by L'équipe de publication | Jun 18, 2023 | Evangelium
SAINT ROMUALD
He joined a Benedictine monastery but made himself unpopular there by trying to get the lax monks to mend their ways and so, with the permission of his abbot, became a wandering hermit.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 26: 7, 9
O Lord, hear my voice, for I have called to you; be my help. Do not abandon or forsake me, O God, my Saviour!
Collect
O God, strength of those who hope in you, graciously hear our pleas, and, since without you, mortal frailty can do nothing, grant us always the help of your grace, that in following your commands, we may please you by our resolve and our deeds. 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: 2 Corinthians 6:1-10
As his fellow workers, we beg you once again not to neglect the grace of God that you have received. For he says: At the favourable time, I have listened to you; on the day of salvation I came to your help. Well, now is the favourable time; this is the day of salvation. We do nothing that people might object to, so as not to bring discredit on our function as God’s servants. Instead, we prove we are servants of God by great fortitude in times of suffering: in times of hardship and distress; when we are flogged, or sent to prison, or mobbed; labouring, sleepless, starving. We prove we are God’s servants by our purity, knowledge, patience and kindness; by a spirit of holiness, by a love free from affectation; by the word of truth and by the power of God; by being armed with the weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left, prepared for honour or disgrace, for blame or praise; taken for impostors while we are genuine; obscure yet famous; said to be dying and here are we alive; rumoured to be executed before we are sentenced; thought most miserable and yet we are always rejoicing; taken for paupers though we make others rich, for people having nothing though we have everything.
Psalm 97(98): 1-4
R/ The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing a new song to the Lord for he has worked wonders. His right hand and his holy arm have brought salvation.
The Lord has made known his salvation; has shown his justice to the nations. He has remembered his truth and love for the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Shout to the Lord, all the earth, ring out your joy.
Gospel Acclamation: Jn 14: 23
Alleluia, alleluia! If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him. Alleluia!
Gospel: Matthew 5: 38-42
Jesus said to his disciples: “You have learnt how it was said: Eye for eye and tooth for tooth. But I say this to you: offer the wicked man no resistance. On the contrary, if anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well; if a man takes you to law and would have your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone orders you to go one mile, go two miles with him. Give to anyone who asks, and if anyone wants to borrow, do not turn away.”
Prayer over the Offerings
O God, who in the offerings presented here provide for the twofold needs of human nature, nourishing us with food and renewing us with your Sacrament, grant, we pray, that the sustenance they provide may not fail us in body or in spirit. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Ps 26: 4
There is one thing I ask of the Lord, only this do I seek: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
Prayer after Communion
As this reception of your Holy Communion, O Lord, foreshadows the union of the faithful in you, so may it bring about unity in your Church. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
“An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” is the perfect start to Jesus’ teaching. This law had proven itself in the ancient civilizations of the Near East. Sometimes it appeared to be a measure of rigor, intended to dissuade criminals; sometimes it was in fact a measure of order and moderation which protected offenders from blind revenge. Whatever the case, all this is radically overtaken in Jesus through the new law that he promulgates on his own authority as Son of God: “Do not retaliate against the wicked… Give to whoever asks you”. An attitude that must spring from the depths of freedom and that cannot be imposed on anyone.
by L'équipe de publication | Jun 17, 2023 | Agenda Biblique
18 JUIN
11ème DIMANCHE DU TEMPS ORDINAIRE
Psautier iii
SAINT Léonce
Antienne d’ouverture : Ps 26, 7-9
Écoute, Seigneur, je t’appelle. Toi qui t’es fait mon protecteur, ne me quitte pas, ne m’abandonne pas, Dieu, mon sauveur !
Prière d’ouverture
Dieu tout-puissant, force de ceux qui espèrent en toi, sois favorable à nos appels: Puisque l’homme est fragile et que, sans toi, il ne peut rien, donne-nous toujours le secours de ta grâce. Ainsi nous pourrons, en observant tes commandements, vouloir et agir de manière à répondre à ton amour. Par Jésus.
1ère lecture : Ex 19, 2-6a
En ces jours-là, les fils d’Israël arrivèrent dans le désert du Sinaï, et ils y établirent leur camp juste en face de la montagne. Moïse monta vers Dieu. Le Seigneur l’appela du haut de la montagne : « Tu diras à la maison de Jacob, et tu annonceras aux fils d’Israël : Vous avez vu ce que j’ai fait à l’Égypte, comment je vous ai portés comme sur les ailes d’un aigle et vous ai amenés jusqu’à moi. Maintenant donc, si vous écoutez ma voix et gardez mon alliance, vous serez mon domaine particulier parmi tous les peuples, car toute la terre m’appartient ; mais vous, vous serez pour moi un royaume de prêtres, une nation sainte. »
Psaume : 99 (100), 1-2, 3, 5
R/ Il nous a faits, et nous sommes à lui, nous, son peuple, son troupeau.
