by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Sep 24, 2022 | Evangelium
Sunday 25th September 2022
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Psalter II
Entrance Antiphon : Dn 3: 31, 29, 30, 43, 42
All that you have done to us, O Lord, you have done with true judgement, for we have sinned against you and not obeyed your commandments. But give glory to your name and deal with us according to the bounty of your mercy.
Collect
O God, who manifest your almighty power above all by pardoning and showing mercy, bestow, we pray, your grace abundantly upon us, and make those hastening to attain your promises heirs to the treasures of heaven. 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 : Amos 6:1,4-7
The almighty Lord says this: Woe to those ensconced so snugly in Zion and to those who feel so safe on the mountain of Samaria, those famous men of this first of nations to whom the House of Israel goes as client. Lying on ivory beds and sprawling on their divans, they dine on lambs from the flock, and stall-fattened veal; they bawl to the sound of the harp, they invent new instruments of music like David, they drink wine by the bowlful, and use the finest oil for anointing themselves, but about the ruin of Joseph they do not care at all. That is why they will be the first to be exiled; the sprawlers’ revelry is over.
Psalm 145(146):7-10
R/ My soul, give praise to the Lord.
- 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. It is the Lord who loves the just, the Lord, who protects the stranger.
- The Lord upholds the widow and orphan but thwarts the path of the wicked. The Lord will reign for ever, Zion’s God, from age to age.
Second reading : 1 Timothy 6:11-16
As a man dedicated to God, you must aim to be saintly and religious, filled with faith and love, patient and gentle. Fight the good fight of the faith and win for yourself the eternal life to which you were called when you made your profession and spoke up for the truth in front of many witnesses. Now, before God the source of all life and before Christ, who spoke up as a witness for the truth in front of Pontius Pilate, I put to you the duty of doing all that you have been told, with no faults or failures, until the Appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who at the due time will be revealed by God, the blessed and only Ruler of all, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, who alone is immortal, whose home is in inaccessible light, whom no man has seen and no man is able to see: to him be honour and everlasting power. Amen.
Gospel Acclamation : Jn10:27
Alleluia, alleluia! The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice, says the Lord, I know them and they follow me. Alleluia!
Gospel : Luke 16:19-31
Jesus said to the Pharisees: ‘There was a rich man who used to dress in purple and fine linen and feast magnificently every day. And at his gate there lay a poor man called Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to fill himself with the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even came and licked his sores. Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. ‘In his torment in Hades he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off with Lazarus in his bosom. So he cried out, “Father Abraham, pity me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames.” “My son,” Abraham replied “remember that during your life good things came your way, just as bad things came the way of Lazarus. Now he is being comforted here while you are in agony. But that is not all: between us and you a great gulf has been fixed, to stop anyone, if he wanted to, crossing from our side to yours, and to stop any crossing from your side to ours.” ‘The rich man replied, “Father, I beg you then to send Lazarus to my father’s house, since I have five brothers, to give them warning so that they do not come to this place of torment too.” “They have Moses and the prophets,” said Abraham “let them listen to them.” “Ah no, father Abraham,” said the rich man “but if someone comes to them from the dead, they will repent.” Then Abraham said to him, “If they will not listen either to Moses or to the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead.”’
Prayer over the Offerings
Grant us, O merciful God, that this our offering may find acceptance with you and that through it the wellspring of all blessing may be laid open before us. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon : Cf. Ps 118: 49-50
Remember your word to your servant, O Lord, by which you have given me hope. This is my comfort when I am brought low.
Prayer after Communion
May this heavenly mystery, O Lord, restore us in mind and body, that we may be coheirs in glory with Christ, to whose suffering we are united whenever we proclaim his Death. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Meditation
The Penitential prayer – ‘I Confess to Almighty God’ tells us that there is sin by commission and by omission (…in what I have done and in what I have failed to do). The danger with being rich, as Jesus warns, is that we may become excessively attached to something and too selfish to allow someone else even have a look, let alone touch it. The sin of the rich was a sin of omission. He did not consider Lazarus worthy of having even the scraps of food that fell from his table. We can become chronic misers who that cannot share what they have. We are called every day to come to the aid of the poor and the less privileged in the society. We either pretend we are not aware, or we are too busy to attend to them. It only makes sense that whatever we have as resources and blessings from God, should make us become blessings to others in need.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Sep 23, 2022 | Agenda Biblique
SAMEDI 24 SEPTEMBRE 2022
St. Silouane
Syméon Ianovitch Antonov se fera moine sous le nom de Silouane. Pour lui, si bas qu’on puisse descendre, Jésus est là. Fort de cela, il s’agit de vivre dans la douceur et la prière continuelle, priant pour le monde entier et semant la paix autour de soi.
