by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | Feb 26, 2020 | Evangelium
thursday 27 February 2020
St. Leander of Seville
Leander was born in the year 534 in Carthage. Leander became a Benedictine monk and in 579 was made Bishop of Seville. Leander is responsible for introducing the Nicene Creed at Mass. Leander died around the year 600 and was succeeded by his brother, Isidore.
Violet
Entrance Antiphon: Ps 54: 17-20, 23
When I cried to the Lord, he heard my voice; he rescued me from those who attack me. Entrust your cares to the Lord, and he will support you.
Collect
Prompt our actions with your inspiration, we pray, O Lord, and further them with your constant help that all we do may always begin from you and by you be brought to completion. 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: Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Moses said to the people: ‘See, today I set before you life and prosperity, death and disaster. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I enjoin on you today, if you love the Lord your God and follow his ways, if you keep his commandments, his laws, his customs, you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you are entering to make your own. But if your heart strays, if you refuse to listen, if you let yourself be drawn into worshipping other gods and serving them, I tell you today, you will most certainly perish; you will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today: I set before you life or death, blessing or curse. Choose life, then, so that you and your descendants may live, in the love of the Lord your God, obeying his voice, clinging to him; for in this your life consists, and on this depends your long stay in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob he would give them.’
Psalm 1:1-4, 6
R/ Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.
- 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 50:12, 14
Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus! A pure heart create for me, O God, and give me again the joy of your help. Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
Gospel: Luke 9:22-25
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘The Son of Man 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.’ Then to all he said: ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, that man will save it. What gain, then, is it for a man to have won the whole world and to have lost or ruined his very self?’
Prayer over the Offerings
Regard with favour, O Lord, we pray, the offerings we set upon this sacred altar, that, bestowing on us your pardon, our oblations may give honour to your name. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Ps 50: 12
Create a pure heart for me, O God; renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Prayer after Communion
Having received the blessing of your heavenly gifts, we humbly beseech you, almighty God, that they may always be for us a source both of pardon and of salvation. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Jesus, aware of the fact that he is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected and to be put to death, continues to carry out his ministry with courage and calm. He does this, because he knows that that is the content of the mission given him by his Father. By his own suffering, death and resurrection, Jesus teaches us that life is not a bed of roses. We may not go out in search of suffering; but should suffering come our way, we need to accept it as a sharing in the suffering of Jesus. Jesus himself tells us: “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me”.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | Feb 25, 2020 | Evangelium
wednesday 26 February 2020
Ash Wednesday
Psalter IV
St Alexander of Alexandria
(250 – 328)
Alexander played an important role in the growth of the catechetical school at Alexandria. He fought against the heretical teachings of Arius. Alexander died in 328.
Violet
Entrance Antiphon: Wis 11: 24, 25, 27
You are merciful to all, O Lord, and despise nothing that you have made. You overlook people’s sins, to bring them to repentance, and you spare them, for you are the Lord our God.
Collect
Grant, O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting this campaign of Christian service, so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils, we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint. 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: Joel 2:12-18
‘Now, now – it is the Lord who speaks – come back to me with all your heart, fasting, weeping, mourning.’ Let your hearts be broken, not your garments torn, turn to the Lord your God again, for he is all tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich I graciousness, and ready to relent. Who knows if he will not turn again, will not relent, will not leave a blessing as he passes, oblation and libation for the Lord your God? Sound the trumpet in Zion! Order a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly, call the people together, summon the community, assemble the elders, gather the children, even the infants at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his bedroom and the bride her alcove. Between vestibule and altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, lament. Let them say, ‘Spare your people, Lord! Do not make your heritage a thing of shame, a byword for the nations. Why should it be said among the nations, “Where is their God?”’ Then the Lord, jealous on behalf of his land, took pity on his people.
Psalm 50(51):3-6, 12-14, 17
R/ Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.
- Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness. In your compassion blot out my offence. O wash me more and more from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin.
- My offences truly I know them; my sin is always before me Against you, you alone, have I sinned; what is evil in your sight I have done.
