SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT

 

SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT

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 . . .

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." 

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 . . .

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 . . .

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

 

EMBER FRIDAY IN LENT

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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

 

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 MATTHIAS Apostle; EMBER WEDNESDAY IN LENT

 

SAINT MATTHIAS

Apostle

EMBER WEDNESDAY IN LENT

DOUBLE, SECOND CLASS / RED

After the Ascension of Jesus, St. Peter proposed to the assembled faithful that they choose a disciple of Christ to fill the place of the traitor Judas in the first missionary band. Lots were drawn, with the result in favor of Matthias. According to one ancient tradition, this missioner labored in Ethiopia and was martyred there. Thus did St. Matthias receive "the crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him" (James 1:12).

INTROIT (Ps. 138:17)

Your friends are greatly honored by me, O God; their pre-eminence is definitely established.
Ps. 138:1. O Lord, You have proved me and You know me; You know when I sit and when I stand.
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT

O God, You made blessed Matthias one of the group of Your apostles. May his intercession enable us to feel the effects of Your mercy. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of EMBER WEDNESDAY

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

LESSON (Acts 1:15-26)

In those days Peter rising up in the midst of the brethren, said (now the number of persons together was about an hundred and twenty): "Men, brethren, the scripture must needs be fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who was the leader of them that apprehended Jesus: Who was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. And he indeed hath possessed a field of the reward of iniquity, and being hanged, burst asunder in the midst: and all his bowels gushed out. And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem: so that the same field was called in their tongue, Haceldama, that is to say, The field of blood. For it is written in the book of Psalms: 'Let their habitation become desolate, and let there be none to dwell therein.' And 'His bishopric let another take.'
" Wherefore of these men who have companied with us, all the time that the Lord Jesus came in and went out among us, Beginning from the baptism of John, until the day wherein he was taken up from us, one of these must be made a witness with us of his resurrection."

And they appointed two, Joseph, called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And praying, they said: "Thou, Lord, who knowest the heart of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, To take the place of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas hath by transgression fallen, that he might go to his own place." And they gave them lot, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

GRADUAL (Ps. 138:17-18)

Your friends are greatly honored, O God; their pre-eminence is definitely established. 
V. Were I to try to number them, they would be more numerous than the sands.

TRACT (Ps. 20:3-4)

You have granted him his heart's desire; You have not refused him the wish of his lips. 
V. You have made him excel by Your choicest blessings.
V. You have placed on his head a crown of precious stones.

GOSPEL (Matt. 11:25-30)

At that time Jesus answered and said: "I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to little ones. Yea, Father: for so hath it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered to me by my Father. And no one knoweth the Son but the Father: neither doth any one know the Father, but the Son, and he to whom it shall please the Son to reveal him. Come to me all you that labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you. Take up my yoke upon you, and learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: And you shall find rest to your souls. For my yoke is sweet and my burden light."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (Ps. 44:17-18)

You shall make them princes through all the land; they shall remember Your name, O Lord, in every generation and age.

SECRET

May Your blessed apostle Matthias join his prayers to the sacrifice we offer to Your name, O Lord, so that it may win Your pardon and protection for us. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of EMBER WEDNESDAY

We offer this sacrifice to You, O Lord, to atone for our sins. Mercifully absolve us from our wrong-doing and exert Your power over the inconstancy of our hearts. Through our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON (Matt. 19:28)

You who have followed Me shall sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

POSTCOMMUNION

O Almighty God, may our reception of Your Holy Sacrament and the intercession of Your blessed apostle Matthias bring us Your pardon and peace. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of EMBER WEDNESDAY

O Lord, may the reception of Your Sacrament cleanse us from our hidden faults, and guard us against the deceptions of our enemies. Through our Lord . . .

TUESDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK IN LENT; SAINT PETER DAMIAN Bishop and Doctor of the Church (1072 A.D.)

 

TUESDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK
IN LENT

[Commemoration]

SAINT PETER DAMIAN
Bishop and Doctor of the Church

 

SIMPLE / PURPLE
INTROIT Ps. 89:1, 2

O Lord, You have been our refuge through all generations; You are from eternity to eternity.
Ps. 89:2. Before the mountains were made, or the earth was formed, from eternity to eternity You are God. 
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT

Look kindly upon Your household, O Lord. May the mortification of our bodies purify our minds also and make us desire You. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT PETER DAMIAN
The tenth century was a dark age for the Church, but an upsurge of faith and morals began soon after the year 1000. One of the foremost apostles of reform was Peter Damian (1007-72), a native of Ravenna, Italy. Seven Popes in succession sought his advice, and St. Peter induced two antipopes to withdraw their pretensions to the Holy See. He often said: "We can never restore primitive discipline when once it is decayed; and if we, by negligence, suffer any diminution in what remains established, future ages will never be able to repair the breach."

O Almighty God, grant that we may follow the teaching and example of Your blessed confessor bishop Peter, and turn away from the things of earth that we may attain the joys of heaven. Through Our Lord . . .

