Sunday, November 30, 2008

Monday, Dec 1, 2008, 1st Week of Advent

Entrance Antiphon
Nations, hear the message of the Lord, and make it known to the ends of the earth: Our Savior is coming. Have no more fear.
(Jer 31:10; Is:35:4)
Opening Prayers
Lord our God, help us to prepare for the coming of Christ your Son. May he find us waiting, eager in joyful prayer. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, on God, forever and ever.
Reading 1 (Is 2:1-5)
This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In days to come, The mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it; many peoples shall come and say: “Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, That he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.” For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD!
Responsorial Psalm (Ps 122:1-2,3-4b,4cd-5,6-7,8-9)
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me, “We will go up to the house of the LORD." And now we have set foot within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem, built as a city with compact unity. To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
According to the decree for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD. In it are set up judgment seats, seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May those who love you prosper! May peace be within your walls, prosperity in your buildings.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Because of my relatives and friends I will say, “Peace be within you!" Because of the house of the LORD, our God, I will pray for your good.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Gospel (Mt 8:5-11)
When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.” He said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion said in reply, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven.”

Prayer over the Gifts
Pray, brethren...
Father, from all you give us we present this bread and wine. As we serve you now, accept our offering and sustain us with your promise of eternal life. Grant this through Christ our Lord.
Preface
Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord. When he humbled himself to come among us as a man, he fulfilled the plan you formed long ago and opened for us the way to salvation. Now we watch for the day, hoping that the salvation promised us will be ours when Christ our Lord will come again in his glory. And so, with all the choirs of angels in heaven we proclaim your glory and join in their unending hymn of praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord…
Communion Antiphon
Come to us, Lord, and bring us peace. We will rejoice in your presence and serve you with all our heart. (Ps 105:4-5; Is 38:3)
Prayer after Communion
Let us pray…
Father, may our communion teach us to love heaven. May its promise and hope guide our way on earth. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

St. Nicholas of Myra

from AmericanCatholic.org
Of the few things we can say with historical certainty about this saint of early Christianity is that he indeed lived. He was born in 280 and his see was on the Mediterranean coast, in an area where St. Paul had first brought the gospel a few hundred years earlier. The busy seaport of Myra, in the Asia Minor province of Lycea, is present-day Demre, Turkey. He was such a devoted and holy bishop that, much like Mother Teresa today, the people immediately recognized him as a saint. Thus, the Church kept careful track of his remains after he died in about 342.

St. Nicholas was few decades before St. Augustine of Hippo...

First Sunday of Advent, November 30, 2008

Entrance Song
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Opening Prayers
Let us pray
Reading 1 Is 63:16b-17,19b;64:2-7
You, LORD, are our father, our redeemer you are named forever. Why do you let us wander, O LORD, from your ways, and harden our hearts so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage. Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, with the mountains quaking before you, while you wrought awesome deeds we could not hope for, such as they had not heard of from of old. No ear has ever heard, no eye ever seen, any God but you doing such deeds for those who wait for him. Would that you might meet us doing right, that we were mindful of you in our ways! Behold, you are angry, and we are sinful; all of us have become like unclean people, all our good deeds are like polluted rags; we have all withered like leaves, and our guilt carries us away like the wind. There is none who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to cling to you; for you have hidden your face from us and have delivered us up to our guilt. Yet, O LORD, you are our father; we are the clay and you the potter: we are all the work of your hands.

Responsorial Psalm (Ps 80:2-3,15-16,18-19)
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
O shepherd of Israel, hearken, from your throne upon the cherubim, shine forth. Rouse your power, and come to save us.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
Once again, O LORD of hosts, look down from heaven, and see; take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
May your help be with the man of your right hand, with the son of man whom you yourself made strong. Then we will no more withdraw from you; give us new life, and we will call upon your name.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.

Reading II 1 Cor 1:3-9
Brothers and sisters:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.


