Lay Cistercians of Gethsemani Abbey

Vigils Reading - SS Robert, Alberic & Stephen
2026-01-26
THE BEGINNINGS OF THE
CISTERCIAN ORDER
A reading from the “Exordium Parvum”
◊◊◊
We Cistercians, the first founders of this Church, in this document hereby
relate to our successors how this Monastery and its way of life took its beginning
according to the Laws of Holy Mother the Church; by what authority it began,
and also by what persons and at what times; so that by the telling of the plain
and unadulterated truth, they may be moved to a deep love for this Monastery
and for the observance of the Holy Rule of St Benedict which was begun in it by
us through the Grace of God; and that they might pray for us who have borne the
heat and the burden of the day without losing courage; that they might labor
with great fervor in the straight and narrow way which the Rule describes, even
unto complete union with God, when, having shed the garments of this flesh,
they might happily rest in eternal peace.
In the year 1098, Robert of blessed memory, the first Abbot of the Church
of Molesme founded in the Diocese of Langre, together with some of the
brethren from the same Monastery, came to the venerable Hugh, who was at
that time the Legate of the Holy See and the Archbishop of the Church of Lyons,
stating that they desired to live their life under the guidance of the Holy Rule of
Father Benedict, and that in order that they might follow out these designs with
greater freedom and security, they earnestly entreated him that he would bless
and endorse their project with his Apostolic Authority. The Legate was happily
pleased with their desire, and he laid the foundation of their beginnings by his
Letter.
After these affairs, Robert and those who sided with him returned to
Molesme and chose from that community of brethren those who wished to
associate with themselves, brothers who had made their vows according to the
Rule; so that between those who had spoken to the Legate at Lyons and those
who had been chosen from the Monastery, there were twenty-one monks.
Accompanied by such a troop, they made their way in all haste to the desert
which was called Citeaux… Because of the thickness of the woods and
undergrowth, it was very rarely visited by people and it was inhabited by
nothing but wild animals.
When they arrived there, the men of God immediately conceived a great
and holy reverence for the place, for the more contemptible and inaccessible it
was to the people of the world, the more they considered it fit for their life. This
was the very reason for which they had come there. Far away and hidden by the
density of trees and undergrowth, they began to construct a monastery there
with the help of the Bishop of Chalons-sur-Saone and the consent of the one
who owned the property.
For these men, while they were still at Molesme, inspired by the grace of
God, had frequently spoken among themselves about the transgressions of the
Rule of Blessed Benedict, Father of Monks. They had lamented and grown sad
in spirit, seeing that both they and the rest of the monks who had promised by
their Solemn Profession that they would observe this Rule, kept that promise to
a very small degree. On account of this, by the authority of the Holy See, they
came to this solitude in order that they might fulfill their profession by the
observance of the Holy Rule.

Vigils Reading - 3r Sunday
2026-01-25
THE LIGHT OF CHRIST
From a commentary by John Justus of Landsberg
◊◊◊
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Everyone
knows that we were all born in darkness, and once lived in darkness. But now
that the Sun of Righteousness has risen for us, let us see that we no longer
remain in darkness.
Christ came to enlighten those who lived in darkness, overshadowed by
death, and to guide their feet into the way of peace. Do you ask what darkness?
Whatever is present in our intellect, in our will, or in our memory that is not
God, or which has not its source in God; that is to say, whatever in us is not for
God’s sake, is a barrier between God and the soul – it is darkness.
In himself Christ brought us light which would enable us to see our sins,
and hate our darkness. His freely chosen poverty, when there was no place for
him in the inn, is for us a light by which we can now learn that the poor in spirit,
to whom the kingdom of heaven belongs, are blessed.
The love with which Christ offered himself to instruct us, and to endure
for us injuries, ostracism, persecution, lashes, and death upon a cross; the love
finally which made him pray for those who crucified him – that love is for us a
light by which we may learn to love our enemies.
The humility with which he emptied himself, taking the nature of a slave
, and with which he scorned the glory of the world, and willed to be born, not in a
palace but in a stable, and to die ignominiously on a gibbet – that humility is for
us a light showing us what a detestable crime it is for clay, that is to say, for poor
weak creatures, to be proud, to exalt themselves, or to refuse submission, when
the infinite God was humbled, despised, and subject to human beings.
The meekness with which Christ endured hunger, thirst, cold, harsh
words, lashes, and wounds, when he was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and
like a lamb before his shearer opened not his mouth – that meekness is for us a
light. By it we see how useless it is to be angry, how useless to threaten. By it we
accept our own suffering, and do not serve Christ merely from routine. By it we
learn how much is required of us, and that when suffering comes our way we
should bewail our sins in silent submission, since he endured affliction with
such patience and long-suffering, not for his own sins, but for ours.
Reflect then, beloved, on all the virtues which Christ taught us by his
example, which he recommends by his counsel, and which he enables us to
imitate by the assistance of his grace.

Skema
2026-01-25
Biblical Readings for Office and Mass
3rd Week in Ordinary Time

Mass Readings: Sunday (A), Weekdays (II)
January 25 – 31, 2026

Sun
25
Mon
26
Tue
27
Wed
28
Thu
29
Fri
30
Sat
31

Office
3rd Sunday
SS Robert, Alberic, & Stephen
Ss Timothy & Titus
St Thomas Aquinas
Weekday
Office for Vocations
St John Bosco

Vigils
Judg 9:42-57
Lev 26:3-13
Judg 10:6-18
Judg 11:1-11
Judg 11:12-28
Judg 11:29-40
Judg 13:1-25

Lauds
Amos 5:16-20
Ezek 34:23-31
Amos 5:21-27
Amos 6:1-7
Amos 6:8-14
Amos 7:1-6
Amos 7:7-9

Mass
67
606, 322, 815.8
520, 318
319
320
321
322

1st
Isa 8:23b-9:3
Sir 44:1,10-15
2 Tim 1:1-8
2 Sam 7:4-17
2 Sam 7:18-19, 24-29
2 Sam 11:1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17
2 Sam 12:1-7a, 10-17

2nd
1 Cor 1:10-13, 17
Heb 11:1-2, 8-16

Gospel
Matt 4:12-23
Mark 10:24b-30
Mark 3:31-35
Mark 4:1-20
Mark 4:21-25
Mark 4:26-34
Mark 4:35-41

Vespers
1 Jn 4:13-21
2 Cor 4:7-18
Col 1:9-14
Col 1:15-23
Col 1:24-29
Col 2:1-8
Col 2:9-15

Vigils Reading - St Francis de Sales
2026-01-24
A DELICATE SENSE
OF GOD’S PRESENCE
By St Francis de Sales
◊◊◊
The soul thus inwardly recollected in God or in God’s presence is at times
rendered so sweetly attentive to the goodness of its beloved as to think that its
attention is not actually attention, so simply and so delicately is it exercised. It
is like certain rivers which flow so calmly and smoothly that those who look at
them or sail on them seem neither to see nor to feel any motion, since they see
no waves or currents whatever. This loving repose of the soul is called the
“prayer of quiet” by the holy virgin Teresa of Jesus, and is scarcely different
from that which she calls “the sleep of the powers,” at least if I understand her
properly.
Indeed, even men in love are at times content with being near or within
sight of the one they love without actually speaking to her and without thinking
especially either of her or of her perfections. They seem to be pleased and
satisfied with enjoying this dear presence, not by any consideration they give it
but by a certain calm and repose their spirit finds in it…
Sometimes this repose goes so deep in its tranquility that the whole soul
and all its powers remain as if sunk in sleep. They make no movement or action
whatsoever, except the will alone and even it does no more than receive the joy
and contentment that it receives but enjoys it insensibly. It does not think of
itself but of him whose presence gives it such pleasure. It is like what often
happens when we drop off unaware into a light sleep. We only half hear what
our friends are saying around us, or feel their caresses almost imperceptibly
without feeling that we feel.
Nevertheless, the soul enjoying in this sweet repose such a delicate sense
of God’s presence, even though it does not have perception of such enjoyment,
still shows clearly how precious to it and how worthy of love is this happiness.
For when anyone tries to deprive the soul of it or something turns it from it, then
that poor soul complains, cries out, even weeps at times. It is like a little child
awakened before it has slept enough; by the pain it feels on being awakened
clearly shows the pleasure it had in sleep. For this reason the heavenly shepherd
adjures the daughters of Sion, “by the roes and harts of the fields,” not to cause
the beloved to awaken up until she pleases, that is, to let her awaken by herself.
A soul thus at peace in its God would not change that repose for all the world’s
greatest goods.

