Friday, June 7, 2013

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Prayer to the Sacred Heart for the Church

O most holy Heart of Jesus,
shower Thy blessings in abundant measure upon Thy holy Church,
upon the Supreme Pontiff,
and upon all the clergy;
to the just grant perseverance;
convert sinners;
enlighten unbelievers;
bless our relations, friends, and benefactors;
assist the dying;
deliver the holy souls in purgatory;
and extend over all hearts the sweet empire of Thy love.

Amen.


DAILY MASS READINGS

Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Reading 1
EZ 34:11-16

Thus says the Lord GOD:

I myself will look after and tend my sheep.
As a shepherd tends his flock
when he finds himself among his scattered sheep,
so will I tend my sheep.
I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered
when it was cloudy and dark.
I will lead them out from among the peoples
and gather them from the foreign lands;
I will bring them back to their own country
and pasture them upon the mountains of Israel
in the land's ravines and all its inhabited places.
In good pastures will I pasture them,
and on the mountain heights of Israel
shall be their grazing ground.
There they shall lie down on good grazing ground,
and in rich pastures shall they be pastured
on the mountains of Israel.
I myself will pasture my sheep;
I myself will give them rest, says the Lord GOD.
The lost I will seek out,
the strayed I will bring back,
the injured I will bind up,
the sick I will heal,
but the sleek and the strong I will destroy,
shepherding them rightly.


Responsorial Psalm
PS 23:1-3A, 3B-4, 5, 6.

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
with your rod and your staff
that give me courage.

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.


Reading 2
ROM 5:5B-11

Brothers and sisters:

The love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
For Christ, while we were still helpless,
died at the appointed time for the ungodly.
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,
though perhaps for a good person
one might even find courage to die.
But God proves his love for us
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
How much more then, since we are now justified by his blood,
will we be saved through him from the wrath.
Indeed, if, while we were enemies,
we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son,
how much more, once reconciled,
will we be saved by his life.
Not only that,
but we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received reconciliation.


Gospel
LK 15:3-7

Jesus addressed this parable to the Pharisees and scribes:

"What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?
And when he does find it,
he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
and, upon his arrival home,
he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,
'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.'
I tell you, in just the same way
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous people
who have no need of repentance."

SAINT OF THE DAY

June 7

Servant of God Joseph Perez (1890-1928)

"The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church," said Tertullian in the third century.
Joseph Perez carried on that tradition.

Joseph was born in Coroneo, Mexico, and joined the Franciscans when he was 17.
Because of Mexico’s civil unrest at that time 
(the forces of Pancho Villa had crossed into New Mexico on a raid the previous year),
he was forced to take his philosophy and theology studies in California.

After ordination at Mission Santa Barbara, he returned to Mexico and served at Jerecuaro from 1922 on.
The persecution under the presidency of Plutarco Calles (1924-28) 
forced Joseph to wear various disguises as he traveled around to visit the Catholics.
In 1927 Church property was nationalized, Catholic schools were closed, and foreign priests and nuns were deported.

One day Joseph and several others were captured while returning from a secretly held Mass.
Father Perez was stabbed to death by soldiers a few miles from Celaya on June 2, 1928.

When Joseph’s body was later brought in procession to Salvatierra,
it was buried there amid cries of "Viva Cristo Rey!" (Long live Christ the King!).


OFFICE OF READINGS

Lord, open our lips.
And we shall praise your name.

Invitatory Psalm
Psalm 23 (24)

The heart of Jesus was wounded for love of us:
come, let us adore him.

The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness,
the world and all who live in it.
He himself founded it upon the seas
and set it firm over the waters.

The heart of Jesus was wounded for love of us:
come, let us adore him.

Who will climb the mountain of the Lord?
Who will stand in his holy place?
The one who is innocent of wrongdoing and pure of heart,
who has not given himself to vanities or sworn falsely.
He will receive the blessing of the Lord
and be justified by God his saviour.
This is the way of those who seek him,
seek the face of the God of Jacob.

The heart of Jesus was wounded for love of us:
come, let us adore him.

Gates, raise your heads. Stand up, eternal doors,
and let the king of glory enter.
Who is the king of glory?
The Lord of might and power.
The Lord, strong in battle.

The heart of Jesus was wounded for love of us:
come, let us adore him.

