WEDNESDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF LENT; SAINT ISIDORE THE FARM LABORER (1130 A.D.); SAINT CATHARINE OF GENOA (1510 A.D.)

 

WEDNESDAY OF THE 

FOURTH WEEK OF LENT

[Commemoration]

SAINT ISIDORE THE FARM LABORER
Confessor 

IN ALL DIOCESES OF THE UNITED STATES

Painting depicting Saint Catherine of Genoa

wikipedia.org 

SAINT CATHARINE OF GENOA

(CATERINA FIESCHI ADORNA)

[

SIMPLE / PURPLE
The Church of the New Testament continues the Israel of the Old Testament. The faithful of God are one social, religious unit that extends backward to our first parents and forward over the world to the end of time. All derive grace from Christ. Hence all, by grace, are brothers in Christ. Old and New Testament saints are celebrated in the one Sacrifice of Christ.
Jesus came to cleanse His people anew, to give them a new and vastly higher dignity, to make them charitable and apostolic. It is now their conscience mission to bring all men to a baptized brotherhood in Christ -- a brotherhood that reaches across every line of nation, race, or color.
 
INTROIT Ezech. 36:23-26
When I shall be sanctified in you, I will gather you from every land; and I will pour upon you clean water, and you shall be cleansed from your filthiness, and I will give you a new spirit.
Ps. 33:2. I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall ever be in my mouth.
V. Glory be . . .
 
Let us pray.
V. Let us kneel.
R. Arise.

COLLECT
O God, You reward the just man and grant pardon to the sinner if he does penance by fasting. Be merciful to Your people who implore You, and forgive us our sins through our confession of guilt. Through our Lord . . .

LESSON Ezech. 36:23-28
Thus says the Lord God: "And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the Gentiles, which you have profaned in the midst of them: that the Gentiles may know that I am the Lord, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the Gentiles, and will gather you together out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land. And I will pour upon you clean water, and you shall be cleansed from all your filthiness, and I will cleanse you from all your idols. And I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit in the midst of you: and I will cause you to walk in my commandments, and to keep my judgments, and do them. And you shall dwell in the land which I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God," says the Lord Almighty.

GRADUAL Ps. 33:12, 6
Come, children, hear me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
V. Turn to Him that you may be enlightened, and your faces may never blush with shame.

COLLECT
O Almighty God, grant that we may be happy in chastising our bodies through fasting. May we bring our passions under control, and thus more easily attain the rewards of heaven. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT ISIDORE
In the twelfth century, Isidore earned his living as a day laborer on an estate just outside Madrid. Because he attended Mass daily, some fellow laborers, reported to the owner that Isidore was neglecting his work. St. Isidore was not troubled by what was said of him, because he knew that the Christian must have patience and must keep up his courage, "for the coming of the Lord is at hand" 

O Merciful God, shield us from the pride that comes from learning, through the intercession of Your holy farm worker Isidore. May his merits and example help us to please You by our humble service.

 

Commoration of SAINT CATHERINE

Catherine of Genoa (Caterina Fieschi Adorno, 1447 – 15 September 1510) was an Italian Catholic saint and mystic, admired for her work among the sick and the poor^[2] and remembered because of various writings describing both these actions and her mystical experiences. She was a member of the noble Fieschi family,^[3] and spent most of her life and her means serving the sick, especially during the plague which ravaged Genoa in 1497 and 1501. She died in that city in 1510. 

O God Who, in blessed Catherine, contemplating the Passion of Thy Son, didst make fiercely to burn up the fire of Thy love, moved by her prayers, enkindle within us, we beseech Thee, the flame of charity, and grant us a share in the fruit of that same sacred Passion. Through the same . . .

LESSON Isa. 1:16-19
Thus says the Lord God: "Wash yourselves, be clean, take away the evil of your devices from my eyes, cease to do perversely, Learn to do well: seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge for the fatherless, defend the widow. And then come, and accuse me", saith the Lord: "If your sins be as scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow: and if they be red as crimson, they shall be white as wool. If you be willing, and will hearken to me, you shall eat the good things of the land," says the Lord Almighty.

GRADUAL Ps. 32:12, 6
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen for His own inheritance! V. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all the celestial bodies thereof were created.

TRACT Ps. 102:10; 78:8-9
O Lord, repay us not according to the sins we have committed, nor according to our iniquities.
V. O Lord, remember not our iniquities of the past; let Your mercy come quickly to us, for we are being brought very low. (All kneel.)
V. Help us, O God our Savior, and for the glory of Your name, O Lord, deliver us; and pardon us our sins for Your names sake.

