Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
IN the Introit of the Mass the Church invites us to the praise of God in the following words : “ Oh, clap your hands, all ye nations, shout unto God with the voice of joy, for the Lord is most high, He is terrible : He is a great king over all the earth.” (Ps. xlvi. 2, 3). Glory be to the Father, etc.
Prayer.
O God, Whose providence never faileth in what it doth order, we humbly beseech Thee to put away from us all things hurtful, and to give us all things profitable to us. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, etc. Amen.
EPISTLE. Rom. vi. 19-23.
Brethren: I speak a human thing, because of the infirmity of your flesh : for as you have yielded your members to serve uncleanness and iniquity unto iniquity, so now yield your members to serve justice unto sanctification. For when you were the servants of sin you were free men to justice. What fruit therefore had you then in those things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of them is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants of God, you have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end life everlasting. For the wages of sin is death ; but the grace of God, life ever lasting in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Explanation.
In these words St. Paul admonishes the Eomans that they ought henceforward to devote themselves as zealously to the service of God as they had hitherto done to that of iniquity, because the service of sin is death, but the service of God is life everlasting. The words “servants, to serve”, denote the full and unconditional subjection of the Christian to God, without walking any longer according to his own will, just as, in regard to the state of sin, they indicate the dominion of the passions over the sinner. There is no requirement more reasonable than that a man should labor as much for God and his own salvation
as he has labored for sin and hell. We should, therefore, often think on the wages of sin eternal death ; and when we are tempted, ask ourselves, “ What shall I gain by my lust, my injustice, my vengeance? Ah, nothing but eternal death! And shall I, created to inherit eternal life, shall I make myself the heir of eternal death?”
GOSPEL. Matt. vii. 15-21.
At that time Jesus said to His disciples: Beware of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves : by their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and the evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit : neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit : every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be cut down and shall be cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them. Not every one that saith to Me : Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven : but he that doth the will of My Father Who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Who are meant by false prophets ?
1. The world, which promises us honors and riches, but in the end rewards our toil and labor with disgrace and scorn. 2. The flesh, which promises pleasures and joys, but at last leaves nothing but the bitter reproaches of an unquiet conscience. 3. The devil, who promises us a long life, and time for repentance, while the obdurate sinner is cut off suddenly in the midst of his days. 4. All such evil-minded persons as conceal their wicked purposes under the mask of virtue and honesty, until they have entrapped unwary souls, and drawn them into all kinds of shameful misdeeds. It is these false prophets of Satan, and wolves of hell, that make the greatest havoc in the flock of Christ.
Why does Christ say, “every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be cut down and cast into the fire”?
He thereby warns us that faith alone, without good works, or, in other. words, the mere desire for heaven without the practice of virtue, will not save us. Christ says plainly, “ Not every one that saith to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doth the will of My Father Who is in heaven.” Jesus also saith, “Whosoever shall do the will of My Father Who is in heaven, he is My brother, and sister, and mother" (Matt. xii. 50). Endeavor, therefore, O Chris tian, to fulfil in all things the will of God, and secure thy salva tion by the exercise of good works.
INSTRUCTION ON GOOD WORKS.
What are good works?
All actions of men which are done according to the will of God, from love of Him, and by the help of grace.
Which are the principal good works?
Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Prayer including all acts belonging to the service of God ; fasting, all mortifications of the body ; almsgiving, all works of mercy.
How many are the works of mercy?
Two : corporal and spiritual.
Which are the spiritual works of mercy?
Those which have for their object the salvation of our neighbor; as, 1, to admonish the sinner; 2, to instruct the ignorant; 3, to counsel the doubtful; 4, to comfort the afflicted; 5, to bear wrongs patiently ; 6, to forgive injuries and offences ; 7, to pray for the living and the dead.
Which are the corporal works of mercy?
1, To feed the hungry; 2, to give drink to the thirsty; 3, to clothe the naked; 4, to visit the prisoners; 5, to shelter the houseless; 6, to visit the sick; 7, to bury the dead (Matt. xxv. 42, 43).
What is necessary to render works meritorious?
1, They must be good in themselves; 2, they must be done by the grace of God; 3, in the state of grace; 4, by free will; 5, with the good intention of pleasing God.
Can we be saved without good works?
No; for Christ says expressly, “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be cut down and shall be cast into the fire.” And that servant in the Gospel (Matt. xxv. 25) who neither wasted his talent nor yet traded with it, but digged into the earth and hid his lord’s money, was therefore cast into the outer darkness.
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Next:Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
Saturday, July 30, 2011
FEAST OF ST. ANN, MOTHER OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN, JULY 26
Feast of St. Ann, Mother of the Blessed Virgin
JULY 26.
ALL that we know of St. Ann is that she was married to St. Joachim of the tribe of David, and lived with him in all virtue and piety, but for a long time was childless. This she bore with all patience, till at last the Lord heard her supplications, and made her the mother of the most blessed Virgin. This distinction on the part of God is praise enough for her. On this account the faithful have always shown great veneration for her, and continually invoke her intercession.
At the Introit of the Mass the Church sings: “ Let us all rejoice in the Lord, keeping festival in honor of St. Ann, on whose solemnity the angels rejoice, and with one voice praise the Son of God. My heart hath uttered a good word; I speak my works to the King.” Glory be to the Father, etc.
Prayer.
O God, Who wast pleased to confer upon St. Ann the grace whereby she became the mother of her who brought forth Thine only-begotten Son, mercifully grant that we, who keep her festival, may, through her intercession, find help with Thee. Through the same Our Lord Jesus Christ, etc. Amen.
EPISTLE. Prov. xxxi. 10-31.
“Who shall find a valiant woman ? the price of her is as of things brought from afar off and from the uttermost coasts. The heart of her husband trusteth in her, and he shall have no need of spoils. She will render him good, and not evil, all the days of her life. She hath sought wool and flax, and hath wrought by the counsel of her hands. She is like the merchants ship, she bringeth her bread from afar. And she hath risen in the night, and given a prey to her household, and victuals to her maidens. She hath considered a field, and bought it : with the fruit of her hands she hath planted a vine yard. She hath girded her loins with strength, and hath strengthened her arm. She hath tasted, and seen that her traffic is good : her lamp shall not be put out in the night. She hath put out her hand to strong things, and her fingers taken hold of the spindle. She hath opened her hand to the needy, and stretched out her hand to the poor. She shall not fear for her house in the cold of snow: for all her domestics are clothed with double garments. She hath made for herself clothing of tapestry : fine linen, and purple is her covering. Her husband is honorable in the gates, when he sitteth among the senators of the land. She made fine linen, and sold it, and delivered a girdle to the Chanaanite. Strength and beauty are her clothing, and she shall laugh in the latter day. She hath opened her mouth to wisdom, and the law of clemency is on her tongue. She hath looked well to the paths of her house, and hath not eaten her bread idle. Her children rose up, and called her blessed : her husband, and he praised her. Many daughters have gathered together riches: thou hast surpassed them all. Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain : the woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands : and let her works praise her in the gates.
GOSPEL. Matt. xiii. 44-52.
At that time Jesus said to His disciples this parable : The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in a field. Which a man having found, hideth and for joy thereof goeth, and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again the kingdom of heaven is like to a merchant seeking good pearls. Who when he had found one pearl of great price, went his way, and sold all that he had, and bought it. Again the kingdom of heaven is like to a net cast into the sea, and gathering together of all kind of fishes. Which, when it was filled, they drew out, and sitting by the shore, they chose out the good into vessels, but the bad they cast forth. So shall it be at the end of the world. The angels shall go out, and shall separate the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Have ye understood all these things ? They say to Him : Yes. He said unto them : Therefore every scribe instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like to a man that is a householder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure new things and old.
Explanation.
The hidden treasure is faith in the Crucified, Who remains concealed from the wise of this world by reason of their pride ; the hiding of the treasure denotes that faith is to be preserved only by humility ; the selling of all that he hath teaches that, for the sake of the faith, we must sacrifice all things, do all things, suffer all things. The parable of the merchant furnishes the same lesson. By the parable of the net the Lord teaches that the universal visible Church of Christ, the kingdom of God upon earth, contains not only the elect, but those also who shall be condemned the bad as well as the good. At the end of the world there will be a separation, and the bad shall be cast into everlasting fire.
Aspiration to St. Ann.
Hail, O blessed mother Ann ! Blessed art thou, who, for our consolation, didst bear the Mother of our Redeemer. With the greatest veneration, therefore, and full of confidence, we approach thee, beseeching thee that thou wouldst supplicate our divine Saviour to bestow upon us the graces which we need to follow thy ardent devotion, thy fear of God, and to render us worthy one day to behold in heaven the blessed fruit of thy virgin daughter s womb, Jesus, and to rejoice forever in the contemplation of Him.
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Next: Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
JULY 26.
ALL that we know of St. Ann is that she was married to St. Joachim of the tribe of David, and lived with him in all virtue and piety, but for a long time was childless. This she bore with all patience, till at last the Lord heard her supplications, and made her the mother of the most blessed Virgin. This distinction on the part of God is praise enough for her. On this account the faithful have always shown great veneration for her, and continually invoke her intercession.
At the Introit of the Mass the Church sings: “ Let us all rejoice in the Lord, keeping festival in honor of St. Ann, on whose solemnity the angels rejoice, and with one voice praise the Son of God. My heart hath uttered a good word; I speak my works to the King.” Glory be to the Father, etc.
Prayer.
O God, Who wast pleased to confer upon St. Ann the grace whereby she became the mother of her who brought forth Thine only-begotten Son, mercifully grant that we, who keep her festival, may, through her intercession, find help with Thee. Through the same Our Lord Jesus Christ, etc. Amen.
EPISTLE. Prov. xxxi. 10-31.
“Who shall find a valiant woman ? the price of her is as of things brought from afar off and from the uttermost coasts. The heart of her husband trusteth in her, and he shall have no need of spoils. She will render him good, and not evil, all the days of her life. She hath sought wool and flax, and hath wrought by the counsel of her hands. She is like the merchants ship, she bringeth her bread from afar. And she hath risen in the night, and given a prey to her household, and victuals to her maidens. She hath considered a field, and bought it : with the fruit of her hands she hath planted a vine yard. She hath girded her loins with strength, and hath strengthened her arm. She hath tasted, and seen that her traffic is good : her lamp shall not be put out in the night. She hath put out her hand to strong things, and her fingers taken hold of the spindle. She hath opened her hand to the needy, and stretched out her hand to the poor. She shall not fear for her house in the cold of snow: for all her domestics are clothed with double garments. She hath made for herself clothing of tapestry : fine linen, and purple is her covering. Her husband is honorable in the gates, when he sitteth among the senators of the land. She made fine linen, and sold it, and delivered a girdle to the Chanaanite. Strength and beauty are her clothing, and she shall laugh in the latter day. She hath opened her mouth to wisdom, and the law of clemency is on her tongue. She hath looked well to the paths of her house, and hath not eaten her bread idle. Her children rose up, and called her blessed : her husband, and he praised her. Many daughters have gathered together riches: thou hast surpassed them all. Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain : the woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands : and let her works praise her in the gates.
GOSPEL. Matt. xiii. 44-52.
At that time Jesus said to His disciples this parable : The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in a field. Which a man having found, hideth and for joy thereof goeth, and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again the kingdom of heaven is like to a merchant seeking good pearls. Who when he had found one pearl of great price, went his way, and sold all that he had, and bought it. Again the kingdom of heaven is like to a net cast into the sea, and gathering together of all kind of fishes. Which, when it was filled, they drew out, and sitting by the shore, they chose out the good into vessels, but the bad they cast forth. So shall it be at the end of the world. The angels shall go out, and shall separate the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Have ye understood all these things ? They say to Him : Yes. He said unto them : Therefore every scribe instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like to a man that is a householder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure new things and old.
Explanation.
