

EPH 4:1-6

Brothers and sisters:

I, a prisoner for the Lord,

urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,

with all humility and gentleness, with patience,

bearing with one another through love,

striving to preserve the unity of the spirit

through the bond of peace; 

one Body and one Spirit, 

as you were also called to the one hope of your call;

one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

one God and Father of all,

who is over all and through all and in all.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 24:1-2, 3-4AB, 5-6

R. (see 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;

the world and those who dwell in it.

For he founded it upon the seas

and established it upon the rivers.

R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?

or who may stand in his holy place?

He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,

who desires not what is vain.

R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,

a reward from God his savior.

Such is the race that seeks for him,

that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.

R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

Gospel

LK 12:54-59

Jesus said to the crowds,

“When you see a cloud rising in the west

you say immediately that it is going to rain–and so it does;

and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south

you say that it is going to be hot–and so it is.

You hypocrites!

You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky;

why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

“Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?

If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate,

make an effort to settle the matter on the way;

otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge,

and the judge hand you over to the constable,

and the constable throw you into prison.

I say to you, you will not be released

until you have paid the last penny.”

St. John Paul II

St. John Paul II

    Born in Wadowice, Poland, Karol Jozef Wojtyla had lost his mother, father and older brother before his 21st birthday. Karol’s promising academic career at Krakow’s Jagiellonian University was cut short by the outbreak of World War II. While working in a quarry and a chemical factory, he enrolled in an “underground” seminary in Kraków. Ordained in 1946, he was immediately sent to Rome where he earned a doctorate in theology. 

Back in Poland, a short assignment as assistant pastor in a rural parish preceded his very fruitful chaplaincy for university students. Soon he earned a doctorate in philosophy and began teaching that subject at Poland’s University of Lublin.

Communist officials allowed him to be appointed auxiliary bishop of Kraków in 1958, considering him a relatively harmless intellectual. They could not have been more wrong!

He attended all four sessions of Vatican II and contributed especially to its Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World. Appointed as archbishop of Kraków in 1964, he was named a cardinal three years later.

Elected pope in October 1978, he took the name of his short-lived, immediate predecessor. Pope John Paul II was the first non-Italian pope in 455 years. In time, he made pastoral visits to 124 countries, including several with small Christian populations.

He promoted ecumenical and interfaith initiatives, especially the 1986 Day of Prayer for World Peace in Assisi. He visited Rome’s Main Synagogue and the Western Wall in Jerusalem; he also established diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Israel. He improved Catholic-Muslim relations and in 2001 visited a mosque in Damascus, Syria.

The Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, a key event in John Paul’s ministry, was marked by special celebrations in Rome and elsewhere for Catholics and other Christians. Relations with the Orthodox Churches improved considerably during his ministry as pope.

“Christ is the center of the universe and of human history” was the opening line of his 1979 encyclical, Redeemer of the Human Race. In 1995, he described himself to the United Nations General Assembly as “a witness to hope.” 

His 1979 visit to Poland encouraged the growth of the Solidarity movement there and the collapse of communism in central and eastern Europe 10 years later. He began World Youth Day and traveled to several countries for those celebrations. He very much wanted to visit China and the Soviet Union but the governments in those countries prevented that.

One of the most well-remembered photos of his pontificate was his one-on-one conversation in 1983 with Mehmet Ali Agca, who had attempted to assassinate him two years earlier.

In his 27 years of papal ministry, John Paul II wrote 14 encyclicals and five books, canonized 482 saints and beatified 1,338 people.

In the last years of his life, he suffered from Parkinson’s disease and was forced to cut back on some of his activities.

Pope Benedict XVI beatified John Paul II in 2011, and Pope Francis canonized him in 2014.

Back in Poland, a short assignment as assistant pastor in a rural parish preceded his very fruitful chaplaincy for university students. Soon he earned a doctorate in philosophy and began teaching that subject at Poland’s University of Lublin.