Acclamez le Seigneur, terre entière, servez le Seigneur dans l’allégresse, venez à lui avec des chants de joie!
Reconnaissez que le Seigneur est Dieu: il nous a faits, et nous sommes à lui, nous, son peuple, son troupeau.
Oui, le Seigneur est bon, éternel est son amour, sa fidélité demeure d’âge en âge.
2ème lecture : Rm 5, 6-11
Frères, alors que nous n’étions encore capables de rien, le Christ, au temps fixé par Dieu, est mort pour les impies que nous étions. Accepter de mourir pour un homme juste, c’est déjà difficile; peut-être quelqu’un s’exposerait-il à mourir pour un homme de bien. Or, la preuve que Dieu nous aime, c’est que le Christ est mort pour nous, alors que nous étions encore pécheurs. À plus forte raison, maintenant que le sang du Christ nous a fait devenir des justes, serons-nous sauvés par lui de la colère de Dieu. En effet, si nous avons été réconciliés avec Dieu par la mort de son Fils alors que nous étions ses ennemis, à plus forte raison, maintenant que nous sommes réconciliés, serons-nous sauvés en ayant part à sa vie. Bien plus, nous mettons notre fierté en Dieu, par notre Seigneur Jésus Christ, par qui, maintenant, nous avons reçu la réconciliation.
Acclamation
Alléluia. Alléluia. Le règne de Dieu est tout proche. Convertissez-vous et croyez à l’Évangile. Alléluia. (Mc 1, 15)
Évangile : Mt 9, 36 – 10, 8
En ce temps-là, voyant les foules, Jésus fut saisi de compassion envers elles parce qu’elles étaient désemparées et abattues comme des brebis sans berger. Il dit alors à ses disciples : « La moisson est abondante, mais les ouvriers sont peu nombreux. Priez donc le maître de la moisson d’envoyer des ouvriers pour sa moisson. » Alors Jésus appela ses douze disciples et leur donna le pouvoir d’expulser les esprits impurs et de guérir toute maladie et toute infirmité. Voici les noms des douze Apôtres : le premier, Simon, nommé Pierre ; André son frère ; Jacques, fils de Zébédée, et Jean son frère; Philippe et Barthélemy ; Thomas et Matthieu le publicain; Jacques, fils d’Alphée, et Thaddée ; Simon le Zélote et Judas l’Iscariote, celui-là même qui le livra. Ces douze, Jésus les envoya en mission avec les instructions suivantes : « Ne prenez pas le chemin qui mène vers les nations païennes et n’entrez dans aucune ville des Samaritains. Allez plutôt vers les brebis perdues de la maison d’Israël. Sur votre route, proclamez que le royaume des Cieux est tout proche. Guérissez les malades, ressuscitez les morts, purifiez les lépreux, expulsez les démons. Vous avez reçu gratuitement: donnez gratuitement.»
Prière sur les offrandes
Tu as voulu que nous trouvions, Seigneur dans les biens de la Vie, de l’Amour, de la Charité, de la Vérité et de la Sagesse que nous te présentons, les nourritures de cette vie et le sacrement de Vie, d’Amour, de Charité, de Vérité, et de Sagesse d’une vie nouvelle; fais que nos corps et nos âmes puissent toujours en bénéficier. Par Jésus
Antienne de la communion : Ps 26, 4
J’ai demandé une chose au Seigneur, la seule que je cherche ; habiter la maison du Seigneur tous les jours de ma vie.
Prière après la communion
Cette communion à tes mystères de Vie, d’Amour, de Charité, de Vérité, et de Sagesse, Seigneur, préfigure l’union des fidèles en toi ; fais qu’elle serve à l’unité de Foi, d’Amour, de Charité, de Fidélité et de Sagesse dans ton Eglise. Par Jésus.