The hidden treasure is faith in the Crucified, Who remains concealed from the wise of this world by reason of their pride ; the hiding of the treasure denotes that faith is to be preserved only by humility ; the selling of all that he hath teaches that, for the sake of the faith, we must sacrifice all things, do all things, suffer all things. The parable of the merchant furnishes the same lesson. By the parable of the net the Lord teaches that the universal visible Church of Christ, the kingdom of God upon earth, contains not only the elect, but those also who shall be condemned the bad as well as the good. At the end of the world there will be a separation, and the bad shall be cast into everlasting fire.
Aspiration to St. Ann.
Hail, O blessed mother Ann ! Blessed art thou, who, for our consolation, didst bear the Mother of our Redeemer. With the greatest veneration, therefore, and full of confidence, we approach thee, beseeching thee that thou wouldst supplicate our divine Saviour to bestow upon us the graces which we need to follow thy ardent devotion, thy fear of God, and to render us worthy one day to behold in heaven the blessed fruit of thy virgin daughter s womb, Jesus, and to rejoice forever in the contemplation of Him.
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Next: Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
FEAST OF ST. JAMES THE GREATER, APOSTLE, JULY 25
Feast of St. James the Greater, Apostle
JULY 25.
JAMES, by birth a Galilean, a son of Zebedee and Salome, was brother to St. John the apostle, with whom he was called by Jesus to follow Him. He was present at the transfigura tion on Mount Thabor, at the raising of the daughter of Jairus from the dead, and other like miracles, and at the bloody sweat in the Garden. After the sending of the Holy Ghost he preached the doctrines of Jesus in Judea, Samaria, and in Jerusalem, where Herod caused him to be beheaded in the year 44. His body was brought to Compostella, in Spain, where it is ven erated by vast numbers of the faithful, who make pilgrimages to his grave. St. James was the first of the apostles who shed his blood for Christ.
The Introit of the Mass is as follows : “To me Thy friends, O God, are made exceedingly honorable; their principality is exceedingly strengthened. Lord, Thou hast proved me and known me : Thou hast known my sitting down and my rising up.” Glory be to the Father, etc.
Prayer.
Be Thou, O Lord, the sanctifier and guardian of Thy people, that, defended by the protection of Thy apostle James, they may please Thee by their conduct, and serve Thee with secure minds. Through our Lord, etc.
EPISTLE, i. Cor. iv. 9-15.
Brethren : I think that God hath set forth us apostles the last, as it were men appointed to death : we are made a spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ s sake, but you are wise in Christ : we are weak, but you are strong : you are honorable, but we without honor. Even unto this hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no fixed abode, and we labor working with our own hands : we are reviled, and we bless : we are persecuted, and we suffer it. We are blasphemed, and we entreat: we are made as the refuse of this world, the off-scouring of all even until now. I write not these things to confound you : but I admonish you as my dearest children : for if you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet not many fathers. For in Christ Jesus by the Gospel I have begotten you.
GOSPEL. Matt. xx. 20-23.
At that time : There came to Jesus the mother of the sons of Zebedee with her sons, adoring and asking something of Him. Who said to her: What wilt thou? She saith to Him: Say that these my two sons may sit, the one on Thy right hand, and the other on Thy left, in Thy kingdom. But Jesus answering, said : You know not what you ask. Can you drink the chalice that I shall drink? They say to Him: We can. He saith to them : My chalice indeed you shall drink : but to sit on My right or left hand is not Mine to give to you but to them for whom it is prepared by My Father.
Explanation.
From this gospel we learn that if we wish to become partakers with Christ of the kingdom of heaven we must drink with Him of the chalice of pain and suffering.
Prayer to St. James.
O heroic apostle, who first of all didst, after the example of Jesus, drink of the chalice of suffering, but now, in the kingdom of His Father, livest upon the holy mountain of Sion, obtain for me, I beseech thee, from Jesus the grace not to shrink from the chalice of suffering and tribulation, but patiently to accept what ever the hand of God may present to me, whether agreeable or disagreeable, and thereby to become worthy one day to be inebriated with the streams of heavenly joy.
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Next: Feast of St. Ann, Mother of the Blessed Virgin, July 26
JULY 25.
JAMES, by birth a Galilean, a son of Zebedee and Salome, was brother to St. John the apostle, with whom he was called by Jesus to follow Him. He was present at the transfigura tion on Mount Thabor, at the raising of the daughter of Jairus from the dead, and other like miracles, and at the bloody sweat in the Garden. After the sending of the Holy Ghost he preached the doctrines of Jesus in Judea, Samaria, and in Jerusalem, where Herod caused him to be beheaded in the year 44. His body was brought to Compostella, in Spain, where it is ven erated by vast numbers of the faithful, who make pilgrimages to his grave. St. James was the first of the apostles who shed his blood for Christ.
The Introit of the Mass is as follows : “To me Thy friends, O God, are made exceedingly honorable; their principality is exceedingly strengthened. Lord, Thou hast proved me and known me : Thou hast known my sitting down and my rising up.” Glory be to the Father, etc.
Prayer.
Be Thou, O Lord, the sanctifier and guardian of Thy people, that, defended by the protection of Thy apostle James, they may please Thee by their conduct, and serve Thee with secure minds. Through our Lord, etc.
EPISTLE, i. Cor. iv. 9-15.
Brethren : I think that God hath set forth us apostles the last, as it were men appointed to death : we are made a spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ s sake, but you are wise in Christ : we are weak, but you are strong : you are honorable, but we without honor. Even unto this hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no fixed abode, and we labor working with our own hands : we are reviled, and we bless : we are persecuted, and we suffer it. We are blasphemed, and we entreat: we are made as the refuse of this world, the off-scouring of all even until now. I write not these things to confound you : but I admonish you as my dearest children : for if you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet not many fathers. For in Christ Jesus by the Gospel I have begotten you.
GOSPEL. Matt. xx. 20-23.
At that time : There came to Jesus the mother of the sons of Zebedee with her sons, adoring and asking something of Him. Who said to her: What wilt thou? She saith to Him: Say that these my two sons may sit, the one on Thy right hand, and the other on Thy left, in Thy kingdom. But Jesus answering, said : You know not what you ask. Can you drink the chalice that I shall drink? They say to Him: We can. He saith to them : My chalice indeed you shall drink : but to sit on My right or left hand is not Mine to give to you but to them for whom it is prepared by My Father.
Explanation.
From this gospel we learn that if we wish to become partakers with Christ of the kingdom of heaven we must drink with Him of the chalice of pain and suffering.
Prayer to St. James.
O heroic apostle, who first of all didst, after the example of Jesus, drink of the chalice of suffering, but now, in the kingdom of His Father, livest upon the holy mountain of Sion, obtain for me, I beseech thee, from Jesus the grace not to shrink from the chalice of suffering and tribulation, but patiently to accept what ever the hand of God may present to me, whether agreeable or disagreeable, and thereby to become worthy one day to be inebriated with the streams of heavenly joy.
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Next: Feast of St. Ann, Mother of the Blessed Virgin, July 26
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
THE Introit of the Mass of to-day is the prayer of a soul that confides in the powerful and benign protection of God. "The Lord is the strength of His people, and the protector of the salvation of His anointed. Save Thy people, O Lord, and bless Thy inheritance, and rule them forever . Unto Thee will I cry, O my God : be not Thou silent to me, lest I become like them that go down into the pit." (Ps. xxvii. 8, 9, 1). Glory be to the Father, etc.
Prayer.
O God of hosts, to Whom belongeth all that is best, infuse into our breasts the love of Thy name, and grant within us an increase of devotion, that Thou mayest nourish what is good, and by the pursuit of piety preserve what Thou hast nourished. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, etc.
EPISTLE. Rom. vi. 3-11.
Brethren : All we, who are baptized in Christ Jesus, are baptized in His death. For we are buried together with Him by baptism unto death : that as Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also may walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin may be destroyed, to the end that we may serve sin no longer. For he that is dead is justified from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall live also together with Christ : knowing that Christ rising again from the dead, dieth now no more, death shall no more have dominion over Him. For in that He died to sin, He died once : but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God. So do you also reckon that you are dead to sin, but alive unto God, in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Explanation.
St. Paul here exhorts us that as through baptism we become members of Christ s mystical body, what was accomplished in Him actually must also take place in us spiritually. As Jesus died for our sins, was buried, rose again, and ascended into heaven, so also must we, once risen from sin, live henceforth to God, a new, holy life, conformed to that of Christ.
GOSPEL. Mark viii. 1-9.
At that time, when there was a great multitude with Jesus, and they had nothing to eat, calling His disciples together, He saith to them : I have compassion on the multitude ; for behold they have now been with Me three days, and have nothing to eat. And if I shall send them away fasting to their home, they will faint in the way : for some of them came from afar off. And His disciples answered Him : From whence can any one fill them here with bread in the wilderness? And He asked them : How many loaves have ye? Who said : Seven. And He commanded the multitude to sit down upon the ground. And taking the seven loaves, giving thanks, He broke, and gave to His disciples for to set before them, and they set them before the people. And they had a few little fishes and He blessed them, and commanded them to be set before them. And they did eat and were filled, and they took up that which was left of the fragments, seven baskets. And they that had eaten were about four thousand : and He sent them away.
Why did Jesus say, I have compassion on the multitude, etc.?
To confirm by acts what He had previously, through St. Matthew (Matt. vi. 33), taught in words, namely, that to them who seek first the kingdom of God and His justice, all other things shall be added without asking; and to show us, at the same time, the greatness of God’s love, which takes account of every hour spent in His service, and compassionates every want of man. The multitude were not solicitous for food, and had not even asked it from Him, and yet He cared for them.
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Next: Feast of St. James the Greater, Apostle, July 25
O God of hosts, to Whom belongeth all that is best, infuse into our breasts the love of Thy name, and grant within us an increase of devotion, that Thou mayest nourish what is good, and by the pursuit of piety preserve what Thou hast nourished. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, etc.
EPISTLE. Rom. vi. 3-11.
Brethren : All we, who are baptized in Christ Jesus, are baptized in His death. For we are buried together with Him by baptism unto death : that as Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also may walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin may be destroyed, to the end that we may serve sin no longer. For he that is dead is justified from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall live also together with Christ : knowing that Christ rising again from the dead, dieth now no more, death shall no more have dominion over Him. For in that He died to sin, He died once : but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God. So do you also reckon that you are dead to sin, but alive unto God, in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Explanation.
St. Paul here exhorts us that as through baptism we become members of Christ s mystical body, what was accomplished in Him actually must also take place in us spiritually. As Jesus died for our sins, was buried, rose again, and ascended into heaven, so also must we, once risen from sin, live henceforth to God, a new, holy life, conformed to that of Christ.
GOSPEL. Mark viii. 1-9.
At that time, when there was a great multitude with Jesus, and they had nothing to eat, calling His disciples together, He saith to them : I have compassion on the multitude ; for behold they have now been with Me three days, and have nothing to eat. And if I shall send them away fasting to their home, they will faint in the way : for some of them came from afar off. And His disciples answered Him : From whence can any one fill them here with bread in the wilderness? And He asked them : How many loaves have ye? Who said : Seven. And He commanded the multitude to sit down upon the ground. And taking the seven loaves, giving thanks, He broke, and gave to His disciples for to set before them, and they set them before the people. And they had a few little fishes and He blessed them, and commanded them to be set before them. And they did eat and were filled, and they took up that which was left of the fragments, seven baskets. And they that had eaten were about four thousand : and He sent them away.
Why did Jesus say, I have compassion on the multitude, etc.?
To confirm by acts what He had previously, through St. Matthew (Matt. vi. 33), taught in words, namely, that to them who seek first the kingdom of God and His justice, all other things shall be added without asking; and to show us, at the same time, the greatness of God’s love, which takes account of every hour spent in His service, and compassionates every want of man. The multitude were not solicitous for food, and had not even asked it from Him, and yet He cared for them.
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Next: Feast of St. James the Greater, Apostle, July 25
FEAST OF THE HOLY PENITENT MARY MAGDALEN, JULY 22
Feast of the Holy Pentitent Mary Magdalen
JULY 22.
