Wednesday, June 26, 2013

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Prayer through the intercession of St. Josemaria Escriva


O God,
through the mediation of Mary our Mother,
you granted your priest St. Josemaría countless graces,
choosing him as a most faithful instrument to found Opus Dei,
a way of sanctification in daily work and in the fulfillment
of the Christian's ordinary duties.
Grant that I too may learn to turn all the circumstances
and events of my life into occasions of loving You and serving the Church,
the Pope and all souls with joy and simplicity,
lighting up the pathways of this earth with faith and love.
Deign to grant me,
through the intercession of St. Josemaría,
the favor of ... (make your request).

Amen.

Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be to the Father.

DAILY MASS READINGS

Wednesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading
GN 15:1-12, 17-18

The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:

“Fear not, Abram!
I am your shield;
I will make your reward very great.”

But Abram said,
“O Lord GOD, what good will your gifts be,
if I keep on being childless
and have as my heir the steward of my house, Eliezer?”
Abram continued,
“See, you have given me no offspring,
and so one of my servants will be my heir.”
Then the word of the LORD came to him:
“No, that one shall not be your heir;
your own issue shall be your heir.”
He took him outside and said:
“Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.
Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.”
Abram put his faith in the LORD,
who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.

He then said to him,
“I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans
to give you this land as a possession.”
“O Lord GOD,” he asked,
“how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
He answered him,
“Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat,
a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
Abram brought him all these, split them in two,
and placed each half opposite the other;
but the birds he did not cut up.
Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses,
but Abram stayed with them.
As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram,
and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.

When the sun had set and it was dark,
there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch,
which passed between those pieces.
It was on that occasion that the LORD made a covenant with Abram,
saying: “To your descendants I give this land,
from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River the Euphrates.”


Responsorial Psalm
PS 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9

R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.

R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.

R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.

You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.

R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.

He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations—
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.

R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.


Gospel
MT 7:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing,
but underneath are ravenous wolves.
By their fruits you will know them.
Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Just so, every good tree bears good fruit,
and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down
and thrown into the fire.
So by their fruits you will know them.”

SAINT OF THE DAY

June 26

St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer (1902-1975)

An estimated 300,000 people filled St. Peter's Square on October 6, 2002, for the canonization of Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, the founder of Opus Dei. His canonization came only 27 years after his death, one of the shortest waiting periods in Church history.

Opus Dei, which means Work of God, emphasizes that men and women can become holy by performing their daily duties with a Christian spirit. In his homily, Pope John Paul II emphasized the importance of every believer following God's will, as had the newly sainted founder of Opus Dei. 
“The Lord has a plan for each one of us. Saints cannot even conceive of themselves outside of God's plan: 
They live only to fulfill it.”

Born in Barbastro, Spain, Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer sensed early in life that he had a vocation to the priesthood. Following his ordination in 1925, he briefly ministered in a rural parish. He moved to Madrid, where he obtained a doctorate in law. At the same time Father Escriva was beginning to envision a movement that would offer ordinary people help in seeking holiness through their everyday activities. 
It was officially founded in 1928.

As Opus Dei grew, Father Escriva continued his studies and his priestly work among the poor and sick. 
During the Civil War in Spain he had to exercise his ministry secretly and move from place to place. 
Only after the war did he return to Madrid and complete his doctoral studies. 
He later moved to Rome and obtained a doctorate in theology. 
Pope Pius XII named him an honorary prelate and a consultor to two Vatican congregations. 
All the while, Opus Dei grew in size and influence.

When Msgr. Escriva died in 1975, Opus Dei could be found in dozens of places around the globe. 
Today its membership includes approximately 83,000 laypersons and 1,800 priests in 60 countries. 
It is a “personal prelature,” a special jurisdictional entity within the Church.


OFFICE OF READINGS

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

Invitatory Psalm
Psalm 66 (67)

Cry out with joy to God,
all the earth:
serve the Lord with gladness.

O God, take pity on us and bless us,
and let your face shine upon us,
so that your ways may be known across the world,
and all nations learn of your salvation.

Cry out with joy to God,
all the earth:
serve the Lord with gladness.

