by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Jan 26, 2023 | Evangelium
FRIDAY 27 January
SAINT Angela Merici,
She was born in Desenziano, in Lombardy, in about 1470. In 1535 she founded the Ursulines, an order of nuns devoted to giving a Christian education to girls from poor families. She died in 1540.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 95: 1, 6
O sing a new song to the Lord; sing to the Lord, all the earth. In his presence are majesty and splendour, strength and honour in his holy place.
Collect
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.
First reading: Hebrews 10: 32-39
Remember all the sufferings that you had to meet after you received the light, in earlier days; sometimes by being yourselves publicly exposed to insults and violence, and sometimes as associates of others who were treated in the same way. For you not only shared in the sufferings of those who were in prison, but you happily accepted being stripped of your belongings, knowing that you owned something that was better and lasting. Be as confident now, then, since the reward is so great. You will need endurance to do God’s will and gain what he has promised. Only a little while now, a very little while, and the one that is coming will have come; he will not delay. The righteous man will live by faith, but if he draws back, my soul will take no pleasure in him. You and I are not the sort of people who draw back, and are lost by it; we are the sort who keep faithful until our souls are saved.
Psalm 36(37): 3-6, 23-24, 39-40
R/ The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
If you trust in the Lord and do good, then you will live in the land and be secure. If you find your delight in the Lord, he will grant your heart’s desire.
Commit your life to the Lord, trust in him and he will act, so that your justice breaks forth like the light, your cause like the noon-day sun.
The Lord guides the steps of a man and makes safe the path of one he loves. Though he stumble he shall never fall for the Lord holds him by the hand.
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord, their stronghold in time of distress. The Lord helps them and delivers them and saves them: for their refuge is in him.
Gospel Acclamation: Ps118:27
Alleluia, alleluia! Make me grasp the way of your precepts, and I will muse on your wonders. Alleluia!
Gospel: Mark 4:26-34
Jesus said to the crowds: “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man throws seed on the land. Night and day, while he sleeps, when he is awake, the seed is sprouting and growing; how, he does not know. Of its own accord the land produces first the shoot, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the crop is ready, he loses no time: he starts to reap because the harvest has come.” He also said, “What can we say the kingdom of God is like? What parable can we find for it? It is like a mustard seed which at the time of its sowing in the soil is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet once it is sown it grows into the biggest shrub of them all and puts out big branches so that the birds of the air can shelter in its shade.” Using many parables like these, he spoke the word to them, so far as they were capable of understanding it. He would not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything to his disciples when they were alone.
Prayer over the Offerings
Accept our offerings, O Lord, we pray, and in sanctifying them grant that they may profit us for salvation. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 33: 6
Look toward the Lord and be radiant; let your faces not be abashed.
Prayer after Communion
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, receiving the grace by which you bring us to new life, we may always glory in your gift. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
The Reign of God or the Kingdom of God is not a human work but a divine initiative. Its growth is a mystery to us; it does not spread or produce fruit by our talents but by the power of God himself. Instead of being compared to an impressive reality, Jesus compares him to a tiny mustard seed. God always chooses the little to accomplish a remarkable work beyond our expectations.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Jan 25, 2023 | Evangelium
THURSDAY 26 January
SAINT TIMOTHY AND TITUS,
Bishops
Timothy and Titus were converted to Christianity by St Paul, and became his companions and helpers. He wrote them the so-called “pastoral” epistles, giving advice for pastors and people alike.
Entrance Antiphon: Ps 95: 3-4
Tell among the nations his glory, and his wonders among all the peoples, for the Lord is great and highly to be praised.