Antienne d’ouverture : Sg 1, 7
«Je suis le sauveur de mon peuple, dit le Seigneur, s’il crie vers moi dans les épreuves, je l’exauce; je suis son Dieu pour toujours. »
Prière d’ouverture
Seigneur, tu as voulu que toute la loi consiste à t’aimer et à aimer son prochain. Donne-nous de garder tes commandements, et de parvenir ainsi à la vie éternelle. Par Jésus Christ.
1ère lecture : Qo 11, 9 – 12, 8
Réjouis-toi, jeune homme, dans ton adolescence, et sois heureux aux jours de ta jeunesse. Suis les sentiers de ton cœur et les désirs de tes yeux ! Mais sache que pour tout cela Dieu t’appellera en jugement. Éloigne de ton cœur le chagrin, écarte de ta chair la souffrance car l’adolescence et le printemps de la vie ne sont que vanité. Souviens-toi de ton Créateur, aux jours de ta jeunesse, avant que viennent les jours mauvais, et qu’approchent les années dont tu diras : « Je ne les aime pas » ; avant que s’obscurcissent le soleil et la lumière, la lune et les étoiles, et que reviennent les nuages après la pluie ; au jour où tremblent les gardiens de la maison, où se courbent les hommes vigoureux ; où les femmes, l’une après l’autre, cessent de moudre, où le jour baisse aux fenêtres ; quand la porte se ferme sur la rue, quand s’éteint la voix de la meule, quand s’arrête le chant de l’oiseau, et quand se taisent les chansons ; lorsqu’on redoute la montée et qu’on a des frayeurs en chemin ; l’amandier est en fleurs, la sauterelle s’alourdit, et la câpre ne produit aucun effet ; lorsque l’homme s’en va vers sa maison d’éternité, et que les pleureurs sont déjà au coin de la rue ; avant que le fil d’argent se détache, que la lampe d’or se brise, que la cruche se casse à la fontaine, que la poulie se fende sur le puits ; et que la poussière retourne à la terre comme elle en vint, et le souffle de vie, à Dieu qui l’a donné. Vanité des vanités, disait Qohèleth, tout est vanité !
Psaume : 89 (90), 3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14.17abc
R/ D’âge en âge, Seigneur, tu as été notre refuge. (Ps 89, 1)
- Tu fais retourner l’homme à la poussière ; tu as dit : « Retournez, fils d’Adam ! » À tes yeux, mille ans sont comme hier, c’est un jour qui s’en va, une heure dans la nuit.
- Tu les as balayés : ce n’est qu’un songe ; dès le matin, c’est une herbe changeante : elle fleurit le matin, elle change ; le soir, elle est fanée, desséchée.
- Apprends-nous la vraie mesure de nos jours : que nos cœurs pénètrent la sagesse. Reviens, Seigneur, pourquoi tarder ? Ravise-toi par égard pour tes serviteurs.
- Rassasie-nous de ton amour au matin, que nous passions nos jours dans la joie et les chants. Que vienne sur nous la douceur du Seigneur notre Dieu ! Consolide pour nous l’ouvrage de nos mains.
Acclamation
Alléluia. Alléluia! Notre Sauveur, le Christ Jésus, a détruit la mort ; il a fait resplendir la vie par l’Évangile. Alléluia! (2 Tm 1, 10)
Évangile : Lc 9, 43b-45
En ce temps-là, comme tout le monde était dans l’admiration devant tout ce qu’il faisait, Jésus dit à ses disciples : « Ouvrez bien vos oreilles à ce que je vous dis maintenant : le Fils de l’homme va être livré aux mains des hommes. » Mais les disciples ne comprenaient pas cette parole, elle leur était voilée, si bien qu’ils n’en percevaient pas le sens, et ils avaient peur de l’interroger sur cette parole. – Acclamons la Parole de Dieu.
Prière sur les offrandes
Reçois favorablement, Seigneur, les offrandes de ton peuple, Pour qu’il obtienne dans le mystère eucharistique les biens auxquels il croit de tout son cœur. Par Jésus.
Antienne de communion : Ps 118, 4-5
Tu nous as ordonné, Seigneur, de garder fidèlement tes préceptes; puissions-nous avancer au droit chemin selon tes commandements.
Prière après la communion
Seigneur, que ton aide accompagne toujours ceux que tu as nourris de tes sacrements, afin qu’ils puissent, dans ces mystères et par toute leur vie, recueillir les fruits de la rédemption. Par Jésus.
