PRAYER OF THE DAY

Prayer of Praise to the Blessed Virgin Mary

A Prayer of Saint Ephrem the Syrian

O pure and immaculate and likewise blessed Virgin, who art the sinless Mother of thy Son, the mighty Lord of the universe, thou who art inviolate and altogether holy, the hope of the hopeless and sinful, we sing thy praises. We bless thee, as full of every grace, thou who didst bear the God-Man: we all bow low before thee; we invoke thee and implore thine aid. Rescue us, O holy and inviolate Virgin, from every necessity that presses upon us and from all the temptations of the devil. Be our intercessor and advocate at the hour of death and judgement; deliver us from the fire that is not extinguished and from the outer darkness; make us worthy of the glory of thy Son, O dearest and most clement Virgin Mother. Thou indeed art our only hope, most sure and sacred in God's sight, to whom be honor and glory, majesty and dominion, for ever and ever, world without end.

Amen.

DAILY MASS READINGS

Monday of the Second Week of Advent

Reading

Is 35:1-10

The desert and the parched land will exult;

the steppe will rejoice and bloom.

They will bloom with abundant flowers,

and rejoice with joyful song.

The glory of Lebanon will be given to them,

the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;

They will see the glory of the LORD,

the splendor of our God.

Strengthen the hands that are feeble,

make firm the knees that are weak,

Say to those whose hearts are frightened:

Be strong, fear not!

Here is your God,

he comes with vindication;

With divine recompense

he comes to save you.

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,

the ears of the deaf be cleared;

Then will the lame leap like a stag,

then the tongue of the mute will sing.

Streams will burst forth in the desert,

and rivers in the steppe.

The burning sands will become pools,

and the thirsty ground, springs of water;

The abode where jackals lurk

will be a marsh for the reed and papyrus.

A highway will be there,

called the holy way;

No one unclean may pass over it,

nor fools go astray on it.

No lion will be there,

nor beast of prey go up to be met upon it.

It is for those with a journey to make,

and on it the redeemed will walk.

Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return

and enter Zion singing,

crowned with everlasting joy;

They will meet with joy and gladness,

sorrow and mourning will flee.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 85:9ab And 10, 11-12, 13-14

R. Our God will come to save us!

I will hear what God proclaims;

the LORD --for he proclaims peace to his people.

Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,

glory dwelling in our land.

R. Our God will come to save us!

Kindness and truth shall meet;

justice and peace shall kiss.

Truth shall spring out of the earth,

and justice shall look down from heaven.

R. Our God will come to save us!

The LORD himself will give his benefits;

our land shall yield its increase.

Justice shall walk before him,

and salvation, along the way of his steps.

R. Our God will come to save us!

Gospel

Lk 5:17-26

One day as Jesus was teaching,

Pharisees and teachers of the law,

who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem,

were sitting there,

and the power of the Lord was with him for healing.

And some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed;

they were trying to bring him in and set him in his presence.

But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd,

they went up on the roof

and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles

into the middle in front of Jesus.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said,

"As for you, your sins are forgiven."

Then the scribes and Pharisees began to ask themselves,

"Who is this who speaks blasphemies?

Who but God alone can forgive sins?"

Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply,

"What are you thinking in your hearts?

Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,'

or to say, 'Rise and walk?'

But that you may know

that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins?"

he said to the one who was paralyzed,

"I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home."

He stood up immediately before them,

picked up what he had been lying on,

and went home, glorifying God.

Then astonishment seized them all and they glorified God,

and, struck with awe, they said,

"We have seen incredible things today."

SAINT OF THE DAY

December 5

St. Sabas (b. 439)

Born in Cappadocia (modern-day Turkey), Sabas is one of the most highly regarded patriarchs among the monks of Palestine and is considered one of the founders of Eastern monasticism.

After an unhappy childhood in which he was abused and ran away several times, Sabas finally sought refuge in a monastery. While family members tried to persuade him to return home, the young boy felt drawn to monastic life. Although the youngest monk in the house, he excelled in virtue.

At age 18 he traveled to Jerusalem, seeking to learn more about living in solitude. Soon he asked to be accepted as a disciple of a well-known local solitary, though initially he was regarded as too young to live completely as a hermit. Initially, Sabas lived in a monastery, where he worked during the day and spent much of the night in prayer. At the age of 30 he was given permission to spend five days each week in a nearby remote cave, engaging in prayer and manual labor in the form of weaving baskets. Following the death of his mentor, St. Euthymius, Sabas moved farther into the desert near Jericho. There he lived for several years in a cave near the brook Cedron. A rope was his means of access. Wild herbs among the rocks were his food. Occasionally men brought him other food and items, while he had to go a distance for his water.

