FRIDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT; BLESSED AGNELLUS OF PISA (1236 A.D.)

 

FRIDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT

By Unknown author - http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw124138/Alexander-of-Hales-Jon-Duns-Scotus-William-Ockham-Angelo-da-Clareno-and-John-Gennings?LinkID=mp87016&role=sit&rNo=0, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61490054
 BLESSED AGNELLUS OF PISA

OFM 

ENTRANCE HYMN (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 . . .

PRAYER
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 BLESSED AGNELLUS

Blessed Agnellus of Pisa, also known as Agnello, was born to the Italian nobility around the year 1195 in Pisa, Italy. He dedicated his life to the service of God and was deeply influenced by the teachings of Saint Francis of Assisi. Agnellus was received into the Franciscan Order by Saint Francis himself, making him one of the earliest followers of the saint. 

 

O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst set blessed Agnellus free from the world's snares to follow Thy  cross, make us so follow in his footsteps that we may earn a crown of glory along with him in heaven. Who livest . . .

 
READING (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 HYMN (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 PRAYER
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 BLESSED AGNELLUS

In memory of Thy Saints, O Lord, we offer Thee the sacrifice of praise, by which we trust to be freed from both present and future evils. Through our Lord . . . 

 
COMMUNION HYMN (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 PRAYER
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 BLESSED AGNELLUS

Refreshed by meat and drink from heaven, O God, we humbly entreat Thee, that we may be protected by the prayers of him in whose memory we have partaken. 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 . . .

THURSDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT; SAINT GREGORY THE GREAT (604 A.D.)

 

THURSDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT

 

[Commemoration] 

SAINT GREGORY THE GREAT

 Pope and Doctor of the Church

SIMPLE/PURPLE

Man's entire being cries out for the presence of God -- a God who knows, loves, protects, forgives, and heals. The man whose life is God-centered will be God's agent of charity toward the oppressed, the abandoned, the sick, the stranger, regardless of race or nationality. Such God-centered agents of charity were Saints Cosmas and Damian, martyred physicians in whose honor the "stational church" of today's liturgy was built.

INTROIT

"I AM the salvation of the people," said the Lord. "In whatever distress they shall cry to me, I will hear them; and I will be their Lord forever."

Ps. 77:1 Hearken, my people, to my law; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT

We honor You, O Lord, in the celebration of the feast of Your blessed Cosmas and Damian. Help us through these saints upon whom, in Your wondrous providence, You have bestowed eternal glory. Through Our Lord . . .  

Commemoration of SAINT GREGORY THE GREAT
Pope Gregory I (c. 540-604) had founded seven Benedictine monasteries on his ancestral estates, and he himself had become a monk in one of them -- St. Andrew's on the Coelian Hill. In the sixth year of his pontificate, he sent to England forty Benedictine monks of St. Andrew's, with St. Augustine, their prior, as leader of the pioneer mission band. Gregory also dealt courageously with the conquering Lombards, enlightened the whole Church by his teaching, governed both East and West with vigorous humility, and gave to the world a perfect pattern of pastoral rule.

O God, You rewarded the soul of Your servant Gregory with eternal happiness. Mercifully relieve us from the oppressive weight of our sins through the intercession of this saint. Through Our Lord . . . 

LESSON Jer. 7:1-7
In those days, the word that came to Jeremias from the Lord, saying:
"Stand in the gate of the house of the Lord, and proclaim there this word, and say: Hear ye the word of the Lord, all ye men of Juda, that enter in at these gates, to adore the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel: Make your ways and your doings good: and I will dwell with you in this place.
"Trust not in lying words, saying: The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, it is the temple of the Lord. For if you will order well your ways, and your doings: if you will execute judgment between a man and his neighbour, If you oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, and walk not after strange gods to your own hurt, I will dwell with you in this place: in the land, which I gave to your fathers from the beginning and for evermore, says the Lord Almighty."

GRADUAL Ps. 144:15-16
The eyes of all look hopefully to You, O Lord, and You give them food in due season.
V. You open Your hand, and fill every living creature with blessing.

GOSPEL Luke 4:38-44
And Jesus rising up out of the synagogue, went into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever: and they besought him for her. And standing over her, he commanded the fever: and it left her. And immediately rising, she ministered to them.
And when the sun was down, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them to him. But he, laying his hands on every one of them, healed them. And devils went out from many, crying out and saying: "Thou art the son of God." And rebuking them he suffered them not to speak; for they knew that he was Christ.
And when it was day, going out he went into a desert place: and the multitudes sought him, and came unto him. And they stayed him that should not depart from them. To whom he said: "To other cities also I must preach the kingdom of God: for therefore am I sent." And he was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 137:7
Though I walk in the midst of tribulation, you shall preserve my life, O Lord. You will stretch forth Your right hand against the anger of my enemies, and Your right hand shall save me.