MARY MAGDALEN, a sister of Lazarus and of Martha, of Bethany, was a notorious sinner in Jerusalem. Moved by the preaching of Jesus, she did public penance. She went openly into the house of the Pharisee with whom Jesus was sitting at table, threw herself at His feet, anointed them with precious ointment, washed them with her tears, and wiped them with her hair. Jesus, knowing her contrite heart, forgave her her sins (Luke vii. 37, 38), and from that time forward she be came the most zealous and faithful of the women who were disciples of Our Lord. She followed Him, always ministered unto Him of her substance (Luke viii. 3), and when He died was standing under the cross.
Prayer.
We beseech Thee, O Lord, that we may be helped by the intercession of blessed Mary Magdalen, at whose prayers Thou didst raise up again to life her brother Lazarus, who had been dead for four days. Who livest, etc. Amen.
EPISTLE. Cant. iii. 2-5; viii. 6, 7.
I will rise and will go about the city : in the streets and the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth : I sought him and I found him not. The watchmen who keep the city found me : Have you seen him whom my soul loveth? When I had a little passed by them, I found him whom my soul loveth. I held him : and I will not let him go till I bring him into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her that bore me. I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes and the harts of the fields, that you stir not up, nor awake my beloved till she please. Put me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm, for love is strong as death; jealousy as hard as hell; the lamps thereof are fire and flame. Many waters cannot quench charity, neither can the floods drown it : if a man should give all the substance of his house for love, he shall despise it as nothing.
The soul that, following the direction of the watchmen that is, the priests, teachers, and rulers of the Church, seeks Jesus, He goes to meet, gives Himself up to, takes up His abode in, with all His love, with all His treasures. The soul which has found Christ for delight forgets all outward things, and no longer has love or joy but for and in Christ. How should it be otherwise? What can be wanting to him who truly possesses Christ? This love for Him Who loved us unto death shows it self by outward acts that are heroic. So Mary Magdalen loved Jesus. Follow her example.
GOSPEL. Luke vii. 36-50.
At that time : One of the Pharisees desired Jesus to eat with him. And He went into the house of the Pharisee, and sat down to meat. And behold a woman that was in the city, a sinner, when she knew that He sat at meat in the Pharisee s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, and standing behind, at His feet, she began to wash His feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head, and kissed His feet, and anointed them with the ointment. And the Pharisee, who had invited Him, seeing it, spoke within himself, saying : This man, if He were a prophet, would know surely who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth Him, that she is a sinner. And Jesus answering, said to him : Simon, I have somewhat to say to thee. But he said : Master, say it. A certain creditor had two debtors, the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And whereas they had not wherewith to pay, he forgave them both. Which, therefore, of the two loveth him most? Simon answering, said : I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And He said to him : Thou hast judged rightly. And turning to the woman, He said unto Simon : Dost thou see this woman? I entered into thy house, thou gavest Me no water for My feet ; but she with tears hath washed My feet, and with her hairs hath wiped them. Thou gavest Me no kiss ; but she, since she came in, hath not ceased to kiss My feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint ; but she with ointment hath anointed My feet. Wherefore I say to thee: Many sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved much. But to whom less is forgiven, he loveth less. And He said to her : Thy sins are forgiven thee. And they that sat at meat with Him began to say within themselves :Who is this that forgiveth sins also? And He said to the woman :Thy faith hath made thee safe, go in peace.
Magdalen, who had sinned openly, openly did penance. In like manner, he who has given public scandal must seek to make amends for it by public good example.
Magdalen confessed her sins, says St. Ambrose, not with words, but with abundant tears of penitence. To tell her sins to Christ, the All-knowing, was not necessary ; but what a con fession was there in the posture of humiliation, and in the tears that flowed from the contrite sinner. Would you obtain forgive ness? Confess with contrition, like Magdalen.
The words, "Thy faith hath made thee safe," denote a faith active as love. Faith and love are in truth never separated, for he only truly believes who also loves ; and he only loves according to God s will who believes in Him. Therefore believe in truth, love, and show your love by earnest hatred of every sin, by flying from occasions of sin, by fighting against your passions, by change of your life, and by humble confession, and as true as God lives you will be saved, as was Magdalen ; the peace of God will enter into your heart.
Aspiration.
O most loving Jesus, give me an earnest will to forsake all evil, and to return to Thee, my chief good, to repent of my sins out of true love, to guard against them for the future, to shun the occasion by which I have hitherto been enticed into sin, and by the practice of good works to redeem the time lost. Grant me this, O Jesus, by Thy bitter passion and death, and through the intercession of the holy penitent Magdalen. Amen.
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Next: Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
JULY 22.
MARY MAGDALEN, a sister of Lazarus and of Martha, of Bethany, was a notorious sinner in Jerusalem. Moved by the preaching of Jesus, she did public penance. She went openly into the house of the Pharisee with whom Jesus was sitting at table, threw herself at His feet, anointed them with precious ointment, washed them with her tears, and wiped them with her hair. Jesus, knowing her contrite heart, forgave her her sins (Luke vii. 37, 38), and from that time forward she be came the most zealous and faithful of the women who were disciples of Our Lord. She followed Him, always ministered unto Him of her substance (Luke viii. 3), and when He died was standing under the cross.
Prayer.
We beseech Thee, O Lord, that we may be helped by the intercession of blessed Mary Magdalen, at whose prayers Thou didst raise up again to life her brother Lazarus, who had been dead for four days. Who livest, etc. Amen.
EPISTLE. Cant. iii. 2-5; viii. 6, 7.
I will rise and will go about the city : in the streets and the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth : I sought him and I found him not. The watchmen who keep the city found me : Have you seen him whom my soul loveth? When I had a little passed by them, I found him whom my soul loveth. I held him : and I will not let him go till I bring him into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her that bore me. I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes and the harts of the fields, that you stir not up, nor awake my beloved till she please. Put me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm, for love is strong as death; jealousy as hard as hell; the lamps thereof are fire and flame. Many waters cannot quench charity, neither can the floods drown it : if a man should give all the substance of his house for love, he shall despise it as nothing.
The soul that, following the direction of the watchmen that is, the priests, teachers, and rulers of the Church, seeks Jesus, He goes to meet, gives Himself up to, takes up His abode in, with all His love, with all His treasures. The soul which has found Christ for delight forgets all outward things, and no longer has love or joy but for and in Christ. How should it be otherwise? What can be wanting to him who truly possesses Christ? This love for Him Who loved us unto death shows it self by outward acts that are heroic. So Mary Magdalen loved Jesus. Follow her example.
GOSPEL. Luke vii. 36-50.
At that time : One of the Pharisees desired Jesus to eat with him. And He went into the house of the Pharisee, and sat down to meat. And behold a woman that was in the city, a sinner, when she knew that He sat at meat in the Pharisee s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, and standing behind, at His feet, she began to wash His feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head, and kissed His feet, and anointed them with the ointment. And the Pharisee, who had invited Him, seeing it, spoke within himself, saying : This man, if He were a prophet, would know surely who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth Him, that she is a sinner. And Jesus answering, said to him : Simon, I have somewhat to say to thee. But he said : Master, say it. A certain creditor had two debtors, the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And whereas they had not wherewith to pay, he forgave them both. Which, therefore, of the two loveth him most? Simon answering, said : I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And He said to him : Thou hast judged rightly. And turning to the woman, He said unto Simon : Dost thou see this woman? I entered into thy house, thou gavest Me no water for My feet ; but she with tears hath washed My feet, and with her hairs hath wiped them. Thou gavest Me no kiss ; but she, since she came in, hath not ceased to kiss My feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint ; but she with ointment hath anointed My feet. Wherefore I say to thee: Many sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved much. But to whom less is forgiven, he loveth less. And He said to her : Thy sins are forgiven thee. And they that sat at meat with Him began to say within themselves :Who is this that forgiveth sins also? And He said to the woman :Thy faith hath made thee safe, go in peace.
Magdalen, who had sinned openly, openly did penance. In like manner, he who has given public scandal must seek to make amends for it by public good example.
Magdalen confessed her sins, says St. Ambrose, not with words, but with abundant tears of penitence. To tell her sins to Christ, the All-knowing, was not necessary ; but what a con fession was there in the posture of humiliation, and in the tears that flowed from the contrite sinner. Would you obtain forgive ness? Confess with contrition, like Magdalen.
The words, "Thy faith hath made thee safe," denote a faith active as love. Faith and love are in truth never separated, for he only truly believes who also loves ; and he only loves according to God s will who believes in Him. Therefore believe in truth, love, and show your love by earnest hatred of every sin, by flying from occasions of sin, by fighting against your passions, by change of your life, and by humble confession, and as true as God lives you will be saved, as was Magdalen ; the peace of God will enter into your heart.
Aspiration.
O most loving Jesus, give me an earnest will to forsake all evil, and to return to Thee, my chief good, to repent of my sins out of true love, to guard against them for the future, to shun the occasion by which I have hitherto been enticed into sin, and by the practice of good works to redeem the time lost. Grant me this, O Jesus, by Thy bitter passion and death, and through the intercession of the holy penitent Magdalen. Amen.
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Next: Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
Friday, July 15, 2011
FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTACOST
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
WITH the priest in the Introit of the Mass, let us implore God s assistance, and say: “Hear, O Lord, my voice, with which I have cried to Thee ; be Thou my helper, forsake me not, do not Thou despise me, O God, my Saviour. The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear” (Ps. xxvi. 7, 9, 1.) Glory be to the Father, etc.
Prayer.
O God, Who hast prepared invisible goods for them that love Thee, infuse into our hearts the affection of Thy love, that loving Thee in all things and above all, we may obtain Thy promises which surpass every desire. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, etc.
EPISTLE, i. Peter iii. 8-15.
Dearly Beloved: Be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, being lovers of the brotherhood, merciful, modest, humble : not rendering evil for evil, nor railing for railing, but contrariwise, blessing: for unto this are you called, that you may inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile. Let him decline from evil, and do good : let him seek after peace, and pursue it : because the eyes of the Lord are upon the just, and His ears unto their prayers : but the countenance of the Lord upon them that do evil things. And who is he that can hurt you, if you be zealous of good? But if also you suffer anything for justice sake, blessed are ye. And be not afraid of their fear, and be not troubled ; but sanctify the Lord Christ in your hearts.
How may and ought we to sanctify the Lord Jesus in our hearts?
By faithfully imitating Him ; for thereby we become His true and faithful disciples, honor Him, sanctify ourselves and edify others, who by our good example are led to admire Christianity, and Christ its founder, and to become His followers.
GOSPEL. Matt. v. 20-24.
At that time Jesus said to His disciples: I tell you, unless your justice abound more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to them of old : Thou shalt not kill : and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. But I say to you : that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council. And whoso ever shall say, Thou fool : shall be in danger of hell fire. If therefore thou offer thy gift at the altar, and there thou re member that thy brother hath anything against thee: leave there thy offering before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother, and then coming thou shalt offer thy gift.
In what did the justice of the Pharisees consist?
They were very pious in outward appearance, and avoided those vices which caused temporal disgrace and injury; but, on the other hand, they were full of malice in their hearts, and this Christ often reproached them with, calling them hypocrites.
How are we to understand what Christ says about anger and using abusive words?
The meaning of His words is, “You have heard from your teachers and doctors of the law, that whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment of men ; but I say to you, who think it no sin to be angry or envious, that whosoever is angry with his brother without cause, shall be in danger of the judgment of God. You have heard that whosoever calls his brother fool, shall be brought before the council and punished; but I say to you, that God punishes with hell fire every grievous offence against your neighbor, as also the hatred and enmity of your heart towards Him.”
Why must one first be reconciled to his brother before he offers his gift at the altar, or undertakes any good work?
Because no offering, or other good work, can be pleasing to God so long as we are living in enmity, hatred, and strife with our neighbor, and thereby going directly against His will and example.
Remedies for Anger.
