by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Mar 25, 2023 | Evangelium
SUNday 26 MARCH
5th Sunday of Lent,
Psalter week I
Entrance Antiphon Cf. Ps 42: 1-2
Give me justice, O God, and plead my cause against a nation that is faithless. From the deceitful and cunning rescue me, for you, O God, are my strength.
Collect
By your help, we beseech you, Lord our God, may we walk eagerly in that same charity with which, out of love for the world, your Son handed himself over to death. 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: Ezekiel 37: 12-14
The Lord says this: I am now going to open your graves; I mean to raise you from your graves, my people, and lead you back to the soil of Israel. And you will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and raise you from your graves, my people. And I shall put my spirit in you, and you will live, and I shall resettle you on your own soil; and you will know that I, the Lord, have said and done this – it is the Lord who speaks.
Psalm 129(130)
R/ With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord, Lord, hear my voice! O let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleading.
If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt, Lord, who would survive? But with you is found forgiveness: for this we revere you.
My soul is waiting for the Lord. I count on his word. My soul is longing for the Lord more than watchman for daybreak. (Let the watchman count on daybreak and Israel on the Lord.)
Because with the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption, Israel indeed he will redeem from all its iniquity.
Second reading: Romans 8: 8-11
People who are interested only in unspiritual things can never be pleasing to God. Your interests, however, are not in the unspiritual, but in the spiritual, since the Spirit of God has made his home in you. In fact, unless you possessed the Spirit of Christ you would not belong to him. Though your body may be dead it is because of sin, but if Christ is in you then your spirit is life itself because you have been justified; and if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then he who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you.
Gospel Acclamation: Jn 11: 25, 26
Glory and praise to you, O Christ! I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord; whoever believes in me will never die. Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Gospel: John 11:3-7,17-45
Mary and Martha sent this message to Jesus, ‘Lord, the man you love is ill.’ On receiving the message, Jesus said, ‘This sickness will end not in death but in God’s glory, and through it the Son of God will be glorified.’Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, yet when he heard that Lazarus was ill he stayed where he was for two more days before saying to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judaea.’On arriving, Jesus found that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days already. When Martha heard that Jesus had come she went to meet him. Mary remained sitting in the house. Martha said to Jesus, ‘If you had been here, my brother would not have died, but I know that, even now, whatever you ask of God, he will grant you.’ ‘Your brother’ said Jesus to her ‘will rise again.’ Martha said, ‘I know he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said:
‘I am the resurrection and the life. If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ she said ‘I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world.’ Jesus said in great distress, with a sigh that came straight from the heart, ‘Where have you put him?’ They said, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus wept; and the Jews said, ‘See how much he loved him!’ But there were some who remarked, ‘He opened the eyes of the blind man, could he not have prevented this man’s death?’ Still sighing, Jesus reached the tomb: it was a cave with a stone to close the opening. Jesus said, ‘Take the stone away.’ Martha said to him, ‘Lord, by now he will smell; this is the fourth day.’ Jesus replied, ‘Have I not told you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus lifted up his eyes and said: ‘Father, I thank you for hearing my prayer. I knew indeed that you always hear me, but I speak for the sake of all these who stand round me,
so that they may believe it was you who sent me.’ When he had said this, he cried in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, here! Come out!’ The dead man came out, his feet and hands bound with bands of stuff and a cloth round his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, let him go free.’ Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what he did believed in him.
Prayer over the Offerings
Hear us, almighty God, and, having instilled in your servants the teachings of the Christian faith, graciously purify them by the working of this sacrifice. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon
Everyone who lives and believes in me will not die for ever, says the Lord.
Prayer after Communion
We pray, almighty God, that we may always be counted among the members of Christ, in whose Body and Blood we have communion. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Prayer over the People
Bless, O Lord, your people, who long for the gift of your mercy, and grant that what, at your prompting they desire, they may receive by your generous gift. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Meditation
On this third Sunday of Lent, Jesus presents himself to us as our resurrection. The gospel highlights the fact that whoever believes in Jesus, even if he dies, already has life. By raising his friend Lazarus, Jesus opens the horizon of Christian hope. For Jesus, death is not the end of everything. Death is a passage. It is the passage to true life. And to merit this life that comes from Christ, we must believe in Him. We must be men and women of hope in a world without hope; we must accept that Jesus can manifest the glory of God in our lives like Martha and Mary who believe in the God of the resurrection.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Mar 24, 2023 | Agenda Biblique
SAMEDI 25 MARS
Annonciation du Seigneur
« Dieu a tant aimé le monde qu’il a donné son Fils unique pour que quiconque croit en lui ait la vie éternelle, et pour que le monde soit sauvé par lui » (Jn 3,16). Voilà pourquoi le Verbe s’est fait chair. Le Fils de Dieu s’est fait homme pour que les hommes puissent devenir enfants de Dieu. Mais Dieu n’impose pas ses dons ; il nous respecte ; il nous demande de croire en son amour et d’accueillir librement ses dons, comme des signes de cet amour sauveur.
