A Commentary on the Gospel of Mark by St Irenaeus The Pharisees claimed that the traditions of their elders safeguarded the Law, but in fact it contravened the Law that Moses had given. By saying: Your merchants mix water with wine Isaiah shows that the elders mixed their watery tradition with God’s … Continue reading Vigils Reading – Wk 22
Biblical Readings for Office and Mass 22nd Week in Ordinary Time Mass Readings: Sunday (B), Weekdays (I) August 29 – September 4, 2021 Sun 29 Mon 30 Tues 31 Wed 1 Thu 2 Fri 3 Sat 4 Office 22ndSunday SS Warren & Amadeus Office for the Dead Weekday Weekday St Gregory the Great Memorial … Continue reading Skema
St. Amadeus of Lausanne Amadeus’ religious formation began in his youth. His father, Lord Amadeus of Hauterives, turned apostle of monastic life and, sometime around 1119, brought to the newly founded Cistercian abbey of Bonnevaux himself, his ten year old son, Amadeus Junior, and seventeen knight companions as well. At Bonnevaux Amadeus Junior … Continue reading Vigils reading – SS Warren and Amadeus
THE MYSTERY OF DEATH, from the Constitution on the Church in the Modern World It is in the face of death that the riddle of human existence grows most acute. Not only are we tormented by pain and by the advancing deterioration of our bodies, but even more so by a dread of perpetual … Continue reading Vigils Reading – Office for the Dead
Commentary on the Book of Maccabees by Fr John Collins The campaign against Alexander was of interest to 1 Maccabees because it brought about the fall of Alexander in 145BCE. 1 Maccabees has a completely positive attitude towards Alexander, the patron of Jonathan, and blames the war completely on the Ptolemy. By … Continue reading Vigils Reading
From a Homily of Isaac the Syrian 1 Let us shun the body with all our strength, surrender our souls to God, and in the Lord's name enter into the arena of temptations. May he that preserved Joseph in the land of Egypt and showed him forth as an icon and exemplar of chastity, who … Continue reading Vigils Reading
A reading using our gifts for the service of others, from St. Gregory the Great’s treatise Pastoral Care. There are those who are gifted with virtues in a high degree and who are exalted by great endowments for the training of others; men who are unspotted in their zeal for chastity, … Continue reading Vigils Reading – St Gregory the Great
In her hiddenness we find Mary's greatness; from a book by Thomas Merton. In all the great mystery of Mary, then, one thing remains most clear: that of herself she is nothing, and that God has for our sakes delighted to manifest his glory and his love in her. It is because … Continue reading Vigils Reading – Memorial B.V.M.
Biblical Readings for Office and Mass 23rd Week in Ordinary Time Mass Readings: Sunday (B), Weekdays (I) September 5 – 11, 2021 Sun 5 Mon 6 Tues 7 Wed 8 Thu 9 Fri 10 Sat 11 Office 23rd Sunday Weekday Labor Day Weekday Nativity of BVM St Peter Claver Weekday Office for the Dead … Continue reading Skema: 23rd Week in Ordinary Time
Biblical Readings for Office and Mass 23rd Week in Ordinary Time Mass Readings: Sunday (B), Weekdays (I) September 5 – 11, 2021 Sun 5 Mon 6 Tues 7 Wed 8 Thu 9 Fri 10 Sat 11 Office 23rd Sunday Weekday Labor Day Weekday Nativity of BVM St Peter Claver Weekday Office for the Dead … Continue reading Skema; 23rd Week in Ordinary Time
Commentary on the Gospel of Mark by Lawrence of Brandisi Just as the divine law says that when God created the world he saw all that he had made and it was very good, so the gospel, speaking of our redemption and re-creation, affirms: He has done all things well. A good tree bears good … Continue reading Vigils. 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Commentary on 1 Maccabees by Fr. John Collins Simon is immediately recognized as the heir to his brother. The emphasis falls on the family, which is on its way to becoming a dynasty. They are said to fight “for the laws and the sanctuary” and so they do, but, as we have seen, these are … Continue reading Vigils. Weekday, Labor Day
Commentary on 1 Maccabees by Fr John Collins Hitherto in 1 Maccabees we have often read that the land rested for a short period. Now we read that it had rest all the days of Simon. We shall see that there is considerable exaggeration in this claim, although the respite was longer than any time … Continue reading Vigils Weekday
A reading from a sermon for Our Lady's Birthday by Blessed Guerric of Igny (CF 32:192-193) As the vine I have brought forth a pleasant odor. Today we celebrate the birthday of the blessed Virgin Mother from whom the Life of all things took his birth. Today is the birthday of that Virgin from whom … Continue reading Nativity of B.V.M.
