Saturday, May 26, 2012

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Litany of St. Philip Neri

Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, Have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, pray for us.
Holy Mother of God, pray for us.
Holy Virgin of Virgins, pray for us.

Saint Philip, pray for us.
Vessel of the Holy Spirit, pray for us.
Child of Mary, pray for us.
Apostle of Rome, pray for us.
Counselor of Popes, pray for us.
Voice of Prophecy, pray for us.
Man of Primitive Times, pray for us.
Winning Saint, pray for us.
Hidden Hero, pray for us.
Sweetest of Fathers, pray for us.
Martyr of Charity, pray for us.
Heart of Fire, pray for us.
Discerner of Spirits, pray for us.
Choicest of Priests, pray for us.
Mirror of the Divine Life, pray for us.
Pattern of humility, pray for us.
Example of Simplicity, pray for us.
Light of Holy Joy, pray for us.
Image of Childhood, pray for us.
Picture of Old Age, pray for us.
Director of Souls, pray for us.
Gentle Guide of Youth, pray for us.
Patron of thine Own, pray for us.

Thou who observed chastity in thy youth, pray for us.
Who sought Rome by Divine guidance, pray for us.
Who hid so long in the catacombs, pray for us.
Who received the Holy Spirit into thy heart, pray for us.
Who experienced such wonderful ecstasies, pray for us.
Who so lovingly served the little ones, pray for us.
Who washed the feet of pilgrims, pray for us.
Who ardently thirsted after martyrdom, pray for us.
Who distributed the daily word of God, pray for us.
Who turned so many hearts to God, pray for us.
Who conversed so sweetly with Mary, pray for us.
Who raised the dead, pray for us.
Who set up thy houses in all lands, pray for us.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, 
Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, 
 Have mercy on us.

Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.

V. Remember thy congregation.
R. Which thou hast possessed from the beginning.

Let Us Pray:

O God, Who hast exalted blessed Philip,
Thy confessor,
in the glory of Thy Saints,
grant that,
as we rejoice in his commemoration,
so may we profit by the example of his virtues,
through Christ Our Lord.

DAILY MASS READINGS

Memorial of Saint Philip Neri, Priest

Reading
Acts 28:16-20, 30-31

When he entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself,
with the soldier who was guarding him.

Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews.
When they had gathered he said to them, "My brothers,
although I had done nothing against our people
or our ancestral customs,
I was handed over to the Romans 
as a prisoner from Jerusalem.
After trying my case the Romans wanted to release me,
because they found nothing against me deserving 
the death penalty.
But when the Jews objected, I was obliged to appeal to Caesar,
even though I had no accusation to make 
against my own nation.
This is the reason, then, I have requested to see you
and to speak with you, for it is on account of the hope of Israel
that I wear these chains."

He remained for two full years in his lodgings.
He received all who came to him, and with complete assurance
and without hindrance he proclaimed the Kingdom of God
and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.


Responsorial Psalm
Ps 11:4, 5 And 7

R. The just will gaze on your face, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

The LORD is in his holy temple;
the LORD's throne is in heaven.
His eyes behold,
his searching glance is on mankind.

R. The just will gaze on your face, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

The LORD searches the just and the wicked;
the lover of violence he hates.
For the LORD is just, he loves just deeds;
the upright shall see his face.

R. The just will gaze on your face, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.


Gospel
Jn 21:20-25

Peter turned and saw the disciple following whom Jesus loved,
the one who had also reclined upon his chest 
during the supper
and had said, "Master, who is the one who will betray you?"
When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, 
"Lord, what about him?"

Jesus said to him,

"What if I want him to remain until I come?
What concern is it of yours?
You follow me."

So the word spread among the brothers that that disciple would not die.
But Jesus had not told him that he would not die,
just "What if I want him to remain until I come?
What concern is it of yours?"

It is this disciple who testifies to these things
and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true.
There are also many other things that Jesus did,
but if these were to be described individually,
I do not think the whole world would contain the books
that would be written.

SAINT OF THE DAY

May 26

St. Philip Neri (1515-1595)

Philip Neri was a sign of contradiction, combining popularity with piety against the background of a corrupt Rome and a disinterested clergy, the whole post-Renaissance malaise.
At an early age, he abandoned the chance to become a businessman, moved to Rome from Florence and devoted his life and individuality to God. After three years of philosophy and theology studies, he gave up any thought of ordination. The next 13 years were spent in a vocation unusual at the time—that of a layperson actively engaged in prayer 
and the apostolate.

As the Council of Trent was reforming the Church on a doctrinal level, Philip’s appealing personality was winning him friends from all levels of society, from beggars to cardinals. He rapidly gathered around himself a group of laypersons won over by his audacious spirituality. Initially they met as an informal prayer and discussion group, and also served poor people in Rome.

At the urging of his confessor, he was ordained a priest and soon became an outstanding confessor, gifted with the knack of piercing the pretenses and illusions of others, though always in a charitable manner and often with a joke. He arranged talks, discussions and prayers for his penitents in a room above the church. He sometimes led “excursions” to other churches, often with music and a picnic on the way.

