THURSDAY 25 FEBRUARY

by | Feb 24, 2021 | Evangelium

St. Ethelbert (C.560 – 616)

He was the first king in England to convert to Christianity. According to Bede, this happened shortly after St. Augustine arrived on his mission to the English soil.

 

Violet

Entrance Antiphon: Ps 5:2-3

To my words give ear, O Lord; give heed to my sighs. Attend to the sound of my cry, my King and my God.

 

Collect

Bestow on us, we pray, O Lord, a spirit of always pondering on what is right and of hastening to carry it out, and, since without you we cannot exist, may we be enabled to live according to your will. 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 : Esther 4:17

Queen Esther took refuge with the Lord in the mortal peril which had overtaken her. She besought the Lord God of Israel in these words: ‘My Lord, our King, the only one, come to my help, for I am alone and have no helper but you and am about to take my life in my hands. ‘I have been taught from my earliest years, in the bosom of my family, that you, Lord, chose Israel out of all the nations and our ancestors out of all the people of old times to be your heritage for ever; and that you have treated them as you promised. Remember, Lord; reveal yourself in the time of our distress. As for me, give me courage, King of gods and master of all power. Put persuasive words into my mouth when I face the lion; change his feeling into hatred for our enemy, that the latter and all like him may be brought to their end. As for ourselves, save us by your hand, and come to my help, for I am alone and have no one but you, Lord.’

 

Psalm 137 (138):1-3, 7-8

R/ On the day I called, you answered me, O Lord.

 

1.      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.

2.      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.

3.      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.

 

Gospel Acclamation : Joel 2:12-13

Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God! Now, now – it is the Lord who speaks – come back to me with all your heart, for I am all tenderness and compassion. Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!

 

Gospel: Matthew 7:7-12

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. Is there a man among you who would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or would hand him a snake when he asked for a fish? If you, then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him! So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets.’

Prayer over the Offerings

Be merciful, O Lord, to those who approach you in supplication, and, accepting the oblations and prayers of your people, turn the hearts of us all towards you. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon: Mt. 7: 8

Everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Prayer after Communion

We pray, O Lord our God, that, as you have given these most sacred mysteries to be the safeguard of our salvation, so you may make them a healing remedy for us, both now and in time to come. Through Christ our Lord.

Prayer over the People

May the mercy they have hoped for, O Lord, come to those who make supplication to you, and may the riches of heaven be given them, that they may know what it is right to ask and receive what they have sought. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

 

 

Meditation

Somewhere in scripture the Lord said that the Father already knows what we need even before we ask.So, why this saying? The truth is that: standing in one place takes you nowhere. In the instructions: ask, seek and knock, action is being carried out. Life is about moving, movement is also an act of faith. When we move we show we believe in something and we hope, too. It is this very thing the Lord seeks, and then he perfects it. He promises that: we will be answered, we shall find and be welcomed.

Children’s Illustrated Bible in French and English

by | Feb 23, 2021 | Gouvernement de Délégation

Where do we begin teaching the Bible to Children? In effect, many think it is too much, too heavy, and our kids cannot understand. On this note, some parents feel the children will be intimidated and scared seeing the size of the book with some very challenging words.  The Bible too is meant for children. Jesus himself enjoins us “Let the little children come to me and do not stop them” (Matthew 19:14).

Children are a blessing from the Lord. With these blessings also come responsibilities. As stewards of God’s children, parents are responsible for helping children grow physically, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. The Bible is also for Children. But, like any other discipline, we need to teach them the Bible in their own way. We need to guide and direct them. Parents are encouraged to teach God’s law “when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (Deuteronomy 11:19).

The Children’s Illustrated Bible is an endeavour to teach children the Bible in a fun and effective way. This first volume treats the story of cousins. By this, we mean Jesus and John the Baptist. It is taken from the first two chapters of the Gospel of Saint Luke. The illustrations help the children to kind of connect with the stories. It is our wish that the teachings to these children may “fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.” (Deuteronomy 32:2)

Fr. Jude Thaddeus Langeh, cmf

MERCREDI 24 FEVRIER

by | Feb 23, 2021 | Agenda Biblique

Saint Modeste

Confesseur mort en 480, on ne commence à parler de lui qu’à la fin du 9e siècle. Il serait devenu Évêque de Trèves en Rhénanie dès le début du règne de Clovis comme roi des Francs.

