#PopeFrancis “As parents,you are custodians with the duty and primary and indispensable right to educate children.”
Pope Francis met Saturday with the Association of Catholic School Parents on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of its foundation.
He encouraged participants to promote education focused on the fullness of humanity, on what it means to be human and an authentic humanism.
Listen to Alexander MacDonald's report:
In his prepared remarks Pope Francis reiterated a call he made recently to the World Congress of Educators. Catholic education must make room for everyone, he said, and must not select recipients in an elitist manner.
“There is no challenge more noble!” said the Holy Father, than when bridges are built between school and country, school and family and school and civil institutions. He encouraged parents to build union where division advances and to generate harmony in preference to exclusion.
Pope Francis also emphasized the role of parents as primary educators. “As parents,” he said, “you are custodians with the duty and primary and indispensable right to educate children.” Parents thus help in a positive and constant manner the work of the school. It is the duty of parents to ensure that schools live up to this task, especially when education is intended to be Catholic. “I pray to the Lord,” he said, “that a Catholic school does not take for granted the meaning of this adjective!”
Pope Francis also asked that parents and educators never sell off the human and Christian values which testify as to the value of the family, the school and society.
He concluded with a reference to the gospel of Luke, chapter 2 verse 52: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man.”
God Fixes Everything!
God Fixes Everything : by Fr. Denis Lemieux
Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
protect me from those who rise up against me.
Deliver me from those who work evil;
from the bloodthirsty save me.
Even now they lie in wait for my life;
the mighty stir up strife against me.
For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord,
for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.
Rouse yourself, come to my help and see!
You, Lord God of hosts, are God of Israel.
Awake to punish all the nations;
spare none of those who treacherously plot evil.
Each evening they come back, howling like dogs
and prowling about the city.
There they are, bellowing with their mouths,
with sharp words on their lips—for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?”
But you laugh at them, O Lord; you hold all the nations in derision.
O my strength, I will watch for you; for you, O God, are my fortress.
My God in his steadfast love will meet me;
my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies…
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob…
But I will sing of your might;
I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been a fortress for me and a refuge in the day of my distress.
O my strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress
the God who shows me steadfast love.
Psalm 59
Reflection – Well, another week, another terrorist attack dominating the news. As we have been moving through this difficult section of the book of Psalms—the ‘gloomy 50s’, I’ve been calling it—the world has itself moved through some gloomy times, the ‘bloodthirsty’ have indeed had their moment lately, ‘prowling about the city’.
I found it bizarre that the visceral response of at least some in the face of this recent attack was to lash out with anger and contempt at those who were praying for the dead and their families. Even as the bodies were still warm and surgeons were attending to the wounded, even as the survivors and their families were publicly asking for prayers, some in the media found it appropriate to sneer that ‘God can’t fix this’ (an actual full page headline from one New York tabloid) and to tell people of faith to shut up because ‘we are the problem’ (an actual quote from a respected senior journalist).
Well, we won’t shut up, because God indeed can fix this. Yes, we cannot only pray or, worse yet, mouth empty platitudes about prayer while not even doing that. But we have to be very clear. There is a spirit of violence and death at loose in the world right now. Now the media does hype things up, and statistically we are still more at risk of dying in a car accident than a terrorist attack… but nonetheless this is real, this is happening, and it will continue to happen, a great evil of our time.
And the greater evil yet is the fear and anger these things stir up in people. Only a miniscule percentage of the population will ever be killed or injured, or even have a close family member killed or injured, by a terrorist. But there are shock waves—spiritual and emotional—that rocket forth from these things, and let loose upon the land all sorts of things we have to guard against. Anger, hatred, fear, anxiety, vengefulness. And in that, vulnerability to politicians playing on those emotions who may possibly not have our best interests at heart (not to mention any names, but it rhymes with Funnelled Rump).
