TUESDAY OF PASSION WEEK

[Commemoration]

SAINT JOHN DAMASCENE
Confessor and Doctor of the Church

SIMPLE / PURPLE
All the world's hatred and suffering are the results of sin, original or personal. To restore all things to love and order and joy, Jesus atoned for sin by His death and won the grace that effects forgiveness. His indwelling life is the basic sanctity of Christians, to be developed into acquired splendor. As His Old Testament prophets suffered the price of preparing for His coming, so the members of His Mystical Body suffer in order to continue His work of restoring all things. All anguish is personalized because consecrated to Christ, through Christ's priesthood exercised in His Church, Jesus did His best to reveal Himself as the world's savior, and then surrendered Himself to suffer and die for all men.

INTROIT Ps. 26:14
Wait for the Lord with courage; let your heart take courage and wait for the Lord.
Ps. 26:1. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Wait for the Lord . . .

COLLECT
May our fasting be acceptable to You, O Lord. Let it atone for our sins, make us worthy of Your grace and lead us to eternal life. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT JOHN DAMASCENE 

Although Christian, John was grand vizier of the Mohammedan caliph of Damascus, when Emperor Leo the Isaurian began his campaign in the eight century against the veneration of holy images. John strongly opposed the destroyers of images, and for that reason lost his high post. John became a monk and passed the rest of his life in prayer, in study, and in writing about the things of God. He composed commentaries on St. Paul, many beautiful poems, and the Fountain of Wisdom, a summary of Christian beliefs. He is the last of the Greek Fathers, and has been called the St. Thomas Aquinas of the East.

Almighty and Eternal God, You endowed blessed John with divine learning and wondrous fortitude of soul in order that he might defend the veneration of sacred images. May the example and prayers of blessed John help us to imitate the virtues and enjoy the protection of the saints whose images we venerate. Through our Lord . . .

LESSON Dan. 14:27, 28-42
In those days, the Babylonians came to the king, and said: "Deliver us Daniel, or else we will destroy thee and thy house." And the king saw that they pressed upon him violently: and being constrained by necessity: he delivered Daniel to them. And they cast him into the den of lions, and he was there six days. And in the den there were seven lions, and they had given to them two carcasses every day, and two sheep: but then they were not given unto them, that they might devour Daniel. Now there was in Judea a prophet called Habacuc, and he had boiled pottage, and had broken bread in a bowl: and was going into the field, to carry it to the reapers. And the angel of the Lord said to Habacuc: "Carry the dinner which thou hast into Babylon, to Daniel, who is in the lions' den." And Habacuc said: "Lord, I never saw Babylon, nor do I know the den." And the angel of the Lord took him by the top of his head, and carried him by the hair of his head, and set him in Babylon, over the den, in the force of his spirit. And Habacuc cried, saying: "O Daniel, thou servant of God, take the dinner that God hath sent thee." And Daniel said, "Thou hast remembered me, O God, and thou hast not forsaken them that love thee." And Daniel arose, and eat. And the angel of the Lord presently set Habacuc again in his own place. And upon the seventh day the king came to bewail Daniel: and he came to the den, and looked in, and behold Daniel was sitting in the midst of the lions. And the king cried out with a loud voice, saying: "Great art thou, O Lord, the God of Daniel." And he drew him out of the lions' den. But those that had been the cause of his destruction, he cast into the den, and they were devoured in a moment before him. Then the king said: "Let all the inhabitants of the whole earth fear the God of Daniel: for he is the Saviour, working signs, and wonders in the earth: who hath delivered Daniel out of the lions' den."

GRADUAL Ps. 42:1, 3
Do me justice, O Lord; from the deceitful and impious man rescue me.
V. Send forth Your light and Your truth; they shall lead me on and bring me to Your holy mountain.

GOSPEL John 7:1-13
At that time, Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him. Now the Jews feast of tabernacles was at hand. And his brethren said to, him: "Pass from hence and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may see thy works which thou dost. For there is no man that doth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, manifest thyself to the world." For neither did his brethren believe in him. Then Jesus said to them: "My time is not yet come; but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you: but me it hateth, because I give testimony of it, that the works thereof are evil, Go you up to this festival day: but I go not up to this festival day, because my time is not accomplished." When he had said these things, he himself stayed in Galilee. But after his brethren were gone up, then he also went up to the feast, not openly, but, as it were, in secret. The Jews therefore sought him on the festival day and said: "Where is he?" And there was much murmuring among the multitude concerning him. For some said: "He is a good man." And others said: "No, but he seduceth the people." Yet no man spoke openly of him, for fear of the Jews.

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 9:11-12, 13
Let them trust in You who cherish Your name, for You do not forsake those who seek You, O Lord. Sing praise to the Lord enthroned in Sion, for He has not forgotten the cry of the poor.

SECRET
O Lord, we offer You as a sacrifice these gifts, which are symbols of our consolation in this life. May they keep us from ever losing hope in the promises of eternal life. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT JOHN DAMASCENEO Lord, may our offerings be pleasing to You through the prayerful intercession of blessed John and of Your saints whose images we today venerate in our churches because of the efforts of their defender. Through Our Lord . . .

 
COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 24:22
Redeem me, O God of Israel, from all my tribulations.

POSTCOMMUNION
O Almighty God, may our ceaseless search of divine things make us worthy of the reward of heaven. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT JOHN DAMASCENEShield us, O Lord, with Your divine protection through the Gift we have just received. Cover us over with the prayers of blessed John and of all Your saints whose images are held in veneration in our churches today because of his efforts. Through Our Lord . . .

 
PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE
O Lord, grant that we may persevere in being obedient to Your will so that our own day may see an increase in the numbers and merits of Your faithful. Through Our Lord . . .