SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Sunday - June 06, 2021

Sunday - June 06, 2021

Choose the divine Heart for your sacred oratory, wherein to offer to God your petitions and prayers that may be pleasing to Him.

 

- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

June 6, 2021

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Lectionary: 168

 

Reading I                                                                  Ex 24:3-8

When Moses came to the people

and related all the words and ordinances of the LORD,

they all answered with one voice,

"We will do everything that the LORD has told us."

Moses then wrote down all the words of the LORD and,

rising early the next day,

he erected at the foot of the mountain an altar

and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.

Then, having sent certain young men of the Israelites

to offer holocausts and sacrifice young bulls

as peace offerings to the LORD,

Moses took half of the blood and put it in large bowls;

the other half he splashed on the altar.

Taking the book of the covenant, he read it aloud to the people,

who answered, "All that the LORD has said, we will heed and do."

Then he took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, saying,

"This is the blood of the covenant

that the LORD has made with you

in accordance with all these words of his."

 

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18

 

R. (13)    I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.

or:

R. Alleluia.

 

How shall I make a return to the LORD

    for all the good he has done for me?

The cup of salvation I will take up,

    and I will call upon the name of the LORD.

R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Precious in the eyes of the LORD

    is the death of his faithful ones.

I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;

    you have loosed my bonds.

R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.

or:

R. Alleluia.

To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,

    and I will call upon the name of the LORD.

My vows to the LORD I will pay

    in the presence of all his people.

R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.

or:

R. Alleluia.

 

Reading II                                                                 Heb 9:11-15

Brothers and sisters:

When Christ came as high priest

of the good things that have come to be,

passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle

not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation,

he entered once for all into the sanctuary,

not with the blood of goats and calves

but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.

For if the blood of goats and bulls

and the sprinkling of a heifer's ashes

can sanctify those who are defiled

so that their flesh is cleansed,

how much more will the blood of Christ,

who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God,

cleanse our consciences from dead works

to worship the living God.

 

For this reason he is mediator of a new covenant:

since a death has taken place for deliverance

from transgressions under the first covenant,

those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.

 

Sequence                                                                 Lauda Sion

Laud, O Zion, your salvation,

Laud with hymns of exultation,

    Christ, your king and shepherd true:

 

Bring him all the praise you know,

He is more than you bestow.

    Never can you reach his due.

 

Special theme for glad thanksgiving

Is the quick’ning and the living

    Bread today before you set:

 

From his hands of old partaken,

As we know, by faith unshaken,

    Where the Twelve at supper met.

 

Full and clear ring out your chanting,

Joy nor sweetest grace be wanting,

    From your heart let praises burst:

 

For today the feast is holden,

When the institution olden

    Of that supper was rehearsed.

 

Here the new law’s new oblation,

By the new king’s revelation,

    Ends the form of ancient rite:

 

Now the new the old effaces,

Truth away the shadow chases,

    Light dispels the gloom of night.

 

What he did at supper seated,

Christ ordained to be repeated,

    His memorial ne’er to cease:

 

And his rule for guidance taking,

Bread and wine we hallow, making

    Thus our sacrifice of peace.

 

This the truth each Christian learns,

Bread into his flesh he turns,

    To his precious blood the wine:

 

Sight has fail’d, nor thought conceives,

But a dauntless faith believes,

    Resting on a pow’r divine.

 

Here beneath these signs are hidden

Priceless things to sense forbidden;

    Signs, not things are all we see:

 

Blood is poured and flesh is broken,

Yet in either wondrous token

    Christ entire we know to be.

 

Whoso of this food partakes,

Does not rend the Lord nor breaks;

    Christ is whole to all that taste:

 

Thousands are, as one, receivers,

One, as thousands of believers,

    Eats of him who cannot waste.

 

Bad and good the feast are sharing,

Of what divers dooms preparing,

    Endless death, or endless life.

 

Life to these, to those damnation,

See how like participation

    Is with unlike issues rife.

 

When the sacrament is broken,

Doubt not, but believe ‘tis spoken,

    That each sever’d outward token

    doth the very whole contain.

