by | Sep 23, 2022 | Evangelium

Saturday 24th  September 2022

 

St. Stephanie

 

St Stephanie was martyred at Denderah in Egypt in the fourth century. Stephanie, who was only 18 years old, suffered death together with about 500 Christians who were accused of preferring Christ to the local gods. Their faith and courage are a great challenge for us today.

 

Entrance Antiphon

I am the salvation of the people, says the Lord. Should they cry to me in any distress, I will hear them, and I will be their Lord for ever.

 

Collect

O God, who founded all the commands of your sacred Law upon love of you and of our neighbour, grant that, by keeping your precepts, we may merit to attain eternal life. 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 : Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:8

Rejoice in your youth, you who are young; let your heart give you joy in your young days. Follow the promptings of your heart and the desires of your eyes. But this you must know: for all these things God will bring you to judgement. Cast worry from your heart, shield your flesh from pain.

Yet youth, the age of dark hair, is vanity. And remember your creator in the days of your youth, before evil days come and the years approach when you say, ‘These give me no pleasure’, before sun and light and moon and stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain; the day when those who keep the house tremble and strong men are bowed; when the women grind no longer at the mill, because day is darkening at the windows and the street doors are shut; when the sound of the mill is faint, when the voice of the bird is silenced, and song notes are stilled, when to go uphill is an ordeal and a walk is something to dread. Yet the almond tree is in flower, the grasshopper is heavy with food and the caper bush bears its fruit, while man goes to his everlasting home. And the mourners are already walking to and fro in the street before the silver cord has snapped, or the golden lamp been broken, or the pitcher shattered at the spring, or the pulley cracked at the well, or before the dust returns to the earth as it once came from it, and the breath to God who gave it. Vanity of vanities, the Preacher says. All is vanity.

 

Psalm 89(90):3-6,12-14,17

R/ O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.

 

  1. You turn men back to dust and say: ‘Go back, sons of men.’ To your eyes a thousand years are like yesterday, come and gone, no more than a watch in the night.
  2. You sweep men away like a dream, like the grass which springs up in the morning. In the morning it springs up and flowers: by evening it withers and fades.
  3. Make us know the shortness of our life that we may gain wisdom of heart. Lord, relent! Is your anger for ever? Show pity to your servants.
  4. In the morning, fill us with your love; we shall exult and rejoice all our days. Let the favour of the Lord be upon us: give success to the work of our hands.

 

Gospel Acclamation : cf.Ac16:14

Alleluia, alleluia! Open our heart, O Lord, to accept the words of your Son. Alleluia!

 

Gospel : Luke 9:43-45

At a time when everyone was full of admiration for all he did, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘For your part, you must have these words constantly in your mind: “The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men.”’ But they did not understand him when he said this; it was hidden from them so that they should not see the meaning of it, and they were afraid to ask him about what he had just said.

 

Prayer over the Offerings

Receive with favour, O Lord, we pray, the offerings of your people, that what they profess with devotion and faith may be theirs through these heavenly mysteries. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon : Ps 118: 4-5

You have laid down your precepts to be carefully kept; may my ways be firm in keeping your statutes.

 

Prayer after Communion

Graciously raise up, O Lord, those you renew with this Sacrament, that we may come to possess your redemption both in mystery and in the manner of our life. Through Christ our Lord.

 

 

Meditation

Why do we think the disciples were so afraid to ask Jesus what they had not understood? Maybe they did not want to hear or think anything about this reality. But today, why do we run after Jesus? This is exactly what true discipleship means; facing the reality of our lives, and being ready to suffer for and with Jesus with our own crosses. We may not necessarily have soldiers behind us with a whip, – like Jesus. Our cross may be seeing a loved one suffer, knowing that we are going to lose someone through an operation, that we will bury a loved one, that we ourselves, may suffer from an accident or the loss of some valuable property necessary for our job or everyday use; it may consist in enduring a period of sociopolitical instability while looking for firm and lasting resolutions, struggling with a friend or relative who is addicted to some poor habit, etc. Jesus assures us of the victory over the reality of our daily crosses.

 

by | Sep 22, 2022 | Evangelium

Friday 23rd  September 2022

 

St. Pius of Pietrelcina

(Padre Pio)

(1887-1968)

 

Padre Pio of Pietrelcina was a Capuchin friar who for more than fifty years bore the stigmata or the bleeding wounds of Jesus. He died a few days after the fiftieth anniversary of his receiving the stigmata, and over 100,000 people attended his funeral.

Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Ps 131: 9

Your priests, O Lord, shall be clothed with justice; your holy ones shall ring out their joy.

 

Collect

Almighty ever-living God, who, by a singular grace, gave the Priest Saint Pius a share in the Cross of your Son and, by means of his ministry, renewed the wonders of your mercy, grant that through his intercession we may be united constantly to the sufferings of Christ, and so brought happily to the glory of the resurrection. 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 : Ecclesiastes 3:1-11

There is a season for everything, a time for every occupation under heaven: A time for giving birth, a time for dying; a time for planting, a time for uprooting what has been planted. A time for killing, a time for healing; a time for knocking down, a time for building. A time for tears, a time for laughter; a time for mourning, a time for dancing. A time for throwing stones away, a time for gathering them up; a time for embracing, a time to refrain from embracing. A time for searching, a time for losing; a time for keeping, a time for throwing away. A time for tearing, a time for sewing; a time for keeping silent, a time for speaking. A time for loving, a time for hating; a time for war, a time for peace. What does a man gain for the efforts that he makes? I contemplate the task that God gives mankind to labour at. All that he does is apt for its time; but though he has permitted man to consider time in its wholeness, man cannot comprehend the work of God from beginning to end.

 

Psalm 143:1-4

R/  Blessed be the Lord, my rock.

 

  1. Blessed be the Lord, my rock. He is my love, my fortress; he is my stronghold, my saviour my shield, my place of refuge.
  2. Lord, what is man that you care for him, mortal man, that you keep him in mind; man who is merely a breath whose life fades like a passing shadow?

 

Gospel Acclamation : cf.Ep1:17,18

Alleluia, alleluia! May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our mind, so that we can see what hope his call holds for us. Alleluia!

 

Gospel : Luke 9:18-22

One day when Jesus was praying alone in the presence of his disciples he put this question to them, ‘Who do the crowds say I am?’ And they answered, ‘John the Baptist; others Elijah; and others say one of the ancient prophets come back to life.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ It was Peter who spoke up. ‘The Christ of God’ he said. But he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone anything about this. ‘The Son of Man’ he said ‘is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and Scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day.’

 

Prayer over the Offerings

Receive, O Lord, we pray, the offerings placed on your altar in commemoration of St. Pius of Pietrelcina, so that, as you brought him glory, you may, through these sacred mysteries, grant to us your pardon. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon : Cf. Mt 24: 46-47

Blessed is the servant whom the Lord finds watching when he comes. Amen I say to you: He will put that servant in charge of all his property.

 

Prayer after Communion

May partaking at the heavenly table, almighty God, confirm and increase strength from on high in all who celebrate the feast day of St. Pius of Pietrelcina, that we may preserve in integrity the gift of faith and walk in the path of salvation you trace for us. Through Christ our Lord.

 

 

Meditation

We all need moments of prayer, not only before every major decision in our lives, but always. Jesus did so when He was about to examine His apostles concerning His identity. It is easy to lean on the false idea that what others think should not bother me. But again, a good Christian must, from time to time, sample opinions on his/her personality, to know what others think of them, to know what they reserve or hold against them.This helps us for personal growth and an ascent in our spiritual, moral and psycho/physical development. At the same time, we must not easily allow the opinions of friends and others to form our judgement about them and situations, without having a firsthand experience. Our experiences will always be different.

by | Sep 21, 2022 | Evangelium

Thursday 22nd  September 2022

 

St. Maurice

and

the Theban Legion

(d. 287)

 

Maurice was a native of Egypt. He was conscripted into the Roman army. The emperor ordered his soldiers to offer sacrifice to the Roman gods but the Theban Legion, headed by Maurice, refused. Their allegiance to Christ earned them the crown of martyrdom in the year 287.

 

Entrance Antiphon

I am the salvation of the people, says the Lord. Should they cry to me in any distress, I will hear them, and I will be their Lord for ever.

