Tuesday, May 7, 2013

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Act of Reparation to the Blessed Virgin Mary

O blessed Virgin, Mother of God,
look down in mercy from heaven,
where thou art enthroned as Queen,
upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant.
Although I know full well my own unworthiness,
yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues,
from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest,
the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork.
I bless thy holy name,
I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever virgin,
conceived without stain of sin,
co-redemptrix of the human race.
I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter;
I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother;
I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride.
All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity,
who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity
as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights.
O Virgin,
holy and merciful,
obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance,
and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant,
obtaining likewise for me from thy divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins.

Amen.

DAILY MASS READINGS

Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter

Reading
ACTS 16:22-34

The crowd in Philippi joined in the attack on Paul and Silas,
and the magistrates had them stripped
and ordered them to be beaten with rods.
After inflicting many blows on them,
they threw them into prison
and instructed the jailer to guard them securely.
When he received these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell
and secured their feet to a stake.

About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying
and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened,
there was suddenly such a severe earthquake
that the foundations of the jail shook;
all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose.
When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open,
he drew his sword and was about to kill himself,
thinking that the prisoners had escaped.
But Paul shouted out in a loud voice,
“Do no harm to yourself; we are all here.”
He asked for a light and rushed in and,
trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas.
Then he brought them out and said,
“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus
and you and your household will be saved.”
So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house.
He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds;
then he and all his family were baptized at once.
He brought them up into his house and provided a meal
and with his household rejoiced at having come to faith in God.


Responsorial Psalm
PS 138:1-2AB, 2CDE-3, 7C-8

R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple,
and give thanks to your name.

R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Because of your kindness and your truth,
you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.

R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.

R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.


Gospel
JN 16:5-11

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Now I am going to the one who sent me,
and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’
But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts.
But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.
For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.
But if I go, I will send him to you.
And when he comes he will convict the world
in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation:
sin, because they do not believe in me;
righteousness, because I am going to the Father
and you will no longer see me;
condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.”

SAINT OF THE DAY

May 7

St. Rose Venerini (1656-1728)

Rose was born at Viterbo in Italy, the daughter of a doctor. 
Following the death of her fiancĂ© she entered a convent, but soon returned home to care for her newly widowed mother. 
Meanwhile, Rose invited the women of the neighborhood to recite the rosary in her home, 
forming a sort of sodality with them.

As she looked to her future, Rose, under the spiritual guidance of a Jesuit priest, became convinced that she was called to become a teacher in the world rather than a contemplative nun in a convent. Clearly, she made the right choice: 
She was a born teacher, and the free school for girls she opened in 1685 was well received.

Soon the cardinal invited her to oversee the training of teachers and the administration of schools in his Diocese of Montefiascone. As Rose's reputation grew, she was called upon to organize schools in many parts of Italy, including Rome. Her disposition was right for the task as well, for Rose often met considerable opposition but was never deterred.

She died in Rome in 1728, where a number of miracles were attributed to her. She was beatified in 1952 and canonized in 2006. The sodality, or group of women she had invited to prayer, was ultimately given the rank of a religious congregation. Today, the so-called Venerini Sisters can be found in the United States and elsewhere, 
working among Italian immigrants.

OFFICE OF READINGS

O Lord, open my lips.
And we shall praise your name.

Invitatory Psalm
Psalm 99 (100)

The Lord has truly risen,
alleluia.

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

The Lord has truly risen,
alleluia.

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

The Lord has truly risen,
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.

The Lord has truly risen,
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.

The Lord has truly risen,
alleluia.


Hymn

Love’s redeeming work is done,
fought the fight, the battle won.
Lo, our Sun’s eclipse is o’er!
Lo, he sets in blood no more!
Vain the stone, the watch, the seal!
Christ has burst the gates of hell;
death in vain forbids him rise;
Christ has opened paradise.
Lives again our victorious King;
where, O death, is now thy sting?
Dying once, he all doth save;
where thy victory, O grave?
Soar we now where Christ has led,
following our exalted Head;
made like him, like him we rise,
ours the cross, the grave, the skies.
Hail the Lord of earth and heaven!
Praise to thee by both be given:
thee we greet triumphant now;
hail, the Resurrection thou!


Psalm 36 (37)
The fate of the evil and the righteous

Commit your life to the Lord,
and he will act on your behalf.
Alleluia.

Do not envy the wicked;
do not be jealous of those that do evil.
They will dry up as quickly as hay;
they will wither like the grass.
Put your trust in the Lord and do good,
and your land and habitation will be secure.
Take your delight in the Lord,
and he will give you what your heart desires.
Entrust your journey to the Lord, and hope in him:
and he will act.
He will make your uprightness shine like the light,
your judgement like the sun at noon.
Take your rest in the Lord, and hope in him:
do not envy the one who thrives in his own way,
the man who weaves plots.
Abstain from wrath, abandon anger:
do not envy him who turns to evil,
for those who do evil will be destroyed,
but those on the side of the Lord
will inherit the earth.
A moment yet – and the sinner will be gone:
you will look where he was and find nothing.
But the needy will inherit the land
and delight in abundant peace.

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.

Commit your life to the Lord,
and he will act on your behalf.
Alleluia.


Psalm 36 (37)

Turn away from evil and do good:
the Lord will support the just.
Alleluia.