 

Nought the precious gift divides,

Breaking but the sign betides

    Jesus still the same abides,

    still unbroken does remain.

 

    The shorter form of the sequence begins here.

 

Lo! the angel’s food is given

To the pilgrim who has striven;

    see the children’s bread from heaven,

    which on dogs may not be spent.

 

Truth the ancient types fulfilling,

Isaac bound, a victim willing,

    Paschal lamb, its lifeblood spilling,

    manna to the fathers sent.

 

Very bread, good shepherd, tend us,

Jesu, of your love befriend us,

    You refresh us, you defend us,

    Your eternal goodness send us

In the land of life to see.

 

You who all things can and know,

Who on earth such food bestow,

    Grant us with your saints, though lowest,

    Where the heav’nly feast you show,

Fellow heirs and guests to be. Amen. Alleluia.

 

Gospel Acclamation                                              Jn 6:51

Alleluia Alleluia

I am the living bread that came down from heaven,

says the Lord;

whoever eats this bread will live forever.

Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                                       Mk 14:12-16, 22-26

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,

when they sacrificed the Passover lamb,

Jesus’ disciples said to him,

"Where do you want us to go

and prepare for you to eat the Passover?"

He sent two of his disciples and said to them,

"Go into the city and a man will meet you,

carrying a jar of water.

Follow him.

Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house,

'The Teacher says, "Where is my guest room

where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?"'

Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready.

Make the preparations for us there."

The disciples then went off, entered the city,

and found it just as he had told them;

and they prepared the Passover.

While they were eating,

he took bread, said the blessing,

broke it, gave it to them, and said,

"Take it; this is my body."

Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them,

and they all drank from it.

He said to them,

"This is my blood of the covenant,

which will be shed for many.

Amen, I say to you,

I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine

until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

Then, after singing a hymn,

they went out to the Mount of Olives.

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The Power of the Eucharist

This Sunday's readings speak to us of the Eucharist: "the blood of the covenant" and "the cup of salvation". What does the Eucharist mean to you?

 

Christ came to earth to serve us as our high priest. Unlike the Jewish priests of the Old Testament, who atoned for the people's sins with the blood of goats and calves, Jesus absolved our sins with his own blood. He said: "This is my blood of the covenant, shed for many." This is the new covenant. With it he achieved what no other high priest could do: He obtained for us eternal redemption.

 

Only the blood of God himself could accomplish this, because no matter how good our intentions are, and no matter how holy a priest might be, we all fall back into sin again and again. Only Jesus, the perfectly holy human whose divinity conquered death, could open the doors to eternal life.

 

Jesus paid a very high price to atone for our sins. What if we come to Mass with unrepented sins? We know we've done wrong, yet our desire to avoid the hard work and humility of changing is larger than our desire to let Jesus transform us. It's larger than our desire to enjoy all the benefits of the Eucharist.

 

To receive his body and blood in the Eucharist without letting it atone for our sins is to snub and reject the terrible price that Jesus paid when he died for us. To avoid his presence in the Sacrament of Confession because it makes us feel uncomfortable is highly disrespectful of the suffering that he endured for us.

 

If we accept the on-going atonement provided for us in the Eucharist without accepting the need to repent of any sin, we are insulting Jesus while denying ourselves an opportunity to let him save us from that sin.

 

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ have the power to "transubstantiate" us into his likeness. We should always leave Mass different than when we arrived. This is God's plan! His work as our high priest isn't yet finished.

 

Today's Prayer

 

You, Lord, precede me in all my paths. You have preceded me in your Easter to the eternal life. May I find in the Eucharist the nourishment for my faith to stay steady until the final reunion with You. Amen.

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God Bless You.....

The Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”

SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Saturday - June 05, 2021

 

Saturday - June 05, 2021

While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, 

be careful to have it even more fully in your heart.

 

-- St. Francis of Assis

June 5, 2021

Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr
Lectionary: 358

 

Reading 1                                                                 Tb 12:1, 5-15, 20

Tobit called his son Tobiah and said to him,

“Son, see to it that you give what is due to the man

who made the journey with you; give him a bonus too.”