The first and best means to overcome anger is humility; to become thus humble, gentle, and patient, one must often consider the example of Christ, Who endured so many contradictions, persecutions, and insults, without reviling again when reviled Himself, and without threatening vengeance to any one for all He suffered. An excellent preventive to anger is, to think over in the morning what causes will be likely to draw us into anger at any time during the day, and to guard ourselves against them beforehand, by a firm resolution to bear every thing patiently for the love of God ; and then, when anything vexatious occurs and excites our anger, to say and do nothing so long as the anger lasts.
How shall we be reconciled with our enemies?
Not only with the lips but from the heart, and with sincerity and promptness. “Is he absent whom you have wronged,” says St. Augustine, “so that you cannot easily reach him? humble yourself then before God, and ask His pardon be fore you offer your gift, with a firm resolution to be reconciled with your enemy as soon as possible.”
INSTRUCTION ON SWEARING.
To swear is to call upon God, upon His truth, His justice, or other attributes, or upon His creatures, in the name of God, as witnesses of the truth.
Is swearing lawful, and when?
Yes, when necessity demands it, and when the matter sworn to is true and just : when a man thus swears he imitates God, honors Him as all-holy, all-wise, all-just, and contributes to the triumph of justice and innocence. On the other hand, great sins are committed: 1. By those who swear in a false and unjust cause, which may be, besides, of little moment; for they call upon God as a witness to falsehood and wrong, thus violating His truth and justice. 2. By those who swear in a good cause, but without necessity or a sufficient reason ; for it is certainly unseemly to call God as witness on every trivial occasion. 3. In like manner, they sin grievously and constantly who have become so habituated to swearing as to break out into oaths, without so much as knowing or thinking whether the thing is true or false, whether they will keep their word or not ; where by they expose themselves to great danger, both because they run the risk of swearing falsely, and also because they frivolously abuse the name of God, of His saints, and of His works.
Every one, says St. Chrysostom, who swears often sometimes swears falsely; just as he who talks a great deal sometimes utters things unseemly and improper. For this reason, according to the opinion of St. Augustine, the Saviour forbade Christians to swear at all (Matt. v. 34), that they might not fall into a habit of swearing, and, by reason of that, into swearing falsely. Whoever has this habit should take the greatest pains to overcome it. To accomplish which, it will be useful to him to reflect: 1. That if we have to render an account for every idle word we speak, how much more strictly will we be judged for needless, idle, and false oaths! “ Remember thy last end, and thou shalt not sin.” 2. To remember that persons who swear so lightly are generally less believed than others. 3. To repent each time that he swears, and to punish himself by a penance.
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Next: Feast of the Holy Pentinent Mary Magdalen, July 22
WITH the priest in the Introit of the Mass, let us implore God s assistance, and say: “Hear, O Lord, my voice, with which I have cried to Thee ; be Thou my helper, forsake me not, do not Thou despise me, O God, my Saviour. The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear” (Ps. xxvi. 7, 9, 1.) Glory be to the Father, etc.
Prayer.
O God, Who hast prepared invisible goods for them that love Thee, infuse into our hearts the affection of Thy love, that loving Thee in all things and above all, we may obtain Thy promises which surpass every desire. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, etc.
EPISTLE, i. Peter iii. 8-15.
Dearly Beloved: Be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, being lovers of the brotherhood, merciful, modest, humble : not rendering evil for evil, nor railing for railing, but contrariwise, blessing: for unto this are you called, that you may inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile. Let him decline from evil, and do good : let him seek after peace, and pursue it : because the eyes of the Lord are upon the just, and His ears unto their prayers : but the countenance of the Lord upon them that do evil things. And who is he that can hurt you, if you be zealous of good? But if also you suffer anything for justice sake, blessed are ye. And be not afraid of their fear, and be not troubled ; but sanctify the Lord Christ in your hearts.
How may and ought we to sanctify the Lord Jesus in our hearts?
By faithfully imitating Him ; for thereby we become His true and faithful disciples, honor Him, sanctify ourselves and edify others, who by our good example are led to admire Christianity, and Christ its founder, and to become His followers.
GOSPEL. Matt. v. 20-24.
At that time Jesus said to His disciples: I tell you, unless your justice abound more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to them of old : Thou shalt not kill : and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. But I say to you : that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council. And whoso ever shall say, Thou fool : shall be in danger of hell fire. If therefore thou offer thy gift at the altar, and there thou re member that thy brother hath anything against thee: leave there thy offering before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother, and then coming thou shalt offer thy gift.
In what did the justice of the Pharisees consist?
They were very pious in outward appearance, and avoided those vices which caused temporal disgrace and injury; but, on the other hand, they were full of malice in their hearts, and this Christ often reproached them with, calling them hypocrites.
How are we to understand what Christ says about anger and using abusive words?
The meaning of His words is, “You have heard from your teachers and doctors of the law, that whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment of men ; but I say to you, who think it no sin to be angry or envious, that whosoever is angry with his brother without cause, shall be in danger of the judgment of God. You have heard that whosoever calls his brother fool, shall be brought before the council and punished; but I say to you, that God punishes with hell fire every grievous offence against your neighbor, as also the hatred and enmity of your heart towards Him.”
Why must one first be reconciled to his brother before he offers his gift at the altar, or undertakes any good work?
Because no offering, or other good work, can be pleasing to God so long as we are living in enmity, hatred, and strife with our neighbor, and thereby going directly against His will and example.
Remedies for Anger.
The first and best means to overcome anger is humility; to become thus humble, gentle, and patient, one must often consider the example of Christ, Who endured so many contradictions, persecutions, and insults, without reviling again when reviled Himself, and without threatening vengeance to any one for all He suffered. An excellent preventive to anger is, to think over in the morning what causes will be likely to draw us into anger at any time during the day, and to guard ourselves against them beforehand, by a firm resolution to bear every thing patiently for the love of God ; and then, when anything vexatious occurs and excites our anger, to say and do nothing so long as the anger lasts.
How shall we be reconciled with our enemies?
Not only with the lips but from the heart, and with sincerity and promptness. “Is he absent whom you have wronged,” says St. Augustine, “so that you cannot easily reach him? humble yourself then before God, and ask His pardon be fore you offer your gift, with a firm resolution to be reconciled with your enemy as soon as possible.”
INSTRUCTION ON SWEARING.
To swear is to call upon God, upon His truth, His justice, or other attributes, or upon His creatures, in the name of God, as witnesses of the truth.
Is swearing lawful, and when?
Yes, when necessity demands it, and when the matter sworn to is true and just : when a man thus swears he imitates God, honors Him as all-holy, all-wise, all-just, and contributes to the triumph of justice and innocence. On the other hand, great sins are committed: 1. By those who swear in a false and unjust cause, which may be, besides, of little moment; for they call upon God as a witness to falsehood and wrong, thus violating His truth and justice. 2. By those who swear in a good cause, but without necessity or a sufficient reason ; for it is certainly unseemly to call God as witness on every trivial occasion. 3. In like manner, they sin grievously and constantly who have become so habituated to swearing as to break out into oaths, without so much as knowing or thinking whether the thing is true or false, whether they will keep their word or not ; where by they expose themselves to great danger, both because they run the risk of swearing falsely, and also because they frivolously abuse the name of God, of His saints, and of His works.
Every one, says St. Chrysostom, who swears often sometimes swears falsely; just as he who talks a great deal sometimes utters things unseemly and improper. For this reason, according to the opinion of St. Augustine, the Saviour forbade Christians to swear at all (Matt. v. 34), that they might not fall into a habit of swearing, and, by reason of that, into swearing falsely. Whoever has this habit should take the greatest pains to overcome it. To accomplish which, it will be useful to him to reflect: 1. That if we have to render an account for every idle word we speak, how much more strictly will we be judged for needless, idle, and false oaths! “ Remember thy last end, and thou shalt not sin.” 2. To remember that persons who swear so lightly are generally less believed than others. 3. To repent each time that he swears, and to punish himself by a penance.
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Next: Feast of the Holy Pentinent Mary Magdalen, July 22
FEAST OF OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL, OR OF THE SCAPULAR, JULY 16
Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or of the Scapular.
July 16
THE Church celebrates on this day the feast of the Scapular of Mount Carmel. The scapular, which derives its name from the Latin word scapulas, meaning shoulders, is a dress which covers the shoulders. It is mentioned in the rule of St. Benedict as worn by monks over their other dress when they were at work, and it now forms a regular part of the religious dress in the old Orders. But it is best known among Catholics as the name of two little pieces of cloth worn out of devotion to the Blessed Virgin over the shoulders, under the ordinary garb, and connected by strings. The devotion of the scapular, now al most universal in the Catholic Church, began with the Carmelites. The history of its origin is as follows : During the thirteenth century the Carmelite Order suffered great persecution, and on July 16, 1251, while St. Simon Stock, then general of the Order, was at prayer, the Blessed Virgin appeared to him, holding in her hand a scapular. Giving it to the saint, she said, “Receive, my dear son, this scapular of thy Order, as the distinctive sign of my confraternity, and the mark of the privilege which I have obtained for thee and the children of Carmel. It is a sign of salvation, a safeguard in danger, and a special pledge of peace and protection till the end of time. Whosoever dies wearing this shall be preserved from eternal flames.” It is much to be wished that people should everywhere join this confraternity, for the honor of Mary and for the salvation of souls, by a life fitted to that end.
In order to have a share in the merits of the sodality every member must : 1 . Shun sin, and, according to his state of life, live chastely. 2. Say every day, if possible, seven times, Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be to the Father. 3. Strive to serve God by venerating Mary, and imitating her virtues.
These rules, it is true, are not binding under penalty of sin, but the breach of them deprives us of all merit ; and is not this something to be taken into account? “He who soweth sparingly shall also reap sparingly”;(II. Cor. ix. 6).
The Introit of the Mass is as follows : “Let us all rejoice in the Lord, and celebrate a festal-day in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on whose solemn feast the angels rejoice, and give praise to the Son of God. My heart hath uttered a good word; I speak of my works for the King.” Glory be to the Father, etc.
Prayer.
O God, Who hast honored the Order of Carmelites with the particular title of the most blessed Virgin Mary, Thy Mother, mercifully grant that, protected by her prayers whose commemoration we this day celebrate with a solemn office, we may de serve to arrive at joy everlasting. Who livest, etc. Amen.
EPISTLE. Ecclus. xxiv. 23-31.
As the vine, I have brought forth a pleasant odor : and my flowers are the fruit of honor and riches. I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope. In me is all grace of the way and of the truth : in me is all hope of life and of virtue. Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits. For my spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb. My memory is unto everlasting generations. They that eat me, shall yet hunger : and they that drink me, shall yet thirst. He that hearkeneth to me shall not be confounded : and they that work by me shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting.
Explanation.
The Church applies this epistle to Mary, thereby encouraging us fervently to honor the blessed Mother of God, in whom the Eternal Wisdom dwelt bodily, and through whom He was given to us, that by her intercession our understanding may be enlightened, our will strengthened, and we be inspired with fresh zeal to practise ourselves, and to prevail on others to prac tise also, whatever is chaste, becoming, and holy.
GOSPEL. Luke xi. 27, 28.
And it came to pass : as He spoke these things, a certain woman from the crowd lifting up her voice said to Him :Blessed is the womb that bore Thee, and the paps that gave Thee suck. But He said : Yea rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God, and keep it.
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Next: Sixth Sunday After Pentacost
July 16
THE Church celebrates on this day the feast of the Scapular of Mount Carmel. The scapular, which derives its name from the Latin word scapulas, meaning shoulders, is a dress which covers the shoulders. It is mentioned in the rule of St. Benedict as worn by monks over their other dress when they were at work, and it now forms a regular part of the religious dress in the old Orders. But it is best known among Catholics as the name of two little pieces of cloth worn out of devotion to the Blessed Virgin over the shoulders, under the ordinary garb, and connected by strings. The devotion of the scapular, now al most universal in the Catholic Church, began with the Carmelites. The history of its origin is as follows : During the thirteenth century the Carmelite Order suffered great persecution, and on July 16, 1251, while St. Simon Stock, then general of the Order, was at prayer, the Blessed Virgin appeared to him, holding in her hand a scapular. Giving it to the saint, she said, “Receive, my dear son, this scapular of thy Order, as the distinctive sign of my confraternity, and the mark of the privilege which I have obtained for thee and the children of Carmel. It is a sign of salvation, a safeguard in danger, and a special pledge of peace and protection till the end of time. Whosoever dies wearing this shall be preserved from eternal flames.” It is much to be wished that people should everywhere join this confraternity, for the honor of Mary and for the salvation of souls, by a life fitted to that end.
