Jeudi 23 juin 2022

 

  1. joseph

 

Joseph Cafasso est né à Castelnuovo d’Asti dans le Piémont, en Italie, de parents paysans. Il étudia au séminaire de Turin et fut ordonné en 1833. Il poursuivit ses études théologiques au séminaire et à l’université de Turin puis à l’Institut de Saint-François, et malgré une colonne vertébrale déformée, il y devint un brillant conférencier en théologie morale.

 

Antienne d’ouverture : Ps 27, 8-9  

Le Seigneur est la force de son peuple, le protecteur et le sauveur de ses fidèles. Sauve-nous, Seigneur, veille sur nous, conduis-nous toujours.

 

Prière  d’ouverture

Fais-nous vivre à tout moment, Seigneur, dans l’amour et le respect de ton saint nom, toi qui ne cesses jamais de guider ceux que tu enracines solidement dans ton amour. Par Jésus Christ.

 

1ère lecture : 2 R 24, 8-17

Jékonias avait dix-huit ans lorsqu’il devint roi, et il régna trois mois à Jérusalem. Sa mère s’appelait Nehoushta, fille d’Elnatane ; elle était de Jérusalem. Il fit ce qui est mal aux yeux du Seigneur, tout comme avait fait son père. En ce temps-là, les troupes de Nabucodonosor, roi de Babylone, montèrent contre Jérusalem, et la ville fut assiégée. Le roi de Babylone vint en personne attaquer la ville que son armée assiégeait. Alors, Jékonias, roi de Juda, avec sa mère, ses serviteurs, ses officiers et ses dignitaires, se rendit au roi de Babylone, qui les fit prisonniers. C’était en la huitième année du règne de Nabucodonosor. Celui-ci emporta tous les trésors de la maison du Seigneur avec ceux de la maison du roi. Il brisa tous les objets en or que Salomon, roi d’Israël, avait fait faire pour le Temple. Tout cela, le Seigneur l’avait annoncé. Nabucodonosor déporta tout Jérusalem, tous les officiers et tous les  vaillants guerriers, soit dix mille hommes, sans compter tous les artisans et forgerons : on ne laissa sur place que la population la plus pauvre. Le roi Jékonias fut déporté à Babylone avec la reine mère, les épouses royales, les dignitaires, l’élite du pays : tous partirent en exil de Jérusalem à Babylone. Tous les soldats, au nombre de sept mille, les artisans et les forgerons au nombre de mille, tous ceux qui pouvaient combattre, furent déportés à Babylone par le roi Nabucodonosor. Celui-ci fit roi, à la place de Jékonias, son oncle Mattanya, dont il changea le nom en celui de Sédécias.

 

Psaume : 78 (79), 1, 2, 3, 4-5, 8, 9  

R/ Pour la gloire de ton nom, Seigneur, délivre-nous !

 

  1. Dieu, les païens ont envahi ton domaine ; ils ont souillé ton temple sacré et mis Jérusalem en ruines.
  2. Ils ont livré les cadavres de tes serviteurs en pâture aux rapaces du ciel et la chair de tes fidèles, aux bêtes de la terre.
  3. Ils ont versé le sang comme l’eau aux alentours de Jérusalem : les morts restaient sans sépulture.
  4. Nous sommes la risée des voisins, la fable et le jouet de l’entourage. Combien de temps, Seigneur, durera ta colère et brûlera le feu de ta jalousie ?
  5. Ne retiens pas contre nous les péchés de nos ancêtres: que nous vienne bientôt ta tendresse, car nous sommes à bout de force !
  6. Aide-nous, Dieu notre Sauveur, pour la gloire de ton nom ! Délivre-nous, efface nos fautes, pour la cause de ton nom !