 

Collect

O God, who founded all the commands of your sacred Law upon love of you and of our neighbour, grant that, by keeping your precepts, we may merit to attain eternal life. 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 : Ecclesiastes 1:2-11

Vanity of vanities, the Preacher says. Vanity of vanities. Vanity of vanities. All is vanity! For all his toil, his toil under the sun, what does man gain by it? A generation goes, a generation comes, yet the earth stands firm for ever. The sun rises, the sun sets; then to its place it speeds and there it rises. Southward goes the wind, then turns to the north; it turns and turns again; back then to its circling goes the wind. Into the sea all the rivers go, and yet the sea is never filled, and still to their goal the rivers go. All things are wearisome. No man can say that eyes have not had enough of seeing, ears their fill of hearing. What was will be again; what has been done will be done again; and there is nothing new under the sun. Take anything of which it may be said, ‘Look now, this is new.’ Already, long before our time, it existed. Only no memory remains of earlier times, just as in times to come next year itself will not be remembered.

 

Psalm 89:3-6,12-14,17

R/ O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.

 

  1. You turn men back to dust and say: ‘Go back, sons of men.’ To your eyes a thousand years are like yesterday, come and gone, no more than a watch in the night.
  2. You sweep men away like a dream, like the grass which springs up in the morning. In the morning it springs up and flowers: by evening it withers and fades.
  3. Make us know the shortness of our life that we may gain wisdom of heart. Lord, relent! Is your anger for ever? Show pity to your servants.
  4. In the morning, fill us with your love; we shall exult and rejoice all our days. Let the favour of the Lord be upon us: give success to the work of our hands.

 

Gospel Acclamation : Ps118:18

Alleluia, alleluia! Open my eyes, O Lord, that I may consider the wonders of your law. Alleluia!

 

Gospel : Luke 9:7-9

Herod the Tetrarch had heard about all that was being done by Jesus; and he was puzzled, because some people were saying that John had risen from the dead, others that Elijah had reappeared, still others that one of the ancient prophets had come back to life. But Herod said, ‘John? I beheaded him. So who is this I hear such reports about?’ And he was anxious to see Jesus.

 

Prayer over the Offerings

Receive with favour, O Lord, we pray, the offerings of your people, that what they profess with devotion and faith may be theirs through these heavenly mysteries. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon : Ps 118: 4-5

You have laid down your precepts to be carefully kept; may my ways be firm in keeping your statutes.

 

Prayer after Communion

Graciously raise up, O Lord, those you renew with this Sacrament, that we may come to possess your redemption both in mystery and in the manner of our life. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Meditation

There are people who seek Jesus in different ways. Some seek Him because everybody talks about Him on radio, TV, various journals and magazines, on social media, in everyday discussions, etc. Others seek Him only when there are big occasions and feasts celebrated by the Church at different times (Christmas, Easter, Good Friday, etc). Others still seek Him only because it may be convenient at the time, because their spouse or children forced them to do so, because they want to obtain some favour, because they are facing some difficulty (financial constraint, illness, imprisonment, etc). Yet others seek Him because they realise who He is. Herod did not have the right reason for meeting Jesus – to tap from His wisdom. Why do you seek Jesus, if at all we do? And I hope we do. As we do so, our prayer must be: Day by day dear Lord, of you three things I ask; to know you more clearly, love you more dearly, follow you more nearly day by day, Amen.

 

by | Sep 20, 2022 | Evangelium

Wednesday 21st  September 2022

 

St. Matthew, Apostle,

Evangelist – Feast

 

He was born in Capernaum, and was working as a tax-collector when Jesus called him. He wrote his gospel in Hebrew, and is said to have preached in the East.

 

 

Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Mt 28: 19-20

Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, says the Lord.

 

Collect

O God, who with untold mercy were pleased to choose as an Apostle Saint Matthew, the tax collector, grant that, sustained by his example and intercession, we may merit to hold firm in following you. 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 : Ephesians 4:1-7,11-13

I, the prisoner in the Lord, implore you to lead a life worthy of your vocation. Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience. Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Body, one Spirit, just as you were all called into one and the same hope when you were called. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is Father of all, over all, through all and within all. Each one of us, however, has been given his own share of grace, given as Christ allotted it. To some, his gift was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers; so that the saints together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ. In this way we are all to come to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God, until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.

 

Psalm: 18:2-5

R/  Their word goes forth through all the earth.

 

  1. The heavens proclaim the glory of God, and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands. Day unto day takes up the story and night unto night makes known the message.
  2. No speech, no word, no voice is heard yet their span extends through all the earth, their words to the utmost bounds of the world.