Vigils Reading
2026-01-23
TO CALL ONESELF A CHRISTIAN
by St Gregory of Nyssa
◊◊◊
They say that a certain showman in the city of Alexandria, having trained
a monkey to dance with some grace, and having dressed him in a dancer’s mask
and a costume suitable for the occasion, and having surrounded him with a
chorus, gained fame by the monkey’s twisting himself in time with the music
and concealing his nature in every way by what he was doing and appeared to
be. While the audience was enthralled by the novelty of the spectacle, one of the
clever persons present, by means of a trick, showed those watching the
performance that the dancer was a monkey.
When everyone was crying out and applauding the gesticulations of the
monkey, who was moving rhythmically with the music, they say that he threw
onto the dancing place some of the sweetmeats which arouse the greediness of
such animals; whereupon the monkey, without a moment’s delay, when he saw
the almonds scattered in front of the chorus, forgetting the dancing and
applause and the elaborate costume, ran after them and grabbed what he found
in the palms of his hands.
And in order that the mask would not get in the way of his mouth, he
energetically thrust aside the disguise with his nails and immediately evoked a
laugh from the spectators in place of the praise and admiration, as he emerged
ugly and ridiculous from the shreds of the mask. Thereupon, just as the
assumed form was not sufficient for that creature to be considered a man, once
his nature was disclosed, in the incident of the almonds, so those individuals not
truly shaping their own natures by faith will easily be disclosed in the toils of the
devil as being something other than what they are called. For, instead of a fig or
an almond or some such thing, vanity and love of honor and love of gain and
love of pleasure, and whatever else the evil assembly of the devil places before
greedy men instead of sweetmeats, easily bring to light the ape-like souls who,
through pretense and imitation, play the role of the Christian and then remove
the mask of moderation or meekness or some other virtue in a moment of
personal crisis.
It is necessary, therefore, for us to understand what the name “Christian”
means, for then, perhaps we will become what the term implies and not be
shown up by the one who perceives what is hidden, namely, that we have
disguised ourselves by mere assent, and by the pretense of the name alone when
we are actually something contrary to what we appear to be.

Vigils Reading
2026-01-22
THE INCOMPARABLE VALUE
OF EVERY HUMAN PERSON
From the encyclical “The Gospel of Life” by Pope St John Paul II
◊◊◊
The human person is called to a fullness of life which far exceeds the
dimensions of earthly existence, because it consists in sharing the very life of
God. The loftiness of this supernatural vocation reveals the greatness and the
inestimable value of human life even in its temporal phase. In a special way
believers in Christ must defend and promote this right, aware as they are of the
wonderful truth recalled by the Second Vatican Council: “By his incarnation the
Son of God has united himself in some fashion with every human being”. This
saving event reveals to humanity not only the boundless love of God who “so
loved the world that he gave his only Son”, but also the incomparable value of
every human person.
The Church acknowledges this value with ever new wonder. She feels
called to proclaim to the people of all times this Gospel, the source of invincible
hope and true joy for every period of history. The Gospel of God’s love for
humans, the Gospel of the dignity of the person and the Gospel of life are a
single and indivisible Gospel.
Today this proclamation is especially pressing because of the
extraordinary gravity of threats to the life of individuals and peoples, especially
where life is weak and defenseless. In addition to the ancient scourges of
poverty, hunger and disease, violence and war, new threats are emerging on an
alarmingly vast scale…
The end result of this is tragic; not only is the fact of the destruction of so
many human lives still to be born or in their final stage extremely grave and
disturbing, but no less grave and disturbing is the fact that conscience itself,
darkened as it were by such widespread conditioning, is finding it increasingly
difficult to distinguish between good and evil in what concerns the basic value of
human life.
The present encyclical…is therefore meant to be a precise and vigorous
reaffirmation of the value of human life and its inviolability, and at the same
time a pressing appeal to each and every person, in the name of God, respect,
protect, love and serve life, every human life! Only in this direction will you
find justice, development, true freedom, peace and happiness.

Vigils Reading - St Agnes
2026-01-21
THE LOVE OF
CHRISTIAN UNITY
From a sermon by St Leo the Great
◊◊◊
I rejoice, dearly beloved, in the pious affection of your devotion, and I give
thanks to God that I see in you the love of Christian unity… For though the
universal Church is ordered in varying degrees, so the whole is made up from
the diverse members of the sanctified Body, we are all, nevertheless, as the
Apostle says, one in Christ; and no one is separated by office from another, so
that even the least among us is related to the head.
Therefore, Beloved, in its unity of faith and baptism, our society is
undivided, and its dignity is the dignity of all its members; according to the
words of the blessed Peter, spoken by his own consecrated voice: Be you as
living stones built up, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual
sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. And a little later: You are a
chosen generation, a kingly priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people.
For all who are born again in Christ, the sign of the Cross makes kings,
and the anointing of the Holy Spirit consecrates priests; so that apart from the
special service of our ministry, let all spiritual and reasoning Christians know
that they are of royal birth, and sharers of the priestly office. For what is so
kingly as the soul that is subject to God, and the ruler of its own body? And what
is so priestly as to dedicate to the Lord a pure conscience, and to offer him on the
altar of our hearts the unstained gift of our love?

Vigils Reading - Blessed Cyprian Tansi
2026-01-20
A reading from the homily of Pope St John Paul II
at the Beatification of Blessed Cyprian Tansi
◊◊◊
The life and witness of Father Tansi is an inspiration to everyone in the
Nigeria that he loved so much. He was first of all a man of God; his long hours
before the Blessed Sacrament filled his heart with generous and courageous
love. Those who knew him testify to his great love of God. Everyone who met
him was touched by his personal goodness.
He was then a man of the people: he always put others before himself, and
was especially attentive to the pastoral needs of families. He took great care to
prepare couples well for Holy Matrimony and preached the importance of
chastity. He tried in every way to promote the dignity of women. In a special
way, the education of young people was precious to him. Even when he was sent
by Bishop Heerey to the Cistercian Abbey of Mount Saint Bernard in England to
pursue his monastic vocation, with the hope of bringing the contemplative life
back to Africa, he did not forget his own people. He did not fail to offer prayers
and sacrifices for their continuing sanctification.
Father Tansi knew that there is something of the Prodigal Son in every
human being. He knew that all men and women are tempted to separate
themselves from God in order to lead their own independent and selfish
existence. He knew that they are then disappointed by the emptiness of the
illusion which had fascinated them, and that they eventually find in the depths
of their heart the road leading back to the Father’s house.
He encouraged people to confess their sins and receive God’s forgiveness
in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. He implored them to forgive one another as
God forgives us, and hand on the gift of the reconciliation, making it a reality at
every level of Nigerian life. Father Tansi tried to imitate the father in the
parable: he was always available for those searching for reconciliation. He
spread the joy of restored communion with God. He inspired people to welcome
the peace of Christ, and encouraged them to nourish the life of grace with the
word of God and with Holy Communion…
Blessed Cyprian Michael Tansi is a prime example of the fruits of holiness
which have grown and matured in the Church in Nigeria since the Gospel was
first preached in this land. He received the gift of faith through the efforts of the
missionaries, and taking the Christian way of life as his own he made it truly
African and Nigerian. So too the Nigerians of today — young and old alike — are
called to reap the spiritual fruits which have been planted among them and are
now ready for the harvest… Father Tansi’s witness to the Gospel and to
Christian charity is a spiritual gift which this local Church now offers to the
Universal Church…
We must be convinced that each of us, according to our particular state in
life, is called to do no less than what Father Tansi did. Having been reconciled
with God, we must be instruments of reconciliation, treating all men and
women as brothers and sisters, called to membership in the one family of God…