GOSPEL John 9:1-38
At that time Jesus, passing by, saw a man who was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him: "Rabbi, who hath sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?" Jesus answered: "Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents; but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, whilst it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
When he had said these things, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and spread the clay upon his eyes, And said to him: "Go, wash in the pool of Siloe," which is interpreted, 'Sent.' He went therefore and washed: and he came seeing.
The neighbours, therefore, and they who had seen him before that he was a beggar, said: "Is not this he that sat and begged?" Some said: "This is he." But others said: "No, but he is like him." But he said: "I am he." They said therefore to him: "How were thy eyes opened?" He answered: "That man that is called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me: 'Go to the pool of Siloe and wash.' And I went: I washed: and I see." And they said to him: "Where is he?" He saith: "I know not."
They bring him that had been blind to the Pharisees. Now it was the sabbath, when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Again therefore the Pharisees asked him how he had received his sight. But he said to them: "He put clay upon my eyes: and I washed: and I see." Some therefore of the Pharisees said: "This man is not of God, who keepeth not the sabbath." But others said: "How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles?" And there was a division among them. They say therefore to the blind man again: "What sayest thou of him that hath opened thy eyes?" And he said: "He is a prophet."
The Jews then did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight,
And asked them, saying: "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then doth he now see?" His parents answered them and said: "We know that this is our son and that he was born blind: But how he now seeth, we know not: or who hath opened his eyes, we know not. Ask himself: he is of age: Let him speak for himself."
These things his parents said, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had already agreed among themselves that if any man should confess him to be Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. Therefore did his parents say: "He is of age. Ask himself."
They therefore called the man again that had been blind and said to him: "Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner." He said therefore to them: "If he be a sinner, I know not. One thing I know, that whereas I was blind. now I see." They said then to him: "What did he to thee? How did he open thy eyes?" He answered them: "I have told you already, and you have heard. Why would you hear it again? Will you also become his disciples?" They reviled him therefore and said: "Be thou his disciple; but we are the disciples of Moses. We know that God spoke to Moses: but as to this man, we know not from whence he is." The man answered and said to them: "why, herein is a wonderful thing, that you know not from whence he is, and he hath opened my eyes. Now we know that God doth not hear sinners: but if a man be a server of God and doth his, will, him he heareth. From the beginning of the world it hath not been heard, that any man hath opened the eyes of one born blind. Unless this man were of God, he could not do anything." They answered and said to him: "Thou wast wholly born in sins; and dost thou teach us?" And they cast him out.
Jesus heard that they had cast him out. And when he had found him, he said to him: "Dost thou believe in the Son of God?" He answered, and said: "Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?" And Jesus said to him: "Thou hast both seen him; and it is he that talketh with thee." And he said: "I believe, Lord." And falling down, he adored him.

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 65:8-9, 20
Bless the Lord our God, you nations; loudly sound His praise. He has given life to my soul, and has not let my feet falter. Blessed be the Lord, who has not refused my prayer nor His mercy to me!

SECRET
O Almighty God, wash away our sins through these sacrificial gifts so that we may receive Your blessings of true health of mind and body. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT ISIDORE
Let our prayers win peace for Your people, O Lord, so that their offerings may be pleasing in Your sight. Grant the requests we confidently make of You through the intercession of Your blessed confessor Isidore.

Commoration of SAINT CATHERINE

Look down in Thy loving kindness, O Lord, we beseech Thee, on this our sacrifice and through the intercession of blessed Catherine, enkindle in us the spirit of Thy love. Through our Lord . . .  

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Jo. 9:11
The Lord made clay with spittle and anointed my eyes, and I went and washed, and I saw; and I believed in God.

POSTCOMMUNION
O Lord our God, may the Sacrament we have received nourish us with spiritual food and comfort us with bodily aid. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT ISIDORE

May this Heavenly Sacrament bring us health of soul and body, O Lord, and through the intercession of Your blessed confessor Isidore make us feel the power of the sacred rite that we have celebrated. Through Our Lord . . .

 

Commoration of SAINT CATHERINE

Humbly we beseech Thee, O almighty God, Who hast vouchsafed to comfort us with sacraments, that, moved by the prayers of blessed Catherine, thou wouldst make us to despise the things of the earth and ever to rejoice in sharing in those of heaven. Through our Lord . . . 

PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE
O Lord, in Your mercy hear the prayers of those who call upon You. Make their wills like Your will so that You may fulfill their every desire. Through our Lord . . .

TUESDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF LENT; SAINT BENEDICT Abbot (543 A.D.)

 

  

TUESDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF LENT

[Commemoration]

SAINT BENEDICT

Abbot

SIMPLE / PURPLE
It is man's perennial temptation to forget whence he comes, why he exists, and to whom he owes worship. Disavowing his true Creator, man sometimes makes a god out of an ambition and burns up his energies in a holocaust of devotion to it; or he makes a god of himself by saying that his own nobility of action and his own sense of achievement are sufficient guarantee of truth and morality, as well as sufficient reward. Such subtle but monstrous pride forgets that only God is sufficient reason for His own action and glory. "He who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory."

