by L'équipe de publication | Feb 9, 2024 | Evangelium
Saint Scholastica
(480 – 547)
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: 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: 1 Kings 12:26-32,13:33-34
Jeroboam thought to himself, ‘As things are, the kingdom will revert to the House of David. If this people continues to go up to the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, the people’s heart will turn back again to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will put me to death.’ So the king thought this over and then made two golden calves; he said to the people, ‘You have been going up to Jerusalem long enough. Here are your gods, Israel; these brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’ He set up one in Bethel and the people went in procession all the way to Dan in front of the other. He set up the temple of the high places and appointed priests from ordinary families, who were not of the sons of Levi. Jeroboam also instituted a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth of the month, like the feast that was kept in Judah, and he went up to the altar. That was how he behaved in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made; and at Bethel he put the priests of the high places he had established. Jeroboam did not give up his wicked ways but went on appointing priests for the high places from the common people. He consecrated as priests of the high places any who wished to be. Such conduct made the House of Jeroboam a sinful House, and caused its ruin and extinction from the face of the earth.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 105(106):6-7, 19-22
R/ O Lord, remember me out of the love you have for your people.
Our sin is the sin of our fathers; we have done wrong, our deeds have been evil. Our fathers when they were in Egypt paid no heed to your wonderful deeds.
They fashioned a calf at Horeb and worshipped an image of metal, exchanging the God who was their glory for the image of a bull that eats grass.
They forgot the God who was their saviour, who had done such great things in Egypt, such portents in the land of Ham, such marvels at the Red Sea.
Gospel Acclamation : Mt4:4
Alleluia, alleluia! Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Alleluia!
Gospel : Mark 8:1-10
A great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat. So Jesus called his disciples to him and said to them, ‘I feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days now and have nothing to eat. If I send them off home hungry they will collapse on the way; some have come a great distance.’ His disciples replied, ‘Where could anyone get bread to feed these people in a deserted place like this?’ He asked them, ‘How many loaves have you?’ ‘Seven’ they said. Then he instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks he broke them and handed them to his disciples to distribute; and they distributed them among the crowd. They had a few small fish as well, and over these he said a blessing and ordered them to be distributed also. They ate as much as they wanted, and they collected seven basketfuls of the scraps left over. Now there had been about four thousand people. He sent them away and immediately, getting into the boat with his disciples, went to the region of Dalmanutha.
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
Today’s well-known narrative of Jesus feeding a multitude of thousands with seven loaves of bread and a few fish exemplifies Jesus’ reliability. He not only saw the hunger and misery his disciples were going through, but he also took action. He doubled the scant resources to feed his people. He quenched their hunger and gave them the energy they needed to get home safely. We might pause to consider our capacity to TRUST that God would provide for us entirely. When did God bless me with strength and nourishment? It’s wonderful to feel cared for, powerful, and fed. It is now our responsibility to feed the hungry both physically and spiritually.
by L'équipe de publication | Feb 8, 2024 | Evangelium
Saint Teilo
Green/White
Teilo lived in the sixth century as a monk, with St David at Mynyw. He founded his own monastery at Llandeilo Fawr where he died. At Llandaff he is venerated as founder of the See.
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 : 1 Kings 11:29-32,12:19
One day when Jeroboam had gone out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah of Shiloh accosted him on the road. Ahijah was wearing a new cloak; the two of them were in the open country by themselves. Ahijah took the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve strips, saying to Jeroboam, ‘Take ten strips for yourself, for thus the Lord speaks, the God of Israel, “I am going to tear the kingdom from Solomon’s hand and give ten tribes to you. He shall keep one tribe for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.’ And Israel has been separated from the House of David until the present day.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 80(81): 10-15
R/ I am the Lord your God: listen to my warning.
Let there be no foreign god among you, no worship of an alien god. I am the Lord your God, who brought you from the land of Egypt.
But my people did not heed my voice and Israel would not obey, so I left them in their stubbornness of heart to follow their own designs.
O that my people would heed me, that Israel would walk in my ways! At once I would subdue their foes, turn my hand against their enemies.
Gospel Acclamation : cf.Jn6:63,68
Alleluia, alleluia! Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life; you have the message of eternal life. Alleluia!