In order to have a share in the merits of the sodality every member must : 1 . Shun sin, and, according to his state of life, live chastely. 2. Say every day, if possible, seven times, Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be to the Father. 3. Strive to serve God by venerating Mary, and imitating her virtues.
These rules, it is true, are not binding under penalty of sin, but the breach of them deprives us of all merit ; and is not this something to be taken into account? “He who soweth sparingly shall also reap sparingly”;(II. Cor. ix. 6).
The Introit of the Mass is as follows : “Let us all rejoice in the Lord, and celebrate a festal-day in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on whose solemn feast the angels rejoice, and give praise to the Son of God. My heart hath uttered a good word; I speak of my works for the King.” Glory be to the Father, etc.
Prayer.
O God, Who hast honored the Order of Carmelites with the particular title of the most blessed Virgin Mary, Thy Mother, mercifully grant that, protected by her prayers whose commemoration we this day celebrate with a solemn office, we may de serve to arrive at joy everlasting. Who livest, etc. Amen.
EPISTLE. Ecclus. xxiv. 23-31.
As the vine, I have brought forth a pleasant odor : and my flowers are the fruit of honor and riches. I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope. In me is all grace of the way and of the truth : in me is all hope of life and of virtue. Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits. For my spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb. My memory is unto everlasting generations. They that eat me, shall yet hunger : and they that drink me, shall yet thirst. He that hearkeneth to me shall not be confounded : and they that work by me shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting.
Explanation.
The Church applies this epistle to Mary, thereby encouraging us fervently to honor the blessed Mother of God, in whom the Eternal Wisdom dwelt bodily, and through whom He was given to us, that by her intercession our understanding may be enlightened, our will strengthened, and we be inspired with fresh zeal to practise ourselves, and to prevail on others to prac tise also, whatever is chaste, becoming, and holy.
GOSPEL. Luke xi. 27, 28.
And it came to pass : as He spoke these things, a certain woman from the crowd lifting up her voice said to Him :Blessed is the womb that bore Thee, and the paps that gave Thee suck. But He said : Yea rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God, and keep it.
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Next: Sixth Sunday After Pentacost
Saturday, July 9, 2011
FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Fourth Sunday After Pentecost
WITH confidence in God’s fatherly protection, say, with the priest, in the Introit of the Mass, “ The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the protector of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? My enemies that trouble me have themselves been weakened and have fallen. If armies in camp should stand together against me, my heart shall not fear”(Ps. xxvi. 1-3). Glory be to the Father, etc.
Prayer
Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that the course of the world, by Thy direction, may, in our regard, be peaceful ; and that Thy Church may rejoice in tranquil devotion. Through Christ our Lord, etc.
EPISTLE. Rom. viii. 18-23.
Brethren : I reckon that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come, that shall be revealed in us. For the expectation of the creature waiteth for the revelation of the sons of God For the creature was made subject to vanity not willingly, but by reason of Him that made it subject, in hope: because the creature also itself shall be delivered from the servitude of corruption, into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. For we know that every creature groaneth, and travaileth in pain even till now. And not only it, but ourselves also, who have the first fruits of the spirit : even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption of the sons of God, the redemption of our body : in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Brief Lessons.
There is no better consolation under crosses and afflictions than the thought that all the troubles of this world are not to be compared with the glory to come, and “that which is at present momentary and light of our tribulation worketh for us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight of glory” (ii.. Cor. iv. 17). And, therefore, St. Bede says: “If we had to bear for awhile the pains of hell, it would not appear so hard, if thereby we might merit to see Christ in His glory, and to be added to His saints.”
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GOSPEL. Luke v. 1-11.
At that time, when the multitudes pressed upon Jesus to hear the word of God, He stood by the lake of Genesareth. And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And going into one of the ships that was Simon s, He desired him to draw back a little from the land. And sitting, He taught the multitudes out of the ship. Now when He had ceased to speak, He said to Simon: Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said to Him : Master, we have labored all the night, and have taken nothing : but at Thy word I will let down the net. And when they had done this, they enclosed a very great multitude of fishes, and their net broke. And they beckoned to their partners that were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came and filled both the ships, so that they were almost sinking : which when Simon Peter saw, he fell down at Jesus s knees, saying: Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was wholly astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken. And so were also James and John the sons of Zebedee, who were Simon s partners. And Jesus saith to Simon : Fear not : from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And having brought their ships to land, leaving all things, they followed Him.
What may we learn from the multitudes who pressed on Jesus to hear the word of God?
That we, also, should hear the word of God with great zeal, since it conveys to men the life of the soul and eternal happiness.
Why did Our Saviour teach the multitude out of the ship of St. Peter?
That, as the ship is the figure of the Church, so we can receive the true doctrine from that Church only of which Peter was the head (John xxi. 15 17). Amid all storms Jesus has preserved, and will preserve, this ship of His Church, till the end of time (Matt. xvi. 18). Peter yet stands at the helm, in the unbroken line of his successors ; Jesus yet teaches from the ship the same doctrines as before, by the mouth of bishops and priests, the assistants of St. Peter’s successors, and whoever hears them hears Him. Hear them, therefore, with willingness and docility.
What was signified by the great draught of fishes which the apostles took, by the command of Jesus, after they had labored the whole night in vain?
To the disciples it was a type of their vocation, a pledge of their successful labors, and at the same time a lesson how to labor so as to gain fruits. The exceeding and wonderful abundance of the draught of fishes was to assure them that their zealous labors to save souls should, in like manner, be crowned with rich success. That, after laboring all the night in vain, they should at once take so many fish, when they let down their nets at the word of Jesus, was to be to them a lesson never to be forgotten, that they could work with blessing and success only by relying, not on their own skill and painstaking, but only on the might and blessing of the Lord.
What other lessons are to be drawn from this gospel?
We learn that nothing has any value before God which is done from mere natural inclination and human respect, that our labors are without merit if not undertaken in the name of God, but that He does not permit the least work to be in vain when undertaken without hesitation, relying on His assistance and for His sake. That the disciples obeyed so quickly, teaches us to obey God at once, to spare no sacrifice, to leave all quickly, and not to put off till to-morrow what is to be done to-day. Finally, we may learn not to be proud of the success of our labor, but, like Peter, to give glory to God, Who does such great things, by cheerfully leaving all earthly things to follow Him.
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Next: Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or the Scapular, July 16
WITH confidence in God’s fatherly protection, say, with the priest, in the Introit of the Mass, “ The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the protector of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? My enemies that trouble me have themselves been weakened and have fallen. If armies in camp should stand together against me, my heart shall not fear”(Ps. xxvi. 1-3). Glory be to the Father, etc.
Prayer
Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that the course of the world, by Thy direction, may, in our regard, be peaceful ; and that Thy Church may rejoice in tranquil devotion. Through Christ our Lord, etc.
EPISTLE. Rom. viii. 18-23.
Brethren : I reckon that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come, that shall be revealed in us. For the expectation of the creature waiteth for the revelation of the sons of God For the creature was made subject to vanity not willingly, but by reason of Him that made it subject, in hope: because the creature also itself shall be delivered from the servitude of corruption, into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. For we know that every creature groaneth, and travaileth in pain even till now. And not only it, but ourselves also, who have the first fruits of the spirit : even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption of the sons of God, the redemption of our body : in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Brief Lessons.
There is no better consolation under crosses and afflictions than the thought that all the troubles of this world are not to be compared with the glory to come, and “that which is at present momentary and light of our tribulation worketh for us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight of glory” (ii.. Cor. iv. 17). And, therefore, St. Bede says: “If we had to bear for awhile the pains of hell, it would not appear so hard, if thereby we might merit to see Christ in His glory, and to be added to His saints.”
GOSPEL. Luke v. 1-11.
At that time, when the multitudes pressed upon Jesus to hear the word of God, He stood by the lake of Genesareth. And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And going into one of the ships that was Simon s, He desired him to draw back a little from the land. And sitting, He taught the multitudes out of the ship. Now when He had ceased to speak, He said to Simon: Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said to Him : Master, we have labored all the night, and have taken nothing : but at Thy word I will let down the net. And when they had done this, they enclosed a very great multitude of fishes, and their net broke. And they beckoned to their partners that were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came and filled both the ships, so that they were almost sinking : which when Simon Peter saw, he fell down at Jesus s knees, saying: Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was wholly astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken. And so were also James and John the sons of Zebedee, who were Simon s partners. And Jesus saith to Simon : Fear not : from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And having brought their ships to land, leaving all things, they followed Him.
What may we learn from the multitudes who pressed on Jesus to hear the word of God?
That we, also, should hear the word of God with great zeal, since it conveys to men the life of the soul and eternal happiness.
Why did Our Saviour teach the multitude out of the ship of St. Peter?
That, as the ship is the figure of the Church, so we can receive the true doctrine from that Church only of which Peter was the head (John xxi. 15 17). Amid all storms Jesus has preserved, and will preserve, this ship of His Church, till the end of time (Matt. xvi. 18). Peter yet stands at the helm, in the unbroken line of his successors ; Jesus yet teaches from the ship the same doctrines as before, by the mouth of bishops and priests, the assistants of St. Peter’s successors, and whoever hears them hears Him. Hear them, therefore, with willingness and docility.
What was signified by the great draught of fishes which the apostles took, by the command of Jesus, after they had labored the whole night in vain?
To the disciples it was a type of their vocation, a pledge of their successful labors, and at the same time a lesson how to labor so as to gain fruits. The exceeding and wonderful abundance of the draught of fishes was to assure them that their zealous labors to save souls should, in like manner, be crowned with rich success. That, after laboring all the night in vain, they should at once take so many fish, when they let down their nets at the word of Jesus, was to be to them a lesson never to be forgotten, that they could work with blessing and success only by relying, not on their own skill and painstaking, but only on the might and blessing of the Lord.
What other lessons are to be drawn from this gospel?
We learn that nothing has any value before God which is done from mere natural inclination and human respect, that our labors are without merit if not undertaken in the name of God, but that He does not permit the least work to be in vain when undertaken without hesitation, relying on His assistance and for His sake. That the disciples obeyed so quickly, teaches us to obey God at once, to spare no sacrifice, to leave all quickly, and not to put off till to-morrow what is to be done to-day. Finally, we may learn not to be proud of the success of our labor, but, like Peter, to give glory to God, Who does such great things, by cheerfully leaving all earthly things to follow Him.
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Next: Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or the Scapular, July 16
Sunday, July 3, 2011
THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Third Sunday after Pentecost.
ON this Sunday, in the Introit of the Mass, the Church invites the sinner to call on the Lord with confidence and humility. “Look Thou upon me and have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am alone and poor. See my abjection and my labor, and forgive me all my sins, O my God. To Thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul; in Thee, O my God, I put my trust, let me not be ashamed.”(Ps. xxiv.). Glory be to the Father, etc.
Prayer.
O God, the protector of those who hope in Thee, without Whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy, multiply Thy mercy upon us, that under Thy rule and guidance we may so pass through the goods of time as not to forfeit those of eternity. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, etc.
EPISTLE. I. Peter v. 6-11.
Dearly Beloved: Be you humbled under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in the time of visitation. Casting all your care upon Him, for He hath care of you. Be sober and watch : because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist ye, strong in faith, knowing that the same affliction befalleth your brethren who are in the world. But the God of all grace, Who hath called us unto His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little, will Himself perfect you, and confirm you, and establish you. To Him be glory and empire forever and ever. Amen.