SECRET
We honor the glorious death of Your saints, O Lord, in the offering of this sacrifice which has given meaning to all martyrdom. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT GREGORY THE GREAT
May this sacrifice, which You offered to wash away the sins of the whole world, O Lord, help us through the intercession of blessed Gregory. Through Our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 118:4-5
You have commanded that Your precepts be kept most diligently. Oh, that my ways may be steadfast in keeping Your statutes!

POSTCOMMUNION
We beg You, O Lord, through the merits of Your blessed Martyrs Cosmas and Damian, to let this Sacrament be a sure promise of our salvation. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT GREGORY THE GREAT
O God, You bestowed the merits of the saints upon the blessed Pope Gregory. May we who celebrate this feast in his memory also follow the example of his life. Through our Lord . . .
 
PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE
Draw all nations to Yourself by Your divine mercy, O Lord, and make them always obedient to Your commandments. Through our Lord . . .

WEDNESDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT; SAINT CONSTANTINE (576 A.D.) King, Martyr; SAINT EULOGIUS, Martyr (A.D. 859)

 

WEDNESDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT

 

[Commemoration]

SAINT CONSTANTINE

King, Martyr

  

SIMPLE / PURPLE
The clear commandments of God are the light of hope for all the world; they are the eternal will, the eternal law of God that keeps everyone and everything in order and in peace. Obedience to God, and to His authority delegated to men, is the first duty of justice and the beginning of wisdom. Disobedience is injustice, shortsightedness, foolishness. Without  a vivid sense of God's rightful sovereignty over everything and every detail of life, there can be no sense of sin and no sorrow for sin. 

INTROIT (Ps. 30:7-8)
I will hope in the Lord. I shall rejoice and be glad because of Your mercy, for You have regarded my humility.
Ps. 30:2. In You, O Lord, have I hoped.Let me never be put to shame. In Your justice rescue me and set me free. V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O Lord, may our fasting and our avoidance of sin win for us Your readier forgiveness. Through Our Lord . . .

 

Commemoration of SAINT CONSTANTINE

St. Constantine, a British king, had joined St. Columba in preaching the Faith of Christ among the Picts. In extreme old age, he received the Martyr's crown, being cruelly put to death by pagans.

O God, who didst wonderfully adorn the blessed King Constantine Thy Martyr with the triumph of his glorious passion, grant we beseech Thee, that, imitating him, we may despise all worldly splendor, and ever fully love the things of Heaven. Through our Lord . . . 

 
 LESSON (Ex. 20:12-24)
Thus says the Lord God: "Honour thy father and thy mother, that thou mayst be long-lived upon the land which the Lord thy God will give thee. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house; neither shalt thou desire his wife, nor his servant, nor his handmaid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is his."
And all the people saw the voices and the flames, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mount smoking; and being terrified and struck with fear, they stood afar off, Saying to Moses: "Speak thou to us, and we will hear: let not the Lord speak to us, lest we die."
And Moses said to the people: "Fear not; for God is come to prove you, and that the dread of him might be in you, and you should not sin."
And the people stood afar off. But Moses went to the dark cloud wherein God was. And the Lord said to Moses: "Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel: You have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven. You shall not make gods of silver, nor shall you make to yourselves gods of gold. You shall make an altar of earth unto me, and you shall offer upon it your holocausts and peace offerings, your sheep and oxen, in every place where the memory of my name shall be."

GRADUAL (Ps. 6:3-4)
Have pity on me, O Lord, for I am weak; heal me, O Lord. V. For my body is in terror, and my soul. too, is utterly terrified.

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 (Matt. 15:1-20)
At that time, then came to him from Jerusalem scribes and Pharisees, saying: "Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the ancients? For they wash not their hands when they eat bread." But he answering, said to them: "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God for your tradition? For God said: 'Honour thy father and mother': And: 'He that shall curse father or mother, let him die the death.' But you say: 'Whosoever shall say to father or mother, "The gift whatsoever proceedeth from me, shall profit thee." And he shall not honour his father or his mother': and you have made void the commandment of God for your tradition. Hypocrites, well hath Isaias prophesied of you, saying: 'This people honoureth me with their lips: but their heart is far from me. And in vain do they worship me, teaching doctrines and commandments of men.' "
And having called together the multitudes unto him, he said to them: "Hear ye and understand. Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man: but what cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man."
Then came his disciples, and said to him: "Dost thou know that the Pharisees, when they heard this word, were scandalized?" But he answering, said: "Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they are blind, and leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both fall into the pit."
And Peter answering, said to him: "Expound to us this parable." But he said: "Are you also yet without understanding? Do you not understand, that whatsoever entereth into the mouth, goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the privy? But the things which proceed out of the mouth, come forth from the heart, and those things defile a man. For from the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies. These are the things that defile a man. But to eat with unwashed hands doth not defile a man."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (Ps. 108:21)
O Lord, be merciful to me for Your name's sake, because Your mercy is sweet.

