Saint Antony Mary Claret (1807 – 1870)
Psalter: Week I
White
He was born in 1807 and ordained priest in 1835. His uncompromising preaching raised hostility against him. In 1849 he founded a missionary institute of priests: Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Claretian Missionaries). He antagonized the slave owners, and attempts were made on his life. In 1868, revolution caused him to go into exile in France, where he died in 1870.
Entrance Antiphon : Ps 16: 6, 8
Behold a great priest, who in his days pleased God ; therefore, in accordance with his promise, the Lord gave him growth for the good of his people.
Collect
O God, who for evangelisation of peoples strethened the Bishop Saint Anthony Mary Claret with admirable charity and long-suffering, grant, through his intercession, that, seeking the things that are yours, we may earnestly devote ourselves to winning our brothers and sisters for christ. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading : Romans 7:18-25
I know of nothing good living in me – living, that is, in my unspiritual self – for though the will to do what is good is in me, the performance is not, with the result that instead of doing the good things I want to do, I carry out the sinful things I do not want. When I act against my will, then, it is not my true self doing it, but sin which lives in me. In fact, this seems to be the rule, that every single time I want to do good it is something evil that comes to hand. In my inmost self I dearly love God’s Law, but I can see that my body follows a different law that battles against the law which my reason dictates. This is what makes me a prisoner of that law of sin which lives inside my body. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body doomed to death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Responsorial Psalm : Psalm 118(119):66,68,76-77,93-94
R/ Lord, teach me your statutes.
Teach me discernment and knowledge for I trust in your commands. You are good and your deeds are good; teach me your statutes.
Let your love be ready to console me by your promise to your servant. Let your love come and I shall live for your law is my delight.
I will never forget your precepts for with them you give me life. Save me, for I am yours since I seek your precepts.
Gospel Acclamation : Ps94:8
Alleluia, alleluia! Harden not your hearts today, but listen to the voice of the Lord. Alleluia!
Gospel : Luke 12:54-59
Jesus said to the crowds: ‘When you see a cloud looming up in the west you say at once that rain is coming, and so it does. And when the wind is from the south you say it will be hot, and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the face of the earth and the sky. How is it you do not know how to interpret these times? ‘Why not judge for yourselves what is right? For example: when you go to court with your opponent, try to settle with him on the way, or he may drag you before the judge and the judge hand you over to the bailiff and the bailiff have you thrown into prison. I tell you, you will not get out till you have paid the very last penny.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Accept this sacrifice from your people, we pray, O Lord, and make what is offered for your glory, in honour of Saint Anthony Mary Claret a means to our eternal salvation. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon : Ps 32: 18-19
The Good Shepherd has laid down his life for his sheep.
Prayer after Communion
May the Sacrament we have received, O Lord our God, stir up in us that fire of charity with which Saint Anthony Mary Claret burned ardently as he gave himself unceasingly for your Church. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
The Galileans are skillful at observing changing weather conditions. They can interpret the weather conditions based on the direction of the wind and read the face of the earth and the sky. Despite their meteorological skils, they still struggle to read signs of the times they are living in. They fail to grasp from what Jesus was saying and doing that God is moving among them in a unique way. Similarly, we may excel in weather forecasting, and horoscope interpretation but remain unaware of the Lord’s presence in our lives. Jesus promised to be with us always until the end of time. The signs of His presence may not always be dramatic, but are undeniably real. Let us pray for a heightened awareness of grace in our lives, seeking a deeper u derstanding of the subtle yet sign ficant manfetations of Jesus’ presence.