And this is what God ‘can fix’, not to mention His consoling love for the grieving and His mercy in welcoming the fallen into His kingdom (I don’t expect journalists to understand much about those matters). We have to know that our security is not in electing some idiot with bad hair who promises us he’ll take care of the whole thing with his ‘best people’. Our security is in the Lord and the Lord alone. Yes, there are things we have to do about ISIS, and they are not nice things, not pleasant things. Nobody should welcome those things.
But we do not have to give in to fear, anger, panic, unreasoned hatred, vengeful bitterness. Why? Because our safety, our security, the sure hope of our life and the assurance of the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, truth over falsehood, is in the Lord and not in flesh and blood. In the final ascendancy of heaven over hell, love over hate.
Oh, God ‘fixes’ us, all right. He affixes us on the path of freedom and truth, the path of Gospel love and merciful care for our brothers and sisters, out of which we can make the right choices about our difficult world situation. To pray, and in that praying, renew our commitment to Christ and to His Gospel, is not an empty exercise, but is the heart of the matter, that which alone provides a path of light and peace in our troubled war-torn world. So let’s keep praying, and thinking, and loving, and serving, according to what Our Lord has given us and what His Spirit prompts us to do.
By Fr. Denis Lemieux
Shared from http://frdenis.blogspot.ca/
Today's Mass Readings and Video : #1stSaturday December 5, 2015
Saturday of the First Week of Advent
Lectionary: 180
Reading 1IS 30:19-21, 23-26
Thus says the Lord GOD,
the Holy One of Israel:
O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem,
no more will you weep;
He will be gracious to you when you cry out,
as soon as he hears he will answer you.
The Lord will give you the bread you need
and the water for which you thirst.
No longer will your Teacher hide himself,
but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher,
While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears:
“This is the way; walk in it,”
when you would turn to the right or to the left.
He will give rain for the seed
that you sow in the ground,
And the wheat that the soil produces
will be rich and abundant.
On that day your flock will be given pasture
and the lamb will graze in spacious meadows;
The oxen and the asses that till the ground
will eat silage tossed to them
with shovel and pitchfork.
Upon every high mountain and lofty hill
there will be streams of running water.
On the day of the great slaughter,
when the towers fall,
The light of the moon will be like that of the sun
and the light of the sun will be seven times greater
like the light of seven days.
On the day the LORD binds up the wounds of his people,
he will heal the bruises left by his blows.
the Holy One of Israel:
O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem,
no more will you weep;
He will be gracious to you when you cry out,
as soon as he hears he will answer you.
The Lord will give you the bread you need
and the water for which you thirst.
No longer will your Teacher hide himself,
but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher,
While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears:
“This is the way; walk in it,”
when you would turn to the right or to the left.
He will give rain for the seed
that you sow in the ground,
And the wheat that the soil produces
will be rich and abundant.
On that day your flock will be given pasture
and the lamb will graze in spacious meadows;
The oxen and the asses that till the ground
will eat silage tossed to them
with shovel and pitchfork.
Upon every high mountain and lofty hill
there will be streams of running water.
On the day of the great slaughter,
when the towers fall,
The light of the moon will be like that of the sun
and the light of the sun will be seven times greater
like the light of seven days.
On the day the LORD binds up the wounds of his people,
he will heal the bruises left by his blows.
Responsorial PsalmPS 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
R. (see Isaiah 30:18d) Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Praise the LORD, for he is good;
sing praise to our God, for he is gracious;
it is fitting to praise him.
The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem;
the dispersed of Israel he gathers.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He tells the number of the stars;
he calls each by name.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Great is our LORD and mighty in power:
to his wisdom there is no limit.
The LORD sustains the lowly;
the wicked he casts to the ground.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
The LORD is our Judge, our Lawgiver, our King;
he it is who will save us.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Praise the LORD, for he is good;
sing praise to our God, for he is gracious;
it is fitting to praise him.