Méditation
Quand on ne sait plus d’où l’on vient ni où l’on va, quand on a renoncé face à son impuissance à trouver par soi-même la réponse à ces questions, il n’y a plus qu’à s’arrêter, à attendre, paralysé peut-être par l’angoisse d’avoir l’impression de ne reposer sur rien, de ne compter pour personne, d’être seul au milieu d’une foule d’inconnus. Mais en Jésus, le cœur même du Père s’est penché sur la misère de la dispersion de chacun de ses enfants et en son Fils il leur a donné le bon Pasteur qui, en Lui, les a unifiés : un seul troupeau répondant à la voix d’un seul pasteur. Cet événement de salut, c’est vrai, s’est déjà réalisé mais il demande à être actualisé dans chacune de nos vies. Alors, n’ayons pas peur d’appeler son actualisation. Laissons jaillir les cris de nos peurs, de nos angoisses, de nos détresses, confiants en ce que Dieu les entendra et y répondra.
by L'équipe de publication | Jun 17, 2023 | Evangelium
11TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME
Psalter iii
SAINT GREGORY BARBARIGO
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 26: 7, 9
O Lord, hear my voice, for I have called to you; be my help. Do not abandon or forsake me, O God, my Saviour!
Collect
O God, strength of those who hope in you, graciously hear our pleas, and, since without you, mortal frailty can do nothing, grant us always the help of your grace, that in following your commands, we may please you by our resolve and our deeds. 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: Exodus 19: 2-6
From Rephidim the sons of Israel set out again; and when they reached the wilderness of Sinai, there in the wilderness they pitched their camp; there facing the mountain Israel pitched camp. Moses then went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Say this to the House of Jacob, declare this to the sons of Israel, ‘You yourselves have seen what I did with the Egyptians, how I carried you on eagle’s wings and brought you to myself. From this you know that now, if you obey my voice and hold fast to my covenant, you of all the nations shall be my very own for all the earth is mine. I will count you a kingdom of priests, a consecrated nation.’”
Psalm 99 (100): 2-3, 5
R/ We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing for joy.
Know that he, the Lord, is God. He made us, we belong to him, we are his people, the sheep of his flock.
Indeed, how good is the Lord, eternal his merciful love. He is faithful from age to age.
Second reading: Romans 5: 6-11
We were still helpless when at his appointed moment Christ died for sinful men. It is not easy to die even for a good man – though of course for someone really worthy, a man might be prepared to die – but what proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Having died to make us righteous, is it likely that he would now fail to save us from God’s anger? When we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, we were still enemies; now that we have been reconciled, surely we may count on being saved by the life of his Son? Not merely because we have been reconciled but because we are filled with joyful trust in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have already gained our reconciliation.
Gospel Acclamation: Jn 10: 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: Matthew 9: 36- 10: 8
When Jesus saw the crowds, he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.” He summoned his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to cast them out and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, the one who was to betray him. These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them as follows: “Do not turn your steps to pagan territory, and do not enter any Samaritan town; go rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils. You received without charge, give without charge.”
Prayer over the Offerings
O God, who in the offerings presented here provide for the twofold needs of human nature, nourishing us with food and renewing us with your Sacrament, grant, we pray, that the sustenance they provide may not fail us in body or in spirit. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Ps 26: 4
There is one thing I ask of the Lord, only this do I seek: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
Prayer after Communion
As this reception of your Holy Communion, O Lord, foreshadows the union of the faithful in you, so may it bring about unity in your Church. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
When one no longer knows where one comes from or where one is going, when one has given up in the face of one’s powerlessness to find the answer to these questions by oneself, there is nothing left to do but to stop and wait, paralyzed perhaps by the anguish of having the impression that one has nothing to rely on, the impression of counting for nothing, of being alone in the midst of a crowd of strangers. But in Jesus, the very heart of the Father has looked into the misery of the dispersion of each of his children and in his Son, he has given them the good Shepherd who, in Him, has unified them: a single flock responding to the voice of a single shepherd. This event of salvation, it is true, has already been realized, but it needs to be actualized in each of our lives. So let us not be afraid to call for its actualization. Let us let the cries of our fears, our anxieties, our distresses, spring forth, trusting that God will hear them and respond.
by L'équipe de publication | Jun 16, 2023 | Agenda Biblique
17 JUIN
cœur Immacule de Marie
Saint Hervé
Dans la Bible, le cœur symbolise la vie personnelle de l’homme en sa source profonde, le centre d’où jaillissent les pensées, autant que les désirs et la liberté. Dieu seul connaît les cœurs, ces cœurs qu’il a créés pour les combler de sa présence et leur communiquer sa vie. Il a trouvé en Marie un cœur pur de tout égoïsme, toujours attentif à sa parole, totalement livré à son Esprit ; il a pu lui révéler son dessein de salut et lui donner d’y coopérer à titre de mère du Sauveur. La fête dont saint Jean Eudes fut le promoteur au 17e siècle, fut étendue à toute l’Eglise par Pie XII en 1942..
