by L'équipe de publication | Feb 11, 2025 | Evangelium
Our Lady of Lourdes
Psalter: Week I
White
In 1858 the Immaculate Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubirous, near Lourdes in France, in the cavern called “de Massabielle.” Through her, Mary calls on sinners to change their lives.
Entrance Antiphon: Ps 94: 6-7
Hail, Holy Mother, who gave birth to the King who rules heaven and earth for ever.
Collect
Grant us, O merciful God, protection in our weakeness, that we, who keep the memorial of the Immaculate Mother of God, rise up from our iniquities. 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: Genesis 1:20-2:4
God said, ‘Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth within the vault of heaven.’ And so it was. God created great sea-serpents and every kind of living creature with which the waters teem, and every kind of winged creature. God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the waters of the seas; and let the birds multiply upon the earth.’ Evening came and morning came: the fifth day. God said, ‘Let the earth produce every kind of living creature: cattle, reptiles, and every kind of wild beast.’ And so it was. God made every kind of wild beast, every kind of cattle, and every kind of land reptile. God saw that it was good. God said, ‘Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild beasts and all the reptiles that crawl upon the earth.’ God created man in the image of himself, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them. God blessed them, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and conquer it. Be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven and all living animals on the earth.’ God said, ‘See, I give you all the seed-bearing plants that are upon the whole earth, and all the trees with seed-bearing fruit; this shall be your food. To all wild beasts, all birds of heaven and all living reptiles on the earth I give all the foliage of plants for food.’ And so it was. God saw all he had made, and indeed it was very good. Evening came and morning came: the sixth day. Thus heaven and earth were completed with all their array. On the seventh day God completed the work he had been doing. He rested on the seventh day after all the work he had been doing. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on that day he had rested after all his work of creating. Such were the origins of heaven and earth when they were created.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 8:4-9
R/ How great is your name, O Lord our God, through all the earth!
When I see the heavens, the work of your hands, the moon and the stars which you arranged, what is man that you should keep him in mind, mortal man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him little less than a god; with glory and honour you crowned him, gave him power over the works of your hand, put all things under his feet.
All of them, sheep and cattle, yes, even the savage beasts, birds of the air, and fish that make their way through the waters.
Gospel Acclamation: Ps118:24
Alleluia, alleluia! Train me, Lord, to observe your law, to keep it with my heart. Alleluia!
Gospel: Mark 7:1-13
The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered round Jesus, and they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with unclean hands, that is, without washing them. For the Pharisees, and the Jews in general, follow the tradition of the elders and never eat without washing their arms as far as the elbow; and on returning from the market place they never eat without first sprinkling themselves. There are also many other observances which have been handed down to them concerning the washing of cups and pots and bronze dishes. So these Pharisees and scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not respect the tradition of the elders but eat their food with unclean hands?’ He answered, ‘It was of you hypocrites that Isaiah so rightly prophesied in this passage of scripture: This people honours me only with lip-service, while their hearts are far from me. The worship they offer me is worthless, the doctrines they teach are only human regulations. You put aside the commandment of God to cling to human traditions.’ And he said to them, ‘How ingeniously you get round the commandment of God in order to preserve your own tradition! For Moses said: Do your duty to your father and your mother, and, Anyone who curses father or mother must be put to death. But you say, “If a man says to his father or mother: Anything I have that I might have used to help you is Corban (that is, dedicated to God), then he is forbidden from that moment to do anything for his father or mother.” In this way you make God’s word null and void for the sake of your tradition which you have handed down. And you do many other things like this.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Receive, O Lord, we ask, the prayers of your people with the sacrificial offerings, that, through the intercession of the Blessed Mary, the Mother of your Son, no petition may go unanswered, no request be made in vain. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon:
Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the eternal Father.
Prayer after Communion
As we receive this heavenly Sacrament, we beseech, O Lord, your mercy, that we, who rejoice in commemorating the Blessed Virgin Mary, may be imitating her, serve worthily the mystery of our redemption. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Having commanded into existence everything that is and that exists by the performative power of His word, God chooses to create man in his own image and likeness, both man and woman, male and female, He created them. This signifies man’s elevated place above all other creatures. As the psalmist says: God has “put all things under His feet.” Additionally, it emphasises the equal dignity shared by both man and woman since they are created in God’s own image. Regrettably, instead of reflecting the likeness of God through uprightness and fidelity to His law, humans tend to bend this law to suit their evil schemes through racism, discrimination, perjury, blackmail, murder, slander, sloth, and more. Christ condemns such acts in the Gospel, for they trample upon the very dignity we are called to protect. It is time to exercise dominance over all of creation through virtue and true service to our fellow brothers and sisters, especially the most vulnerable and marginalised who, as Pope Francis says, live at the peripheries of our lives and society.
by L'équipe de publication | Feb 9, 2025 | Evangelium
Saint Scholastica (480 – 547)
Psalter: Week I
White
She was born in Nursia in about 480, the twin sister of St Benedict. She was dedicated to God from an early age and followed her brother to Cassino, where she died in about 547.