Vigils Reading
2026-01-19
THE WHOLE BODY
AS ONE BEING
From a sermon by St John Henry Newman
◊◊◊
That all Christians are one, in our Lord’s eyes is plain, from various parts
of the New Testament. In his mediatorial prayer for them to the Almighty
Father, before His Passion, He expressed His purpose that they should be one.
St Paul, in like manner, writing to the Corinthians, says, “As the body is one, and
has many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one
body, so also is Christ… Now you are the Body of Christ, and members in
particular.” To the Ephesians, he says, “There is one Body, and one Spirit, even
as you are called in one hope of your calling: one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
one God and Father of all.”
And, further, it is to this one Body, regarded as one, that the special
privileges of the Gospel are given. It is not that this person receives the blessing,
and that one, but one and all, the whole body, as one being, one new spiritual
reality, with one accord, seeks and gains it. The Holy Church throughout the
world, “the Bride, the Lamb’s wife,” is one, not many, and the elect souls are all
elected in her, not in isolation. For instance: “He is our peace who has made
both (Jews and Gentiles) one, to make in himself one new humanity.”
In the same epistle, it is said, that all nations are “fellow-heirs, and of the
same body and fellow-partakers of Hid promise in Christ;” and that we must
“one and all come,” or converge, “in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge
of the Son of God, unto a perfect creation, unto the measure of the stature of the
fullness of Christ;” that as “the husband is the head of the wife,” so “Christ is the
Head of the Church,” having “loved her and given Himself for her, that He
might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the Word.”
These are a few out of many passages which connect Gospel privileges
with the circumstance or condition of unity in those who receive them; the
image of Christ and token of their acceptance being stamped upon them then, at
that moment, when they are considered as one; so that henceforth the whole
multitude, no longer viewed as mere individuals, become portions or members
of the indivisible Body of Christ Mystical, so knit together in Him by Divine
Grace, that all have what He has, and each has what all have.
The same great truth is taught us in such texts as speak of all Christians
forming one spiritual building, of which the Jewish Temple was the type. They
are temples one by one, simply as being portions of that one Temple which is the
Church. “You are built up,” says St Peter, “a spiritual house, a holy priesthood,
to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” Hence the word
“edification”, which properly means this building up of all Christians in one, has
come to stand for individual improvement; for it is by being incorporated into
the one Body, that we have the promise of life; by becoming members of Christ,
we have the gift of His Spirit.

Vigils Reading - 2nd Sunday ORD
2026-01-18
ONE DIED FOR ALL
From a commentary by St Cyril of Alexandria
◊◊◊
When he saw Jesus coming toward him, John said: Behold the Lamb of
God, who takes away the sin of the world.” No longer does he say: Prepare. That
would be out of place now that at last he who was prepared for is seen, is before our
very eyes. The nature of the case now calls for a different type of homily. An
explanation is needed of who is present, and why he has come down to us from
heaven. So John says: Behold the Lamb of God, of whom the prophet Isaiah told us
in the words: He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb before his
shearer he opened not his mouth.
In past ages he was typified by the law of Moses, but because the law was
merely a figure and a foreshadowing, its salvation was only partial; its mercy did
not reach out to embrace the whole world. But now the true lamb, the victim
without blemish obscurely prefigured in the former times, is led to the slaughter for
all to banish sin from the world, to overthrow the world’s destroyer, to abolish
death by dying for the entire human race, and to release us from the curse: Dust
you are and to dust you shall return. He will become the second Adam who is not
of earth but of heaven, and will be for us the source of every blessing. He will deliver
us from the corruptibility foreign to our nature; he will secure eternal life for us,
reconcile us with God, teach us to revere God and to live upright lives, and be our
way to the kingdom of heaven.
Our Lamb died for all to restore the whole flock on earth to God the Father;
one died for all to make all subject to God; one died for all to gain all so that all
might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised to life
for them.
Because our many sins had made us subject to death and corruption, the
Father gave his son as our redemption, one for all, since we all were in him and he
was greater than all. One died for all so that all of us might live in him. Death
swallowed the Lamb who was sacrificed for all, and then disgorging him, disgorged
all of us in him and with him; for we were all in Christ who died and rose for us.
Once sin had been destroyed how could death, which was caused by sin, fail
to be wholly annihilated? What power will death have over us now that sin has been
blotted out? And so, rejoicing in the sacrifice of the Lamb let us cry out: O death,
where is your victory? O grave, where is your sting? All wickedness shall hold its
tongue, as the Psalmist sings somewhere. Henceforth it will be unable to denounce
sinners for their weakness, for God is the one who acquits us. Christ redeemed us
from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for our sake, so that we might
escape the curse brought down on us by sin.

Skema
2026-01-18
Biblical Readings for Office and Mass
2nd Week in Ordinary Time

Mass Readings: Sunday (A), Weekdays (II)
January 18 – 24, 2026

Sun
18
Mon
19
Tue
20
Wed
21
Thu
22
Fri
23
Sat
24

Office
2nd Sunday
Weekday
Bl Cyprian Tansi
St Agnes
Weekday
Weekday
St Francis de Sales

Vigils
Judg 6:1-18
Judg 6:19-40
Judg 7:1-22
Judg 7:23-8:21
Judg 8:22-35
Judg 9:1-21
Judg 9:22-41

Lauds
Amos 3:9-12
Amos 3:13-15
Amos 4:1-5
Amos 4:6-10
Amos 4:11-13
Amos 5:1-6, 8-9
Amos 5:7, 10-15

Mass
64
311
312
313
314
315
316

1st
Isa 49:3, 5-6
1 Sam 15:16-23
1 Sam 16:1-13
1 Sam 17:32-33, 37, 40-51
1 Sam 18:6-9; 19:1-7
1 Sam 24:3-21
2 Sam 1:1-4, 11-12, 19, 23-27

2nd
1 Cor 1:1-3

Gospel
John 1:29-34
Mark 2:18-22
Mark 2:23-28
Mark 3:1-6
Mark 3:7-12
Mark 3:13-19
Mark 3:20-21

Vespers
Phil 3:2-11
Phil 3:12-16
Phil 3:17-21
Phil 4:1-9
Phil 4:10-14
Phil 4:15-23
Colossians 1:1-8

