Saint Norbert (1080 – 1134)
Psalter: Week III
White
He was born in Xanten, Germany.. After a period of worldly life, at the age of 35 he had a narrow escape from death and his life changed. He became a priest. He founded a religious Order after the rule of St. Augustine. He died in 1134.
Entrance Antiphon: Rv 1: 5-6
Christ loved us and washed us clean of our sins by his Blood, and made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father, alleluia.
Collect
O God, who by the glorification of your Christ and the light of the Holy Spirit have unlocked for us the gates of eternity, grant, we pray, that, partaking of so great a gift, our devotion may grow deeper and our faith be strengthened. 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.
First reading : Acts 25:13-21
King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea and paid their respects to Festus. Their visit lasted several days, and Festus put Paul’s case before the king. ‘There is a man here’ he said ‘whom Felix left behind in custody, and while I was in Jerusalem the chief priests and elders of the Jews laid information against him, demanding his condemnation. But I told them that Romans are not in the habit of surrendering any man, until the accused confronts his accusers and is given an opportunity to defend himself against the charge. So they came here with me, and I wasted no time but took my seat on the tribunal the very next day and had the man brought in. When confronted with him, his accusers did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected; but they had some argument or other with him about their own religion and about a dead man called Jesus whom Paul alleged to be alive. Not feeling qualified to deal with questions of this sort, I asked him if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem to be tried there on this issue. But Paul put in an appeal for his case to be reserved for the judgement of the august emperor, so I ordered him to be remanded until I could send him to Caesar.’
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 102:1-2,11-12,19-20
R/ The Lord has set his sway in heaven.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord all my being, bless his holy name. My soul, give thanks to the Lord and never forget all his blessings.
For as the heavens are high above the earth so strong is his love for those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west so far does he remove our sins.
The Lord has set his sway in heaven and his kingdom is ruling over all. Give thanks to the Lord, all his angels, mighty in power, fulfilling his word.
Gospel Acclamation : Jn14:26
Alleluia, alleluia! The Holy Spirit will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you. Alleluia!
Gospel : John 21:15-19
After Jesus had shown himself to his disciples and eaten with them, he said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?’ He answered, ‘Yes Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He replied, ‘Yes, Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Look after my sheep.’ Then he said to him a third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was upset that he asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and said, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep. ‘I tell you most solemnly, when you were young you put on your own belt and walked where you liked; but when you grow old you will stretch out your hands, and somebody else will put a belt round you and take you where you would rather not go.’ In these words he indicated the kind of death by which Peter would give glory to God. After this he said, ‘Follow me.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Look mercifully, O Lord, we pray, upon the sacrificial gifts of your people, and, that they may become acceptable to you, let the coming of the Holy Spirit cleanse our consciences.
Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Jn 16: 13
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will teach you all truth, says the Lord, alleluia.
Prayer after Communion
O God, by whose mysteries we are cleansed and nourished, grant, we pray, that this banquet which you give us may bring everlasting life. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
“Do you love me?” This question touches on the essence of our relationship with God, which is fundamentally a love affair. From Jesus’ dialogue with Peter, we learn two profound lessons about love. Firstly, love involves forgiveness. By asking Peter three times if he loves him, Jesus reminds him of the three times he denied Him during His passion. Having Peter declare three times that he loves Him, Jesus effectively erases Peter’s earlier betrayal and renews their bond. In this way, Jesus teaches us about his boundless love for us, and His readiness to forgive our numerous betrayals, if we return to Him with contrite hearts. Simultaneously, He expects us to extend forgiveness to those who similarly offend us. Secondly, love entails sacrifice. Jesus tells Peter that professing love implies going where one may not like to go, including laying down one’s life for Jesus. Just as Jesus showed love by giving His life for us, we are called to lay our lives for Him and for those around us. This entails offering our time and resources selflessly for others, allowing them to grow by making ourselves smaller. May Jesus grant us the grace to love as He loves us.