Communist officials allowed him to be appointed auxiliary bishop of Kraków in 1958, considering him a relatively harmless intellectual. They could not have been more wrong!

He attended all four sessions of Vatican II and contributed especially to its Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World. Appointed as archbishop of Kraków in 1964, he was named a cardinal three years later.

Elected pope in October 1978, he took the name of his short-lived, immediate predecessor. Pope John Paul II was the first non-Italian pope in 455 years. In time, he made pastoral visits to 124 countries, including several with small Christian populations.

He promoted ecumenical and interfaith initiatives, especially the 1986 Day of Prayer for World Peace in Assisi. He visited Rome’s Main Synagogue and the Western Wall in Jerusalem; he also established diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Israel. He improved Catholic-Muslim relations and in 2001 visited a mosque in Damascus, Syria.

The Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, a key event in John Paul’s ministry, was marked by special celebrations in Rome and elsewhere for Catholics and other Christians. Relations with the Orthodox Churches improved considerably during his ministry as pope.

“Christ is the center of the universe and of human history” was the opening line of his 1979 encyclical, Redeemer of the Human Race. In 1995, he described himself to the United Nations General Assembly as “a witness to hope.” 

Comment:

Before John Paul II’s funeral Mass in St. Peter’s Square, hundreds of thousands of people had waited patiently for a brief moment to pray before his body, which lay in state inside St. Peter’s for several days. The media coverage of his funeral was unprecedented.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, then dean of the College of Cardinals and later Pope Benedict XVI, presided at the funeral Mass and concluded his homily by saying: “None of us can ever forget how, in that last Easter Sunday of his life, the Holy Father, marked by suffering, came once more to the window of the Apostolic Palace and one last time gave his blessing urbi et orbi [‘to the city and to the world’].

“We can be sure that our beloved pope is standing today at the window of the Father’s house, that sees us and blesses us. Yes, bless us, Holy Father. We entrust your dear soul to the Mother of God, your Mother, who guided you each day and who will guide you now to the glory of her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.” 

Wednesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 475

Wednesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 475

Reading 1

EPH 3:2-12

Brothers and sisters:

You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace

that was given to me for your benefit,

namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation,

as I have written briefly earlier.

When you read this

you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,

which was not made known to human beings in other generations

as it has now been revealed

to his holy Apostles and prophets by the Spirit,

that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same Body,

and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.

Of this I became a minister by the gift of God’s grace

that was granted me in accord with the exercise of his power.

To me, the very least of all the holy ones, this grace was given,

to preach to the Gentiles the inscrutable riches of Christ,

and to bring to light for all what is the plan of the mystery

hidden from ages past in God who created all things,

so that the manifold wisdom of God

might now be made known through the Church

to the principalities and authorities in the heavens.

This was according to the eternal purpose

that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,

in whom we have boldness of speech

and confidence of access through faith in him.

Responsorial Psalm

IS 12:2-3, 4BCD, 5-6

R. (see 3) You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

God indeed is my savior;

I am confident and unafraid.

My strength and my courage is the LORD,

and he has been my savior.

With joy you will draw water

at the fountain of salvation.

R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;

among the nations make known his deeds,

proclaim how exalted is his name.

R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;

let this be known throughout all the earth.

Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,

for great in your midst

is the Holy One of Israel!

R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

Gospel

LK 12:39-48

Jesus said to his disciples: 

“Be sure of this:

if the master of the house had known the hour

when the thief was coming,

he would not have let his house be broken into.

You also must be prepared,

for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

Then Peter said,

“Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?”

And the Lord replied,

“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward

whom the master will put in charge of his servants

to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?

Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.

Truly, I say to you, he will put him

in charge of all his property.

But if that servant says to himself,

‘My master is delayed in coming,’

and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants,

to eat and drink and get drunk,

then that servant’s master will come

on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour

and will punish the servant severely

and assign him a place with the unfaithful.

That servant who knew his master’s will

but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will

shall be beaten severely;

and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will

but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating

shall be beaten only lightly. 

Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,

and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

Rosary Time

Rosary Time

“They will have the two-edged sword of the word of God in their mouths and the blood-stained standard of the Cross on their shoulders. They will carry the crucifix in their right hand and the rosary in their left, and the holy names of Jesus and Mary on their heart. The simplicity and self-sacrifice of Jesus will be reflected in their whole behaviour.”

--Saint Louis Marie de Montfort,
 speaking of the great Saints of the end times

  With October being the month of the Holy Rosary I felt that we need to talk about it before the month ends. First do you know why October is the month for the Rosary? I must admit I was never sure why but just went along with it. For me I just thought May would be the month of the Rosary because it made sense since we Crown Mary in May. So, I looked it up and the reason is because October 7th is the feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary. That makes perfect sense don’t you think? The feast was introduced by Pope Pius V in 1571 to commemorate the miraculous victory of the Christian forces in the Battle of Lepanto. That battle was won on October 7th 1571. 

     I must now admit that I was not one that prayed the Rosary that often in my life until recently. Growing up I did have Rosaries, I mean I was Catholic after all. Doesn’t every good Catholic Home have them? I remember getting them with my Communion book when I made Communion but I do not know if I ever prayed with them as a child. I would think so, but I do remember holding them when I prayed and I also remember being a kid and liking the rosaries the priests and nuns had. Thought they were cool because they were big and black. There was always something special I knew that went along with them but never really prayed the Rosary. 

      To a point I thought the Rosary was something that women only prayed with. Not that men couldn’t but it always seemed I only saw women praying the Rosary. There is an article that you can read by clicking here about why men should pray the Rosary.  Yet, I have always loved the look of the rosaries. They were special. They were important to our Catholic faith. I just really did not get why. Not with my heart anyway. I knew Theologically why but my heart never grasped that concept. As I grew more in my faith I would go in spurts  where I would pray the rosary and then stop for a long time and pick it up again. It just was not something that took root in my prayer life. I felt bad that it didn’t because I love Mary. Mary was always important in my faith but was not in my prayer life. Again I can not say why because I just do not know. 

       The picture I used for the blog is one I took today. They are all my own personal rosaries. Yes, for someone who did not pray the rosary much, sure has enough of them. I even think I may have one or two more packed away in a box somewhere. And for some reason I never got the message of here are all these rosaries you need to be praying and using them. Even when I was away from the church and distanced myself from God, one set of rosaries was always hanging from my bed post. I do not know why they were always there but even when I packed so much of my religious stuff away, they remained hanging on my bed post. Guess I still needed Mary my Spiritual Mother near me. As I just typed that last sentence, I realized that has to be it. My own mother passed away and that is when I packed all that away but yet I couldn’t pack my spiritual mother, Mary, away. She had to watch over me as I slept. Hmmm, wow. That really hit me.  My birthday is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and my mothers is the Immaculate Conception. Mary has always been there for both my mother and myself. 

      In the past year or so I have prayed the rosary more and more. I can not pin point the moment when things started to change but the Rosary has worked a way into my prayer life. I seem to pray it almost everyday now and never leave the house without the rosary in my pocket. I feel like something is missing when the rosary is not in my pocket. A part of me is not there and I feel incomplete. I have to say that I wear jeans most of the time and you know that little pocket within the right pocket? Well, thats my rosary pocket. I know I know you may laugh at me for that but it is true. 

     The Rosary brings me peace. It helps me slow down and pray. It helps me focus on Jesus and my faith. It enhances my prayer life. It helps turn my attention away from the world and aligns it to God. My mother always guided me in my life and I find that Mary through the Rosary has guided me to her Son, through the prayers and meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary. Each bead that passes through my fingers as I pray brings me closer to the man God wants me to be. 

    Many Saints, Popes, Priests and Religious have stated that the rosary is the prayer that brought them closer to Jesus and the Will of God in their lives. Saint Padre Pio stated that “ The Rosary is the weapon for these times”. Also Dominican friars wear the Rosary on the left side, the side which bore the sword for the knights of old. As a form of a spiritual sword for their prayer life. That idea of spiritual sword is a great image for me. I like the strength and power that image gives me. 