Antienne d’ouverture : He 10,5.7
« Le Christ, en entrant dans le monde, dit “me voici, mon Dieu ; je viens pour faire ta volonté” »
Prière d’ouverture
Seigneur, tu as voulu que ton Verbe prît chair dans le sein de la Vierge Marie ; puisque nous reconnaissons en lui notre Rédempteur, à la fois homme et Dieu, accorde-nous d’être participants de sa nature divine. Lui qui.
1ère lecture : Isaïe 7, 10-14 ; 8, 10
En ces jours-là, le Seigneur parla ainsi au roi Acaz : « Demande pour toi un signe de la part du Seigneur ton Dieu, au fond du séjour des morts ou sur les sommets, là-haut. » Acaz répondit : « Non, je n’en demanderai pas, je ne mettrai pas le Seigneur à l’épreuve. » Isaïe dit alors : « Écoutez, maison de David ! Il ne vous suffit donc pas de fatiguer les hommes: il faut encore que vous fatiguiez mon Dieu ! C’est pourquoi le Seigneur lui-même vous donnera un signe : Voici que la vierge est enceinte, elle enfantera un fils, qu’elle appellera Emmanuel, car Dieu est avec nous. »
Psaume : 39 (40), 7-8a, 8b-9, 10,11
R/ Me voici, Seigneur, je viens faire ta volonté.
Tu ne voulais ni offrande ni sacrifice, tu as ouvert mes oreilles ; tu ne demandais ni holocauste ni victime, alors j’ai dit : « Voici, je viens.
« Dans le livre, est écrit pour moi ce que tu veux que je fasse. Mon Dieu, voilà ce que j’aime : ta loi me tient aux entrailles. »
J’annonce la justice dans la grande assemblée ; vois, je ne retiens pas mes lèvres, Seigneur, tu le sais.
Je n’ai pas enfoui ta justice au fond de mon cœur, je n’ai pas caché ta fidélité, ton salut ; j’ai dit ton amour et ta vérité à la grande assemblée.
Deuxième lecture : Hébreux 10, 4-10
Frères, il est impossible que du sang de taureaux et de boucs enlève les péchés. Aussi, en entrant dans le monde, le Christ dit : Tu n’as voulu ni sacrifice ni offrande, mais tu m’as formé un corps. Tu n’as pas agréé les holocaustes ni les sacrifices pour le péché ; alors, j’ai dit : Me voici, je suis venu, mon Dieu, pour faire ta volonté, ainsi qu’il est écrit de moi dans le Livre. Le Christ commence donc par dire: Tu n’as pas voulu ni agréé les sacrifices et les offrandes, les holocaustes et les sacrifices pour le péché, ceux que la Loi prescrit d’offrir. Puis il déclare : Me voici, je suis venu pour faire ta volonté. Ainsi, il supprime le premier état de choses pour établir le second. Et c’est grâce à cette volonté que nous sommes sanctifiés, par l’offrande que Jésus Christ a faite de son corps, une fois pour toutes.