Some of these men came to him desiring to join him in his solitude. At first he refused. But not long after relenting, his followers swelled to more than 150, all of them living in individual huts grouped around a church, called a laura.

The bishop persuaded a reluctant Sabas, then in his early 50s, to prepare for the priesthood so that he could better serve his monastic community in leadership. While functioning as abbot among a large community of monks, he felt ever called to live the life of a hermit. Throughout each year —consistently in Lent—he left his monks for long periods of time, often to their distress. A group of 60 men left the monastery, settling at a nearby ruined facility. When Sabas learned of the difficulties they were facing, he generously gave them supplies and assisted in the repair of their church.

Over the years Sabas traveled throughout Palestine, preaching the true faith and successfully bringing back many to the Church. At the age of 91, in response to a plea from the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Sabas undertook a journey to Constantinople in conjunction with the Samaritan revolt and its violent repression. He fell ill and, soon after his return, died at the monastery at Mar Saba. Today the monastery is still inhabited by monks of the Eastern Orthodox Church, and St. Sabas is regarded as one of the most noteworthy figures of early monasticism.

OFFICE OF READINGS

O Lord, open my lips.

And my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Invitatory Psalm

Psalm 99 (100)

Come, let us worship the Lord, the King who is to come.

– Come, let us worship the Lord, the King who is to come.

Rejoice in the Lord, all the earth,

and serve him with joy.

Exult as you enter his presence.

– Come, let us worship the Lord, the King who is to come.

Know that the Lord is God.

He made us and we are his

– his people, the sheep of his flock.

– Come, let us worship the Lord, the King who is to come.

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 the Lord, the King who is to come.

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 the Lord, the King who is to come.

Hymn

The Advent of our God

With eager prayers we greet

And singing haste up on the road

His glorious gift to meet.

The everlasting Son

Scorns not a Virgin’s womb;

That we from bondage may be won

He bears a bondsman’s doom.

Daughter of Zion, rise

To meet thy lowly King;

Let not thy stubborn heart despise

The peace he deigns to bring.

In clouds of awful light,

As Judge he comes again,

His scattered people to unite,

With them in heaven to reign.

Let evil flee away

Ere that dread hour shall dawn.

Let this old Adam day by day

God’s image still put on.

Praise to the Incarnate Son,

Who comes to set us free,

With God the Father, ever One,

To all eternity.

Psalm 30 (31)

Trustful prayer in time of adversity

Hear me, Lord, and come to rescue me.

In you, Lord, I put my trust: may I never be put to shame.

In your justice, set me free,

Turn your ear to me,

make haste to rescue me.

Be my rampart, my fortification;

keep me safe.

For you are my strength and my refuge:

you will lead me out to the pastures,

for your own name’s sake.

You will lead me out of the trap that they laid for me –

for you are my strength.

Into your hands I commend my spirit:

you have redeemed me, Lord God of truth.

You hate those who run after vain nothings;

but I put my trust in the Lord.

I will rejoice and be glad in your kindness,

for you have looked on me, lowly as I am.

You saw when my soul was in need:

you did not leave me locked in the grip of the enemy,

but set my feet on free and open ground.

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.

Hear me, Lord, and come to rescue me.

Psalm 30 (31)

Lord, let your face shine on your servant.

Take pity on me, Lord, for I am troubled:

my eyes grow weak with sorrow,

the very centre of my being is disturbed.

For my life is worn out with distress,

my years with groaning;

my strength becomes weakness,

my bones melt away.

I am a scandal and a disgrace,

so many are my enemies;

to my friends and neighbours,

I am a thing to fear.

When they see me in the street,

they run from me.

I have vanished from their minds as though I were dead,

or like a pot that is broken.

I know this – for I have heard the scolding of the crowd.

There is terror all around,

for when they come together against me

it is my life they are resolved to take.

But I put my trust in you, Lord;

I say: “You are my God,

my fate is in your hands.”

Tear me from the grip of my enemies,

from those who hound me;

let your face shine upon your servant,

in your kindness, save me.

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.

Lord, let your face shine on your servant.

Psalm 30 (31)

Blessed be the Lord, who has shown me the wonders of his love.

How very many are the pleasures, Lord,

that you have stored up for those who fear you.

You have made these things ready for those who trust in you,

to give them in the sight of all men.

Far away from the plottings of men

you hide them in your secret place.

You keep them safe in your dwelling-place

far from lying tongues.

Blessed be the Lord,

for he has shown me his wonderful kindness

within the fortified city.

In my terror, I said

“I am cut off from your sight”;

but you heard the voice of my prayer

when I called to you.

Love the Lord, all his chosen ones.