     The Rosary is unfolding in my life and the more and more I pray it,  the more it unfolds the mysteries of my own life and the direction that I need to be heading in. I may not know when the Rosary became important in my prayer life but Mary has always been there. 

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and Pray the Rosary and let it unfold your prayer life. 

Tuesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 474

Reading 1

EPH 2:12-22

Brothers and sisters:

You were at that time without Christ,

alienated from the community of Israel

and strangers to the covenants of promise,

without hope and without God in the world.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off

have become near by the Blood of Christ.

For he is our peace, he made both one

and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his Flesh,

abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims,

that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two,

thus establishing peace,

and might reconcile both with God,

in one Body, through the cross,

putting that enmity to death by it.

He came and preached peace to you who were far off

and peace to those who were near,

for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners,

but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones

and members of the household of God, 

built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,

with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.

Through him the whole structure is held together

and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;

in him you also are being built together

into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 85:9AB-10, 11-12, 13-14

R. (see 9) The Lord speaks of peace to his people.

I will hear what God proclaims;

the LORD–for he proclaims peace.

Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,

glory dwelling in our land.

R. The Lord speaks of peace to his people.

Kindness and truth shall meet;

justice and peace shall kiss.

Truth shall spring out of the earth,

and justice shall look down from heaven.

R. The Lord speaks of peace to his people.

The LORD himself will give his benefits;

our land shall yield its increase.

Justice shall walk before him,

and salvation, along the way of his steps.

R. The Lord speaks of peace to his people.

Gospel

LK 12:35-38

Jesus said to his disciples: 

“Gird your loins and light your lamps

and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding,

ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.

Blessed are those servants

whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.

Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,

have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.

And should he come in the second or third watch

and find them prepared in this way,

blessed are those servants.”

       

Mass Etiquette

Mass Etiquette

 

    First I am going to say this right from the start. I think majority of the people do not need to read this blog tonight but sometimes we need reminders. 

    The Catholic Mass is the highest form of prayer for us each week and for some each day. With that in mind we need to approach the mass as a high point for our week. Think of how you act and dress to an important event. Think of how you interact with others and participate in the event. Think of how you want others to act. Each of these statements should give us pause and a time for reflection. 

   I came across this great list of how we all should approach and act during mass from Catholic Say and have included the list below. Think about it and see if there are things you need to change.

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and let us remember where we are and what is going on at Mass.

Fast:

It doesn’t even really feel like a fast anymore since its just an hour. The Church requires every communicant to begin preparing to receive Jesus by observing an hour fast (from food) unless they’re aged or sick. Won’t really cost much to give this little to receive God into your soul would it?

Come early, recollect yourself:

Sometime ago i asked on our Facebook page “When is one late for Mass” some said with confidence “When they come later than the Sign of the Cross”. I disappointed them by reminding them that the Mass actually begins with the procession. I usually advise people to make effort to be in Church at least 10-15 minutes before the actual time in order to have some time to pray and recollect; to begin the Mass in the right spirit. When it becomes a habit to arrive late, it ceases to be a real celebration for the person, and if it becomes a habit (especially Sundays) it begins to become sinful.

Eating?

It is inappropriate to find a grown person snacking or chewing gum in Church. We want to show God some seriousness and show our devotion by setting aside a perfect “God-time”. This means we’d try to devote all our attention to the act of worship, to make it as perfect as possible. The house of God is a place of prayer, let us try to keep it so. For Children? I still don’t buy the idea of snacks. If it can be discreet, and if the child is really troublesome, then its okay.

Dressing:

Be modest, don’t attract too much attention by putting on something open. We also love to think Sunday as a real celebration, keep this in mind and put on the best you have. God is holy, your body is his Temple, cover it, and adorn it moderately.