Vigils Reading - St Anthony
2026-01-17
BY HIS STRIPES
WE ALL WERE HEALED
From the letters of St Anthony the Great
◊◊◊
The Creator saw that the wound in human nature was grown great, and
needed the care of a physician – and Jesus Himself is their Creator, and Himself
heals them, – and He sent forerunners before His face. And we are not afraid to
say of Moses the Lawgiver that he is one of His forerunners, and that the same
Spirit which was with Moses worked also in the choir of the saints; and they all
prayed for the Only-begotten Son of God.
John again is one of his forerunners: and for this cause the Law and the
Prophets were until John, and ‘the Kingdom of God suffereth violence, and the
violent take it by force.’ And being clothed with the Spirit, they saw that none
among the creatures was able to heal that great wound, but only the bounty of
God, that is to say His Only-begotten, whom He sent to be the Saviour of all the
world; for He is the great physician, who is able to heal the great wound.
And they asked God, and of His bounty the Father of creatures spared not
His Only-begotten for our salvation, but delivered Him up for us all and for our
iniquities. And he humbled Himself, and by his stripes we all were healed. And
by the word of His power He gathered us out of all lands, from one end of the
world to the other end of the world, and raised up our hearts form the earth, and
taught us that we are members one of another.
I beseech you, dearly beloved in the Lord: understand that this Scripture
is the command of God. For it is a great thing for us to understand the form that
Jesus accepted for us: for He became in all things like unto us, apart from sin.
Now therefore it is right that we also should set ourselves free by His advent,
that by His foolishness He may make us wise, and by His poverty may enrich us,
and by His weakness strengthen us, and confer resurrection upon us all,
destroying him that had the power of death…
The advent of Jesus helps us to do what is good, until we have destroyed
all our vices. Then Jesus will say to us, ‘Henceforth I call you not servants, but
friends.’ When therefore the Apostles attained to receiving the Spirit of
Adoption, then the Holy Spirit taught them to worship the Father as they ought.
And to me, this poor prisoner of Jesus, this time to which we have come
has brought joy and lamentation and weeping. For many of our generation have
put on the robe of religion but denied its power. As for those who have prepared
themselves to be set free through the advent of Jesus, over them I rejoice. But
those who do business in the name of Jesus, and do the will of their heart and
their flesh – over such I lament. Those who have looked at the length of the time,
and their heart has failed them, and they have put off the robe of religion, and
are become beasts – for them I weep.
Know therefore that for such as these the advent of Jesus becomes a great
judgment. But do you, my beloved in the Lord, know yourselves, that you may
also know this time, and prepare to offer yourselves as a sacrifice acceptable to
God.

Vigils Reading
2026-01-16
THE FAITH
OF THE GENTILES
From a sermon by John of Ford
◊◊◊
The way the dawn rises seems a very apt symbol of the speed, eagerness
and greatness of the faith of the Gentiles in Jesus Christ. It awoke from a sleep
whose heaviness had been so long and so profound, and at the very first light of
the Lord’s birth, it sped towards him, like ‘the rising dawn’, It broke free from
the darkness of such a great want of faith to forestall, with eager devotion, the
Sun of justice. I say “forestall’ because it did not wait for the Wisdom of God to
come and discuss with it the sublimities he had seen and heard when he spoke at
home with this Father… [Nor did it] await his dazzling display of miracles and
virtues and his giving commands to sickness and health, to wind and sea, to
every angelic and human spirit, even to the demons themselves.
On the contrary, [this gentile faith] would not allow even the time of his
infancy to escape it, but in the lowly beginnings of that infancy, it sought out and
recognized its creator. And so the faith of the gentile nations was swift in its
speed, eager in its rejoicing, wise in its search, resolute in its finding, faithful in
its adoration, generous in its gift of itself…
Think of the faith of the centurion, at which scripture tells us that Jesus
marveled. In fact, he went so far as to say that he had not found faith as great in
Israel. That he was here commending the faith of the gentiles is clear enough
from what he said to those who were following him. ‘I tell you most solemnly,
that many will come from the east and from the west, and sit down with
Abraham and Isaac and Jacob; but the children of the kingdom will be cast out
into the exterior darkness .̓
Then we have the Canaanite woman who interceded for her daughter, and
when she was refused, persisted, and by the great noise she made, battered at
the silence of Jesus. When he turned away from her, she followed him without
apology; she humbly adored him when he rejected her; she listened patiently to
his reproaches, and so, in the end, she brought forth ‘honey from the rock, and
oil from the flinty stone I repeat, in the person of this woman, the church of the .̓
gentiles deserved to hear the Lord Jesus say: ‘O woman, great is your faith!’
Then there was the woman of Samaria, who found the God of Jacob
beside Jacob’s well, and in place of the water that does not quench our thirst,
drew for herself ‘the fount of living water’, so as never to know thirst again. She
too is a figure of the faith of the gentiles, and she was commended by the very
author of faith when he said to the disciples who were asking him to eat, ‘I have
food to eat that you know nothing about He added, ‘Lift up your eyes and see .̓
the fields, that they are white for the harvest Here he was making unmistakable .̓
reference to the ripeness and zealous eagerness of the gentile faith, which he
considered food that he hungered after and would eat in the near future…
And there was the centurion, too, when Jesus was suffering and the faith
of the disciples was exceedingly disturbed. He reached the full stature of a
strong faith, and the crucified Jesus, whom others saw and fell away,
scandalized, drew him forward in praise.

Vigils Reading - St Maur & St Placid
2026-01-15
ST MAURUS AND ST PLACID
From the “Dialogues” of St Gregory the Great
◊◊◊
The holy man, St Benedict, having returned to Subiaco, long continued to
shine by his virtue and miracles, and assembled a great number of solitaries
who consecrated themselves to the service of God, so that, with the aid of our
Lord Jesus Christ, he built twelve monasteries, placing in each twelve Religious
with an Abbot to govern them. He retained with himself only a few of his
disciples who, he thought, still needed his presence to be better formed to
perfection. It was at this time that many persons in Rome, conspicuous for their
nobility and virtue, began to visit him and offer their children that he might
mold them to piety, and teach them to live for God alone. Aequitas and
Tertullus, who had the honor of being Roman Patricians, came to see the saint
and confided to his care their two children; the former was distinguished for
spotless innocence of life, and merited, though young, to be chosen by his
master to assist him in his functions. As to Placid, being only a boy, he was
subject to the weaknesses inseparable from tender age…
The venerable Benedict being one day in his cell, the boy Placid…went out
to fetch water from the lake, but, when dipping his pitcher into the water, not
taking sufficient heed, his body followed the vessel and he fell into the lake. The
waves immediately bore him out from the land as far as the usual flight of an
arrow. The saint, who was in his cell, knew of the sad accident at that very
instant, and at once calling Maurus, his disciple, said to him: “Brother Maurus,
run with all speed; the boy who went to fetch water fell into the lake and has
been already carried off a long distance.”…
Maurus having asked and received the blessing, ran to the lake to execute
the order of his Abbot. Thinking he was treading upon dry land, he advanced to
the very place where the waves had carried off the child, and laying hold of him
by the hair, brought him back with great haste to the shore. Having reached the
land, he began to reflect on what he did, and casting a look behind, saw that he
had been running over the waves. He was astonished thereat and very much
afraid, seeing that he had performed what he would not have dared to undertake
if he had been aware of what he was doing.
Having returned to the monastery, he narrated the whole occurrence to
the Abbot. The venerable Benedict did not attribute this miracle to his own
merit, but to the obedience of the disciple. Maurus, on the other hand, said he
was only fulfilling a command, and could have no share in a miracle which he
unconsciously performed. During this pious dispute arising from the humility
of the holy Abbot and his disciple, the boy rescued from peril presented himself
as arbitrator, and put an end to the contest thus: “When I was being drawn out
of the waves, I saw the Abbot’s robe above my head, and it seemed to me that it
was he who delivered me from the water.”…
An ancient tradition says that the monk Maurus was sent into Gaul by the
same holy Father. There, according to the same tradition, he founded a
monastery at Glannofol; after having governed it for a long time, he died in the
Lord in a good old age, renowned for his sanctity and miracles… while Placid
died a martyr’s death in Sicily in 541, a few years before the death of St Benedict
himself.