 

 

Acclamation

Alléluia. Alléluia! Si quelqu’un m’aime, il gardera ma parole, dit le Seigneur ; mon Père l’aimera, et nous viendrons vers lui. Alléluia! (Jn 14, 23)

 

Évangile : Mt 7, 21-29

En ce temps-là, Jésus disait à ses disciples : « Ce n’est pas en me disant: “Seigneur, Seigneur !” qu’on entrera dans le royaume des Cieux, mais c’est en faisant la volonté de mon Père qui est aux cieux. Ce jour-là, beaucoup me diront: “Seigneur, Seigneur, n’est-ce pas en ton nom que nous avons prophétisé, en ton nom que nous avons expulsé les démons, en ton nom que nous avons fait beaucoup de iracles?” Alors je leur déclarerai : “Je ne vous ai jamais connus. Écartez-vous de moi, vous qui commettez le mal !” Ainsi, celui qui entend les paroles que je dis là et les met en pratique est comparable à un  homme prévoyant qui a construit sa maison sur le roc. La pluie est tombée, les torrents ont dévalé, les vents ont soufflé et se sont abattus sur cette maison ; la maison ne s’est pas écroulée, car elle était fondée sur le roc. Et celui qui entend de moi ces paroles sans les mettre en pratique est comparable à un homme insensé qui a construit sa maison sur le sable. La pluie est tombée, les torrents ont dévalé, les vents ont soufflé, ils sont venus battre cette maison ; la maison s’est écroulée, et son écroulement a été complet. » Lorsque Jésus eut terminé ce discours, les foules restèrent frappées de son  enseignement, car il les enseignait en homme qui a autorité, et non pas comme leurs scribes.

 

Prière  sur  les  offrandes

Accepte, Seigneur, le sacrifice de louange et de pardon, afin que nos cœurs, purifiés par sa puissance, t’offrent un amour qui réponde à ton amour. Par Jésus.

 

Antienne de communion : Ps 144, 15

Tous ont les yeux sur toi, Seigneur, ils espèrent, et tu donnes à chacun sa nourriture.

 

Prière  après  la  communion

Renouvelés par le corps et le sang de ton Fils, nous implorons ta bonté, Seigneur : fais qu’à jamais rachetés, nous possédions dans ton Royaume ce que nous célébrons en chaque Eucharistie. Par Jésus.

 

 

Méditation

L’entrée dans le royaume des cieux est tributaire pas seulement du dire, mais aussi du faire. « Ce n’est pas en disant Seigneur, Seigneur… mais en faisant la volonté de mon père ». Il est aujourd’hui facile de dire, et surtout de dire ce qu’on ne fait pas. Faire en réalité suppose un engagement, un effort. Il contient une adhésion à une idéologie, une logique, une doctrine. Dieu attend de nous que nous soyons des hommes et des femmes qui professent leur foi non seulement en parole mais surtout par les actes qu’ils posent.

Thursday 23 rd June 2022

 

  1. Etheldreda

(679)

 

She was born in Suffolk. She was the most venerated of the women saints of Anglo-Saxon England, renowned for her dedication to a life of chastity and for the austerity of the regime she imposed on herself in her later years.

 

Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Ps 27: 8-9

The Lord is the strength of his people, a saving refuge for the one he has anointed. Save your people, Lord, and bless your heritage, and govern them for ever.

 

Collect

Grant, O Lord, that we may always revere and love your holy name, for you never deprive of your guidance those you set firm on the foundation of your love. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

 

First reading : 2 Kings 24:8-17

Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he came to the throne, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Nehushta, daughter of Elnathan, from Jerusalem. He did what is displeasing to the Lord, just as his father had done. At that time the troops of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched on Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon himself came to attack the city while his troops were besieging it. Then Jehoiachin king of Judah surrendered to the king of Babylon, he, his mother, his officers, his nobles and his eunuchs, and the king of Babylon took them prisoner. This was in the eighth year of King Nebuchadnezzar. The latter carried off all the treasures of the Temple of the Lord and the treasures of the royal palace, and broke up all the golden furnishings that Solomon king of Israel had made for the sanctuary of the Lord, as the Lord had foretold. He carried off all Jerusalem into exile, all the nobles and all the notables, ten thousand of these were exiled, with all the blacksmiths and metalworkers; only the poorest people in the country were left behind. He deported Jehoiachin to Babylon, as also the king’s mother, his eunuchs and the nobility of the country; he made them all leave Jerusalem for exile in Babylon. All the men of distinction, seven thousand of them, the blacksmiths and metalworkers, one thousand of them, all of them men capable of bearing arms, were led into exile in Babylon by the king of Babylon. The king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in succession to him, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

 

Psalm 78:1-5,8-9

R/ Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.