Alleluia, alleluia (Lk 21:36)

Alleluia, alleluia

Gospel Mk 13:33-37
Jesus said to his disciples: “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his own work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.
Watch, therefore; you do not know when the Lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning. May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’”

Prayer over the Gifts
Pray, brethren...

Communion Antiphon

Prayer after Communion
Let us pray


Amen.

Source: http://www.usccb.org/nab/113008.shtml

Readings, Saturday, November 29, 2008

Saturday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Entrance Antiphon
The Lord speaks of peace to his people, to those who turn to him with all their heart. (Ps 84:9)
Opening Prayers
Let us pray [that the Spirit of God will renew our lives]
Lord, increase our eagerness to do your will and help us to know the saving power of your love. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Reading 1 Rv 22:1-7
John said: An angel showed me the river of life-giving water, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the street, On either side of the river grew the tree of life that produces fruit twelve times a year, once each month; the leaves of the trees serve as medicine for the nations. Nothing accursed will be found anymore. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will look upon his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. Night will be no more, nor will they need light from lamp or sun, for the Lord God shall give them light, and they shall reign forever and ever. And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true, and the Lord, the God of prophetic spirits, sent his angel to show his servants what must happen soon.” “Behold, I am coming soon.” Blessed is the one who keeps the prophetic message of this book.
Responsorial Psalm (Ps 95:1-2, 3-5, 6-7ab)
R. Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus! (1 Cor 16:22b, Rev.22:20c)
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD; let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!
For the LORD is a great God, and a great king above all gods; In his hands are the depths of the earth, and the tops of the mountains are his. His is the sea, for he has made it, and the dry land, which his hands have formed.
R. Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!
Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the LORD who made us. For he is our God, and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!
Alleluia, alleluia (Lk 21:36)
Be vigilant at all times and pray that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.
Alleluia, alleluia
Gospel Lk 21:34-36
Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Prayer over the Gifts
Pray, brethren...
God of love, may the sacrifice we offer in obedience to your command renew our resolution to be faithful to your word. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon
All you nations, praise the Lord, for steadfast is his kindly mercy to us. (Ps 116:1-2)
or
I, the Lord, am with you always, until the end of the world. (Mt 28:20)
Prayer after Communion
Let us pray
Almighty God, in this eucharist you give us the joy of sharing your life. Keep us in your presence. Let us never be separated from you. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Amen.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Readings, Friday, November 28, 2008

Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Entrance Antiphon
The Lord speaks of peace to his people, to those who turn to him with all their heart. (Ps 84:9)
Opening Prayers
Let us pray [that the Spirit of God will renew our lives]
Lord, increase our eagerness to do your will and help us to know the saving power of your love. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Reading 1, (Rv 20:1-4, 11—21:2)
I, John, saw an angel come down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the abyss and a heavy chain. He seized the dragon, the ancient serpent, which is the Devil or Satan, and tied it up for a thousand years and threw it into the abyss, which he locked over it and sealed, so that it could no longer lead the nations astray until the thousand years are completed. After this, it is to be released for a short time.
Then I saw thrones; those who sat on them were entrusted with judgment. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image nor had accepted its mark on their foreheads or hands. They came to life and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Next I saw a large white throne and the one who was sitting on it. The earth and the sky fled from his presence and there was no place for them. I saw the dead, the great and the lowly, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. Then another scroll was opened, the book of life. The dead were judged according to their deeds, by what was written in the scrolls. The sea gave up its dead; then Death and Hades gave up their dead. All the dead were judged according to their deeds. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the pool of fire. (This pool of fire is the second death.) Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the pool of fire.
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Responsorial Psalm
R. Here God lives among his people. (Rev. 21:3b)
My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the LORD. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
R. Here God lives among his people.
Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest in which she puts her young–Your altars, O LORD of hosts, my king and my God!
R. Here God lives among his people.
Blessed they who dwell in your house! continually they praise you. Blessed the men whose strength you are! They go from strength to strength.
R. Here God lives among his people.
(Ps 84:3, 4, 5-6a and 8a)
Alleluia, alleluia (Lk 21:28)
Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.
Alleluia, alleluia
Gospel (Lk 21:29-33) (When you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near.)
Jesus told his disciples a parable. “Consider the fig tree and all the other trees. When their buds burst open, you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near; in the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near. Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
Prayer over the Gifts
Pray, brethren...
God of love, may the sacrifice we offer in obedience to your command renew our resolution to be faithful to your word. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon
All you nations, praise the Lord, for steadfast is his kindly mercy to us. (Ps 116:1-2)
or
I, the Lord, am with you always, until the end of the world. (Mt 28:20)
Prayer after Communion
Let us pray
Almighty God, in this eucharist you give us the joy of sharing your life. Keep us in your presence. Let us never be separated from you. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Amen.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Thanksgiving Day Readings for Mass