INTROIT (Ps. 54:2-3)
Hearken, O God, to my prayer and turn not away from my pleading; give heed to me, and answer me.  
Ps. 54:3-4. I am tossed about in my grief, and am troubled at the uproar of th enemy and the oppression of the wicked.  
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O Lord, may our observance of the Lenten fast increase our piety and bring us Your continued merciful help. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT BENEDICT

Benedict was born in central Italy, about the year 480, when the civilized world was being overrun by pagan and heretical tribes. As a young man, he withdrew to the mountainous region of Subiaco to live there as a hermit. Soon many disciples followed him. Later, St. Benedict left Subiaco for Monte Cassino and founded on its summit a monastery that became the most famous in Europe. After having rescued Europe from the darkness and ignorance that followed the downfall of the Roman Empire, St. Benedict's monks went out into the whole world to combat paganism with the light of Christ. They were the great civilizers, and their influence upon subsequent history is incalculable.
Even more importantly, the spirituality of Western Christianity has been shaped by the famous Rule Benedict devised for his monks. With this Rule he provided a "school of the Lord's service" which embraced a program of liturgical prayer, sacred study, and work, lived socially in community under one common father, with noticeable emphasis on peace, moderation (especially as regards austerities), and charity towards all men.

Let the blessed Abbot Benedict intercede for us, O Lord. May his prayers win us Your help, since our own actions cannot merit it. Through Our Lord . . .

LESSON (Ex. 32:7-14)
In those days, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: "Go, get thee down: thy people, which thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt, hath sinned. They have quickly strayed from the way which thou didst shew them: and they have made to themselves a molten calf, and have adored it, and sacrificing victims to it, have said: 'These are thy gods, O Israel, that have brought thee out of the land of Egypt.' "
And again the Lord said to Moses: "I see that this people is stiffnecked: Let me alone, that my wrath may be kindled against them, and that I may destroy them, and I will make of thee a great nation." But Moses besought the Lord his God, saying: "Why, O Lord, is thy indignation enkindled against thy people, whom thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt, with great power, and with a mighty hand? Let not the Egyptians say, I beseech thee: 'He craftily brought them out, that he might kill them in the mountains, and destroy them from the earth': let thy anger cease, and be appeased upon the wickedness of thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou sworest by thy own self, saying: 'I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven: and this whole land that I have spoken of, I will give to your seed, and you shall possess it for ever' ": And the Lord was appeased from doing the evil which he had spoken against his people.

GRADUAL (Ps. 43:26, 2)
Arise, O Lord, and help us, and save us for Your name's sake.
V. O God, our ears have heard, our fathers have declared to us the deeds You performed in their time, in the days of old.

GOSPEL (John 7:14-31)
At that time, about the midst of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and taught. And the Jews wondered, saying: "How doth this man know letters, having never learned?" Jesus answered them and said: "My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do the will of him, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh the glory of him that sent him, he is true and there is no injustice in him. Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why seek you to kill me?" The multitude answered and said: "Thou hast a devil. Who seeketh to kill thee?" Jesus answered and said to them: "One work I have done: and you all wonder. Therefore, Moses gave you circumcision (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers): and on the sabbath day you circumcise a man. If a man receive circumcision on the sabbath day, that the law of Moses may not be broken: are you angry at me, because I have healed the whole man on the sabbath day? Judge not according to the appearance: but judge just judgment." Some therefore of Jerusalem said: "Is not this he whom they seek to kill? And behold, he speaketh openly: and they say nothing to him. Have the rulers known for a truth that this is the Christ? But we know this man, whence he is: but when the Christ cometh, no man knoweth, whence he is."
Jesus therefore cried out in the temple, teaching and saying: "You both know me, and you know whence I am. And I am not come of myself: but he that sent me is true, whom you know not. I know him, because I am from him: and he hath sent me." They sought therefore to apprehend him: and no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come. But of the people many believed in him.

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (Ps. 39:2, 3, 4)
I have waited and waited for the Lord, and He inclined towards me and heard my cry. And He put a new song into my mouth, a hymn to our God.

SECRET
May this offering cleanse us from our sins, O Lord, and may it sanctify Your servants in body and soul for the celebration of this Sacrifice. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT BENEDICT
Accept this offering which we humbly present in honor of Your Saints, O God, and through it purify our bodies and our souls. Through our Lord . . .

 Communion Antiphon
Ps 19:6
May we shout for joy at Your victory and raise the standards in the Name of the Lord our God.

POSTCOMMUNION
O Lord, cleanse us from sin through the reception of this Sacrament and lead us toward the kingdom of heaven. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT BENEDICT 

Almighty God, we pray that the reception of this Bread of Heaven may strengthen us against all adversity through the intercession of Your blessed Confessor Benedict. Through our Lord . . .

PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE
O Lord, have mercy on Your people and strengthen them in their daily trials and labors. Through Our Lord . . .

SAINT JOSEPH, SPOUSE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY [Transferred]; MONDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF LENT

 

SAINT JOSEPH

Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Confessor

Patron of the Universal Church


[Commemoration]

MONDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF LENT

 

Joseph, a member of the royal family of David, was leading the obscure life of a village carpenter when God chose him to be th espouse of the Blessed Virgin and the foster father of the Incarnate Word. Scripture tells us that Joseph was just, pure, gentle, prudent, and a lover of holy silence. Above all, this humble guardian of the Child Jesus was unfailingly obedient to the divine will.
Joseph is not mentioned after he and Mary lost the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple and, following three days of agonized search, found their boy discoursing divinely with the learned doctors of the Law. The great task of the foster father of Christ must have been finished before the marriage feast at Cana and the beginning of the Savior's public ministry. Untold millions have since then invoked St. Joseph as the patron of a happy death.