Some of his followers became priests and lived together in community. This was the beginning of the Oratory, the religious institute he founded. A feature of their life was a daily afternoon service of four informal talks, with vernacular hymns and prayers. Giovanni Palestrina was one of Philip’s followers, and composed music for the services.

The Oratory was finally approved after suffering through a period of accusations of being an assembly of heretics, where laypersons preached and sang vernacular hymns! (Cardinal Newman founded the first English-speaking house of the Oratory three centuries later.)

Philip’s advice was sought by many of the prominent figures of his day. He is one of the influential figures of the Counter-Reformation, mainly for converting to personal holiness many of the influential people within the Church itself. His characteristic virtues were humility and gaiety.


OFFICE OF READINGS

O Lord, open my lips.
And my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Invitatory Psalm
Psalm 99 (100)

Come, let us worship Christ, the prince of shepherds. Alleluia.

– Come, let us worship Christ, the prince of shepherds. Alleluia.

Rejoice in the Lord, all the earth,
and serve him with joy.
Exult as you enter his presence.

– Come, let us worship Christ, the prince of shepherds. Alleluia.

Know that the Lord is God.
He made us and we are his
– his people, the sheep of his flock.

– Come, let us worship Christ, the prince of shepherds. Alleluia.

Cry out his praises as you enter his gates,
fill his courtyards with songs.
Proclaim him and bless his name;
for the Lord is our delight.
His mercy lasts for ever,
his faithfulness through all the ages.

– Come, let us worship Christ, the prince of shepherds. Alleluia.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

– Come, let us worship Christ, the prince of shepherds. Alleluia.


Hymn

Eternal Monarch, King most high,
Whose blood hath brought redemption nigh,
By whom the death of death was wrought,
And conquering grace’s battle fought:
Be thou our joy, O mighty Lord,
As thou will be our great reward;
Earth’s joys to thee are nothing worth,
Thou joy and crown of heaven and earth.
To thee we therefore humbly pray
That thou wouldst purge our sins away,
And draw our hearts by cords of grace
To thy celestial dwelling place.
So when the judgement day shall come,
And all must rise to meet their doom,
Thou wilt remit the debts we owe,
And our lost crowns again bestow.
All glory, Lord, to thee we pay,
Ascending o’er the stars today;
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete.


Psalm 106 (107)
Thanksgiving after rescue

Let them thank the Lord for his love, 
for the wonders he does for men. Alleluia.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his kindness is for ever.
Let them say this, the people the Lord has redeemed,
those whom he rescued from their enemies
whom he gathered together from all lands,
from east and west, from the north and the south.
They wandered through desert and wilderness,
they could find no way to a city they could dwell in.
Their souls were weary within them,
weary from hunger and thirst.
They cried to the Lord in their trouble
and he rescued them from their distress.
He set them on the right path
towards a city they could dwell in.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his kindness,
for the wonders he works for men:
the Lord, who feeds hungry creatures
and gives water to the thirsty to drink.
They sat in the darkness and shadow of death,
imprisoned in chains and in misery,
because they had rebelled against the words of God
and spurned the counsels of the Most High.
He wore out their hearts with labour:
they were weak, there was no-one to help.
They cried to the Lord in their trouble
and he rescued them from their distress.
He led them out of the darkness and shadow of death,
he shattered their chains.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his kindness,
for the wonders he works for men:
the Lord, who shatters doors of bronze,
who breaks bars of iron.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

Let them thank the Lord for his love, 
for the wonders he does for men. Alleluia.


Psalm 106 (107)

They have seen the Lord’s deeds and the wonders he does. Alleluia.

The people were sick because they transgressed,
afflicted because of their sins.
All food was distasteful to them,
they were on the verge of death.
They cried to the Lord in their trouble
and he rescued them from their distress.
He sent forth his word and healed them,
delivered them from their ruin.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his kindness,
for the wonders he works for men:
Let them offer a sacrifice of praise
and proclaim his works with rejoicing.
Those who go down to the sea in ships,
those who trade across the great waters –
they have seen the works of the Lord,
the wonders he performs in the deep.
He spoke, and a storm arose,
and the waves of the sea rose up.
They rose up as far as the heavens
and descended down to the depths:
the sailors’ hearts melted from fear,
they staggered and reeled like drunkards,
terror drove them out of their minds.
But they cried to the Lord in their trouble
and he rescued them from their distress.
He turned the storm into a breeze
and silenced the waves.
They rejoiced at the ending of the storm
and he led them to the port that they wanted.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his kindness,
for the wonders he works for men:
let them exalt him in the assembly of the people,
give him praise in the council of the elders.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

They have seen the Lord’s deeds and the wonders he does. Alleluia.


Psalm 106 (107)

The upright see and rejoice; they consider the love of the Lord. Alleluia.