- A pure heart create for me, O God, put a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, nor deprive me of your holy spirit.
- Give me again the joy of your help; with a spirit of fervour sustain me, O Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall declare your praise.
Second reading: 2 Corinthians 5:20 – 6:2
We are ambassadors for Christ; it is as though God were appealing through us, and the appeal that we make in Christ’s name is: be reconciled to God. For our sake God made the sinless one into sin, so that in him we might become the goodness of God. As his fellow workers, we beg you once again not to neglect the grace of God that you have received. For he says: At the favourable time, I have listened to you; on the day of salvation I came to your help. Well, now is the favourable time; this is the day of salvation.
Gospel Acclamation: Ps 50:12, 14
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory! A pure heart create for me, O God, and give me again the joy of your help. Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Gospel: Matthew 6:1-6,16-18
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be careful not to parade your good deeds before men to attract their notice; by doing this you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give alms, do not have it trumpeted before you; this is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win men’s admiration. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you. ‘And when you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them; I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you pray, go to your private room and, when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you. ‘When you fast do not put on a gloomy look as the hypocrites do: they pull long faces to let men know they are fasting. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that no one will know you are fasting except your Father who sees all that is done in secret; and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.’
Prayer over the Offerings
As we solemnly offer the annual sacrifice for the beginning of Lent, we entreat you, Lord, that, through works of penance and charity, we may turn away from harmful pleasures and, cleansed from our sins, may become worthy to celebrate devoutly the Passion of your Son. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Communion Antiphon: Ps 1: 2-3
He who ponders the law of the Lord day and night will yield fruit in due season.
Prayer after Communion
May the Sacrament we have received sustain us, O Lord, that our Lenten fast may be pleasing to you and be for us a healing remedy. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Today, we begin the Season of Lent. Lent is a period of 40 days during which we commemorate the suffering and death of Jesus. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. The Season of Lent is characterised by prayer, fasting and almsgiving. In the readings of today, we are reminded of privacy of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. By intention, our prayer, fasting and almsgiving are not to be brandished for others to see, but to be private acts known to us and to our heavenly Father, who sees all that is done in secret and who reserves the right to reward us for our good deeds.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | Feb 24, 2020 | Evangelium
tuesday 25 February 2020
St. Ethelbert (c.560 – 616)
He was the first king in England to convert to Christianity. According to Bede, this happened shortly after St Augustine arrived on his mission to the English.
Green
Entrance Antiphon: Ps 12: 6
O Lord, I trust in your merciful love. My heart will rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to theLord who has been bountiful with me.
Collect
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, always pondering spiritual things, we may carry out in both word and deed that which is pleasing to 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 : James 4:1-10
Where do these wars and battles between yourselves first start? Isn’t it precisely in the desires fighting inside your own selves? You want something and you haven’t got it; so you are prepared to kill. You have an ambition that you cannot satisfy; so you fight to get your way by force. Why you don’t have what you want is because you don’t pray for it; when you do pray and don’t get it, it is because you have not prayed properly, you have prayed for something to indulge your own desires. You are as unfaithful as adulterous wives; don’t you realise that making the world your friend is making God your enemy? Anyone who chooses the world for his friend turns himself into God’s enemy. Surely you don’t think scripture is wrong when it says: the spirit which he sent to live in us wants us for himself alone? But he has been even more generous to us, as scripture says: God opposes the proud but he gives generously to the humble. Give in to God, then; resist the devil, and he will run away from you. The nearer you go to God, the nearer he will come to you. Clean your hands, you sinners, and clear your minds, you waverers. Look at your wretched condition, and weep for it in misery; be miserable instead of laughing, gloomy instead of happy. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up.
Psalm 54(55):7-11,23
R/ Entrust your cares to the Lord and he will support you.
- O that I had wings like a dove to fly away and be at rest. So I would escape far away and take refuge in the desert.
- I would hasten to find a shelter from the raging wind, from the destructive storm, O Lord, and from their plotting tongues.
