by L'équipe de publication | Jun 9, 2023 | Evangelium
SAINT LANDRY
He was the bishop of Paris. He was consecrated in 650 and built the first major hospital in the city, dedicating it to st. Chistopher. It’s today called the L’Hôtel-Dieu.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 24: 16, 18
Turn to me and have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am alone and poor. See my lowliness and suffering and take away all my sins, my God.
Collect
O God, whose providence never fails in its design, keep from us, we humbly beseech you, all that might harm us and grant all that works for our good. 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: Tobit 12: 1, 5-15, 20
When the feasting was over, Tobit called his son Tobias and said, “My son, you ought to think about paying the amount due to your fellow traveller; give him more than the figure agreed on.” So Tobias called his companion and said, “Take half of what you brought back, in payment for all you have done, and go in peace.” Then Raphael took them both aside and said, “Bless God, utter his praise before all the living for all the favours he has given you. Bless and extol his name. Proclaim before all men the deeds of God as they deserve, and never tire of giving him thanks. It is right to keep the secret of a king, yet right to reveal and publish the works of God. Thank him worthily. Do what is good, and no evil can befall you. Prayer with fasting and alms with right conduct are better than riches with iniquity. Better to practise almsgiving than to hoard up gold. Almsgiving saves from death and purges every kind of sin. Those who give alms have their fill of days; those who commit sin and do evil, bring harm on themselves. I am going to tell you the whole truth, hiding nothing from you. I have already told you that it is right to keep the secret of a king, yet right too to reveal in worthy fashion the works of God. So you must know that when you and Sarah were at prayer, it was I who offered your supplications before the glory of the Lord and who read them; so too when you were burying the dead. When you did not hesitate to get up and leave the table to go and bury a dead man, I was sent to test your faith, and at the same time God sent me to heal you and your daughter-in-law Sarah. I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand ever ready to enter the presence of the glory of the Lord. Now bless the Lord on earth and give thanks to God. I am about to return to him above who sent me.”
Psalm Tobit 13: 2, 6-8
R/ Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
By turns he punishes and pardons; he sends men down to the depths of the underworld and draws them up from supreme Destruction; no one can escape his hand.
If you return to him with all your heart and all your soul, behaving honestly towards him, then he will return to you and hide his face from you no longer.
Consider how well he has treated you; loudly give him thanks. Bless the Lord of justice and extol the King of the ages.
I for my part sing his praise in the country of my exile; I make his power and greatness known to a nation that has sinned.
Sinners, return to him; let your conduct be upright before him; perhaps he will be gracious to you and take pity on you.
Gospel Acclamation: cf. Lk 8: 15
Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed are those who, with a noble and generous heart, take the word of God to themselves and yield a harvest through their perseverance. Alleluia!
Gospel: Mark 12:38-44
In his teaching Jesus said, “Beware of the scribes who like to walk about in long robes, to be greeted obsequiously in the market squares, to take the front seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets; these are the men who swallow the property of widows, while making a show of lengthy prayers. The more severe will be the sentence they receive.” He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the treasury, and many of the rich put in a great deal. A poor widow came and put in two small coins, the equivalent of a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, “I tell you solemnly, this poor widow has put more in than all who have contributed to the treasury; for they have all put in money they had over, but she from the little she had has put in everything she possessed, all she had to live on.”
Prayer over the Offerings
Trusting in your compassion, O Lord, we come eagerly with our offerings to your sacred altar, that, through the purifying action of your grace, we may be cleansed by the very mysteries we serve. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 16: 6
To you I call, for you will surely heed me, O God; turn your ear to me; hear my words.
Prayer after Communion
Govern by your Spirit, we pray, O Lord, those you feed with the Body and Blood of your Son, that, professing you not just in word or in speech, but also in works and in truth, we may merit to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Jesus saw this widow put her penny into the treasury. He liked her gesture and communicated something important to his disciples: “Amen, I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.” First of all, she gave despite her poverty which did not discourage her. Secondly, she gave all she had. Although poor, she had something to give to God. She accepted to be lacking, so that God, in her life, was the first to be served. Unlike us today, she knew how to face the risk of being in lack, like the widow of Zarephath who sacrificed her last handful of flour for Elijah. Neither before God nor before men was she afraid to give of all her poverty; this is what touched Jesus. She knew that she would be poorer for it, but her simple, upright faith told her that God would provide and that she did not have to become rich to give. God welcomes the offering of the poor who accept to remain before him and before poor people.
by L'équipe de publication | Jun 8, 2023 | Evangelium
SAINT EPHRAEM THE DEACON
Saint Ephraem was a poet and a theologian. He is famous not only for the beauty of expression of his homilies but also for his hymns, which have spread far beyond his native Syriac church and are in use in East and West alike.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 24: 16, 18
Turn to me and have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am alone and poor. See my lowliness and suffering and take away all my sins, my God.
