NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
DOUBLE/GREEN
However
much the old habits of self-sufficiency and false ideals may plague a
Christian, he is forever called to be a "new man." The distinct doctrine
and ethics he inherits at his rebirth are everywhere true, and
everywhere they are the way to heaven. No career, no science, no art, no
political or social system can be a god of salvation for any person.
Christ in His social teaching, His life, His Church, and His sacraments,
must be accepted and sincerely lived. Serving Christ in other men is an
essential of the Christian way of salvation and the surest expression
of Christian love.
INTROIT
"I
Am the salvation of the people," saith the Lord. "In whatever
tribulation they shall cry to Me, I will hear them; and I will be their
Lord for ever."
Ps. 77:1. Attend, O My people, to My law; incline your ears to the words of My mouth.
Glory be . . .
COLLECT
Almighty
and merciful God, graciously shield us from all that is harmful, so
that both in body and soul we may be eager to do Your will. Through our
Lord . . .
Patron saint of
Sweden, Bridget (1302-73) married a young prince and lived happily with
him for 28 years, bearing him eight children. St. Catherine of Sweden
was their daughter. After her husband died, Bridget founded the Order
of the Most Holy Savior, erecting at Vadstena a double monastery for
monks and nuns. Following the guidance of the Holy Spirit, she later
went to Rome, where she worked for the return of the Popes from
Avignon. This Scandinavian mystic is famous for her Revelations
concerning the sufferings of our Redeemer.
O Lord our God, Your only-begotten Son
revealed the secrets of heaven to blessed Bridget. May the prayers of
this saint bring Your servants the joy of one day beholding the
revelation of Your eternal glory. Through our Lord . . .
EPISTLE Eph. 4:23-28
[The Apostle exhorts us to put on the new man, to be renewed in the spirit.]
Brethren:
Be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man, who
according in God is created in justice and holiness of truth. Wherefore,
putting away lying, speak ye the truth every man with his neighbor, for
we are members of one another. Be angry, and sin not. Let not the sun
go down upon your anger. Give not place to the devil. He that stole, let
him now steal no more; but rather let him labor, working with his hands
the thing which is good, that he may have something to give to him that
suffereth need.
GRADUAL Ps. 14:2
Let my prayer be directed as incense in Thy sight, O Lord. V.: The lifting up of my hands as evening sacrifice.
Alleluia, alleluia. V.(Ps. 104. 1). Give glory to the Lord, and call upon His Name: declare His deeds among the Gentiles. Alleluia.
Alleluia, alleluia. V.(Ps. 104. 1). Give glory to the Lord, and call upon His Name: declare His deeds among the Gentiles. Alleluia.
GOSPEL Matt. 22:1-14
[Parable
of the marraige guests. All men are called to the heavenly, beatific
union, but few are chosen: those who wear the nuptial robe of baptism
and of the state of grace.]
At that time, Jesus spoke to the chief priests and the Pharisees in parables, saying: "The
kingdom of heaven is likened to a king, who made a marriage for his
son; and he sent his servants, to call them that were invited to the
marriage, and they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying:
Tell them that were invited: Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen
and fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come ye to the
marraige. But they neglected; and went their way, one to his farm, and
another to his merchandise; and the rest laid hands on his servants, and
having treated them contumeliously, put them to death. But when the
king had heard of it, he was angry; and sending his armies, he destroyed
those murderers,and burnt their city. Then he saith to his servants:
The marraige indeed is ready, but they that were invited were not
worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as you shall
find, call to the marraige. And his servants going forth into the ways,
gathered together all that they found, both bad and good; and the
marraige was filled with guests. And the king went in to see the guests,
and he saw there a man who had not on a wedding garment: and he saith
to him: Friend, how camest thou in hither, not having on a wedding
garment? but he was silent. Then the king said to the waiters: Bind his
hands and feet, and cast him into the exterior darkness: there shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen."
OFFERTORY Ps. 137:7
If
I shall walk in the midst of tribulation, Thou wilt quicken me, O Lord:
and Thou wilt stretch forth Thy hand against the wrath of my enemies;
and Thy right hand shall save me.
SECRET
Grant,
we beseech Thee, O Lord, that these gifts, which we offer in the sight
of Thy Majesty, may be unto us for salvation. Through our Lord Jesus
Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee . . .
Commemoration of SAINT BRIDGET
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. 118:4-5
Thou hast commanded Thy commandments to be kept most diligently: O that my ways may be directed to keep Thy justifications!
POSTCOMMUNION
May
Thy healing grace, O Lord, mercifully free us from our perverse
inclinations, and make us ever to cleave to Thy commandments. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the
unity of the Holy Ghost . . .
Commemoration of SAINT BRIDGET
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 . . .
800 years ago Christians were being captured by the Moslems and sold into slavery by the thousands, and nobody knew what to do about it. Then, in the year 1198, a man had an idea. St. John de Matha founded the Trinitarians to go to the slave markets to buy (ransom) the Christian Slaves and set them free.
To carry out this plan, the Trinitarians needed large amounts of money. They placed their fundraising efforts under the patronage of Mary. According to very ancient documents the feast of the Virgin was celebrated solemnly by Trinitarians. Every week since the year 1262, by a special indult, the Trinitarian communities prayed the office of the Virgin. The Trinitarians were moved to show this special devotion to the Virgin because of her relationship with the three persons of the Trinity, because of the great love with which the Virgin collaborated in the redemption of the world and because often, when carrying redemptions of captives, they experienced special help from the Virgin of Remedy. They were so successful that, over the centuries, the Trinitarians were able to free thousands and thousands of people and return them safely home.
All of this contributed to the fact that the Trinitarians became known for their veneration of the Virgin under the title of "Remedy" or "Good Remedy" and that confraternities, altars and images were set up in her honor. By singular graces, the Virgin manifested how pleased she was by this invocation.
Devotion to Mary under this title is widely known in Europe and Latin America. Our Lady of Good Remedy is often depicted as the Virgin Mary handing a bag of money to St. John of Matha.
When in need - for whatever reason, but especially where you have had difficulty obtaining help - invoke the aid of Our Lady of Good Remedy and you will surely experience the power of her intercession.
The feast of Our Lady of Good Remedy is celebrated on October 8.
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