Acclamation : Jn 1, 14ab
Louange à toi, Seigneur, Roi d’éternelle gloire ! Le Verbe s’est fait chair, il a habité parmi nous et nous avons vu sa gloire. Louange à toi, Seigneur, Roi d’éternelle gloire ! (Jn 3, 16)
Évangile : Luc 1, 26-38
En ce temps-là, l’ange Gabriel fut envoyé par Dieu dans une ville de Galilée, appelée Nazareth, à une jeune fille vierge, accordée en mariage à un homme de la maison de David, appelé Joseph ; et le nom de la jeune fille était Marie. L’ange entra chez elle et dit : « Je te salue, Comblée-de-grâce, le Seigneur est avec toi. » À cette parole, elle fut toute bouleversée, et elle se demandait ce que pouvait signifier cette salutation. L’ange lui dit alors : « Sois sans crainte, Marie, car tu as trouvé grâce auprès de Dieu. Voici que tu vas concevoir et enfanter un fils ; tu lui donneras le nom de Jésus. Il sera grand, il sera appelé Fils du Très-Haut ; le Seigneur Dieu lui donnera le trône de David son père ; il régnera pour toujours sur la maison de Jacob, et son règne n’aura pas de fin. » Marie dit à l’ange : « Comment cela va-t-il se faire, puisque je ne connais pas d’homme?» L’ange lui répondit : « L’Esprit Saint viendra sur toi, et la puissance du Très-Haut te prendra sous son ombre ; c’est pourquoi celui qui va naître sera saint, il sera appelé Fils de Dieu. Or voici que, dans sa vieillesse, Élisabeth, ta parente, a conçu, elle aussi, un fils et en est à son sixième mois, alors qu’on l’appelait la femme stérile. Car rien n’est impossible à Dieu. » Marie dit alors : « Voici la servante du Seigneur ; que tout m’advienne selon ta parole. » Alors l’ange la quitta.
Prière sur les offrandes :
Daigne accepter, Dieu tout-puissant, les dons offerts par ton Eglise : elle n’oublie pas qu’elle a commencé le jour où ton Verbe s’est fait chair ; accorde-nous, en cette fête de l’Annonciation, de célébrer avec joie les mystères du Christ. Lui qui.
Antienne de la communion : Is 7,14
« Voici que la Vierge concevra, et elle enfantera un fils, et on lui donnera pour nom Emmanuel, ce qui veut dire : “Dieu avec nous”. »
Prière après la communion :
Par cette communion, Seigneur, fortifie en nos cœurs la vraie foi, afin qu’ayant proclamé le fils de la Vierge vrai Dieu et vrai homme, nous parvenions au salut et à la joie éternelle par la puissance de sa résurrection. Lui qui.
Méditation En ce jour l’Eglise notre mère nous donne de célébrer la solennité de l’annonciation de notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ. L’ange du Seigneur est envoyé auprès d’une Jeune fille vierge du nom de Marie. Marie est cette femme, « comblée-de-grâces », qui a trouvé grâce aux yeux de Dieu pour mettre au monde Jésus, le « Fils de Dieu ». La célébration de ce jour nous porte à retenir deux choses. La première, c’est que Dieu réalise toujours ses promesses. Il a annoncé depuis les temps anciens la venue du sauveur. Et c’est la venue imminente de ce Messie qui se concrétise en Marie qui va concevoir le « Fils du Très-Haut ». Et la seconde chose est que « rien n’est impossible à Dieu ». Le Dieu auquel nous croyons est le Dieu de l’impossible. Fais confiance au Seigneur dans ta vie et tu ne seras jamais déçu comme Elisabeth, la stérile et Marie, la vierge.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Mar 24, 2023 | Evangelium
SATURday 25 MARCH
The Annunciation of the Lord
Solemnity
The Feast of the Annunciation is the reason why we celebrate Christmas on December 25. Christmas comes exactly nine months after the Archangel Gabriel invited the Virgin Mary to be the Mother of God, an event we commemorate on March 25. It is fruitful to reflect upon the incarnation of Jesus Christ in the womb of the Virgin Mary.
Entrance Antiphon: Heb 10: 5, 7
The Lord said, as he entered the world: Behold, I come to do your will, O God.
Collect
O God, who willed that your Word should take on the reality of human flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary, grant, we pray, that we, who confess our Redeemer to be God and man, may merit to become partakers even in his divine nature. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: Isaiah 7: 10-14, 8: 10
The Lord spoke to Ahaz and said, “Ask the Lord your God for a sign for yourself coming either from the depths of Sheol or from the heights above.” “No,” Ahaz answered “I will not put the Lord to the test.” Then Isaiah said: “Listen now, House of David: are you not satisfied with trying the patience of men without trying the patience of my God, too? The Lord himself, therefore, will give you a sign. It is this: the maiden is with child and will soon give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel, a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.’”
Psalm 39(40):7-11
R/ Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
You do not ask for sacrifice and offerings, but an open ear. You do not ask for holocaust and victim. Instead, here am I.