Vigils Reading - Office for the Dead
2026-01-14
LOVE AND HATE
From “New Seeds of Contemplation” by Thomas Merton
◊◊◊
There is in every weak, lost and isolated member of the human race an
agony of hatred born of his own helplessness, his own isolation. Hatred is the
sign and the expression of loneliness, of unworthiness, of insufficiency. And in
so far as each one of us is lonely, is unworthy, each one hates himself. Some of us
are aware of this self-hatred, and because of it we reproach ourselves and punish
ourselves needlessly. Punishment cannot cure the feeling that we are unworthy.
There is nothing we can do about it as long as we feel that we are isolated,
insufficient, helpless, alone.
Others, who are less conscious of their own self-hatred, realize it in a
different form by projecting it on to others. There is a proud and self-confident
hate, strong and cruel, which enjoys the pleasure of hating, for it is directed
outward to the unworthiness of another. But this strong and happy hate does
not realize that like all hate, it destroys and consumes the self that hates, and not
the object that is hated. Hate in any form is self-destructive, and even when it
triumphs physically it triumphs in its own spiritual ruin.
Strong hate, the hate that takes joy in hating, is strong because it does not
believe itself to be unworthy and alone. It feels the support of a justifying God, of
an idol of war, an avenging and destroying spirit. From such blood-drinking
gods the human race was once liberated, with great toil and terrible sorrow, by
the death of a God who delivered himself to the Cross and suffered the
pathological cruelty of his own creatures out of pity for them.
In conquering death he opened their eyes to the reality of a love which
asks no questions about worthiness, a love which overcomes hatred and
destroys death. But men and women have now come to reject this divine
revelation of pardon, and they are consequently returning to the old war gods,
the gods that insatiably drink blood and eat the flesh of others. It is easier to
serve the hate-gods because they thrive on the worship of collective fanaticism.
To serve the hate-gods, one has only to be blinded by collective passion. To serve
the God of Love one must be free, one must face the terrible responsibility of the
decision to love in spite of all unworthiness whether in oneself or in one’s
neighbor.

Vigils Reading
2026-01-13
SHARERS OF THE PRIESTLY OFFICE
From a sermon by St Leo the Great
◊◊◊
I rejoice, dearly beloved, in the pious affection of your devotion, and I give
thanks to God that I see in you the love of Christian unity. For your very
presence here testifies that you understand that the annual return of this day is
a matter for common rejoicing; and that in celebrating the annual festival of the
Shepherd, you are honouring the whole flock.
For though the universal Church is ordered in varying degrees, so the
whole is made up from the diverse members of the sanctified Body, we are all, n
evertheless, as the Apostle says, one in Christ; and no one is separated by office
from another, so that even the least among us is related to the head. Therefore,
Beloved, in its unity of faith and baptism, our society is undivided, and its
dignity is the dignity of all its members; according to the words of the blessed
Peter, spoken by his own consecrated voice: Be you as living stones built up, a
spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to
God by Jesus Christ. And a little later: You are a chosen generation, a kingly
priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people.
For all who are born again in Christ, the sign of the Cross makes kings,
and the anointing of the Holy Spirit consecrates priests; so that apart from the
special service of our ministry, let all spiritual and reasoning Christians know
that they are of royal birth, and sharers of the priestly office. For what is so
kingly as the soul that is subject to God, and the ruler of its own body? And what
is so priestly as to dedicate to the Lord a pure conscience, and to offer him on the
altar of our hearts the unstained gift of our love?
And since by God’s grace this has been given to us all, it is for you a devout
and praiseworthy thing to rejoice on the day of our coronation as though the
honour were your own.

Vigils Reading - St Aelred of Rievaulz
2026-01-12
THE PASTORAL PRAYER
of St Aelred of Rievaulx
◊◊◊
O Jesus, good Shepherd, O Jesus, kind and loving shepherd, a wretched
and miserable shepherd cries out to you. Although he is weak, ignorant, and
useless, still he is the shepherd of your sheep… You, dear Lord, have entrusted
such a one with the care of the household, you have appointed such a one over
the sheep of your pasture. You order me who am too little solicitous for myself to
be solicitous for them; who am not able to pray for my own sins to pray for them;
and to teach them when I have not sufficiently taught myself.
Why do you, Fountain of mercy, why do you wish to entrust those who are
so dear to you to one whom your watchful care has lost sight of? Did you appoint
such a one over your family that your mercy might be made manifest and your
wisdom known? If by chance it is pleasing to your goodness for such a one to
rule your family well, may he not boast as a wise man in his own wisdom, or as a
strong man in his own strength, or as a just man in his own justice, since when
he rules your people well, you rule rather than he. Not to us, Lord, not to us the
glory; let your name alone be honored.
Since you have given them this blind leader, this unlearned teacher and
ignorant guide, if not for my sake then for theirs, teach him whom you have
commanded to teach others, lead him whom you have commanded to lead
others, direct him whom you have set over others to guide. Our merciful God,
hear me when I pray for them through affection and duty or from the
consideration of your kindness. You know, sweet Lord, how I love them, how my
heart is poured out on them, how my affection melts over them. You know, My
Lord, that I do not command by austerity or by the power of my spirit. You know
how I wish in charity to be useful to them rather than to rule over them; in5
humility to be under them but by affection to be in them. This I ask, that your
eyes should be ever watching, night and day. Spread your wings most lovingly to
protect them, extend your holy right hand to bless them, infuse your holy Spirit
into their hearts, until we all realize our common unity through faith.
O sweet Lord, by the working of your holy Spirit may they be at peace with
themselves, with one another, and with me. May they be modest, kind, and
obedient; serving and supporting one another; fervent in spirit, rejoicing in
hope. Be in their midst according to your faithful promise. Since you know what
is necessary for each, I beseech you to strengthen what is weak in them, support
what is warm, make firm what is unstable, so that each one may feel that your
grace is not lacking in his necessities and temptations…
I entrust them to your holy hands and your loving providence. No one can
tear away from your hand or from the hand of your servant to whom you have
entrusted them, but may they happily persevere in their holy purpose and –
persevering – obtain eternal life through you, our dearest Lord, who lives and
reigns, world without end. Amen.

Vigils Reading - Baptism of the Lord
2026-01-11
THE KISS OF THE DOVE
From a homily by Bede the Venerable
◊◊◊
John gave testimony, saying,’I saw the Spirit descending like a dove
from heaven, and it rested on him’. It is good that the Spirit descended upon the
Lord in the form of a dove, so that the faithful may learn that they cannot be
filled with his Spirit unless they are simple, unless they possess true peace with
their brothers and sisters, which is signified by the kiss of doves.
Ravens also have kisses, but they tear flesh (which a dove does not do at
all), signifying those who speak peace with their neighbor, but wicked things
are in their hearts. A dove, which by nature is innocent of the tearing of flesh,
most suitably fits those innocents who pursue peace and sanctity with everyone,
solicitous to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. And so the Spirit,
by descending as a dove, does not represent merely its own innocence and
simplicity, or that of him on whom it descended, but likewise that of those who
think of him in goodness and seek him in simplicity of heart.
The Lord himself says in praise of the piety that they share with one
accord, and of the gentleness granted by a spiritual grace, One is my dove; she is
the only one of her mother, the elect of her progenetrix. Indeed, he calls the
grace of the Spirit ‘the mother and progenetrix of the Church’. By that inspiring
grace she too receives the capacity of being rightly called a dove. Accordingly, in
Hebrew, the language in which holy scripture was set forth, ‘spirit’ is a name
that is feminine in gender. On this account, the Church is appropriately given
the name ‘the one dove of Christ,’ and ‘the elect of her mother and progenetrix,’
for undoubtedly it is not because of her own merits, but because of gift of
spiritual grace she has received, that she is gathered into the unity of the
Christian faith from many nations, that she is gladdened by a mutual dove-like
peace, and that she is blessed by her share in election.
‘And I,’ John says,‘was not aware of him’. You understand what is
implied: ‘I did not recognize him as sublimely as I recognized him when the
Spirit descended upon him’. ‘But he who sent me to baptize with water said to
me, “The one upon whom you will see the Spirit descending and resting upon
him, he it is who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.”‘ The Lord baptizes with the
Holy Spirit, pardoning sins through the gift of the Holy Spirit. For either he
would first baptize some of his disciples with water, through whom the river of
baptism would flow to the rest of the faithful; he would baptize them too with
the Spirit by unloosing them from their sins and administering the gifts of the
Spirit – or else his faithful, calling upon his name, would baptize the elect with
water and anoint them with sacred chrism.
Nevertheless, he himself baptizes them in the Holy Spirit, for no one
except him is capable of releasing the bonds of sins or of bestowing the gifts of
the Holy Spirit.