DOUBLE, FIRST CLASS / WHITE
INTROIT (Ps. 91:13-14)
The just man shall flourish like the palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar of Lebanon planted in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God.
Ps. 91:2. It is good to praise the Lord, and to sing to Your name, O Most High.
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O Lord, may the merits of the spouse of Your most Holy Mother assist us, so that what we cannot obtain through our own efforts we may have through his intercession; who lives and rules with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit.

Commemoration of MONDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF LENT

O Almighty God, may we please You with our bodies and our souls by keeping this yearly fast with devotion. Through our Lord . . .

LESSON (Eccli. 45:1-6) [Sirac]
Beloved of God, and men: whose memory is in benediction.
He made him like the saints in glory, and magnified him in the fear of his enemies, and with his words he made prodigies to cease.
He glorified him in the sight of kings, and gave him commandments in the sight of his people, and shewed him his glory.
He sanctified him in his faith, and meekness, and chose him out of all flesh.
For he heard him, and his voice, and brought him into a cloud.
And he gave him commandments before his face, and a law of life and instruction.

GRADUAL Ps. 20:4-5
O Lord, You made him excel by Your choicest blessings; You placed on his head a crown of precious stones.
V. He asked life of You and You gave him length of days forever.

TRACT Ps. 111:1-3
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments.
V. His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth; the righteous generation shall be blessed.
V. Glory and wealth shall be in his house, and his righteousness shall endure forever.

GOSPEL ( Matt. 1:18-21)
When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child, of the Holy Ghost. Whereupon Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing publicly to expose her, was minded to put her away privately. But while he thought on these things, behold the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: "Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost.
And she shall bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name Jesus. For he shall save his people from their sins."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON ( Ps. 88:25)
My truth and My mercy shall be with him; and in My name shall his power be exalted.

SECRET
We worship You, O Lord, as it is our duty. Guard the gifts You have bestowed upon us through the prayers of blessed Joseph, the spouse of the Mother of Jesus, Your Son and our Lord. We offer You this sacrifice of praise on his feast day. Through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord . . .

Commemoration of MONDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF LENT

May the Sacrifice that we offer You, O Lord, always bring us new life and keep us from harm. Through our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON ( Matt. 1:20)
Do not be afraid, Joseph, son of David, to take to thee Mary thy wife, for that which is begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit.

POSTCOMMUNION
Be close to us, O merciful God, and through the prayers of Your blessed confessor Joseph, watch over the gifts You have given us. Through Our Lord . . .

 

Commemoration of MONDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF LENT

O Lord, may the reception of Your Sacrament bring us ever nearer to our eternal redemption. Through our Lord . . .

FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT - LAETARE SUNDAY

 

Rose Chasable

http://www.saintbedestudio.bizland.com/

FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT
LAETARE SUNDAY

DOUBLE, FIRST CLASS / ROSE or PURPLE
Lent is half over, and Easter is enticingly near. This Sunday is a foretaste of Easter joy. Knowing the ebb and flow on intensity even in our best efforts, God deals with us tenderly in rhythms of consolation and desolation. So today, the thoughts of freedom and joy come in the middle of Lent. But the joy does more than cushion our failing energies and needle our lagging spirits. It is a positive, meaningful joy, born of our fruitful life in Christ and of our sweet freedom as His purchased children. The Eucharistic banquet of heavenly Bread, foreshadowed by the multiplied loaves and fishes and become now the Bread of Life for the whole Christian world, adds to our Laetare joy the quiet gladness of every festive meal.

INTROIT (Isa. 66:10-11)Rejoice, O Jerusalem, and come together all you who love her. rejoice with joy, you who have been in sorrow, that you may exalt, and be filled from the abundance of your consolation.
Ps. 121:1. I rejoice at the tidings that were told me, "We shall go into the house of the Lord."
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O Almighty God, we are being justly punished for our sins, but comfort us with Your grace, that we may live. Through Our Lord . . .

EPISTLE (Gal. 4:22-31)
Brethren: For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman and the other by a free woman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh: but he of the free woman was by promise. Which things are said by an allegory. For these are the two testaments. The one from Mount Sinai, engendering unto bondage, which is Agar. For Sina is a mountain in Arabia, which hath affinity to that Jerusalem which now is: and is in bondage with her children. But that Jerusalem which is above is free: which is our mother. For it is written:

Rejoice, thou barren, that bearest not: break forth and cry thou that travailest not: for many are the children of the desolate, more than of her that hath a husband.

Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born according to the flesh persecuted him that was after the spirit: so also it is now. But what saith the scripture? "Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman." So then, brethren, we are not the children of the bondwoman but of the free: by the freedom wherewith Christ has made us free.