The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem;
the dispersed of Israel he gathers.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He tells the number of the stars;
he calls each by name.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Great is our LORD and mighty in power:
to his wisdom there is no limit.
The LORD sustains the lowly;
the wicked he casts to the ground.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Alleluia IS 33:22
R. Alleluia, alleluia.The LORD is our Judge, our Lawgiver, our King;
he it is who will save us.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 9:35–10:1, 5A, 6-8
Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness.
At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.”
Then he summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.
Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
“Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”
teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness.
At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.”
Then he summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.
Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
“Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”
Saint December 5 : St. Sabbas : Hermit : Died 532
St. Sabbas
| |||||||||
HERMIT
| |||||||||
Feast: December 5
| |||||||||
|
#BreakingNews #USA Senate Votes to Defund Planned Parenthood #DefundPP
BREAKING: U.S. Senate votes to defund Planned Parenthood Throughout the day, the mainstream media has been reporting that the Senate was expected to vote in favor of repealing ObamaCare and stripping Planned Parenthood of federal funding for one year. And now it’s been done. Today, the U.S. Senate has succeeded in voting to defund Planned Parenthood of taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars, by a vote of 52 to 47. While the pro-abortion White House had earlier promised to issue a veto, the Senate still voted to approve the bill. NBC reports: Republicans drove legislation toward Senate approval Thursday that would demolish President Barack Obama’s signature health care law and block Planned Parenthood’s federal money, edging toward a veto fight the GOP knows it will lose but believes will delight conservative voters in next year’s elections.
This vote is the first time that the Senate has successfully voted to strip Planned Parenthood’s federal funding, sending it instead to more worthy health care centers that serve low-income women and their families. (Find a center here.) In fact, this bill increases funding to community and federally qualified health centers, proving that pro-life Americans do practically care about the health of women. Senator James Lankford (R-OK), who voted in favor of defunding Planned Parenthood explained:
We understand we have a president that strongly supports Planned Parenthood and what they do. We get that. But we also don’t want this issue to go away. We want to continue to be able to raise it over and over again and say, “Is this what Americans really believe?” DefundAd-400b Sign this petition to join more than 400,000 others who are urging our government to permanently defund Planned Parenthood. One of the front-running presidential candidates, Senator Ted Cruz made his own statement after the vote:
Since before my first day in office, I pledged to do everything within my power to repeal Obamacare. And over the last three years, I’ve worked day and night to do exactly that, sometimes to the dismay of those in Washington. …
I am also encouraged that this bill prohibits taxpayer funds from going to abortion-providers. …
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell commented on ObamaCare, which the bill repeals in large part:
It’s defined by failure. It’s punctuated with hopelessness. And the scale of its many broken promises is matched only by the scale of its defenders’ rigid and unfeeling responses to them.
ObamaCare has been riddled with problems, not only for everyday Americans struggling to provide health care for their families, but also for pro-life organizations, companies, and individuals who reject the idea that the government can force them to fund abortion or abortifacient birth control.
ABC reports that “Senate Republicans have overwhelmed Democrats in a vote to end Planned Parenthood’s federal funding,” but this vote is a victory for all Americans. The majority of our elected national leaders have joined together to say that enough is enough. Planned Parenthood has violated the trust of women, offended the sensibilities of a compassionate nation, and deceived the general public for far too long. This Senate vote demonstrates that women do not need the abortion giant; over 13,000 community health centers (as well as thousands of pregnancy resource centers and groups) stand ready to serve them without performing the abortions that take the lives of our nation’s youngest members.
Today, the Senate stood up for the people of our nation, taking action to prevent the mistreatment of women and the dehumanization of children that is committed by Planned Parenthood every day. Today, we can be proud to be Americans. Release from LIVE ACTION NEWS
Latest #News of #Vatican Information Service and #PopeFrancis at #HolySee
Friday, December 4, 2015
Audience with the president of the Philippines: dialogue in Filipino society and peace in Mindanao
Vatican City, 4 December 2015 (VIS) – Today the Holy Father Francis received in audience the president of the Republic of the Philippines, Benigno S. Aquino III, who subsequently met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Msgr. Antoine Camilleri, under-secretary for Relations with States.