Violet

Antienne d’ouverture : Ps 24

Rappelle-toi, Seigneur, les tendresses, l’amitié, que tu nous as montrées depuis toujours. Que jamais le mal n’ait raison de nous; délivre-nous de toutes nos angoisses.

 

Prière d’ouverture

Regarde, Seigneur, avec bienveillance ton peuple qui cherche à mieux te servir : tandis qu’en nous imposant des privations nous maîtrisons notre corps, permets qu’en agissant selon le bien, nous obtenions un esprit nouveau. Par Jésus Christ.

 

Première lecture : Jonas 3, 1-10

La parole du Seigneur fut adressée à Jonas : « Lève- toi, va à Ninive, la grande ville païenne, proclame le message que je te donne sur elle. » Jonas se leva et partit pour Ninive, selon la parole du Seigneur. Or, Ninive était une ville extraordinairement grande : il fallait trois jours pour la traverser. Jonas la parcourut une journée à peine en proclamant : « Encore quarante jours, et Ninive sera détruite ! » Aussitôt, les gens de Ninive crurent en Dieu. Ils annoncèrent un jeûne, et tous, du plus grand au plus petit, se vêtirent de toile à sac. La chose arriva jusqu’au roi de Ninive. Il se leva de son trône, quitta son manteau, se couvrit d’une toile à sac, et s’assit sur la cendre. Puis il fit crier dans Ninive ce décret du roi et de ses grands : « Hommes et bêtes, gros et petit bétail, ne goûteront à rien, ne mangeront pas et ne boiront pas. Hommes et bêtes, on se couvrira de toile à sac, on criera vers Dieu de toute sa force, chacun se détournera de sa conduite mauvaise et de ses actes de violence. Qui sait si Dieu ne se ravisera pas et ne se repentira pas, s’il ne reviendra pas de l’ardeur de sa colère ? Et alors nous ne périrons pas!  En voyant leur réaction, et comment ils se détournaient de leur conduite mauvaise, Dieu renonça au châtiment dont il les avait menacés.

 

Psaume : 50 (51), 3-4, 12-13, 18-19

R/ Tu ne repousses pas, ô mon Dieu,   un cœur brisé et broyé. 50,19b

 

1. Pitié pour moi, mon Dieu, dans ton amour, selon ta grande miséricorde, efface mon péché. Lave-moi tout entier de ma faute, purifie-moi de mon offense.

2. Crée en moi un cœur pur, ô mon Dieu, renouvelle et raffermis au fond de moi mon esprit. Ne me chasse pas loin de ta face, ne me reprends pas ton esprit saint.

3. Si j’offre un sacrifice, tu n’en veux pas, tu n’acceptes pas d’holocauste. Le sacrifice qui plaît à Dieu, c’est un esprit brisé ; tu ne repousses pas, ô mon Dieu, un cœur brisé et broyé.

 

Acclamation

Gloire à toi, Seigneur, honneur, puissance et majesté !  Maintenant, dit le Seigneur, revenez à moi de tout votre cœur, car je suis tendre et miséricordieux. Gloire à toi, Seigneur, honneur, puissance et majesté ! (cf. Jl 2, 12b.13c)

 

Évangile :  Luc 11, 29-32

ce temps-là, comme les foules s’amassaient, Jésus se mit à dire : « Cette génération est une génération mauvaise : elle cherche un signe, mais en fait de signe il ne lui sera donné que le signe de Jonas. Car Jonas a été un signe pour les habitants de Ninive; il en sera de même avec le Fils de l’homme pour cette génération. Lors du Jugement, la reine de Saba se dressera en même temps que les hommes de cette génération, et elle les condamnera. En effet, elle est venue des extrémités de la terre pour écouter la sagesse de Salomon, et il y a ici bien plus que Salomon. Lors du Jugement, les habitants de Ninive se lèveront en même temps que cette génération, et ils la condamneront; en effet, ils se sont convertis en réponse à la proclamation faite par Jonas, et il y a ici bien plus que Jonas.»