SECRET
O Lord, accept the prayers and sacrifice Your people offer You. May we who celebrate Your sacred rites be guarded from all danger. Through our Lord . . .

 

Commemoration of SAINT CONSTANTINE

Receive our gifts and our prayers, we beseech Thee, O Lord, cleanse us by the heavenly Mysteries and mercifully hear us. Through our Lord . . . 

COMMUNION ANTIPHON (Ps. 15:11)
You have made known to me the path of life; You shall fill me with the joy of Your presence, O Lord.

POSTCOMMUNION
O Lord, may the heavenly banquet of which we have partaken sanctify us, free us of all error, and make us worthy of Your promise of heaven. Through Our Lord . . .

 

Commemoration of SAINT CONSTANTINE

Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord, our God, that as we rejoice on earth in keeping the memory of Thy saints, so also we may enjoy their company for evermore. Through our Lord . . . 

PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE
O Almighty God, may we who seek the help of Your protection be delivered from all evil, to serve You with untroubled minds. Through Our Lord . . .

 

St. Eulogius

Spanish martyr and writer who flourished during the reigns of the Cordovan Caliphs, Abd-er-Rahman II and Mohammed I (822-886). It is not certain on what date or in what year of the ninth century he was born; it must have been previous to 819, because in 848 he was a priest highly esteemed among the Christians of Catalonia and Navarre, and priesthood was then conferred only on men thirty years of age. The family of the saint was of the nobility and held land in Cordova from Roman times. The Mussulman rulers of Spain, at the beginning of the eighth century, tolerated the creed of the Christians and left them, with some restrictions, their civil rule, ecclesiastical hierarchy, monasteries, and property, but made them feel the burden of subjection in the shape of pecuniary exactions and military service. In the large cities like Toledo and Cordova, the civil rule of the Christians did not differ from that of the Visigothic epoch. The government was exercised by the comes (count), president of the council of senators, among whom we meet a similarly named ancestor of Eulogius. The saint, like his five brothers, received an excellent education in accord with his good birth and under the guardianship of his mother Isabel. The youngest of the brothers, Joseph, held a high office in the palace of Abd-er-Rahman II; two other brothers, Alvarus and Isidore, were merchants and traded on a large scale as far as Central Europe. Of his sisters, Niola and Anulona, the first remained with her mother; the second was educated from infancy in a monastery where she later became a nun.

After completing his studies in the monastery of St. Zoilus, Eulogius continued to live with his family the better to care for his mother; also, perhaps, to study with famous masters, one of whom was Abbot Speraindeo, an illustrious writer of that time. In the meantime he found a friend in the celebrated Alvarus Paulus, a fellow-student, and they cultivated together all branches of science, sacred and profane, within their reach. Their correspondence in prose and verse filled volumes; later they agreed to destroy it as too exuberant and lacking in polish. Alvarus married, but Eulogius preferred the ecclesiastical career, and was finally ordained a priest by Bishop Recared of Cordova. Alvarus has left us a portrait of his friend: "Devoted", he says, "from his infancy to the Scriptures, and growing daily in the practice of virtue, he quickly reached perfection, surpassed in knowledge all his contemporaries, and became the teacher even of his masters. Mature in intelligence, though in body a child, he excelled them all in science even more than they surpassed him in years. Fair in feature [clarus vultu], honest and honourable, he shone by his eloquence, and yet more by his works. What books escaped his avidity for reading? What works of Catholic writers, of heretics and Gentiles, chiefly philosophers? Poets, historians, rare writings, all kinds of books, especially sacred hymns, in the composition of which he was a master, were read and digested by him; his humility was none the less remarkable and he readily yielded to the judgment of others less learned than himself." This humility shone particularly on two occasions. In his youth he had decided to make a foot pilgrimage to Rome; notwithstanding his great fervour and his devotion to the sepulchre of the Prince of the Apostles (a notable proof of the union of the Mozarabic Church with the Holy See), he gave up his project, yielding to the advice of prudent friends. Again, during the Saracenic persecution, in 850, after reading a passage of the works of St. Epiphanius he decided to refrain for a time from saying Mass that he might better defend the cause of the martyrs; however, at the request of his bishop, Saul of Cordova, he put aside his scruples. His extant writings are proof that Alvarus did not exaggerate. They give an account of what is most important from 848 to 859 in Spanish Christianity, both without and within the Mussulman dominions, especially of the lives of the martyrs who suffered during the Saracenic persecution, quorum para ipse magna fuit. He was elected Archbishop of Toledo shortly before he was beheaded (11 March, 859). He left a perfect account of the orthodox doctrine which he defended, the intellectual culture which he propagated, the imprisonment and sufferings which he endured; in a word, his writings show that he followed to the letter the exhortation of St. Paul: Imitatores mei estote sicut et ego Christi. He is buried in the cathedral of Oviedo.