During the cordial discussions, the dialogue between the various members of Filipino society was evoked, as well as the contribution of the Catholic Church to the life of the country. Special reference was made to the peace process in Mindanao, with the hope that commitment from the Parties may guarantee stable and lasting peace to the region.
This was followed by an exchange of opinions on the international and regional situation, with special reference to the question of climate change and the COP21 Conference in Paris.
The Pope thanks the Council for the Economy
Vatican City, 4 December 2015 (VIS) – The Holy See Press Office today announced that a according to a communique issued yesterday, 3 December, the Holy Father participated in a meeting of the Council for the Economy. The Holy Father explained that the reason for his visit was to personally thank and encourage Council members for the important role they fulfil in the supervision of the financial and administrative structures of the Holy See. He further confirmed the central role of the Council in this work of reform to which the Holy Father is committed.
On behalf of the Council, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the Coordinator of the Council, warmly thanked the Holy Father for his presence at the meeting and reconfirmed its full commitment to the financial and administrative reforms initiated by Pope Francis. Since its institution the Council has dedicated significant time and energy to the consideration and eventual implementation of measures aimed at transparency and a more effective management of the resources of the Holy See.
First sermon of Advent: Christ, light of the people
Vatican City, 4 December 2015 (VIS) – This morning in the Redemptoris Mater chapel, in the presence of the Holy Father, the preacher of the Papal Household, Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M. Cap., pronounced the first sermon of Advent, on the theme “Christ, light of the people: three meditations on Lumen Gentium on the fiftieth anniversary of the closing of Vatican Council II”.
The Jubilee of Mercy is at hand
Vatican City, 4 December 2015 (VIS) – This morning in the Holy See Press Office, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for New Evangelisation, along with Bishop Jose Octavio Ruiz Arenas and Msgr. Graham Bell, respectively secretary and under-secretary of the same dicastery, presented the organisation of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy (8 December 2015 to 20 November 2016) and the ways in which the faithful and pilgrims will be able to participate, also explaining some of the initiatives linked to this event which is intended to show how “mercy is the very foundation of the Church's life”.
With regard to the most immediate organisational aspects of the Jubilee, Archbishop Fisichella said that a Reception Centre for Pilgrims has been open in Via della Conciliazione 7 from 1 December. “It is a place where information can be obtained on the Jubilee programme, for registering for the pilgrimage to the Holy Door, for collecting tickets for the various events for which a free access ticket is required, and for collecting the 'testimonium' of participation in the Jubilee”. He emphasised that only the Pontifical Council for New Evangelisation is authorised to certify presence at the Jubilee and in the pilgrimage on foot, via the information point. Any other certificate issued by other entities is not to be considered authentic. The Centre will be open from 7.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. every day, including Saturday and Sunday.
An important contribution will be given by volunteers, who will provide a reception and help service to all pilgrims, especially in Via della Conciliazione, St. Peter's Square, in the other Basilicas and in the Jubilee Churches. The number of volunteers will rise to 800 to 1000 at major events. The archbishop also commented that a collection of Pastoral Resources prepared by the Pontifical Council is now complete in ten languages, including Ukrainian and Korean.