Collect
O God, whose providence never fails in its design, keep from us, we humbly beseech you, all that might harm us and grant all that works for our good. 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: Tobit 11: 5-17
Anna was sitting, watching the road by which her son would come. She was sure at once it must be he and said to the father, “Here comes your son, with his companion.” Raphael said to Tobias before he reached his father, “I give you my word that your father’s eyes will open. You must put the fish’s gall to his eyes; the medicine will smart and will draw a filmy white skin off his eyes. And your father will be able to see and look on the light.” The mother ran forward and threw her arms round her son’s neck. “Now I can die,” she said “I have seen you again.” And she wept. Tobit rose to his feet and stumbled across the courtyard through the door. Tobias came on towards him (he had the fish’s gall in his hand). He blew into his eyes and said, steadying him, “Take courage, father!” With this he applied the medicine, left it there a while, then with both hands peeled away a filmy skin from the corners of his eyes. Then his father fell on his neck and wept. He exclaimed, “I can see, my son, the light of my eyes!” And he said: “Blessed be God! Blessed be his great name! Blessed be all his holy angels! Blessed be his great name for evermore! For he had scourged me and now has had pity on me and I see my son Tobias.” Tobias went into the house, and with a loud voice joyfully blessed God. Then he told his father everything: how his journey had been successful and he had brought the silver back; how he had married Sarah, the daughter of Raguel; how she was following him now, close behind, and could not be far from the gates of Nineveh. Tobit set off to the gates of Nineveh to meet his daughter-in-law, giving joyful praise to God as he went. When the people of Nineveh saw him walking without a guide and stepping forward as briskly as of old, they were astonished. Tobit described to them how God had taken pity on him and had opened his eyes. Then Tobit met Sarah, the bride of his son Tobias, and blessed her in these words, “Welcome, daughter! Blessed be your God for sending you to us, my daughter. Blessings on your father, blessings on my son Tobias, blessings on yourself, my daughter. Welcome now to your own house in joyfulness and in blessedness. Come in, my daughter.” He held a feast that day for all the Jews of Nineveh.
Psalm 145(146): 2, 7-10
R/ My soul, give praise to the Lord.
My soul, give praise to the Lord: I will praise the Lord all my days, make music to my God while I live.
It is the Lord who keeps faith for ever, who is just to those who are oppressed. It is he who gives bread to the hungry, the Lord, who sets prisoners free,
It is the Lord who gives sight to the blind, who raises up those who are bowed down, the Lord, who protects the stranger and upholds the widow and orphan.
It is the Lord who loves the just but thwarts the path of the wicked. The Lord will reign for ever, Zion’s God, from age to age.
Gospel Acclamation: cf. Ps 18: 9
Alleluia, alleluia! Your words gladden the heart, O Lord, they give light to the eyes. Alleluia!
Gospel: Mark 12: 35-37
At that time while teaching in the Temple, Jesus said, “How can the scribes maintain that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, moved by the Holy Spirit, said: The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand and I will put your enemies under your feet. David himself calls him Lord, in what way then can he be his son?” And the great majority of the people heard this with delight.
Prayer over the Offerings
Trusting in your compassion, O Lord, we come eagerly with our offerings to your sacred altar, that, through the purifying action of your grace, we may be cleansed by the very mysteries we serve. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 16: 6
To you I call, for you will surely heed me, O God; turn your ear to me; hear my words.