Gospel : Mark 7:31-37
Returning from the district of Tyre, Jesus went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, right through the Decapolis region. And they brought him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they asked him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, put his fingers into the man’s ears and touched his tongue with spittle. Then looking up to heaven he sighed; and he said to him, ‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be opened.’ And his ears were opened, and the ligament of his tongue was loosened and he spoke clearly. And Jesus ordered them to tell no one about it, but the more he insisted, the more widely they published it. Their admiration was unbounded. ‘He has done all things well,’ they said ‘he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.’
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
Jesus pulls a deaf and dumb man away, inserts his fingers into his ears, spits on his tongue, looks up to heaven, and prays; holy gestures. The man’s ears immediately open, his tongue loosens, and he can talk clearly. The adoration is limitless. «He has done all things well, » they remarked, «he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.» This is healing, or the recovery from a physical condition. We’re getting close to the end of this Gospel. What Jesus did to this guy is intended to happen to all his followers, even his closest disciples. We must have our ears expanded to hear and comprehend the complete message of Jesus. We must talk frankly about what we have heard and learned after we have heard and understood. For the disciple, hearing and speaking are inextricably linked.
by L'équipe de publication | Feb 8, 2024 | Agenda Biblique
Sainte Apolline
vert
Martyre à Alexandrie, elle refusa de renier la foi et se jeta elle-même dans le bûcher qui avait été préparé pour elle.
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 : 1 R 11, 29-32 ; 12, 19
Salomon avait fait de Jéroboam un inspecteur des corvées. Un jour que Jéroboam était sorti de Jérusalem, il fut arrêté en chemin par le prophète Ahias de Silo; celui-ci portait un manteau neuf, et tous deux étaient seuls dans la campagne. Ahias prit le manteau neuf qu’il portait et le déchira en douze morceaux. Puis il dit à Jéroboam: « Prends pour toi dix morceaux, car ainsi parle le Seigneur, Dieu d’Israël: Voici que je vais déchirer le royaume en l’arrachant à Salomon, et je te donnerai dix tribus. Il lui restera une tribu, à cause de mon serviteur David, et de Jérusalem, la ville que je me suis choisie parmi toutes les tribus d’Israël. » Les dix tribus d’Israël rejetèrent la maison de David, et cette situation dure encore aujourd’hui où ceci est écrit.
Psaume : 80 (81), 10-11ab, 2018-13, 14-15
R/ C’est moi, le Seigneur ton Dieu : écoute, je t’adjure O mon peuple!
« Tu n’auras pas chez toi d’autres dieux, tu ne serviras aucun dieu étranger. C’est moi, le Seigneur ton Dieu, qui t’ai fait monter de la terre d’Égypte !
« Mais mon peuple n’a pas écouté ma voix, Israël n’a pas voulu de moi. Je l’ai livré à son cœur endurci: qu’il aille et suive ses vues!
« Ah ! Si mon peuple m’écoutait, Israël, s’il allait sur mes chemins! Aussitôt j’humilierais ses ennemis, contre ses oppresseurs je tournerais ma main. »
Acclamation
Alléluia, alléluia! Seigneur, ouvre notre cœur pour nous rendre attentifs aux paroles de ton Fils. Alléluia. (cf. Ac 16, 14b)
Évangile : Mc 7, 31-37
En ce temps-là, Jésus quitta le territoire de Tyr; passant par Sidon, il prit la direction de la mer de Galilée et alla en plein territoire de la Décapole. Des gens lui amènent un sourd qui avait aussi de la difficulté à parler, et supplient Jésus de poser la main sur lui. Jésus l’emmena à l’écart, loin de la foule, lui mit les doigts dans les oreilles, et, avec sa salive, lui toucha la langue. Puis, les yeux levés au ciel, il soupira et lui dit: « Effata ! », c’est-à-dire : « Ouvre-toi ! » Ses oreilles s’ouvrirent; sa langue se délia, et il parlait correctement. Alors Jésus leur ordonna de n’en rien dire à personne; mais plus il leur donnait cet ordre, plus ceux-ci le proclamaient. Extrêmement frappés, ils disaient: « Il a bien fait toutes choses: il fait entendre les sourds et parler les muets.»