(Taken from Catholic Encyclopedia)

 

 

TUESDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT; FORTY HOLY MARTYRS (320 A.D.)

 

TUESDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT

[Commemoration]

FORTY HOLY MARTYRS

 

SIMPLE / PURPLE
The point at which we most quickly become Pharisees is in refusing forgiveness. Failing often in greater or lesser ways, everyone must constantly ask forgiveness of God and men. Besides, the duty of forgiveness is binding upon all souls, and in regard to all. Only when fraternal correction fails and the common good requires, does authority step in to heal the damage of scandal by corrective action. Everyone else must forgive and love and keep strong the bond of brotherhood. United in love and worship, especially at Mass and Holy Communion, we are one in Christ and sure to be heard by His Father when we pray.

INTROIT (Ps. 16:6, 8)
I cry to You, for You will answer me, O God. Incline Your ear and hear my words. Keep me as the apple of Your eye, O Lord; protect me under the shadow of Your wings.
Ps. 16:1. Hear, O Lord, a just cause; hearken to my supplication.
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O Almighty and merciful God, hear our prayers, and in Your kindness grant us Your grace as a result of our self-denial. Through Our Lord . . .

 

Commemoration of THE FORTY HOLY MARTYRS
The Forty Martyrs were soldiers belonging to various nationalities, who were quartered at Sebaste, Armenia, in A.D. 320. According to tradition, these Christians were condemned to lie naked on the frozen surface of a pond until they should die of exposure. The forty witnesses to Christ united in prayer, asking God that all of them might persevere to the end. Then one soldier weakened. But a pagan guard was inspired to confess Christ and take the place of the apostate, and again the number of forty martyrs was complete.

We pay honor to the bravery of Your glorious martyrs in bearing witness to You, O Almighty God. Grant that we may feel the power of their intercession with You. Through Our Lord . . .

LESSON (IV Kings 4:1-7)
In those days, a certain woman of the wives of the prophets, cried to Eliseus, saying: "Thy servant, my husband, is dead, and thou knowest that thy servant was one that feared God, and behold the creditor is come to take away my two sons to serve him." And Eliseus said to her: "What wilt thou have me do for thee? Tell me, what hast thou in thy house?" And she answered: "I, thy handmaid, have nothing in my house but a little oil, to anoint me." And he said to her: "Go, borrow of all thy neighbours empty vessels, not a few. And go in, and shut thy door, when thou art within, and thy sons: and pour out thereof into all those vessels: and when they are full, take them away."
So the woman went, and shut the door upon her, and upon her sons: they brought her the vessels, and she poured in. And when the vessels were full, she said to her son: "Bring me yet a vessel." And he answered: "I have no more." And the oil stood. And she came, and told the man of God. And he said: "Go, sell the oil, and pay thy creditor: and thou and thy sons live of the rest."

GRADUAL (Ps. 18:13-14)
Cleanse me from my hidden faults, O Lord, and spare Your servant from those of others. V. If they be not master of me, then I shall be blameless, and I shall be free of the most serious sin.

GOSPEL (Matt. 18:15-22)
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples: "But if thy brother shall offend against thee, go, and rebuke him between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou shalt gain thy brother. And if he will not hear thee, take with thee one or two more: that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may stand. And if he will not hear them: tell the church. And if he will not hear the church, let him be to thee as the heathen and publican. Amen I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven. Again I say to you, that if two of you shall consent upon earth, concerning anything whatsoever they shall ask, it shall be done to them by my Father who is in heaven. For where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
Then came Peter unto him and said: "Lord, how often shall my brother offend against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?" Jesus saith to him: "I say not to thee, till seven times; but till seventy times seven times."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (Ps. 117:16-17)
The right hand of the Lord has exercised power, the right hand of the Lord has lifted me up. I shall not die, but live,and declare the works of the Lord.

SECRET
O Lord, may this Sacrament bestow on us the effects of redemption by restraining our human passions and bringing us always closer to our salvation. Through Our Lord . . .

 

Commemoration of THE FORTY MARTYRS
Look favorably on the prayers and offerings of Your people, O Lord. May this celebration of the feast of Your saints please You and bring us Your merciful help. Through Our Lord . . . 


