by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | May 15, 2020 | Evangelium
saturday 16 May 2020
St Simon Stock (c.1165 – 1265)
He became a Carmelite, and in 1245 or 1247 was elected the sixth general of the order. As a result of Simon’s work, Pope Innocent IV placed the order under the special protection of the Holy See. After this the order grew greatly, especially in England.
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White
Entrance Antiphon Col 2: 12
You have been buried with Christ in Baptism, through which you also rose again by faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead, alleluia.
Collect
Almighty and eternal God, who through the regenerating power of Baptism have been pleased to confer on us heavenly life, grant, we pray, that those you render capable of immortality by justifying them may by your guidance attain the fullness of glory. 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 16:1-10
From Cilicia Paul went to Derbe, and then on to Lystra. Here there was a disciple called Timothy, whose mother was a Jewess who had become a believer; but his father was a Greek. The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of Timothy, and Paul, who wanted to have him as a travelling companion, had him circumcised. This was on account of the Jews in the locality where everyone knew his father was a Greek. As they visited one town after another, they passed on the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem, with instructions to respect them. So the churches grew strong in the faith, as well as growing daily in numbers. They travelled through Phrygia and the Galatian country, having been told by the Holy Spirit not to preach the word in Asia. When they reached the frontier of Mysia they thought to cross it into Bithynia, but as the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them, they went through Mysia and came down to Troas. One night Paul had a vision: a Macedonian appeared and appealed to him in these words, ‘Come across to Macedonia and help us.’ Once he had seen this vision we lost no time in arranging a passage to Macedonia, convinced that God had called us to bring them the Good News.
Psalm 99(100):1-3,5
R/ Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.
1) Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing for joy.
2) Know that he, the Lord, is God. He made us, we belong to him, we are his people, the sheep of his flock.
3) Indeed, how good is the Lord, eternal his merciful love. He is faithful from age to age.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia! The Lord, who hung for us upon the tree, has risen from the tomb. Alleluia!
Gospel John 15: 18-21
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If the world hates you, remember that it hated me before you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you do not belong to the world, because my choice withdrew you from the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the words I said to you: A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too; if they kept my word, they will keep yours as well. But it will be on my account that they will do all this, because they do not know the one who sent me.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Accept in compassion, Lord, we pray, the offerings of your family, that under your protective care they may never lose what they have received, but attain the gifts that are eternal. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Jn 17: 20-21
Father, I pray for them, that they may be one in us, so that the world may believe it was you who sent me, says the Lord, alleluia.
Prayer after Communion
Keep safe, O Lord, we pray, those whom you have saved by your kindness, that, redeemed by the Passion of your Son, they may rejoice in his Resurrection. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Meditation
Jesus has been urging his disciples to love all those around them as a sign of their love for him. Today he warns them that there is no guarantee that they will be loved in return. If they hated such a loving person as Jesus so bitterly, his disciples cannot expect to be treated differently. And the reason they will be hated is because they will refuse to identify themselves with the values and priorities of the secular world. They will reject materialistic greed and competitiveness, the scramble for status and power, the hatred, anger, violence and revenge which mark so many people’s lives. The most terrible thing to happen to Christians is for them to be loved by the world; it is a sign that they have become part of it. Some of us may find it difficult to understand this. We feel that the church should be honoured and respected.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | May 14, 2020 | Evangelium
friday 15 May 2020
St Isidore the Farmer (1070 – 1130)
He was born near Madrid to very poor parents. He was a labourer and later a bailiff on the estates of a landowner called Juan de Vargas. He was noted for his piety. He died on 15 May 1130.
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White
Entrance Antiphon Rv 5: 12
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and divinity, and wisdom and strength and honour, alleluia.