The Lord keeps his faithful ones safe,

heaps rich revenge on the arrogant.

Be brave, let your hearts be strong,

all who trust in 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.

Blessed be the Lord, who has shown me the wonders of his love.

Show us your saving mercy, Lord,

– and give us your saving help.

Reading

Isaiah 24:1-18

See how the Lord lays the earth waste,

makes it a desert, buckles its surface,

scatters its inhabitants,

priest and people alike, master and slave,

mistress and maid, seller and buyer,

lender and borrower, creditor and debtor.

Ravaged, ravaged the earth,

despoiled, despoiled,

as the Lord has said.

The earth is mourning, withering,

the world is pining, withering,

the heavens are pining away with the earth.

The earth is defiled

under its inhabitants’ feet,

for they have transgressed the law, violated the precept,

broken the everlasting covenant.

So a curse consumes the earth

and its inhabitants suffer the penalty,

that is why the inhabitants of the earth are burnt up

and few men are left.

The wine is mourning, the vine is pining away,

all glad hearts are sighing.

The merry tambourines are silent,

the sound of revelling is over,

the merry lyre is silent.

They no longer sing over their wine,

the drunkard finds strong drink revolting.

The city of emptiness is in ruins,

the entrance to every house is shut.

There is lamentation in the streets: no wine,

joy quite gone,

gladness banished from the country.

Nothing but rubble in the city,

the gate smashed to pieces;

and so it will be on earth,

among the peoples,

as at the beating of the olive trees,

as at the gleaning of the grapes

when the grape harvest is over.

They lift up their voices, singing for joy;

they acclaim the majesty of the Lord from the sea.

Therefore in the islands they give glory to the Lord,

in the islands of the sea, to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.

From remotest earth we hear songs, ‘Honour to the upright one.’

But ‘Enough, enough!’ I say.

‘Woe to the traitors who betray,

to the traitors who treacherously betray!’

Terror, the pit, the snare

for you, inhabitants of the earth:

the man who runs away at the cry of terror

shall fall into the pit,

and the man who climbs out of the pit

shall be caught in the snare.

Responsory

They lift up their voices, they sing for joy; in the east give glory to the Lord.

O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth; in the east give glory to the Lord.

Reading

The Ascent of Mount Carmel, by St John of the Cross

In Christ, God has spoken to us

The principal reason why the Old Law permitted us to ask questions of God, and why prophets and priests had to seek visions and revelations of God, was because at that time faith had no firm foundation and the law of the Gospel was not yet established; and thus it was necessary that men should enquire of God and that he should speak, whether by words or by visions and revelations or whether by figures and images or by many other ways of expressing His meaning. For all that he answered and revealed belonged to the mysteries of our faith and things touching it or leading to it.

But now that the faith is founded in Christ, now that in this era of grace the law of the Gospel has been made manifest, there is no reason to enquire of God in that manner nor for him to speak to us or answer us as he did then. For, in giving us, as he did, his Son, who is his one and only Word, he spoke to us once and for all, in this single Word, and he has no occasion to speak further.

And this is the meaning of that passage with which the Letter to the Hebrews begins, trying to persuade the Hebrews that they should abandon those first ways of dealing and communicating with God which are in the law of Moses, and should set their eyes on Christ alone: At various times in the past and in various different ways, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; but in our own time, in the last days, he has spoken to us through his Son. That is, God has said so much about so many things through his Word that nothing more is needed, since that which he revealed partially in the past through the prophets, he has now revealed completely by giving us the All, which is his Son.

Therefore if someone were now to ask questions of God or seek any vision or revelation, he would not only be acting foolishly but would be committing an offence against God – for he should set his eyes altogether upon Christ and seek nothing beyond Christ.

God might answer him after this manner, saying: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to him. I have spoken all things to you in my Word. Set your eyes on him alone, for in him I have spoken and revealed to thee all things, and in him you shall find more than you ask for, even more than you want.

I descended upon him with my Spirit on Mount Tabor and said This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to him. You have no reason to ask for new teaching or new answers from me because if I spoke to you in the past then it was to promise Christ. If people asked questions of me in the past then their questions were really a desire of Christ and a hope for his coming. For in him they were to find all good things, as has now been revealed in the teaching of the Evangelists and the Apostles.

Responsory

Many nations shall come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord: he will teach us his ways and we will walk in his paths.

The Messiah is coming – he who is called Christ. When he comes, he will show us all things: he will teach us his ways and we will walk in his paths.

Let us pray.

Let our prayers rise like incense before you, Lord,

so that we may come in humility and purity of heart

to celebrate the great mystery of your Son’s incarnation.

We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God for ever and ever.

Amen.

Let us bless the Lord.

– Thanks be to God.