St. Peter prescribes sobriety and watchfulness as necessary means for resisting the attacks of the devil, who by day and night goes about seeking whom he may devour. Woe to those who, by reason of their drunkenness, live in a continual night, and lie in the perpetual sleep of sin ! How will it be with them if, suddenly awakened from this sleep by death, they find themselves standing, burdened with innumerable and unknown sins, before the judgment-seat of God? For who can number the sins, committed in and by reason of drunkenness, which the drunkard either accounts as trifles, easily pardoned, or else, not knowing what he has thought, said, and done in his fit of intoxication, considers to be no sins at all?
Will the divine Judge, at the last day, thus reckon? Will He also find no sin in them? Will He let go unpunished the infamous deeds and the scandals of their drunkenness? He Who demands strict account of every word spoken in vain, will He make no inquiry of so many shameful, scandalous, and blasphemous sayings, of so much time wasted, of so much money squandered, of so many neglects of the divine service, of the education of children, of the affairs of home, and of innumerable other sins? Will they be able to excuse themselves before this Judge by saying that they did not know what they were doing ? or that what they did was for want of reflection, or in jest? or that they were not strong, and could not bear much? Will not such excuses rather witness against them that they are the more worthy of punishment for having taken more than their strength could bear, thereby depriving themselves of the use of reason, making themselves like brutes, and, of their own free will, taking on themselves the responsibility for all the sins of which their drunkenness was the occasion?
What, then, awaits them? What else than the fate of the rich glutton who, for his gluttony, was buried in hell? (Luke xvi. 22.) Yes, that shall be the place and the portion of the drunkard ! There shall they in vain sigh for a drop of water. There, for all the pleasures and satisfactions which they had in the world, as many pains and torments shall now lay hold of them (Apoc. xviii. 7) ; there shall they be compelled to drain the cup of God‘s anger to the dregs, as they, in life, forced others into drunkenness. This is what they have to hope for, for St. Paul says expressly that drunkards shall not possess the kingdom of God (i. Cor. vi. 10). What then remains for them but to renounce either their intemperance or heaven?
But how rare and difficult is the true conversion of a drunkard ! This is the teaching of experience. Will not such a one, therefore, go to ruin?
GOSPEL. Luke xv. 1-10.
At that time the publicans and sinners drew near unto Jesus to hear Him. And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying: This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And He spoke to them this parable, saying : What man of you that hath an hundred sheep, and if he shall lose one of them, doth he not leave the ninety-nine in the desert, and go after that which was lost until he find it ? And when he hath found it, lay it upon his shoulders rejoicing ; and coming home call together his friends and neighbors, saying to them : Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost? I say to you, that even so there shall be joy in heaven upon one sinner that doth penance, more than upon ninety-nine just who need not penance. Or what woman having ten groats, if she lose one groat, doth not light a candle and sweep the house and seek diligently until she find it? And when she hath found it, call together her friends and neighbors, saying: Rejoice with me, because I have found the groat which I had lost. So I say to you, there shall be joy before the angels of God upon one sinner doing penance.
Why did the Pharisees murmur ?
Because they thought themselves better than other men, and as they avoided the company of sinners themselves, they required others to do likewise. They did not know, or rather did not wish to know, that a truly just man always feels compassion for sinners, and that the saints always desired and endeavored to promote their conversion and eternal welfare. “ True justice,” says St. Gregory, “ has compassion for sinners, while false and hypocritical justice is angry with them.”; Love sinners, therefore, in imitation of Jesus, and pray earnestly for their conversion.
What does the parable of the lost sheep teach us?
It teaches us the love of Jesus, Who seeks out sinners, brings them back to the Father, and reinstates them in the privileges of the children of God. We find in this parable an excuse for sinners. The sheep is a very simple animal which, while grazing in the field, does not notice that it has left the fold. It is lost, and when lost does not know the way back to the fold. It seems, therefore, when Christ compared the sinner to a sheep He intended to say that the sinner goes astray from the true path and from God through pure and natural ignorance ; because being dazzled and delighted by the things of the world, he follows them ; he separates himself from the just without knowing it, and, lost in the desert of this world, he does not know his misfortune and has not, humanly speaking, the means of returning again, if God in His infinite mercy does not go in search of him and rescue him.
What is meant by the words, “ there shall be more joy over one sinner that does penance than upon ninety-nine just who need not penance” ?
Thereby it is not to be understood that the penitent sinner is more pleasing to God than ninety-nine just, but that, as men have a special joy in finding that which they supposed to be lost, so also God, the angels, and saints have an extraordinary joy over the conversion of one sinner ; because, in the conversion of the sinner, they see the glory, love, and power of God exalted.
Aspiration.
O Lord, what profit hast Thou in the conversion of a sinner, that Thou art thereby so greatly pleased? The happiness of one of Thy poor creatures can add nothing to Thine own. But Thou lovest me, and therefore it is that Thou art pleased if I return to Thee. O my God, is it possible that I can know this Thy love, and remain any longer in sin?
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Next: Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
ON this Sunday, in the Introit of the Mass, the Church invites the sinner to call on the Lord with confidence and humility. “Look Thou upon me and have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am alone and poor. See my abjection and my labor, and forgive me all my sins, O my God. To Thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul; in Thee, O my God, I put my trust, let me not be ashamed.”(Ps. xxiv.). Glory be to the Father, etc.
Prayer.
O God, the protector of those who hope in Thee, without Whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy, multiply Thy mercy upon us, that under Thy rule and guidance we may so pass through the goods of time as not to forfeit those of eternity. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, etc.
EPISTLE. I. Peter v. 6-11.
Dearly Beloved: Be you humbled under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in the time of visitation. Casting all your care upon Him, for He hath care of you. Be sober and watch : because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist ye, strong in faith, knowing that the same affliction befalleth your brethren who are in the world. But the God of all grace, Who hath called us unto His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little, will Himself perfect you, and confirm you, and establish you. To Him be glory and empire forever and ever. Amen.
INSTRUCTION ON INTEMPERANCE.
“Be sober and watch.”--- I. Peter v. 8.
St. Peter prescribes sobriety and watchfulness as necessary means for resisting the attacks of the devil, who by day and night goes about seeking whom he may devour. Woe to those who, by reason of their drunkenness, live in a continual night, and lie in the perpetual sleep of sin ! How will it be with them if, suddenly awakened from this sleep by death, they find themselves standing, burdened with innumerable and unknown sins, before the judgment-seat of God? For who can number the sins, committed in and by reason of drunkenness, which the drunkard either accounts as trifles, easily pardoned, or else, not knowing what he has thought, said, and done in his fit of intoxication, considers to be no sins at all?
Will the divine Judge, at the last day, thus reckon? Will He also find no sin in them? Will He let go unpunished the infamous deeds and the scandals of their drunkenness? He Who demands strict account of every word spoken in vain, will He make no inquiry of so many shameful, scandalous, and blasphemous sayings, of so much time wasted, of so much money squandered, of so many neglects of the divine service, of the education of children, of the affairs of home, and of innumerable other sins? Will they be able to excuse themselves before this Judge by saying that they did not know what they were doing ? or that what they did was for want of reflection, or in jest? or that they were not strong, and could not bear much? Will not such excuses rather witness against them that they are the more worthy of punishment for having taken more than their strength could bear, thereby depriving themselves of the use of reason, making themselves like brutes, and, of their own free will, taking on themselves the responsibility for all the sins of which their drunkenness was the occasion?
What, then, awaits them? What else than the fate of the rich glutton who, for his gluttony, was buried in hell? (Luke xvi. 22.) Yes, that shall be the place and the portion of the drunkard ! There shall they in vain sigh for a drop of water. There, for all the pleasures and satisfactions which they had in the world, as many pains and torments shall now lay hold of them (Apoc. xviii. 7) ; there shall they be compelled to drain the cup of God‘s anger to the dregs, as they, in life, forced others into drunkenness. This is what they have to hope for, for St. Paul says expressly that drunkards shall not possess the kingdom of God (i. Cor. vi. 10). What then remains for them but to renounce either their intemperance or heaven?
But how rare and difficult is the true conversion of a drunkard ! This is the teaching of experience. Will not such a one, therefore, go to ruin?
GOSPEL. Luke xv. 1-10.
At that time the publicans and sinners drew near unto Jesus to hear Him. And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying: This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And He spoke to them this parable, saying : What man of you that hath an hundred sheep, and if he shall lose one of them, doth he not leave the ninety-nine in the desert, and go after that which was lost until he find it ? And when he hath found it, lay it upon his shoulders rejoicing ; and coming home call together his friends and neighbors, saying to them : Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost? I say to you, that even so there shall be joy in heaven upon one sinner that doth penance, more than upon ninety-nine just who need not penance. Or what woman having ten groats, if she lose one groat, doth not light a candle and sweep the house and seek diligently until she find it? And when she hath found it, call together her friends and neighbors, saying: Rejoice with me, because I have found the groat which I had lost. So I say to you, there shall be joy before the angels of God upon one sinner doing penance.
Why did the Pharisees murmur ?
Because they thought themselves better than other men, and as they avoided the company of sinners themselves, they required others to do likewise. They did not know, or rather did not wish to know, that a truly just man always feels compassion for sinners, and that the saints always desired and endeavored to promote their conversion and eternal welfare. “ True justice,” says St. Gregory, “ has compassion for sinners, while false and hypocritical justice is angry with them.”; Love sinners, therefore, in imitation of Jesus, and pray earnestly for their conversion.
What does the parable of the lost sheep teach us?
It teaches us the love of Jesus, Who seeks out sinners, brings them back to the Father, and reinstates them in the privileges of the children of God. We find in this parable an excuse for sinners. The sheep is a very simple animal which, while grazing in the field, does not notice that it has left the fold. It is lost, and when lost does not know the way back to the fold. It seems, therefore, when Christ compared the sinner to a sheep He intended to say that the sinner goes astray from the true path and from God through pure and natural ignorance ; because being dazzled and delighted by the things of the world, he follows them ; he separates himself from the just without knowing it, and, lost in the desert of this world, he does not know his misfortune and has not, humanly speaking, the means of returning again, if God in His infinite mercy does not go in search of him and rescue him.
What is meant by the words, “ there shall be more joy over one sinner that does penance than upon ninety-nine just who need not penance” ?
Thereby it is not to be understood that the penitent sinner is more pleasing to God than ninety-nine just, but that, as men have a special joy in finding that which they supposed to be lost, so also God, the angels, and saints have an extraordinary joy over the conversion of one sinner ; because, in the conversion of the sinner, they see the glory, love, and power of God exalted.
Aspiration.
O Lord, what profit hast Thou in the conversion of a sinner, that Thou art thereby so greatly pleased? The happiness of one of Thy poor creatures can add nothing to Thine own. But Thou lovest me, and therefore it is that Thou art pleased if I return to Thee. O my God, is it possible that I can know this Thy love, and remain any longer in sin?
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Next: Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Friday, July 1, 2011
FEAST OF THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, JULY 2
Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, July 2
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THIS day is called the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, because on it Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, whom, as the angel had told her, God had blessed with a son in her old age.
In the Introit of the Mass the Church sings: “Hail, holy parent, who didst bring forth the King Who rules heaven and earth forever. My heart hath uttered a good word ; I speak of my works for the King.” Glory be to the Father, etc.
Prayer.
Vouchsafe, O Lord, we beseech Thee, unto us Thy servants the gift of Thy heavenly grace, that, as in the childbirth of the Blessed Virgin our salvation began, so from the votive solemnity of her visitation we may obtain an increase of peace. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, etc. Amen.
EPISTLE. Cant. ii. 8-14.
Behold lie cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping over the hills. My beloved is like a roe or a young hart ; be hold he standeth behind our wall, looking through the windows, looking through the lattices. Behold my beloved speaketh to me : Arise, make haste, my love, my dove, my beautiful one, and come. For winter is now past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers have appeared in our land, the time of pruning is come : the voice of the turtle is heard in our land : the fig-tree hath put forth her green figs : the vines in flower yield their sweet smell. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come: my dove in the clifts of the rock, in the hollow places of the wall, show me thy face, let thy voice sound in my ears : for thy voice is sweet, and thy face comely.