Prayer after Communion
Govern by your Spirit, we pray, O Lord, those you feed with the Body and Blood of your Son, that, professing you not just in word or in speech, but also in works and in truth, we may merit to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
“David himself calls him Lord. Where does it come from then that he is his son?” The promise mentioned a Messiah, a man, a son of David. But God sent a Messiah who is more than a man, since he shares the glory of the one who sent him and, above all, bears the name of Lord. The Jews did not believe him to be so great that he was eternal, and they disregarded him both in his abasement and in his death. But we believe that man’s expectation, however painful, must be prolonged in faith in the goodness of God; it will lead to a greater happiness, perhaps even here on earth. We confess that the Lord Jesus, son of David and Son of God, is for all humanity a mystery and a call. May his person never cease to challenge us, so that through him and in him we may continually seek the Father.
BLESSED JAMES BERTHIEU
Born in France, he was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1864. In 1875 he left for Madagascar where he spent the rest of his life. On the night of 8 June 1896, while he was praying, he was shot dead and his body thrown in the river Mananara.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 24: 16, 18
Turn to me and have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am alone and poor. See my lowliness and suffering and take away all my sins, my God.
Collect
O God, whose providence never fails in its design, keep from us, we humbly beseech you, all that might harm us and grant all that works for our good. 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: Tobit 6: 10-11, 7: 1, 9-14, 8: 4-9
Raphael and Tobit entered Media and had nearly reached Ecbetana when Raphael said to the boy, “Brother Tobias.” “Yes?” he answered. The angel went on, “Tonight we shall be staying with Raguel, who is a kinsman of yours. He has a daughter called Sarah, but apart from Sarah he has no other son or daughter.” As they entered Ecbatana, Tobias said, “Brother Azarias, take me at once to our brother Raguel’s.” And he showed him the way to the house of Raguel, whom they found sitting beside his courtyard door. They greeted him first, and he replied, “Welcome and greetings, brothers.” And he took them into his house. He said to his wife Edna, “How like my brother Tobit this young man is!” Raguel killed a sheep from the flock, and they gave them a warm-hearted welcome. They washed and bathed and sat down to table. Then Tobias said to Raphael, “Brother Azarias, will you ask Raguel to give me my sister Sarah?” Raguel overheard the words, and said to the young man, “Eat and drink, and make the most of your evening; no one else has the right to take my daughter Sarah – no one but you, my brother. In any case I, for my own part, am not at liberty to give her to anyone else, since you are her next of kin. However, my boy, I must be frank with you: I have tried to find a husband for her seven times among our kinsmen, and all of them have died the first evening, on-going to her room. But for the present, my boy, eat and drink; the Lord will grant you his grace and peace.” Tobias spoke out, “I will not hear of eating and drinking till you have come to a decision about me.” Raguel answered, “Very well. Since, as prescribed by the Book of Moses, she is given to you, heaven itself decrees she shall be yours. I therefore entrust your sister to you. From now you are her brother and she is your sister. She is given to you from today for ever. The Lord of heaven favour you tonight, my child, and grant you his grace and peace.” Raguel called for his daughter Sarah, took her by the hand and gave her to Tobias with these words, “I entrust her to you; the law and the ruling recorded in the Book of Moses assign her to you as your wife. Take her; take her home to your father’s house with a good conscience. The God of heaven grant you a good journey in peace.” Then he turned to her mother and asked her to fetch him writing paper. He drew up the marriage contract, how he gave his daughter as bride to Tobias according to the ordinance in the Law of Moses. After this they began to eat and drink. The parents, meanwhile, had gone out and shut the door behind them. Tobias rose from the bed, and said to Sarah, “Get up, my sister! You and I must pray and petition our Lord to win his grace and his protection.” She stood up, and they began praying for protection, and this was how he began: “You are blessed, O God of our fathers; blessed, too, is your name for ever and ever. Let the heavens bless you and all things you have made for evermore. It was you who created Adam, you who created Eve his wife to be his help and support; and from these two the human race was born. It was you who said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; let us make him a helpmate like himself.’ And so I do not take my sister for any lustful motive; I do it in singleness of heart. Be kind enough to have pity on her and on me and bring us to old age together.” And together they said, “Amen, Amen”, and lay down for the night.
Psalm 127(128): 1-5
R/ O blessed are those who fear the Lord.
O blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways! By the labour of your hands you shall eat. You will be happy and prosper.