Gates, raise your heads. Stand up, eternal doors,
and let the king of glory enter.
Who is the king of glory?
The Lord of hosts
– he is the king of glory.

The heart of Jesus was wounded for love of us:
come, let us adore 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.

The heart of Jesus was wounded for love of us:
come, let us adore him.


Hymn
Stanbrook Abbey Hymnal

In ancient times God spoke to us
Through prophets, and in varied ways,
But now he speaks through Christ his Son,
His radiance through eternal days.
To God the Father of the world,
His Son through whom he made all things,
And Holy Spirit, bond of love,
All glad creation glory sings.


Psalm 35 (36)
The sinner's wickedness; God's goodness

In you is the source of life;
we drink from the stream of your goodness.

Evil whispers to the sinner in the depths of his heart:
the fear of God does not stand before his eyes.
Evil’s flattering light disguises his wickedness,
so that he does not hate it.
His words are false and deceitful,
he no longer considers how to do good.
Even when in bed he plots mischief;
he follows the wrong path; he does not hate malice.
Lord, your mercy fills the heavens,
your faithfulness rises to the sky.
Your justice is like the mountains of God,
your judgements are like the deeps of the sea.
Lord, you protect both men and beasts.
How precious is your kindness, O God!
The sons of men will take shelter under your wings;
they will eat their fill from the riches of your house,
drink all they want from the stream of your joy.
For with you is the spring of life-giving water.
In your light we shall see true light.
Hold out your mercy to those who know you,
offer your justice to the upright in heart.
Let me not be crushed under the heels of the proud,
nor dispossessed by the hands of sinners.
The doers of evil have fallen where they stood,
they are cast down and cannot rise.

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.

In you is the source of life;
we drink from the stream of your goodness.


Psalm 60 (61)
An exile's prayer

When my heart was faint, you raised me up.

Listen, O God, to my appeal:
turn, and hear my prayer.
I call to you from the ends of the earth,
for my heart is troubled.
Lead me to the rock I cannot reach!
For you are my hope,
a strong tower in the face of my enemies.
I shall live in your tent for ever,
I shall hide in the shelter of your wings:
for you, my God, have accepted my vows;
you have given me the inheritance of those who fear your name.
Add days to the life of the king:
add years, for age after age.
Let him sit always in the sight of God:
let kindness and faithfulness guard him.
This is the song I shall sing to your name,
for ever and for ever.
I shall repay my vows to you
day after day.

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.

When my heart was faint, you raised me up.


Psalm 97 (98)
The Lord has brought salvation

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Sing a new song to the Lord,
for he has worked wonders.
His right hand, his holy arm,
have brought him victory.
The Lord has shown his saving power,
and before all nations he has shown his justice.
He has remembered to show his kindness
and his faithfulness to the house of Israel.
The farthest ends of the earth
have seen the saving power of our God.
Rejoice in God, all the earth.
Break forth in triumph and song!
Sing to the Lord on the lyre,
with the lyre and with music.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn,
sound jubilation to the Lord, our king.
Let the sea resound in its fullness,
all the earth and all its inhabitants.
The rivers will clap their hands,
and the mountains will exult at the presence of the Lord,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge all the world in justice,
and the peoples with fairness.

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.

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.


I will remember what the Lord has done.
– I will remember the wonders he has worked from the beginning.


First Reading
Romans 8:28-39

We know that by turning everything to their good God co-operates with all those who love him,
with all those that he has called according to his purpose.
They are the ones he chose specially long ago and intended to become true images of his Son,
so that his Son might be the eldest of many brothers.
He called those he intended for this;
those he called he justified, and with those he justified he shared his glory.

After saying this, what can we add?
With God on our side who can be against us?
Since God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up to benefit us all,
we may be certain, after such a gift, that he will not refuse anything he can give.
Could anyone accuse those that God has chosen?
When God acquits, could anyone condemn? Could Christ Jesus? No!
He not only died for us – he rose from the dead,
and there at God’s right hand he stands and pleads for us.

Nothing therefore can come between us and the love of Christ,
even if we are troubled or worried,
or being persecuted,
or lacking food or clothes,
or being threatened
or even attacked.
As scripture promised:
For your sake we are being massacred daily,
and reckoned as sheep for the slaughter.
These are the trials through which we triumph,
by the power of him who loved us.