Méditation
La foule était dans l’admiration en écoutant les Paroles de Jésus et en voyant les signes qu’il accomplit. Les apôtres eux-mêmes donnaient l’impression d’avoir oublié les prédictions de leur maître sur les souffrances et sur la mort qu’il allait subir à Jérusalem. Jésus les appelle à la réalité : il va être livré entre les mains des hommes. Judas le livra aux soldats, les soldats aux gardes, les gardes le livrèrent entre les mains de Caiphe, Caiphe le livra entre les mains d’Hérode qui le livra entre les mains de Ponce-Pilate, Pilate le livra aux soldats Romains, les soldats romains le livrèrent aux bourreaux pour être cruscifié. Mais heureusement, après sa descente de la croix, son corps fut livré entre les mains douces de la Vierge Marie. Aujourd’hui, Jésus est livré entre nos mains dans le sacrement de l’eucharistie. Puissent nos mains à chaque communion recevoir Jésus, non comme des mains ennemis ou sacrilèges, mais des mains brûlantes de foi et d’amour.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Sep 23, 2022 | Evangelium
Saturday 24th September 2022
St. Stephanie
St Stephanie was martyred at Denderah in Egypt in the fourth century. Stephanie, who was only 18 years old, suffered death together with about 500 Christians who were accused of preferring Christ to the local gods. Their faith and courage are a great challenge for us today.
Entrance Antiphon
I am the salvation of the people, says the Lord. Should they cry to me in any distress, I will hear them, and I will be their Lord for ever.
Collect
O God, who founded all the commands of your sacred Law upon love of you and of our neighbour, grant that, by keeping your precepts, we may merit to attain eternal 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 : Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:8
Rejoice in your youth, you who are young; let your heart give you joy in your young days. Follow the promptings of your heart and the desires of your eyes. But this you must know: for all these things God will bring you to judgement. Cast worry from your heart, shield your flesh from pain.
Yet youth, the age of dark hair, is vanity. And remember your creator in the days of your youth, before evil days come and the years approach when you say, ‘These give me no pleasure’, before sun and light and moon and stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain; the day when those who keep the house tremble and strong men are bowed; when the women grind no longer at the mill, because day is darkening at the windows and the street doors are shut; when the sound of the mill is faint, when the voice of the bird is silenced, and song notes are stilled, when to go uphill is an ordeal and a walk is something to dread. Yet the almond tree is in flower, the grasshopper is heavy with food and the caper bush bears its fruit, while man goes to his everlasting home. And the mourners are already walking to and fro in the street before the silver cord has snapped, or the golden lamp been broken, or the pitcher shattered at the spring, or the pulley cracked at the well, or before the dust returns to the earth as it once came from it, and the breath to God who gave it. Vanity of vanities, the Preacher says. All is vanity.
Psalm 89(90):3-6,12-14,17
R/ O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
- You turn men back to dust and say: ‘Go back, sons of men.’ To your eyes a thousand years are like yesterday, come and gone, no more than a watch in the night.
- You sweep men away like a dream, like the grass which springs up in the morning. In the morning it springs up and flowers: by evening it withers and fades.
- Make us know the shortness of our life that we may gain wisdom of heart. Lord, relent! Is your anger for ever? Show pity to your servants.
- In the morning, fill us with your love; we shall exult and rejoice all our days. Let the favour of the Lord be upon us: give success to the work of our hands.
Gospel Acclamation : cf.Ac16:14
Alleluia, alleluia! Open our heart, O Lord, to accept the words of your Son. Alleluia!
Gospel : Luke 9:43-45
At a time when everyone was full of admiration for all he did, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘For your part, you must have these words constantly in your mind: “The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men.”’ But they did not understand him when he said this; it was hidden from them so that they should not see the meaning of it, and they were afraid to ask him about what he had just said.
Prayer over the Offerings
Receive with favour, O Lord, we pray, the offerings of your people, that what they profess with devotion and faith may be theirs through these heavenly mysteries. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon : Ps 118: 4-5
You have laid down your precepts to be carefully kept; may my ways be firm in keeping your statutes.
