by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | Oct 16, 2020 | Evangelium
saturday 17 October 2020
St Ignatius of Antioch (- 107)
He was the second bishop of Antioch after St Peter. He was arrested, condemned to death and transported to Rome to be thrown to the wild beasts in the arena. He was martyred in 107 and his feast was already being celebrated on this day in fourth-century Antioch.
Red
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Gal 2: 19-20
I am crucified with Christ, yet I live; no longer I, but Christ lives in me. I live by faith in the Son of God, who has loved me and given himself up for me.
Collect
Almighty ever-living God, who adorn the sacred body of your Church with the confessions of holy Martyrs; grant, we pray, that, just as the glorious passion of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, which we celebrate today, brought him eternal splendour, so it may be for us unending protection. 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 1:15-23
I, having once heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus, and the love that you show towards all the saints, have never failed to remember you in my prayers and to thank God for you. May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit of wisdom and perception of what is revealed, to bring you to full knowledge of him. May he enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see what hope his call holds for you, what rich glories he has promised the saints will inherit and how infinitely great is the power that he has exercised for us believers. This you can tell from the strength of his power at work in Christ, when he used it to raise him from the dead and to make him sit at his right hand, in heaven, far above every Sovereignty, Authority, Power, or Domination, or any other name that can be named not only in this age but also in the age to come. He has put all things under his feet and made him, as the ruler of everything, the head of the Church; which is his body, the fullness of him who fills the whole creation.
Psalm 8:2-7
R/ You gave your Son power over the works of your hand.
- How great is your name, O Lord our God, through all the earth! Your majesty is praised above the heavens; on the lips of children and of babes you have found praise to foil your enemy, to silence the foe and the rebel.
- When I see the heavens, the work of your hands, the moon and the stars which you arranged, what is man that you should keep him in mind, mortal man that you care for him?
- Yet you have made him little less than a god; with glory and honour you crowned him, gave him power over the works of your hand, put all things under his feet.
Gospel Acclamation: 1 S 3:9, Jn 6:68
Alleluia, alleluia! Speak, Lord, your servant is listening: you have the message of eternal life. Alleluia!
Gospel: Luke 12:8-12
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I tell you, if anyone openly declares himself for me in the presence of men, the Son of Man will declare himself for him in the presence of the angels. But the man who disowns me in the presence of men will be disowned in the presence of God’s angels. ‘Everyone who says a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. ‘When they take you before synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how to defend yourselves or what to say, because when the time comes, the Holy Spirit will teach you what you must say.’
Prayer over the Offerings
May this oblation and our homage be pleasing to you, O Lord, just as you accepted Saint Ignatius, the wheat of Christ, made pure bread through his martyrdom and passion. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon:
I am the wheat of Christ to be ground by the teeth of beasts, that I may be found to be pure bread.
Prayer after Communion
May the heavenly Bread we have received, O Lord, on the feast day of Saint Ignatius, renew us, we pray, and make us Christians in name and in deed. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Paul prayed for the Christians in Ephesus to know God better. How do you get to know someone? Is it by reading biographical information or historical data about him? That surely will help you know a lot ‘about’ that person but it won’t enable you to ‘know’ him. If you want to know someone you have to spend time with that person, there is no shortcut. Study the word of God especially the gospels to see what Jesus was like on earth two thousand years ago. Go on your knees in prayer to understand the profundity of his majesty. Spend time with him before the Blessed Sacrament to appreciate his abiding presence. Personal knowledge of Christ will change your life.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | Oct 15, 2020 | Evangelium
friday 16 October 2020
Saint Hedwig, Religious
St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647 – 1690)
She joined the Visitation Sisters at Paray-le-Monial. She made rapid progress along the way of perfection and was given mystical visions as a result of which she worked hard to institute devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Church.
Green/White
Entrance Antiphon: Ps 129: 3-4
If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But with you is found forgiveness, O God of Israel.