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
Dans l’Evangile de ce jour, nous pouvons voir Jésus qui continue ses oeuvres de bienfaisances. A son arrivée dans le territoire de la Décapole, des gens lui emmènent un sourd-muet, quelqu’un à la situation déplorable. La vie de cet homme en effet était plongée dans l’obscurité et le silence jusqu’à ce qu’il fasse la rencontre de Jésus, qui va totalement transformer sa vie en lui faisant retrouver l’usage de ses yeux et de sa langue. Les foules comprirent alors qu’avec Jésus, rien n’est impossible car à travers lui, c’est la main de Dieu qui est à l’œuvre dans la création.
by L'équipe de publication | Feb 7, 2024 | Evangelium
Saint Josephine Bakhita, Virgin
Green/White
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 : 1 Kings 11:4-13
When Solomon grew old his wives swayed his heart to other gods; and his heart was not wholly with the Lord his God as his father David’s had been. Solomon became a follower of Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians, and of Milcom, the Ammonite abomination. He did what was displeasing to the Lord, and was not a wholehearted follower of the Lord, as his father David had been. Then it was that Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the god of Moab on the mountain to the east of Jerusalem, and to Milcom the god of the Ammonites. He did the same for all his foreign wives, who offered incense and sacrifice to their gods. The Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart had turned from the Lord the God of Israel who had twice appeared to him and who had then forbidden him to follow other gods; but he did not carry out the Lord’s order. The Lord therefore said to Solomon, ‘Since you behave like this and do not keep my covenant or the laws I laid down for you, I will most surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants. For your father David’s sake, however, I will not do this during your lifetime, but will tear it out of your son’s hands. Even so, I will not tear the whole kingdom from him. For the sake of my servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen, I will leave your son one tribe.’
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 105(106): 3-4, 35-37, 40
R/ O Lord, remember me out of the love you have for your people.
They are happy who do what is right, who at all times do what is just. O Lord, remember me out of the love you have for your people.
But instead they mingled with the nations and learned to act as they did. They worshipped the idols of the nations and these became a snare to entrap them.
They even offered their own sons and their daughters in sacrifice to demons, till his anger blazed against his people; he was filled with horror at his chosen ones.
Gospel Acclamation : Ps144:13
Alleluia, alleluia! The Lord is faithful in all his words and loving in all his deeds. Alleluia!
Gospel : Mark 7:24-30
Jesus left Gennesaret and set out for the territory of Tyre. There he went into a house and did not want anyone to know he was there, but he could not pass unrecognised. A woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him straightaway and came and fell at his feet. Now the woman was a pagan, by birth a Syrophoenician, and she begged him to cast the devil out of her daughter. And he said to her, ‘The children should be fed first, because it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the house-dogs.’ But she spoke up: ‘Ah yes, sir,’ she replied ‘but the house-dogs under the table can eat the children’s scraps.’ And he said to her, ‘For saying this, you may go home happy: the devil has gone out of your daughter.’ So she went off to her home and found the child lying on the bed and the devil gone.
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
Jesus’ reputation runs fast, and he had just made Pharisees think of their traditions in terms of mercy and love. Now he faces an even greater dilemma; a Gentile woman came looking for mercy. Jesus gives the desperate mother a response that would crush the hopes of any ordinary plea. His response seems so unnecessarily harsh that one wonders if Jesus’ compassion has faded into racism. Wild dogs were considered a nuisance and dangerous to life, particularly to unattended little children. So there appears to be no hope for this woman. But Jesus’ response wasn’t born out of hatred or racism. Jesus tests her to show her and us the fullness of God’s mercy and love. The determined woman gives an answer that rivals any wise saying in Scripture. She understands the heart of God better than those who were more than willing to let their sick people suffer for the sake of their traditions. The woman appealed to the heart of Jesus and found the mercy of God. Come to Jesus and be satisfied.
by L'équipe de publication | Feb 7, 2024 | Agenda Biblique
Sainte Josephine Bakhita
vert/blanc
Soudanaise, esclave puis religieuse, la Mère Noire comme l’appelaient affectueusement ceux qui la connaissaient a été béatifiée par Jean Paul II le 17 mai 1992. Elle a été déclarée sainte le 1er octobre 2000.