 

Prière sur les offrandes

Nous te présentons, Seigneur notre Dieu, les biens que tu nous donnes pour qu’ils te soient consacrés : en devenant pour nous un sacrement, qu’ils nous apportent l’éternelle guérison. Par Jésus.

 

Antienne de   communion : Ps 5, 12

Qu’ils obtiennent la joie, Seigneur, ceux qui t’espèrent, une joie éternelle en ta présence.

 

Prière après la communion

Tu ne cesses de nous proposer, Seigneur, les sacrements qui soutiennent nos forces ; fais que cette nourriture nous donne la vie éternelle. Par Jésus.

 

       

 

Méditation

« Qui sait si Dieu ne se ravisera pas et ne se repentira pas, s’il ne reviendra pas de l’ardeur de sa colère ? ». Ce cri de cœur des habitants de Ninive doit nous pousser à ne jamais nous décourager de faire des efforts pour plaire à Dieu et entrer dans sa volonté. En effet, nous ne pouvons pas être des spectateurs de notre salut en attendant que Dieu fasse des signes pour nous. Dieu n’a rien à nous prouver ; c’est plutôt à nous de quitter nos conforts, pour nous abaisser comme les habitants de Ninive et nous mettre en route comme la Reine de Saba à la recherche de la Sagesse qu’est Dieu lui-même.

WEDNESDAY 24 FEBRUARY

by | Feb 23, 2021 | Evangelium

Aphraates(C.280 – C.345

Aphraates or Aphrahat was a Syriac Christian writer of the early fourth century. He lived through the Persian persecutions which followed the adoption of Christianity by the Roman Empire. His “Demonstrations” are a collection of twenty-three sermons, each expounding an aspect of Christian life or doctrine.

 

Violet

Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 24: 6, 2, 22

Remember your compassion, O Lord, and your merciful love, for they are from of old. Let not our enemies exult over us. Redeem us, O God of Israel, from all our distress.

 

Collect

Look kindly, Lord, we pray, on the devotion of your people, that those who by self-denial are restrained in body may by the fruit of good works be renewed in mind. 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 : Jonah 3:1-10

The word of the Lord was addressed to Jonah: ‘Up!’ he said ‘Go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach to them as I told you to.’ Jonah set out and went to Nineveh in obedience to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was a city great beyond compare: it took three days to cross it. Jonah went on into the city, making a day’s journey. He preached in these words, ‘Only forty days more and Nineveh is going to be destroyed.’ And the people of Nineveh believed in God; they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least. The news reached the king of Nineveh, who rose from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth and sat down in ashes. A proclamation was then promulgated throughout Nineveh, by decree of the king and his ministers, as follows: ‘Men and beasts, herds and flocks, are to taste nothing; they must not eat, they must not drink water. All are to put on sackcloth and call on God with all their might; and let everyone renounce his evil behaviour and the wicked things he has done. Who knows if God will not change his mind and relent, if he will not renounce his burning wrath, so that we do not perish?’ God saw their efforts to renounce their evil behaviour, and God relented: he did not inflict on them the disaster which he had threatened.

 

Psalm 50 (51):3-4, 12-13, 18-19

R/     A humbled, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.

1.      Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness. In your compassion blot out my offence. O wash me more and more from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin.

2.      A pure heart create for me, O God, put a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, nor deprive me of your holy spirit.

3.      For in sacrifice you take no delight, burnt offering from me you would refuse, my sacrifice, a contrite spirit. A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.

 

Gospel Acclamation: Ezk 33:11

Glory and praise to you, O Christ! I take pleasure, not in the death of a wicked man – it is the Lord who speaks – but in the turning back of a wicked man who changes his ways to win life. Glory and praise to you, O Christ!

