by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Jan 28, 2023 | Evangelium
SUNDAY 29 January
4th Sunday in Ordinary Time,
Psalter week IV
Entrance Antiphon: Ps 105: 47
Save us, O Lord our God! And gather us from the nations, to give thanks to your holy name, and make it our glory to praise you.
Collect
Grant us, Lord our God, that we may honour you with all our mind, and love everyone in truth of heart. 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: Zephaniah 2: 3, 3: 12-13
Seek the Lord, all you, the humble of the earth, who obey his commands. Seek integrity, seek humility: you may perhaps find shelter on the day of the anger of the Lord. In your midst I will leave a humble and lowly people, and those who are left in Israel will seek refuge in the name of the Lord. They will do no wrong, will tell no lies; and the perjured tongue will no longer be found in their mouths. But they will be able to graze and rest with no one to disturb them.
Psalm 145(146):6-10
R/ How happy are the poor in spirit: theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
It is the Lord who keeps faith for ever, who is just to those who are oppressed. It is he who gives bread to the hungry, the Lord, who sets prisoners free.
It is the Lord who gives sight to the blind, who raises up those who are bowed down, the Lord, who protects the stranger and upholds the widow and orphan.
It is the Lord who loves the just but thwarts the path of the wicked. The Lord will reign for ever, Zion’s God, from age to age.
Second reading: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Take yourselves for instance, brothers, at the time when you were called: how many of you were wise in the ordinary sense of the word, how many were influential people, or came from noble families? No, it was to shame the wise that God chose what is foolish by human reckoning, and to shame what is strong that he chose what is weak by human reckoning; those whom the world thinks common and contemptible are the ones that God has chosen – those who are nothing at all to show up those who are everything. The human race has nothing to boast about to God, but you, God has made members of Christ Jesus and by God’s doing he has become our wisdom, and our virtue, and our holiness, and our freedom. As scripture says: if anyone wants to boast, let him boast about the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation: Mt 11: 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 5: 1-12a
Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the hill. There he sat down and was joined by his disciples. Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them: “How happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Happy the gentle: they shall have the earth for their heritage. Happy those who mourn: they shall be comforted. Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right: they shall be satisfied. Happy the merciful: they shall have mercy shown them. Happy the pure in heart: they shall see God. Happy the peacemakers: they shall be called sons of God. Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right: theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Happy are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”
Prayer over the Offerings
O Lord, we bring to your altar these offerings of our service: be pleased to receive them, we pray, and transform them into the Sacrament of our redemption. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 30: 17-18
Let your face shine on your servant. Save me in your merciful love. O Lord, let me never be put to shame, for I call on you.
Prayer after Communion
Nourished by these redeeming gifts, we pray, O Lord, that through this help to eternal salvation true faith may ever increase. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
The human person fundamentally aspires to happiness. We have several approaches and attitudes in this search for happiness that sometimes take us away from the essential. Through the Beatitudes, Jesus invites us to a new vision of happiness that is not measured by what we possess but by our disposition and state of mind to seek the realities of the Kingdom of Heaven. To find happiness according to Jesus is to be humble and poor in heart, to be gentle, just, merciful… To be happy, according to Jesus, is to be a peacemaker, to accept humiliation for the sake of his name. These values that Jesus teaches us today, he lived them perfectly and called us to live them. May the Lord keep you faithful to his teaching.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Jan 28, 2023 | Agenda Biblique
DIMANCHE 29 JANVIER
4ème Semaine du Temps Ordinaire
Psautier iv
Saint Gildas,
saint Valère
Antienne d’ouverture : Ps 105, 47
Sauve-nous, Seigneur notre Dieu; rassemble tes enfants dispersés. Nous rendrons grâce à ton saint nom, nous te bénirons dans la joie.
Prière d’ouverture
Accorde-nous, Seigneur, de pouvoir t’adorer sans partage, et d’avoir pour tout homme une vraie charité. Par Jésus.
1ère lecture : So 2, 3 ; 3, 12-13
Cherchez le Seigneur, vous tous, les humbles du pays, qui accomplissez sa loi. Cherchez la justice, cherchez l’humilité : peut-être serez-vous à l’abri au jour de la colère du Seigneur. Je laisserai chez toi un peuple pauvre et petit ; il prendra pour abri le nom du Seigneur. Ce reste d’Israël ne commettra plus d’injustice ; ils ne diront plus de mensonge ; dans leur bouche, plus de langage trompeur. Mais ils pourront paître et se reposer, nul ne viendra les effrayer.