Prayer after Communion
Graciously raise up, O Lord, those you renew with this Sacrament, that we may come to possess your redemption both in mystery and in the manner of our life. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Why do we think the disciples were so afraid to ask Jesus what they had not understood? Maybe they did not want to hear or think anything about this reality. But today, why do we run after Jesus? This is exactly what true discipleship means; facing the reality of our lives, and being ready to suffer for and with Jesus with our own crosses. We may not necessarily have soldiers behind us with a whip, – like Jesus. Our cross may be seeing a loved one suffer, knowing that we are going to lose someone through an operation, that we will bury a loved one, that we ourselves, may suffer from an accident or the loss of some valuable property necessary for our job or everyday use; it may consist in enduring a period of sociopolitical instability while looking for firm and lasting resolutions, struggling with a friend or relative who is addicted to some poor habit, etc. Jesus assures us of the victory over the reality of our daily crosses.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Sep 22, 2022 | Agenda Biblique
VENDREDI 23 SEPTEMBRE 2022
St. Pius de Pietrelcina
(Padre Pio), prêtre
Selon le témoignage d’Irénée de Lyon, il aurait reçu des apôtres eux-mêmes la charge d’évêque de Rome, après avoir secondé saint Pierre de 56 à 67. Martyr, il aurait été inhumé dans les catacombes vaticanes.
Antienne d’ouverture
Saint Pio a reçu la bénédiction du Seigneur : il a trouvé grâce devant Dieu son Sauveur : car il appartient à la race de ceux qui cherchent Dieu.
Prière d’ouverture
Dieu éternel et tout-puissant, par une grâce particulière tu as donné à saint Pio de participer à la croix de ton Fils, et, dans son ministère de prêtre, tu as renouvelé les merveilles de ta miséricorde ; par ton intercession, nous te prions : à nous qui sommes associés aux souffrances du Christ, accorde la joie de parvenir à la gloire de sa résurrection. Lui qui règne.
1ère lecture : Qo 3, 1-11
Il y a un moment pour tout, et un temps pour chaque chose sous le ciel : un temps pour donner la vie, et un temps pour mourir ; un temps pour planter, et un temps pour arracher. Un temps pour tuer, et un temps pour guérir ; un temps pour détruire et un temps pour construire. Un temps pour pleurer, et un temps pour rire ; un temps pour gémir, et un temps pour danser. Un temps pour jeter des pierres, et un temps pour les amasser ; un temps pour s’étreindre, et un temps pour s’abstenir. Un temps pour chercher, et un temps pour perdre; un temps pour garder, et un temps pour jeter. Un temps pour déchirer, et un temps pour coudre; un temps pour se taire, et un temps pour parler. Un temps pour aimer, et un temps pour ne pas aimer ; un temps pour la guerre, et un temps pour la paix. Quel profit le travailleur retire-t-il de toute la peine qu’il prend? J’ai vu la besogne que Dieu impose aux fils d’Adam pour les tenir en haleine. Toutes les choses que Dieu a faites sont bonnes en leur temps. Dieu a mis toute la durée du temps dans l’esprit de l’homme, mais celui-ci est incapable d’embrasser l’œuvre que Dieu a faite du début jusqu’à la fin.
Psaume : 143 (144), 1a.2abc, 3-4
R/ Béni soit le Seigneur, mon rocher !
- Béni soit le Seigneur, mon rocher ! Il est mon allié, ma forteresse, ma citadelle, celui qui me libère ; il est le bouclier qui m’abrite,
- Qu’est-ce que l’homme, pour que tu le connaisses, Seigneur, le fils d’un homme, pour que tu comptes avec lui ? L’homme est semblable à un souffle, ses jours sont une ombre qui passe.
Acclamation
Alléluia. Alléluia. Le Fils de l’homme est venu pour servir, et donner sa vie en rançon pour la multitude.Alléluia. (cf. Mc 10, 45)
Évangile : Lc 9, 18-22
En ce jour-là, Jésus était en prière à l’écart. Comme ses disciples étaient là, il les interrogea : « Au dire des foules, qui suis-je ? » lls répondirent : « Jean le Baptiste ; mais pour d’autres, Élie ; et pour d’autres, un prophète d’autrefois qui serait ressuscité. » Jésus leur demanda : « Et vous, que dites-vous ? Pour vous, qui suis-je ? » Alors Pierre prit la parole et dit : « Le Christ, le Messie de Dieu. » Mais Jésus, avec autorité, leur défendit vivement de le dire à personne, et déclara : « Il faut que le Fils de l’homme souffre beaucoup, qu’il soit rejeté par les anciens, les grands prêtres et les scribes, qu’il soit tué, et que, le troisième jour, il ressuscite. »
Prière sur les offrandes
Accepte, Seigneur, comme un hommage de tes serviteurs l’offrande que nous déposons sur ton autel en cette fête de saint Pio; permets qu’en nous détachant des biens de la terre, nous n’ayons d’autres richesses que toi. Par Jésus.
Antienne de la communion
« Vraiment, dit le Seigneur, vous qui avez tout quitté pour me suivre, vous recevrez le centuple, et vous aurez en héritage la vie éternelle. »
Prière après la communion
Par la puissance de cette communion, Seigneur, conduis-nous toujours dans la voie de ton amour, comme tu fis pour saint Pio ; l’œuvre de salut que tu as entreprise en nous, poursuis-la jusqu’au jour du Christ. Lui qui.