So he called Raphael and said,

“Take as your wages half of all that you have brought back,

and go in peace.”

 

Raphael called the two men aside privately and said to them:

“Thank God! Give him the praise and the glory.

Before all the living,

acknowledge the many good things he has done for you,

by blessing and extolling his name in song.

Honor and proclaim God’s deeds,

and do not be slack in praising him.

A king’s secret it is prudent to keep,

but the works of God are to be declared and made known.

Praise them with due honor.

Do good, and evil will not find its way to you.

Prayer and fasting are good,

but better than either is almsgiving accompanied by righteousness.

A little with righteousness is better than abundance with wickedness.

It is better to give alms than to store up gold;

for almsgiving saves one from death and expiates every sin.

Those who regularly give alms shall enjoy a full life;

but those habitually guilty of sin are their own worst enemies.

 

“I will now tell you the whole truth;

I will conceal nothing at all from you.

I have already said to you,

‘A king’s secret it is prudent to keep,

but the works of God are to be made known with due honor.’

I can now tell you that when you, Tobit, and Sarah prayed,

it was I who presented and read the record of your prayer

before the Glory of the Lord;

and I did the same thing when you used to bury the dead.

When you did not hesitate to get up

and leave your dinner in order to go and bury the dead,

I was sent to put you to the test.

At the same time, however,

God commissioned me to heal you and your daughter-in-law Sarah.

I am Raphael, one of the seven angels

who enter and serve before the Glory of the Lord.”

 

“So now get up from the ground and praise God.

Behold, I am about to ascend to him who sent me;

write down all these things that have happened to you.”

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              Tobit 13:2, 6efgh, 7, 8

 

R. (1b) Blessed be God, who lives for ever.

 

He scourges and then has mercy;

    he casts down to the depths of the nether world,

    and he brings up from the great abyss.

No one can escape his hand.

R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.

So now consider what he has done for you,

    and praise him with full voice.

Bless the Lord of righteousness,

    and exalt the King of ages.

R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.

In the land of my exile I praise him

    and show his power and majesty to a sinful nation.

R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.

Bless the Lord, all you his chosen ones,

    and may all of you praise his majesty.

Celebrate days of gladness, and give him praise.

R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.

 

Gospel Acclamation                                              Mt 5:3

Alleluia Alleluia

Blessed are the poor in spirit;

for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                                       Mk 12:38-44

In the course of his teaching Jesus said,

“Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes

and accept greetings in the marketplaces,

seats of honor in synagogues,

and places of honor at banquets.

They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext,

recite lengthy prayers.

They will receive a very severe condemnation.”

 

He sat down opposite the treasury

and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury.

Many rich people put in large sums.

A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents.

Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them,

“Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more

than all the other contributors to the treasury.

For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth,

but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had,

her whole livelihood.”

*****************************************

HELP THE LOST, HURTING, AND CONFUSE

This past year has undoubtedly been a challenge for many people for lots of different reasons. Jesus is calling each one of us now to help build up our Church. The fire of the New Pentecost burns brightly, and baptized Christians are called to take up the torch using the gifts they have been given to light others way to heaven! The fire of the New Pentecost is burning red hot, highlighting those in our communities who are lost, hurting, and confused by today’s Godless society suffering due to the pandemic.

 

The Holy Spirit gives us special gifts to help them: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord make it possible. As we pray and surrender to the Holy Spirit, we can offer ourselves for his service and see doors open and even more gifts unfold.

 

Remember, God has chosen each of us for a purpose. Each baptized Christian who is maintaining an intentional discipleship relationship with Christ will receive from God his or her own unique charisms, which are supernaturally empowered graces to be used for the benefit of helping others. A discernment process with a spiritual director can help identify these charisms.