Psaume : 145 (146), 7, 8, 9ab.10b
R/ Heureux les pauvres de cœur, car le royaume des Cieux est à eux !ou : Alléluia ! (Mt 5, 3)
Le Seigneur fait justice aux opprimés ; aux affamés, il donne le pain, le Seigneur délie les enchaînés.
Le Seigneur ouvre les yeux des aveugles, le Seigneur redresse les accablés, le Seigneur aime les justes.
Le Seigneur protège l’étranger, il soutient la veuve et l’orphelin, le Seigneur est ton Dieu pour toujours.
2ème lecture: 1 Co 1, 26-31
Frères, recherchez avec ardeur les dons les plus grands. Et maintenant, je vais vous indiquer le chemin par excellence. J’aurais beau parler toutes les langues des hommes et des Frères, vous qui avez été appelés par Dieu, regardez bien : parmi vous, il n’y a pas beaucoup de sages aux yeux des hommes, ni de gens puissants ou de haute naissance. Au contraire, ce qu’il y a de fou dans le monde, voilà ce que Dieu a choisi, pour couvrir de confusion les sages ; ce qu’il y a de faible dans le monde, voilà ce que Dieu a choisi, pour couvrir de confusion ce qui est fort ; ce qui est d’origine modeste, méprisé dans le monde, ce qui n’est pas, voilà ce que Dieu a choisi, pour réduire à rien ce qui est ; ainsi aucun être de chair ne pourra s’enorgueillir devant Dieu. C’est grâce à Dieu, en effet, que vous êtes dans le Christ Jésus, lui qui est devenu pour nous sagesse venant de Dieu, justice, sanctification, rédemption. Ainsi, comme il est écrit : Celui qui veut être fier, qu’il mette sa fierté dans le Seigneur.
Acclamation
Alléluia, alléluia ! Réjouissez-vous, soyez dans l’allégresse, car votre récompense est grande dans les cieux ! Alléluia. (Mt 5, 12)
Évangile : Mt 5, 1-12a
En ce temps-là, voyant les foules, Jésus gravit la montagne. Il s’assit, et ses disciples s’approchèrent de lui. Alors, ouvrant la bouche, il les enseignait. Il disait : « Heureux les pauvres de cœur, car le royaume des Cieux est à eux. Heureux ceux qui pleurent, car ils seront consolés. Heureux les doux, car ils recevront la terre en héritage. Heureux ceux qui ont faim et soif de la justice, car ils seront rassasiés. Heureux les miséricordieux, car ils obtiendront miséricorde. Heureux les cœurs purs, car ils verront Dieu. Heureux les artisans de paix, car ils seront appelés fils de Dieu. Heureux ceux qui sont persécutés pour la justice, car le royaume des Cieux est à eux. Heureux êtes-vous si l’on vous insulte, si l’on vous persécute et si l’on dit faussement toute sorte de mal contre vous, à cause de moi. Réjouissez-vous, soyez dans l’allégresse, car votre récompense est grande dans les cieux ! »
Prière sur les offrandes
Pour te servir, Seigneur, nous déposons nos offrandes sur ton autel: accueille-les avec indulgence, pour qu’elles deviennent le sacrement de notre salut. Par Jésus.
Antienne de la communion : Ps 30, 17-18
Seigneur, que ton visage s’éclaire en faveur de tes fidèles. Sauve-nous dans ta bonté, ne déçois pas notre prière.
Prière après la communion
Nous avons été fortifiés, Seigneur, par le sacrement de notre Rédemption ; permets que cet aliment de salut éternel nous fasse progresser dans la vraie foi. Par Jésus.
Méditation
La personne humaine aspire fondamentalement au bonheur. Dans cette recherche du bonheur, nous avons plusieurs approches et attitudes qui parfois nous éloignent de l’essentiel. À travers les béatitudes, Jésus nous invite à une nouvelle vision du bonheur qui ne se mesure pas selon ce que nous pouvons posséder mais à notre disposition et état d’âme à rechercher les réalités du Royaume des cieux. Trouver le bonheur ou être heureux selon Jésus c’est être humble et pauvre de cœur, c’est être doux, juste, miséricordieux. Être heureux selon Jésus c’est être artisan de paix, c’est accepter l’humiliation à cause de son nom. Ces valeurs que Jésus nous enseigne ajourd’hui, il les a vécus parfaitement et nous appelle à les vivre. Que le Seigneur vous garde fidèles à son enseignement.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Jan 27, 2023 | Evangelium
SATURDAY 28 January
SAINT Thomas d’Aquinas
He was born of a noble family in southern Italy, and was educated by the Benedictines. He studied in Paris and in Cologne under the great philosopher St Albert the Great. He is the church’s one and only Angelic Doctor.