With regard to the Mass and opening of the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica, “the celebration will take place in St. Peter’s Square beginning at 9:30 a.m. It will be introduced by readings taken from the four Conciliar Constitutions (Dei Verbum, Lumen gentium, Sacrosanctum concilium e Gaudium et spes), along with two passages taken from Unitatis redintegratio on ecumenism and Dignitatis humanae on religious liberty”. He continued, “As is well known, this day will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council. The reading of these passages is intended to recall the profound teaching which came forth from that event, and its continued significant importance for the life of the Church. It was an event that we cannot forget and was reflected upon and achieved over the course of three intense years, in the light of mercy, as Pope Francis himself reminded us in the Bull, citing Saint John XXIII and Blessed Paul VI. In the procession for the Eucharistic celebration will be carried the Book of the Gospels prepared specifically for the Jubilee by P. Rupnik and published by San Paolo editions. It is a work of art on whose cover is a mosaic reproduction of the Jubilee logo. This Book of the Gospels will be set on the same podium which stood by the altar of Saint Peter’s Basilica during all the sessions of the Council to make evident to everyone the primacy of the Word of God”.
The ceremony for the opening of the Holy Door, “which is very simple, will be broadcast on television worldwide. The Holy Father will request the opening of the Door, and he will then pass through it. After him, the Cardinals, Bishops, and representatives of priests, religious men and women, and laity will cross its threshold, and will continue in procession to the tomb of the Apostle Peter, where the concluding rite of the Holy Mass will take place. The Pope will then lead the Angelus as usual from the window of the Apostolic Palace”.
“The evening of December 8th will conclude in St. Peter’s Square with a meaningful and unique presentation entitled “Fiat lux: Illuminating Our Common Home”. It will be a projection of photographs onto the façade and cupola of St. Peter’s Basilica, taken from a repertoire of some of the world’s great photographers. These illuminations will present images inspired of Mercy, of humanity, of the natural world, and of climate changes. The show is sponsored by the World Bank Group (Connect4Climate), by Paul G. Allen's Vulcan Productions, by the Li Ka-shing Foundation and by Okeanos”.
“On Sunday, December 13, for the first time in the history of the Jubilee Years, Holy Doors will be opened cathedrals all over the world. … Pope Francis will open the Holy Door of his Cathedral of Rome, St. John Lateran, with the liturgy beginning at 9:30 a.m”.
“The following Friday, December 18, the Holy Father will perform a symbolic gesture as he opens the Door of Mercy at the Hostel 'Don Luigi Di Liegro', managed by Caritas of Rome, located on Via Marsala. For 25 years, persons in grave need, who require our help, have been received at this hostel. With this first gesture the Holy Father will begin a series of symbolic actions that will take place on one Friday of the month, and which he intends as concrete expressions of the works of mercy.
“Beginning on the day of the opening of the Holy Door and throughout the entire Jubilee, the Rosary will be recited daily in St. Peter’s Square in front of the statue of St. Peter. Various parishes in Rome dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and Religious Institutes present in Rome with a particular consecration to the Mother of God, along with various Institutes of formation, will take turns leading this Rosary”.
Archbishop Fisichella also mentioned the healthcare services available for pilgrims. In each of the four Papal Basilicas there will be a First Aid Station. “In addition, in St. Peter’s Basilica and in other Churches, confessionals have been set up without structural barriers, and with other considerations to facilitate confessions for the deaf and hard of hearing. Furthermore, there is also a touch book planned in A3 format that will permit the blind and partially-sighted to be guided through the Pilgrimage to the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica. Finally, the internet site has also been equipped with facilitated navigation”.
This official website of the Jubilee (http://www.im.va), translated into seven languages, “will permit those who cannot be physically present to follow the Major Jubilee events that will take place in Rome. To register for the passage through the Holy Door, and likewise to become a volunteer, it is necessary to enrol on the indicated sections of the site. In addition, I believe it opportune here to say a few words about the Portal “vatimecum”, endorsed by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation, by means of which pilgrims may obtain services relating to room and board in Rome at controlled prices, along with a great deal of other information about living the Jubilee”.