Skema
2026-01-11
Biblical Readings for Office and Mass
1st Week in Ordinary Time

Mass Readings: Sunday (A), Weekdays (II)
January 11 – 17, 2026

Sun
11
Mon
12
Tue
13
Wed
14
Thu
15
Fri
16
Sat
17

Office
Baptism of the Lord
St Aelred
Weekday
Office for the Dead
Ss Maur & Placid
Weekday
St Anthony

Vigils
Joshua 3:1-17
Judges 1:1-20
Judg 2:1-23
Judg 3:1-11
Judg 3:12-31
Judg 4:1-24
Judg 5:1-31

Lauds
Acts 19:1-7
Amos 1:1-5
Amos 1:6-10
Amos 1:11-15
Amos 2:1-5
Amos 2:6-16
Amos 3:1-8

Mass
21
305
306
307
308
309
310

1st
Isa 42:1-4, 6-7
1 Sam 1:1-8
1 Sam 1:9-20
1 Sam 3:1-10, 19-20
1 Sam 4:1-11
1 Sam 8:4-7, 10-22a
1 Sam 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1

2nd
Acts 10:34-38

Gospel
Matt 3:13-17
Mark 1:14-20
Mark 1:21-28
Mark 1:29-39
Mark 1:40-45
Mark 2:1-12
Mark 2:13-17

Vespers
Rev 21:1-7
Philippians 1:1-11
Phil 1:12-18a
Phil 1:18b-26
Phil 1:27-30
Phil 2:1-11
Phil 2:12-18

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2026-01-10 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago)
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Vigils Reading - St William of Bourges
2026-01-10
ST WILLIAM OF BOURGES
From Butler’s Lives of the Saints
◊◊◊
Guillaume de Donjeon came from a distinguished family of Nevers on the
river Loire in central France. He was educated by his uncle Peter, who was
archdeacon of Soissons north-east of Paris. At an early age he was appointed canon
on Soissons and then of Paris. He felt the call to the solitary life, however, and
retired to Grandmont Abbey. A dispute there disturbed his peace, and he joined
the stricter Cistercian Order, being clothed at the abbey of Pontigny. He was
elected abbot of two smaller abbeys dependent on Pontigny, first Fontaine-Jean
then Chalis, near Senlis.
When Henri de Sully, archbishop of Bourges, died, a successor was sought
from among the Cistercian Abbots. William was elected by a process of drawing
the first of three names from slips placed on the altar by Henri’s brother Eudes,
bishop of Paris, a choice that confirmed the vote of the clergy. William would have
refused the appointment had he not received direct orders to take it up both from
Pope Innocent III and from his religious superior, the Abbot of Citeaux. He proved
to be a model bishop, austere in private life, wearing a hair shirt and abstaining
from red meat, and full of pastoral care for the spiritual and material welfare of the
poor, whom he saw as his first responsibility. He defended the rights of his church,
including its lands, against threatened encroachment by the civil powers, arguing
his case successfully even against the king.
The Albigensians were numerous in France at this time, and he was active in
crusading against them, making many converts. He was preparing a mission to
them when his final illness came upon him. He preached a last sermon to his
people, which brought on a high fever and hastened his end. At his request he was
laid on a bed of ashes, and he died with the first two words of the Nocturns on his
lips, just after midnight on January 10, 1209. His body was interred in the
cathedral of Bourges, and many miracles were attributed to him. A shrine was
accordingly built in 1217, and he was canonized by Pope Honorius III the following
year.

Vigils Reading
2026-01-09
A HIDDEN GOD
By Edward Leen
◊◊◊
Everybody knows that the call of the Magi typifies the vocation of the
Gentiles to the Church of God. But to penetrate more deeply into this mystery
and to read therein an experience common to a multitude of souls demand a
deeper understanding of God’s way of manifesting himself to his creatures, and
a keener discernment of his action in human souls.
God is a hidden God, and must be so for us. He manifests himself
obscurely. God does not hide himself from us purposely or to make approach to
him more difficult. He desires revelation of himself to us, and approach to him
on our part. God in his approach to us but tempters his brilliancy to
accommodate it to our weak and diseased spiritual vision. He, as it were, takes
care not to hurt our soul’s sight. But he aims at revelation through dimmed
radiance. The incarnation, which is the utmost concealment of the Godhead
that there is, or that can be — except that of the Eucharist alone — is the greatest
revelation of God.
That we are dull of perception is certainly not due to the mode in which
God reveals himself, but must be traceable to our fault. It is the poor quality of
our faith that is responsible for this dullness. We do not take God on his own
conditions. We are always given to imposing ours on him. We have a tendency
to decide for ourselves what shall be the sensible exterior vesture of God’s
message. We clothe that message with a garment woven of our own ideas and
imaginings, and we reject the material selected by God himself for his
revelation.
Not so the wise men. They took God on his own terms. We choose a
certain mode for his manifestation, and they acknowledged him as God in the
lowliness of the guise in which he appeared. They looked on a babe and they said
God. Their faith was superb.
That the three wise men were able to discern in the form of a helpless
babe, lying in an earthly Mother’s frail arms, under a miserable roof, the king of
kings, the great redeemer of the human race that had been spoken of in
prophecy for centuries before, was a truly marvelous thing…
The wonderful faith of these men passes all belief. Their appearance in the
pages of Saint Matthew is like a sudden burst of glorious sunshine, breaking in a
flood of glory, through a sky wrapped in a mantle of somber gray. And the star
went before them, until it came and stood over where the child was; and seeing
the star they rejoiced with exceeding great joy…
As they saw the humble roof under which the child was, and as they
perceived the lowly simple conditions of his parents, were they taken aback?
Had they any misgivings? Were they harassed by any doubts?… It was the
supreme test to which they were put, and their magnificent faith triumphed
over all appearances. Their hearts responded loyally to the touch of grace, for
they were unprejudiced and ready to concede to God whatever form he should
choose for his manifestation.

Vigils Reading
2026-01-08
THE FAITH OF THE MAGI
From a sermon by Blessed Guerric of Igny
◊◊◊
O with what joy does the faith of the Magi exult there as they look upon
the babe now reigning in that heavenly Jerusalem, him whom they adored as a
crying babe in Bethlehem. Here he was seen in the inn of the poor; there he is
seen in the palace of the angels; here in the swaddling clothes of infants, there in
the splendor of the saints; here in his mother’s lap, there on his Father’s throne.
Truly the faith of the blessed Magi deserved to be rewarded with so
blissful a sight. Their faith, although it saw in him only what was weak and
contemptible, could not however find in that a stumbling-block to prevent them
from worshiping God in man and man in God.
These first-fruits of the nations, then, these beginnings of the new-born
Church, aptly prefigure the stages by which faith progresses in individuals. For
just as they began with the sight of the star, advanced to the sight of the Child,
arrived at the sight of God, so in us faith is born by the preaching of heavenly
luminaries, it is strengthened by the sight of certain images which show us God
incarnate, through a confused reflection in a mirror, and will be brought to its
consummation when the naked truth of things will be seen as present and we
shall contemplate face to face what now is scarcely seen for a fleeting moment
now and then… Then faith itself will be transformed into knowledge, hope into
possession, desire into enjoyment…
Therefore the Lord said: “You are the light of the world”; and again: “Let
your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your
Father who is in heaven”. So they shine by their word, they shine by their
example, and by these two rays of light they proclaim the rising of eternal Light.
They preach with their voices one who is in heaven and commend him also by
the resemblance of a heavenly life.
Look up, brethren, into heaven, for your true home is in heaven. Look up
and direct the eyes of your mind at least on the brilliance of the stars, if you are
not able yet to gaze upon the sun’s disk. Admire the splendor of the saints,
imitate their faith, emulate their holiness. Those stars blaze like a flame and
show clearly that the Light of lights has risen. They lead to the cradle of the new
King, to the bedchamber of the Virgin Mother, faith’s inviolable mystery, indeed
they lead to the temple of the King, to the sanctuary of God the father, faith’s
reward that surpasses all understanding.
In the meantime however, while we are not able to search out the wisdom
of God which is hidden in mystery or to contemplate the majesty which is to be
our reward, let us be content to wonder at the brightness of the saints… Let us
exercise ourselves in the works of light and He will show it to us now from time
to time to encourage us in our work and afterwards will give it to us as a reward.