 

  1. O God, the nations have invaded your land, they have profaned your holy temple. They have made Jerusalem a heap of ruins. They have handed over the bodies of your servants as food to feed the birds of heaven and the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the earth.
  2. They have poured out blood like water in Jerusalem; no one is left to bury the dead. We have become the taunt of our neighbours, the mockery and scorn of those who surround us. How long, O Lord? Will you be angry for ever; how long will your anger burn like fire?
  3. Do not hold the guilt of our fathers against us. Let your compassion hasten to meet us; we are left in the depths of distress.
  4. O God our saviour, come to our help. Come for the sake of the glory of your name. O Lord our God, forgive us our sins; rescue us for the sake of your name.

 

Gospel Acclamation : Heb4:12

Alleluia, alleluia! The word of God is something alive and active: it can judge secret emotions and thoughts.Alleluia!

 

Gospel : Matthew 7:21-29

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘It is not those who say to me, “Lord, Lord,” who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven. When the day comes many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, work many miracles in your name?” Then I shall tell them to their faces: I have never known you; away from me, you evil men! ‘Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: it was founded on rock. But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell; and what a fall it had!’ Jesus had now finished what he wanted to say, and his teaching made a deep impression on the people because he taught them with authority, and not like their own Scribes.

Prayer over the Offerings

Receive, O Lord, the sacrifice of conciliation and praise and grant that, cleansed by its action, we may make offering of a heart pleasing to you. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon : Ps 144: 15

The eyes of all look to you, Lord, and you give them their food in due season.

 

Prayer after Communion

Renewed and nourished by the Sacred Body and Precious Blood of your Son, we ask of your mercy, O Lord, that what we celebrate with constant devotion may be our sure pledge of redemption. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Meditation

Entry into the kingdom of heaven depends on doing, not just saying. It is not by saying, ‘lord, lord’ but by doing the will of the father. Today it is easy to say what we do not do. Doing implies a commitment and effort; it entails adhesion to an ideology, a logic, a doctrine. God expects us to be men and women who profess their faith not just in word but above all in deed. When we listen to his word and act on it, we make him our stronhold and thus we can withstand all the storms and gales of life.

Mercredi 22 juin 2022

 

  1. Paulin de Nole, évêque

Ce riche patricien romain (353-431), né à Bordeaux, consul en 378, se convertit, est baptisé en 389 et donne ses biens aux pauvres. Ordonné prêtre, il se retire avec sa femme Thérèse et quelques disciples à Nole (Italie), dont il devient évêque en 409. Il y vit dans la prière et la pauvreté, tout dévoué à son troupeau, spécialement aux heures de calamités résultant de l’invasion des Goths.

 

Antienne d’ouverture : Ps 27, 8-9  

Le Seigneur est la force de son peuple, le protecteur et le sauveur de ses fidèles. Sauve-nous, Seigneur, veille sur nous, conduis- nous toujours.

 

Prière  d’ouverture

Fais-nous vivre à tout moment, Seigneur, dans l’amour et le respect de ton saint nom, toi qui ne cesses jamais de guider ceux que tu enracines solidement dans ton amour. Par Jésus Christ.

 