Collect
Grant us, Lord, we pray, that, being rightly conformed to the paschal mysteries, what we celebrate in joy may protect and save us with perpetual power. 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 15:22-31
The apostles and elders decided to choose delegates to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; the whole church concurred with this. They chose Judas known as Barsabbas and Silas, both leading men in the brotherhood, and gave them this letter to take with them: ‘The apostles and elders, your brothers, send greetings to the brothers of pagan birth in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. We hear that some of our members have disturbed you with their demands and have unsettled your minds. They acted without any authority from us; and so we have decided unanimously to elect delegates and to send them to you with Barnabas and Paul, men we highly respect who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accordingly we are sending you Judas and Silas, who will confirm by word of mouth what we have written in this letter. It has been decided by the Holy Spirit and by ourselves not to saddle you with any burden beyond these essentials: you are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols; from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from fornication. Avoid these, and you will do what is right. Farewell.’ The party left and went down to Antioch, where they summoned the whole community and delivered the letter. The community read it and were delighted with the encouragement it gave them.
Psalm 56(57):8-12
R/ I will thank you, Lord, among the peoples.
1) My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready. I will sing, I will sing your praise. Awake, my soul, awake, lyre and harp, I will awake the dawn.
2) I will thank you, Lord, among the peoples, among the nations I will praise you for your love reaches to the heavens and your truth to the skies. O God, arise above the heavens; may your glory shine on earth!
Gospel Acclamation Jn 10:27
Alleluia, alleluia! The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice, says the Lord, I know them and they follow me. Alleluia!
Gospel John 15:12-17
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘This is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you. A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command you. I shall not call you servants any more, because a servant does not know his master’s business; I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father. You did not choose me: no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last; and then the Father will give you anything you ask him in my name. What I command you is to love one another.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Graciously sanctify these gifts, O Lord, we pray, and, accepting the oblation of this spiritual sacrifice, make of us an eternal offering to you. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon
The Crucified is risen from the dead and has redeemed us, alleluia.
Prayer after Communion
We have partaken of the gifts of this sacred mystery, humbly imploring, O Lord, that what your Son commanded us to do in memory of him may bring us growth in charity. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Jesus calls us friends and not servants. You are my friends, if you do what I command you. Jesus no longer held any secrets from his disciples. He tells us everything that he has heard from his Father. Behold the wonderful ideal of life in community: to reach a state of total transparency to the point of not having any secrets among us and to have full trust in one another. Being able to enrich one another by speaking out the experience of God that we have. The first Christians succeeded in reaching this ideal after many years; “they had one heart and one soul”. Jesus called them friends and told them to love one another. Do I make distinctions, rather than considering all equally, among those in my community whom I call friends? How do I respond when I am treated differently from another “friend” in my community?
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | May 13, 2020 | Evangelium
thursday 14 May 2020
St. Matthias, Apostle
He was not one of the Twelve; but after the treachery and death of Judas Iscariot, someone was needed to take his place. The choice fell on Matthias.
Red
Entrance Antiphon: Jn 15: 16
It was not you who chose me, says the Lord, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, alleluia.
Collect
O God, who assigned Saint Matthias a place in the college of Apostles, grant us, through his intercession, that, rejoicing at how your love has been allotted to us, we may merit to be numbered among the elect. 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 1:15-17,20-26
One day Peter stood up to speak to the brothers – there were about a hundred and twenty persons in the congregation: ‘Brothers, the passage of scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit, speaking through David, foretells the fate of Judas, who offered himself as a guide to the men who arrested Jesus – after having been one of our number and actually sharing this ministry of ours. Now in the Book of Psalms it says: Let someone else take his office. ‘We must therefore choose someone who has been with us the whole time that the Lord Jesus was travelling round with us, someone who was with us right from the time when John was baptising until the day when he was taken up from us – and he can act with us as a witness to his resurrection.’ Having nominated two candidates, Joseph known as Barsabbas, whose surname was Justus, and Matthias, they prayed, ‘Lord, you can read everyone’s heart; show us therefore which of these two you have chosen to take over this ministry and apostolate, which Judas abandoned to go to his proper place.’ They then drew lots for them, and as the lot fell to Matthias, he was listed as one of the twelve apostles.
Psalm 112(113):1-8
R/ The Lord sets him in the company of the princes of his people.
1) 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!
2) 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.