 

Gospel Acclamation : cf.Te Deum

Alleluia, alleluia! We praise you, O God, we acknowledge you to be the Lord. The glorious company of the apostles praise you, O Lord.Alleluia!

 

Gospel : Matthew 9:9-13

As Jesus was walking on he saw a man named Matthew sitting by the customs house, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him. While he was at dinner in the house it happened that a number of tax collectors and sinners came to sit at the table with Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ When he heard this he replied, ‘It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. Go and learn the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice. And indeed I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.’

 

Prayer over the Offerings

As we celebrate anew the memory of Saint Matthew, we bring you sacrifices and prayers, O Lord, humbly imploring you to look kindly on your Church, whose faith you have nourished by the preaching of the Apostles. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon : Mt 9: 13

I did not come to call the just, but sinners, says the Lord.

 

Prayer after Communion

Sharing in that saving joy, O Lord, with which Saint Matthew welcomed the Saviour as a guest in his home, we pray: grant that we may always be renewed by the food we receive from Christ, who came to call not the just, but sinners to salvation. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

 

Meditation

The call of Matthew and his meeting with Matthew’s likes indicates that all professions can be sanctified. We must not give up on the possibility of staying on the rails if we can stay on them. It is quite true that some professions are more difficult than others because they provide more occasions for going off track, but let’s stick to why we were employed and the primary tasks we have. There are always ways and means of being upright even in very demanding jobs. Let us learn from Matthew and set things right. Matthew had to choose between salvation and continuing to serve Herod and be hated by his kinsmen. He accepted Jesus’ offer to join Him in His mission. In the end he became an Apostle and drew some in his profession to this higher form of life. We too are called to a higher form of life from our various duty posts, from the jobs we do and in our different states and positions in life.

by | Sep 19, 2022 | Evangelium

Tuesday 20th  September 2022

 

St. Andrew Kim Taegon,

Paul Chong Hasang,

and companions

 

17th century Korea fought to stop Christianity by executions. Andrew Kim Taegon, the first Korean priest, who secretly trained in Macao, was executed in 1846. A lay apostle, St Paul Chong Hasang, and many others perished at the same time.

 

 

Entrance Antiphon

The blood of the holy Martyrs was poured out for Christ upon the earth; therefore they have gained everlasting rewards.

 

Collect

O God, who have been pleased to increase your adopted children in all the world, and who made the blood of the Martyrs Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon and his companions a most fruitful seed of Christians, grant that we may be defended by their help and profit always from their example. 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 : Proverbs 21:1-6,10-13

Like flowing water is the heart of the king in the hand of the Lord, who turns it where he pleases. A man’s conduct may strike him as upright, the Lord, however, weighs the heart. To act virtuously and with justice is more pleasing to the Lord than sacrifice. Haughty eye, proud heart, lamp of the wicked, nothing but sin. The hardworking man is thoughtful, and all is gain; too much haste, and all that comes of it is want. To make a fortune with the help of a lying tongue, such the idle fantasy of those who look for death. The wicked man’s soul is intent on evil, he looks on his neighbour with dislike. When a mocker is punished, the ignorant man grows wiser, when a wise man is instructed he acquires more knowledge. The Just One watches the house of the wicked: he hurls the wicked to destruction. He who shuts his ear to the poor man’s cry shall himself plead and not be heard.

 

Psalm 118:1,27,30,34-35,44

R/  Guide me, Lord, in the path of your commands.

 

  1. They are happy whose life is blameless, who follow God’s law! Make me grasp the way of your precepts and I will muse on your wonders.
  2. I have chosen the way of truth with your decrees before me. Train me to observe your law, to keep it with my heart.
  3. Guide me in the path of your commands; for there is my delight. I shall always keep your law for ever and ever.

 

Gospel Acclamation : cf.Ps129:5

Alleluia, alleluia! My soul is waiting for the Lord, I count on his word. Alleluia!

 

Gospel : Luke 8:19-21

The mother and the brothers of Jesus came looking for him, but they could not get to him because of the crowd. He was told, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside and want to see you’ But he said in answer, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.’

 

Prayer over the Offerings

Look with favour, almighty God, on the offerings of your people and, through the intercession of the blessed Martyrs, grant that we ourselves may become a sacrifice acceptable to you for the salvation of all the world. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon : Mt 10: 32

Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father, says the Lord.