Entrance Antiphon
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; his love is everlasting. Give thanks to the Lord of Lords, for his love is everlasting. (Ps 136:1)
Reading 1 (Sir 50:22-24)
And now, bless the God of all, who has done wondrous things on earth; Who fosters people’s growth from their mother’s womb, and fashions them according to his will! May he grant you joy of heart and may peace abide among you; May his goodness toward us endure in Israel to deliver us in our days.
Responsorial Psalm
R.Lord, I thank you for your faithfulness and love.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all of my heart,for you have heard the words of my mouth; in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise; I will worship at your holy temple.
R. Lord, I thank you for your faithfulness and love.
I will give thanks to your name, Because of your kindness and your truth. When I called, you answered me; you built up strength within me.
R. Lord, I thank you for your faithfulness and love.
All the kings of the earth shall give thanks to you, O LORD, when they hear the words of your mouth; And they shall sing of the ways of the LORD: “Great is the glory of the LORD.”
R.Lord, I thank you for your faithfulness and love.
(Ps 138:1-2a, 2bc-3, 4-5)
Reading II (1 Cor 1:3-9)
Brothers and sisters:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Gospel Lk 17:11-19
As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten persons with leprosy met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”
Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father, from your hand we have received generous gifts so that we might learn to share your blessings in gratitude. Accept these gifts of bread and wine, and let the perfect sacrifice of Jesus draw us closer to all our brothers and sisters in the family of man. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Communion
O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for his great love is without end.
Prayer after Communion
Lord God, in this celebration, we have seen the depths of your love for every man and woman and been reminded of our engaging toward others. Help us to reach out in love to all your people, so that we may share with them the goods of time and eternity. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

The Parable of the Talents

Jesus told his disciples this parable:
"A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one--to each according to his ability. Then he went away.
Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them,and made another five. Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master's money.
After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, 'Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy.’ Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said,'Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy.’ Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, 'Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.' His master said to him in reply, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter? Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'"
Matthew 25:14-30

Friday, November 14, 2008

Catholic Bishops post Obama election

Cardinal Francis George: “The common good can never be adequately incarnated in any society when those waiting to be born can be legally killed at choice,”
Bishop Joseph Martino of Scranton singled out Vice President-elect Biden, a Catholic, Scranton native who supports abortion rights: “I cannot have a vice president-elect coming to Scranton to say he’s learned his values there when those values are utterly against the teachings of the Catholic Church,”
Archbishop Joseph Naumann of the Diocese of Kansas City in Kansas said politicians “can’t check your principles at the door of the legislature.” Naumann has said repeatedly that Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a Catholic Democrat who supports abortion rights, should stop taking Holy Communion until she changes her stance. “They cannot call themselves Catholic when they violate such a core belief as the dignity of the unborn,” Naumann said Tuesday.
Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Chicago said the hospitals would close rather than comply.
“We have a very important thing to say. I think we should say it clearly and with a punch,” said New York Cardinal Edward Egan.