Entrance Antiphon
Here is a wise virgin, from among the number of the prudent, who went forth with lighted lamp to meet Christ.
Collect
As we celebrate anew the Memorial of the Virgin Saint Scholastica, we pray, O Lord, that, following her example, we may serve you with pure love and happily receive what comes from loving you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: Genesis 1:1-19
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was a formless void, there was darkness over the deep, and God’s spirit hovered over the water. God said, ‘Let there be light’, and there was light. God saw that light was good, and God divided light from darkness. God called light ‘day’, and darkness he called ‘night.’ Evening came and morning came: the first day. God said, ‘Let there be a vault in the waters to divide the waters in two.’ And so it was. God made the vault, and it divided the waters above the vault from the waters under the vault. God called the vault ‘heaven.’ Evening came and morning came: the second day. God said, ‘Let the waters under heaven come together into a single mass, and let dry land appear.’ And so it was. God called the dry land ‘earth’ and the mass of waters ‘seas’, and God saw that it was good. God said, ‘Let the earth produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants, and fruit trees bearing fruit with their seed inside, on the earth.’ And so it was. The earth produced vegetation: plants bearing seed in their several kinds, and trees bearing fruit with their seed inside in their several kinds. God saw that it was good. Evening came and morning came: the third day. God said, ‘Let there be lights in the vault of heaven to divide day from night, and let them indicate festivals, days and years. Let them be lights in the vault of heaven to shine on the earth.’ And so it was. God made the two great lights: the greater light to govern the day, the smaller light to govern the night, and the stars. God set them in the vault of heaven to shine on the earth, to govern the day and the night and to divide light from darkness. God saw that it was good. Evening came and morning came: the fourth day.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103(104):1-2,5-6,10,12,24,35
R/ May the Lord rejoice in his works!
Bless the Lord, my soul! Lord God, how great you are, clothed in majesty and glory, wrapped in light as in a robe!
You founded the earth on its base, to stand firm from age to age. You wrapped it with the ocean like a cloak: the waters stood higher than the mountains.
You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow in between the hills. On their banks dwell the birds of heaven; from the branches they sing their song.
How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your riches. Bless the Lord, my soul!
Gospel Acclamation: Jn8:12
Alleluia, alleluia! I am the light of the world, says the Lord; anyone who follows me will have the light of life. Alleluia!
Gospel: Mark 6:53-56
Having made the crossing, Jesus and his disciples came to land at Gennesaret and tied up. No sooner had they stepped out of the boat than people recognised him, and started hurrying all through the countryside and brought the sick on stretchers to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, to village, or town, or farm, they laid down the sick in the open spaces, begging him to let them touch even the fringe of his cloak. And all those who touched him were cured.
Prayer over the Offerings
As we proclaim your wonders, O Lord, in the blessed Virgin Saint Scholastica, we humbly implore your majesty that, as her merits are pleasing to you, so, too, our dutiful service may find favour in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Mt 25: 6
Behold, the Bridegroom is coming;come out to meet Christ the Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Renewed by partaking of this divine gift, we pray, O Lord our God, that by the example of the blessed Saint Scholastica, bearing in our body the Death of Jesus, we may strive to hold fast to you alone. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
The creation account recounts more than just the origin of heaven, earth, and all that there is within them; it implicitly portrays God as the divine author of every created thing that exists. Moreover, everything God made, He deemed good. God desires only what is for our own good. This explains why all the sick brought to Jesus were cured, if only they could touch him. In this, we see humanity as the most important focus of the Lord’s works, a source of His rejoicing. No wonder, St. Irenaeus of Lyon aptly states that “the glory of God is man alive”. Sadly, we often distort the inherent goodness of God’s creation, leading to the misuse of resources meant for our well-being, causing much evil and suffering in our world today. However, we must always remember that if God has placed all of creation in the service of humanity, in turn, we must use our creativity for the glory of God. Only then will the Lord rejoice in all His works.
by L'équipe de publication | Feb 9, 2025 | Agenda Biblique
Sainte scholastique, Vierge
Psautier: I
Blanc
Sœur de S. Benoît, Scholastique (vers 480-547) se consacra à Dieu comme son frère, en devenant moniale. Saint Grégoire le Grand a raconté le dernier entretien de ces deux contemplatifs, entretien qu’un orage, obtenu par la prière de Scholastique, força Benoît à prolonger toute la nuit. ‘’Plus grande était sa puissance, dit S. Grégoire, parce que son amour était plus grand’’.