3) 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?
4) From the dust he lifts up the lowly, from the dungheap he raises the poor to set him in the company of princes, yes, with the princes of his people.
Gospel Acclamation: cf. Jn 15:16
Alleluia, alleluia! I chose you from the world to go out and bear fruit, fruit that will last, says the Lord. Alleluia!
Gospel: John 15:9-17
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you and your joy be complete. This is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you. A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command you. I shall not call you servants any more, because a servant does not know his master’s business; I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father. You did not choose me: no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last; and then the Father will give you anything you ask him in my name. What I command you is to love one another.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Receive, O Lord, the offerings of your Church, reverently presented for the Feast of Saint Matthias, and through them strengthen us by the power of your grace. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Jn 15: 12
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you, says the Lord, alleluia.
Prayer after Communion
Never cease, O Lord, we pray, to fill your family with divine gifts, and, through Saint Matthias’ intercession for us, graciously admit us to a share in the lot of the Saints in light. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Christ’s greatest command, according to the Gospel of John, is that we love one another as he has loved us. When we think about the implications of such a love, we may quietly admit to ourselves, “I could never love others to the full extent that Jesus loves me.” Can anyone actually fulfil this commandment? True love is hard. It is demanding. It requires virtue and brings out the best in all involved in the love relationship. Two examples of saints who truly understood and lived this gospel are: Mother Theresa and St. Therese of Lisieux. Their way of life, their goal was to do everything with love, to see the face of Christ in everyone with whom they interacted. Let us look to them as shining examples of how we can live Jesus’ command to love one another.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | May 12, 2020 | Evangelium
wednesday 13 May 2020
Saint John the Silent
Our Lady of Fatima
Also known as St John the Hesychast he was a Christian saint known for living alone for seventy-six years. He was given the surname because he loved recollection and silence.
White
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 70: 8, 23
Let my mouth be filled with your praise, that I may sing aloud; my lips shall shout for joy, when I sing to you, alleluia.
Collect
O God, restorer and lover of innocence, direct the hearts of your servants towards yourself, that those you have set free from the darkness of unbelief may never stray from the light of your truth. 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 15:1-6
Some men came down from Judaea and taught the brothers, ‘Unless you have yourselves circumcised in the tradition of Moses you cannot be saved.’ This led to disagreement, and after Paul and Barnabas had had a long argument with these men it was arranged that Paul and Barnabas and others of the church should go up to Jerusalem and discuss the problem with the apostles and elders. All the members of the church saw them off, and as they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria they told how the pagans had been converted, and this news was received with the greatest satisfaction by the brothers. When they arrived in Jerusalem they were welcomed by the church and by the apostles and elders, and gave an account of all that God had done with them. But certain members of the Pharisees’ party who had become believers objected, insisting that the pagans should be circumcised and instructed to keep the Law of Moses. The apostles and elders met to look into the matter.
Psalm 121 (122): 1-5
R/ I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
1) I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’ And now our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.
2) Jerusalem is built as a city strongly compact. It is there that the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord.
3) For Israel’s law it is, there to praise the Lord’s name. There were set the thrones of judgement of the house of David.
Gospel Acclamation: Jn 10:14
Alleluia, alleluia! I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; I know my own sheep and my own know me. Alleluia!
Gospel: John 15:1-8
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that bears no fruit he cuts away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes to make it bear even more. You are pruned already, by means of the word that I have spoken to you. Make your home in me, as I make mine in you. As a branch cannot bear fruit all by itself, but must remain part of the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty; for cut off from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is like a branch that has been thrown away – he withers; these branches are collected and thrown on the fire, and they are burnt. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask what you will and you shall get it. It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit, and then you will be my disciples.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Grant, we pray, O Lord, that we may always find delight in these paschal mysteries, so that the renewal constantly at work within us may be the cause of our unending joy. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon
The Lord has risen and shone his light upon us, whom he has redeemed by his Blood, alleluia.