1ère lecture : 2 R 22, 8-13 ; 23, 1-3

En ces jours-là, le grand prêtre Helcias dit au secrétaire Shafane : « J’ai trouvé le livre de la Loi dans la maison du Seigneur. » Et Helcias donna le livre à Shafane. Celui-ci le lut. Puis, le secrétaire Shafane alla chez le roi Josias et lui rendit compte de ce qui s’était passé. Il déclara : « L’argent trouvé dans la Maison, tes serviteurs l’ont versé et remis entre les mains des maîtres d’œuvre, préposés à la maison du Seigneur. » Alors Shafane, le secrétaire, annonça au roi : « Le prêtre Helcias m’a donné un livre. » Et Shafane fit au roi la lecture de ce livre. Après avoir entendu les paroles du livre de la Loi, le roi déchira ses vêtements. Il donna cet ordre au prêtre Helcias, à son secrétaire et à ses serviteurs : « Allez consulter le Seigneur pour moi, pour le peuple et pour tout Juda au sujet des paroles de ce livre qu’on vient de retrouver. La fureur du Seigneur est grande : elle s’est enflammée contre nous parce que nos pères n’ont pas obéi aux paroles de ce livre et n’ont pas pratiqué tout ce qui s’y trouve. » Le roi fit convoquer auprès de lui tous les anciens de Juda et de Jérusalem. Il monta à la maison du Seigneur avec tous les gens de Juda, tous les habitants de Jérusalem, les prêtres et les prophètes, et tout le peuple, du plus petit au plus grand. Il lut devant eux toutes les paroles du livre de l’Alliance retrouvé dans la maison du Seigneur. Debout sur l’estrade, le roi conclut l’Alliance en présence du Seigneur. Il s’engageait à suivre le Seigneur en observant ses commandements, ses édits et ses décrets, de tout son cœur et de toute son âme, accomplissant ainsi les paroles de l’Alliance inscrites dans ce livre. Et tout le peuple s’engagea dans l’Alliance.

 

Psaume :118 (119), 33-34, 35-36, 37.40  

R/   Enseigne-moi, Seigneur, le chemin de tes ordres.

 

  1. Enseigne-moi, Seigneur, le chemin de tes ordres ; à les garder, j’aurai ma récompense. Montre-moi comment garder ta loi, que je l’observe de tout cœur.
  2. Guide-moi sur la voie de tes volontés, là, je me plais. Incline mon cœur vers tes exigences, non pas vers le profit.
  3. Détourne mes yeux des idoles : que tes chemins me fassent vivre. Vois, j’ai désiré tes préceptes : par ta justice fais-moi vivre.

Acclamation

Alléluia. Alléluia! Demeurez en moi, comme moi en vous, dit le Seigneur; celui qui demeure en moi porte beaucoup de fruit. Alléluia! (Jn 15, 4a.5b)

 

 

Évangile : Mt 7, 15-20

En ce temps-là, Jésus disait à ses disciples : « Méfiez-vous des faux prophètes qui viennent à vous déguisés en brebis, alors qu’au-dedans ce sont des loups voraces. C’est à leurs fruits que vous les reconnaîtrez. Va-t-on cueillir du raisin sur des épines, ou des figues sur des chardons ? C’est ainsi que tout arbre bon donne de beaux fruits, et que l’arbre qui pourrit donne des fruits mauvais. Un arbre bon ne peut pas donner des fruits mauvais, ni un arbre qui pourrit donner de beaux fruits. Tout arbre qui ne donne pas de beaux fruits est coupé et jeté au feu. Donc, c’est à leurs fruits que vous les reconnaîtrez. »

 

Prière  sur  les  offrandes

Accepte, Seigneur, le sacrifice de louange et de pardon, afin que nos cœurs, purifiés par sa puissance, t’offrent un amour qui réponde à ton amour. Par Jésus.

 

Antienne de communion : Ps 144, 15

Tous ont les yeux sur toi, Seigneur, ils espèrent, et tu donnes à chacun sa nourriture.

 

Prière  après  la  communion

Renouvelés par le corps et le sang de ton Fils, nous implorons ta bonté, Seigneur : fais qu’à jamais rachetés, nous possédions dans ton Royaume ce que nous célébrons en chaque Eucharistie. Par Jésus.

 

 

Méditation

Par son Baptême le chrétien est prêtre, prophète et roi. Il a donc le devoir d’accomplir dans le monde et dans l’Eglise une mission prophétique. Rendre audible et visible la parole de Dieu, être en d’autres termes un évangile vivant. Jésus nous interpelle au sujet de cet engagement lorsqu’ il affirme que c’est par les fruits que nous portons que notre prophétie est crédible, ou alors, que notre méchanceté qui nous transforme en loup vorace s’affirme. C’est l’exigence du témoignage de vie qui distingue le vrai prophète, celui qui est enraciné dans la parole de Dieu qui n’est autre que le Christ lui-même. Souscris-tu aux commandements de cette parole ? Parles-tu de cette parole de Dieu dans ta famille et autour de toi ? Es-tu un vrai ou un faux prophète ?