- For I can see nothing but violence and strife in the city. Night and day they patrol high on the city walls.
- Entrust your cares to the Lord and he will support you. He will never allow the just man to stumble.
Gospel Acclamation : Jn14:23
Alleluia, alleluia! If anyone loves me he will keep my word and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him. Alleluia!
Gospel: Mark 9:30-37
Jesus and his disciples made their way through Galilee; and he did not want anyone to know, because he was instructing his disciples; he was telling them, ‘The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men; they will put him to death; and three days after he has been put to death he will rise again.’ But they did not understand what he said and were afraid to ask him. They came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the road?’ They said nothing because they had been arguing which of them was the greatest. So he sat down, called the Twelve to him and said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.’ He then took a little child, set him in front of them, put his arms round him, and said to them, ‘Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’
Prayer over the Offerings
As we celebrate your mysteries, O Lord, with the observance that is your due, we humbly ask you, that what we offer to the honour of your majesty may profit us for salvation. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Ps 9: 2-3
I will recount all your wonders, I will rejoice in you and be glad, and sing psalms to your name, O Most High.
Prayer after Communion
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that we may experience the effects of the salvation which is pledged to us by these mysteries. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
‘If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.’ By these words, Jesus tells his disciples that his leadership is one of service. Ordinarily, in society, those who occupy positions or offices are looked upon as big people. The words of Jesus point out to us and to those who occupy positions that any office we hold is a position of humble and transparent service. Whether we are appointed to an office or elected into it, we need to remember that we are called to serve after the example of Jesus himself, who came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for all.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | Feb 23, 2020 | Evangelium
monday 24February 2020
St. John Theristus
He was a Benedictine monk of Calabrian lineage, born in Sicily. At a young age he became a monk. He helped to miraculously harvest a large crop ahead of destructive weather, saving the locals from starvation. There he remained until his death of natural causes, in 1129.
Green
Entrance Antiphon: Ps 12: 6
O Lord, I trust in your merciful love. My heart will rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord who has been bountiful with me.
Collect
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, always pondering spiritual things, we may carry out in both word and deed that which is pleasing to 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 : James 3:13-18
If there are any wise or learned men among you, let them show it by their good lives, with humility and wisdom in their actions. But if at heart you have the bitterness of jealousy, or a self-seeking ambition, never make any claims for yourself or cover up the truth with lies – principles of this kind are not the wisdom that comes down from above: they are only earthly, animal and devilish. Wherever you find jealousy and ambition, you find disharmony, and wicked things of every kind being done; whereas the wisdom that comes down from above is essentially something pure; it also makes for peace, and is kindly and considerate; it is full of compassion and shows itself by doing good; nor is there any trace of partiality or hypocrisy in it. Peacemakers, when they work for peace, sow the seeds which will bear fruit in holiness.
Psalm 18(19):8-10,15
R/ The precepts of the Lord gladden the heart.
- The law of the Lord is perfect, it revives the soul. The rule of the Lord is to be trusted, it gives wisdom to the simple.
- The precepts of the Lord are right, they gladden the heart. The command of the Lord is clear, it gives light to the eyes.
- The fear of the Lord is holy, abiding forever. The decrees of the Lord are truth and all of them just.
- May the spoken words of my mouth, the thoughts of my heart, win favour in your sight, O Lord, my rescuer, my rock!
Gospel Acclamation: 1 P 1:25
Alleluia, alleluia! The word of the Lord remains forever: What is this word? It is the Good News that has been brought to you. Alleluia!