LESSON Isa. 55:6-11
In those days, the prophet Isaias spoke, saying:
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, and giveth seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

GRADUAL Ps. 140:2
Let my prayer come like incense before Your sight, O Lord.
V. The lifting up of my hands, like an evening sacrifice.

GOSPEL Matt. 21:10-17

At that time, when Jesus was come into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, "Who is this?" And the multitudes said, "This is the prophet, Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee." 
And Jesus entered into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money–changers, and the seats of them that sold the doves; and he saith unto them, "It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer: but ye make it a den of robbers." 
And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple: and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children that were crying in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the son of David;" they were moved with indignation, and said unto him, "Hearest thou what these are saying?" And Jesus saith unto them, "Yea: did ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?" And he left them, and went forth out of the city to Bethany, and lodged there. 

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 30:15-16

I have placed my trust in You, O Lord; I said, "You are my God, my life is in Your hands."

SECRET

O Lord, be moved to compassion by our offerings and shield us from all danger. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT PETER DAMIAN
O Lord, let the blessed bishop and doctor Damian always help us, and through his intercession, accept our offering and pardon our sins. Through our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 4:2

When I called upon You, You answered me, O my just God; when I was in distress, You upheld me. Have pity on me, O Lord, and hear my prayer.

POSTCOMMUNION

Almighty God, grant that we may attain the salvation promised us through this Sacrament. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT PETER DAMIAN
O Lord, may this Sacrifice bring us closer to our salvation through the intercession of Your blessed bishop and illustrious doctor Damian. Through our Lord . . .

 
PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE
Let our prayers come before You, O Lord. Drive away all evil from Your Church. Through our Lord . . .

SAINT PETER'S CHAIR AT ANTIOCH

 

Image via Wikipedia

SAINT PETER'S CHAIR AT ANTIOCH

GREATER DOUBLE / WHITE
This feast commemorates the seven years during which Pope Peter ruled the Church from Antioch before he went to Rome. Since the majority of the Jews had rejected Christianity, Peter left Jerusalem and founded the see of Antioch among the Gentiles. In that large Eastern city, Christianity took deep root, and it was there that the faithful were first called by the name of Christians. After seven years the Vicar of Christ transferred his see to Rome, the very center of the ancient world, so that from it the messengers of salvation might radiate to the uttermost ends of the earth. 

Introit
Sir 45:30
The Lord made a covenant of friendship with him, and made him a prince; that he should possess the dignity of priesthood forever.
Ps 131:1
Remember, O Lord, David and all his meekness.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
The Lord made a covenant of friendship with him, and made him a prince; that he should possess the dignity of priesthood forever.

COLLECT 
O God, You have entrusted the keys of the kingdom of heaven to Your blessed apostle Peter and have given him the power of bishop to bind or to loose. May his intercession free us from the slavery of sin; who lives and rules with God the Father . . .

Commemoration of SAINT PAUL
O God, you have instructed many nations through the preaching of the blessed apostle Paul. Let the power of his intercession with You help us who venerate his memory this day. Through Our Lord . . .

Epistle I Peter 1:1-7

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers dispersed through Pontus, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, elect, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, unto the sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Grace unto you and peace be multiplied.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy hath regenerated us unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead: Unto an inheritance, incorruptible, and undefiled and that cannot fade, reserved in heaven for you, Who, by the power of God, are kept by faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein you shalt greatly rejoice, if now you must be for a little time made sorrowful in divers temptations: That the trial of your faith (much more precious than gold which is tried by the fire) may be found unto praise and glory and honour at the appearing of Jesus Christ.

GRADUAL Ps. 106:32; 31

Let them extol him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders. V. Let them praise the Lord for His mercies and for His wondrous deeds to the children of men.

TRACT Matt. 16:18-19
Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.
V. And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
V. What ever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven.
V. And whatever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven.

GOSPEL Matt. 16:13-19

At that time, Jesus came into the quarters of Caesarea Philippi: and he asked his disciples, saying: "Whom do men say that the Son of man is?" But they said: "Some John the Baptist, and other some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets." Jesus saith to them:"But whom do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said: "Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God."

And Jesus answering said to him: "Blessed art thou, Simon BarJona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Matt. 16:18-19

Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it; and I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.

SECRET

O Lord, we offer You the prayers and sacrifice of Your Church through the intercession of Your apostle Peter. May this Mass, which we celebrate in his honor, win pardon for us. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of Saint Paul

O Lord, sanctify the offerings of Your people through the intercession of the blessed apostle Paul. The sacrifice we offer is already acceptable to You because You instituted it; may it become even more pleasing to You through the prayers of Your saint. Through Our Lord . . . 

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Matt. 16:18

Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church.

POSTCOMMUNION

May our offering bring us happiness, O Lord. We praise You for the wondrous things You accomplished through Your apostle Peter and ask forgiveness through his intercession. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of Saint Paul

We have been made holy by this life-giving Sacrifice, O Lord. May we always be aided by the prayers of Your saint, whom You gave us as a protector and a guide. Through Our Lord . . .