COMMUNION ANTIPHON (Ps. 14:1-2)
Lord, who shall abide in Your dwelling place? Who shall dwell on Your holy mountain? He who walks blamelessly and does justice.

POSTCOMMUNION
O Lord, cleanse us by this sacred Rite and grant us Your pardon and grace. Through Our Lord . . .

 

Commemoration of THE FORTY MARTYRS

May the prayers of Your saints win forgiveness for us, O Lord. Grant that the Sacrifice we offer in this life may be our everlasting possession in the life to come. Through Our Lord . . . 


PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE
O Lord, shield us by Your protection and keep us always from committing sin. Through Our Lord . . .

MONDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT; SAINT FRANCES OF ROME (1440 A.D.) Widow

  

MONDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT

[Commemoration]
SAINT FRANCES OF ROME
Widow

SIMPLE / PURPLE
God will not force His grace upon anyone. He insists only that every person accept His ordinary channels of grace: the Sacraments, sacramentals, people, circumstances, events, things. When a man does not believe in God's power to use anything or anybody as His instrument, God gives His grace to other men who do so believe. To disbelieve, and to reject God's way and time for answering prayer, is to be like the Nazarene's who rejected Christ. Souls in mission lands, as well as thousands everywhere, await the faith to see God at work in everything, especially through the Sacraments and the Mass.

INTROIT Ps. 55:5
Through God I will glory in this word, through the Lord I will praise this speech: in God I trust, and I will not fear what man can do to me.
Ps. 55:2. Have pity on me, O God, for men trample upon me; all the day they press their attack against me.
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O Lord, mercifully fill our hearts with Your grace. We mortify our bodies by abstaining from food; may we also guard our senses from the danger of unbridled pleasures. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT FRANCES OF ROME

Frances was born in Rome in 1384. When she was thirteen years of age, her parents married her to Lorenzo Ponziano, a man of outstanding virtue. Frances brought up her children in the love and fear of God. She was zealous in the performance of every household duty, saying, "A married woman must often leave God at the altar to find Him in her domestic cares." While her husband was still living, she founded an order of Oblates affiliated with the Benedictines; and when she became a widow she was elected superior of those religious women. Frances died on March 9, 1440, her face radiant with an unearthly glory.

O God, among the many gifts of grace You bestowed on Your blessed servant Frances, You granted her an intimate friendship with an angel. May we be worthy of fellowship with the angels through her intercession. Through Our Lord . . .

LESSON IV Kings 5:1-15 [2 Kings]
In those days, Naaman, general of the army, of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable: for by him the Lord gave deliverance to Syria: and he was a valiant man, and rich, but a leper.
Now there had gone out robbers from Syria, and had led away captive out of the land of Israel, a little maid, and she waited upon Naaman's wife. And she said to her mistress: I wish my master had been with the prophet that is in Samaria: he would certainly have healed him of the leprosy which he hath.
Then Naaman went in to his lord, and told him, saying: Thus and thus said the girl from the land of Israel. And the king of Syria said to him: Go; and I will send a letter to the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment; And brought the letter to the king of Israel, in these words: When thou shalt receive this letter, know that I have sent to thee Naaman, my servant, that thou mayst heal him of his leprosy.
And when the king of Israel had read the letter, he rent his garments, and said: Am I God, to be able to kill and give life, that this man hath sent to me to heal a man of his leprosy? mark, and see how he seeketh occasions against me.
And when Eliseus, the man of God, had heard this, to wit, that the king of Israel had rent his garments, he sent to him, saying: Why hast thou rent thy garments? let him come to me, and let him know that there is a prophet in Israel.
So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and stood at the door of the house of Eliseus: And Eliseus sent a messenger to him, saying: Go, and wash seven times in the Jordan, and thy flesh shall recover health, and thou shalt be clean. Naaman was angry, and went away, saying: I thought he would have come out to me, and standing, would have invoked the name of the Lord his God, and touched with his hand the place of the leprosy, and healed me. Are not the Abana, and the Pharphar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel, that I may wash in them, and be made clean? So as he turned, and was going away with indignation, His servants came to him, and said to him: Father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, surely thou shouldst have done it: how much rather what he now hath said to thee: Wash, and thou shalt be clean?
Then he went down, and washed in the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored, like the flesh of a little child: and he was made clean. And returning to the man of God, with all his train, he came, and stood before him, and said: In truth, I know there is no other God, in all the earth, but only in Israel: I beseech thee, therefore, take a blessing of thy servant.

GRADUAL Ps. 55:9 2
O God, I have recounted my life to You; You have placed my tears before You.
V. Have pity on me, O God, for men trample upon me; all the day they press their attack against 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 name's sake.