Gospel : Mark 9:14-29
When Jesus, with Peter, James and John came down from the mountain and rejoined the disciples, they saw a large crowd round them and some scribes arguing with them. The moment they saw him the whole crowd were struck with amazement and ran to greet him. ‘What are you arguing about with them?’ he asked. A man answered him from the crowd, ‘Master, I have brought my son to you; there is a spirit of dumbness in him, and when it takes hold of him it throws him to the ground, and he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and goes rigid. And I asked your disciples to cast it out and they were unable to.’ ‘You faithless generation’ he said to them in reply. ‘How much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me.’ They brought the boy to him, and as soon as the spirit saw Jesus it threw the boy into convulsions, and he fell to the ground and lay writhing there, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the father, ‘How long has this been happening to him?’ ‘From childhood,’ he replied ‘and it has often thrown him into the fire and into the water, in order to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us.’ ‘If you can?’ retorted Jesus. ‘Everything is possible for anyone who has faith.’ Immediately the father of the boy cried out, ‘I do have faith. Help the little faith I have!’ And when Jesus saw how many people were pressing round him, he rebuked the unclean spirit. ‘Deaf and dumb spirit,’ he said ‘I command you: come out of him and never enter him again.’ Then throwing the boy into violent convulsions it came out shouting, and the boy lay there so like a corpse that most of them said, ‘He is dead.’ But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him up, and he was able to stand. When he had gone indoors his disciples asked him privately, ‘Why were we unable to cast it out?’ ‘This is the kind’ he answered ‘that can only be driven out by prayer.’
Prayer over the Offerings
As we celebrate your mysteries, O Lord, with the observance that is your due, we humbly ask you, that what we offer to the honour of your majesty may profit us for salvation. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Ps 9: 2-3
I will recount all your wonders, I will rejoice in you and be glad, and sing psalms to your name, O Most High.
Prayer after Communion
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that we may experience the effects of the salvation which is pledged to us by these mysteries. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
How much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? These are the questions Jesus asks his disciples when confronted with their inability to cast out a deaf and dumb spirit. In many challenging life situations, like the disciples of Jesus, we show a real lack of faith. At such moments, instead of turning to God, with whom everything is possible and no problem lacks a solution, we turn to other sources, sometimes sources that are completely contrary to our faith in God. Imagine Jesus looking at you in such circumstances! He would surely ask you the same questions: How much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you?
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | Feb 22, 2020 | Evangelium
sunday 23 February 2020
7th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Psalter III
St. Polycarp (155)
Green
Entrance Antiphon: Ps 12: 6
O Lord, I trust in your merciful love. My heart will rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord who has been bountiful with me.
Collect
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, always pondering spiritual things, we may carry out in both word and deed that which is pleasing to 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: Leviticus 19:1-2,17-18
The Lord spoke to Moses; he said: ‘Speak to the whole community of the sons of Israel and say to them: ‘“Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy. ‘“You must not bear hatred for your brother in your heart. You must openly tell him, your neighbour, of his offence; this way you will not take a sin upon yourself. You must not exact vengeance, nor must you bear a grudge against the children of your people. You must love your neighbour as yourself. I am the Lord.”’
Psalm 102(103):1-4,8,10,12-13
R/ The Lord is compassion and love.
- My soul, give thanks to the Lord all my being, bless his holy name. My soul, give thanks to the Lord and never forget all his blessings.
- It is he who forgives all your guilt, who heals every one of your ills, who redeems your life from the grave, who crowns you with love and compassion.
- The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy. He does not treat us according to our sins nor repay us according to our faults.
- As far as the east is from the west so far does he remove our sins. As a father has compassion on his sons, the Lord has pity on those who fear him.
Second reading: 1 Corinthians 3:16-23
Didn’t you realise that you were God’s temple and that the Spirit of God was living among you? If anybody should destroy the temple of God, God will destroy him, because the temple of God is sacred; and you are that temple. Make no mistake about it: if any one of you thinks of himself as wise, in the ordinary sense of the word, then he must learn to be a fool before he really can be wise. Why? Because the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As scripture says: The Lord knows wise men’s thoughts: he knows how useless they are; or again: God is not convinced by the arguments of the wise. So there is nothing to boast about in anything human: Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life and death, the present and the future, are all your servants; but you belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God.
Gospel Acclamation : Jn 14:23
Alleluia, alleluia! If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him. Alleluia!