 

These charisms, given from God as whole-life gifts, might be for healing, encouragement, teaching, giving, helping, hospitality, evangelization, administration, celibacy, craftmanship, faith, intercessory prayer, discernment of spirits, prophecy, music, knowledge, writing, wisdom, pastoring, service, or leadership, for example. God draws us into the work he wants us to do for him as he reveals how he is equipping us with these skills to reach others for his kingdom.

 

None of us are lacking in valuable gifts that can make a difference in ministry in God's kingdom, no matter how small or unimportant we think our abilities are. God loves all of us and eagerly waits for us to accept his invitation to cooperate with him on his mission to share his love with others.

 

We might feel drawn to helping in certain ways perhaps, or maybe someone will invite us to volunteer to do something. That could be the Holy Spirit prompting us to get started! We might not feel like an expert, or maybe we might even feel out of our comfort zone, but if we keep having the nagging feeling we should help in that area, we ought to listen. God will always open the doors and equip those he calls. God loves to surprise us!

 

We must never discount the call God may be making to us in more subtle areas of our lives, too. Sometimes this might turn out to make the biggest difference for someone’s soul. The way we live our lives when we think nobody is watching is very crucial. When others notice our sincere acts of kindness, mercy, and generosity and we slip in words to witness our love of Christ by sharing our personal stories of faith, then they might be drawn to Jesus too.

 

Let us pray for surrender and openness each day for God to use our gifts and graces in the way he sees best to help others. May we continue to trust the Holy Spirit to guide us and always have our best interest at heart.

 

Today's Prayer

 

Come, Holy Spirit, living in Mary! Fill us with surrender and help us to serve Jesus and his Church. Fill our hearts with the fire of Your love. Amen.

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God Bless You.....

The Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”

SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Friday - June 04, 2021

Friday - June 04, 2021

Dear Lord! To win my heart, from heaven Thou didst come; for me Thy blood didst shed, O King adored! and on our altars makest Thy home. So, if I may not here behold Thy Face, or catch the heavenly music of Thy Voice, I still can live, each moment, by Thy grace, and in Thy Sacred Heart I can rest.

- St. Therese of Lisieux

June 4, 2021

Friday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 357

 

Reading 1                                                                 TB 11:5-17

Anna sat watching the road by which her son was to come.

When she saw him coming, she exclaimed to his father,

“Tobit, your son is coming, and the man who traveled with him!”

 

Raphael said to Tobiah before he reached his father:

“I am certain that his eyes will be opened.

Smear the fish gall on them.

This medicine will make the cataracts shrink and peel off from his eyes;

then your father will again be able to see the light of day.”

 

Then Anna ran up to her son, threw her arms around him,

and said to him,

“Now that I have seen you again, son, I am ready to die!”

And she sobbed aloud.

 

Tobit got up and stumbled out through the courtyard gate.

Tobiah went up to him with the fish gall in his hand,

and holding him firmly, blew into his eyes.

“Courage, father,” he said.

Next he smeared the medicine on his eyes, and it made them smart.

Then, beginning at the corners of Tobit’s eyes,

Tobiah used both hands to peel off the cataracts.

 

When Tobit saw his son, he threw his arms around him and wept.

He exclaimed, “I can see you, son, the light of my eyes!”

Then he said:

 

    “Blessed be God,

        and praised be his great name,

        and blessed be all his holy angels.

    May his holy name be praised

        throughout all the ages,

    Because it was he who scourged me,

        and it is he who has had mercy on me.

    Behold, I now see my son Tobiah!”

 

Then Tobit went back in, rejoicing and praising God with full voice

for everything that had happened.

Tobiah told his father that

the Lord God had granted him a successful journey;

that he had brought back the money;

and that he had married Raguel’s daughter Sarah,

who would arrive shortly,

for she was approaching the gate of Nineveh.

 

Tobit and Anna rejoiced

and went out to the gate of Nineveh

to meet their daughter-in-law.

When the people of Nineveh saw Tobit walking along briskly,

with no one leading him by the hand, they were amazed.

Before them all Tobit proclaimed

how God had mercifully restored sight to his eyes.

When Tobit reached Sarah, the wife of his son Tobiah,

he greeted her: “Welcome, my daughter!