YoOne of the Scribes came up to Jesus and put a question to him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” The Scribe said to him, “Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true: that he is one and there is no other. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any holocaust or sacrifice.” Jesus, seeing how wisely he had spoken, said, “You are not far from
by L'équipe de publication | Jun 6, 2023 | Evangelium
SAINT COLMAN OF DROMORE
He was active in the late fifth and early sixth centuries. He spent most of his life in the Dromore area of County Down. He was persuaded by Saint Mac Nissi to settle at Dromore in around 514, where he became the first bishop of the See of Dromore.
Entrance Antiphon
Turn to me and have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am alone and poor. See my lowliness and suffering and take away all my sins, my God.
Collect
O God, whose providence never fails in its design, keep from us, we humbly beseech you, all that might harm us and grant all that works for our good. 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: Tobit 3: 1-11, 16-17
Sad at heart, I, Tobit, sighed and wept, and began this prayer of lamentation: “You are just, O Lord, and just are all your works. All your ways are grace and truth, and you are the Judge of the world. Therefore, Lord, remember me, look on me. Do not punish me for my sins or for my heedless faults or for those of my fathers. For we have sinned against you and broken your commandments; and you have given us over to be plundered, to captivity and death, to be the talk, the laughing-stock and scorn of all the nations among whom you have dispersed us. Whereas all your decrees are true when you deal with me as my faults deserve, and those of my fathers, since we have neither kept your commandments nor walked in truth before you; so now, do with me as you will; be pleased to take my life from me; I desire to be delivered from earth and to become earth again. For death is better for me than life. I have been reviled without a cause and I am distressed beyond measure. Lord, I wait for the sentence you will give to deliver me from this affliction. Let me go away to my everlasting home; do not turn your face from me, O Lord. For it is better to die than still to live in the face of trouble that knows no pity; I am weary of hearing myself traduced.” It chanced on the same day that Sarah the daughter of Raguel, who lived in Media at Ecbatana, also heard insults from one of her father’s maids. You must know that she had been given in marriage seven times, and that Asmodeus, that worst of demons, had killed her bridegrooms one after another before ever they had slept with her as man with wife. The servant-girl said, “Yes, you kill your bridegrooms yourself. That makes seven already to whom you have been given, and you have not once been in luck yet. Just because your bridegrooms have died, that is no reason for punishing us. Go and join them, and may we be spared the sight of any child of yours!” That day, she grieved, she sobbed, and went up to her father’s room intending to hang herself. But then she thought, “Suppose they blamed my father! They will say, “You had an only daughter whom you loved, and now she has hanged herself for grief.” I cannot cause my father a sorrow which would bring down his old age to the dwelling of the dead. I should do better not to hang myself, but to beg the Lord to let me die and not live to hear anymore insults.” This time the prayer of each of them found favour before the glory of God, and Raphael was sent to bring remedy to them both. He was to take the white spots from the eyes of Tobit, so that he might see God’s light with his own eyes; and he was to give Sarah, the daughter of Raguel, as bride to Tobias son of Tobit, and to rid her of Asmodeus, that worst of demons. For it was to Tobias before all other suitors that she belonged by right. Tobit was coming back from the courtyard into the house at the same moment as Sarah, the daughter of Raguel, was coming down from the upper room.
Psalm 24 (25): 2-9
R/ To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
I trust you, let me not be disappointed; do not let my enemies triumph. Those who hope in you shall not be disappointed, but only those who wantonly break faith.
Lord, make me know your ways. Lord, teach me your paths. Make me walk in your truth, and teach me: for you are God my saviour.
In you I hope all day long because of your goodness, O Lord. Remember your mercy, Lord, and the love you have shown from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth. In your love remember me.
The Lord is good and upright. He shows the path to those who stray, He guides the humble in the right path, He teaches his way to the poor.
Gospel Acclamation: Jn17:17
Alleluia, alleluia! Your word is truth, O Lord: consecrate us in the truth. Alleluia!
Gospel: Mark 12:18-27
Some Sadducees – who deny that there is a resurrection – came to him and they put this question to him, “Master, we have it from Moses in writing, if a man’s brother dies leaving a wife but no child, the man must marry the widow to raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first married a wife and then died leaving no children. The second married the widow, and he too died leaving no children; with the third it was the same, and none of the seven left any children. Last of all the woman herself died. Now at the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be, since she had been married to all seven?” Jesus said to them, “Is not the reason why you go wrong, that you understand neither the scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, men and women do not marry; no, they are like the angels in heaven. Now about the dead rising again, have you never read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the Bush, how God spoke to him and said: I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? He is God, not of the dead, but of the living. You are very much mistaken.”