The wicked will plot against the righteous
and gnash his teeth at him;
but the Lord will deride him in his turn,
for the Lord has seen what awaits him.
The wicked have pulled out their swords,
the wicked have drawn their bows,
to throw down the poor and the destitute,
to murder whoever follows the straight path.
But their swords will enter their own hearts,
and their bows will splinter.
For the righteous, the little they have is better
than the abundant wealth of the wicked.
The limbs of the wicked will be broken
while the Lord gives his strength to the just.
The Lord knows when the day of the perfect will come;
and their inheritance will be eternal.
They will not be troubled in evil times,
and in times of famine they will have more than enough.
For the wicked will perish:
the enemies of the Lord will be like the flowers of the fields,
and like smoke they will vanish away.
The wicked man borrows and does not return;
but the righteous takes pity and gives.
The blessed ones of the Lord will inherit the earth,
but those whom he curses will be cut off.
It is the Lord who strengthens the steps of man
and chooses his path.
Even if he trips he will not fall flat,
for the Lord is holding his hand.
I was young and I have grown old,
but I have not seen the righteous man abandoned
nor his children seeking for bread.
All day long he takes pity and lends,
and his seed will be blessed.
Shun evil and do good,
and you will live for ever.
For the Lord loves right judgement,
and will not abandon his chosen ones.
The unjust will be destroyed for ever,
and the seed of the wicked will be cut off,
but the righteous will inherit the earth
and live there from age to age.

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.

Turn away from evil and do good:
the Lord will support the just.
Alleluia.


Psalm 36 (37)

Wait for the Lord, keep to his way.
Alleluia.

The mouth of the righteous will speak wisdom,
and his tongue will utter right judgement.
The law of his God is in his heart
and his steps will not stumble.
The wicked man watches the just
and seeks to kill him;
but the Lord will rescue the just man from his hands
and not condemn the just in the time of judgement.
Put your hope in the Lord and follow his paths,
and he will raise you up and make the land your inheritance,
let you watch as the wicked are cut off.
I have seen the sinner triumph,
flourish like a green cedar,
but he is gone, he is there no longer:
I have looked for him but have not found him.
Preserve innocence, follow uprightness:
for the future belongs to the man of peace.
The unrighteous will be destroyed altogether,
their posterity will be cut off.
The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord,
and their protection in time of trouble.
The Lord will come to their help and free them,
rescue them from the wicked and save them,
because they have put their trust in him.

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.

Wait for the Lord, keep to his way.
Alleluia.


Christ, risen from the dead, dies no more, alleluia.
– Death will have no more power over him, alleluia.


First Reading
1 John 2:12-17

I am writing to you, my own children,
whose sins have already been forgiven through his name;
I am writing to you, fathers,
who have come to know the one
who has existed since the beginning;
I am writing to you, young men,
who have already overcome the Evil One;
I have written to you, children,
because you already know the Father;
I have written to you, fathers,
because you have come to know the one
who has existed since the beginning;
I have written to you, young men,
because you are strong and God’s word has made its home in you,
and you have overcome the Evil One.
You must not love this passing world
or anything that is in the world.
The love of the Father cannot be
in any man who loves the world,
because nothing the world has to offer
– the sensual body,
the lustful eye,
pride in possessions –
could ever come from the Father
but only from the world;
and the world, with all it craves for,
is coming to an end;
but anyone who does the will of God
remains for ever.


Responsory

I will pour out water on the thirsty soil,
streams on the dry ground,
I will pour out my spirit on your descendants,
and they shall grow like poplars by running streams, alleluia.

The water that I shall give will turn into a spring,
welling up to eternal life,
and they shall grow like poplars by running streams, alleluia.


Second Reading
From a commentary on the gospel of John
by Saint Cyril of Alexandria, bishop

What binds us together is Christ

Paul bears witness to the fact that we achieve bodily union with Christ to the extent that we partake of his holy flesh. About this great mystery he says This that has now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets was unknown to any men in past generations: it means that pagans now share the same inheritance, 
that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them, in Jesus Christ.

If we are all the same body with one another in Christ 
– not just with one another, but with him who, through communion with his flesh, is actually within us 
– are we not then all of us clearly one with one another and one with Christ? 
For Christ is the bond that unites us, being at once God and Man.

Following the same line of thought, we can say this about spiritual unity: we all receive one and the same Spirit, the one Holy Spirit, I mean the Holy Spirit. So in a way we are blended together with one another and with God. Even though we are many individuals and Christ, the Spirit of the Father and his own Spirit, dwells in each one of us individually, 
still the Spirit is really one and indivisible. 
And so that one Spirit binds together the separated spirits of each one of us so that we are seen to be one, 
together in Christ.

Just as the power of Christ’s holy flesh makes into one body everyone in whom it exists, 
in the same way the Spirit of God, being indivisible, ties together the spirits in which it dwells.

Again, Paul emphasized this point: Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience. Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Body, one Spirit, just as you were all called into one and the same hope when you were called. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is Father of all, over all, through all and within all. As the one Spirit abides in us, the one God and Father will be with us through the Son, leading those who share the Spirit into unity with each other and with himself.

There is another way to show that we are united through sharing in the Holy Spirit. If we abandon living as mere animals and surrender ourselves wholly to the laws of the Spirit, it is surely beyond question that by effectively denying our own life and taking upon ourselves the transcendent likeness of the Holy Spirit who is joined unto us, we are practically transformed into another nature. We are no longer mere men, but sons of God and citizens of Heaven, 
through becoming partakers of the divine nature.

We are all, therefore, one in the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit; 
one because we have the same relationship, one because we live the same life of righteousness, 
and one in receiving the holy flesh of Christ and in sharing the one Holy Spirit.


Responsory

The fact that there is only one loaf means that,
though there are many of us,
we form a single body,
because we share the one loaf and the one cup, alleluia.

You give the lonely a home to live in;
you have prepared good things, O God, for the poor,
because we share the one loaf and the one cup, alleluia.

Let us pray.

Lord God,
grant your people constant joy
in the renewed vigour of their souls.
They rejoice because you have restored them
to the glory of your adopted children:
let them look forward gladly
in the certain hope of resurrection.
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 praise the Lord.
– Thanks be to God.