Antienne d’ouverture : Ps 94, 6-7
Vigilante et fidèle, sainte Scholastique a gardé sa lampe allumée pour sortir à la rencontre du Christ.
Prière d’ouverture
En célébrant la mémoire de sainte Scholastique, Seigneur, nous te prions : fais que nous sachions, nous aussi, te servir avec une charité sans défaut et goûter la douceur de ton amour. Par Jésus Christ
1ère lecture : Génèse 1, 1-19
Au commencement, Dieu créa le ciel et la terre. La terre était informe et vide, les ténèbres étaient au- dessus de l’abîme et le souffle de Dieu planait au- dessus des eaux. Dieu dit : « Que la lumière soit. » Et la lumière fut. Dieu vit que la lumière était bonne, et Dieu sépara la lumière des ténèbres. Dieu appela la lumière « jour », il appela les ténèbres « nuit ». Il y eut un soir, il y eut un matin : premier jour. Et Dieu dit : « Qu’il y ait un firmament au milieu des eaux, et qu’il sépare les eaux.» Dieu fit le firmament, il sépara les eaux qui sont au-dessous du firmament et les eaux qui sont au-dessus. Et ce fut ainsi. Dieu appela le firmament « ciel ». Il y eut un soir, il y eut un matin : deuxième jour. Et Dieu dit : « Les eaux qui sont au-dessous du ciel, qu’elles se rassemblent en un seul lieu, et que paraisse la terre ferme. » Et ce fut ainsi. Dieu appela la terre ferme « terre », et il appela la masse des eaux « mer ». Et Dieu vit que cela était bon. Dieu dit : « Que la terre produise l’herbe, la plante qui porte sa semence, et que, sur la terre, l’arbre à fruit donne, selon son espèce, le fruit qui porte sa semence. » Et ce fut ainsi. La terre produisit l’herbe, la plante qui porte sa semence, selon son espèce, et l’arbre qui donne, selon son espèce, le fruit qui porte sa semence. Et Dieu vit que cela était bon. Il y eut un soir, il y eut un matin : troisième jour. Et Dieu dit : « Qu’il y ait des luminaires au firmament du ciel, pour séparer le jour de la nuit ; qu’ils servent de signes pour marquer les fêtes, les jours et les années ; et qu’ils soient, au firmament du ciel, des luminaires pour éclairer la terre. » Et ce fut ainsi. Dieu fit les deux grands luminaires : le plus grand pour commander au jour, le plus petit pour commander à la nuit ; il fit aussi les étoiles. Dieu les plaça au firmament du ciel pour éclairer la terre, pour commander au jour et à la nuit, pour séparer la lumière des ténèbres. Et Dieu vit que cela était bon. Il y eut un soir, il y eut un matin : quatrième jour.
Psaume : 103 (104), 1-2a, 5-6, 10.12
R/ Je te chante, Seigneur, en présence des anges.
Bénis le Seigneur, ô mon âme ; Seigneur mon Dieu, tu es si grand ! Revêtu de magnificence, tu as pour manteau la lumière !
Tu as donné son assise à la terre: qu’elle reste inébranlable au cours des temps. Tu l’as vêtue de l’abîme des mers : les eaux couvraient même les montagnes.
Dans les ravins tu fais jaillir des sources et l’eau chemine aux creux des montagnes ; les oiseaux séjournent près d’elle : dans le feuillage on entend leurs cris.
Quelle profusion dans tes œuvres, Seigneur ! Tout cela, ta sagesse l’a fait ; la terre s’emplit de tes biens. Bénis le Seigneur, ô mon âme !
Acclamation
Alléluia, alléluia ! Jésus proclamait l’Évangile du Royaume et guérissait toute infirmité dans le peuple.