Prayer over the Offerings
Trusting in your compassion, O Lord, we come eagerly with our offerings to your sacred altar, that, through the purifying action of your grace, we may be cleansed by the very mysteries we serve. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 16: 6
To you I call, for you will surely heed me, O God; turn your ear to me; hear my words.
Prayer after Communion
Govern by your Spirit, we pray, O Lord, those you feed with the Body and Blood of your Son, that, professing you not just in word or in speech, but also in works and in truth, we may merit to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
To make himself known to Moses, God referred to the three patriarchs as living. They are alive when God speaks to Moses, because they have been enlivened by the power of God since the moment of their bodily death, and so they are destined for the Resurrection. The same mystery will happen to all those who die in friendship with God. The Resurrection is not a reproduction of the habits of this world; it is communion with the life of God. Thus, whether it be brotherly life, married life, filial piety or the tenderness of loved ones, all love which, on earth, will have translated the love of God, will be taken up, assumed, and transcended by the love of God which will be all in all, for love of God. Yes, to believe in the Resurrection is to allow oneself to be inhabited by hope. It changes the way we look around us. May we be graced to taste the fruits of the Resurrection through each Eucharist.
by L'équipe de publication | Jun 5, 2023 | Evangelium
SAINT NORBERT
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: Cf. Ps 24: 16, 18
Turn to me and have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am alone and poor. See my lowliness and suffering and take away all my sins, my God.
Collect
O God, whose providence never fails in its design, keep from us, we humbly beseech you, all that might harm us and grant all that works for our good. 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: Tobit 2: 9-14
I, Tobit, took a bath; then I went into the courtyard and lay down by the courtyard wall. Since it was hot, I left my face uncovered. I did not know that there were sparrows in the wall above my head; their hot droppings fell into my eyes. White spots then formed, which I was obliged to have treated by the doctors. But the more ointments they tried me with, the more the spots blinded me, and in the end I became blind altogether. I remained without sight four years; all my brothers were distressed; and Ahikar provided for my upkeep for two years, till he left for Elymais. My wife Anna then undertook woman’s work; she would spin wool and take cloth to weave; she used to deliver whatever had been ordered from her and then receive payment. Now on March the seventh she finished a piece of work and delivered it to her customers. They paid her all that was due, and into the bargain presented her with a kid for a meal. When the kid came into my house, it began to bleat. I called to my wife and said, “Where does this creature come from? Suppose it has been stolen! Quick, let the owners have it back; we have no right to eat stolen goods.” She said, “No, it was a present given me over and above my wages.” I did not believe her, and told her to give it back to the owners (I blushed at this in her presence). Then she answered, “What about your own alms? What about your own good works? Everyone knows what return you have had for them.”
Psalm 111(112):1-2,7-9
R/ With a firm heart he trusts in the Lord.
Happy the man who fears the Lord, who takes delight in all his commands. His sons will be powerful on earth; the children of the upright are blessed.
He has no fear of evil news; with a firm heart he trusts in the Lord. With a steadfast heart he will not fear; he will see the downfall of his foes.
Open-handed, he gives to the poor; his justice stands firm for ever. His head will be raised in glory.
Gospel Acclamation: Heb 4: 12
Alleluia, alleluia! The word of God is something alive and active: it can judge secret emotions and thoughts. Alleluia!
Gospel: Mark 12: 13-17
The chief priests and the scribes and the elders sent to Jesus some Pharisees and some Herodians to catch him out in what he said. These came and said to him, “Master, we know you are an honest man, that you are not afraid of anyone, because a man’s rank means nothing to you, and that you teach the way of God in all honesty. Is it permissible to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay, yes or no?” Seeing through their hypocrisy he said to them, “Why do you set this trap for me? Hand me a denarius and let me see it.” They handed him one and he said, “Whose head is this? Whose name?” “Caesar’s”, they told him. Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar – and to God what belongs to God.” This reply took them completely by surprise.
Prayer over the Offerings
Trusting in your compassion, O Lord, we come eagerly with our offerings to your sacred altar, that, through the purifying action of your grace, we may be cleansed by the very mysteries we serve. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 16: 6
To you I call, for you will surely heed me, O God; turn your ear to me; hear my words.