Collect
May your grace, O Lord, we pray, at all times go before us and follow after and make us always determined to carry out 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: Ephesians 1:11-14
It is in Christ that we were claimed as God’s own, chosen from the beginning, under the predetermined plan of the one who guides all things as he decides by his own will; chosen to be, for his greater glory, the people who would put their hopes in Christ before he came. Now you too, in him, have heard the message of the truth and the good news of your salvation, and have believed it; and you too have been stamped with the seal of the Holy Spirit of the Promise, the pledge of our inheritance which brings freedom for those whom God has taken for his own, to make his glory praised.
Psalm 32(33):1-2, 4-5, 12-13
R/ Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.
- Ring out your joy to the Lord, O you just; for praise is fitting for loyal hearts. Give thanks to the Lord upon the harp, with a ten-stringed lute sing him songs.
- For the word of the Lord is faithful and all his works to be trusted. The Lord loves justice and right and fills the earth with his love.
- They are happy, whose God is the Lord, the people he has chosen as his own. From the heavens the Lord looks forth, he sees all the children of men.
Gospel Acclamation: Ps 18:9
Alleluia, alleluia! Your words gladden the heart, O Lord, they give light to the eyes. Alleluia!
Gospel : Luke 12:1-7
The people had gathered in their thousands so that they were treading on one another. And Jesus began to speak, first of all to his disciples. ‘Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees – that is, their hypocrisy. Everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. For this reason, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in hidden places will be proclaimed on the housetops. ‘To you my friends I say: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. I will tell you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has the power to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Can you not buy five sparrows for two pennies? And yet not one is forgotten in God’s sight. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. There is no need to be afraid: you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Accept, O Lord, the prayers of your faithful with the sacrificial offerings, that, through these acts of devotedness, we may pass over to the glory of heaven. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 33: 11
The rich suffer want and go hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no blessing.
Prayer after Communion
We entreat your majesty most humbly, O Lord, that, as you feed us with the nourishment which comes from the most holy Body and Blood of your Son, so you may make us sharers of his divine nature. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Meditation
In our Gospel today, Jesus vehemently condemns the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, that is, their striving to appear before others to be perfect, whereas they are not so. They, like their ancestors who had persecuted and killed the prophets, would do the same to Jesus. Jesus, however, stays unfazed by their plans; we too, would do well not to be frightened of those who can destroy our mortal life but can do nothing more. What is most important, is to be afraid of the one who has power to judge and settle our eternal destiny. Jesus says this, not to intimidate anyone. Rather, his wish is to make everyone trust in God and strive to live in God’s presence.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | Oct 14, 2020 | Evangelium
thursday 15 October 2020
St Teresa of Ávila (1515 – 1582)
She was born in Ávila in Spain and entered the Carmelite convent there at the age of 20. St Teresa is an outstanding example of how the contemplative life can well up and overflow into action. She wrote much on the subject of contemplative prayer and her writings are still standard works today. She was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI in 1970.
White
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 41: 2-3
Like the deer that yearns for running streams, so my soul is yearning for you, my God; my soul is thirsting for God, the living God.
Collect
O God, who through your Spirit raised up Saint Teresa of Jesus to show the Church the way to seek perfection, grant that we may always be nourished by the food of her heavenly teaching and fired with longing for true holiness. 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 1:1-10
From Paul, appointed by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, to the saints who are faithful to Christ Jesus. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ. Before the world was made, he chose us, chose us in Christ, to be holy and spotless, and to live through love in his presence, determining that we should become his adopted sons, through Jesus Christ for his own kind purposes, to make us praise the glory of his grace, his free gift to us in the Beloved, in whom, through his blood, we gain our freedom, the forgiveness of our sins. Such is the richness of the grace which he has showered on us in all wisdom and insight. He has let us know the mystery of his purpose, the hidden plan he so kindly made in Christ from the beginning to act upon when the times had run their course to the end: that he would bring everything together under Christ, as head, everything in the heavens and everything on earth.
Psalm 97(98):1-6
R/ The Lord has shown his salvation.