Vigils Reading
2026-01-07
RISE UP, BE ENLIGHTENED
From a sermon by St Aelred of Rievaulx
◊◊◊
Rise up, be enlightened, Jerusalem, for your light has come. This is the
Jerusalem which the Lord Jesus, who is the true and highest peace, is building
up out of living stones, the Jerusalem that aspires to the vision of him and
believes with utter certainty that it shall find its happiness in that vision. It is the
holy Church. It is each and every holy gathering, each and every holy soul. Rise
up, he said, be enlightened, Jerusalem.
Rightly was it told: Rise up, for it was lying prostrate. Rightly is it told, Be
enlightened, for it was blind. It was lying prostrate, blind, in darkness, in error,
in sin. Therefore it was told: Rise up, because he who would raise it up had
already stooped down. It is told: Be enlightened, because he who would
enlighten it was already present. What else does that new star proclaim from the
heavens but Rise up, be enlightened? The sign of the Lord’s birth has appeared
in the heavens so that we may rise from the love of earthly things to heaven. And
this sign takes the form of a star so that we may know that by his birth we shall
be enlightened…
The three kings of whom we have spoken came to Jerusalem and asked:
Where is he who is born King of the Jews? As soon as Herod heard those words
he was dismayed. Why, if not because he was earth and darkness covered the
earth? He was afraid of losing his earthly kingdom. Because all he sought was an
earthly kingdom, he thought that the newborn king would seek only an earthly
kingdom…
But now lying prostrate in carnal desires and in the darkness of iniquities
is a matter for great agitation, for the true light that enlightens every one
coming into the world, Christ Jesus, has now come. We cannot have further
excuse for our sins, for Christ, who takes away the sins of the world and justifies
the wicked, now speaks to us openly. Someone who follows me does not walk in
darkness but will have the light of life.
And what is the way by which he walks and which leads to him? Let him
tell you himself: Anyone who chooses to come after me must deny himself, take
up his cross and follow me. The apostle also points out the way that leads to
Christ; it is, he says, through many tribulations that we must enter the
kingdom of heaven. Again, the Lord tells us in the Gospel: Blessed are the poor
in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
This is the way by which Jesus walked and by which we shall come to him:
the renunciation of our own will, the imitation of Christ’s passion, the hardships
of the present life, and voluntary poverty. This is the way which sacred Scripture
shows us, which, as we said, appeared to the three kings.

Vigils Reading
2026-01-06
THE FESTIVAL
OF THE WHOLE UNIVERSE
From a homily by St Basil the Great
◊◊◊
The star came to rest over the place where the Child lay. When they saw it,
the Wise Men were filled with great joy. Let us also welcome that joy of theirs
into our own hearts, for it is the same as the glad tidings which the angels
proclaimed to the shepherds. Let us worship the Lord with the Wise Men,
glorify him with the shepherds, and join in the angels’ chorus, singing: This day
is born to us a Savior who is Christ the Lord. The Lord is our God, and he has
shone upon us. For fear of terrifying the weak he would not dazzle our eyes by
appearing in the form of God, but he came to us as a servant, in order to set free
what was held in bondage.
Who could be so dull of heart, so ungrateful as not to rejoice, be glad and
exult with all here present? This is the festival of the whole universe, for it pours
out on earth the blessings of heaven, sending the archangels to Zechariah and to
Mary, and assembling the angelic choirs for their song: Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace, good will among all.
The stars traverse the skies; the Wise Men journey from pagan lands,
while the earth receives its Redeemer in the cave. There must be no one without
some gift to offer, no one unmindful of the gratitude he owes. Let us celebrate
the world’s salvation, the day Christ was born in our humanity, for today Adam’s
sentence is reversed.
No longer can it be said, You are earth, and to the earth you shall return
; rather, “You are now united to heaven, and to heaven you shall be admitted”.
Now we no longer hear, In sorrow you shall bring forth your children, since
happy is she who bore Emmanuel, and happy is the breast which has nursed
him. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and sovereignty shall be
upon his shoulder.
Come then, and join those who gladly welcomed the Lord from heaven.
Think of the shepherds now clothed with wisdom, the priests blessed with the
gift of prophecy, and the women, Mary and Elizabeth, filled with happiness, the
one rejoicing at Gabriel’s message, the other at John’s leaping in her womb.
Think of Anna proclaiming the good news and Simeon holding the child in his
arms. Adoring the mighty God in the tiny infant, they did not despise what they
saw but praised his divine majesty. Like light shining through clear glass, the
power of the Godhead shone in radiance through that human body for those
whose inner gaze was pure.
May the Lord grant us also to be counted among them, so that beholding
his radiance with unveiled face, we may be transformed from glory to glory by
the grace and loving kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be honor and
power for ever and ever. Amen.

Vigils Reading - St John Neumann
2026-01-05
THE PROPOSAL TO
GO TO AMERICA
From the autobiography of St John Neumann
◊◊◊
On the feast of All Saints, 1831, I began the study of theology… I studied
Sacred Scripture, Hebrew and Church History… At the end of the first year of
theology I was one of the few who were to receive Tonsure and the four Minor
Orders. This actually took place on July 21, 1832.
In the second year of theology we had the New Testament in Latin and
Greek together with Exegesis and Canon Law. What appealed to me most were
the letters of the Apostle, St Paul, which the professor knew how to explain very
well. About this time I began to read the reports of the Leopoldine Society,
especially the letters of Father Baraga and other missionaries among the
Germans in North America. This is how there arose in one of my fellow
students, Adalbert Schmidt, and in myself on the occasion of a walk along the
Moldau River, the determination to devote ourselves to North America as soon
as we acquired some experience after ordination.
Two or three of our fellow students, whom we invited to join us, marvelled
at our decision, but they did not want to promise anything. Obviously, it was not
their vocation. From that moment on my resolution was so strong and lively
that I could no longer think of anything else.
We had talks on how to carry out our project. We thought it would be
better for me to try to obtain from the bishop the recently vacated foundation
scholarship at the University of Prague for a theologian from the seminary. We
did this in the hope of easily learning French and English there because we
thought that the knowledge of these languages was much more important than
is actually the case. The bishop granted my request, but I found myself very
much disappointed. I had hardly gone to the French classes at the Clementinum
for a few [days or weeks] when an order came from the archbishop that no
seminarian was to attend these classes. As for English, I could learn even less
because that language was not taught at the University then.
Meanwhile, the bishop of Philadelphia, Fr. Francis Patrick Kenrick
empowered Dr. Raess, the rector of the Strassburg seminary to accept young
priests or, even better, theologians for his diocese. The latter wrote to a very
saintly priest, who was Vicar of the Budweis Cathedral, about the possibility of
getting some of them from Bohemia. Through a special disposition of divine
providence this turned out to be the one (Father Hermann) who happened to be
the confessor of my friend Adalbert Schmidt and knew about our proposal to go
to America.
Aside from three or four or our fellow students and him, no one knew
about this. He was very happy to discover in us the first two that he found ready
to go to America. The request to Dr. Raess and our decision seemed to be signs
that his plan would be feasible. Since the bishop, who was over eighty, was sick,
and since, for four or five months, there was no prospect that he would hold an
ordination, he was all in favor of the two of us being ready to take off as soon as
possible.