GRADUAL (Ps. 121:1, 7)
I rejoice at the tidings that were told me, "We shall go into the house of the Lord." V. May peace be within your walls, and prosperity within your towers.

TRACT (Ps. 124:1-2)
They who trust in the Lord are like Mount Sion; he who dwells in Jerusalem shall never be moved. 
V. Mountains are round about it, and the Lord is round about His people, from henceforth and forever.

GOSPEL (John 6:1-15)
At that time, After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is that of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed him, because they saw the miracles which he did on them that were diseased. Jesus therefore went up into a mountain: and there he sat with his disciples.
Now the pasch, the festival day of the Jews, was near at hand. When Jesus therefore had lifted up his eyes and seen that a very great multitude cometh to him, he said to Philip: "Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" And this he said to try him: for he himself knew what he would do.
Philip answered him: "Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them that every one may take a little." One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, saith to him: "There is a boy here that hath five barley loaves and two fishes. But what are these among so many?" Then Jesus said: "Make the men sit down."
Now, there was much grass in the place. The men therefore sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves: and when he had given thanks, he distributed to them that were set down. In like manner also of the fishes, as much as they would. And when they were filled, he said to his disciples: "Gather up the fragments that remain, lest they be lost." They gathered up therefore and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which remained over and above to them that had eaten.
Now those men, when they had seen what a miracle Jesus had done, said: "This is of a truth the prophet that is to come into the world." Jesus therefore, when he knew that they would come to take him by force and make him king, fled again into the mountains, himself alone.

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (Ps. 134:3, 6)
Praise the Lord, for He is good; sing praise to His name, for He is sweet. All He has willed, He has done in heaven and on earth.

SECRET 
Look with favor upon these offerings, O Lord, that they may be an aid to our devotion and to our salvation. Through Our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON (Ps. 121:3-4)
Jerusalem was built as a city with compact unity; to it the tribes went up, the tribes of the Lord, to give praise to Your name, O Lord.

POSTCOMMUNION 
O merciful God, we never fail to be nourished by Your Sacrament. May we offer it with true devotion and receive it always with faith. Through Our Lord . . .

SATURDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT; SAINT CYRIL OF JERUSALEM; SAINT EDWARD THE MARTYR

 

  

The painting is by Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri; Italian, ca. 1591-1666),
Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery, 1621.

SATURDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT

 

[Commemoration]
SAINT CYRIL OF JERUSALEM
Bishop and Doctor

[Commemoration]
SAINT  EDWARD THE MARTYR

SIMPLE / PURPLE

 Jesus said: "Do not judge, that you may not be judged. For with what judgement you judge, you shall be judged. . . . But why dost thou see the speck in thy brother's eye, and yet dost not consider the beam in thine own eye? . . . Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam from thine own eye, and then thou wilt see clearly to cast out the speck from thy brother's eye" (Matt. 7:1-3,5).
It is common tendency to favor ourselves and condemn others precisely in proportion to our own guilt. Conversely, the innocent find it easy to believe in the innocence of others, and to sympathize with their failures.

INTROIT Ps. 5:2-3
Hear my words, O Lord; consider my cry. Hearken to the voice of my prayer, O my king and my God.
Ps. 5:4. For to You I pray, O Lord; in the morning You hear my voice.
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O Almighty God, while Your servants mortify their bodies by fasting, may they also follow after righteousness and avoid sin. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT CYRIL OF JERUSALEM
After Cyril (c. 315-86) had been ordained to the priesthood in Jerusalem, he was appointed to the vital duty of instructing and preparing the candidates for baptism. We still have one series of his instructions, and they are the earliest extant record of the systematic teaching of the Church on the Creed and the Sacraments. Having been chosen bishop of Jerusalem, he served as one of God's instruments in combating widespread contemporary heresy. Cyril was several times persecuted and driven from his see city because of his defense of the Catholic Faith. He remained at peace, recalling his Lord had said, "No disciple is above his teacher, nor is the servant above his master (Matt. 10:24).

O Almighty God, may the prayers of Your blessed bishop Cyril help us to know You, the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent, so that we may be numbered among the flock that obeys His voice. 

Commemoration of SAINT EDWARD
St. Edward, called the Martyr, succeeded his father, King Edgar, on the throne of England and ruled that country in a stormy period. He suffered much at the hands of his unnatural step-mother and was murdered by her command, A.D. 979.

O God, the Conqueror of an everlasting kingdom, behold with mercy Thy servants who commemorate blessed King Edward, Thy Martyr and by his merits and prayers grant that we who do glory in his triumph, may receive the same rewards. Through our Lord . . .

LESSON Dan. 13:1-9, 15-17, 1930, 33-62
Now there was a man that dwelt in Babylon, and his name was Joakim: And he took a wife, whose name was Susanna, the daughter of Helcias, a very beautiful woman, and one that feared God. For her parents being just, had instructed their daughter according to the law of Moses.
Now Joakim was very rich, and had an orchard near his house: and the Jews resorted to him, because he was the most honourable of them all. And there were two of the ancients of the people appointed judges that year, of whom the Lord said: 'That iniquity came out from Babylon, from the ancient judges, that seemed to govern the people.' These men frequented the house of Joakim, and all that had any matters of judgment came to them. And when the people departed away at noon, Susanna went in, and walked in her husband's orchard. And the old men saw her going in every day, and walking: and they were inflamed with lust towards her:
And they perverted their own mind, and turned away their eyes, that they might not look unto heaven, nor remember just judgments.
And it fell out, as they watched a fit day, she went in on a time, as yesterday and the day before, with two maids only, and was desirous to wash herself in the orchard: for it was hot weather. And there was nobody there, but the two old men that had hid themselves, and were beholding her. So she said to the maids: "Bring me oil, and washing balls, and shut the doors of the orchard, that I may wash me."
Now when the maids were gone forth, the two elders arose, and ran to her, and said: "Behold the doors of the orchard are shut, and nobody seeth us, and we are in love with thee: wherefore consent to us, and lie with us. But if thou wilt not, we will bear witness against thee, that a young man was with thee, and therefore thou didst send away thy maids form thee." Susanna sighed, and said: "I am straitened on every side: for if I do this thing, it is death to me: and if I do it not, I shall not escape your hands. But it is better for me to fall into your hands without doing it, than to sin in the sight of the Lord." With that Susanna cried out with a loud voice: and the elders also cried out against her. And one of them ran to the door of the orchard, and opened it. So when the servants of the house heard the cry in the orchard, they rushed in by the back door, to see what was the matter. But after the old men had spoken, the servants were greatly ashamed: for never had there been any such word said of Susanna. And on the next day, When the people were come to Joakim, her husband, the two elders also came full of wicked device against Susanna, to put her to death. And they said before the people: "Send to Susanna, daughter of Helcias, the wife of Joakim." And presently they sent. And she came with her parents, and children and all her kindred.
Therefore her friends, and all her acquaintance wept. But the two elders rising up in the midst of the people, laid their hands upon her head. And she weeping, looked up to heaven, for her heart had confidence in the Lord. And the elders said: "As we walked in the orchard alone, this woman came in with two maids, and shut the doors of the orchard, ans sent away the maids from her. Then a young man that was there hid came to her, and lay with her. But we that were in a corner of the orchard, seeing this wickedness, ran up to them, and we saw them lie together.
And him indeed we could not take, because he was stronger than us, and opening the doors, he leaped out: But having taken this woman, we asked who the young man was, but she would not tell us: of this thing we are witnesses."
The multitude believed them, as being the elders, and the judges of the people, and they condemned her to death. Then Susanna cried out with a loud voice, and said: "O eternal God, who knowest hidden things, who knowest all things before they come to pass, Thou knowest that they have borne false witness against me: and behold I must die, whereas I have done none of these things, which these men have maliciously forged against me."
And the Lord heard her voice. And when she was led to be put to death, the Lord raised up the holy spirit of a young boy, whose name was Daniel: And he cried out with a loud voice: "I am clear from the blood of this woman." Then all the people turning themselves towards him, said: "What meaneth this word that thou hast spoken?" But he standing in the midst of them, said: "Are ye so foolish, ye children of Israel, that without examination or knowledge of the truth, you have condemned a daughter of Israel? Return to judgment, for they have borne false witness against her."
So all the people turned again in haste, and the old men said to him: "Come, and sit thou down among us, and shew it us: seeing God hath given thee the honour of old age." And Daniel said to the people: "Separate these two far from one another, and I will examine them." So when they were put asunder one from the other, he called one of them, and said to him: "O thou that art grown old in evil days, now are thy sins come out, which thou hast committed before: In judging unjust judgments, oppressing the innocent, and letting the guilty to go free, whereas the Lord saith: The innocent and the just thou shalt not kill. Now then if thou sawest her, tell me under what tree thou sawest them conversing together?": He said: "Under a mastic tree." And Daniel said: "Well hast thou lied against thy own head: for behold the angel of God having recieved the sentence of him, shall cut thee in two."
And having put him aside, he commanded that the other should come, and he said to him: "O thou seed of Chanaan, and not of Juda, beauty hath deceived thee, and lust hath perverted thy heart: Thus did you do to the daughters of Israel, and they for fear conversed with you: but a daughter of Juda would not abide your wickedness. Now, therefore, tell me, under what tree didst thou take them conversing together?" And he answered: "Under a holm tree." And Daniel said to him: "Well hast thou also lied against thy own head: for the angel of the Lord waiteth with a sword to cut thee in two, and to destroy you."
With that all the assembly cried out with a loud voice, and they blessed God, who saveth them that trust in him. And they rose up against the two elders, (for Daniel had convicted them of false witness by their own mouth) and they did to them as they had maliciously dealt against their neighbour, To fulfil the law of Moses: and they put them to death, and innocent blood was saved in that day.

 
GRADUAL Ps. 22:4
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me, O Lord.
V. Your rod and Your staff, these give me courage.

GOSPEL John 8:1-11
At that time, Jesus went unto mount Olivet. And early in the morning he came again into the temple: and all the people came to him. And sitting down he taught them. And the scribes and Pharisees bring unto him a woman taken in adultery: and they set her in the midst, And said to him: "Master, this woman was even now taken in adultery. Now Moses in the law commanded us to stone such a one. But what sayest thou?" And this they said tempting him, that they might accuse him.
But Jesus bowing himself down, wrote with his finger on the ground. When therefore they continued asking him, he lifted up himself and said to them: "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." And again stooping down, he wrote on the ground.
But they hearing this, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest. And Jesus alone remained, and the woman standing in the midst. Then Jesus lifting up himself, said to her: "Woman, where are they that accused thee? Hath no man condemned thee?" Who said: "No man, Lord." And Jesus said: "Neither will I condemn thee. Go, and now sin no more."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 118:133
Direct my footsteps according to Your promise, O Lord, and let no iniquity rule over me.

SECRET
Almighty God, grant that our sacrificial offering may cleanse and protect our frail nature from all evil. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT CYRIL OF JERUSALEM
Look with favor upon the immaculate gift we offer You, O Lord. May we always receive it with clean hearts through the intercession of Your blessed bishop Cyril.

Commemoration of SAINT EDWARD 
May our offering be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord and may it benefit us by the prayer of him on whose feast it is offered. Through our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON John 8:10, 11
Has no one condemned thee, woman? No one, Lord. Neither will I condemn thee. From now on sin no more.

POSTCOMMUNION
O Almighty God, may we, who have received the Body and Blood of Christ in Communion, be numbered among the members of His Mystical Body; who lives and rules with You . . .

Commemoration of SAINT CYRIL OF JERUSALEM
O Lord Jesus Christ, sanctify our hearts and minds by the Sacrament of Your own Body and Blood which we have received. Make us worthy to share in Your divine nature through the intercession of the holy bishop Cyril; who lives and rules with God the Father . . .

Commemoration of SAINT EDWARD
Refreshed by partaking of Thy sacred Gift, we beseech Thee, O Lord, our God, that through the intercession of blessed Edward, Thy Martyr, we may perceive the fruit of the rite which we celebrate. Through our Lord . . .

PRAY OVER THE PEOPLE
O Lord, stretch out Your helping hand from heaven to all the faithful who seek You with all their hearts. May they be worthy of receiving that which they rightly ask for. Through our Lord . . .

FRIDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT; SAINT PATRICK (461 A.D.) - Lorica of Saint Patrick

 
 

FRIDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT

[Commemoration]

SAINT PATRICK
Bishop and Confessor

INTROIT (Ps. 85:17)
Show me, O Lord, a sign of Your beneficence, that my enemies may see, to their confusion, that You, O Lord, have helped and comforted me. Ps. 85:1. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am needy and poor. V. Glory Be . . .

COLLECT
May our Lenten fast please You, O Lord. May we keep our minds free from sin as we deprive our bodies of food. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT PATRICK
Toward the close of the fourth century, the pagan Irish captured during a slave-hunting raid the Christian youth who would become St. Patrick. The lad was put to work in Ireland as a pigherd for six years. Then he escaped, but with the intention of returning to the land of his captivity as an apostle. The former pigherd was ordained to the priesthood, and in 432 was made a bishop. The Pope himself commissioned Patrick to carry the Faith to Ireland. In his apostolic travels St. Patrick covered the length and breadth of the island. He overcame heartbreaking difficulties and sorrows because he made Christ his sole changeless friend and helper.

O God, You sent Your blessed confessor bishop Patrick to preach Your glory among the nations. May we fulfill all the duties commanded of us through his merits and intercession. Through Our Lord . . .

 

LESSON (Num. 20:1-3, 6-13)
In those days, the children of Israel, and all the multitude came into the desert of Sin, in the first month: and the people abode in Cades. And Mary died there, and was buried in the same place.
And the people wanting water, came together against Moses and Aaron: And making a sedition, they said: "Would God we had perished among our brethren before the Lord." And Moses and Aaron leaving the multitude, went into the tabernacle of the covenant, and fell flat upon the ground, and cried to the Lord, and said. "O Lord God, hear the cry of this people, and open to them thy treasure, a fountain of living water, that being satisfied, they may cease to murmur." And the glory of the Lord appeared over them. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: "Take the rod, and assemble the people together, thou and Aaron thy brother, and speak to the rock before them, and it shall yield waters. And when thou hast brought forth water out of the rock, all the multitude and their cattle shall drink."
Moses therefore took the rod, which was before the Lord, as he had commanded him, And having gathered together the multitude before the rock, he said to them: "Hear, ye rebellious and incredulous: Can we bring you forth water out of this rock?" And when Moses bad lifted up his hand, and struck the rock twice with the rod, there came forth water in great abundance, so that the people and their cattle drank, And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron: "Because you have not believed me, to sanctify me before the children of Israel, you shall not bring these people into the land, which I will give them." This is the Water of contradiction, where the children of Israel strove with words against the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.

