by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | Jan 4, 2021 | Evangelium
St. John Neumann
This American saint was born in Bohemia in 1811. John was appointed bishop of Philadelphia in 1852. Fluent in many languages, he was dedicated to helping the poor and most abandoned. John died on 5th January, 1860 at the age of 48.
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Entrance Antiphon : Ps 117: 26-27
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord: The Lord is God and has given us light.
Collect
O God, whose Only Begotten Son has appeared in our very flesh, grant, we pray, that we may be inwardly transformed through him whom we recognize as outwardly like ourselves. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading : 1 John 4:7-10
My dear people, let us love one another since love comes from God and everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Anyone who fails to love can never have known God, because God is love. God’s love for us was revealed when God sent into the world his only Son so that we could have life through him; this is the love I mean: not our love for God, but God’s love for us when he sent his Son to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away.
Psalm 71(72):1-4,7-8
R/ All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.
- O God, give your judgement to the king, to a king’s son your justice, that he may judge your people in justice and your poor in right judgement.
- May the mountains bring forth peace for the people and the hills, justice. May he defend the poor of the people and save the children of the needy.
- In his days justice shall flourish and peace till the moon fails. He shall rule from sea to sea, from the Great River to earth’s bounds.
Gospel Acclamation : Mt 4:23
Alleluia, alleluia! Jesus proclaimed the Good News of the kingdom and cured all kinds of diseases among the people. Alleluia!
Gospel : Mark 6:34-44
As Jesus stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length. By now it was getting very late, and his disciples came up to him and said, ‘This is a lonely place and it is getting very late. So send them away, and they can go to the farms and villages round about, to buy themselves something to eat.’ He replied, ‘Give them something to eat yourselves.’ They answered, ‘Are we to go and spend two hundred denarii on bread for them to eat?’ ‘How many loaves have you?’ he asked. ‘Go and see.’ And when they had found out they said, ‘Five, and two fish.’ Then he ordered them to get all the people together in groups on the green grass, and they sat down on the ground in squares of hundreds and fifties. Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing; then he broke the loaves and handed them to his disciples to distribute among the people. He also shared out the two fish among them all. They all ate as much as they wanted. They collected twelve basketfuls of scraps of bread and pieces of fish. Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men.
Prayer over the Offerings
Receive with favour, O Lord, we pray, the offerings of your people, that what they profess with devotion and faith may be theirs through these heavenly mysteries. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon : Eph 2: 4; Rm 8: 3
Because of that great love of his with which God loved us, he sent his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh.
Prayer after Communion
O God, who touch us through our partaking of your Sacrament, work, we pray, the effects of its power in our hearts, that we may be made fit to receive your gift through this very gift itself. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
In the face of a sure lack of food and worry, Jesus gives the disciples a strange response: “Give them something to eat yourselves” (Mark 6:37). In other words, be generous enough to share the little you have with others. The disciples, like any normal person, wondered how a multitude of people could eat five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus blessed the little food and it was more than enough for the multitude and the disciples. This tells us that when we are generous with the little we have God blesses and multiplies it for us.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | Jan 3, 2021 | Evangelium
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774 – 1821)
She was born in New York into an Episcopalian family, who ostracised her and left her penniless when she became a Catholic in 1805. Seton was the first native-born American to be canonised by the Catholic Church.
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Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Prv 14:1-2
A holy day has dawned upon us: Come, you nations, and adore the Lord, for a great light has come down upon the earth.
O God, whose eternal Word adorns the face of the heavens yet accepted from the Virgin Mary the frailty of our flesh, grant, we pray,
that he who appeared among us as the splendour of truth may go forth in the fullness of power for the redemption of the world. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading : 1 John 3:22-4:6
Whatever we ask God, we shall receive, because we keep his commandments and live the kind of life that he wants. His commandments are these: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and that we love one another as he told us to. Whoever keeps his commandments lives in God and God lives in him. We know that he lives in us by the Spirit that he has given us. It is not every spirit, my dear people, that you can trust; test them, to see if they come from God, there are many false prophets, now, in the world. You can tell the spirits that come from God by this: every spirit which acknowledges that Jesus the Christ has come in the flesh is from God; but any spirit which will not say this of Jesus is not from God, but is the spirit of Antichrist, whose coming you were warned about. Well, now he is here, in the world. Children, you have already overcome these false prophets, because you are from God and you have in you one who is greater than anyone in this world; as for them, they are of the world, and so they speak the language of the world and the world listens to them. But we are children of God, and those who know God listen to us; those who are not of God refuse to listen to us. This is how we can tell the spirit of truth from the spirit of falsehood.