- 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 110:7, 8
Alleluia, alleluia! Your precepts, O Lord, are all of them sure; they stand firm for ever and ever. Alleluia!
Gospel : Luke 11:47-54
Jesus said: ‘Alas for you who build the tombs of the prophets, the men your ancestors killed! In this way you both witness what your ancestors did and approve it; they did the killing, you do the building. ‘And that is why the Wisdom of God said, “I will send them prophets and apostles; some they will slaughter and persecute, so that this generation will have to answer for every prophet’s blood that has been shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was murdered between the altar and the sanctuary.” Yes, I tell you, this generation will have to answer for it all. ‘Alas for you lawyers who have taken away the key of knowledge! You have not gone in yourselves, and have prevented others going in who wanted to.’ When he left the house, the scribes and the Pharisees began a furious attack on him and tried to force answers from him on innumerable questions, setting traps to catch him out in something he might say.
Prayer over the Offerings
May our offerings, O Lord, be acceptable to your majesty, to whom the devoted service of Saint Teresa was pleasing in such great measure. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Ps 88: 2
I will sing for ever of your mercies, O Lord through all ages my mouth will proclaim your fidelity.
Prayer after Communion
Grant, O Lord our God, that your obedient family, whom you have fed with the Bread of heaven, may follow the example of Saint Teresa and rejoice to sing of your mercies for all eternity. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is useful for both understanding God’s concern towards us and living our daily Christian lives. In effect, from the beginning of creation, God destined that humans be God’s children in His Son Jesus Christ. There is no space for humans outside this design or outside this relationship with Jesus Christ. The death and resurrection of Christ in order to liberate humans from their sins is part of this design. This is what Christians should principally believe in, meditate upon and never lose sight of, in order to lead a good life, cherishing all the while, God’s design with sentiments of gratitude. God’s plan is to “bring all things in the heavens and on earth into one under the headship of Christ.” Jesus promised: “And I — once I am lifted up from earth — will draw all men to Myself” (Jn 12:32). We must let ourselves be drawn to Jesus and then be in right relationship with Him, the Head of His body.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | Oct 13, 2020 | Evangelium
wednesday 14 October 2020
Pope St Callistus I (- 222)
From a weakened ex-slave in receipt of an invalidity pension, Callistus rose to be archdeacon, had charge of the Roman catacomb which now bears his name, and ended up as Pope. He lived in a time of peace under the emperor Alexander Severus, whose mother was a Christian. He may have been killed in a riot.
Green/Red
Entrance Antiphon: Ps 129: 3-4
If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But with you is found forgiveness, O God of Israel.
Collect
May your grace, O Lord, we pray, at all times go before us and follow after and make us always determined to carry out 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 : Galatians 5:18-25
If you are led by the Spirit, no law can touch you. When self-indulgence is at work the results are obvious: fornication, gross indecency and sexual irresponsibility; idolatry and sorcery; feuds and wrangling, jealousy, bad temper and quarrels; disagreements, factions, envy; drunkenness, orgies and similar things. I warn you now, as I warned you before: those who behave like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. What the Spirit brings is very different: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control. There can be no law against things like that, of course. You cannot belong to Christ Jesus unless you crucify all self-indulgent passions and desires. Since the Spirit is our life, let us be directed by the Spirit.
Psalm 1:1-4, 6
R/ Anyone who follows you, O Lord, will have the light of life.
- Happy indeed is the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked; nor lingers in the way of sinners nor sits in the company of scorners, but whose delight is the law of the Lord and who ponders his law day and night.
- He is like a tree that is planted beside the flowing waters, that yields its fruit in due season and whose leaves shall never fade; and all that he does shall prosper.
- Not so are the wicked, not so! For they like winnowed chaff shall be driven away by the wind. for the Lord guards the way of the just but the way of the wicked leads to doom.
Gospel Acclamation : Ps 26:11
Alleluia, alleluia! Instruct me, Lord, in your way; on an even path lead me. Alleluia!