Collect
O God, who adorned Saints Timothy and Titus with apostolic virtues, grant, through the intercession of them both, that, living justly and devoutly in this present age, we may merit to reach our heavenly homeland. 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: 2 Timothy 1: 1-8
From Paul, appointed by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus in his design to promise life in Christ Jesus; to Timothy, dear child of mine, wishing you grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Christ Jesus our Lord. Night and day I thank God, keeping my conscience clear and remembering my duty to him as my ancestors did, and always I remember you in my prayers; I remember your tears and long to see you again to complete my happiness. Then I am reminded of the sincere faith which you have; it came first to live in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice, and I have no doubt that it is the same faith in you as well. That is why I am reminding you now to fan into a flame the gift that God gave you when I laid my hands on you. God’s gift was not a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit of power, and love, and self-control. So you are never to be ashamed of witnessing to the Lord, or ashamed of me for being his prisoner; but with me, bear the hardships for the sake of the Good News, relying on the power of God who has saved us and called us to be holy.
Psalm 95(96): 1-3, 7-8, 10
R/ Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
O sing a new song to the Lord, sing to the Lord all the earth. O sing to the Lord, bless his name.
Proclaim his help day by day, tell among the nations his glory and his wonders among all the peoples.
Give the Lord, you families of peoples, give the Lord glory and power; give the Lord the glory of his name.
Proclaim to the nations: ‘God is king.’ The world he made firm in its place; he will judge the peoples in fairness.
Gospel Acclamation: Ph 2: 15-16
Alleluia, alleluia! You will shine in the world like bright stars because you are offering it the word of life. Alleluia!
Gospel: Mark 4: 21-25
Jesus said to the crowd, “Would you bring in a lamp to put it under a tub or under the bed? Surely you will put it on the lamp-stand? For there is nothing hidden but it must be disclosed, nothing kept secret except to be brought to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to this.” He also said to them, “Take notice of what you are hearing. The amount you measure out is the amount you will be given – and more besides; for the man who has will be given more; from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
Prayer over the Offerings
Receive, O Lord, we pray, the offerings of your people, which we bring in celebration of Saints Timothy and Titus, and, in your kindness, render us fully acceptable by giving us sincerity of heart. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Mk 16: 15; Mt 28: 20
Go into all the world, and proclaim the Gospel. I am with you always, says the Lord.
Prayer after Communion
May the Sacrament we have received, O Lord our God, nourish in us that faith taught by the preaching of the Apostles and kept safe by the labours of Saints Timothy and Titus. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Jesus Christ is the light of the world, the lamp that enlightens our lives; “whoever looks to him will shine” (Ps 33:6). He is the light of the world who came to reveal the Father to us, and the forces of darkness did not prevent him from going to the end of his mission. Even today, his Word, written in our hearts, enlightens us and brings us to the knowledge of the truth. As Christians, our vocation is to live each day as sons and daughters of the light. We must let the light of universal love that God himself brought forth in us on the day of our Baptism shine through and radiate, and the perfect manifestation of this light of love is the joy that we must produce around us.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Jan 24, 2023 | Evangelium
WEDNESDAY 25 January
The Conversion of SAINT PAUL, Apostle Feast
Saul, the young man who looked after the cloaks of the men who were stoning St Stephen, grew into a dedicated and efficient persecutor of Christians. Today’s feast celebrates the day that Christ appeared to him in a vision as he was on the way to Damascus, reproached him for his persecutions and converted him to the true faith.
Entrance Antiphon: 2 Tim 1: 12; 4: 8
I know the one in whom I have believed and I am sure that he, the just judge, the mighty, will keep safe what is my due until that day.
Collect
O God, who taught the whole world through the preaching of the blessed Apostle Paul, draw us, we pray, nearer to you through the example of him whose conversion we celebrate today, and so make us witnesses to your truth in the world. 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 22: 3-16
Paul said to the people, “I am a Jew and was born at Tarsus in Cilicia. I was brought up here in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was taught the exact observance of the Law of our ancestors. In fact, I was as full of duty towards God as you are today. I even persecuted this Way to the death, and sent women as well as men to prison in chains as the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify, since they even sent me with letters to their brothers in Damascus. When I set off it was with the intention of bringing prisoners back from there to Jerusalem for punishment. I was on that journey and nearly at Damascus when about midday a bright light from heaven suddenly shone round me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ I answered: ‘Who are you, Lord?’ and he said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, and you are persecuting me.’ The people with me saw the light but did not hear his voice as he spoke to me. I said: What am I to do, Lord? The Lord answered, ‘Stand up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told what you have been appointed to do.’ The light had been so dazzling that I was blind and my companions had to take me by the hand; and so I came to Damascus. Someone called Ananias, a devout follower of the Law and highly thought of by all the Jews living there, came to see me; he stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ Instantly my sight came back and I was able to see him. Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Just One and hear his own voice speaking, because you are to be his witness before all mankind, testifying to what you have seen and heard. And now why delay? It is time you were baptised and had your sins washed away while invoking his name.’’’