No Phones:

No cell phones; texting, chatting, calls etc. I have seen a number of people chatting over Facebook while at Mass. Then i wonder: So we really cannot give God little time anymore? What will it take to turn off our phones for an hour or two (Depending on where you live, some are as fast as 45 mins). The only justifiable case is big emergencies though, whatever it be, let it be serious and be discreet while attending to it. It is usually better to quietly leave the Church to attend to the emergency than text or receive calls inside.

Genuflection:

Upon entering the Church, every informed Catholic remembers that Jesus is present in the Tabernacle (usually indicated by some light beside it). The problem usually is that only few remember to show some respect. Genuflecting (such that your knee hits the ground) is a sign of devotion and reverence to the Lord who for love waits for us in the Tabernacle with blessing and peace.

Active participation:

Some find it hard to follow all the routines over and over again; to stand, sit, speak when needed etc. However, active participation means exactly this. In order to be really part of a praying community, we must join the Body of Christ in its movements. We are supposed to try as much as possible to join in singing, praying, and in performing all appropriate gestures while at Mass for our participation to be perfect.

Receiving Communion:

It is customary to show some reverence before, during and after communion. Before receiving, one must recollect, pray and prepare themselves. Receiving, it is advised to bow or kneel (depending on what’s customary in your area). After receiving, kneel and pray to Jesus, don’t be in a hurry, he might also have a word or two for you. It shouldn’t be heard, it could be simple movements in your soul, inspirations etc. But pray and keep still for a while. Remember to be joyful as well, when you leave mass, share this joy with everyone !

Be Charitable:

If you’re sick, be sure not to receive from the chalice. Remember to respect people close to you, do not consider yourself alone. Your neighbor might not like to be held while at mass, or even be talked to, respect it. If your child is noisy either take them outside (if crying) or to be back. Do to others what you’d want done to you.

Don’t be in a hurry:

Do not leave the Church before the Presider (the minister), the Mass ends officially when the priest leaves the Church. Even then, it is usually advised you sit/kneel in silent prayer of thanksgiving or simply gaze at Jesus in the Tabernacle, smile at him and just be joyful. After which you should leave quietly in order not to distract others.

Monday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 473

Reading 1

EPH 2:1-10

Brothers and sisters:

You were dead in your transgressions and sins

in which you once lived following the age of this world,

following the ruler of the power of the air,

the spirit that is now at work in the disobedient.

All of us once lived among them in the desires of our flesh,

following the wishes of the flesh and the impulses,

and we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest.

But God, who is rich in mercy,

because of the great love he had for us,

even when we were dead in our transgressions,

brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

raised us up with him,

and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,

that in the ages to come

he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace

in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

For by grace you have been saved through faith,

and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;

it is not from works, so no one may boast.

For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works

that God has prepared in advance,

that we should live in them.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 100:1B-2, 3, 4AB, 4C-5

R. (3b) The Lord made us, we belong to him.

Sing joyfully to the LORD all you lands;

serve the LORD with gladness;

come before him with joyful song.

R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.

Know that the LORD is God;

he made us, his we are;

his people, the flock he tends.

R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

his courts with praise.

R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.

Give thanks to him; bless his name, for he is good:

the LORD, whose kindness endures forever,

and his faithfulness, to all generations.

R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.

Gospel

LK 12:13-21

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,

“Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”

He replied to him,

“Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”

Then he said to the crowd,

“Take care to guard against all greed,

for though one may be rich,

one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

Then he told them a parable.

“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.

He asked himself, ‘What shall I do,

for I do not have space to store my harvest?’

And he said, ‘This is what I shall do:

I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.

There I shall store all my grain and other goods

and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you,

you have so many good things stored up for many years,

rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’

But God said to him,

‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;

and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’

Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself

but is not rich in what matters to God.”

Feast of Saint Luke, Evangelist Lectionary: 661

Feast of Saint Luke, EvangelistLectionary: 661

Reading 1

2 TM 4:10-17B

Beloved:

Demas, enamored of the present world,

deserted me and went to Thessalonica,

Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.