Entrance Antiphon
In the midst of the Church he opened his mouth, and the Lord filled him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding and clothed him in a robe of glory.
Collect
O God, who made Saint Thomas Aquinas outstanding in his zeal for holiness and his study of sacred doctrine, grant us, we pray, that we may understand what he taught and imitate what he accomplished. 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: Hebrews 11: 1-2, 8-19
Only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of the realities that at present remain unseen. It was for faith that our ancestors were commended. It was by faith that Abraham obeyed the call to set out for a country that was the inheritance given to him and his descendants, and that he set out without knowing where he was going. By faith he arrived, as a foreigner, in the Promised Land, and lived there as if in a strange country, with Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. They lived there in tents while he looked forward to a city founded, designed and built by God. It was equally by faith that Sarah, in spite of being past the age, was made able to conceive, because she believed that he who had made the promise would be faithful to it. Because of this, there came from one man, and one who was already as good as dead himself, more descendants than could be counted, as many as the stars of heaven or the grains of sand on the seashore. All these died in faith, before receiving any of the things that had been promised, but they saw them in the far distance and welcomed them, recognising that they were only strangers and nomads on earth. People who use such terms about themselves make it quite plain that they are in search of their real homeland. They can hardly have meant the country they came from, since they had the opportunity to go back to it; but in fact they were longing for a better homeland, their heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, since he has founded the city for them. It was by faith that Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He offered to sacrifice his only son even though the promises had been made to him and he had been told: It is through Isaac that your name will be carried on. He was confident that God had the power even to raise the dead; and so, figuratively speaking, he was given back Isaac from the dead.
Psalm: Luke 1: 69-75
R/ Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel! He has visited his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up for us a mighty saviour in the house of David his servant, as he promised by the lips of holy men, those who were his prophets from of old.
A saviour who would free us from our foes, from the hands of all who hate us. So his love for our fathers is fulfilled and his holy covenant remembered.
He swore to Abraham our father to grant us that free from fear, and saved from the hands of our foes, we might serve him in holiness and justice all the days of our life in his presence.
Gospel Acclamation: cf. Ps 26: 11
Alleluia, alleluia! Instruct me, Lord, in your way; on an even path lead me. Alleluia!
Gospel: Mark 4: 35-41
With the coming of evening, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us cross over to the other side.” And leaving the crowd behind they took him, just as he was, in the boat; and there were other boats with him. Then it began to blow a gale and the waves were breaking into the boat so that it was almost swamped. But he was in the stern, his head on the cushion, asleep. They woke him and said to him, “Master, do you not care? We are going down!” And he woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Quiet now! Be calm!” And the wind dropped, and all was calm again. Then he said to them, “Why are you so frightened? How is it that you have no faith?” They were filled with awe and said to one another, “Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him.”
Prayer over the Offerings
May the sacrifice which we gladly present on the feast day of blessed N., be pleasing to you, O God, for, taught by him, we, too, give ourselves entirely to you in praise. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Lk 12: 42
Behold a faithful and prudent steward to give them their allowance of food at the proper time.
Prayer after Communion
Through Christ the teacher, O Lord, instruct those you feed with Christ, the living Bread, that on the feast day of blessed N. they may learn your truth and express it in works of charity. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
The Apostles’ cry of fear is a good example of our own bewilderment when we are lost. In the boat of life, we are sometimes overcome by feelings of doubt, panic and abandonment in the face of terror, distress and an uncertain future. When these situations arise, our human weakness leads us to wonder if God is still with us. Today’s Gospel teaches us two lessons. The first is to say to the Lord: “Master, we are going down”. The second is to see these storms as an opportunity to reaffirm our faith and to trust in the Lord, for it is He who blows away the winds and gives us peace of heart.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Jan 27, 2023 | Agenda Biblique
SAMEDI 28 JANVIER
SAINT Thomas d’Aquin,
Prêtre et Docteur de l’Église
Né dans une noble famille napolitaine et élevé à l’abbaye bénédictine du Mont-Cassin, Thomas choisit à 19 ans d’entrer chez les Frères Prêcheurs. Il est l’auteur de la Somme Théologique, ouvrage dans lequel il met en œuvre la leçon de Saint Albert le Grand selon laquelle il faut faire confiance à la raison et à l’intelligence de l’homme pour chercher Dieu. Il meurt sur la route, en chemin vers Lyon où il devait participer au grand Concile de 1274.