In the scroll of the book, it stands written that I should do your will. My God, I delight in your law in the depth of my heart.
Your justice I have proclaimed in the great assembly. My lips I have not sealed; you know it, O Lord.
I have not hidden your justice in my heart but declared your faithful help. I have not hidden your love and your truth from the great assembly.
Second reading: Hebrews 10: 4-10
Bulls’ blood and goats’ blood are useless for taking away sins, and this is what Christ said, on coming into the world: You who wanted no sacrifice or oblation, prepared a body for me. You took no pleasure in holocausts or sacrifices for sin; then I said, just as I was commanded in the scroll of the book, ‘God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will.’ Notice that he says first: You did not want what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the sacrifices, the oblations, the holocausts and the sacrifices for sin, and you took no pleasure in them; and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to obey your will. He is abolishing the first sort to replace it with the second. And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of his body made once and for all by Jesus Christ.
Gospel Acclamation: Jn 1: 14
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory! The Word became flesh, he lived among us, and we saw his glory. Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Gospel: Luke 1: 26-38
The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, “Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you.” She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, “Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.” Mary said to the angel, “But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?” “The Holy Spirit will come upon you,” the angel answered, “and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.” “I am the handmaid of the Lord,” said Mary, “let what you have said be done to me.” And the angel left her.
Prayer over the Offerings
Be pleased, almighty God, to accept your Church’s offering, so that she, who is aware that her beginnings lie in the Incarnation of your Only Begotten Son, may rejoice to celebrate his mysteries on this Solemnity. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Communion Antiphon: Is 7: 14
Behold, a Virgin shall conceive and bear a son; and his name will be called Emmanuel.
Prayer after Communion
Confirm in our minds the mysteries of the true faith, we pray, O Lord, so that, confessing that he who was conceived of the Virgin Mary is true God and true man, we may, through the saving power of his Resurrection, merit to attain eternal joy. Through Christ our Lord.
Prayer over the People
Look upon your people, O Lord, and, as they draw near to the coming festivities, bestow upon them abundance of heavenly grace, that, helped by the consolations of this world, they may be impelled more readily towards higher goods that cannot be seen. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditaion
On this day the Church, our mother, gives us the opportunity to celebrate the solemnity of the Annunciation of our Lord Jesus Christ. The angel of the Lord is sent to a young virgin girl named Mary. Mary is the woman, “full of grace”, who found grace in the eyes of God to give birth to Jesus, the “Son of God”. The celebration of this day leads us to remember two things. The first is that God always fulfils his promises. He had announced since ancient times the coming of the Saviour. And it is the imminent coming of this Messiah that is made concrete in Mary who will conceive the “Son of the Most High”. And the second thing is that “nothing is impossible for God”. The God we believe in is the God of the impossible. Trust the Lord in your life and you will never be disappointed like Elizabeth, the barren one, and Mary, the virgin.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Mar 23, 2023 | Agenda Biblique
VENDREDI 24 MARS
Sainte Catherine de Suède
Elle appartenait à la famille royale de Suède, par sa mère, sainte Brigitte et par son père Ulf Gudmarson. Elevée dans un couvent, elle en sort pour épouser sagement le noble que l’on lui destine, Edgar Lydersson, qui est un invalide et qu’elle soigna avec grand dévouement.
Antienne d’ouverture : Ps 53, 3-4
Dieu, par ton nom sauve-moi, rends-moi justice par ta puissance ; Dieu, entends ma prière, écoute les mots que je dis.
Prière d’ouverture
Tu as préparé, Seigneur, pour nous qui sommes faibles, les secours dont nous avons besoin ; donne-nous d’accueillir avec joie notre relèvement et d’en témoigner par la fidélité de notre vie. Par Jésus.