Alléluia. (cf. Mt 4, 23)
Évangile : Marc 6, 53-56
En ce temps-là après la traversée, abordant à Génésareth Jésus et ses disciples accostèrent. Ils sortirent de la barque, et aussitôt les gens reconnurent Jésus : ils parcoururent toute la région, et se mirent à apporter les malades sur des brancards là où l’on apprenait que Jésus se trouvait. Et dans tous les endroits où il se rendait, dans les villages, les villes ou les campagnes, on déposait les infirmes sur les places. Ils le suppliaient de leur laisser toucher ne serait-ce que la frange de son manteau. Et tous ceux qui la touchèrent étaient sauvés.
Prière sur les offrandes
En reconnaissant les merveilles que tu as accomplies, Seigneur, dans l’âme de sainte Scholastique, nous te supplions humblement : toi qui aimais sa vie tout imprégnée de l’Évangile, accepte l’hommage de notre liturgie. Par Jésus.
Antienne de la communion : Ps 106, 8-9
Voici l’Époux qui vient ! Allez à la rencontre du Christ, le Seigneur !
Prière après la communion
Par cette nourriture que tu nous as donnée, Seigneur, nous avons renouvelé nos forces ; et nous te supplions encore, afin qu’à l’exemple de sainte Scholastique, portant dans notre corps la passion de Jésus, nous cherchions à ne vivre que pour toi. Par Jésus.
Méditation
L’Esperance fait vivre, l’Esperance fait reconnaitre Dieu, l’Esperance con seille ce qu’il faut faire. Voilà pourquoi l’Esperance comme vertu théologale conduit l’homme au salut. Jésus et ses disciples arrivent à Génésareth. Les hommes qui habite cette contrée reconnaissent rapidement Jésus. Par l’Esperance ils entrent en communion avec lui lorsqu’il n’avait prononcé en ce lieu aucune prédication. Ils vont sans avoir reçu d’ordre se mettre au service de leurs frères. On déposait les infirmes sur les places. Amener un frère infirme vers le Christ c’est l’aider à retrouver la guérison et la dignité. C’est là un acte d’amour. Si tu connais Jésus comment sers tu tes frères ?
by L'équipe de publication | Feb 8, 2025 | Agenda Biblique
5eme dimanche du temps ordinaire
Psautier: I
Vert
Antienne d’ouverture : Ps 94, 6-7
Venez, inclinez-vous, prosternez-vous: adorons le Seigneur qui nous a faits: oui, il est notre Dieu.
Prière d’ouverture
Dans ton amour inlassable, Seigneur, veille sur ta famille; Et puisque ta grâce est notre unique espoir, garde-nous sous ta constante protection. Par Jésus Christ.
1ère lecture : Is 6, 1-2a.3-8
L’année de la mort du roi Ozias, je vis le Seigneur qui siégeait sur un trône très élevé ; les pans de son manteau remplissaient le Temple. Des séraphins se tenaient au-dessus de lui. Ils se criaient l’un à l’autre : « Saint ! Saint ! Saint, le Seigneur de l’univers ! Toute la terre est remplie de sa gloire. » Les pivots des portes se mirent à trembler à la voix de celui qui criait, et le Temple se remplissait de fumée. Je dis alors : « Malheur à moi ! je suis perdu, car je suis un homme aux lèvres impures, j’habite au milieu d’un peuple aux lèvres impures : et mes yeux ont vu le Roi, le Seigneur de l’univers ! » L’un des séraphins vola vers moi, tenant un charbon brûlant qu’il avait pris avec des pinces sur l’autel. Il l’approcha de ma bouche et dit : « Ceci a touché tes lèvres, et maintenant ta faute est enlevée, ton péché est pardonné. » J’entendis alors la voix du Seigneur qui disait : « Qui enverrai-je ? qui sera notre messager ? » Et j’ai répondu : « Me voici : envoie-moi ! »
Psaume : Ps 137 (138), 1-2a, 2bc-3, 4-5, 7c-8
R/ Je te chante, Seigneur, en présence des anges. (cf. Ps 137, 1c)
De tout mon cœur, Seigneur, je te rends grâce : tu as entendu les paroles de ma bouche. Je te chante en présence des anges, vers ton temple sacré, je me prosterne.
Je rends grâce à ton nom pour ton amour et ta vérité, car tu élèves, au-dessus de tout, ton nom et ta parole. Le jour où tu répondis à mon appel, tu fis grandir en mon âme la force.