Let the peoples praise you, O God,
let all the peoples praise you.
Let the nations be glad and rejoice,
for you judge the peoples with fairness
and you guide the nations of the earth.

Cry out with joy to God,
all the earth:
serve the Lord with gladness.

Let the peoples praise you, O God,
let all the peoples praise you.
The earth has produced its harvest:
may God, our God, bless us.
May God bless us,
may the whole world revere him.

Cry out with joy to God,
all the earth:
serve the Lord with gladness.

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.

Cry out with joy to God,
all the earth:
serve the Lord with gladness.


Hymn
Ambrose of Milan
(tr. J.M. Neale)

O God, creation’s secret force,
yourself unmoved, all motion’s source,
who from the morn till evening ray
through all its changes guide the day:
Grant us, when this short life is past,
the glorious evening that shall last;
that, by a holy death attained,
eternal glory may be gained.
To God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Spirit, Three in One,
may every tongue and nation raise
an endless song of thankful praise!


Psalm 102 (103)
Praise of the compassionate Lord

My soul, give thanks to the Lord,
and never forget all his blessings.

My soul, bless the Lord!
All that is in me, bless his holy name.
My soul, bless the Lord!
Never forget all he has done for you.
The Lord, who forgives your wrongdoing,
who heals all your weaknesses.
The Lord, who redeems your life from destruction,
who crowns you with kindness and compassion.
The Lord, who fills your age with good things,
who renews your youth like an eagle’s.
The Lord, who gives fair judgements,
who gives judgement in favour of the oppressed.

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.

My soul, give thanks to the Lord,
and never forget all his blessings.


Psalm 102 (103)

As a father has compassion on his sons,
the Lord has pity on those who fear him.

The Lord is compassion and kindness,
full of patience, full of mercy.
He will not fight against you for ever:
he will not always be angry.
He does not treat us as our sins deserve;
he does not pay us back for our wrongdoing.
As high as the sky above the earth,
so great is his kindness to those who fear him.
As far as east is from west,
so far he has put our wrongdoing from us.
As a father cares for his children,
so the Lord cares for those who fear him.
For he knows how we are made,
he remembers we are nothing but dust.
Man – his life is like grass,
he blossoms and withers like flowers of the field.
The wind blows and carries him away:
no trace of him remains.

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.

As a father has compassion on his sons,
the Lord has pity on those who fear him.


Psalm 102 (103)

Give thanks to the Lord, all his works.

The Lord has been kind from the beginning;
to those who fear him his kindness lasts for ever.
His justice is for their children’s children,
for those who keep his covenant,
for those who remember his commandments
and try to perform them.
The Lord’s throne is high in the heavens
and his rule shall extend over all.
Bless the Lord, all his angels,
strong in your strength, doers of his command,
bless him as you hear his words.
Bless the Lord, all his powers,
his servants who do his will.
Bless the Lord, all he has created,
in every place that he rules.
My soul, bless 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.

Give thanks to the Lord, all his works.


Teach me the way of your precepts, O Lord,
– and I will reflect on the wonders you have wrought.

First Reading
1 Samuel 19:8-10,20:1-17

War broke out again and David went out to fight against the Philistines; he inflicted a great defeat on them and they fled before him. An evil spirit from the Lord came on Saul while he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand; David was playing the harp. 
Saul tried to pin David to the wall with his spear, but he avoided Saul’s thrust and the spear stuck in the wall. 
David fled and made good his escape.

David went and talked to Jonathan, ‘What have I done, what is my guilt and what is my sin against your father that he is seeking my life?’ He answered, ‘You must not think that. He will not kill you. Look, my father does nothing, important or unimportant, without confiding it to me; why should he hide this from me? It is not true.’ But David swore this solemn oath, ‘Your father knows very well that I enjoy your favor, and thinks, “Jonathan must not come to know of this or he will be grieved.” But as the Lord lives and as you yourself live, 
there is only a step between me and death.’

Then Jonathan said to David, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ David replied, ‘Look, tomorrow is New Moon and I should be sitting at table with the king, but you must let me go and hide in the fields till evening. If your father notices my absence, you must say, “David asked urgent leave of me to hurry off to Bethlehem, his own town, because they are holding the annual sacrifice there for all the clan.” If he says, “Very well,” your servant is safe, but if he is angry, you may be sure he is set on evil. Do this favor for your servant, since you have united yourself with him by a pact in the Lord’s name. But if I am guilty, then kill me yourself – why take me to your father?’ Jonathan replied, ‘You must not think that. If I had certain knowledge that my father was set on bringing evil upon you, would I not tell you?’ David then said to Jonathan, 
‘Who will let me know if your father gives you a harsh answer?’

‘Come,’ Jonathan said to David, ‘let us go out into the fields.’ So the pair of them went out into the fields. Then Jonathan said to David, ‘The Lord the God of Israel be witness! I will sound my father this time tomorrow; if all is well as concerns David and I do not then inform him, then may the Lord do this to Jonathan and more! If my father thinks fit to do you some harm, I will inform you and send you away, and you will go unharmed. And may the Lord be with you as he used to be with my father. If I am still alive, show me the Lord’s own kindness; if I die, never withdraw your own kindness from my House. When the Lord cuts off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth, let not the name of Jonathan be cut off with the House of Saul, or the Lord will demand a reckoning of David.’ 
Once again Jonathan swore the solemn oath to David because he loved him as his own soul.


Responsory

He is your friend who is your friend at all times:
of a brother’s love there can be no test like adversity.

No-one can love you without being born of God, 
and knowing God:
of a brother’s love there can be no test like adversity.


Second Reading
St Aelred's treatise on spiritual friendship

True, perfect, and eternal friendship

That outstanding youth, Jonathan, son of King Saul, made an alliance with David, but it was not in the hope of obtaining the royal crown or winning the kingdom. For the sake of their friendship, he set David above himself as if he had been his master and not his own father’s servant, expelled, hiding in the desert, sentenced to death, destined for execution – he abased himself and raised David up: You will be king, he said, 
and I will be next below you in rank.

What an excellent example of true friendship! What a wonder! The king was raging against his servant and stirring up the whole country as if against a pretender to the throne. He accuses priests of treachery and has them killed on the mere suspicion – he has the forests and the valleys searched – he posts armed guards on cliffs and mountains. Everyone swears to punish the object of the king’s anger; but Jonathan, who alone has the right to envy the designated successor to the throne – Jonathan chose to resist his father, keep his friend supplied with news, give him counsel in his adversity. Thinking it better to be a friend than a king: You will be king, he said, and I will be next below you in rank.

See how the father tried to make the young man envy his friend, how he goaded him with insults, threatened him with dispossession, and warned him of the honours he would lose. But even when Saul had condemned David to death, Jonathan did not fail his friend. “Why should David die? What has he done wrong? What has he done? It was he who took his life in his hands and struck down the Philistine – you rejoiced, then. 
So why should he die?”
At these words the king was beside himself with rage and tried to pin Jonathan to the wall with his spear, pouring out new insults and threats. “Son of a wanton and lascivious woman! I know that you love him, to your own shame and the shame of your shameless mother!” Then he poured out on the young man all the venom he had in him. He tried to stir up ambition and envy, bitterness and jealousy in Jonathan’s breast: 
As long as the son of Jesse lives, your kingdom cannot be established.

Who would not have been moved to jealousy by these words? Whose love would not have been corrupted, grace diminished, friendship wiped out? But this most loving youth held fast to the oaths of friendship he had sworn, stood up to the threats, endured the insults, and disdained the kingdom for the sake of friendship, careless of the glory he would miss but mindful of the integrity he would keep. 
You will be king, he said, and I will be next below you in rank.

Here is a true and perfect friendship, solid and eternal: a friendship that envy does not corrupt, suspicion does not diminish or ambition wipe out. It does not cease even under such a trial; even under such a battering it does not collapse. Assailed with abuse, it stands firm; beaten with insults, 
it does not bend. Go thou, and do likewise.


Responsory

A faithful friend is a sure protection: 
whoever finds one has found a rare treasure.

Whoever fears the Lord makes true friends, 
for as a man is, so is his friend: 
whoever finds one has found a rare treasure.

Let us pray.

Lord God,
teach us at all times to fear and love your holy name,
for you never withdraw your guiding hand
from those you establish in your love.
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.