“The initiative of the 'Missionaries of Mercy' merits a final consideration”, added the prelate. “The Missionaries are priests who come from various parts of the world, and who were proposed by their own bishops to carry out this special service. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, they will receive the mandate from the Holy Father to be preachers of mercy and confessors full of mercy. They will receive from the Holy Father the faculty to forgive sins reserved to the Holy See, and will be the sign of the closeness and pardon of God for all. It is important for me to underscore that the Missionaries of Mercy are appointed exclusively by the Holy Father, and that the faculty of forgiving reserved sins will be given to each one of them personally. No bishop in his own diocese may appoint these Missionaries, nor may he confer faculties that he does not possess”.
“The Jubilee is already at hand”, concluded Archbishop Fisichella. “We are certain that it will be lived intensely by pilgrims who, whether it be in their own Particular Churches or in Rome, will cross through the Holy Door. For this occasion the Holy Father has granted all the Bishops of the world the power to give the Papal Blessing at the Holy Mass for the opening of the Holy Door, and for the closure of the door at the end of the Holy Year. This Jubilee will be an experience of mercy for each person to feel more intimately the love of God, who like a Father welcomes everyone and excludes no one”.
Audiences
Vatican City, 4 December 2015 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father received in audience:
- Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy;
- Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra, apostolic nuncio in Mozambique;
Yesterday, Thursday 3 December, the Holy Father received in audience Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, prefect of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, accompanied by Archbishop Jose Rodriguez Carballo, secretary of the same dicastery.
Today's Mass Readings and Video : #1stFriday December 4, 2015
Friday of the First Week of Advent
Lectionary: 179
Reading 1IS 29:17-24
Thus says the Lord GOD:
But a very little while,
and Lebanon shall be changed into an orchard,
and the orchard be regarded as a forest!
On that day the deaf shall hear
the words of a book;
And out of gloom and darkness,
the eyes of the blind shall see.
The lowly will ever find joy in the LORD,
and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
For the tyrant will be no more
and the arrogant will have gone;
All who are alert to do evil will be cut off,
those whose mere word condemns a man,
Who ensnare his defender at the gate,
and leave the just man with an empty claim.
Therefore thus says the LORD,
the God of the house of Jacob,
who redeemed Abraham:
Now Jacob shall have nothing to be ashamed of,
nor shall his face grow pale.
When his children see
the work of my hands in his midst,
They shall keep my name holy;
they shall reverence the Holy One of Jacob,
and be in awe of the God of Israel.
Those who err in spirit shall acquire understanding,
and those who find fault shall receive instruction.
But a very little while,
and Lebanon shall be changed into an orchard,
and the orchard be regarded as a forest!
On that day the deaf shall hear
the words of a book;
And out of gloom and darkness,
the eyes of the blind shall see.
The lowly will ever find joy in the LORD,
and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
For the tyrant will be no more
and the arrogant will have gone;
All who are alert to do evil will be cut off,
those whose mere word condemns a man,
Who ensnare his defender at the gate,
and leave the just man with an empty claim.
Therefore thus says the LORD,
the God of the house of Jacob,
who redeemed Abraham:
Now Jacob shall have nothing to be ashamed of,
nor shall his face grow pale.
When his children see
the work of my hands in his midst,
They shall keep my name holy;
they shall reverence the Holy One of Jacob,
and be in awe of the God of Israel.
Those who err in spirit shall acquire understanding,
and those who find fault shall receive instruction.
Responsorial PsalmPS 27:1, 4, 13-14
R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Behold, our Lord shall come with power;
he will enlighten the eyes of his servants.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.Behold, our Lord shall come with power;
he will enlighten the eyes of his servants.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 9:27-31
As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out,
“Son of David, have pity on us!”
When he entered the house,
the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them,
“Do you believe that I can do this?”
“Yes, Lord,” they said to him.
Then he touched their eyes and said,
“Let it be done for you according to your faith.”
And their eyes were opened.
Jesus warned them sternly,
“See that no one knows about this.”
But they went out and spread word of him through all that land.
“Son of David, have pity on us!”
When he entered the house,
the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them,
“Do you believe that I can do this?”