For I am certain of this:
neither death nor life, no angel, no prince, nothing that exists,
nothing still to come, not any power, or height or depth,
nor any created thing,
can ever come between us and the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord.


Responsory

God brought us to life in Christ when we were dead through our sins,
because he loved us with so great a love.

This was to show for all ages to come how infinitely rich he is in grace,
because he loved us with so great a love.


Second Reading
St Bonaventure

With you is the source of life

Take thought now, redeemed man, and consider how great and worthy is he who hangs on the cross for you. His death brings the dead to life, but at his passing heaven and earth are plunged into mourning and hard rocks are split asunder.

It was a divine decree that permitted one of the soldiers to open his sacred side with a lance. This was done so that the Church might be formed from the side of Christ as he slept the sleep of death on the cross, and so that the Scripture might be fulfilled: ‘They shall look on him whom they pierced’. The blood and water which poured out at that moment were the price of our salvation. Flowing from the secret abyss of our Lord’s heart as from a fountain, this stream gave the sacraments of the Church the power to confer the life of grace, 
while for those already living in Christ it became a spring of living water welling up to life everlasting.

Arise, then, beloved of Christ! Imitate the dove ‘that nests in a hole in the cliff’, keeping watch at the entrance ‘like the sparrow that finds a home’. There like the turtledove hide your little ones, the fruit of your chaste love. Press your lips to the fountain, ‘draw water from the wells of your Saviour; for this is the spring flowing out of the middle of paradise, dividing into four rivers’, inundating devout hearts, watering the whole earth and making it fertile.

Run with eager desire to this source of life and light, all you who are vowed to God’s service. Come, whoever you may be, and cry out to him with all the strength of your heart. “O indescribable beauty of the most high God and purest radiance of eternal light! Life that gives all life, light that is the source of every other light, preserving in everlasting splendour the myriad flames that have shone before the throne of your divinity from the dawn of time! Eternal and inaccessible fountain, clear and sweet stream flowing from a hidden spring, unseen by mortal eye! None can fathom your depths nor survey your boundaries, none can measure your breadth, nothing can sully your purity. From you flows ‘the river which gladdens the city of God’ and makes us cry out with joy and thanksgiving in hymns of praise to you, 
for we know by our own experience that ‘with you is the source of life, and in your light we see light’.


Responsory

Bless the Lord, my soul,
remembering all he has done for you;
he rescues your life from deadly peril,
crowns you with the gifts of his kindness and compassion.

O taste and see that the Lord is good:
he rescues your life from deadly peril,
crowns you with the gifts of his kindness and compassion.


Canticle
Te Deum

God, we praise you; Lord, we proclaim you!
You, the Father, the eternal –
all the earth venerates you.
All the angels, all the heavens, every power –
The cherubim, the seraphim –
unceasingly, they cry:

“Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts:
heaven and earth are full of the majesty of your glory!”
The glorious choir of Apostles –
The noble ranks of prophets –
The shining army of martyrs –
all praise you.

Throughout the world your holy Church proclaims you.
– Father of immeasurable majesty,
– True Son, only-begotten, worthy of worship,
– Holy Spirit, our Advocate.

You, Christ:
– You are the king of glory.
– You are the Father’s eternal Son.
– You, to free mankind, did not disdain a Virgin’s womb.
– You defeated the sharp spear of Death, and opened the kingdom of heaven to those who believe in you.
– You sit at God’s right hand, in the glory of the Father.
– You will come, so we believe, as our Judge.

And so we ask of you: give help to your servants,
whom you set free at the price of your precious blood.
Number them among your chosen ones in eternal glory.

Bring your people to safety, Lord,
and bless those who are your inheritance.
Rule them and lift them high for ever.
Day by day we bless you, Lord: we praise you for ever and for ever.
Of your goodness, Lord, keep us without sin for today.
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us.
Let your pity, Lord, be upon us, as much as we trust in you.
In you, Lord, I trust: let me never be put to shame.

Let us pray.

Almighty God and Father,
we glory in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, your beloved Son,
as we call to mind the great things his love has done for us.
Fill us with the grace that flows in abundance
from the Heart of Jesus, the source of heaven’s gifts.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen.

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