Prayer after Communion
Govern by your Spirit, we pray, O Lord, those you feed with the Body and Blood of your Son, that, professing you not just in word or in speech, but also in works and in truth, we may merit to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
In addition to indirect taxes, all those subject to the Roman dictatorship had to pay a personal tax called the tribute, and only children and the elderly were exempted. This tribute was hated by all, especially by the resistance fighters (Zealots) who forced people to refuse it, because it was a sign of subjection to the Roman occupier. Suddenly, Jesus comes to oppose this trap with a truth that is imposed on all. We have to understand that the limits of life here on earth must not in any way affect our hope which must remain great. May the Lord give us the knowledge to render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to seek constantly to render to God what is God’s. For as St. Augustine tells us: “Let your country be more important to you than your parents! Do not listen to them if they give you an order against the fatherland! But do not listen to your country, if it were to give you an order against God.”
by L'équipe de publication | Jun 4, 2023 | Evangelium
Saint Boniface
Bishop, Martyr
Born in England about 680, St. Boniface became a Benedictine monk. He was appointed the first bishop of Germany by Pope Gregory II. Together with thirty companions, he died a martyrs dead in 754.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Phil 2: 30
This Saint went as far as death, handing over his life to destruction for the work of Christ.
Collect
May the Martyr Saint Boniface be our advocate, O Lord, that we may firmly hold the faith he taught with his lips and sealed in his blood and confidently profess it by our deeds. 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: Tobit 1:3, 2: 1-8
I, Tobit, have walked in paths of truth and in good works all the days of my life. I have given much in alms to my brothers and fellow countrymen, exiled like me to Nineveh in the country of Assyria. In the reign of Esarhaddon I returned home, and my wife Anna was restored to me with my son Tobias. At our feast of Pentecost (the feast of Weeks) there was a good dinner. I took my place for the meal; the table was brought to me and various dishes were brought. Then I said to my son Tobias, “Go, my child, and seek out some poor, loyal-hearted man among our brothers exiled in Nineveh, and bring him to share my meal. I will wait until you come back, my child.” So Tobias went out to look for some poor man among our brothers, but he came back again and said, “Father!” I answered, “What is it, my child?” He went on, “Father, one of our nation has just been murdered; he has been strangled and then thrown down in the market place; he is there still.” I sprang up at once, left my meal untouched, took the man from the market place and laid him in one of my rooms, waiting until sunset to bury him. I came in again and washed myself and ate my bread in sorrow, remembering the words of the prophet Amos concerning Bethel: Your feasts will be turned to mourning, and all your songs to lamentation. And I wept. When the sun was down, I went and dug a grave and buried him. My neighbours laughed and said, “See! He is not afraid anymore.” (You must remember that a price had been set on my head earlier for this very thing.) “The time before this he had to flee, yet here he is, beginning to bury the dead again.”
Psalm 111(112):1-2,3b-6
R/ Happy the man who fears the Lord.
Happy the man who fears the Lord, who takes delight in all his commands. His sons will be powerful on earth; the children of the upright are blessed.
Riches and wealth are in his house; his justice stands firm for ever. He is a light in the darkness for the upright: he is generous, merciful and just.
The good man takes pity and lends, he conducts his affairs with honour. The just man will never waver: he will be remembered for ever.
Gospel Acclamation: cf. Col 3: 16a, 17
Alleluia, alleluia! Let the message of Christ, in all its richness, find a home with you; through him give thanks to God the Father. Alleluia!
Gospel: Mark 12:1-12
Jesus began to speak to the chief priests, the scribes and the elders in parables: “A man planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug out a trough for the winepress and built a tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad. When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce from the vineyard. But they seized the man, thrashed him and sent him away empty-handed. Next, he sent another servant to them; him they beat about the head and treated shamefully. And he sent another and him they killed; then a number of others, and they thrashed some and killed the rest. He had still someone left: his beloved son. He sent him to them last of all. ‘They will respect my son’ he said. But those tenants said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they seized him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. Now what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and make an end of the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this text of scripture: ‘It was the stone rejected by the builders that became the keystone. This was the Lord’s doing and it is wonderful to see?’” And they would have liked to arrest him, because they realised that the parable was aimed at them, but they were afraid of the crowds. So they left him alone and went away.