GOSPEL Luke 4:23-30
At that time, Jesus said to the Pharisees: "Doubtless you will say to me this similitude: 'Physician, heal thyself. As great things as we have heard done in Capharnaum, do also here in thy own country.' " And he said: "Amen I say to you that no prophet is accepted in his own country. In truth I say to You, there were many widows in the days of Elias in Israel, when heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there was a great famine throughout all the earth. And to none of them was Elias sent, but to Sarepta of Sidon, to a widow woman. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet: and none of them was cleansed but Naaman the Syrian." 
And all they in the synagogue, hearing these things, were filled with anger. And they rose up and thrust him out of the city: and they brought him to the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them, went his way.

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 54:2-3
Hearken, O Lord, to my prayer and turn not away from my pleading; give heed to me, and answer me.

SECRET
O Lord, transform this gift we offer You in worship into the Sacrament of our salvation. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT FRANCES OF ROME
Accept this gift, O Lord, from a people dedicated to You. We offer it in honor of Your saints for the help we have received from them when we were in trouble. Through our Lord . . . 

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 13:7
Who shall bring out of Sion the salvation of Israel? When the Lord shall have restored His people from captivity, then shall Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.

POSTCOMMUNION
Almighty and merciful God, may we cherish with our hearts the Sacrament we have received with our lips. Through Our Lord . . .

 Commemoration of SAINT FRANCES OF ROME
O Lord, You have feasted Your family with the Food of heaven. May we always be refreshed through the intercession of Your saint whose feast we celebrate this day. Through our Lord . . .

PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE
O Lord, aid us by Your mercy. Protect us from the dangers that threaten us because of our sins, and lead us to salvation. Through our Lord . . .

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT; SAINT JOHN OF GOD (1550 A.D.)

THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT

[Commemoration]

SAINT JOHN OF GOD
Confessor

 

DOUBLE / PURPLE
Today we worship Jesus as the Prince of Light, the "stronger" One, who casts out a devil, defends His authority over the whole kingdom of devils, and demands that we declare our allegiance to Him. Loyalty is in our very blood because God put it there; it is meant to hold us firm when truant desires tempt us. Loyalties reveal where we have put our securities. False loyalties can be given to lofty ideals as well as to earthly pleasures. As "children of the light," be wise. "Hear the word of God and keep it." Above everything, be loyal as love. "Walk in love."

INTROIT Ps. 24:15-16My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for He shall free my feet from the snare. Look upon me, and have pity on me, for I am alone and wretched.
Ps. 24:1-2. I have lifted up my soul to You, O my God; in You I place my trust. Let me not be put to shame.
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O Almighty God, fulfill the petitions of the humble; and defend us with Your right hand of power. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT JOHN OF GOD
At the age of 40, John of God (1495-1550) reformed his undisciplined life, obtained alms for the erection of two large hospitals at Granada, and staffed them with a new order, the Brothers Hospitallers. Successors of the first Brothers have continued to the present time their apostolic work of healing bodies and souls. The Prayer recalls how when a neighboring hospital was on fire, John of God passed miraculously through the flames until he had rescued all the poor sufferers.
 

O God, You brought blessed John unharmed through fire, burning only with love of You. You also enriched Your Church by his establishment of a new religious order. May the fire of Your love burn away our sins and heal us for eternal life through his merits. Through Our Lord . . .
 

 EPISTLE Eph. 5:1-9
Brethren: Be ye therefore followers of God, as most dear children: And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us and hath delivered himself for us, an oblation and a sacrifice to God for an odour of sweetness.
But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not so much as be named among you, as becometh saints: Or obscenity or foolish talking or scurrility, which is to no purpose: but rather giving of thanks. For know you this and understand: That no fornicator or unclean or covetous person (which is a serving of idols) hath inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words. For because of these things cometh the anger of God upon the children of unbelief. Be ye not therefore partakers with them. For you were heretofore darkness, but now light in the Lord. Walk then as children of the light. For the fruit of the light is in all goodness and justice and truth.

GRADUAL Ps. 9:20, 4
Arise, O Lord, let not man prevail; let the nations be judged in Your presence. V. When my enemies shall be turned back, they shall be weakened and destroyed before you.

TRACT Ps. 122:1-3
To You who are enthroned in heaven, have I lifted up my eyes.
V. Behold, as the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters.
V. And as the eyes of a maid are on the hands of her mistress, so are our eyes on the Lord, our God, until He have pity on us.
V. Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy.