Luke is the only one with me.

Get Mark and bring him with you,

for he is helpful to me in the ministry.

I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus.

When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas,

the papyrus rolls, and especially the parchments.

Alexander the coppersmith did me a great deal of harm;

the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.

You too be on guard against him,

for he has strongly resisted our preaching.

At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf,

but everyone deserted me.

May it not be held against them!

But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength,

so that through me the proclamation might be completed

and all the Gentiles might hear it.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18

R. (12) Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.

Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,

and let your faithful ones bless you.

Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom

and speak of your might.

R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.

Making known to men your might

and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.

Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,

and your dominion endures through all generations.

R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.

The LORD is just in all his ways

and holy in all his works.

The LORD is near to all who call upon him,

to all who call upon him in truth.

R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.

Gospel

LK 10:1-9

The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples

whom he sent ahead of him in pairs

to every town and place he intended to visit.

He said to them,

“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;

so ask the master of the harvest

to send out laborers for his harvest.

Go on your way;

behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.

Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;

and greet no one along the way.

Into whatever house you enter,

first say, ‘Peace to this household.’

If a peaceful person lives there,

your peace will rest on him;

but if not, it will return to you.

Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,

for the laborer deserves payment.

Do not move about from one house to another.

Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,

eat what is set before you,

cure the sick in it and say to them,

‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’”

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St. Gerard

St. Gerard

    St. Gerard Majella, religious, is the patron of expectant mothers. He was born at Muro, Italy, in 1726 and joined the Redemptorists at the age of 23, becoming a professed lay brother in 1752. He served as sacristan, gardener, porter, infirmarian, and tailor. However, because of his great piety, extraordinary wisdom, and his gift of reading consciences, he was permitted to counsel communities of religious women.

This humble servant of God also had the faculties of levitation and bi-location associated with certain mystics. His charity, obedience, and selfless service as well as his ceaseless mortification for Christ, made him the perfect model of lay brothers. He was afflicted with tuberculosis and died in 1755 at the age of twenty-nine.

This great saint is invoked as a patron of expectant mothers as a result of a miracle effected through his prayers for a woman in labor.

Prayer: O Great Saint Gerard, beloved servant of Jesus Christ, perfect imitator of your meek and humble Savior, and devoted Child of the Mother of God: enkindle within my heart one spark of that heavenly fire of charity which glowed in your heart and made you an angel of love. O glorious Saint Gerard, because when falsely accused of crime, you did bear, like your Divine master, without murmur or complaint, the calumnies of wicked men, you have been raised up by God as the Patron and Protector of expectant mothers. Preserve me from danger and from the excessive pains accompanying childbirth, and shield the child which I now carry, that it may see the light of day and receive the lustral waters of baptism through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr

Lectionary: 471

Reading 1

EPH 1:11-14

Brothers and sisters:

In Christ we were also chosen,

destined in accord with the purpose of the One

who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,

so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,

we who first hoped in Christ.

In him you also, who have heard the word of truth,

the Gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him,

were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

which is the first installment of our inheritance

toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 33:1-2, 4-5, 12-13

R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

Exult, you just, in the LORD;

praise from the upright is fitting.

Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;

with the ten stringed lyre chant his praises.

R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

For upright is the word of the LORD,

and all his works are trustworthy.

He loves justice and right;

of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.

R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,

the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.

From heaven the LORD looks down;

he sees all mankind.

R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

Gospel

LK 12:1-7

At that time:

So many people were crowding together 

that they were trampling one another underfoot.

Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples,

“Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees.

“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed,

nor secret that will not be known.

Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness

will be heard in the light,

and what you have whispered behind closed doors

will be proclaimed on the housetops.

I tell you, my friends,

do not be afraid of those who kill the body

but after that can do no more.

I shall show you whom to fear.

Be afraid of the one who after killing

has the power to cast into Gehenna;

yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.

Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?

Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.

Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.

Do not be afraid.

You are worth more than many sparrows.”