Psalm 116(117)
R/ Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News.
O praise the Lord, all you nations, acclaim him all you peoples!
Strong is his love for us; he is faithful for ever.
Gospel Acclamation: cf. Jn15:16
Alleluia, alleluia! I chose you from the world to go out and bear fruit, fruit that will last, says the Lord. Alleluia!
Gospel: Mark 16:15-18
Jesus showed himself to the Eleven and said to them: ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned. These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover.’
Prayer over the Offerings
As we celebrate the divine mysteries, O Lord, we pray, may the Spirit fill us with that light of faith with which he constantly enlightened the blessed Apostle Paul for the spreading of your glory. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Gal 2: 20
I live by faith in the Son of God, who has loved me and given himself up for me.
Prayer after Communion
May the Sacrament we have received, O Lord our God, stir up in us that fire of charity with which the blessed Apostle Paul burned ardently as he bore his concern for all the Churches. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
We are all called and sent to proclaim not our gospels but the Gospel of the resurrected Jesus Christ. The apostles were faithful to this mission; they bore witness to Christ by their preaching and by their lives, and today we are Christians. In our turn, we have a personal and collective responsibility to continue this beautiful mission. We are challenged to imitate Christ and his apostles, to carry out the Lord’s commandment to establish the Kingdom where the Father’s will is done. By the example and quality of our lives, we will lead others to believe in Christ.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Jan 23, 2023 | Evangelium
TUESDAY 24 January
SAINT FranCis de Sales
St Francis is the patron saint of writers and journalists, who would do well to imitate his love and his moderation: as he said, “whoever wants to preach effectively must preach with love.”
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Sir 15: 5
In the midst of the Church he opened his mouth, and the Lord filled him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding and clothed him in a robe of glory.
Collect
O God, who for the salvation of souls willed that the Bishop Saint Francis de Sales become all things to all, graciously grant that, following his example, we may always display the gentleness of your charity in the service of our neighbour. 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: Hebrews 10:1-10
Since the Law has no more than a reflection of these realities, and no finished picture of them, it is quite incapable of bringing the worshippers to perfection, with the same sacrifices repeatedly offered year after year. Otherwise, the offering of them would have stopped, because the worshippers, when they had been purified once, would have no awareness of sins. Instead of that, the sins are recalled year after year in the sacrifices. Bulls’ blood and goats’ blood are useless for taking away sins, and this is what he said, on coming into the world: You who wanted no sacrifice or oblation, prepared a body for me. You took no pleasure in holocausts or sacrifices for sin; then I said, just as I was commanded in the scroll of the book, ‘God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will.’ Notice that he says first: You did not want what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the sacrifices, the oblations, the holocausts and the sacrifices for sin, and you took no pleasure in them; and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to obey your will. He is abolishing the first sort to replace it with the second. And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of his body made once and for all by Jesus Christ.
Psalm 39(40): 2, 4, 7-8, 10, 11
R/ Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
I waited, I waited for the Lord and he stooped down to me; he heard my cry. He put a new song into my mouth, praise of our God.
You do not ask for sacrifice and offerings, but an open ear. You do not ask for holocaust and victim. Instead, here am I.
Your justice I have proclaimed in the great assembly. My lips I have not sealed; you know it, O Lord.
I have not hidden your justice in my heart but declared your faithful help. I have not hidden your love and your truth from the great assembly.
Gospel Acclamation: Ps 118: 135
Alleluia, alleluia! Let your face shine on your servant, and teach me your decrees. Alleluia!
Gospel: Mark 3: 31-35
The mother and brothers of Jesus arrived and, standing outside, sent in a message asking for him. A crowd was sitting round him at the time the message was passed to him, “Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside asking for you.” He replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking round at those sitting in a circle about him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and mother.”