“Yes, Lord,” they said to him.
Then he touched their eyes and said,
“Let it be done for you according to your faith.”
And their eyes were opened.
Jesus warned them sternly,
“See that no one knows about this.”
But they went out and spread word of him through all that land.
Novena to St. Barbara and Prayers - #Patron of #Architects, #Builders, #Miners, and Sudden Death
Prayer of the Church
O GOD, Who among the wonders of Thy might didst grant the victory of Martyrdom also to the weaker sex, graciously grant us that we, by recalling the memory of Thy blessed Virgin and Martyr Barbara, through her example may be led to Thee. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Novena in Honor of St. Barbara
Preparatory Prayer
For Each Novena to a Holy Helper
For Each Novena to a Holy Helper
ALMIGHTY and eternal God! With lively faith and reverently worshiping Thy Divine Majesty, I prostrate myself before Thee and invoke with filial trust Thy supreme bounty and mercy. Illumine the darkness of my intellect with a ray of Thy Heavenly light and inflame my heart with the fire of Thy Divine love, that I may contemplate the great virtues and merits of the Saint in whose honor I make this novena, and following his example imitate, like him, the life of Thy Divine Son.
Moreover, I beseech Thee to grant graciously, through the merits and intercession of this powerful Helper, the petition which through him I humbly place before Thee, devoutly saying, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." Vouchsafe graciously to hear it, if it redounds to Thy greater glory and to the salvation of my soul. Amen.
Prayer in Honor of St. Barbara
O GOD, Who didst adorn Thy holy Virgin and Martyr Barbara with extraordinary fortitude in the confession of the Faith, and didst console her in the most atrocious torments; grant us through her intercession perseverance in the fulfillment of Thy law and the grace of being fortified before our end with the holy Sacraments, and of a happy death. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Invocation of St. Barbara
INTREPID Virgin and Martyr, St. Barbara, through thy intercession come to my aid in all needs of my soul. Obtain for me the grace to be preserved from a sudden and unprovided death; assist me in my agony, when my senses are benumbed and I am in the throes of death. Then, O powerful patroness of the dying, come to my aid! Repel from me all the assaults and temptations of the evil one, and obtain for me the grace to receive before death the holy Sacraments, that I breathe forth my soul confirmed in faith, hope, and charity, and be worthy to enter eternal glory. Amen.
St. Barbara, at my last end
Obtain for me the Sacrament;
Assist one in that direst need
When I my God and Judge must meet:
That robed in sanctifying grace
My soul may stand before His face.
Obtain for me the Sacrament;
Assist one in that direst need
When I my God and Judge must meet:
That robed in sanctifying grace
My soul may stand before His face.
Prayer
My Lord and God! I offer up to Thee my petition in union with the bitter passion and death of Jesus Christ, Thy Son, together with the merits of His immaculate and blessed Mother, Mary ever virgin, and of all the Saints, particularly with those of the holy Helper in whose honor I make this novena.
Look down upon me, merciful Lord! Grant me Thy grace and Thy love, and graciously hear my prayer. Amen.
SOURCE:
THE FOURTEEN HOLY HELPERS, Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, O.F.M.
TAN BOOKS AND PUBLISHERS, 1995; with Imprimatur, Imprimi Potest and Nihil Obstat.
THE FOURTEEN HOLY HELPERS, Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, O.F.M.
TAN BOOKS AND PUBLISHERS, 1995; with Imprimatur, Imprimi Potest and Nihil Obstat.
Saint December 4 : St. John Damascene : Doctor of the Church
|
Saint December 4 : St. Barbara : Patron of Mathematicians, Miners, Military engineers, lightning, Sudden death
 | |||||||
VIRGIN AND MARTYR
| |||||||
Feast: December 4
| |||||||
|
Wow Powerful Christmas #Commercial shows why we need to visit Parents SHARE #ViralVideo
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment