TUESDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF LENT; SAINT CUNEGUNDA (1033 A.D.)

 

TUESDAY OF THE SECOND 

WEEK OF LENT

By Master of Messkirch - Eingescannt aus: Anna Moraht-Fromm und Hans Westhoff: Der Meister von Meßkirch – Forschungen zur südwestdeutschen Malerei des 16. Jahrhunderts, Ulm, 1997, S. 193, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1696636
 

SIMPLE / PURPLE
The clear will of God is the light and the salvation of all men. No one can desire anything good unless God desires it. Even the best of intentions, even seemingly worthy projects, are no good if they are not God's will at the moment. Distress, suffering, even death, can be accepted as His mysterious will. His creative love is always at work drawing the greatest possible good out of everything. Be the humble servant of God's will and you will be truly wise and always at peace.
 
INTROIT Ps. 26:8, 9
My heart has spoken to You; I have sought You. Your presence, O Lord, I will still seek; hide not Your face from me.
Ps. 26:1. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O Lord, help us keep the holy lenten fast. Teach us our duties and assist us with Your grace to perform them. Through Our Lord . . .

LESSON III Kings 17:8-16 [I King 17:8-16]

In those days, the word of the Lord came to Elias the Thesbite, saying: "Arise, and go to Sarephta of the Sidonians, and dwell there: for I have commanded a widow woman there to feed thee."
He arose, and went to Sarephta. And when he was come to the gate of the city, he saw the widow woman gathering sticks, and he called her, and said to her: "Give me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink." And when she was going to fetch it, he called after her, saying: "Bring me also, I beseech thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand." And she answered: "As the Lord thy God liveth, I have no bread, but only a handful of meal in a pot, and a little oil in a cruise: behold I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it, for me and my son, that we may eat it and die."
And Elias said to her: "Fear not; but go, and do as thou hast said but first make for me of the same meal a little hearth cake, and bring it to me, and after make for thyself and thy son. For thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel: 'The pot of meal shall not waste, nor the cruise of oil be diminished, until the day wherein the Lord will give rain upon the face of the earth.' "
She went, and did according to the word of Elias: and he ate, and she, and her house: and from that day The pot of meal wasted not, and the cruise of oil was not diminished according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke in the hand of Elias.

GRADUAL Ps. 54:23, 17, 18, 19
Cast your care upon the Lord, and He will support you.
V. When I called upon the Lord, He heard my voice and delivered me from those who war against me.

GOSPEL Matt. 23:1-12
At that time Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples, Saying: "The scribes and the Pharisees have sitten on the chair of Moses. All things therefore whatsoever they shall say to you, observe and do: but according to their works do ye not. For they say, and do not. For they bind heavy and insupportable burdens and lay them on men's shoulders: but with a finger of their own they will not move them. And all their works they do for to be seen of men. For they make their phylacteries broad and enlarge their fringes. And they love the first places at feasts and the first chairs in the synagogues, And salutations in the market place, and to be called by men, Rabbi. But be not you called Rabbi. For one is your master: and all you are brethren. And call none your father upon earth; for one is your father, who is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your master, Christ. He that is the greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled: and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 50:3
Have mercy on me, O Lord; in the greatness of Your compassion, O Lord, blot out my sinfulness.

SECRET
O Lord, sanctify us by this sacred rite so that we may be cleansed from earthly sinfulness and come to our eternal reward. Through Our Lord . . .

 

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 9:2-3
I will declare all Your wondrous deeds; I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High!

POSTCOMMUNION
O Lord, make us ever obedient to Your commandments so that we may be deserving of Your heavenly gifts. Through Our Lord . . .

PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE  

O Lord, be moved by our prayers and heal the sickness of our souls. Grant us pardon for our sins and make us always joyous in Your blessings. Through our Lord . . .

 

SAINT CUNEGUNDA

Empress (1033 A.D.)

[Historical]

Saint Cunigunde of Luxembourg (c. 975 – 3 March 1040 at Kaufungen), also called St. Cunegundes and St. Cunegonda, was the wife of the Holy Roman Emperor Saint Henry II. She is the Patroness of Luxembourg; her feast day is 3 March.
Her parents were Siegfried I of Luxembourg (922 – 15 August 998) and Hedwig of Nordgau (c. 935 – 992). She was a seventh-generation descendant of Charlemagne. Her marriage to St. Henry was a spiritual one, that is, they married for religious companionship and by mutual agreement did not consummate their relationship.
Calumniators accused her of scandalous conduct, but her innocence was signally vindicated by Divine Providence, as she walked over pieces of flaming irons without injury, to the great joy of her husband, the Emperor.^[1]
She was very active politically. As the closest adviser of her husband, she took part in Imperial councils.
In 1014, St. Cunigunde went with her husband to Rome and became Empress, receiving together with St. Henry the Imperial Crown from the hands of Pope Benedict VIII.
After St. Henry's death in 1024, she became regent together with her brother and handed over the Imperial insignia when Conrad II was elected to succeed.
As a widow, St. Cunigunde was left comparatively poor, owing to the enormous wealth given away by her and St. Henry in charitable works.^[2]
In 1025, exactly one year after the death of her husband St. Cunigunde retired to Kaufungen Abbey, a convent of Benedictine nuns she founded at Kaufungen, (Hesse), Germany. She died in 1040, and was buried at Bamberg Cathedral near her husband. She was canonised by Pope Innocent III on 29 March 1200.
It was reported in the Papal Bull that St. Cunigunde fell asleep one night and was carried into bed. Her maid also fell asleep and a candle set the bed on fire. The blaze awoke both of them and upon Cunigunde executing the Sign of the Cross, the fire immediately disappeared, saving them from burning.  

MONDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK IN LENT; SAINT CHAD (672 A.D.); BLESSED CHARLES THE GOOD (1124 A.D.)

  

MONDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK IN LENT

By Desertpad - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=147195632

SAINT CHAD
Bishop, Confessor  

SIMPLE / PURPLE
INTROIT Ps. 25:11-12
Redeem me, O Lord, and have pity on me, for my foot stands on the right path. In the assemblies I will bless the Lord.
Ps. 25:1. Do me justice, O Lord, for I have walked in innocence, and in the Lord I trust without wavering.
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 CHAD
St. Chad, Bishop of Lichfield, was a disciple of St. Aidan. He traveled over Ireland and Britain, seeking to spread everywhere the knowledge and charity of Christ. His characteristic virtue was his boundless charity to the poor. He died, A.D. 672.

Almighty and everlasting God who dost gladden us on this, day's feastday of blessed Chad, Thy Confessor and Bishop, we humbly implore Thy clemency, that we, who by this devout office venerate his Feast, may by his loving support, obtain the remedies of eternal life. Through our Lord . . . 

 

LESSON Dan. 9:15-19

In those days, Daniel prayed to the Lord, saying, "O Lord, our God, who hast brought forth thy people out of the land of Egypt, with a strong hand, and hast made thee a name as at this day: we have sinned, we have committed iniquity, O Lord, against all thy justice: let thy wrath and thy indignation be turned away, I beseech thee, from thy city, Jerusalem, and from thy holy mountain. For by reason of our sins, and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem, and thy people, are a reproach to all that are round about us.
"Now, therefore, O our God, hear the supplication of thy servant, and his prayers: and shew thy face upon thy sanctuary, which is desolate, for thy own sake. Incline, O my God, thy ear, and hear: open thy eyes, and see our desolation, and the city upon which thy name is called: for it is not for our justifications that we present our prayers before thy face, but for the multitude of thy tender mercies. O Lord, hear: O Lord, be appeased: hearken, and do: delay not, for thy own sake, O my God: because thy name is invocated upon thy city, and upon thy people."

GRADUAL Ps. 69:6, 3
Help me and deliver me, O Lord, make no delay! V. Let my enemies who seek my life be put to shame and confounded.

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 name's sake.

GOSPEL John 8:21-29
At that time, Jesus said to them: "I go: and you shall seek me. And you shall die in your sin. Whither I go, you cannot come." The Jews therefore said: "Will he kill himself, because he said: Whither I go you cannot come?"
And he said to them: "You are from beneath: I am from above. You are of this world: I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you shall die in your sins. For if you believe not that I am he, you shall die in your sin." They said therefore to him: "Who art thou?" Jesus said to them: "The beginning, who also speak unto you. Many things I have to speak and to judge of you. But he that sent me, is true: and the things I have heard of him, these same I speak in the world." And they understood not that he called God his Father.
Jesus therefore said to them: "When you shall have lifted up, the Son of man, then shall you know that I am he and that I do nothing of myself. But as the Father hath taught me, these things I speak. And he that sent me is with me: and he hath not left me alone. For I do always the things that please him."

OFFERTORY Ps. 15:7, 8
I bless the Lord, who has given me understanding. I set the Lord ever before me; with Him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

SECRET
O Lord, protect us through this sacrifice which we offer to atone for our sins and to give glory to You. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT CHAD
Be propitious unto our supplications, we beseech Thee, O Lord, and through the intercession of blessed Chad, Thy Confessor and Bishop, grant that we who serve the altar of Thy heavenly Sacraments, may be free from all sin, that by Thy purifying grace we may be renewed by the very Mysteries which we serve. Through our Lord . . .  

 
COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 8:2
O Lord, our Lord, how glorious is Your name over all the earth!

POSTCOMMUNION
O Lord, may this Communion cleanse us from sin, and bestow upon us spiritual health from heaven. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT CHAD
Vouchsafe, we beseech Thee, O Lord our God, that being cleansed by the divine Mysteries, we may, by the intercession of blessed Chad, Thy Confessor and Bishop, progress towards the fullness of that heavenly Sacrament in which we have shared. Through our Lord . . .

 
PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE
Hear our petitions, O Almighty God. Your love has given us hope; let Your unfailing mercy protect us. Through our Lord . . .

 

BLESSED CHARLES THE GOOD

Martyr (1124 A.D.)

[Historical]

 
Charles was born in Denmark, only son of King Canute IV (Saint Canute) and Adela of Flanders. His father was assassinated in Odense Cathedral in 1086, and Adela fled back to Flanders, taking the very young Charles with her. Charles grew up at the comital court of his grandfather Robert I and uncle Robert II. In 1092 Adela went to southern Italy to marry Roger Borsa, duke of Apulia, leaving Charles in Flanders.
In 1111 Robert II died, and Charles' cousin Baldwin VII became count. Charles was a close advisor to the new count (who was several years younger), who around 1118 arranged Charles' marriage to the heiress of the count of Amiens, Margaret of Clermont. The childless count Baldwin was wounded fighting for the king of France in September 1118, and he designated Charles as his successor before he died on the 19th of July 1119.
Charles was noted for his kindness and generosity towards the poor, and during a time of famine he distributed bread to them. He also took action to prevent grain from being hoarded and sold at excessively high prices. Prodded by his advisors, he also began proceedings to reduce the influential Erembald family, which was heavily engaged in this activity, to the status of serfs. As a result, Fr. Bertulf FitzErembald, provost of the church of St. Donatian,^[1] the most important church in Bruges, masterminded a conspiracy to assassinate Charles and his advisors.
On the morning of March 2, 1127, as Charles knelt in prayer in the church of St. Donatian, a group of knights answering to the Erembald family entered the church and hacked him to death with broadswords. The brutal and sacrilegious murder of the popular count provoked a massive public outrage, and he was almost immediately regarded popularly as a martyr and saint, although not formally beatified until 1884.^[2]
The Erembalds, who had planned and carried out the murder of Charles, were arrested and tortured to death by the enraged nobles and commoners of Bruges and Ghent. King Louis VI of France, who had supported the revolt against the Erembalds, used his influence to select his own candidate, William Clito, as the next Count of Flanders. 

SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT; ST. DAVID OF WALES (601 A.D.)

 

 

 

SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT

 

[Commemoration]

[Commemoration]
ST. DAVID OF WALES 

 

DOUBLE, FIRST CLASS / PURPLE
Knowing what Christ taught and lived, we perceive the contrast between what we are and what we are meant to be. What we are, if patiently accepted, is a help toward that Christian humility which is the foundation of personal holiness. Original sin and personal sins have upset our inner harmony. Still, even though appetites are greedy, they are not our masters.
"God has called us unto holiness" -- that is, to be mature, balanced, happy Christians who share the responsibility of bringing persons of every race to holiness in Christ. Inner transformation ought to shine outwardly in apostolic zeal. resurrection to glory is life's reward.

INTROIT Ps. 24:6, 3, 22 

Remember, O Lord, Your compassion and Your mercy are from of old, that my enemies may never rule over us. Deliver us from all our distress, O God of Israel.
Ps. 24:1-2. I have lifted up my soul to You, O Lord; in You, O my God, I place my trust. Let me not be put to shame.
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O God, You see that we are completely powerless of ourselves. Protect us from bodily and spiritual dangers, so that we may not be harmed by physical misfortunes and evil thoughts. Through our Lord . . .

 

Commemoration of SAINT DAVID

Born to the Welsh royalty, the son of King Sandde, Prince of Powys, and of Saint Non, the daughter of a chieftain of Menevia (western Wales). Grandson of Ceredig, Prince of Cardigan. Uncle of King Arthur. Priest. Studied under Saint Paul Aurelian. Worked with Saint Columbanus, Saint Gildas the Wise, and Saint Finnigan. Missionary and founder of monasteries.

Following his contribution to the synod of Brevi in Cardiganshire, he was chosen primate of the Cambrian Church. Archbishopof Caerleon on Usk, he moved the see to Menevia. Presided at the Synod of Brefi which condemned the Pelagian heresy. Encouraged and founded monasteries. First to build a chancel to Saint Joseph of Arimathea‘s wattle church at Glastonbury.

After a vision in his monastery in the Rhos Valley, he set out next day with two monks to Jerusalem to aid the Patriarch. While there his preaching converted anti-Christians. Legend says that once while he was preaching, a dove descended to his shoulder to show he had the blessings of the Spirit, and that the earth rose to lift him high above the people so that he could be heard by them all. Another time when was preaching to a crowd at Llandewi Brefi, people on the outer edges could not hear, so he spread a handkerchief on the ground, stood on it, and the ground beneath rose up in a pillar so all could hear.

 

Grant, we entreat Thee, almighty God, that the loving intercession of blessed David, Thy Confessor and Bishop, might ever protect us, and that while we keep his feast we may also imitate his perseverance in defending the Catholic Faith. Through our Lord . . .

EPISTLE I Thess. 4:1-7
Brethren: For the rest therefore, brethren, pray and beseech you in the Lord Jesus that, as you have received from us, how you ought to walk and to please God, so also you would walk, that you may abound the more.
For you know what precepts I have given to you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: That you should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor, Not in the passion of lust, like the Gentiles that know not God: And that no man overreach nor circumvent his brother in business: because the Lord is the avenger of all these things, as we have told you before and have testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto sanctification, in Christ Jesus Our Lord.

GRADUAL Ps. 24:17-18
The cares of my heart are multiplied; deliver me from my distress, O Lord.
V. See my wretchedness and my suffering, and forgive all my sins.

TRACT Ps. 105:1-4
Give glory to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever.
V. Who shall tell the mighty deeds of the Lord; who shall proclaim all His praises?
V. Blessed are they who keep the precepts, who do what is just at all times.
V. Remember us, O Lord, in Your benevolence towards Your people; visit us with Your saving help.

GOSPEL Matt. 17: 1-9
At that time, Jesus taketh unto him Peter and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart: And he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow. And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with him. And Peter answering, said to Jesus: Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
And as he was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them. And lo a voice out of the cloud, saying: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him." And the disciples hearing fell upon their face, and were very much afraid. And Jesus came and touched them: and said to them: "Arise, and fear not." And they lifting up their eyes, saw no one, but only Jesus.
And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying: "Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of man be risen from the dead."

CREED

 

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 118:47, 48
I will meditate on Your commandments, which I love dearly; and I will lift up my hands to Your commands, which I cherish.

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 . . .

Commemoration of SAINT DAVID
 May Thy Saints, we beseech Thee, O Lord, in all places bring us joy, that while we recall their merits, we may experience their patronage. Through our Lord . .  

 
COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 5:2-4
Hear my call for help and hearken to the voice of my prayer, O my King and my God; for to You I pray, O Lord.

POSTCOMMUNION
Almighty God, we humbly ask that those who are nourished with Your Sacrament may live a life of worthy service pleasing to You. Through Our Lord . . .

 

Commemoration of SAINT DAVID
Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that we who give thanks for the gifts that we have received, may through the intercession of blessed David, Thy Confessor and Bishop, obtain still greater blessings. Through our Lord . . .   
 

EMBER SATURDAY IN LENT

 

 

EMBER SATURDAY IN LENT

SIMPLE / PURPLE
This Mass provides for ordination to one of the minor or major orders after each set of Prayer and Lesson. Celebrated by every priest in every church and chapel, the Mass unites the whole worshiping Christ in the exercise of the one priesthood of Christ. This entering into priesthood by the respective steps of Baptism, Confirmation, and the essentially distinctive and superior Holy Orders, is like a transfiguration. It is a profound reason for mutual respect among all Christians and a great urge to bring every race under Heaven into such dignity and glory.

INTROIT Ps. 87:3

Let my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my call for help, O Lord.
Ps. 87:2. O Lord, God of my salvation, I have cried out by day and by night in Your presence.
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
V. Let us pray. Let us kneel.

R. Arise!

Look with mercy upon Your people,O Lord, and in Your pity spare them from the punishment they deserve. Through our Lord . . .

FIRST LESSON Deut. 26:12-19

In those days, Moses spoke to the people, saying, "When thou hast made an end of tithing all thy fruits, in the third year of tithes thou shalt give it to the Levite, and to the stranger, and to the fatherless, and to the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled: And thou shalt speak thus in the sight of the Lord thy God: 'I have taken that which was sanctified out of my house, and I have given it to the Levite, and to the stranger, and to the fatherless, and to the widow, as thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments nor forgotten thy precepts. I have not eaten of them in my mourning, nor separated them for any uncleanness, nor spent any thing of them in funerals. I have obeyed the voice of the Lord my God, and have done all things as thou hast commanded me. Look from thy sanctuary, and thy high habitation of heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou didst swear to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.'
" This day the Lord thy God hath commanded thee to do these commandments and judgments: and to keep and fulfill them with all thy heart, and with all thy soul. Thou hast chosen the Lord this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways and keep his ceremonies, and precepts, and judgments, and obey his command. And the Lord hath chosen thee this day, to be his peculiar people, as he hath spoken to thee, and to keep all his commandments: And to make thee higher than all nations which he hath created, to his own praise, and name, and glory: that thou mayst be a holy people of the Lord thy God, as he hath spoken."

GRADUAL Ps. 78:9, 10

Pardon us our sins, O Lord, lest the nations ever say, "Where is their God?"
V. Help us, O God our Savior; and for the glory of Your name, O Lord, deliver us.

COLLECT

O God, who protected the three young men from the flames of fire, grant that the flames of sin may not consume us, Your servants. Through our Lord . . .

Second Lesson
Lesson from the book of Deuteronomy
Deut. 11:22-25
In those days, Moses said to the children of Israel, If you are careful to observe all these commandments I enjoin on you, loving the Lord, your God, and following His ways exactly, and holding fast to Him, the Lord will drive all these nations out of your way, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves. Every place where you set foot shall be yours: from the desert and from Lebanon, from the Euphrates River to the Western Sea, shall be your territory. None shall stand up against you; the Lord, your God, will spread the fear and dread of you through any land where you set foot, as He promised you, the Lord your God.
R. Thanks be to God.
Gradual
Ps 83:10, 9.
Behold, O God, our Protector, and look upon Your servants.
V. O Lord of Hosts, hear the prayer of Your servants.

Collect
Let us pray.
V. Let us kneel.
R. Arise.
Heed our humble prayers, we beseech You, O Lord, that by Your bounty we may have grace to be humble in prosperity and untroubled in the midst of adversity.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
R. Amen.

Third Lesson
Lesson from the book of Machabees
2 Mach. 1:23-27
In those days, all the priests made prayer, while the sacrifice was consuming, Jonathan beginning and the rest answering. And the prayer of Nehemias was after this manner: O Lord God, Creator of all things, dreadful and strong, just and merciful, Who alone are the good King, Who alone are gracious, Who alone are just and almighty and eternal, Who deliver Israel from all evil, Who chose the fathers and sanctified it; that the Gentiles may know that You are our God.
R. Thanks be to God.
Gradual
Ps 89:13, 1.
Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on Your servants!
V. O Lord, You have been our refuge through all generations.

Collect
Let us pray.
V. Let us kneel.
R. Arise.
Have mercy upon us, O God of the universe, and behold us, and show us the light of Your mercies; and put all the nations in dread of You that have not sought after You. Let them know that there is no God beside You, and show forth Your wonders.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
R. Amen.

Fourth Lesson
Lesson from the book of Ecclesiastes
Ecclus. 36:1-10 
Raise Your hand against the heathen, that they may realize Your power. As You have used us to show them Your holiness, so now use them to show us Your glory. Thus they will know, as we know, that there is no God but You, O Lord. Give new signs and work new wonders; show forth the splendor of Your right hand and arm; rouse Your anger, pour out wrath, humble the enemy, scatter the foe. Hasten the day, bring on the time; that they may declare Your wonderful works, O Lord, our God.
R. Thanks be to God.
Gradual
Ps 140:2
Let my prayer come like incense before You, O Lord.
V. The lifting up of my hands, like the evening sacrifice.

Collect
Let us pray.
V. Let us kneel.
R. Arise.
O Lord, we beseech You, precede our actions with Your favor and accompany them by Your help, so that each prayer and work of ours may always begin with You and, once begun, may be accomplished through You.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
R. Amen.

Fifth Lesson
Lesson from the Prophecy of Daniel
Dan. 3:47-51
In those days, the Angel of the Lord went down into the furnace with Azure and his companions, drove the fiery flames out of the furnace, and made the inside of the furnace as though a dew-laden breeze were blowing through it. And the flames rose forty-nine cubits above the furnace, and spread out, burning the Chaldeans nearby, the king’s men who were stoking the furnace. And the fire in no way touched them or caused them pain or harm. Then these three in the furnace with one voice sang, glorifying and blessing God:

HYMN
Dan. 3:52-56
Blessed are You, O Lord, the God of our father, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. And blessed is Your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages. Blessed are You in the temple of Your holy glory, praiseworthy and glorious above all forever. Blessed are You on the holy throne of Your kingdom, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Blessed are You upon the sceptre of Your divinity, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Blessed are You Who look into the depths from Your throne upon the Cherubim, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Blessed are You Who walk upon the wings of the wind, and on the waves of the sea, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Let all Your Angels and Saints bless You, and praise You and exalt You above all forever. Let the heavens, the earth, the sea and all the things that are in them bless You, and praise you and exalt You above all forever. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Blessed are You, O Lord, the God of our father, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.

Collect
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
O God, Who tempered the flames of fire for the three young men, mercifully grant that the flames of sin may burn us, Your servants.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
R. Amen.

EPISTLE I Thess. 5:14-23

Brethren: And we beseech you, rebuke the unquiet: comfort the feeble minded: support the weak: be patient towards all men. See that none render evil for evil to any man: but ever follow that which is good towards each other and towards all men. Always rejoice. Pray without ceasing. In all things give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you all. Extinguish not the spirit. Despise not prophecies. But prove all things: hold fast that which is good. From all appearance of evil refrain yourselves. And may the God of peace himself sanctify you in all things: that your whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless in the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

TRACT Ps. 116:1-2

Praise the Lord, all you nations; praise Him in unison, all you peoples!
V. For His mercy is steadfast towards us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever.

GOSPEL Matt. 17:1-9

At that time, Jesus taketh unto him Peter and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart: And he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow. And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with him. And Peter answering, said to Jesus: "Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias."
And as he was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them. And lo a voice out of the cloud, saying: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him." And the disciples hearing fell upon their face, and were very much afraid. And Jesus came and touched them: and said to them: "Arise, and fear not." And they lifting up their eyes, saw no one, but only Jesus.

And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying: "Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of man be risen from the dead."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 87:2-3

O Lord, God of my salvation, I have cried out by day and by night in Your presence. let my prayer come before You, O Lord.

SECRET

O Lord, sanctify our fasting by these offerings, so that our acts of penance may interiorly accomplish in us the effect that they outwardly signify. Through our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 7:2

O Lord, my God, in You have I placed my trust; save me from all my persecutors, and rescue me.

POSTCOMMUNION

Almighty God, may the grace of this Sacrament cure our sinfulness and be an everlasting remedy for our weakness. Through our Lord . . .

PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE

O God, strengthen Your people with the blessing they ask, so that they may always be obedient to Your will and rejoice in Your gifts. Through our Lord . . .

EMBER FRIDAY IN LENT; Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows

 

EMBER FRIDAY IN LENT

[COMMEMORATION]

SAINT GABRIEL OF
OUR LADY OF SORROWS
Confessor

SIMPLE/PURPLE
The need to make reparation is a vital, inescapable urge of a free person. His very nature cries out for order and peace. His reason tells him that where an order has been violated, the order must be repaired; and the higher the order, the greater must be the reparation. To be free at all, is to accept the responsibility for atonement. Sin is a violation of God's order. Sin demands reparation -- the reparation of personal penance, personal prayer, personal charity to all. Part of our atonement to God is made by serving our fellow men.

INTROIT (Ps. 24:17-18)
Deliver me from my distress, O Lord. See my affliction and my suffering, and forgive all my sins. Ps. 24:1-2. I have lifted up my soul to You, O Lord; in You, O my God, I place my trust. Let me not be put to shame. 
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O Lord, be merciful towards Your people. Comfort them with Your loving help, as You have kept them loyal to You. Through our Lord . . .

 

Commemoration of SAINT GABRIEL POSSENTI

Gabriel Possenti (1838-62), the son of a distinguished Italian lawyer, entered the novitiate of the Passionist Fathers, receiving in religion the name of Brother Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows. The story of the remaining six years of this young saint's life is largely a record of an extraordinary effort to attain spiritual perfection in small things, but his devotion to Mary was exceptional. Pope Leo XIII said of him: "Because of his filial love for Mary at the foot of the cross, he deserves to take his place by St. John, the beloved disciple, to whom Jesus in His dying hour commended His Mother."

O God, You taught blessed Gabriel to meditate constantly on the sorrows of Your most sweet Mother, and You exalted him by glorious virtues and miracles. Through his prayers and example may we share the sorrows of Your Mother and come to eternal life under Her motherly care; who lives and rules with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.

LESSON (Ezech. 18:20-28)
The soul that sinneth, the same shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, and the father shall not bear the iniquity of the son: the justice of the just shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. But if the wicked do penance for all his sins which he hath committed, and keep all my commandments, and do judgment, and justice, living he shall live, and shall not die. I will not remember all his iniquities that he hath done: in his justice which he hath wrought, he shall live. Is it my will that a sinner should die, saith the Lord God, and not that he should be converted from his ways, and live? But if the just man turn himself away from his justice, and do iniquity according to all the abominations which the wicked man useth to work, shall he live? all his justices which he hath done, shall not be remembered: in the prevarication, by which he hath prevaricated, and in his sin, which he hath committed, in them he shall die. And you have said: The way of the Lord is not right. Hear ye, therefore, O house of Israel: Is it my way that is not right, and are not rather your ways perverse? For when the just turneth himself away from his justice, and comitteth iniquity, he shall die therein: in the injustice that he hath wrought he shall die. And when the wicked turneth himself away from his wickedness, which he hath wrought, and doeth judgment, and justice: he shall save his soul alive. Because he considereth and turneth away himself from all his iniquities which he hath wrought, he shall surely live, and not die.

GRADUAL (Ps. 85:2, 6)
Save Your servant who trusts in You, O my God. V. Hearken, O Lord, to my prayer.

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 name's sake.

GOSPEL (John 5:1-15)
At that time, there was a festival day of the Jews: and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem a pond, called Probatica, which in Hebrew is named Bethsaida, having five porches.
In these lay a great multitude of sick, of blind, of lame, of withered: waiting for the moving of the water. And an angel of the Lord descended at certain times into the pond and the water was moved. And he that went down first into the pond after the motion of the water was made whole of whatsoever infirmity he lay under.
And there was a certain man there that had been eight and thirty years under his infirmity. Him when Jesus had seen lying, and knew that he had been now a long time, he saith to him: "Wilt thou be made whole?" The infirm man answered him: "Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pond. For whilst I am coming, another goeth down before me." Jesus saith to him: "Arise, take up thy bed and walk." And immediately the man was made whole: and he took up his bed and walked. And it was the sabbath that day.
The Jews therefore said to him that was healed: "It is the sabbath. It is not lawful for thee to take up thy bed." He answered them: "He that made me whole, he said to me: Take up thy bed and walk." They asked him therefore: "Who is that man who said to thee: Take up thy bed and walk?" But he who was healed knew not who it was: for Jesus went aside from the multitude standing in the place. Afterwards, Jesus findeth him in the temple and saith to him: "Behold thou art made whole: sin no more, lest some worse thing happen to thee." The man went his way and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him whole.

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (Ps. 102:2, 5)
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits; and your youth shall be renewed like that of the eagle.

SECRET 
O Lord, accept our offering as a mark of our worship, and in Your mercy sanctify the gifts we bring You. Through our Lord . . .

 

Commemoration of SAINT GABRIEL

We offer You, O Lord, this life-giving sacrifice in memory of blessed Gabriel. make us always remember the sacrifice of Your death, and let us share in the abundant effects of that sacrifice through the merits of the sorrowing Virgin; who lives and rules with God the Father . . .

 
COMMUNION ANTIPHON (Ps. 6:11)
Let all my enemies be put to shame in utter terror; let them be turned back in sudden shame.

POSTCOMMUNION PRAYER
O Lord, may this sacred rite wash away our sins and fulfill our reasonable desires. Through our Lord . . .

 

Commemoration of SAINT GABRIEL

O Lord, on this feast of Your holy confessor Gabriel, we give thanks for all we have received from You. Graciously accept our gratitude through the hands of the glorious Ever-Virgin Mary, from whom You took flesh--the same flesh that we have received in this Banquet of Salvation; who lives and rules with God the Father . . .

 
PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE
O God of Mercy, hear us and enlighten our minds with Your grace. Through our Lord . . .

THURSDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK IN LENT; SAINT PORPHYRIUS (420 A.D.); SAINT ALEXANDER (326 A.D.)

 

THURSDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK
IN LENT

SIMPLE / PURPLE
INTROIT (Ps. 95:6)
Praise and beauty go before him; holiness and majesty are in his sanctuary.
Ps. 95:1. Sing to the Lord a new canticle; sing to the Lord, all the earth.
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O Lord, look with favor upon the devotion of Your people. As we mortify our bodies through abstinence, may our minds be refreshed by this good work. Through our Lord . . .

LESSON (Ezech. 18:1-9)
In those days, the word of the Lord came to me, saying: "What is the meaning? That you use among you this parable as a proverb in the land of Israel, saying: 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the children are set on edge.' As I live", saith the Lord God, "this parable shall be no more to you a proverb in Israel."
"Behold all souls are mine: as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, the same shall die. And if a man be just, and do judgment and justice, And hath not eaten upon the mountains, nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel: and hath not defiled his neighbour's wife, nor come near to a menstruous woman: And hath not wronged any man: but hath restored the pledge to the debtor, hath taken nothing away by violence: hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment: Hath not lent upon usury, nor taken any increase: hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, and hath executed true judgment between man and man: Hath walked in my commandments, and kept my judgments, to do truth: he is just, he shall surely live," saith the Lord God.

GRADUAL (Ps. 16:8, 2)
Keep me as the apple of Your eye, O Lord; protect me under the shadow of Your wings. V. Let my judgment come from You; let my eyes behold what is right.

GOSPEL (Matt. 15:21-28)
At that time, Jesus went from thence, and retired into the coast of Tyre and Sidon. And behold a woman of Canaan who came out of those coasts, crying out, said to him: "Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David: my daughter is grievously troubled by a devil." Who answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying: "Send her away, for she crieth after us": And he answering, said: "I was not sent but to the sheep, that are lost of the house of Israel." But she came and adored him, saying: "Lord, help me." Who answering, said: "It is not good to take the bread of the children, and to cast it to the dogs." But she said: "Yea, Lord; for the whelps also eat of the crumbs that fall from the table of their masters." Then Jesus answering, said to her: "O woman, great is thy faith: be it done to thee as thou wilt": and her daughter was cured from that hour.

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (Ps. 33:8-9)
The angel of the Lord shall encamp around those who fear Him, and shall deliver them. Taste and see how good is the Lord.

SECRET
O Lord, may we be brought even closer to our salvation through this sacrifice by uniting our lenten fast with it. Through our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON (John 6:52)
The Bread that I will give is My Flesh for the life of the world.

POSTCOMMUNION
O Lord, support us in this life with Your grace and bring us to a new life in the world to come. Through our Lord . . .

PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE
O Lord, grant all Your Christians an understanding of the faith they profess, and a deep love of the heavenly Sacrament they receive. Through our Lord . . .

 

SAINT PORPHYRIUS

Bishop (420 A.D.)

[Historical]

Saint Porphyry (or Saint Porphyrius) (Greek: Πορφύριος, Porphyrios; Latin: Porphyrius; Slavonic: Порфирий, Porfiriy) (ca. 347–420), Bishop of Gaza 395–420, known from the account in his Life for Christianizing the recalcitrant pagan city of Gaza, and demolishing its temples.
Porphyry of Gaza is known to us only from the vivid biography by Mark the Deacon. The Vita Porphyrii appears to be a contemporary account of Porphyry that chronicles in some detail the end of paganism in Gaza in the early fifth century. However the text has been identified in the 20th century as hagiography rather than history and some elements of it are certainly examples of the stereotyped events characteristic of this form of fiction ^[1] . On the other hand the author was certainly intimately familiar with Gaza in late Antiquity ^[2], and his statements are of interest at least as reflecting attitudes in the 5th century. A street in the village of Zejtun, Malta bears his name.

SAINT ALEXANDER

Bishop (326 A.D.)

[Historical]

ST ALEXANDER, CONFESSOR, PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA

Feast: February 26 A.D. 326

St Alexander succeeded St. Achillas in the see of Alexandria in 313. He was a man of apostolic doctrine and life, mild, affable, exceedingly charitable to the poor, and full of faith, zeal, and fervour. He assumed to the sacred ministry chiefly those who had first sanctified themselves in holy solitude, and was happy in the choice of bishops throughout all Egypt. The devil, enraged to see the havoc made in his usurped empire over mankind by the disrepute idolatry was generally fallen into, used his utmost endeavours to repair the loss to his infernal kingdom by procuring the establishment of a most impious heresy. Arius, a priest of Alexandria, was his principal instrument for that purpose. This heresiarch was well versed in profane literature, was a subtle dialectitian, had an exterior show of virtue, and an insinuating behaviour; but was a monster of pride, vainglory, ambition, envy, and jealousy. He joined Meletius, the Bishop of Lycopolis, in the beginning of his schism against St. Peter, our saint's predecessor, in 300: but quitting that party after some time, St. Peter was so well satisfied of the sincerity of his repentance that he ordained him deacon. Soon after Arius discovered his turbulent spirit, in accusing his archbishop and raising disturbances in favour of the Meletians. This obliged St. Peter to excommunicate him, nor could he ever be induced to revoke that sentence. But his successor, St. Achillas, upon his repentance, admitted him to his communion, ordained him priest, and made him curate of the church of Baucales, one of the quarters of Alexandria. Giving way to spite and envy on seeing St. Alexander preferred before him to the see of Alexandria,[1] he became his mortal enemy: and as the saint's life and conduct were irreproachable, all his endeavours to oppose him were levelled at his doctrine, in opposition to which the heresiarch denied the divinity of Christ. This error he at first taught only in private; but having, about the year 319, gained followers to support him, he boldly advanced his blasphemies in his sermons, affirming, with Ebion, Artemas, and Theodotus, that Christ was not truly God; adding, what no heretic had before asserted in such a manner, that the Son was a creature, and made out of nothing; that there was a time when he did not exist, and that he was capable of sinning, with other such impieties. St. Athanasius informs us,[2] that he also held that Christ had no other soul than his created divinity, or spiritual substance, made before the world: consequently, that it truly suffered on the cross, descended into hell, and rose again from the dead. Arius engaged in his errors two other curates of the city, a great many virgins, twelve deacons, seven priests, and two bishops. One Colluthus, another curate of Alexandria, and many others, declaimed loudly against these blasphemies. The heretics were called Arians, and these called the Catholics Colluthians. St. Alexander, who was one of the mildest of men, first made use of soft and gentle methods to recover Arius to the truth, and endeavoured to gain him by sweetness and exhortations. Several were offended at his lenity, and Colluthus carried his resentment so far as to commence a schism; but this was soon at an end, and the author of it returned to the Catholic communion. But St. Alexander, finding Arius's party increase, and all his endeavours to reclaim him ineffectual, he summoned him to appear in an assembly of his clergy, where, being found obstinate and incorrigible, he was excommunicated together with his adherents. This sentence of excommunication the saint confirmed soon after, about the end of the year 320, in a council at Alexandria, at the head of near one hundred bishops, at which Arius was also present, who, repeating his former blasphemies, and adding still more horrible ones, was unanimously condemned by the synod, which loaded him and all his followers with anathemas. Arius lay hid for some time after this in Alexandria, but being discovered, went into Palestine, and found means to gain over to his party Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea, also Theognis of Nice, and Eusebius of Nicomedia, which last was, of all others, his most declared protector, and had great authority with the emperor Constantine, who resided even at Nicomedia, or rather with his sister Constantia. Yet it is clear, from Constantine himself, that he was a wicked, proud, ambitious, intriguing man. It is no wonder, after his other crimes, that he became an heresiarch, and that he should have an ascendant over many weak, but well-meaning men, on account of his high credit and reputation at court. After several letters that had passed between these two serpents, Arius retired to him at Nicomedia; and there composed his Thalia, a poem stuffed with his own praises, and his impious heresies. Alexander wrote to the Pope, St. Sylvester, and, in a circular letter, to the other bishops of the church, giving them an account of Arius's heresy and condemnation. Arius, Eusebius, and many others, wrote to our saint, begging that he would take off his censures. The Emperor Constantine also exhorted him by letter to a reconciliation with Arius, and sent it by the great Osius to Alexandria, with express orders to procure information of the state of the affair. The deputy returned to the emperor better informed of the heresiarch's impiety and malice, and the zeal, virtue, and prudence of St. Alexander: and having given him a just and faithful account of the matter, convinced him of the necessity of a general council as the only remedy adequate to the growing evil and capable of restoring peace to the church. St. Alexander had already sent him the same advice in several letters. That prince, accordingly, by letters of respect, invited the bishops to Nice, in Bithynia, and defrayed their expenses. They assembled in the imperial palace of Nice on the 19th of June, in 325, being three hundred and eighteen in number, the most illustrious prelates of the church, among whom were many glorious confessors of the faith. The principal were our saint, St. Eustathius, Patriarch of Antioch, St. Macarius of Jerusalem, Cecilian, Archbishop of Carthage, St. Paphnutius, St. Potamon, St. Paul of Neocesarea, St. James of Nisibis, &c. St. Sylvester could not come in person by reason of his great age; but he sent his legates, who presided in his name. The Emperor Constantine entered the council without guards, nor would he sit till he was desired by the bishops, says Eusebius.[3] Theodoret says[4] a that he asked the bishops' leave before he would enter. The blasphemies of Arius, who was himself present, were canvassed for several days. Marcellus of Ancyra, and St. Athanasius, whom St. Alexander had brought with him, and whom he treated with the greatest esteem, discovered all the impiety they contained, and confuted the Arians with invincible strength. The heretics, fearing the indignation of the council, used a great deal of dissimulation in admitting the Catholic terms. The fathers, to exclude all their subtleties, declared the Son consubstantial to the father, which they inserted in the profession of their faith, called the Nicene creed, which was drawn up by Osius, and to which all subscribed, except a small number of Arians. At first they were seventeen, but Eusebius of Caesarea received the creed the day following, as did all the others, except five, namely, Eusebius of Nicomedia, Theognis of Nice, Maris of Chalcedon, Theonas and Secundus of Lybia, the two bishops who had first joined Arius. Of theses also Eusebius, Maris, and Theognis conformed through fear of banishment. The Arian historian Philostorgius[5] pretends to excuse his heroes, Eusebius of Nicomedia and Theognis, by saying they inserted an iota, and signed "like in substance", instead of "of the same substance"; a fraud in religion which would no way have excused their hypocrisy. Arius, Theonas, and Secundus, with some Egyptian priests, were banished by the order of Constantine, and Illyricum was the place of their exile. The council received Meletius and his schismatical adherents upon their repentance; but they afterwards relapsed into their schism, and part of them joined the Arians. The council added twenty canons of discipline, and was closed about the 25th of August. Constantine gave all the prelates a magnificent entertainment, and dismissed them with great presents to their respective sees. St. Alexander, after this triumph of the faith, returned to Alexandria; where, after having recommended St. Athanasius for his successor, he died in 326, on the 26th of February, on which day he is mentioned in the Roman Martyrology. A true disciple of Christ, by a sincere spirit of humility and distrust in himself, is, as it were, naturally inclined to submission to all authority appointed by God, in which he finds his peace, security, and joy. This happy disposition of his soul is his secure fence against the illusions of self-sufficiency and blind pride, which easily betrays men into the most fatal errors. On the contrary, pride is a spirit of revolt and independence: he who is possessed with this devil is fond of his own conceits, self-confident, and obstinate. However strong the daylight of evidence may be in itself, such a one will endeavor to shut up all the avenues of light, though some beams force themselves into his soul to disturb his repose, and strike deep the sting of remorse: jealousy and a love of opposition foster the disorder, and render it incurable. This is the true portraiture of Arius and other heresiarchs and firebrands of the universe. Can we sufficiently detest jealousy and pride, the fatal source of so great evils! Do we not discover, by fatal symptoms, that we ourselves harbour this monster in our breasts? Should the eye be jealous that the ear hears, and disturb the functions of this or the other senses, instead of regarding them as its own and enjoying their mutual advantage and comfort, what confusion would ensue!