Gospel: Matthew 5:38-48
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You have learnt how it was said: Eye for eye and tooth for tooth. But I say this to you: offer the wicked man no resistance. On the contrary, if anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well; if a man takes you to law and would have your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone orders you to go one mile, go two miles with him. Give to anyone who asks, and if anyone wants to borrow, do not turn away. ‘You have learnt how it was said: You must love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say this to you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you; in this way you will be sons of your Father in heaven, for he causes his sun to rise on bad men as well as good, and his rain to fall on honest and dishonest men alike. For if you love those who love you, what right have you to claim any credit? Even the tax collectors do as much, do they not? And if you save your greetings for your brothers, are you doing anything exceptional? Even the pagans do as much, do they not? You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect.’
Prayer over the Offerings
As we celebrate your mysteries, O Lord, with the observance that is your due, we humbly ask you, that what we offer to the honour of your majesty may profit us for salvation. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Ps 9: 2-3
I will recount all your wonders, I will rejoice in you and be glad, and sing psalms to your name, O Most High.
Prayer after Communion
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that we may experience the effects of the salvation which is pledged to us by these mysteries. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
The deeds and ways of the wicked inflict pain on others. It would seem just enough and in accord with human nature to resent the wicked man and his ways. But Jesus tells us not to offer any resistance to the wicked man. This is because wickedness plus wickedness can only breed more wickedness. The wisdom of Jesus teaches us that when we repay wickedness with kindness, the wicked man’s conscience is pricked and he begins to contemplate dropping his wickedness to embrace kindness instead. Kindness diminishes wickedness; love erases hatred; and forgiveness washes away sin.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | Feb 21, 2020 | Evangelium
saturday 22 February 2020
St Peter’s Chair
Feast
This feast has been celebrated in Rome since at least the fourth century. It signifies the unity of the Church founded upon the Apostles.
White
Entrance Antiphon: Lk 22: 32
The Lord says to Simon Peter: I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail, and, once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.
Collect
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that no tempests may disturb us, for you have set us fast on the rock of the Apostle Peter’s confession of faith. 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: 1 Peter 5:1-4
Now I have something to tell your elders: I am an elder myself, and a witness to the sufferings of Christ, and with you I have a share in the glory that is to be revealed. Be the shepherds of the flock of God that is entrusted to you: watch over it, not simply as a duty but gladly, because God wants it; not for sordid money, but because you are eager to do it. Never be a dictator over any group that is put in your charge, but be an example that the whole flock can follow. When the chief shepherd appears, you will be given the crown of unfading glory.
Psalm 22(23)
R/ The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
- The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose. Near restful waters he leads me, to revive my drooping spirit.
- He guides me along the right path; he is true to his name. If I should walk in the valley of darkness no evil would I fear. You are there with your crook and your staff; with these you give me comfort.
- You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes. My head you have anointed with oil; my cup is overflowing.
- Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life. In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell forever and ever.
Gospel Acclamation: Mt 16:18
Alleluia, alleluia! You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. Alleluia.
Gospel: Matthew 16:13-19
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ,’ he said ‘the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Accept with favour, O Lord, we pray, the prayers and offerings of your Church, that, with St. Peter as her shepherd, she may come to an eternal inheritance, for it is through his teaching that she holds the faith in its integrity. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Mt 16: 16, 18
Peter said to Jesus: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God And Jesus replied: You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.
Prayer after Communion
O God, who at our celebration of the feast day of the blessed Apostle Peter have nourished us by communion in the Body and Blood of Christ, grant, we pray, that this redeeming exchange may be for us a Sacrament of unity and peace. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
It is very easy to go by public opinion, instead of taking time to make out what our own stance is. When Jesus asks his disciples who people say he is, the disciples are very quick to answer. When he asks who his disciples to say who he is, it takes divine inspiration for Peter to give the right response. Peter may not be alone. Were Jesus to address the same question to you or me: ‘But you, who do you say I am?’ What would be our response? Your response, my response, reveals our knowledge of Jesus and of course the kind of relationship we have with him. It reveals the depth or shallowness of our faith in Jesus. We pray for the grace to know Jesus more and more and for our knowledge of Jesus to guide us in our daily living.