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 : 1 R 11, 4-13
Salomon vieillissait; ses femmes le détournèrent vers d’autres dieux, et son cœur n’était plus tout entier au Seigneur, comme l’avait été celui de son père David. Salomon prit part au culte d’Astarté, la déesse des Sidoniens, et à celui de Milcom, l’horrible idole des Ammonites. Il fit ce qui est mal aux yeux du Seigneur, et il ne lui obéit pas aussi parfaitement que son père David. Il construisit alors, sur la montagne à l’est de Jérusalem, un lieu sacré pour Camosh, l’horrible idole de Moab, et un autre pour Milcom, l’horrible idole des Ammonites. Il en fit d’autres pour permettre à toutes ses femmes étrangères de brûler de l’encens et d’offrir des sacrifices à leurs dieux. Le Seigneur s’irrita contre Salomon parce qu’il s’était détourné du Seigneur Dieu d’Israël. Pourtant, celui-ci lui était apparu deux fois, et lui avait défendu de suivre d’autres dieux; mais Salomon avait désobéi. Le Seigneur lui déclara: « Puisque tu t’es conduit de cette manière, puisque tu n’as pas gardé mon alliance ni observé mes décrets, je vais t’enlever le royaume et le donner à l’un de tes serviteurs. Seulement, à cause de ton père David, je ne ferai pas cela durant ta vie; c’est de la main de ton fils que j’enlèverai le royaume. Et encore, je ne lui enlèverai pas tout, je laisserai une tribu à ton fils, à cause de mon serviteur David et de Jérusalem, la ville que j’ai choisie. »
Psaume : 105 (106), 3-4ab, 6.35, 36-37, 39-40
R/ Souviens-toi de nous, Seigneur, dans ta bienveillance pour ton peuple.
Heureux qui pratique la justice, qui observe le droit en tout temps! Souviens-toi de moi, Seigneur, dans ta bienveillance pour ton peuple.
Avec nos pères, nous avons péché, nous avons failli et renié. Ils vont se mêler aux païens, ils apprennent leur manière d’agir.
Alors ils servent leurs idoles, et pour eux c’est un piège: ils offrent leurs fils et leurs filles en sacrifice aux démons.
De telles pratiques les souillent; ils se prostituent par de telles actions. Et le Seigneur prend feu contre son peuple: ses héritiers lui font horreur.
Acclamation
Alléluia, alléluia! Accueillez dans la douceur la Parole semée en nous: c’est elle qui peut vous sauver. Alléluia. (cf. Jc 1, 21bc)
Évangile : Mc 7, 24-30
En ce temps-là, Jésus partit et se rendit dans le territoire de Tyr. Il était entré dans une maison, et il ne voulait pas qu’on le sache, mais il ne put rester inaperçu: une femme entendit aussitôt parler de lui; elle avait une petite fille possédée par un esprit impur; elle vint se jeter à ses pieds. Cette femme était païenne, syro-phénicienne de naissance, et elle lui demandait d’expulser le démon hors de sa fille. Il lui disait: « Laisse d’abord les enfants se rassasier, car il n’est pas bien de prendre le pain des enfants et de le jeter aux petits chiens. » Mais elle lui répliqua: « Seigneur, les petits chiens, sous la table, mangent bien les miettes des petits enfants ! » Alors il lui dit: « À cause de cette parole, va: le démon est sorti de ta fille. » Elle rentra à la maison, et elle trouva l’enfant étendue sur le lit: le démon était sorti d’elle.
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 rencontre de Jésus et la syro-phénicienne nous montre la puissance de la bonne prière. Jésus fait face à la demande d’une païenne qui lui demande la guérison pour sa fille. Or, les païens et les juifs au temps de Jésus n’entretenaient pas des bonnes relations. Dans ce contexte social, ni la femme païenne ni sa fille ne pouvait bénéficier d’une quelconque faveur venant d’un juif. La réponse de Jésus à la demande de cette femme, même si elle peut nous choquer, vise justement à planter ce décor et à mettre à l’épreuve la foi de cette femme. Teste qu’elle va passer en trouvant des mots justes qui vont émouvoir le cœur de Jésus. Finalement, elle obtiendra de Lui ce qu’elle demandait : la santé de sa fille. Nous aussi, au-delà de notre indignité, si nous trouvons des mots justes pour nos prières, Dieu répondra toujours favorablement à nos attentes.