Prayer after Communion
Hear, O Lord, our prayers, that this most holy exchange, by which you have redeemed us, may bring your help in this present life and ensure for us eternal gladness. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Jesus repeatedly uses the word “abide” to describe that relationship of the vine to the branches. As vine and branches draw life from each other, we draw life from the body of Christ in the Eucharist so we can share his love among others and so bear much fruit. One of Jesus’ key appeals to the disciples in John’s gospel is “Remain in me”, which can also be translated as “make your home with me”. “Abide in me and I in you”. The more closely we are united to Christ by faith, charity and good works done with the intention of pleasing God, the more intensely will he live in us and bestow on us continually a new life of grace. Thus we shall become, not merely living branches, but branches laden with fruit, the fruit of sanctity destined to bring joy to the heart of God.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | May 11, 2020 | Evangelium
tuesday 12 May 2020
Sts Nereus and Achilleus, Martyrs
Nereus and Achilleus are two soldiers that suffered martyrdom under the persecution of Diocletian. Two basilicas in Rome are dedicated to their memory. They are remembered for their strength in faith even under persection.
White/Red
Entrance Antiphon: Rv 19: 5; 12: 10
Sing praise to our God, all you who fear God, both small and great, for now salvation and strength have come, and the power of his Christ, alleluia.
Collect
O God, who restore us to eternal life in the Resurrection of Christ, grant your people constancy in faith and hope, that we may never doubt the promises of which we have learned from 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: Acts 14:19-28
Some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium, and turned the people against the apostles. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the town, thinking he was dead. The disciples came crowding round him but, as they did so, he stood up and went back to the town. The next day he and Barnabas went off to Derbe. Having preached the Good News in that town and made a considerable number of disciples, they went back through Lystra and Iconium to Antioch. They put fresh heart into the disciples, encouraging them to persevere in the faith. ‘We all have to experience many hardships’ they said ‘before we enter the kingdom of God.’ In each of these churches they appointed elders, and with prayer and fasting they commended them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe. They passed through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia. Then after proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to Attalia and from there sailed for Antioch, where they had originally been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. On their arrival they assembled the church and gave an account of all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith to the pagans. They stayed there with the disciples for some time.
Psalm 144(145):10-13a,21
R/ Your friends, O Lord, shall make known the glorious splendour of your reign.
1) All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord, and your friends shall repeat their blessing. They shall speak of the glory of your reign and declare your might, O God, to make known to men your mighty deeds and the glorious splendour of your reign.
2) Yours is an everlasting kingdom; your rule lasts from age to age.
3) Let me speak the praise of the Lord, let all mankind bless his holy name for ever, for ages unending.
Gospel Acclamation: cf. Lk24:46,26
Alleluia, alleluia! It was ordained that the Christ should suffer and rise from the dead, and so enter into his glory. Alleluia!
Gospel: John 14:27-31
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace the world cannot give, this is my gift to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me say: I am going away, and shall return. If you loved me you would have been glad to know that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. I have told you this now before it happens, so that when it does happen you may believe. I shall not talk with you any longer, because the prince of this world is on his way. He has no power over me, but the world must be brought to know that I love the Father and that I am doing exactly what the Father told me.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Receive, O Lord, we pray, these offerings of your exultant Church, and, as you have given her cause for such great gladness, grant also that the gifts we bring may bear fruit in perpetual happiness. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Rm 6: 8
If we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Christ, alleluia.
Prayer after Communion
Look with kindness upon your people, O Lord, and grant, we pray, that those you were pleased to renew by eternal mysteries may attain in their flesh the incorruptible glory of the resurrection. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Jesus speaks from the depth of his heart to his dearest friends as he is preparing to face his passion. He wants his friends to know that he is with them, that his Father is with them. Jesus’ farewell gift is ‘peace’. His gift of peace is not a state, but a relationship. It is the fruit of deeply abiding in him. This relationship will never fail. It will enable the disciples to endure suffering and rejection. The peace that Jesus gives is available to me. I have to do nothing to receive it. There’s a certain peace and joy that comes from knowing and loving God directly, that nothing else can give. Once we know God as the source of being, we love all of creation as expressions of this love and goodness. I thank you Lord for your being and the miracle of your presence in my life.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | May 10, 2020 | Evangelium
monday 11 May 2020
St. John Houghton and Companions
He was one of the Carthusian martyrs under Henry VIII.. He was recognized as a man of sanctity even before his martyrdom. His community was a model of observance and austerity.