Gospel: Luke 11:42-46
The Lord said to the Pharisees: ‘Alas for you Pharisees! You who pay your tithe of mint and rue and all sorts of garden herbs and overlook justice and the love of God! These you should have practised, without leaving the others undone. Alas for you Pharisees who like taking the seats of honour in the synagogues and being greeted obsequiously in the market squares! Alas for you, because you are like the unmarked tombs that men walk on without knowing it! A lawyer then spoke up. ‘Master,’ he said ‘when you speak like this you insult us too.’ ‘Alas for you lawyers also,’ he replied ‘because you load on men burdens that are unendurable, burdens that you yourselves do not move a finger to lift.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Accept, O Lord, the prayers of your faithful with the sacrificial offerings, that, through these acts of devotedness, we may pass over to the glory of heaven. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 33: 11
The rich suffer want and go hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no blessing.
Prayer after Communion
We entreat your majesty most humbly, O Lord, that, as you feed us with the nourishment which comes from the most holy Body and Blood of your Son, so you may make us sharers of his divine nature. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Meditation
Jesus’ message to the Pharisees, the teachers, and to us is a call for concern: “Alas for you!” His message to the Pharisees is not about paying the prescribed tithes under the Law of Moses but about ignoring those things which Jesus considers more important, including the love of God and of other people. This is a warning to all of us: we may go to church 7 days in a week and pay all the tithes, but if we do not show love to our God and to our neighbours, then we are not different from the Pharisees and the teachers.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | Oct 12, 2020 | Evangelium
tuesday 13 October 2020
St Edward the Confessor (1003 – 1066)
He became King of England in 1042. He was regarded as a saint during his lifetime, renowned for his generosity to the Church and to the poor and for his readiness to listen to his subjects’ grievances. He died on 5th January 1066.
Green
Entrance Antiphon: Ps 129: 3-4
If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But with you is found forgiveness, O God of Israel.
Collect
May your grace, O Lord, we pray, at all times go before us and follow after and make us always determined to carry out 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 : Galatians 5:1-6
When Christ freed us, he meant us to remain free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. It is I, Paul, who tell you this: if you allow yourselves to be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you at all. With all solemnity I repeat my warning: Everyone who accepts circumcision is obliged to keep the whole Law. But if you do look to the Law to make you justified, then you have separated yourselves from Christ, and have fallen from grace. Christians are told by the Spirit to look to faith for those rewards that righteousness hopes for, since in Christ Jesus whether you are circumcised or not makes no difference – what matters is faith that makes its power felt through love.
Psalm 118(119):41, 43-45, 47-48
R/ Lord, let your love come upon me.
- Lord, let your love come upon me, the saving help of your promise. Do not take the word of truth from my mouth for I trust in your decrees.
- I shall always keep your law for ever and ever. I shall walk in the path of freedom for I seek your precepts.
- Your commands have been my delight; these I have loved. I will worship your commands and love them and ponder your statutes.
Gospel Acclamation: Ps 118:135
Alleluia, alleluia! Let your face shine on your servant, and teach me your decrees. Alleluia!
Gospel: Luke 11:37-41
Jesus had just finished speaking when a Pharisee invited him to dine at his house. He went in and sat down at the table. The Pharisee saw this and was surprised that he had not first washed before the meal. But the Lord said to him, ‘Oh, you Pharisees! You clean the outside of cup and plate, while inside yourselves you are filled with extortion and wickedness. Fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside too? Instead, give alms from what you have and then indeed everything will be clean for you.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Accept, O Lord, the prayers of your faithful with the sacrificial offerings, that, through these acts of devotedness, we may pass over to the glory of heaven. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Ps 33: 11
The rich suffer want and go hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no blessing.