Prayer over the Offerings
As we commemorate the martyrdom of blessed N., O Lord, we make our offerings at your altar, praying that we, who celebrate the mysteries of our Lord’s Passion, may imitate what we now do. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Mk 8: 35
Whoever loses his life for the sake of the Gospel will save it, says the Lord.
Prayer after Communion
As we celebrate the heavenly banquet, we beseech you, Lord, that, in following such a great example of faith, we may be encouraged by the remembrance of the blessed Martyr N. and led on by his (her) gracious intercession. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
In the Temple, Jesus confronts the chief priests, the elders and the scribes. He does not want to explicitly reveal to them where his authority comes from (Mk 11:28). But he is a man who does everything for his vineyard… The vineyard of the Lord of the universe is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are the plant he cherishes. He expected justice but got injustice. All he found was the cry of the wretched. (Is 5, 7). In the parable Jesus gives, it is not the lack of fruit (as with the fig tree) or its poor quality that will be denounced, but the greed of the vinedressers, regardless of the productivity of the vineyard. After having received grace after grace freely, we, like the indelicate vintners, may not have made good use of it. Let us turn away from our bad behaviours and convert ourselves by taking responsibility and welcoming the God of Mercy.
by L'équipe de publication | Jun 3, 2023 | Evangelium
9th Sunday of ordinary time
The Most Holy Trinity
Solemnity
Entrance Antiphon
Blest be God the Father, and the Only Begotten Son of God, and also the Holy Spirit, for he has shown us his merciful love.
Collect
God our Father, who by sending into the world the Word of truth and the Spirit of sanctification made known to the human race your wondrous mystery, grant us, we pray, that in professing the true faith, we may acknowledge the Trinity of eternal glory and adore your Unity, powerful in majesty. 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: Exodus 34:4-6,8-9
With the two tablets of stone in his hands, Moses went up the mountain of Sinai in the early morning as the Lord had commanded him. And the Lord descended in the form of a cloud, and Moses stood with him there. He called on the name of the Lord. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, a God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in kindness and faithfulness.” And Moses bowed down to the ground at once and worshipped. “If I have indeed won your favour, Lord,” he said, “let my Lord come with us, I beg. True, they are a headstrong people, but forgive us our faults and our sins, and adopt us as your heritage.”
Psalm Daniel 3:52-56
R/ To you glory and praise for evermore.
You are blest, Lord God of our fathers.
Blest your glorious holy name.
You are blest in the temple of your glory.
You are blest on the throne of your kingdom.
You are blest who gaze into the depths.
You are blest in the firmament of heaven.
Second reading: 2 Corinthians 13: 11-13
Brothers, we wish you happiness; try to grow perfect; help one another. Be united; live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with the holy kiss. All the saints send you greetings. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Gospel Acclamation: cf. Rv 1:8
Alleluia, alleluia! Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; the God who is, who was, and who is to come. Alleluia!
Gospel: John 3:16-18
Jesus said to Nicodemus: “God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life. For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved. No one who believes in him will be condemned; but whoever refuses to believe is condemned already, because he has refused to believe in the name of God’s only Son.”
Prayer over the Offerings
Sanctify by the invocation of your name, we pray, O Lord our God, this oblation of our service, and by it make of us an eternal offering to you. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Gal 4: 6
Since you are children of God, God has sent into your hearts the Spirit of his Son, the Spirit who cries out: Abba, Father.
Prayer after Communion
May receiving this Sacrament, O Lord our God, bring us health of body and soul, as we confess your eternal holy Trinity and undivided Unity. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity. “May the grace of Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all…” The Holy Trinity is the feast of God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, God who is Love. By his way of life, by his words and his actions, Jesus shows us true love. This in forgiveness, in healing the sick, in welcoming all without exception. For there is no greater love than to give one’s life for those one loves. And today, he invites us to draw the consequences: “Love one another as I have loved you”. Our mission towards one another is to continue what Jesus did. That is why he sends us the Holy Spirit, to guide us towards the whole truth. It is by the love we have for one another that we will be recognized as disciples of Christ. May this same Holy Spirit make us a more fraternal people, who know how to give thanks every day.