White
Entrance Antiphon
The Good Shepherd has risen, who laid down his life for his sheep and willingly died for his flock, alleluia.
Collect
May your right hand, O Lord, we pray, encompass your family with perpetual help, so that, defended from all wickedness by the Resurrection of your Only Begotten Son, we may make our way by means of your heavenly gifts. 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 14:5-18
Eventually with the connivance of the authorities a move was made by pagans as well as Jews to make attacks on the apostles and to stone them. When the apostles came to hear of this, they went off for safety to Lycaonia where, in the towns of Lystra and Derbe and in the surrounding country, they preached the Good News. A man sat there who had never walked in his life, because his feet were crippled from birth; and as he listened to Paul preaching, he managed to catch his eye. Seeing that the man had the faith to be cured, Paul said in a loud voice, ‘Get to your feet – stand up’, and the cripple jumped up and began to walk. When the crowd saw what Paul had done they shouted in the language of Lycaonia, ‘These people are gods who have come down to us disguised as men.’ They addressed Barnabas as Zeus, and since Paul was the principal speaker they called him Hermes. The priests of Zeus-outside-the-Gate, proposing that all the people should offer sacrifice with them, brought garlanded oxen to the gates. When the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard what was happening they tore their clothes, and rushed into the crowd, shouting, ‘Friends, what do you think you are doing? We are only human beings like you. We have come with good news to make you turn from these empty idols to the living God who made heaven and earth and the sea and all that these hold. In the past he allowed each nation to go its own way; but even then he did not leave you without evidence of himself in the good things he does for you: he sends you rain from heaven, he makes your crops grow when they should, he gives you food and makes you happy.’ Even this speech, however, was scarcely enough to stop the crowd offering them sacrifice.
Psalm 113B (115): 1-4, 15-16
R/ Not to us, Lord, but to your name give the glory.
1) Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to your name give the glory for the sake of your love and your truth, lest the heathen say: ‘Where is their God?’
2) But our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he wills. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
3) May you be blessed by the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. The heavens belong to the Lord but the earth he has given to men.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia! Christ has risen and shone upon us whom he redeemed with his blood. Alleluia!
Gospel: John 14:21-26
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Anybody who receives my commandments and keeps them will be one who loves me; and anybody who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I shall love him and show myself to him.’ Judas – this was not Judas Iscariot – said to him, ‘Lord, what is all this about? Do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?’ Jesus replied: ‘If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make our home with him. Those who do not love me do not keep my words. And my word is not my own: it is the word of the one who sent me. I have said these things to you while still with you; but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you.’
Prayer over the Offerings
May our prayers rise up to you, O Lord, together with the sacrificial offerings, so that, purified by your graciousness, we may be conformed to the mysteries of your mighty love. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Jn 14: 27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you, says the Lord, alleluia.
Prayer after Communion
Almighty ever-living God, who restore us to eternal life in the Resurrection of Christ, increase in us, we pray, the fruits of this paschal Sacrament and pour into our hearts the strength of this saving food. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Christ says in the gospel that he will “reveal” himself to those who love him. The more God is revealed to us, the greater is our capacity to love. The Father’s revelation of his love in the Person of Jesus Christ is the greatest revelation thus far. And when Christ says he will make himself known to us, he will do so tenderly, as a sweet surprise. Independently of whether the person is Christian or not, the Father manifests himself to all those who observe the commandment of Jesus which is love of neighbour. We have the promise of the gift of the Spirit to help us understand the word of Jesus. Do I invoke the light of the Spirit when I prepare myself to read and meditate on the scripture? Do I keep His word in a way that allows the Father and the Son to dwell in me continuously, or is it only certain times?