Antienne d’ouverture : Jdt 13
Le Seigneur Dieu t’a bénie, Vierge Marie, plus que toutes les femmes de la terre : il a glorifié ton nom de telle manière que ta louange sera toujours sur toutes les lèvres.
Prière d’ouverture
Accorde-nous, Seigneur, d’imiter la bienheureuse Vierge marie dans sa coopération à l’œuvre du salut de ton Fils, de telle sorte que, sous la conduite du Saint Esprit, nous progressions dans la foi, l’espérance et la charité et que nous puissions travailler au salut de tous les hommes. Par Jésus.
1ère lecture : 2 Cor 5, 14-21
Frères, l’amour du Christ nous saisit quand nous pensons qu’un seul est mort pour tous, et qu’ainsi tous ont passé par la mort. Car le Christ est mort pour tous, afin que les vivants n’aient plus leur vie centrée sur eux-mêmes, mais sur lui, qui est mort et ressuscité pour eux. Désormais nous ne regardons plus personne d’une manière simplement humaine: si nous avons connu le Christ de cette manière, maintenant nous ne le connaissons plus ainsi. Si donc quelqu’un est dans le Christ, il est une créature nouvelle. Le monde ancien s’en est allé, un monde nouveau est déjà né Tout cela vient de Dieu: il nous a réconciliés avec lui par le Christ, et il nous a donné le ministère de la réconciliation. Car c’est bien Dieu qui, dans le Christ, réconciliait le monde avec lui : il n’a pas tenu compte des fautes, et il a déposé en nous la parole de la réconciliation. Nous sommes donc les ambassadeurs du Christ, et par nous c’est Dieu lui-même qui lance un appel : nous le demandons au nom du Christ, laissez-vous réconcilier avec Dieu. Celui qui n’a pas connu le péché, Dieu l’a pour nous identifier au péché, afin qu’en lui nous devenions justes de la justice même de Dieu.
Psaume 102 (103), 1-2, 3-4, 8-9, 11-12
R/ Le Seigneur a son trône dans les cieux.
Ou : Alléluia !
Bénis le Seigneur, ô mon âme, bénis son nom très saint, tout mon être ! Bénis le Seigneur, ô mon âme, n’oublie aucun de ses bienfaits !
Car il pardonne toutes tes offenses et te guérit de toute maladie ; il réclame ta vie à la tombe et te couronne d’amour et de tendresse.
Le Seigneur est tendresse et pitié, lent à la colère et plein d’amour ; il n’est pas pour toujours en procès, ne maintient pas sans fin ses reproches.
Comme le ciel domine la terre, fort est son amour pour qui le craint ; aussi loin qu’est l’orient de l’occident, il met loin de nous nos péchés.
Acclamation
Alléluia. Alléluia. Heureux les pauvres de cœur, car le royaume des Cieux est à eux ! Alléluia. (Mt 5, 3)
Evangile : Lc 2, 41-51a
Chaque année, les parents de Jésus se rendaient à Jérusalem pour la fête de la Pâque. Quand il eut douze ans, ils montèrent en pèlerinage suivant la coutume. À la fin de la fête, comme ils s’en retournaient, le jeune Jésus resta à Jérusalem à l’insu de ses parents. Pensant qu’il était dans le convoi des pèlerins, ils firent une journée de chemin avant de le chercher parmi leurs parents et connaissances. Ne le trouvant pas, ils retournèrent à Jérusalem, en continuant à le chercher. C’est au bout de trois jours qu’ils le trouvèrent dans le Temple, assis au milieu des docteurs de la Loi : il les écoutait et leur posait des questions, et tous ceux qui l’entendaient s’extasiaient sur son intelligence et sur ses réponses. En le voyant, ses parents furent frappés d’étonnement, et sa mère lui dit : « Mon enfant, pourquoi nous as-tu fait cela ? Vois comme ton père et moi, nous avons souffert en te cherchant ! » Il leur dit : « Comment se fait-il que vous m’ayez cherché ? Ne saviez-vous pas qu’il me faut être chez mon Père?» Mais ils ne comprirent pas ce qu’il leur disait. Il descendit avec eux pour se rendre à Nazareth, et il leur était soumis.
Prière sur les offrandes
Nous déposons ces offrandes sur ton autel, Seigneur, en célébrant la mémoire de la bienheureuse Vierge Marie qui a offert ton Fils au pied de la croix ; accorde-nous, dans ta bonté, d’agréer l’offrande de notre vie. Qu’elle te soit toujours agréable. Par Jésus, le Christ.
Antienne de la communion
Tous les âges me diront bienheureuse, parce que Dieu a regardé son humble servante.