Prayer over the Offerings
Through this saving sacrifice which we offer you, O Lord, kindle in our hearts that divine fire of the Holy Spirit with which you wonderfully inflamed the most gentle soul of Saint Francis de Sales. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Lk 12: 42
Behold a faithful and prudent steward to give them their allowance of food at the proper time.
Prayer after Communion
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that through the Sacrament we have received, we may imitate on earth the charity and meekness of Saint Francis de Sales and so attain like him the glory of heaven. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Today’s Gospel speaks to us of the condition of our belonging as brothers and sisters of Christ. If it is true that through Baptism, we become children of God, then Jesus tells us that it is by doing the Father’s will that we remain his brothers and sisters. Jesus reveals to us everything about the Father, what we must do to remain united without prejudice or discrimination, so that we can be called “brothers and sisters in Christ”. How can we recognise this will of the Father? By listening to him through the Holy Scriptures and prayer. We know that we are truly doing his will when we obey what he commands us, even without fully understanding. “Teach me, Lord, to do your will” (Ps 143:10).
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Jan 22, 2023 | Evangelium
MONDAY 23 January
SAINT ILDEPHONSUS
St. Ildephonsus is highly regarded in Spain and closely associated with devotion to the Blessed Virgin which he fostered by his famous work concerning her perpetual virginity.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 95: 1, 6
O sing a new song to the Lord; sing to the Lord, all the earth. In his presence are majesty and splendour, strength and honour in his holy place.
Collect
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.
First reading: Hebrews 9: 15, 24-28
Christ brings a new covenant, as the mediator, only so that the people who were called to an eternal inheritance may actually receive what was promised: his death took place to cancel the sins that infringed the earlier covenant. It is not as though Christ had entered a man-made sanctuary which was only modelled on the real one; but it was heaven itself, so that he could appear in the actual presence of God on our behalf. And he does not have to offer himself again and again, like the high priest going into the sanctuary year after year with the blood that is not his own, or else he would have had to suffer over and over again since the world began. Instead of that, he has made his appearance once and for all, now at the end of the last age, to do away with sin by sacrificing himself. Since men only die once, and after that comes judgement, so Christ, too, offers himself only once to take the faults of many on himself, and when he appears a second time, it will not be to deal with sin but to reward with salvation those who are waiting for him.
Psalm 97(98): 1-6
R/ Sing a new song to the Lord for he has worked wonders.
Sing a new song to the Lord for he has worked wonders. His right hand and his holy arm have brought salvation.
The Lord has made known his salvation; has shown his justice to the nations. He has remembered his truth and love for the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Shout to the Lord, all the earth, ring out your joy.
Sing psalms to the Lord with the harp with the sound of music. With trumpets and the sound of the horn acclaim the King, the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation: Ps 24: 4, 5
Alleluia, alleluia! Teach me your paths, my God, make me walk in your truth. Alleluia!
Gospel: Mark 3: 22-30
The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, “Beelzebul is in him” and, “It is through the prince of devils that he casts devils out.” So he called them to him and spoke to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot last. And if a household is divided against itself, that household can never stand. Now if Satan has rebelled against himself and is divided, he cannot stand either – it is the end of him. But no one can make his way into a strong man’s house and burgle his property unless he has tied up the strong man first. Only then can he burgle his house. I tell you solemnly, all men’s sins will be forgiven, and all their blasphemies; but let anyone blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and he will never have forgiveness: he is guilty of an eternal sin.” This was because they were saying, “An unclean spirit is in him.”
Prayer over the Offerings
Accept our offerings, O Lord, we pray, and in sanctifying them grant that they may profit us for salvation. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 33: 6
Look toward the Lord and be radiant; let your faces not be abashed.