R/ will give you the nations for your heritage.
1. The Lord said to me: ‘You are my Son. It is I who have begotten you this day. Ask and I shall bequeath you the nations, put the ends of the earth in your possession.’
2. Now, O kings, understand, take warning, rulers of the earth; serve the Lord with awe and trembling, pay him your homage.
Gospel Acclamation : Mt4:16
Alleluia, alleluia! The people that lived in darkness has seen a great light; on those who dwell in the land and shadow of death a light has dawned. Alleluia!
Gospel : Matthew 4:12-17,23-25
Hearing that John had been arrested, Jesus went back to Galilee, and leaving Nazareth he went and settled in Capernaum, a lakeside town on the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali. In this way the prophecy of Isaiah was to be fulfilled: ‘Land of Zebulun! Land of Naphtali! Way of the sea on the far side of Jordan, Galilee of the nations! The people that lived in darkness has seen a great light; on those who dwell in the land and shadow of death a light has dawned. From that moment Jesus began his preaching with the message, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’ He went round the whole of Galilee teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness among the people. His fame spread throughout Syria, and those who were suffering from diseases and painful complaints of one kind or another, the possessed, epileptics, the paralysed, were all brought to him, and he cured them. Large crowds followed him, coming from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judaea and Transjordania.
Prayer over the Offerings
Receive our oblation, O Lord, by which is brought about a glorious exchange, that, by offering what you have given, we may merit to receive your very self. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon : Jn 1: 14
We have seen his glory, the glory of an only Son coming from the Father, filled with grace and truth.
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, by the power of these holy mysteries, our life may be constantly sustained. Through Christ our Lord.
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand” (Matthew 4:17). These words constitute Jesus’ core message to the Galileans and is still valid today. Each of us knows the situation in which we live. There are attitudes in our lives that need to be corrected; they concern others and consequently, our relationship with God. Sometimes we give a thought to them. At other times we simply neglect them and life continues as if it does not matter whether we repent or not. Jesus calls you and me by name to repent.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | Jan 3, 2021 | Agenda Biblique
Sainte Dorothée (5e siècle) ;
Sainte Angèle.
Romaine d’origine, Dorothée s’appelait en réalité Apollinaire. La tradition dit qu’elle appartint à la famille impériale et qu’elle affranchit ses enclaves et distribua ses biens personnels pour se retirer au désert en Egypte, accompagné d’un vieux serviteur. Se faisant passer pour eunuque, elle entra au monastère de Scété où elle persévéra dans le jeûne et la prière. Son secret ne fut découvert qu’après sa mort.
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Un jour très saint, a brillé à nos yeux: que toutes les nations viennent, qu’elles adorent le Seigneur : une grande lumière est descendue sur la terre.
Seigneur, nous t’en prions, éclaire nos cœurs de ta lumière souveraine: nous trouverons alors la force d’avancer dans un monde obscur pour atteindre le pays du jour sans déclin.
Première lecture : Jean 3, 22 – 4, 6
Bien-aimés, quoi que nous demandions à Dieu, nous le recevons de lui, parce que nous gardons ses commandements, et que nous faisons ce qui est agréable à ses yeux. Or, voici son commandement: mettre notre foi dans le nom de son Fils Jésus Christ, et nous aimer les uns les autres comme il nous l’a commandé. Celui qui garde ses commandements demeure en Dieu, et Dieu en lui ; et voilà comment nous reconnaissons qu’il demeure en nous, puisqu’il nous a donné part à son Esprit. Bien-aimés, ne vous fiez pas à n’importe quelle inspiration, mais examinez les esprits pour voir s’ils sont de Dieu, car beaucoup de faux prophètes se sont répandus dans le monde. Voici comment vous reconnaîtrez l’Esprit de Dieu : tout esprit qui proclame que Jésus Christ est venu dans la chair, celui-là est de Dieu. Tout esprit qui refuse de proclamer Jésus, celui-là n’est pas de Dieu : c’est l’esprit de l’anti-Christ, dont on vous a annoncé la venue et qui, dès maintenant, est déjà dans le monde. Vous, petits-enfants, vous êtes de Dieu, et vous avez vaincu ces gens-là ; car Celui qui est en vous est plus grand que celui qui est dans le monde. Eux, ils sont du monde ; voilà pourquoi ils parlent le langage du monde, et le monde les écoute. Nous, nous sommes de Dieu; celui qui connaît Dieu nous écoute ; celui qui n’est pas de Dieu ne nous écoute pas. C’est ainsi que nous reconnaissons l’esprit de la vérité et l’esprit de l’erreur.