 

Gospel : Luke 11:29-32

The crowds got even bigger, and Jesus addressed them: ‘This is a wicked generation; it is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. On Judgement day the Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here. On Judgement day the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here.’

Prayer over the Offerings

We offer to you, O Lord, what you have given to be dedicated to your name, that, just as for our benefit you make these gifts a Sacrament, so you may let them become for us an eternal remedy. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 5: 12

All who take refuge in you shall be glad, O Lord, and ever cry out their joy, and you shall dwell among them.

Prayer after Communion

O God, who never cease to nourish us by your Sacrament, grant that the refreshment you give us through it may bring us unending life. Through Christ our Lord.

Prayer over the People

Watch over your people, Lord, and in your kindness cleanse them from all sins, for if evil has no dominion over them, no trial can do them harm. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

 

Meditation

The queen of the south travelled to see the evidence of God’s wisdom. Ninevites heard the call to repentance and turned back to God; they had to wait for a preacher to come. We have these realities daily around us, yet many of us are stubborn to the things of God. We refuse to believe and to see. Yet we search for miracles and signs to satisfy our curiosity and not our faith. God has shown many people love and given them favours beyond their imagination, yet they do not see it: they crave for something else.

TUESDAY 23 FEBRUARY

by | Feb 22, 2021 | Evangelium

St. Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr (D. 155)

He was a disciple of the Apostles. He bears witness to the beliefs of the early Christians and the early stages of the development of doctrine. He was martyred in about 155.

 

Violet

Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Ps 89: 1-2

O Lord, you have been our refuge,  from generation to generation; from age to age, you are.

 

Collect

Look upon your family, Lord, that, through the chastening effects of bodily discipline, our minds may be radiant in your presence with the strength of our yearning for 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 : Isaiah 55:10-11

Thus says the Lord: ‘As the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return without watering the earth, making it yield and giving growth to provide seed for the sower and bread for the eating, so the word that goes from my mouth does not return to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was sent to do.’

 

Psalm 33 (34):4-7, 16-19

R/     The Lord rescues the just in all their distress.

 

1.      Glorify the Lord with me. Together let us praise his name. I sought the Lord and he answered me; from all my terrors he set me free.

2.      Look towards him and be radiant; let your faces not be abashed. This poor man called, the Lord heard him and rescued him from all his distress.

3. The Lord turns his face against the wicked to destroy their remembrance from the earth. The Lord turns his eyes to the just and his ears to their appeal.

4.      They call and the Lord hears and rescues them in all their distress. The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; those whose spirit is crushed he will save.

 

Gospel Acclamation : Mt 4:4

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus! Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

 

Gospel : Matthew 6:7-15

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘In your prayers do not babble as the pagans do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard. Do not be like them; your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us. And do not put us to the test, but save us from the evil one. Yes, if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours; but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either.’

 

 

Prayer over the Offerings

Receive, O Creator, almighty God, what we bring from your bountiful goodness, and be pleased to transform this temporal sustenance you have given us, that it may bring us eternal life. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon : Cf. Ps 4: 2

When I called, the God of justice gave me answer; from anguish you released me; have mercy, O Lord, and hear my prayer!

 

Prayer after Communion

Grant us through these mysteries, Lord, that by moderating earthly desires we may learn to love the things of heaven. Through Christ our Lord.

Prayer over the People

May your faithful be strengthened, O God, by your blessing: in grief, may you be their consolation, in tribulation, their power to endure, and in peril, their protection. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

 

Meditation

The Lord describes prayer as: (1) being simple especially in words, (2) being connected with forgiveness. Simplicity in words, especially when talking to someone, indicates that the one who listens already understands. This already tells us a lot about God. It also means you know what you want. Many Christians believe the multiplication of prayers and words give weight to prayers. What gives weight to prayer is how you relate with others: Our Father – do you see the other as a brother? Give us – is there a desire in you to uphold the common good? Forgive as we forgive – is there forgiveness or anger in your heart?