Antienne d’ouverture
Ainsi parle le Seigneur Dieu : « Je me susciterai un prêtre fidèle, qui agira selon mon cœur et mon désir. »
Prière d’ouverture
Dieu qui as fait de saint Thomas d’Aquin un modèle admirable par sa recherche d’une vie sainte et son amour de la science sacrée, accorde-nous de comprendre ses enseignements et de suivre ses exemples. Par Jésus.
1ère lecture : Hébreux 11, 1-2.8-19
Frères, la foi est une façon de posséder ce que l’on espère, un moyen de connaître des réalités qu’on ne voit pas. Et quand l’Écriture rend témoignage aux anciens, c’est à cause de leur foi. Grâce à la foi, Abraham obéit à l’appel de Dieu : il partit vers un pays qu’il devait recevoir en héritage, et il partit sans savoir où il allait. Grâce à la foi, il vint séjourner en immigré dans la Terre promise, comme en terre étrangère ; il vivait sous la tente, ainsi qu’Isaac et Jacob, héritiers de la même promesse, car il attendait la ville qui aurait de vraies fondations, la ville dont Dieu lui-même est le bâtisseur et l’architecte. Grâce à la foi, Sara, elle aussi, malgré son âge, fut rendue capable d’être à l’origine d’une descendance parce qu’elle pensait que Dieu est fidèle à ses promesses. C’est pourquoi, d’un seul homme, déjà marqué par la mort, a pu naître une descendance aussi nombreuse que les étoiles du ciel et que le sable au bord de la mer, une multitude innombrable. C’est dans la foi, sans avoir connu la réalisation des promesses, qu’ils sont tous morts; mais ils l’avaient vue et saluée de loin, affirmant que, sur la terre, ils étaient des étrangers et des voyageurs. Or, parler ainsi, c’est montrer clairement qu’on est à la recherche d’une patrie. S’ils avaient songé à celle qu’ils avaient quittée, ils auraient eu la possibilité d’y revenir. En fait, ils aspiraient à une patrie meilleure, celle des cieux. Aussi Dieu n’a pas honte d’être appelé leur Dieu, puisqu’il leur a préparé une ville. Grâce à la foi, quand il fut soumis à l’épreuve, Abraham offrit Isaac en sacrifice. Et il offrait le fils unique, alors qu’il avait reçu les promesses et entendu cette parole : C’est par Isaac qu’une descendance portera ton nom. Il pensait en effet que Dieu est capable même de ressusciter les morts ; c’est pourquoi son fils lui fut rendu : il y a là une préfiguration.
Cantique : Luc 1, 69-70, 71-72, 73-75
R/ Béni soit le Seigneur, le Dieu d’Israël, car il a visité son peuple.
Il a fait surgir la force qui nous sauve dans la maison de David, son serviteur, comme il l’avait dit par la bouche des saints, par ses prophètes, depuis les temps anciens:
Salut qui nous arrache à l’ennemi, à la main de tous nos oppresseurs, amour qu’il montre envers nos pères, mémoire de son alliance sainte,
Serment juré à notre père Abraham de nous rendre sans crainte, afin que, délivrés de la main des ennemis, nous le servions dans la justice et la sainteté, en sa présence, tout au long de nos jours.
Acclamation
Alléluia, alléluia ! Dieu a tellement aimé le monde qu’il a donné son Fils unique, afin que ceux qui croient en lui aient la vie éternelle! Alléluia. (Jn 3, 16)
Évangile : Marc 4, 35-41
Ce jour-là, le soir venu, Jésus dit à ses disciples : « Passons sur l’autre rive. » Quittant la foule, ils emmenèrent Jésus, comme il était, dans la barque, et d’autres barques l’accompagnaient. Survient une violente tempête. Les vagues se jetaient sur la barque, si bien que déjà elle se remplissait. Lui dormait sur le coussin à l’arrière. Les disciples le réveillent et lui disent : « Maître, nous sommes perdus ; cela ne te fait rien ? » Réveillé, il menaça le vent et dit à la mer : « Silence, tais-toi ! » Le vent tomba, et il se fit un grand calme. Jésus leur dit : « Pourquoi êtes-vous si craintifs ? N’avez-vous pas encore la foi ? » Saisis d’une grande crainte, ils se disaient entre eux : « Qui est-il donc, celui-ci, pour que même le vent et la mer lui obéissent ? »
Prière sur les offrandes
Regarde, Seigneur, les offrandes que nous te présentons en la fête de saint Thomas d’Aquin ; que la confession de ta vérité conduise au salut ceux qui gardent la même foi que lui. Par Jésus.