R/ Tu es mon fils ; je te donne en héritage les nations. (cf. 2, 7b.8a)
1. Le Seigneur m’a dit : « Tu es mon fils; moi, aujourd’hui, je t’ai engendré. Demande, et je te donne en héritage les nations, pour domaine la terre tout entière. »
2. Maintenant, rois, comprenez, reprenez-vous, juges de la terre. Servez le Seigneur avec crainte, rendez-lui votre hommage en tremblant.
Alléluia, Alléluia. Jésus proclamait l’Évangile du Royaume, et guérissait toute maladie dans le peuple. Alléluia. (cf. Mt 4, 23)
Évangile : Matthieu 4, 12-17.23-25
En ce temps-là, quand Jésus apprit l’arrestation de Jean le Baptiste, il se retira en Galilée. Il quitta Nazareth et vint habiter à Capharnaüm, ville située au bord de la mer de Galilée, dans les territoires de Zabulon et de Nephtali. C’était pour que soit accomplie la parole prononcée par le prophète Isaïe : Pays de Zabulon et pays de Nephtali, route de la mer et pays au-delà du Jourdain, Galilée des nations ! Le peuple qui habitait dans les ténèbres a vu une grande lumière. Sur ceux qui habitaient dans le pays et l’ombre de la mort, une lumière s’est levée. À partir de ce moment, Jésus commença à proclamer : « Convertissez-vous, car le royaume des Cieux est tout proche. » Jésus parcourait toute la Galilée ; il enseignait dans leurs synagogues, proclamait l’Évangile du Royaume, guérissait toute maladie et toute infirmité dans le peuple. Sa renommée se répandit dans toute la Syrie. On lui amena tous ceux qui souffraient, atteints de maladies et de tourments de toutes sortes : possédés, épileptiques, paralysés. Et il les guérit. De grandes foules le suivirent, venues de la Galilée, de la Décapole, de Jérusalem, de la Judée, et de l’autre côté du Jourdain.
Accepte, Seigneur notre Dieu, ce que nous présentons pour cette eucharistie où s’accomplit un admirable échange : En offrant ce que tu nous as donné, puissions-nous te recevoir toi-même. Par Jésus.
Antienne de la communion : Jean 1, 14
Nous avons vu la gloire du Verbe fait chair, la gloire qu’il tient de son Père comme Fils unique, plein de grâce et de vérité
Prière après la communion
Dieu tout-puissant, nous t’en prions : fais que la communion à tes mystères sacrés soutienne constamment notre vie. Par Jésus.
À partir de ce moment, Jésus commença à proclamer : « Convertissez-vous, car le royaume des Cieux est tout proche ». En précisant ce fait, Matthieu l’évangéliste situe les débuts de la mission du Christ dans le contexte précis de l’appel à la conversion. La Bonne Nouvelle du Royaume de Dieu requiert des terres fertiles à son accueil. Voilà pourquoi par la suite, en parcourant toute la Galilée, Jésus enseigne, proclame l’Évangile du Royaume et guérit toute maladie et toute infirmité dans le peuple. Il est important de situer les actions thérapeutiques du Christ comme un couronnement de son appel à la conversion et de l’urgence d’un enseignement solide.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | Jan 2, 2021 | Agenda Biblique
L’Épiphanie du Seigneur – Année B, Psautier Propre
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Antienne d’ouverture : Malachie 3, 1; 1
Voici venir le Seigneur souverain ; il tient en main la royauté, la puissance et l’empire.
Aujourd’hui, Seigneur, tu as révélé ton Fils unique aux nations, grâce à l’étoile qui les guidait ; Daigne nous accorder, à nous qui te connaissons déjà par la foi, d’être conduits jusqu’à la claire vision de ta splendeur. Par Jésus Christ.
1ère lecture : Isaïe 60, 1-6
Debout, Jérusalem, resplendis ! Elle est venue, ta lumière, et la gloire du Seigneur s’est levée sur toi. Voici que les ténèbres couvrent la terre, et la nuée obscure couvre les peuples. Mais sur toi se lève le Seigneur, sur toi sa gloire apparaît. Les nations marcheront vers ta lumière, et les rois, vers la clarté de ton aurore. Lève les yeux alentour, et regarde tous, ils se rassemblent, ils viennent vers toi ; tes fils reviennent de loin, et tes filles sont portées sur la hanche. Alors tu verras, tu seras radieuse, ton cœur frémira et se dilatera. Les trésors d’au-delà des mers afflueront vers toi, vers toi viendront les richesses des nations. En grand nombre, des chameaux t’envahiront, de jeunes chameaux de Madiane et d’Épha. Tous les gens de Saba viendront, apportant l’or et l’encens ; ils annonceront les exploits du Seigneur.