GOSPEL. Luke i. 39-47.
At that time : Mary rising up went into the hill-country with haste, into a city of Juda : and she entered into the house of Zachary, and saluted Elizabeth. And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: and she cried out with a loud voice and said : Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me ? For behold, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord. And Mary said : My soul doth magnify the Lord ; and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
1. As soon as Mary heard that Elizabeth was with child she hastened to her. The alacrity of the Blessed Virgin teaches us that we should take part with gladness in the happiness of our fellow-men, and quickly make ourselves ready to discharge our duties, sacrificing for that object, if necessary, even our own much-loved retirement, our devotions and other exercises of piety.
2. Mary visited her cousin out of real love, not out of un-meaning ceremony. Would that her example were followed in our visits !
3. By the visit of the Blessed Virgin John was sanctified in his mother s womb, and Elizabeth, enlightened by the Holy Ghost, knew, by the miraculous movements of her child, that Mary was the Mother of the Lord. Such effects did this visit produce. What would Jesus effect in us if we received Him with due preparation !
EXPLANATION OF THE CANTICLE “MAGNIFICAT”, OR “MY SOUL DOTH MAGNIFY THE LORD.”
In this hymn Mary with joy praises God, the Lord, that He has regarded her humility, and made her to be the Mother of His only-begotten Son, wherefore she should be called blessed by all generations; and she declares the truths and mysteries which the incarnation brought to light. The mercy of God, namely, reaches from generation to generation to them that fear Him. He scatters the thoughts of the proud, and puts down from their seats the mighty ; but He exalts the humble. He fills those who hunger for justice with good things, but those who think themselves rich He sends away empty. He receives all true Israelites, and performs in them the promises which He gave to the fathers. This hymn is repeated by the Church every day at Vespers, in praise of the work of redemption, begun by the incarnation of the Son of God in Mary. Would that every Christian, since he becomes one only by Christ being, as it were, born in him, might share those feelings which the Blessed Virgin and Mother has expressed in this hymn of praise, and, with the Church, daily praise God for the mystery of the incarnation !
Aspiration.
O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, Who didst descend from the highest heavens to the womb of the Virgin Mary, didst therein rest for nine months, and with her didst condescend to visit and sanctify St. John, grant that we, by the practice of good works, particularly of humility, may become partakers of the fruits of Thy incarnation.
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Next: Third Sunday after Pentacost
THIS day is called the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, because on it Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, whom, as the angel had told her, God had blessed with a son in her old age.
In the Introit of the Mass the Church sings: “Hail, holy parent, who didst bring forth the King Who rules heaven and earth forever. My heart hath uttered a good word ; I speak of my works for the King.” Glory be to the Father, etc.
Prayer.
Vouchsafe, O Lord, we beseech Thee, unto us Thy servants the gift of Thy heavenly grace, that, as in the childbirth of the Blessed Virgin our salvation began, so from the votive solemnity of her visitation we may obtain an increase of peace. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, etc. Amen.
EPISTLE. Cant. ii. 8-14.
Behold lie cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping over the hills. My beloved is like a roe or a young hart ; be hold he standeth behind our wall, looking through the windows, looking through the lattices. Behold my beloved speaketh to me : Arise, make haste, my love, my dove, my beautiful one, and come. For winter is now past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers have appeared in our land, the time of pruning is come : the voice of the turtle is heard in our land : the fig-tree hath put forth her green figs : the vines in flower yield their sweet smell. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come: my dove in the clifts of the rock, in the hollow places of the wall, show me thy face, let thy voice sound in my ears : for thy voice is sweet, and thy face comely.
GOSPEL. Luke i. 39-47.
At that time : Mary rising up went into the hill-country with haste, into a city of Juda : and she entered into the house of Zachary, and saluted Elizabeth. And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: and she cried out with a loud voice and said : Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me ? For behold, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord. And Mary said : My soul doth magnify the Lord ; and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
1. As soon as Mary heard that Elizabeth was with child she hastened to her. The alacrity of the Blessed Virgin teaches us that we should take part with gladness in the happiness of our fellow-men, and quickly make ourselves ready to discharge our duties, sacrificing for that object, if necessary, even our own much-loved retirement, our devotions and other exercises of piety.
2. Mary visited her cousin out of real love, not out of un-meaning ceremony. Would that her example were followed in our visits !
3. By the visit of the Blessed Virgin John was sanctified in his mother s womb, and Elizabeth, enlightened by the Holy Ghost, knew, by the miraculous movements of her child, that Mary was the Mother of the Lord. Such effects did this visit produce. What would Jesus effect in us if we received Him with due preparation !
EXPLANATION OF THE CANTICLE “MAGNIFICAT”, OR “MY SOUL DOTH MAGNIFY THE LORD.”
In this hymn Mary with joy praises God, the Lord, that He has regarded her humility, and made her to be the Mother of His only-begotten Son, wherefore she should be called blessed by all generations; and she declares the truths and mysteries which the incarnation brought to light. The mercy of God, namely, reaches from generation to generation to them that fear Him. He scatters the thoughts of the proud, and puts down from their seats the mighty ; but He exalts the humble. He fills those who hunger for justice with good things, but those who think themselves rich He sends away empty. He receives all true Israelites, and performs in them the promises which He gave to the fathers. This hymn is repeated by the Church every day at Vespers, in praise of the work of redemption, begun by the incarnation of the Son of God in Mary. Would that every Christian, since he becomes one only by Christ being, as it were, born in him, might share those feelings which the Blessed Virgin and Mother has expressed in this hymn of praise, and, with the Church, daily praise God for the mystery of the incarnation !
Aspiration.
O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, Who didst descend from the highest heavens to the womb of the Virgin Mary, didst therein rest for nine months, and with her didst condescend to visit and sanctify St. John, grant that we, by the practice of good works, particularly of humility, may become partakers of the fruits of Thy incarnation.
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Next: Third Sunday after Pentacost
FEAST OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
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ALTHOUGH many pious souls had been accustomed, in the silence of their secluded lives, to venerate the sacred Heart of Jesus with great devotion, still our divine Saviour de sired that the boundless love of His Heart might be known by all men, and that a new fire of love should thereby be kindled in the cold hearts of Christians. For this purpose He made use of a frail and little-known instrument in the person of Margaret Mary Alacoque, a nun of the Order of the Visitation, at Parayle-Monial, France.
One day, when, according to her custom during the octave of Corpus Christi, she was deeply engaged in devotions before the Blessed Sacrament, the divine Saviour appeared to her, showed her His Heart burning with love, and said: “ Behold this Heart, which has so loved men that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming itself, in order to testify its love. In return I receive from the greater part only ingratitude, by their irreverence and sacrilege, and by the coldness and contempt they have for Me in this sacrament of love. And what is most painful to Me is that they are hearts consecrated to Me. It is for this reason I ask thee that the first Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi be appropriated to a special feast to honor My Heart by communicating on that day and making reparation for the indignity that it has received. And I promise that My Heart shall dilate to pour out abundantly the influences of its love on all that will render it this honor or procure its being rendered.”
Margaret obeyed, but met everywhere the greatest opposition, until finally, when she became mistress of novices, she succeeded, by the help of her divine Spouse, in animating her young charges to venerate the sacred Heart of Jesus. But this twas not sufficient for her zeal. She persevered until she softened the opposition of the nuns, and kindled in all an equal devotion towards the most sacred Heart. Thence the devotion spread to the adjoining dioceses, where confraternities in honor of the most sacred Heart of Jesus soon sprung up. Pope Clement XIII., after having instituted a most rigorous examination of the whole affair, commanded that the feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus should be solemnly celebrated throughout the whole Catholic Church every year, on the first Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi.
I. Object of this Devotion.
In the divine Heart of Our Saviour we must not imagine an inanimate heart, separated from the person of Christ, but the living heart of the God-Man, the centre of all His affections, the fountain of all His virtues, the most touching emblem of His in finite love to man. The Church venerates the cross, the blood, and the wounds of the divine Saviour, by feasts which have their proper masses and lessons, in order, by meditation upon these objects, to awaken in us a more fervent devotion to the Redeemer. How much more worthy, then, of our devotion is the sacred Heart of Our Saviour, since all its thoughts, move ments, and affections aim at our salvation, and it is always ready to receive truly penitent sinners, to pardon them, to restore them again to God s favor, and make them partakers of eternal happiness .
II. Excellence of this Devotion.
It is, writes the venerable P. Simon Gourdan :
1. A holy devotion, for therein men venerate in Christ those affections and motions of His Heart by which He sanctified the Church, glorified His Heavenly Father, and showed Himself to men as a perfect example of the most sublime holiness.
2. An ancient devotion of the Catholic Church, which, instructed by St. Paul, the great apostle, has at all times acknowledged the great beneficence of the divine and sacred Heart of Jesus.
3. An approved devotion, for the Holy Scriptures every where admonish us to renew the heart, by changing our lives ; to penetrate it with true sorrow, to inflame it with divine love, and to adorn it by the practice of all virtues. When, therefore, a new heart is promised us, by which to direct our lives, that can be no other than the Heart of Jesus, which is to us the pattern of all excellence, and which we must follow if we would be saved.
4. A perfect devotion, as being the origin of all other devotions. For the Heart of Jesus is the inexhaustible treasury from which the blessed Mother of God, and all other saints have derived their graces, their virtues, their life, their spiritual goods. Filled first with treasures from this source, different servants of God have instituted and established other devotions.
5. . A profitable devotion, for thereby we have brought be fore our eyes the very fountain of life and grace, and can draw directly from it, increasing in ourselves all virtues, by adoring this divine Heart, meditating on its holy affections, and endeavoring to imitate them.
6. A devotion pleasing to God, for thus we adore God, as Christ requires, in spirit and in truth, serving Him inwardly in our hearts, and endeavoring to please Him. Finally it is :
7. A useful devotion, since its whole object is to unite us most intimately with Christ as members of Him, her head, to make us live by and according to His spirit, to have one heart and soul with Him, and through grace finally to become one with Him, which is and must be the object of all devotions. As this devotion is, then, so excellent, we cannot sufficiently recommend it to all who are anxious for their salvation. While every one can practise this devotion, and adore the sacred Heart of Jesus, by himself, there is a greater blessing when pious souls unite and form a confraternity for practising the devotion. Of such confraternities there were in the year 1726 more than three hundred, and they are now established throughout all Catholic countries. Hesitate not, Christian soul, to engage in this devotion, and to join in the adoration of that sacred Heart of Jesus in which all men find propitiation, the pious, confidence; sinners, hope; the afflicted, consolation; the sick, support; the dying, refuge ; the elect, joy and delight.
The Introit of the Mass for this feast is : “He will have mercy according to the multitude of His mercies, for He hath not willingly afflicted nor cast off the children of men ; the Lord is good to them that hope in Him, to the soul that seeketh Him, alleluia, alleluia” (Lamentations iii. 32-35). “The mercies of the Lord I will sing forever to generation and generation”(Ps.Ixxxviii. 2). Glory be to the Father, etc.
Prayer.
Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we who, glorying in the most sacred Heart of Thy Son, commemorate the chief benefits of His charity towards us, may equally rejoice in their acts and fruits. Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, etc.
EPISTLE. Isaias xii. 1-6.
I will give thanks to Thee, O Lord, for Thou wast angry with me : Thy wrath is turned away, and Thou hast comforted me. Behold God is my Saviour. I will deal confidently, and will not fear; because the Lord is my strength, and my praise, and He is become my salvation. You shall draw waters with joy out of the Saviour’s fountains. And you shall say in that day : Praise ye the Lord, and call upon His name : make His inventions known among the people : remember that His name is high. Sing ye to the Lord, for He hath done great things: show this forth in all the earth. Rejoice, and praise, O thou habitation of Sion : for great is He that is in the midst of thee, the Holy One of Israel.
Explanation.