GOSPEL Luke 11:14-28
At that time, Jesus was casting out a devil: and the same was dumb. And when he had cast out the devil, the dumb spoke: and the multitudes, were in admiration at it. But some of them said: "He casteth out devils by Beelzebub, the prince of devils." And others tempting, asked of him a sign from heaven. But he seeing their thoughts, said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself shall be brought to desolation; and house upon house shall fall. And if Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? Because you say that through Beelzebub I cast out devils. Now if I cast out devils by Beelzebub, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore, they shall be your judges. But if I by the finger of God cast out devils, doubtless the kingdom of God is come upon you. When a strong man armed keepeth his court, those things are in peace which he possesseth. But if a stronger than he come upon him and overcome him, he will take away all his armour wherein he trusted and will distribute his spoils. He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through places without water, seeking rest: and not finding, he saith: I will return into my house whence I came out. And when he is come, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then he goeth and taketh with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself: and entering in they dwell there. And the last state of that man becomes worse than the first."
And it came to pass, as he spoke these things, a certain woman from the crowd, lifting up her voice, said to him: "Blessed is the womb that bore thee and the paps that gave thee suck." But he said: "Yea rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 18:9, 10, 11, 12The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart, and His judgments are sweeter than honey and the honeycomb; for Your servant observes them.

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 JOHN OF GOD

We offer You, O Lord, this Sacrifice of praise in memory of Your Saints. Free us from evil now and in the future through their intercession. Through our Lord . . .

 
COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 83:4-5
The sparrow has found herself a home, and the turtledove a nest in which to lay her young -- Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my king and my God! Blessed are they who dwell in Your house; they shall praise You forever and ever.

POSTCOMMUNION
O God, You have allowed us to share in this great Sacrament. In Your mercy free us also from all guilt and danger of sin. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT JOHN OF GOD 
Refreshed with Heavenly Food and Drink we humbly pray You, our God, that we may be strengthened by the prayers of Your Saint, in whose memory we have received this Sacrament. Through our Lord . . .

Saturday of the Second Week in Lent; SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS (1274 A.D.)

 

SATURDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK IN LENT

[Commemoration]

SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS
Confessor and Doctor of the Church

 

INTROIT (Ps. 18:8)
The law of the Lord is perfect, converting souls. The testimony of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. Ps. 18:2. The heavens show forth the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims His handiwork. V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O Lord, may our fasting attain its saving effect so that the mortification of our bodies may bring a new life to our souls. Through Our Lord . . .

 Commemoration of SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS

Thomas Aquinas (1226-74), a child of noble lineage, was educated at the Abbey of Monte Cassino and as a youth entered the new Dominican Order at the University of Naples, to become one of the greatest philosophers and theologians of all times, and in his day one of Europe's most popular preachers and teachers. To extraordinary gifts of mind he added a prodigious capacity for work, complete singleness of purpose, and a profoundly mystical holiness of life. His Summa Theologica and Summa contra Gentiles constitute the most reasonable and comprehensive defense of Christian doctrine ever produced, and his Eucharistic prayers and poetry are enshrined in the Church's liturgy. He is the patron of Catholic education.

O God, the wondrous learning of Your blessed confessor Thomas enlightened Your Church and still makes her fruitful because of his holy efforts. Grant that we may understand his teachings and put them into practice. Through Our Lord . . .