R/ Toutes les nations, Seigneur, se prosterneront devant toi. (cf. Ps 71,11)
1. Dieu, donne au roi tes pouvoirs, à ce fils de roi ta justice. Qu’il gouverne ton peuple avec justice, qu’il fasse droit aux malheureux
2. En ces jours-là, fleurira la justice, grande paix jusqu’à la fin des lunes! Qu’il domine de la mer à la mer, et du Fleuve jusqu’au bout de la terre !
3. Les rois de Tarsis et des Îles apporteront des présents. Les rois de Saba et de Seba feront leur offrande. Tous les rois se prosterneront devant lui, tous les pays le serviront.
4. Il délivrera le pauvre qui appelle et le malheureux sans recours. Il aura souci du faible et du pauvre, du pauvre dont il sauve la vie.
2ème lecture : Ephésiens 3, 2-3a.5-6
Frères, vous avez appris, je pense, en quoi consiste la grâce que Dieu m’a donnée pour vous : par révélation, il m’a fait connaître le mystère. Ce mystère n’avait pas été porté à la connaissance des hommes des générations passées, comme il a été révélé maintenant à ses saints Apôtres et aux prophètes, dans l’Esprit. Ce mystère, c’est que toutes les nations sont associées au même héritage, au même corps, au partage de la même promesse, dans le Christ Jésus, par l’annonce de l’Évangile.
Alléluia. Alléluia. Nous avons vu son étoile à l’orient, et nous sommes venus adorer le Seigneur. Alléluia. (cf. Mt 2, 2)
Évangile : Matthieu 2, 1-12
Jésus était né à Bethléem en Judée, au temps du roi Hérode le Grand. Or, voici que des mages venus d’Orient arrivèrent à Jérusalem et demandèrent: « Où est le Roi des Juifs qui vient de naître ? Nous avons vu son étoile à l’Orient et nous sommes venus nous prosterner devant lui. » En apprenant cela, le roi Hérode fut bouleversé, et tout Jérusalem avec lui. Il réunit tous les grands prêtres et les scribes du peuple, pour leur demander où devait naître le Christ. Ils lui répondirent : « À Bethléem en Judée, car voici ce qui est écrit par le prophète : Et toi, Bethléem, terre de Juda, tu n’es certes pas le dernier parmi les chefs-lieux de Juda, car de toi sortira un chef, qui sera le berger de mon peuple Israël. » Alors Hérode convoqua les mages en secret pour leur faire préciser à quelle date l’étoile était apparue ; puis il les envoya à Bethléem, en leur disant : « Allez-vous renseigner avec précision sur l’enfant. Et quand vous l’aurez trouvé, venez me l’annoncer pour que j’aille, moi aussi, me prosterner devant lui. » Après avoir entendu le roi, ils partirent. Et voici que l’étoile qu’ils avaient vue à l’Orient les précédait, jusqu’à ce qu’elle vienne s’arrêter au-dessus de l’endroit où se trouvait l’enfant. Quand ils virent l’étoile, ils se réjouirent d’une très grande joie. Ils entrèrent dans la maison, ils virent l’enfant avec Marie sa mère ; et, tombant à ses pieds, ils se prosternèrent devant lui. Ils ouvrirent leurs coffrets, et lui offrirent leurs présents : de l’or, de l’encens et de la myrrhe. Mais, avertis en songe de ne pas retourner chez Hérode, ils regagnèrent leur pays par un autre chemin.
Regarde avec bonté, Seigneur, les dons de ton Église qui ne t’offre plus ni l’or, ni l’encens, ni la myrrhe, Mais celui que ces présents révélaient, qui s’immole et se donne en nourriture : Jésus, le Christ, notre Seigneur. Lui qui.
Antienne de la communion : Mt 2, 2
Comme les mages guidés par l’étoile, nous sommes venus avec des présents adorer le Seigneur.
Prière après la communion
Que la clarté d’en haut, Seigneur, nous dirige en tout temps et en tous lieux, Et puisque tu nous fais communier à ce mystère, puissions-nous désormais le pénétrer d’un regard pur et l’accueillir dans un cœur plus aimant. Par Jésus.