This epistle is a song of gratitude for the deliverance of the Jews from the hands of their enemies, and at the same time a prophecy of the coming redemption of mankind from sin and death, through Jesus Christ. “You shall draw waters with joy out of the Saviour’s fountains.” These fountains are the graces which Christ has obtained for us on the cross, but particularly, says St. Augustine, the holy sacraments of Baptism and Eucha rist. We should rejoice over these graces, particularly that the Holy One of Israel, Jesus, the Son of God, is in the midst of Sion, that is, the Catholic Church, in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, remaining therein until the end of time. Oh, let us often approach the ever-flowing fountain of all graces, the Most Holy Eucharist, and with confidence draw consolation, assistance, strength, and power from this fountain of love!
GOSPEL. John xix. 31-35.
At that time the Jews (because it was the Parasceve), that the bodies might not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath-day (for that was a great Sabbath-day), besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. The soldiers, therefore came : and they broke the legs of the first, and of the other that was crucified with him. But after they were come to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers, with a spear, opened His side, and immediately there came out blood and water. And he that saw it hath given testimony : and his testimony is true.
Explanation.
According to the Jewish law, a criminal could not be put to death, nor could the body of one who had been executed remain on the place of execution, on the Sabbath-day. The Jews, therefore, asked Pilate that the bodies of Jesus and the two thieves should be buried; but before this could be done, ac cording to the Roman law, the legs of the crucified had to be broken with an iron mace: this the soldiers did to the two thieves, who were still alive ; but when they found that Jesus was dead, one of the soldiers, whose name was Longinus, opened His side with a spear as had been predicted by the prophets. Jesus permitted his most sacred Heart to be opened 1. To atone for those sins which come forth from the hearts of men, as Christ Himself says, “For from the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies” (Matt. xv. 19). 2. To show the infinite love with which He first loved us, and to which the spear should point us. 3. To show that there was nothing so dear to Him that He would not give it to us, since, for our salvation, He shed the last drop of His heart s blood. 4. To provide, as it were, an abode in His opened side, according to the words of St. Augustine : ”The Evangelist is very cautious in his language ; for he said, not the soldier pierced or wounded His side, but he opened it, that thereby there might be opened to us the door from which flow into the Church those holy sacraments without which we cannot enter into true life.
When temptation assails us, or sorrow depresses us, let us flee to this abode, and dwell therein until the storm has passed away; according to the words of the Prophet, “Enter thou into the rock, and hide thee in the pit” (Isaias ii. 10). For what is the rock but Christ, and the pit, but His wound?
An Offering to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Whoever says the following prayer before the image of the most sacred Heart of Jesus, with sincere sorrow for his sins, gains each time an indulgence of one hundred days; and by saying it daily for a month, he can on any one day gain a plenary indulgence, if he makes his confession, receives communion, and prays according to the intention of the Church :
“ My loving Jesus, I (N.N.) give Thee my heart; and I consecrate myself wholly to Thee, out of the grateful love I bear Thee, and as a reparation for all my unfaithfulness ; and with Thy aid I purpose never to sin again.”
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Next: Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, July 2
ALTHOUGH many pious souls had been accustomed, in the silence of their secluded lives, to venerate the sacred Heart of Jesus with great devotion, still our divine Saviour de sired that the boundless love of His Heart might be known by all men, and that a new fire of love should thereby be kindled in the cold hearts of Christians. For this purpose He made use of a frail and little-known instrument in the person of Margaret Mary Alacoque, a nun of the Order of the Visitation, at Parayle-Monial, France.
One day, when, according to her custom during the octave of Corpus Christi, she was deeply engaged in devotions before the Blessed Sacrament, the divine Saviour appeared to her, showed her His Heart burning with love, and said: “ Behold this Heart, which has so loved men that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming itself, in order to testify its love. In return I receive from the greater part only ingratitude, by their irreverence and sacrilege, and by the coldness and contempt they have for Me in this sacrament of love. And what is most painful to Me is that they are hearts consecrated to Me. It is for this reason I ask thee that the first Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi be appropriated to a special feast to honor My Heart by communicating on that day and making reparation for the indignity that it has received. And I promise that My Heart shall dilate to pour out abundantly the influences of its love on all that will render it this honor or procure its being rendered.”
Margaret obeyed, but met everywhere the greatest opposition, until finally, when she became mistress of novices, she succeeded, by the help of her divine Spouse, in animating her young charges to venerate the sacred Heart of Jesus. But this twas not sufficient for her zeal. She persevered until she softened the opposition of the nuns, and kindled in all an equal devotion towards the most sacred Heart. Thence the devotion spread to the adjoining dioceses, where confraternities in honor of the most sacred Heart of Jesus soon sprung up. Pope Clement XIII., after having instituted a most rigorous examination of the whole affair, commanded that the feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus should be solemnly celebrated throughout the whole Catholic Church every year, on the first Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi.
THE DEVOTION TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
I. Object of this Devotion.
In the divine Heart of Our Saviour we must not imagine an inanimate heart, separated from the person of Christ, but the living heart of the God-Man, the centre of all His affections, the fountain of all His virtues, the most touching emblem of His in finite love to man. The Church venerates the cross, the blood, and the wounds of the divine Saviour, by feasts which have their proper masses and lessons, in order, by meditation upon these objects, to awaken in us a more fervent devotion to the Redeemer. How much more worthy, then, of our devotion is the sacred Heart of Our Saviour, since all its thoughts, move ments, and affections aim at our salvation, and it is always ready to receive truly penitent sinners, to pardon them, to restore them again to God s favor, and make them partakers of eternal happiness .
II. Excellence of this Devotion.
It is, writes the venerable P. Simon Gourdan :
1. A holy devotion, for therein men venerate in Christ those affections and motions of His Heart by which He sanctified the Church, glorified His Heavenly Father, and showed Himself to men as a perfect example of the most sublime holiness.
2. An ancient devotion of the Catholic Church, which, instructed by St. Paul, the great apostle, has at all times acknowledged the great beneficence of the divine and sacred Heart of Jesus.
3. An approved devotion, for the Holy Scriptures every where admonish us to renew the heart, by changing our lives ; to penetrate it with true sorrow, to inflame it with divine love, and to adorn it by the practice of all virtues. When, therefore, a new heart is promised us, by which to direct our lives, that can be no other than the Heart of Jesus, which is to us the pattern of all excellence, and which we must follow if we would be saved.
4. A perfect devotion, as being the origin of all other devotions. For the Heart of Jesus is the inexhaustible treasury from which the blessed Mother of God, and all other saints have derived their graces, their virtues, their life, their spiritual goods. Filled first with treasures from this source, different servants of God have instituted and established other devotions.
5. . A profitable devotion, for thereby we have brought be fore our eyes the very fountain of life and grace, and can draw directly from it, increasing in ourselves all virtues, by adoring this divine Heart, meditating on its holy affections, and endeavoring to imitate them.
6. A devotion pleasing to God, for thus we adore God, as Christ requires, in spirit and in truth, serving Him inwardly in our hearts, and endeavoring to please Him. Finally it is :
7. A useful devotion, since its whole object is to unite us most intimately with Christ as members of Him, her head, to make us live by and according to His spirit, to have one heart and soul with Him, and through grace finally to become one with Him, which is and must be the object of all devotions. As this devotion is, then, so excellent, we cannot sufficiently recommend it to all who are anxious for their salvation. While every one can practise this devotion, and adore the sacred Heart of Jesus, by himself, there is a greater blessing when pious souls unite and form a confraternity for practising the devotion. Of such confraternities there were in the year 1726 more than three hundred, and they are now established throughout all Catholic countries. Hesitate not, Christian soul, to engage in this devotion, and to join in the adoration of that sacred Heart of Jesus in which all men find propitiation, the pious, confidence; sinners, hope; the afflicted, consolation; the sick, support; the dying, refuge ; the elect, joy and delight.
The Introit of the Mass for this feast is : “He will have mercy according to the multitude of His mercies, for He hath not willingly afflicted nor cast off the children of men ; the Lord is good to them that hope in Him, to the soul that seeketh Him, alleluia, alleluia” (Lamentations iii. 32-35). “The mercies of the Lord I will sing forever to generation and generation”(Ps.Ixxxviii. 2). Glory be to the Father, etc.
Prayer.
Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we who, glorying in the most sacred Heart of Thy Son, commemorate the chief benefits of His charity towards us, may equally rejoice in their acts and fruits. Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, etc.
EPISTLE. Isaias xii. 1-6.
I will give thanks to Thee, O Lord, for Thou wast angry with me : Thy wrath is turned away, and Thou hast comforted me. Behold God is my Saviour. I will deal confidently, and will not fear; because the Lord is my strength, and my praise, and He is become my salvation. You shall draw waters with joy out of the Saviour’s fountains. And you shall say in that day : Praise ye the Lord, and call upon His name : make His inventions known among the people : remember that His name is high. Sing ye to the Lord, for He hath done great things: show this forth in all the earth. Rejoice, and praise, O thou habitation of Sion : for great is He that is in the midst of thee, the Holy One of Israel.
Explanation.
This epistle is a song of gratitude for the deliverance of the Jews from the hands of their enemies, and at the same time a prophecy of the coming redemption of mankind from sin and death, through Jesus Christ. “You shall draw waters with joy out of the Saviour’s fountains.” These fountains are the graces which Christ has obtained for us on the cross, but particularly, says St. Augustine, the holy sacraments of Baptism and Eucha rist. We should rejoice over these graces, particularly that the Holy One of Israel, Jesus, the Son of God, is in the midst of Sion, that is, the Catholic Church, in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, remaining therein until the end of time. Oh, let us often approach the ever-flowing fountain of all graces, the Most Holy Eucharist, and with confidence draw consolation, assistance, strength, and power from this fountain of love!
GOSPEL. John xix. 31-35.
At that time the Jews (because it was the Parasceve), that the bodies might not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath-day (for that was a great Sabbath-day), besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. The soldiers, therefore came : and they broke the legs of the first, and of the other that was crucified with him. But after they were come to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers, with a spear, opened His side, and immediately there came out blood and water. And he that saw it hath given testimony : and his testimony is true.
Explanation.
According to the Jewish law, a criminal could not be put to death, nor could the body of one who had been executed remain on the place of execution, on the Sabbath-day. The Jews, therefore, asked Pilate that the bodies of Jesus and the two thieves should be buried; but before this could be done, ac cording to the Roman law, the legs of the crucified had to be broken with an iron mace: this the soldiers did to the two thieves, who were still alive ; but when they found that Jesus was dead, one of the soldiers, whose name was Longinus, opened His side with a spear as had been predicted by the prophets. Jesus permitted his most sacred Heart to be opened 1. To atone for those sins which come forth from the hearts of men, as Christ Himself says, “For from the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies” (Matt. xv. 19). 2. To show the infinite love with which He first loved us, and to which the spear should point us. 3. To show that there was nothing so dear to Him that He would not give it to us, since, for our salvation, He shed the last drop of His heart s blood. 4. To provide, as it were, an abode in His opened side, according to the words of St. Augustine : ”The Evangelist is very cautious in his language ; for he said, not the soldier pierced or wounded His side, but he opened it, that thereby there might be opened to us the door from which flow into the Church those holy sacraments without which we cannot enter into true life.
When temptation assails us, or sorrow depresses us, let us flee to this abode, and dwell therein until the storm has passed away; according to the words of the Prophet, “Enter thou into the rock, and hide thee in the pit” (Isaias ii. 10). For what is the rock but Christ, and the pit, but His wound?
An Offering to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Whoever says the following prayer before the image of the most sacred Heart of Jesus, with sincere sorrow for his sins, gains each time an indulgence of one hundred days; and by saying it daily for a month, he can on any one day gain a plenary indulgence, if he makes his confession, receives communion, and prays according to the intention of the Church :
“ My loving Jesus, I (N.N.) give Thee my heart; and I consecrate myself wholly to Thee, out of the grateful love I bear Thee, and as a reparation for all my unfaithfulness ; and with Thy aid I purpose never to sin again.”
-------------------------------------------------
Next: Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, July 2
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