The Lord has turned rivers into wilderness,
he has made well-watered lands into desert,
fruitful ground into salty waste
because of the evil of those who dwelt there.
But he has made wilderness into ponds,
deserts into the sources of rivers,
he has called together the hungry
and they have founded a city to dwell in.
They have sowed the fields, planted the vines;
they grow and harvest their produce.
He has blessed them and they have multiplied;
he does not let their cattle decrease.
But those others became few and oppressed
through trouble, evil, and sorrow.
He poured his contempt on their princes
and set them to wander the trackless waste.
But the poor he has saved from their poverty
and their families grow numerous as sheep.
The upright shall see, and be glad,
and all wickedness shall block up its mouth.
Whoever is wise will remember these things
and understand the mercies of the Lord.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

The upright see and rejoice; they consider the love of the Lord. Alleluia.


God has given us a new birth into living hope, alleluia,
– through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, alleluia.


Reading
3 John 1:1-15

From the Elder: greetings to my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth. My dear friend, I hope everything is going happily with you and that you are as well physically as you are spiritually. It was a great joy to me when some brothers came and told of your faithfulness to the truth, and of your life in the truth. It is always my greatest joy to hear that my children are living according to the truth.

My friend, you have done faithful work in looking after these brothers, even though they were complete strangers to you. They are a proof to the whole Church of your charity and it would be a very good thing if you could help them on their journey in a way that God would approve. It was entirely for the sake of the name that they set out, without depending on the pagans for anything; it is our duty to welcome men of this sort and contribute our share to their work for the truth.

I have written a note for the members of the church, but Diotrephes, who seems to enjoy being in charge of it, refuses to accept us. So if I come, I shall tell everyone how he has behaved, and about the wicked accusations he has been circulating against us. As if that were not enough, he not only refuses to welcome our brothers, but prevents the other people who would have liked to from doing it, and expels them from the church. My dear friend, never follow such a bad example, but keep following the good one; anyone who does what is right is a child of God, but the person who does what is wrong has never seen God.

Demetrius has been approved by everyone, and indeed by the truth itself. We too will vouch for him and you know that our testimony is true.

There were several things I had to tell you but I would rather not trust them to pen and ink. However, I hope to see you soon and talk to you personally. Peace be with you; greetings from your friends; greet each of our friends by name.


Responsory

Never follow a bad example, but continue to follow the good one: anyone who does what is right is a child of God, 
alleluia.

There is some merit in accepting pain if it is endured for the sake of God: anyone who does what is right is a child of God, alleluia.


Reading
From a sermon by Saint Augustine

Always rejoice in the Lord

The Apostle commands us to rejoice, but in the Lord, not in the world. For, you see, as Scripture says, whoever wishes to be a friend of this world will be counted as God’s enemy.

Just as a man cannot serve two masters, so too no-one can rejoice both in the world and in the Lord.

Let joy in the Lord win and go on winning, until people take no more joy in the world. Let joy in the Lord always go on growing, and joy in the world always go on shrinking until it is reduced to nothing. I do not mean that we should not rejoice as long as we are in this world, but that even while we do find ourselves in this world, we should already be rejoicing in the Lord.

Someone may argue, “I am in the world; so obviously, if I rejoice, I rejoice where I am”. What of it? Because you are in the world, does it mean that you are not in the Lord? Listen to the same Apostle in the Acts of the Apostles, speaking to the Athenians, and saying about God and about the Lord, our Creator, In him we live, and move, and are. Since he is everywhere, there is nowhere that he is not. Is it not precisely this that he is emphasising to encourage us? The Lord is very near; do not be anxious about anything.

This is something tremendous, that he ascended above all the heavens but is still very near to those who dwell on earth, wherever they may be. Who can this be that is both far away and close at hand, except the one who became our near neighbour out of mercy?

The whole of the human race, you see, is that man who was lying in the road, left there by robbers, half dead, who was ignored by the passing priest and Levite, while the passing Samaritan stopped by him to take care of him and help him; and when the Immortal, the Just, was far away from us mortals and sinners, he came down to us to become – that far distant being – our near neighbor.

He has not treated us according to our sins. For we are his children. How do we prove this? The only Son died for us so that he would not remain the only child. He did not want to be alone, who died alone. The only Son of God made many children for God. He bought himself brothers and sisters with his blood; rejected, he accepted us; sold, he bought us back; dishonoured, he honoured us; killed, he brought us life.

So then, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord, not in the world; that is, rejoice in faithfulness and not in iniquity; rejoice in the hope of eternity and not the brief flower of vanity. Rejoice thus, and wherever you are here, as long as you are here, the Lord is very near: do not be anxious about anything.


Responsory

Rejoice, my brothers. Strive for perfection; listen to my appeals; agree with one another, and live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you, alleluia.

May God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace by means of your faith in him, and the God of love and peace will be with you, alleluia.

Let us pray.

God our Father, you are continually raising to the glory of holiness
those who serve you faithfully.
In your love, hear our prayer:
let the Holy Spirit inflame us with that fire with which, in so admirable a way,
he took possession of Saint Philip’s heart.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

Let us bless the Lord.
– Thanks be to God.