Prayer after Communion
We entreat your majesty most humbly, O Lord, that, as you feed us with the nourishment which comes from the most holy Body and Blood of your Son, so you may make us sharers of his divine nature. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Meditation
To have all our sins wiped clean, we must repent and give our lives to Jesus. This conversion is an interior decision expressed in a tangible way. For some, conversion is most pointedly expressed by changing jobs or changing friends. For others, forgiving an enemy or returning to church are critical issues. For others still, such as the Pharisees, the concrete expression of conversion is a matter of money. Many of the Pharisees observed only the letter of the law. They tithed (Lk 11:42) and gave alms. However, they were avaricious men who gave themselves to money rather than to God (Lk 16:13-14). Jesus challenged them to heartfelt almsgiving. This would have been a sign of their conversion, and all would have been wiped clean for them. What would be evidence that you have repented and given your life to Jesus?
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | Oct 11, 2020 | Evangelium
monday 12 October 2020
St Wilfrid (634 – 709)
Wilfrid was born in Northumbria in 634. He took part in the Synod of Whitby (664), where he promoted Rome’s way of calculating the date of Easter, and the Roman form of Christian worship. He was missionary, evangelist, monk and bishop. He died in Oundle, in October 709.
Green
Entrance Antiphon: Ps 129: 3-4
If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But with you is found forgiveness, O God of Israel.
Collect
May your grace, O Lord, we pray, at all times go before us and follow after and make us always determined to carry out 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 : Gal 4:22-24, 26-27, 31-5:1
The Law says, if you remember, that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave-girl, and one by his free-born wife. The child of the slave-girl was born in the ordinary way; the child of the free woman was born as the result of a promise. This can be regarded as an allegory: the women stand for the two covenants. The first who comes from Mount Sinai, and whose children are slaves, is Hagar – The Jerusalem above, however, is free and is our mother, since scripture says: Shout for joy, you barren women who bore no children! Break into shouts of joy and gladness, you who were never in labour. For there are more sons of the forsaken one than sons of the wedded wife. So, my brothers, we are the children, not of the slave-girl, but of the free-born wife. When Christ freed us, he meant us to remain free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.
Psalm 112(113):1-7
R/ May the name of the Lord be blessed for evermore!
- Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord! May the name of the Lord be blessed both now and for evermore!
- From the rising of the sun to its setting praised be the name of the Lord! High above all nations is the Lord, above the heavens his glory.
- Who is like the Lord, our God, who has risen on high to his throne yet stoops from the heights to look down, to look down upon heaven and earth? From the dust he lifts up the lowly, from the dungheap he raises the poor
Gospel Acclamation : Ps 118:88
Alleluia, alleluia! Because of your love give me life, and I will do your will. Alleluia!
Gospel : Luke 11:29-32
The crowds got even bigger, and Jesus addressed them: ‘This is a wicked generation; it is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. On Judgement day the Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here. On Judgement day the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Accept, O Lord, the prayers of your faithful with the sacrificial offerings, that, through these acts of devotedness, we may pass over to the glory of heaven. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Ps 33: 11
The rich suffer want and go hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no blessing.
Prayer after Communion
We entreat your majesty most humbly, O Lord, that, as you feed us with the nourishment which comes from the most holy Body and Blood of your Son, so you may make us sharers of his divine nature. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Meditation
Jesus seems pretty hard and harsh with his audience. He calls them an evil generation demanding a sign. He tells them that at the preaching of Jonah, the Ninevites repented. He tells them that there is something greater than Jonah in front of them and infers that they refuse to see it. The Ninevites weren’t exactly model citizens and Jesus is saying they are better than the Israelites. The people are still asking for a sign despite all the miracles Jesus has been performing. In effect, Jesus is implying that when people insist on a sign, it means that the miracles that he performs are of no value in this regard. Jonah is seen here only as a prophet sent to the Ninevites to call for their reform, which God wondrously effected through him in spite of his reluctance, and the queen from the south appears only to seek the wisdom of Solomon. In this context Jesus himself is seen as God’s herald on the basis of his message and the wisdom that it reveals. The preaching of Christ should lead to our conversion because “when Jonah preached they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here.” The sign that Christ’s preaching has affected us is in our repentance and metanoia.