Prayer after Communion
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, receiving the grace by which you bring us to new life, we may always glory in your gift. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
One characteristic of the evil one, which he tries to bequeath on us, is always to devalue the good deeds of others. The Scribes allowed themselves to be overcome by this hardness of heart and spiritual short-sightedness, preventing them from seeing the work of the Holy Spirit in Jesus who expels demons, forgives sins and heals the sick. Through the works of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is revealed to us as Saviour. To attribute the works of the Holy Spirit to the powers of darkness is to be an accomplice of evil and to refuse to be saved by Jesus. This blasphemy separates us from eternal grace and establishes us in eternal sin. Today offers us an opportunity to review the sins in our lives that we fear, implore for God’s mercy.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Jan 21, 2023 | Evangelium
SUNDAY 22 January
3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday of the Word of God
Psalter iii
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 95: 1, 6
O sing a new song to the Lord; sing to the Lord, all the earth. In his presence are majesty and splendour, strength and honour in his holy place.
Collect
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.
First reading: Isaiah 8:23-9:3
In days past the Lord humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in days to come he will confer glory on the Way of the Sea on the far side of Jordan, province of the nations.
The people that walked in darkness has seen a great light; on those who live in a land of deep shadow a light has shone. You have made their gladness greater, you have made their joy increase; they rejoice in your presence as men rejoice at harvest time, as men are happy when they are dividing the spoils. For the yoke that was weighing on him, the bar across his shoulders, the rod of his oppressor – these you break as on the day of Midian.
Psalm 26(27):1,4,13-14
R/ The Lord is my light and my help.
The Lord is my light and my help; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; before whom shall I shrink?
There is one thing I ask of the Lord, for this I long, to live in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life, to savour the sweetness of the Lord, to behold his temple.
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. Hope in him, hold firm and take heart. Hope in the Lord!
Second reading: 1 Corinthians 1:10-13,17
I appeal to you, brothers, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, to make up the differences between you, and instead of disagreeing among yourselves, to be united again in your belief and practice. From what Chloe’s people have been telling me, my dear brothers, it is clear that there are serious differences among you. What I mean are all these slogans that you have, like: “I am for Paul”, “I am for Apollos”, “I am for Cephas”, “I am for Christ.” Has Christ been parcelled out? Was it Paul that was crucified for you? Were you baptised in the name of Paul? For Christ did not send me to baptise, but to preach the Good News, and not to preach that in the terms of philosophy in which the crucifixion of Christ cannot be expressed.
Gospel Acclamation: cf. Mt 4:23
Alleluia, alleluia! Jesus proclaimed the Good News of the kingdom and cured all kinds of sickness among the people. Alleluia!
Gospel: Matthew 4:12-23
Hearing that John had been arrested, Jesus went back to Galilee, and leaving Nazareth he went and settled in Capernaum, a lakeside town on the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali. In this way the prophecy of Isaiah was to be fulfilled: Land of Zebulun! Land of Naphtali! Way of the sea on the far side of Jordan, Galilee of the nations! The people that lived in darkness has seen a great light; on those who dwell in the land and shadow of death a light has dawned. From that moment Jesus began his preaching with the message, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.” As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew; they were making a cast in the lake with their net, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” And they left their nets at once and followed him. Going on from there he saw another pair of brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they were in their boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. At once, leaving the boat and their father, they followed him. He went round the whole of Galilee teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness among the people.
Prayer over the Offerings
Accept our offerings, O Lord, we pray, and in sanctifying them grant that they may profit us for salvation. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 33: 6
Look toward the Lord and be radiant; let your faces not be abashed.
Prayer after Communion
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, receiving the grace by which you bring us to new life, we may always glory in your gift. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
The arrest of John the Baptist is a transition that coincides with the choice of the first disciples of Jesus. It is also a continuity in the proclamation of the message of conversion when Jesus, in turn, proclaims: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.” This is the background on which Jesus calls his first disciples, two brothers and fishermen, Simon and Andrew, by the Sea of Galilee. He chooses them to become “fishers of men”, meaning those who are responsible for gathering people from all over the world into Christ. Paul confirms this unifying mission by exhorting us to greater unity, to perfect harmony of thought and feeling. Thus, through the preaching of our Lord and his Apostles, we who were then in the darkness of division can bear witness to the presence of the Kingdom of heaven.