1ère lecture : Sg 2, 1a.12-22
Les impies ne sont pas dans la vérité lorsqu’ils raisonnent ainsi en eux-mêmes: « Attirons le juste dans un piège, car il nous contrarie, il s’oppose à nos entreprises, il nous reproche de désobéir à la loi de Dieu, et nous accuse d’infidélités à notre éducation. Il prétend posséder la connaissance de Dieu, et se nomme lui-même enfant du Seigneur. Il est un démenti pour nos idées, sa seule présence nous pèse; car il mène une vie en dehors du commun, sa conduite est étrange. Il nous tient pour des gens douteux, se détourne de nos chemins comme de la boue. Il proclame heureux le sort final des justes et se vante d’avoir Dieu pour père. Voyons si ses paroles sont vraies, regardons comment il en sortira. Si le juste est fils de Dieu, Dieu l’assistera, et l’arrachera aux mains de ses adversaires. Soumettons-le à des outrages et à des tourments; nous saurons ce que vaut sa douceur, nous éprouverons sa patience. Condamnons-le à une mort infâme, puisque, dit-il, quelqu’un interviendra pour lui. » C’est ainsi que raisonnent ces gens- là, mais ils s’égarent; leur méchanceté les a rendus aveugles. Ils ne connaissent pas les secrets de Dieu, ils n’espèrent pas que la sainteté puisse être récompensée, ils n’estiment pas qu’une âme irréprochable puisse être glorifiée.
Psaume : 33 (34), 17-18, 19-20, 21.23
R/ Le Seigneur est proche du cœur brisé.
Le Seigneur affronte les méchants pour effacer de la terre leur mémoire. Le Seigneur entend ceux qui l’appellent: de toutes leurs angoisses, il les délivre.
Il est proche du cœur brisé, il sauve l’esprit abattu. Malheur sur malheur pour le juste, mais le Seigneur chaque fois le délivre.
Il veille sur chacun de ses os: pas un ne sera brisé. Le Seigneur rachètera ses serviteurs : pas de châtiment pour qui trouve en lui son refuge.
Acclamation :
Ta Parole, Seigneur, est vérité, et ta loi, délivrance. L’homme ne vit pas seulement de pain, mais de toute parole qui sort de la bouche de Dieu. Ta Parole, Seigneur, est vérité, et ta loi, délivrance.
Evangile : Jn 7, 1-2.10.14.25-30
En ce temps-là, Jésus parcourait la Galilée: il ne voulait pas parcourir la Judée car les Juifs cherchaient à le tuer. La fête juive des Tentes était proche. Lorsque ses frères furent montés à Jérusalem pour la fête, il y monta lui aussi, non pas ostensiblement, mais en secret. On était déjà au milieu de la semaine de la fête quand Jésus monta au Temple ; et là il enseignait. Quelques habitants de Jérusalem disaient alors : « N’est-ce pas celui qu’on cherche à tuer ? Le voilà qui parle ouvertement, et personne ne lui dit rien! Nos chefs auraient-ils vraiment reconnu que c’est lui le Christ ? Mais lui, nous savons d’où il est. Or, le Christ, quand il viendra, personne ne saura d’où il est. » Jésus, qui enseignait dans le Temple, s’écria: « Vous me connaissez? Et vous savez d’où je suis? Je ne suis pas venu de moi-même: mais il est véridique, Celui qui m’a envoyé, lui que vous ne connaissez pas. Moi, je le connais parce que je viens d’auprès de lui, et c’est lui qui m’a envoyé.» On cherchait à l’arrêter, mais personne ne mit la main sur lui parce que son heure n’était pas encore venue.
Prière sur les offrandes
Que ces mystères dont la force nous purifie, Seigneur tout-puissant, nous acheminent en nous purifiant encore jusqu’à la source dont ils descendent. Par Jésus.
Antienne de communion : Ep 1, 7
Elle est inépuisable, la grâce de Dieu. Par son sang, le Christ nous obtient la rédemption, le pardon de nos fautes.
Prière après la communion :
Nous t’en prions, Seigneur, nous qui allons du passé vers ce qui est nouveau : fait-nous quitter ce qui ne peut que vieillir, mets en nous un esprit de renouveau et de sainteté. Par Jésus.
Méditation
Les autorités juives recherchent Jésus et veulent le mettre à mort parce qu’il révèle les mystères de Dieu. Il annonce la vérité sur Dieu et personne ne veut croire en Lui. Les gens se ferment à son enseignement. Ils préfèrent voir en lui ce simple ressortissant de Nazareth plutôt que de voir le messie de Dieu. Jésus leur révèle sa filiation divine et eux ne reconnaissent en lui que la filiation humaine. Cette attitude des contemporains de Jésus est la même qui nous caractérise souvent nous aussi. Au lieu d’écouter les conseils et les messages de conversion de nos frères qui nous invitent à nous détourner du mauvais chemin, nous nous obstinons souvent à fermer notre cœur. Nous devons reconnaitre et voir en chaque frère qui nous parle avec amour, la voix de Dieu qui nous invite à la conversion.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Mar 23, 2023 | Evangelium
FRIday 24 MARCH
SAINT MACARTON
He was a convert from paganism and a companion of St Patrick, who made him bishop of Clogher in 454. He is the patron saint of the diocese.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 53: 3-4
O God, save me by your name; by your power, defend my cause. O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth.