Blessed be your God for bringing you to us, daughter!

Blessed is your father, and blessed is my son Tobiah,

and blessed are you, daughter!

Welcome to your home with blessing and joy.

Come in, daughter!”

That day there was joy for all the Jews who lived in Nineveh.

 

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              146:1B-2, 6C-7, 8-9A, 9BC-10

 

R. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul!

or:

R. Alleluia.

 

Praise the LORD, O my soul;

    I will praise the LORD all my life;

    I will sing praise to my God while I live.

R. Praise the Lord, my soul!

or:

R. Alleluia.

The LORD keeps faith forever,

    secures justice for the oppressed,

    gives food to the hungry.

The LORD sets captives free.

R. Praise the Lord, my soul!

or:

R. Alleluia.

The LORD gives sight to the blind.

The LORD raises up those who are bowed down;

    the LORD loves the just.

The LORD protects strangers.

R. Praise the Lord, my soul!

or:

R. Alleluia.

The fatherless and the widow he sustains,

    but the way of the wicked he thwarts

The LORD shall reign forever,

    your God, O Zion, through all generations! Alleluia.

R. Praise the Lord, my soul!

or:

R. Alleluia.

 

Gospel Acclamation                                              JN 14:23

Alleluia Alleluia

Whoever loves me will keep my word,

and my Father will love him

and we will come to him.

Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                                       MK 12:35-37

As Jesus was teaching in the temple area he said,

“How do the scribes claim that the Christ is the son of David?

David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said:

 

    The Lord said to my lord,

    ‘Sit at my right hand

    until I place your enemies under your feet.’

 

David himself calls him ‘lord’;

so how is he his son?”

The great crowd heard this with delight.

*****************************************

A Love Beyond Imagination

The scribes in today's Gospel reading (like many other Jews) pictured the Messiah in strictly human terms. He would be a man, they believed, who would deliver them from the alien government that ruled them.

 

Jesus invited the people to stretch their thinking beyond the limits of their own perceptions and interpretations of scripture. He wanted them to understand that, although the Messiah was from King David's lineage as expected, he was much more, oh so much more than that!

 

To prove his point, Jesus quoted from David's words in Psalm 110: "The Lord said to my Lord" -- in which the title "my Lord" was a term of respect for a superior. David had implied that the Messiah would be his superior. If the Messiah were merely a descendent (a "son") of David, the father would be the greater. But his psalm was a prophecy about God speaking to a Messiah who would be greater than Israel's most beloved king.

 

For Yahweh to ask the Messiah to "sit at my right hand", he was giving the Messiah the most important place of honor in his kingdom. The remainder of Psalm 110 indicates that the Messiah would be a king appointed by God (which the Jews expected). But wait! There's more! He would also be a royal priest (priests were never kings). And he would be victorious over his enemies (the Romans?). And he would be a "priest forever in the order of Melchizedek" (Jewish priests only came from the order of Levites).

 

In other words, Psalm 110 points out that the Messiah would be much more than a man, much more than a king, much more than a priest, and much more than a deliverer rescuing the Jews from Roman rule. Most of those who heard Jesus quote from Psalm 110 were delighted. The only ones dismayed by it were those who were certain of their own perceptions and interpretations.

 

All of our perceptions and interpretations are extremely limited. Only God sees the whole picture. We need to remember that there's a huge, big, giant universe outside our comprehension, and that God and his love for us and his plans for us are beyond our imagination and comprehension, even beyond our guesswork!

 

What are you worried about? What are you frustrated about? What are you discouraged about? What are you afraid might happen? What are you disillusioned about?

 

Hey, you're only seeing the view inside your 3-pound (1400-gram) brain! God's concern for you is bigger than the whole huge size of the universe. His plans for you are much better than you can ask for or imagine!

 

Today's Prayer

 

Beloved Father, Give me wisdom to see Your Word in the light of the Holy Spirit. May Your message of love and its richness not be hidden because of mere human vision. Amen.

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God Bless You.....

The Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”