LESSON (Gen. 27:6-40)
In those days, Rebecca said to her son Jacob: "I heard thy father talking with Esau, thy brother, and saying to him: 'Bring me of thy hunting, and make me meats that I may eat, and bless thee in the sight of the Lord, before I die.' Now therefore, my son, follow my counsel: And go thy way to the flock, bring me two kids of the best, that I may make of them meat for thy father, such as he gladly eateth. Which when thou hast brought in, and he hath eaten, he may bless thee before he die." And he answered her: "Thou knowest that Esau, my brother, is a hairy man, and I am smooth: If my father should feel me, and perceive it, I fear lest he will think I would have mocked him, and I shall bring upon me a curse instead of a blessing." And his mother said to him: "Upon me be this curse, my son: only hear thou my voice, and go, fetch me the things which I have said."
He went, and brought, and gave them to his mother. She dressed meats, such as she knew his father liked. And she put on him very good garments of Esau, which she had at home with her: And the little skins of the kids she put about his hands, and covered the bare of his neck. And she gave him the savoury meat, and delivered him bread that she had baked. Which when he had carried in, he said: "My father?" But he answered: "I hear. Who art thou, my son?" And Jacob said: "I am Esau, thy firstborn: I have done as thou didst command me: arise, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me." And Isaac said to his son: "How couldst thou find it so quickly, my son?" He answered: "It was the will of God, that what I sought came quickly in my way:" And Isaac said: "Come hither, that I may feel thee, my son, and may prove whether thou be my son Esau, or no." He came near to his father, and when he had felt him, Isaac said: "The voice indeed is the voice of Jacob; but the hands, are the hands of Esau." And he knew him not, because his hairy hands made him like to the elder.
Then blessing him, He said: "Art thou my son Esau?" He answered: "I am." Then he said: "Bring me the meats of thy hunting, my son, that my soul may bless thee." And when they were brought, and he had eaten, he offered him wine also, which after he had drunk, He said to him: "Come near me, and give me a kiss, my son." He came near, and kissed him. And immediately as he smelled the fragrant smell of his garments, blessing him, he said: "Behold, the smell of my son is as the smell of a plentiful field, which the Lord hath blessed. God give thee of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, abundance of corn and wine. And let peoples serve thee, and tribes worship thee: be thou lord of thy brethren, and let thy mother's children bow down before thee. Cursed be he that curseth thee: and let him that blesseth thee be filled with blessings."
Isaac had scarce ended his words, when, Jacob being now gone out abroad, Esau came, And brought in to his father meats, made of what he had taken in hunting, saying: "Arise, my father, and eat of thy son's venison; that thy soul may bless me." And Isaac said to him: "Why! who art thou?" He answered: "I am thy firstborn son, Esau." Isaac was struck with fear, and astonished exceedingly; and wondering beyond what can be believed, said: "Who is he then that even now brought me venison that he had taken, and I ate of all before thou camest? and I have blessed him, and he shall be blessed."
Esau having heard his father's words, roared out with a great cry; and, being in a consternation, said: "Bless me also, my father." And he said: "Thy brother came deceitfully and got thy blessing." But he said again: "Rightly is his name called Jacob; for he hath supplanted me lo this second time: My birthright he took away before, and now this second time he hath stolen away my blessing." And again he said to his father: "Hast thou not reserved me also a blessing?" Isaac answered: "I have appointed him thy lord, and have made all his brethren his servants: I have established him with corn and wine, and after this, what shall I do more for thee, my son?" And Esau said to him: "Hast thou only one blessing, father? I beseech thee bless me also." And when he wept with a loud cry, Isaac being moved, said to him: "In the fat of the earth, and in the dew of heaven from above, Shall thy blessing be."

GRADUAL (Ps. 91:2-3)
It is good to praise the Lord, and to sing to Your name, O Most High. V. To proclaim Your mercy in the morning and Your truth throughout the night.

GOSPEL (Luke 15:11-32)
At that time, Jesus spoke to the Pharisees and Scribes this parable: "A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father: 'Father, give me the portion of substance that falleth to me.' And he divided unto them his substance. "And not many days after, the younger son, gathering all together, went abroad into a far country: and there wasted his substance, living riotously. And after he had spent all, there came a mighty famine in that country: and he began to be in want. And he went and cleaved to one of the citizens of that country. And he sent him into his farm to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And returning to himself, he said: 'How many hired servants in my father's house abound with bread, and I here perish with hunger! I will arise and will go to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee. I am not worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.' And rising up, he came to his father. "And when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion and running to him fell upon his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him: 'Father: I have sinned against heaven and before thee I am not now worthy to be called thy son.' And the father said to his servants: 'Bring forth quickly the first robe and put it on him: and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet. And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it: and let us eat and make merry: Because this my son was dead and is come to life again, was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry. Now his elder son was in the field and when he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said to him: 'Thy brother is come and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe.' And he was angry and would not go in. His father therefore coming out began to entreat him. And he answering, said to his father: 'Behold, for so many years do I serve thee and I have never transgressed thy commandment: and yet thou hast never given me a kid to make merry with my friends. But as soon as this thy son is come, who hath devoured his substance with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.' But he said to him: 'Son, thou art always with me; and all I have is thine. But it was fit that we should make merry and be glad: for this thy brother was dead and is come to life again; he was lost, and is found.' "

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (Ps. 12:4-5)
Give light to my eyes that I may never sleep in death, that my enemy may never say, "I have overcome him."

SECRET
O Lord, be appeased by this sacrifice. We seek forgiveness for our own sins; let us not be burdened with the sins of others. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS
O Lord, let Your blessed Confessor and Doctor Thomas always help us, and through his intercession accept our offering and pardon our sins. Through our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON (Luke 15:32)
You ought to rejoice, my son, for your brother was dead, and has come to life; he was lost, and is found.

POSTCOMMUNION
May this sacramental libation of Your Sacrament fill our hearts, O Lord, and impart its own strength to us. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS
O Lord, may this sacrifice bring us closer to our salvation through the intercession of Your blessed Confessor and illustrious Doctor Thomas. Through our Lord . . .

PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE
O Lord, watch over Your household with constant, loving care. Let Your protection forever shield those who place their trust solely upon the hope of Your heavenly grace. Through Our Lord . . .