 

Wednesday 22 nd June 2022

 

St. Thomas More

(1477 – 1535)

 

He was born in London, the son of a judge, and himself became an eminent lawyer. He was tried on the charge of high treason for denying the King’s supreme headship of the Church, found guilty, and sentenced to death. He went to his execution, on 6 July 1535.

 

Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Ps 27: 8-9

The Lord is the strength of his people, a saving refuge for the one he has anointed. Save your people, Lord, and bless your heritage, and govern them for ever.

 

Collect

Grant, O Lord, that we may always revere and love your holy name, for you never deprive of your guidance those you set firm on the foundation of your love. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

 

First reading : 2 Kings 22:8-13,23:1-3 

The high priest Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, ‘I have found the Book of the Law in the Temple of the Lord.’’’ And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, who read it. Shaphan the secretary went to the king and reported to him as follows, ‘Your servants’ he said ‘have melted down the silver which was in the Temple and have handed it over to the masters of works attached to the Temple of the Lord.’ Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, ‘Hilkiah the priest has given me a book’; and Shaphan read it aloud in the king’s presence.

On hearing the contents of the Book of the Law, the king tore his garments, and gave the following order to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Achbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s minister: ‘Go and consult the Lord, on behalf of me and the people, about the contents of this book that has been found. Great indeed must be the anger of the Lord blazing out against us because our ancestors did not obey what this book says by practising everything written in it.’The king then had all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem summoned to him, and the king went up to the Temple of the Lord with all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, priests, prophets and all the people, of high or low degree. In their hearing he read out everything that was said in the book of the covenant found in the Temple of the Lord. The king stood beside the pillar, and in the presence of the Lord he made a covenant to follow the Lord and keep his commandments and decrees and laws with all his heart and soul, in order to enforce the terms of the covenant as written in that book. All the people gave their allegiance to the covenant.

 

Psalm 118:33-37,40

R/ Lord, teach me your statutes.

 

  1. Teach me the demands of your statutes and I will keep them to the end. Train me to observe your law, to keep it with my heart.
  2. Guide me in the path of your commands; for there is my delight. Bend my heart to your will and not to love of gain.
  3. Keep my eyes from what is false; by your word, give me life. See, I long for your precepts; then in your justice, give me life.

 

Gospel Acclamation : Ps118:18

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

 

Gospel : Matthew 7:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Beware of false prophets who come to you disguised as sheep but underneath are ravenous wolves. You will be able to tell them by their fruits. Can people pick grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, a sound tree produces good fruit but a rotten tree bad fruit. A sound tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor a rotten tree bear good fruit. Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown on the fire. I repeat, you will be able to tell them by their fruits.’

 

Prayer over the Offerings

Receive, O Lord, the sacrifice of conciliation and praise and grant that, cleansed by its action, we may make offering of a heart pleasing to you. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon : Ps 144: 15

The eyes of all look to you, Lord, and you give them their food in due season.

 

Prayer after Communion

Renewed and nourished by the Sacred Body and Precious Blood of your Son, we ask of your mercy, O Lord, that what we celebrate with constant devotion may be our sure pledge of redemption. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Meditation

By his baptism, the christian is a priest, a prophet and a king. He therefore has the duty to fulfil a prophetic mission in the world and in the church. He has to make the word of god audible and visible; in other words, he has to be a living gospel. Jesus challenges us about this commitment when he affirms that it is by the fruits we bear that our prophecy is credible. It is the requirement of life witness that distinguishes the true prophet, the one who is rooted in the word of god, which is none other than christ himself. Do you subscribe to the commands of this word? Do you speak this word of god in your family and around you? Are you a true or false prophet?

Tuesday 21 st June 2022

 

St. Aloysius Gonzaga

(1568 – 1591)

 

At the age of 16 he became a Jesuit novice in Rome. Aloysius, still a novice, worked hard helping patients infected by the plague. He himself caught the plague. He died at midnight on the 20th of June with the name of Jesus on his lips.