La manifestation du Seigneur se fait à travers sa Parole, les événements de la nature, les astres du ciel et les êtres humains avec leurs sciences et connaissances. Voici un message fort que nous délivre la fête de l’Épiphanie du Seigneur. Dès lors, quoi de plus normal que d’œuvrer en faveur d’une mise en évidence de la Parole de Dieu comme lumière des sciences, des techniques, de la création et des êtres humains. Pour donner un sens à ses recherches, la personne en quête de sens devra s’ouvrir à la boussole toujours fiable de la Parole de Dieu. Nous ne le dirons jamais assez : Une science ou une technique qui ne s’ouvrent pas à la recherche de Dieu est mortifère. La fête de l’Épiphanie est donc un appel divin à l’humanité de chercher la voie de Dieu dans ses multiples manifestations.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh Basebang | Jan 2, 2021 | Evangelium
EPIPHANY OF THE LORD SOLEMNITY, PSALTER PROPER
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Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Mal 3: 1; 1 Chr 29:12
Behold, the Lord, the Mighty One, has come; and kingship is in his grasp, and power and dominion.
O God, who on this day revealed your Only Begotten Son to the nations by the guidance of a star, grant in your mercy, that we, who know you already by faith, may be brought to behold the beauty of your sublime 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: Isaiah 60:1-6
Arise, shine out, Jerusalem, for your light has come, the glory of the Lord is rising on you, though night still covers the earth and darkness the peoples. Above you the Lord now rises and above you his glory appears. The nations come to your light and kings to your dawning brightness. Lift up your eyes and look around: all are assembling and coming towards you, your sons from far away and your daughters being tenderly carried. At this sight you will grow radiant, your heart throbbing and full; since the riches of the sea will flow to you, the wealth of the nations come to you; camels in throngs will cover you, and dromedaries of Midian and Ephab; everyone in Sheba will come, bringing gold and incense and singing the praise of the Lord
Psalm 71 (72) :1-2.7-8.10-13
R/ All the nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.
1. O God, give your judgement to the king, to a king’s son your justice, that he may judge your people in justice, and your poor in tight judgement.
2. In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.
He shall rule from sea to sea, from the Great Sea to earth’s bounds.
3. The kings of Tarshish and the sea coasts, shall pay him tribute. The kings of Sheba and Seba, shall bring him gifts. Before him all kings shall fall prostrate, all nations shall serve him.
4. For he shall save the people when they cry, and the needy who are helpless. He will have pity on the weak, and save the lives of the poor.
Second Reading : Ephesians 3:2-3.5-6
You have probably heard how I have been entrusted by God with the grace he meant for you, and that it was by a revelation that I was given the knowledge of the mystery. This mystery that has now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets was unknown to any men in past generations; it means that pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them, in Christ Jesus, through the gospel.
Gospel Acclamation : Mt 2:2
Alleluia, alleluia! We saw his star as it rose and have come to do the Lord homage. Alleluia!
After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east. ‘Where is the infant king of the Jews?’ they asked. ‘We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage.’ When King Herod heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. He called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and enquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ‘At Bethlehem in Judaea,’ they told him, ‘for this is what the prophet wrote: And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are by no means least among the leaders of Judah, for out of you will come a leader who will shepherd my people Israel. ‘Then Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date on which the star had appeared, and sent them on to Bethlehem. ‘Go and find out all about the child,’ he said ‘and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go and do him homage.’ Having listened to what the king had to say, they set out. And there in front of them was the star they had seen rising; it went forward and halted over the place where the child was. The sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. But they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own country by a different way.
Prayer over the Offerings
Look with favour, Lord, we pray, on these gifts of your Church, in which are offered now not gold or frankincense or myrrh, but he who by them is proclaimed, sacrificed and received, Jesus Christ. Who lives and reigns forever and ever.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Mt 2: 2
We have seen his star in the East, and have come with gifts to adore the Lord.
Go before us with heavenly light, O Lord, always and everywhere, that we may perceive with clear sight and revere with true affection the mystery in which you have willed us to participate. Through Christ our Lord.
In today’s Gospel passage, we find two opposing attitudes. The wise men, on the one hand, hear of the new king and go to him with gifts. On the other hand, there is the fear of Herod, who feels threatened by news of a new king. Jesus is born King of the Jews, yet wise men from the east, who have nothing to do with Judaism, recognise him. This points to the fact that Jesus is the revelation of God to the nations, to the whole world, hence the name of the solemnity we celebrate today: Epiphany, the manifestation of God upon the earth.