 

Prayer after Communion

Nourished with the food of the valiant as we celebrate the blessed Martyrs, we humbly ask you, O Lord, that, clinging faithfully to Christ, we may labour in the Church for the salvation of all. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Meditation

Family is everything. No one fell from the sky; we are all from families and all have parents given to us by God. We therefore, we belong to natural families within the supernatural family of God. Every time we fall short of this knowledge, it leads us to sin. As much as Jesus supports the natural family and our inalienability in this institution, this supernatural dimension is equally what Jesus is pointing to by bringing out another level of relationship; He makes us understand that the deepest relationship of life is not merely a blood relationship. He pointed to another reality of spiritual kinship, that is, the family of God. Let us make our families a better place by loving and forgiving, reading the Word/Scriptures and sharing together, spending time with them, bringing joy and happiness to each one, dining together, getting to know how each and every one is doing, and much more.

by | Sep 18, 2022 | Evangelium

Monday 19th  September 2022

 

St. Januarius

 

According tradition, he was a bishop of Benevento who was martyred at Puteoli in the early fourth century. His body lies in Naples, where his cult is taken very seriously indeed.

 

 

Entrance Antiphon

I am the salvation of the people, says the Lord. Should they cry to me in any distress, I will hear them, and I will be their Lord for ever.

 

Collect

O God, who founded all the commands of your sacred Law upon love of you and of our neighbour, grant that, by keeping your precepts, we may merit to attain eternal life. 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 : Proverbs 3:27-34

My son, do not refuse a kindness to anyone who begs it, if it is in your power to perform it.

Do not say to your neighbour, ‘Go away! Come another time! I will give it you tomorrow’, if you can do it now. Do not plot harm against your neighbour as he lives unsuspecting next door. Do not pick a groundless quarrel with a man who has done you no harm. Do not emulate the man of violence, never model your conduct on his; for the wilful wrong-doer is abhorrent to the Lord, who confides only in honest men. The Lord’s curse lies on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the virtuous. He mocks those who mock, but accords his favour to the humble.

 

Psalm 14:2-5

R/ The just will live in the presence of the Lord.

 

  1. Lord, who shall dwell on your holy mountain? He who walks without fault; he who acts with justice and speaks the truth from his heart; he who does not slander with his tongue.
  2. He who does no wrong to his brother, who casts no slur on his neighbour, who holds the godless in disdain, but honours those who fear the Lord.
  3. He who keeps his pledge, come what may; who takes no interest on a loan and accepts no bribes against the innocent. Such a man will stand firm for ever.

 

Gospel Acclamation : James1:18

Alleluia, alleluia! By his own choice, the Father made us his children by the message of the truth, so that we should be a sort of first-fruits of all that he created. Alleluia!

 

Gospel : Luke 8:16-18

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘No one lights a lamp to cover it with a bowl or to put it under a bed. No, he puts it on a lamp-stand so that people may see the light when they come in. For nothing is hidden but it will be made clear, nothing secret but it will be known and brought to light. So take care how you hear; for anyone who has will be given more; from anyone who has not, even what he thinks he has will be taken away.’

 

Prayer over the Offerings

Receive with favour, O Lord, we pray, the offerings of your people, that what they profess with devotion and faith may be theirs through these heavenly mysteries. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon : Ps 118: 4-5

You have laid down your precepts to be carefully kept; may my ways be firm in keeping your statutes.

 

Prayer after Communion

Graciously raise up, O Lord, those you renew with this Sacrament, that we may come to possess your redemption both in mystery and in the manner of our life. Through Christ our Lord.

 

 

Meditation

Belief in Christ must never be concealed as though we do not know what we are doing. We must come out boldly without fear of anyone. Disciples should never be ashamed of their faith in Christ. Faith in God, dear friends, is our lamp and this must make us to shine before others, so that those who see us may see the path that leads to God. That is why God created light as one of the first things; so that every other thing may be seen. The world is very dark and we are challenged to combat the ills in society and in ourselves. If our light goes off, then we also become darkness for others. Just like at the Easter vigil, the more the fire is lit, the bigger it becomes to illuminate others. The same applies with our faith. The more we share our faith, the more we draw people to the truths of our society and the better lives we live. Why do we hide sometimes to pray? Is it so that many may not look at us with scorn? Or are we simply ashamed of what people will say or even ashamed of Christ?Let your light shine everywhere you are.