Tous les rois de la terre te rendent grâce quand ils entendent les paroles de ta bouche. Ils chantent les chemins du Seigneur : « Qu’elle est grande, la gloire du Seigneur ! »
Ta droite me rend vainqueur. Le Seigneur fait tout pour moi ! Seigneur, éternel est ton amour : n’arrête pas l’œuvre de tes mains.
2ème lecture : 1 Co 15, 1-11
Frères, Avant tout, je vous ai transmis ceci, que j’ai moi-même reçu : le Christ est mort pour nos péchés conformément aux Écritures, et il fut mis au tombeau ; il est ressuscité le troisième jour conformément aux Écritures, il est apparu à Pierre, puis aux Douze ; ensuite il est apparu à plus de cinq cents frères à la fois – la plupart sont encore vivants, et quelques-uns sont endormis dans la mort –, ensuite il est apparu à Jacques, puis à tous les Apôtres. Et en tout dernier lieu, il est même apparu à l’avorton que je suis. Bref, qu’il s’agisse de moi ou des autres, voilà ce que nous proclamons, voilà ce que vous croyez.
Acclamation
Alléluia, alléluia! « Venez à ma suite, dit le Seigneur, et je vous ferai pêcheurs d’hommes. » Alléluia. (Mt 4, 19)
Évangile : Lc 5, 1-11
En ce temps-là, la foule se pressait autour de Jésus pour écouter la parole de Dieu, tandis qu’il se tenait au bord du lac de Génésareth. Il vit deux barques qui se trouvaient au bord du lac ; les pêcheurs en étaient descendus et lavaient leurs filets. Jésus monta dans une des barques qui appartenait à Simon, et lui demanda de s’écarter un peu du rivage. Puis il s’assit et, de la barque, il enseignait les foules. Quand il eut fini de parler, il dit à Simon : « Avance au large, et jetez vos filets pour la pêche. » Simon lui répondit : « Maître, nous avons peiné toute la nuit sans rien prendre ; mais, sur ta parole, je vais jeter les filets. » Et l’ayant fait, ils capturèrent une telle quantité de poissons que leurs filets allaient se déchirer. Ils firent signe à leurs compagnons de l’autre barque de venir les aider. Ceux-ci vinrent, et ils remplirent les deux barques, à tel point qu’elles enfonçaient. à cette vue, Simon-Pierre tomba aux genoux de Jésus, en disant : « Éloigne-toi de moi, Seigneur, car je suis un homme pécheur. » En effet, un grand effroi l’avait saisi, lui et tous ceux qui étaient avec lui, devant la quantité de poissons qu’ils avaient pêchés ; et de même Jacques et Jean, fils de Zébédée, les associés de Simon. Jésus dit à Simon : « Sois sans crainte, désormais ce sont des hommes que tu prendras. » Alors ils ramenèrent les barques au rivage et, laissant tout, ils le suivirent.
Prière sur les offrandes
Seigneur notre Dieu, tu as voulu choisir dans ta création le pain et le vin qui refont chaque jour nos forces: Fais qu’ils deviennent aussi pour nous le sacrement de la vie éternelle. Par Jésus.
Antienne de la communion : Ps 106, 8-9
Proclamons l’amour du Seigneur, ses merveilles pour les hommes: Il a rassasié ceux qui avaient faim, et désaltéré ceux qui avaient soif.
Prière après la communion
Tu as voulu, Seigneur, que nous partagions un même pain et que nous buvions à la même coupe: Accorde-nous de vivre tellement unis dans le Christ que nous portions du fruit pour le salut du monde. Par Jésus.
Méditation
La réponse de Simon Pierre à Jésus après une nuit de pêche est fascinante « Maître, nous avons peiné toute la nuit sans rien prendre ; mais, sur ta parole, je vais jeter les filets ». Obéir à Jésus ne fait pas de nous des personnes naïves ou incongrues. Simon sait qui il est, et il rappelle à Jésus son histoire douloureuse, une histoire liée à son activité de pécheur. Il sait la peine qu’il a prise toute la nuit, il n’a rien récolté. Au lieu d’un rappelle de l’histoire Pierre dit sa déception à Jésus. Mais il sait aussi que la parole de Dieu est au-dessus de nos déceptions. Certains passent par les nuits de maladie incurable, la nuit des déceptions amoureuses, la nuit de la stérilité et du chômage. Pierre nous enseigne que la confiance en Jésus et en sa parole peut tout transformer et nous plonger dans l’abondance. De quelle manière écoutons-nous la parole de Dieu ? Sommes-nous prêts à la mettre en pratique ?
by L'équipe de publication | Feb 8, 2025 | Evangelium
5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Saint Teilo
Psalter: Week I
Green
She was born in Darfur (Sudan). She was kidnapped and sold as a slave. Rescued by an Italian family she became a Christian and joined the Canossian Daughters of Charity. She died in 1947.