 

Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Ps 23: 4, 3

The clean of hands and pure of heart shall climb the mountain of the Lord and stand in his holy place.

 

Collect

O God, giver of heavenly gifts, who in Saint Aloysius Gonzaga joined penitence to a wonderful innocence of life, grant, through his merits and intercession, that, though we have failed to follow him in innocence, we may imitate him in penitence. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

 

First reading : 2 Kings 19:9-11,14-21,31-36

Sennacherib, King of the Assyrians, sent messengers to Hezekiah saying, ‘Tell this to Hezekiah king of Judah, “Do not let your God on whom you are relying deceive you, when he says: Jerusalem shall not fall into the power of the king of Assyria. You have learnt by now what the kings of Assyria have done to every country, putting them all under the ban. Are you likely to be spared?’ Hezekiah took the letter from the hands of the messenger and read it; he then went up to the Temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. Hezekiah said this prayer in the presence of the Lord, ‘O Lord of Hosts, God of Israel, enthroned on the cherubs, you alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth, you have made heaven and earth. ‘Give ear, Lord, and listen. Open your eyes, Lord, and see. Hear the words of Sennacherib who has sent to insult the living God. ‘It is true, O Lord, that the kings of Assyria have exterminated all the nations, they have thrown their gods on the fire, for these were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, and hence they have destroyed them. But now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, I pray you, and let all the kingdoms of the earth know that you alone are God, the Lord.’ Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah. ‘The Lord, the God of Israel,’ he said, ‘says this, “I have heard the prayer you have addressed to me about Sennacherib king of Assyria.” Here is the oracle that the Lord has pronounced against him: ‘“She despises you, she scorns you, the virgin, daughter of Zion; she tosses her head behind you, the daughter of Jerusalem.” ‘This, then, is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria: ‘“He will not enter this city, he will let fly no arrow against it, confront it with no shield, throw up no earthwork against it. By the road that he came on he will return; he shall not enter this city. It is the Lord who speaks. I will protect this city and save it for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”’ That same night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. Sennacherib struck camp and left; he returned home and stayed in Nineveh.

 

Psalm 47:2-4,10-11

R/  God upholds his city for ever.

 

  1. The Lord is great and worthy to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain rises in beauty, the joy of all the earth.
  2. Mount Zion, true pole of the earth, the Great King’s city! God, in the midst of its citadels, has shown himself its stronghold.
  3. O God, we ponder your love within your temple. Your praise, O God, like your name reaches the ends of the earth.

 

Gospel Acclamation : Mt11:25

Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom to mere children. Alleluia!

 

Gospel : Matthew 7:6,12-14

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls in front of pigs, or they may trample them and then turn on you and tear you to pieces. ‘So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets. ‘Enter by the narrow gate, since the road that leads to perdition is wide and spacious, and many take it; but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it.’

 

Prayer over the Offerings

Grant us, O Lord,that by the example of Saint Aloysius, we may take our place at the heavenly banquet, clothed always in our wedding garment, so that, by participation in this mystery, we may possess the riches of your grace. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon : Ps 77: 24-25

God gave them bread from heaven; man ate the bread of Angels.

 

Prayer after Communion

Bring us, who have been fed with the food of Angels, O Lord, to serve you in purity of life, and, following the example of Saint Aloysius, whom we honour today, may we persevere in constant thanksgiving. Through Christ our Lord.

 

 

Meditation

We have an important choice to make between the path that leads to life, and the path that leads to perdition, which many people today take. The path that leads to life is the one revealed by jesus christ through his teaching: “always treat others as you would like them to treat you.“ the consideration we have for others, the way we look at them, the things we do for or against them, determine our entry into the kingdom of god. At a time when family, brotherhood and love are being cast aside and the so-called magical money purse, intentional homicide and identity-based withdrawal are gaining ground, it is good that we ask ourselves the question: where do i stand as a parent, as a young person, as a christian? How do i treat those whom i meet and with whom i live?