Collect
O God, who have prepared fitting helps for us in our weakness, grant, we pray, that we may receive their healing effects with joy and reflect them in a holy way of life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: Wisdom 2: 1, 12-22
The godless say to themselves, with their misguided reasoning: “Our life is short and dreary, nor is there any relief when man’s end comes, nor is anyone known who can give release from Hades. Let us lie in wait for the virtuous man, since he annoys us and opposes our way of life, reproaches us for our breaches of the law and accuses us of playing false to our upbringing. He claims to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a son of the Lord. Before us he stands, a reproof to our way of thinking, the very sight of him weighs our spirits down; his way of life is not like other men’s, the paths he treads are unfamiliar. In his opinion we are counterfeit; he holds aloof from our doings as though from filth; he proclaims the final end of the virtuous as happy and boasts of having God for his father. Let us see if what he says is true, let us observe what kind of end he himself will have. If the virtuous man is God’s son, God will take his part and rescue him from the clutches of his enemies. Let us test him with cruelty and with torture, and thus explore this gentleness of his and put his endurance to the proof. Let us condemn him to a shameful death since he will be looked after – we have his word for it.” This is the way they reason, but they are misled, their malice makes them blind. They do not know the hidden things of God, they have no hope that holiness will be rewarded, they can see no reward for blameless souls.
Psalm 33: 16, 18, 19-21, 23
R/ The Lord is close to the broken-hearted.
The Lord turns his face against the wicked to destroy their remembrance from the earth. They call and the Lord hears and rescues them in all their distress.
The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; those whose spirit is crushed he will save. Many are the trials of the just man but from them all the Lord will rescue him.
He will keep guard over all his bones, not one of his bones shall be broken. The Lord ransoms the souls of his servants. Those who hide in him shall not be condemned.
Gospel Acclamation: Joel 2: 12-13
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory! Now, now – it is the Lord who speaks – come back to me with all your heart, for I am all tenderness and compassion. Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Gospel: John 7: 1-2, 10, 25-30
Jesus stayed in Galilee; he could not stay in Judaea because the Jews were out to kill him. As the Jewish feast of Tabernacles drew near, however, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went up as well, but quite privately, without drawing attention to himself. Meanwhile some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Isn’t this the man they want to kill? And here he is, speaking freely, and they have nothing to say to him! Can it be true the authorities have made up their minds that he is the Christ? Yet we all know where he comes from, but when the Christ appears no one will know where he comes from.” Then, as Jesus taught in the Temple, he cried out: “Yes, you know me and you know where I came from. Yet I have not come of myself: no, there is one who sent me and I really come from him, and you do not know him, but I know him because I have come from him and it was he who sent me.” They would have arrested him then, but because his time had not yet come no one laid a hand on him.
Prayer over the Offerings
May this sacrifice, almighty God, cleanse us by its mighty power and lead us to approach its source with ever greater purity. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Eph 1: 7
In Christ, we have redemption by his Blood, and forgiveness of our sins, in accord with the riches of his grace.
Prayer after Communion
Grant, we pray, O Lord, that, as we pass from old to new, so, with former ways left behind, we may be renewed in holiness of mind. Through Christ our Lord.
Prayer over the People
Look upon your servants, O Lord, and in your goodness protect with heavenly assistance those who trust in your mercy. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Meditation
The Jewish authorities are looking for Jesus and want to put him to death because he reveals the mysteries of God. He announces the truth about God and no one wants to believe in Him. People are closed to his teaching. They would rather see him as a simple man from Nazareth than as the Messiah of God. Jesus reveals to them his divine filiation but they only recognize in him the human filiation. This attitude of Jesus’ contemporaries often characterizes us as well. Instead of listening to the advice and messages of conversion from our brothers and sisters who invite us to turn away from the wrong path, we often persist in closing our hearts. We must recognize and see in every brother who speaks to us with love, the voice of God who invites us to conversion.