Méditation
Jésus annonce à ses Apôtres ses souffrances, sa mort sanglante et sa Résurrection. C’est le mystère de la souffrance qui se pose à nous, ce mystère qui angoisse tant les hommes que certains en arrivent à douter non seulemnt de la Bonté de Dieu et de sa toute puissance, mais aussi de son existence. Pour Jésus, sa souffrance est une nécessité. « Il faut… » C’est la volonté de son Père. Il obéit par humilité et par amour pour le salut des âmes. Par son humilité, il a vaincu le pouvoir de l’orgueil. Sa souffrance dans la chair vise à guérir notre chair mortel marquée par le péché. Par sa résurrection, il donne un sens nouveau à la souffrance. « Il n’y a pas de plus grand amour que de donner sa vie pour ceux qu’on aime. » Acceptons la souffrance avec amour, avec la certitude de partager un jour la gloire et le bonheur infini de Jésus dans le Ciel.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Sep 22, 2022 | Evangelium
Friday 23rd September 2022
St. Pius of Pietrelcina
(Padre Pio)
(1887-1968)
Padre Pio of Pietrelcina was a Capuchin friar who for more than fifty years bore the stigmata or the bleeding wounds of Jesus. He died a few days after the fiftieth anniversary of his receiving the stigmata, and over 100,000 people attended his funeral.
Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Ps 131: 9
Your priests, O Lord, shall be clothed with justice; your holy ones shall ring out their joy.
Collect
Almighty ever-living God, who, by a singular grace, gave the Priest Saint Pius a share in the Cross of your Son and, by means of his ministry, renewed the wonders of your mercy, grant that through his intercession we may be united constantly to the sufferings of Christ, and so brought happily to the glory of the resurrection. 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 : Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
There is a season for everything, a time for every occupation under heaven: A time for giving birth, a time for dying; a time for planting, a time for uprooting what has been planted. A time for killing, a time for healing; a time for knocking down, a time for building. A time for tears, a time for laughter; a time for mourning, a time for dancing. A time for throwing stones away, a time for gathering them up; a time for embracing, a time to refrain from embracing. A time for searching, a time for losing; a time for keeping, a time for throwing away. A time for tearing, a time for sewing; a time for keeping silent, a time for speaking. A time for loving, a time for hating; a time for war, a time for peace. What does a man gain for the efforts that he makes? I contemplate the task that God gives mankind to labour at. All that he does is apt for its time; but though he has permitted man to consider time in its wholeness, man cannot comprehend the work of God from beginning to end.
Psalm 143:1-4
R/ Blessed be the Lord, my rock.
- Blessed be the Lord, my rock. He is my love, my fortress; he is my stronghold, my saviour my shield, my place of refuge.
- Lord, what is man that you care for him, mortal man, that you keep him in mind; man who is merely a breath whose life fades like a passing shadow?
Gospel Acclamation : cf.Ep1:17,18
Alleluia, alleluia! May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our mind, so that we can see what hope his call holds for us. Alleluia!
Gospel : Luke 9:18-22
One day when Jesus was praying alone in the presence of his disciples he put this question to them, ‘Who do the crowds say I am?’ And they answered, ‘John the Baptist; others Elijah; and others say one of the ancient prophets come back to life.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ It was Peter who spoke up. ‘The Christ of God’ he said. But he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone anything about this. ‘The Son of Man’ he said ‘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.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Receive, O Lord, we pray, the offerings placed on your altar in commemoration of St. Pius of Pietrelcina, so that, as you brought him glory, you may, through these sacred mysteries, grant to us your pardon. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon : Cf. Mt 24: 46-47
Blessed is the servant whom the Lord finds watching when he comes. Amen I say to you: He will put that servant in charge of all his property.
Prayer after Communion
May partaking at the heavenly table, almighty God, confirm and increase strength from on high in all who celebrate the feast day of St. Pius of Pietrelcina, that we may preserve in integrity the gift of faith and walk in the path of salvation you trace for us. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
We all need moments of prayer, not only before every major decision in our lives, but always. Jesus did so when He was about to examine His apostles concerning His identity. It is easy to lean on the false idea that what others think should not bother me. But again, a good Christian must, from time to time, sample opinions on his/her personality, to know what others think of them, to know what they reserve or hold against them.This helps us for personal growth and an ascent in our spiritual, moral and psycho/physical development. At the same time, we must not easily allow the opinions of friends and others to form our judgement about them and situations, without having a firsthand experience. Our experiences will always be different.