Entrance Antiphon: Ps 94: 6-7
O come, let us worship God and bow low before the God who made us, for he is the Lord our God.
Collect
Keep your family safe, O Lord, with unfailing care, that, relying solely on the hope of heavenly grace, they may be defended always by your protection. 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: Isaiah 6:1-2,3-8
In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord of Hosts seated on a high throne; his train filled the sanctuary; above him stood seraphs, each one with six wings. And they cried out to one another in this way, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts. His glory fills the whole earth.’ The foundations of the threshold shook with the voice of the one who cried out, and the Temple was filled with smoke. I said: ‘What a wretched state I am in! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have looked at the King, the Lord of Hosts.’ Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding in his hand a live coal which he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. With this he touched my mouth and said: ‘See now, this has touched your lips, your sin is taken away, your iniquity is purged.’ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: ‘Whom shall I send? Who will be our messenger?’ I answered, ‘Here I am, send me.’
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 137(138):1-5,7-8
R/ Before the angels I will bless you, O Lord.
I thank you, Lord, with all my heart: you have heard the words of my mouth. In the presence of the angels I will bless you. I will adore before your holy temple.
I thank you for your faithfulness and love, which excel all we ever knew of you. On the day I called, you answered; you increased the strength of my soul.
All earth’s kings shall thank you when they hear the words of your mouth. They shall sing of the Lord’s ways: ‘How great is the glory of the Lord!’
You stretch out your hand and save me, your hand will do all things for me. Your love, O Lord, is eternal, discard not the work of your hands.
Second reading: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, the gospel that you received and in which you are firmly established; because the gospel will save you only if you keep believing exactly what I preached to you – believing anything else will not lead to anything. Well then, in the first place, I taught you what I had been taught myself, namely that Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the scriptures; that he was buried; and that he was raised to life on the third day, in accordance with the scriptures; that he appeared first to Cephas and secondly to the Twelve. Next he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died; then he appeared to James, and then to all the apostles; and last of all he appeared to me too; it was as though I was born when no one expected it. I am the least of the apostles; in fact, since I persecuted the Church of God, I hardly deserve the name apostle; but by God’s grace that is what I am, and the grace that he gave me has not been fruitless. On the contrary, I, or rather the grace of God that is with me, have worked harder than any of the others; but what matters is that I preach what they preach, and this is what you all believed.
Gospel Acclamation: Jn15:15
Alleluia, alleluia! I call you friends, says the Lord, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father. Alleluia!
Gospel: Luke 5:1-11
Jesus was standing one day by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the crowd pressing round him listening to the word of God, when he caught sight of two boats close to the bank. The fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats – it was Simon’s – and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.’ ‘Master,’ Simon replied, ‘we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets.’ And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signalled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them; when these came, they filled the two boats to sinking point. When Simon Peter saw this he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, ‘Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.’ For he and all his companions were completely overcome by the catch they had made; so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners. But Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch.’ Then, bringing their boats back to land, they left everything and followed him.
Prayer over the Offerings
O Lord, our God, who once established these created things to sustain us in our frailty, grant, we pray, that they may become for us now the Sacrament of eternal life. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 106: 8-9
Let them thank the Lord for his mercy, his wonders for the children of men, for he satisfies the thirsty soul, and the hungry he fills with good things.
Prayer after Communion
O God, who have willed that we be partakers in the one Bread and the one Chalice, grant us, we pray, so to live that, made one in Christ, we may joyfully bear fruit for the salvation of the world. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
How grateful are you to God for His deeds in your life? How ready are you to proclaim His greatness through the example of your life? The words of the Psalmist, I thank you Lord with all my heart, you have heard the words of my mouth, are an echo of Isaiah’s personal thanksgiving. Fearing damnation for looking upon the Lord of Host, Isaiah, though sinful, has his mouth purified by a seraph. In gratitude, he offers to be God’s messenger. Paul, too, speaks of his total unworthiness which God transforms into a powerful instrument of His message of salvation to the world. Similarly, the apostles, overwhelmed by their miraculous catch, leave everything and follow Jesus. Why wait? Why hesitate? Why not believe in Jesus and follow Him now? Why not seize every opportunity to talk boldly of Him wherever you find yourself?