Antienne de la communion : Ga 2, 20
« Ce n’est pas vous qui m’avez choisi, dit le Seigneur c’est moi qui vous ai choisis. Je vous ai mis à cette place afin que vous partiez, que vous donniez du fruit, et que votre fruit demeure. »
Prière après la communion
Nous t’en prions, Dieu tout-puissant: puisque nous confessons, avec saint Thomas d’Aquin, que Jésus est vraiment Dieu, fais que la divinité de ton Fils unique nous apporte, dans cette communion, la vie et la force pour toujours. Lui qui.
Méditation
Le cri de peur des Apôtres illustre bien le nôtre lorsque nous sommes perdus. Dans la barque de la vie, nous sommes parfois envahis par le sentiment de doute, de panique et d’abandon face à la terreur, à la détresse et à un avenir incertain. Face à ces situations, notre faiblesse humaine nous pousse à nous demander si Dieu est encore avec nous. L’Evangile nous apprend deux leçons. La première c’est de dire au Seigneur : « Maître, nous sommes perdus ». La deuxième c’est de voir en ces tempêtes une opportunité pour réaffirmer notre foi et de faire confiance au Seigneur car c’est lui qui fait tomber les vents et nous donne de retrouver la paix du cœur.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Jan 26, 2023 | Evangelium
FRIDAY 27 January
SAINT Angela Merici,
She was born in Desenziano, in Lombardy, in about 1470. In 1535 she founded the Ursulines, an order of nuns devoted to giving a Christian education to girls from poor families. She died in 1540.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 95: 1, 6
O sing a new song to the Lord; sing to the Lord, all the earth. In his presence are majesty and splendour, strength and honour in his holy place.
Collect
Almighty ever-living God, direct our actions according to your good pleasure, that in the name of your beloved Son we may abound in good works. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: Hebrews 10: 32-39
Remember all the sufferings that you had to meet after you received the light, in earlier days; sometimes by being yourselves publicly exposed to insults and violence, and sometimes as associates of others who were treated in the same way. For you not only shared in the sufferings of those who were in prison, but you happily accepted being stripped of your belongings, knowing that you owned something that was better and lasting. Be as confident now, then, since the reward is so great. You will need endurance to do God’s will and gain what he has promised. Only a little while now, a very little while, and the one that is coming will have come; he will not delay. The righteous man will live by faith, but if he draws back, my soul will take no pleasure in him. You and I are not the sort of people who draw back, and are lost by it; we are the sort who keep faithful until our souls are saved.
Psalm 36(37): 3-6, 23-24, 39-40
R/ The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
If you trust in the Lord and do good, then you will live in the land and be secure. If you find your delight in the Lord, he will grant your heart’s desire.
Commit your life to the Lord, trust in him and he will act, so that your justice breaks forth like the light, your cause like the noon-day sun.
The Lord guides the steps of a man and makes safe the path of one he loves. Though he stumble he shall never fall for the Lord holds him by the hand.
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord, their stronghold in time of distress. The Lord helps them and delivers them and saves them: for their refuge is in him.
Gospel Acclamation: Ps118:27
Alleluia, alleluia! Make me grasp the way of your precepts, and I will muse on your wonders. Alleluia!
Gospel: Mark 4:26-34
Jesus said to the crowds: “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man throws seed on the land. Night and day, while he sleeps, when he is awake, the seed is sprouting and growing; how, he does not know. Of its own accord the land produces first the shoot, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the crop is ready, he loses no time: he starts to reap because the harvest has come.” He also said, “What can we say the kingdom of God is like? What parable can we find for it? It is like a mustard seed which at the time of its sowing in the soil is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet once it is sown it grows into the biggest shrub of them all and puts out big branches so that the birds of the air can shelter in its shade.” Using many parables like these, he spoke the word to them, so far as they were capable of understanding it. He would not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything to his disciples when they were alone.
Prayer over the Offerings
Accept our offerings, O Lord, we pray, and in sanctifying them grant that they may profit us for salvation. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 33: 6
Look toward the Lord and be radiant; let your faces not be abashed.
Prayer after Communion
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, receiving the grace by which you bring us to new life, we may always glory in your gift. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
The Reign of God or the Kingdom of God is not a human work but a divine initiative. Its growth is a mystery to us; it does not spread or produce fruit by our talents but by the power of God himself. Instead of being compared to an impressive reality, Jesus compares him to a tiny mustard seed. God always chooses the little to accomplish a remarkable work beyond our expectations.