Prière après la communion
Seigneur notre Dieu, que le pain céleste, reçu par nous en vénérant la Vierge Marie Immaculée, nous aide à coopérer à sa fonction maternelle par la mission apostolique. Par Jésus, le Christ.
Méditation
Dieu a trouvé en Marie un cœur pur de tout égoïsme, toujours attentif à sa Parole, totalement livré à son Esprit. Il a pu lui révéler son dessein de salut et lui donner d’y coopérer à titre de mère du Sauveur. La disposition du Cœur de Marie est admirable. Ce cœur vit déjà les consignes de Jésus, à la fois paradoxales et terriblement réalistes. A une morale de la juste proposition, Jésus substitue la morale de la douceur volontaire. Marie est cet être humain qui accomplit cela de manière admirable. « Mon enfant, pourquoi nous as-tu fait cela ? » Dieu seul connait les cœurs, ces cœurs qu’il a créés pour les combler de sa présence et leur communiquer sa vie.
by L'équipe de publication | Jun 16, 2023 | Evangelium
THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY
SAINT HERVE
Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary began as early as the twelfth century. During the seventeenth century in France, St John Eudes popularised this devotion along with that to the Sacred Heart. St Luke’s Gospel twice mentions that Mary ‘kept all these things in her heart’, pondering the word of God. Mary shows us how to listen to the words the Holy Spirit speaks to us in the depths of our hearts, and how to respond in faith.
Entrance Antiphon: Ps 12: 6
My heart will rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, who has been bountiful with me.
Collect
O God, who prepared a fit dwelling place for the Holy Spirit in the Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, graciously grant that through her intercession we may be a worthy temple of your glory. 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: 2 Corinthians 5: 14-21
The love of Christ overwhelms us when we reflect that if one man has died for all, then all men should be dead; and the reason he died for all was so that living men should live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised to life for them. From now onwards, therefore, we do not judge anyone by the standards of the flesh. Even if we did once know Christ in the flesh, that is not how we know him now. And for anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation; the old creation has gone, and now the new one is here. It is all God’s work. It was God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the work of handing on this reconciliation. In other words, God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself, not holding men’s faults against them, and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled. So we are ambassadors for Christ; it is as though God were appealing through us, and the appeal that we make in Christ’s name is: be reconciled to God. For our sake God made the sinless one into sin, so that in him we might become the goodness of God.
Psalm 102 (103): 1-4, 9-12
R/ The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord all my being, bless his holy name. My soul, give thanks to the Lord and never forget all his blessings.
It is he who forgives all your guilt, who heals every one of your ills, who redeems your life from the grave, who crowns you with love and compassion.
His wrath will come to an end; he will not be angry for ever. He does not treat us according to our sins nor repay us according to our faults.
For as the heavens are high above the earth so strong is his love for those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west so far does he remove our sins.
Gospel Acclamation: cf. Lk 2: 19
Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who treasured the word of God and pondered it in her heart. Alleluia!
Gospel: Luke 2: 41-51
Every year the parents of Jesus used to go to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up for the feast as usual. When they were on their way home after the feast, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it. They assumed he was with the caravan, and it was only after a day’s journey that they went to look for him among their relations and acquaintances. When they failed to find him, they went back to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere. Three days later, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the doctors, listening to them, and asking them questions; and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies. They were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, “My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.” “Why were you looking for me?” he replied. “Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?” But they did not understand what he meant. He then went down with them and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority. His mother stored up all these things in her heart.
Prayer over the Offerings
Look, O Lord, upon the prayers and offerings of your faithful, presented in commemoration of Blessed Mary, the Mother of God, that they may be pleasing to you and may confer on us your help and forgiveness. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Lk 2: 19
Mary treasured all these words, reflecting on them in her heart.
Prayer after Communion
Having been made partakers of eternal redemption, we pray, O Lord, that we, who commemorate the Mother of your Son, may glory in the fullness of your grace and experience its continued increase for our salvation. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
God found in Mary a heart pure of all selfishness, always attentive to his Word, totally given over to his Spirit. He was able to reveal his plan of salvation to her and to give her the opportunity to cooperate in it as the mother of the Saviour. The disposition of Mary’s Heart is admirable. This heart is already living the instructions of Jesus, which are both paradoxical and terribly realistic. Jesus upholds the morality of voluntary gentleness and Mary is the human being who accomplishes this in an admirable way. “My child, why have you done this to us?” God knows those hearts that he created so to fill them with his presence and communicate his life to them. Like Mary, let us arm ourselves with gentleness so we can dispose our hearts to receive God’s gifts.