GRADUAL (Ps. 27:7, 1)
My heart has trusted in God, and I have found help. I have thrived once again, and with all my will I shall give praise to Him. V. To You, O Lord my God, I cry; be not deaf to me, nor depart from me.

TRACT (Ps. 102:10; 78:8-9)
O Lord, repay us not according to the sins we have committed, nor according to our iniquities. V. O Lord, remember not our iniquities of the past; let Your mercy come quickly to us, for we are being brought very low. (All kneel.) V. Help us, O God our Savior, and for the glory of Your name, O Lord, deliver us; and pardon us our sins for Your names sake.

GOSPEL (John 4:5-42)
At that time, Jesus cometh therefore to a city of Samaria, which is called Sichar, near the land which Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well. It was about the sixth hour.
There cometh a woman of Samaria, to draw water. Jesus saith to her: "Give me to drink." For his disciples were gone into the city to buy meats. Then that Samaritan woman saith to him: "How dost thou, being a Jew; ask of me to drink, who am a Samaritan woman? For the Jews do not communicate with the Samaritans." Jesus answered and said to her: "If thou didst know the gift of God and who he is that saith to thee: Give me to drink; thou perhaps wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water."
The woman saith to him: "Sir, thou hast nothing wherein to draw, and the well is deep. From whence then hast thou living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank thereof, himself and his children and his cattle?" Jesus answered and said to her: "Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but he that shall drink of the water that I will give him shall not thirst for ever. But the water that I will give him shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into life everlasting."
The woman said to him: "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come hither to draw." Jesus saith to her: "Go, call thy husband, and come hither." The woman answered and said: "I have no husband." Jesus said to her: "Thou hast said well: I have no husband. For thou hast had five husbands: and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband. This, thou hast said truly."
The woman saith to him: "Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers adored on this mountain: and you say that at Jerusalem is the place where men must adore." Jesus saith to her:"Woman, believe me that the hour cometh, when you shall neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, adore the Father. You adore that which you know not: we adore that which we know. For salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh and now is, when the true adorers shall adore the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father also seeketh such to adore him. God is a spirit: and they that adore him must adore him in spirit and in truth." The woman saith to him: "I know that the Messias cometh (who is called Christ): therefore, when he is come, he will tell us all things." Jesus saith to her: "I am he, who am speaking with thee."
And immediately his disciples came. And they wondered that he talked with the woman. Yet no man said: "What seekest thou?" Or: "Why talkest thou with her?" The woman therefore left her waterpot and went her way into the city and saith to the men there: "Come, and see a man who has told me all things whatsoever I have done. Is not he the Christ?" They went therefore out of the city and came unto him.
In the mean time, the disciples prayed him, saying: "Rabbi, eat." But he said to them: "I have meat to eat which you know not." The disciples therefore said one to another: "Hath any man brought him to eat?" Jesus saith to them: "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, that I may perfect his work. Do not you say: There are yet four months, and then the harvest cometh? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, and see the countries. For they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages and gathereth fruit unto life everlasting: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. For in this is the saying true: 'That it is one man that soweth, and it is another that reapeth.' I have sent you to reap that in which you did not labour. Others have laboured: and you have entered into their labours."
Now of that city many of the Samaritans believed in him, for the word of the woman giving testimony: "He told me all things whatsoever I have done." So when the Samaritans were come to him, they desired that he would tarry there. And he abode there two days. And many more believed in him, because of his own word. And they said to the woman: "We now believe, not for thy saying: for we ourselves have heard him and know that this is indeed the Saviour of the world."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (Ps. 5:3-4)
Hearken to the voice of my prayer, O my King and my God; for to You I pray, O Lord.

SECRET 

O Lord, look kindly upon these gifts we offer, so that they may please You and always prove helpful to us. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT PATRICK
O Lord, may Your Saints everywhere be a source of joy for us, and may we feel the power of their intercession with You as we solemnly recall the deeds of their lives. Through our Lord . . .

  

COMMUNION ANTIPHON (John 4:13, 14)
"He who drinks of the water that I will give him," said the Lord, "it shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up unto life everlasting."

POSTCOMMUNION 

O Lord, cleanse us from sin through the reception of this Sacrament and lead us toward the kingdom of heaven. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT PATRICK
O Almighty God, may the expression of our gratitude to You for all Your gifts bring us even greater benefits, through the intercession of Your blessed Confessor bishop Patrick. Through our Lord . . .

 

PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE
O Almighty God, we trust in Your protection. Help us to overcome all the difficulties that face us. Through Our Lord . . .

 

[Not part of Liturgy, but for your pleasure]

Lorica of Saint Patrick

 

 

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth and His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection and His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In preachings of the apostles,
In faiths of confessors,
In innocence of virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;
Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of the earth,
Firmness of the rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me;
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's hosts to save me
From snares of the devil,
From temptations of vices,
From every one who desires me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a mulitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and evil,
Against every cruel merciless power that opposes my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of women and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.
Christ shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that reward may come to me in abundance.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through a confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation

St. Patrick (ca. 377)