The patron of all missionary enterprises among Negroes: a reading about St. Peter Claver from Butler’s Lives of the Saints. He was born in Catalonia, about 1581, and as he showed fine qualities of mind and spirit was destined for the Church and sent to study at the University of Barcelona. Here he graduated with … Continue reading Vigils: St. Peter Claver
Commentary on the 1 Maccabees by Fr John Collins Like his brother before him, Simon makes contact with Rome and Sparta. It is not apparent here whether Simon sent the same delegates on a new embassy. More probably, they only returned from the mission initiated by Jonathan after Simon had come to power. Simon does … Continue reading Vigils. Weekday
Fear and Hope from a book by Michael Schmaus1 To Understand God's call as one of love does not do away with the awesomeness of death; even the faithful anticipate it with fear. Indeed, the element of fear in the believer is liable to be stronger than in the atheist or nihilist, who has resolved … Continue reading Vigils. Office for Dead
NT-MK64 09.12.21 Commentary on the Gospel of Mark by Caesarius of Arles When the Lord tells us in the gospel that anyone who wants to be his follower must renounce himself, the injunction seems harsh; we think he is imposing a burden on us. But an order is no burden when it is … Continue reading Vigils Reading 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Biblical Readings for Office and Mass 24th Week in Ordinary Time Mass Readings: Sunday (B), Weekdays (I) September 12 – 18, 2021 Sun 12 Mon 13 Tues 14 Wed 15 Thu 16 Fri 17 Sat 18 Office 24th Sunday St John Chrysostom Exaltation of the Holy Cross Our Lady of Sorrows SS Cornelius … Continue reading Skema – 24th Week in Ordinary Time
09SN1303 09.13.21 From a Homily by St. John Chrysostom, Bishop The waters have risen and severe storms are upon us, but we do not fear drowning, for we stand firmly upon a rock. Let the sea rage, it cannot break the rock. Let the waves rise, they cannot sink the boat of Jesus. What … Continue reading Vigils Reading St John Chrysostom
09SN1403 09.14.2021 A Reading from the Spiritual Exercises of Gertrud of Helfta. O Wisdom, what a game you bring to perfection, what a joke you play on my Jesus. You lay bare the king of glory, making him a spectacle of abuse. You affix to the trunk of a tree the price … Continue reading Vigils Reading Exaltation of Holy Cross
09SN1503 09.15.2021 From a Sermon in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Amadeus of Lusanne (CF 18:105-106) With deep calling to deep, two loves had come together into one and from the two loves was made a single love when the Virgin mother gave to her Son the love she gave to God, and … Continue reading Vigils Reading Our Lady of Sorrows
09SN1602 09.16.21 From a letter by Saint Cyprian, bishop and martyr Cyprian sends greetings to his brother Cornelius. My very dear brother, we have heard of the glorious witness given by your courageous faith. On learning of the honor you had won by your witness, we were filled with such joy that we felt … Continue reading Vigils Reading Saints Cornelius & Cyprian
OT-SIR01 06.09.21 Wisdom in The Book of Sirach - from a book by Fr Evode Beaucamp, OFM The author of Ecclesiasticus is currently known as Sirach or Ben Sira in Hebrew. He is a scribe who was active in Jerusalem around the beginning of the second century, between 190 and 170 B.C. His … Continue reading Vigils Reading
GN-VOC04 09.18.21 The Call of God – from a book by Hans Urs von Balthasar Every call of God is a proclamation of the eternal election by which he “chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish in his sight in love”; … Continue reading Vigils Reading Office for Vocations
Biblical Readings for Office and Mass 25th Week in Ordinary Time Mass Readings: Sunday (B), Weekdays (I) September 19 – 25, 2021 Sun 19 Mon 20 Tues 21 Wed 22 Thu 23 Fri 24 Sat 25 Office 25th Sunday SS Andrew, Paul & Companions St Matthew Weekday St Pius of Pietrecina Weekday Memorial of … Continue reading Skema Wk 25
A Commentary on the Gospel of Mark by Theophylact As he was teaching his disciples the Lord said to them: “The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will put him to death, but after his death, on the third day, he will rise again.” The Lord … Continue reading Vigils Reading
The Korean Martyrs, ed.Michael Walsh,OSB. Christianity came late to Korea, for it was the policy of that country's rulers to keep it isolated from foreign influence. Not until the late eighteenth century, more than two hundred years after Francis Xavier had reached Japan, did the Church begin very slowly to take root. … Continue reading Vigils Reading SS Andrew Paul & Companions
Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, from The Saints, ed. John Coulson Few people love the tax collector. Even in these days when the relation between taxer and taxed is, no doubt, scrupously correct, his name strikes cold. Much more was this so in the Palestine of the first century, when it was in … Continue reading Vigils Reading St Matthew
The Book of Sirach from the writings of Fr Raymond MacKinzie, S.J. The book of Sirach has had various titles in the course of its history. Originally known as “The Wisdom of Ben Sira” or “The Proverbs of Ben Sira”, in its Latin version it was called Liber Ecclesiasticus, “the Church book”, apparently … Continue reading Vigils Reading
St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio) from Butler’s Lives of the Saints The most famous stigmatist since St Francis of Assisi was born into a family of agricultural laborers in Pietrelcina, northeast of Naples, on May 25, 1887. In 1903 he received the capuchin habit, taking the name of Fra Pio. Seven years … Continue reading Vigils Reading – St Pius of Pietrecina
A Commentary on Ben Sirac by St John Chrysostom Ben Sirac recommends great caution in the choice of friends. St John Chrysostom develops this further. “A friend is truly more to be desired than light itself, I mean a genuine friend. I am speaking of spiritual friends, who care for friendship more … Continue reading Vigils Reading
` Mary: Mother of God, and mother of the living; from a sermon by Blessed Guerric of Igny. 1 Come, my chosen one, and I will set up my throne in you. Many are called but few indeed are chosen. Blessed are those whom you have chosen, Lord; they shall dwell in your courts. … Continue reading Vigils Reading – Memorial B.V.M.