Vigils Reading - Epiphany of the Lord
2026-01-04
KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUE LIGHT
From a commentary by St Leo the Great
◊◊◊
Dearly beloved, the day on which Christ first showed himself to the
Gentiles as the Savior of the world should be held in holy reverence among us.
We should experience in our hearts the same joy as the three wise men felt when
the sign of the new star led them into the presence of the king of heaven and
earth, and they gazed in adoration upon the one in whose promised coming they
had put their faith.
Although that day belongs to the past, the power of the mystery which was
then revealed has not passed away; we are not left with a mere report of bygone
events, to be received in faith and remembered with veneration. God’s bounty
towards us has been multiplied, so that even in our own times we daily
experience the grace which belonged to those first beginnings.
The Gospel story specifically recalls the days when, without any previous
teaching from the prophets or instruction in the law, three men came from the
far east in search of God; but we see the same thing taking place even more
clearly and extensively in the enlightenment of all those whom God calls at the
present time. We see the fulfillment of that prophecy of Isaiah which says: The
Lord has bared his holy arm in the sight of all nations, and the whole world
has seen the salvation that comes from the Lord our God. And again: Those
who have not been told about him shall see, and those who have not heard
shall understand.
When we see the people being led out of the abyss of error and called to
knowledge of the true light, people who, far from professing faith in Jesus
Christ, have hitherto devoted themselves to worldly wisdom, we can have no
doubt that the splendor of divine grace is at work. Whenever a shaft of light
newly pierces darkened hearts, its source is the radiance of that same star,
which impresses the souls it touches by the miracle of its appearance and leads
them forward to worship God.
If on the other hand we earnestly ask ourselves whether the same
threefold oblation is made by all who come to Christ in faith, shall we not
discover a corresponding gift offering in the hearts in the hearts of true
believers? To acknowledge Christ’s universal sovereignty is in fact to bring out
gold from the treasury of one’s soul; to believe God’s only Son has made himself
truly one with human nature is to offer myrrh, and to declare that he is in no way
inferior to the Father in majesty is to worship him with frankincense.

Skema
2026-01-04
Biblical Readings for Office and Mass
Epiphany Week

Mass Readings: Sunday (A), Weekdays (II)
January 4 – 10, 2026

Sun
4
Mon
5
Tue
6
Wed
7
Thu
8
Fri
9
Sat
10

Office
Epiphany of the Lord
St John Neumann
Weekday after Epiphany
Weekday after Epiphany
Weekday after Epiphany
Weekday after Epiphany
St William of Bourges

Vigils
Isa 60:1-22
Isa 54:1-17
Isa 55:1-13
Isa 56:1-8
Isa 59:7-21
Baruch 4:5-29
Baruch 4:30-5:9

Lauds
Isa 49:13-23
Isa 63:7-9
Isa 63:15-19
Isa 64:4-11
Isa 65:17-25
Isa 66:10-14
Isa 66:18-23

Mass
20
212
213
214
215
216
217

1st
Isa 60:1-6
1 John 3:22-4:6
1 John 4:7-10
1 John 4:11-18
1 John 4:19-5:4
1 John 5:5-13
1 John 5:14-21

2nd
Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6

Gospel
Matt 2:1-12
Matt 4:12-17, 23-25
Mark 6:34-44
Mark 6:45-52
Luke 4:14-22a
Luke 5:12-16
John 3:22-30

Vespers
Rev 21:22-27
Col 2:16-23
Col 3:1-11
Col 3:12-17
Col 3:19-4:1
Col 4:2-6
Col 2:8-15

Vigils Reading - Christmas Weekday
2026-01-03
TO SEEK AND DISCOVER
From the book “Jesus Christ” by Fr Réné Voillaume
◊◊◊
Jesus appears in the world without giving any warning of his coming and
without making known to any neighbor who he is. Had he come into the world
in his house at Nazareth, all his relatives would have made an event of his birth
with the neighbors and the other inhabitants of the town. He would have been
heralded and celebrated. He would thus have allowed himself to behave well
enough like a true little Nazarene, but he would have been confiscated, as it
were, by his earthly family and his earthly country.
Quite to the contrary, he elects to be born away from home, on a journey,
amid an anonymous crowd; in this way, he would really belong to everybody,
and could come quietly and discreetly, with no tumult and excitement. God, if
he had so wished, could naturally have made all sorts of efforts to spread the
news abroad. And if any proof were needed of this, one could point to his having
mobilized the angels but contented himself with bringing a few poor shepherds
to the manger. It is also clear from this that he could easily have brought the
whole of Jerusalem and all the just among the Israelites with pure and upright
hearts, worshipers of God and living in expectancy of the Messiah. And there
were in fact many of them, all true friends of his, in the country of Judea and
Galilee!
But it is obvious that God did not wish to impose his Son: people must
come to him by seeking and discovering him. Even the shepherds and the Wise
Men, though warned personally, had to search for him with the help of a sign
which, rather than leading them easily and directly to the manger, was little
more than a suggestion to send them on their way. The shepherds must have
gone to many houses and stables before they found the right babe wrapped in
swaddling clothes.
As for the Magi, they had to show some initiative in order to discover, by
the normal means at their disposal, the birthplace of the young king of Israel.
Jesus was infinitely discreet; he simply waited, and such a way of appearing
could have made us somewhat impatient, had it not been proved for centuries
back that people have found in this very discretion a true sign of God.
That sign of weakness, which draws people in spite of themselves, makes
them surrender and acknowledge themselves outdone, without Jesus ever
having forced himself upon them in any way other than a certain presence — a
presence that waits, and invites, and demonstrates God’s heaven in a humble
manner which gives hope and humility, peace and love — just how, one does not
really know! God is a master who knows how to go about speaking to us with the
use of the things of the earth — these various beings, both animate and
inanimate — and the events of human history.

Vigils Reading - SS Basil & Gregory
2026-01-02
ST BASIL AND ST GREGORY
From a treatise by St John Henry Newman
◊◊◊
The instruments raised up by Almighty God for the accomplishment of
His purposes are of two kinds, equally gifted with faith and piety, but from
natural temper and talent, education, or other circumstances, differing in the
means by which they promote their sacred cause.
The first of these are men of acute and ready mind, with accurate
knowledge of human nature, and large plans, and persuasive and attractive
bearing, genial, sociable, and popular, endued with prudence, patience,
instinctive tact and decision in conducting matters, as well as boldness and
zeal…
There is an instrument in the hand of Providence, of less elaborate and
splendid workmanship, less rich in its political endowments, so to call them, yet
not less beautiful in its texture, nor less precious in its material… Such, perhaps,
was Basil, who issued from the solitudes of Pontus to rule like a king, and
minister like the lowest in the kingdom; yet to meet little but disappointment,
and to quit life prematurely in pain and sorrow.
Such was his friend, the accomplished Gregory, however different in
other respects from him, who left his father’s roof for an heretical city, raised a
church there, and was driven back into retirement by his own people, as soon as
his triumph over the false creed was secured…
No comparison is, of course, attempted here between the religious
excellence of the two descriptions of men; each of them serves God according to

the peculiar gifts given to him. If we might continue our instances by way of
comparison, we should say that St Paul reminds us of the former, and Jeremiah
of the latter.
