PRAYER OF THE DAY

PRAYER FOR THE DEDICATION OF THE BASILICA OF SAINT MARY MAJOR

Grant to us Thy servants, 

we beseech Thee, 

O Lord God, 

that we may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body:

and through the intercession of blessed Mary ever Virgin may be delivered from present sorrow and possess eternal joy. 

Through our Lord.

Amen.

DAILY MASS READINGS

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

Ex 16:2-4, 12-15

The whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.

The Israelites said to them,

"Would that we had died at the LORD's hand in the land of Egypt,

as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread!

But you had to lead us into this desert

to make the whole community die of famine!"

Then the LORD said to Moses,

"I will now rain down bread from heaven for you.

Each day the people are to go out and gather their daily portion;

thus will I test them,

to see whether they follow my instructions or not.

"I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites.

Tell them: In the evening twilight you shall eat flesh,

and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread,

so that you may know that I, the LORD, am your God."

In the evening quail came up and covered the camp.

In the morning a dew lay all about the camp,

and when the dew evaporated, there on the surface of the desert

were fine flakes like hoarfrost on the ground.

On seeing it, the Israelites asked one another, "What is this?"

for they did not know what it was.

But Moses told them,

"This is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat."

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 78:3-4, 23-24, 25, 54

R. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

What we have heard and know,

and what our fathers have declared to us,

We will declare to the generation to come

the glorious deeds of the LORD and his strength

and the wonders that he wrought.

R. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

He commanded the skies above

and opened the doors of heaven;

he rained manna upon them for food

and gave them heavenly bread.

R. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

Man ate the bread of angels,

food he sent them in abundance.

And he brought them to his holy land,

to the mountains his right hand had won.

R. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

Reading 2

Eph 4:17, 20-24

Brothers and sisters:

I declare and testify in the Lord

that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do,

in the futility of their minds;

that is not how you learned Christ,

assuming that you have heard of him and were taught in him,

as truth is in Jesus,

that you should put away the old self of your former way of life,

corrupted through deceitful desires,

and be renewed in the spirit of your minds,

and put on the new self,

created in God's way in righteousness and holiness of truth.

Gospel

Jn 6:24-35

When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there,

they themselves got into boats

and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

And when they found him across the sea they said to him,

"Rabbi, when did you get here?"

Jesus answered them and said,

"Amen, amen, I say to you,

you are looking for me not because you saw signs

but because you ate the loaves and were filled.

Do not work for food that perishes

but for the food that endures for eternal life,

which the Son of Man will give you.

For on him the Father, God, has set his seal."

So they said to him,

"What can we do to accomplish the works of God?"

Jesus answered and said to them,

"This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent."

So they said to him,

"What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?

What can you do?

Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written:

He gave them bread from heaven to eat.?

So Jesus said to them,

"Amen, amen, I say to you,

it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven;

my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.

For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven

and gives life to the world."

So they said to him,

"Sir, give us this bread always."

Jesus said to them,

"I am the bread of life;

whoever comes to me will never hunger,

and whoever believes in me will never thirst."

SAINT OF THE DAY

August 5

Dedication of St. Mary Major Basilica

First raised at the order of Pope Liberius in the mid-fourth century, the Liberian basilica was rebuilt by Pope Sixtus III shortly after the Council of Ephesus affirmed Mary’s title as Mother of God in 431. Rededicated at that time to the Mother of God, St. Mary Major is the largest church in the world honoring God through Mary. Standing atop one of Rome’s seven hills, the Esquiline, it has survived many restorations without losing its character as an early Roman basilica. Its interior retains three naves divided by colonnades in the style of Constantine’s era. Fifth-century mosaics on its walls testify to its antiquity.

St. Mary Major is one of the four Roman basilicas known as patriarchal cathedrals in memory of the first centers of the Church. St. John Lateran represents Rome, the See of Peter; St. Paul Outside the Walls, the See of Alexandria, allegedly the see presided over by Mark; St. Peter’s, the See of Constantinople; and St. Mary’s, the See of Antioch, where Mary is supposed to have spent most of her life.

One legend, unreported before the year 1000, gives another name to this feast: Our Lady of the Snows. According to that story, a wealthy Roman couple pledged their fortune to the Mother of God. In affirmation, she produced a miraculous summer snowfall and told them to build a church on the site. The legend was long celebrated by releasing a shower of white rose petals from the basilica’s dome every August 5.

OFFICE OF READINGS

O Lord, open my lips.

And my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Invitatory Psalm

Psalm 23 (24)

We are God’s people, the sheep of his flock: 

come, let us worship him, alleluia.

– We are God’s people, the sheep of his flock: 

come, let us worship him, alleluia.

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.

– We are God’s people, the sheep of his flock: 

come, let us worship him, alleluia.

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.

– We are God’s people, the sheep of his flock: 

come, let us worship him, alleluia.

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.

– We are God’s people, the sheep of his flock: 

come, let us worship him, alleluia.

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.

– We are God’s people, the sheep of his flock: 

come, let us worship him, 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.

– We are God’s people, the sheep of his flock: 

come, let us worship him, alleluia.

Hymn

This day at thy creating Word

First o’er the earth the light was poured:

O Lord, this day upon us shine

And fill our souls with light divine.

This day the Lord for sinners slain

In might victorious rose again:

O Jesus, may we raisèd be

From death of sin to life in thee!

This day the Holy Spirit came

With fiery tongues of cloven flame:

O Spirit, fill our hearts this day

With grace to hear and grace to pray.

O day of light and life and grace,

From earthly toil a resting-place,

The hallowed hours, blest gift of love,

Give we again to God above.

All praise to God the Father be,

All praise, eternal Son, to thee,

Whom, with the Spirit, we adore

For ever and for evermore.

Psalm 103 (104)

Hymn to God the Creator

Lord God, how great you are, clothed in majesty and glory, wrapped in light as in a robe. Alleluia.

Bless the Lord, my soul!

Lord, my God, how great you are!

You are robed in majesty and splendour;

you are wrapped in light as in a cloak.

You stretch out the sky like an awning,

you build your palace upon the waters.

You make the clouds your chariot,

you walk upon the wings of the wind.

You make the breezes your messengers,

you make burning fire your minister.

You set the earth upon its foundation:

from age to age it will stand firm.

Deep oceans covered it like a garment,

and the waters stood high above the mountains;

but you rebuked them and they fled;

at the sound of your thunder they fled in terror.

They rise to the mountains or sink to the valleys,

to the places you have decreed for them.

You have given them a boundary they must not cross;

they will never come back to cover the earth.

You make springs arise to feed the streams,

that flow in the midst of the mountains.

All the beasts of the field will drink from them

and the wild asses will quench their thirst.

Above them will nest the birds of the sky,

from among the branches their voices will sound.

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 God, how great you are, clothed in majesty and glory, wrapped in light as in a robe. Alleluia.

Psalm 103 (104)

The Lord brought forth bread from the earth and wine, to cheer man’s heart. Alleluia.

From your palace you water the mountains,

and thus you give plenty to the earth.

You bring forth grass for the cattle,

and plants for the service of man.

You bring forth bread from the land,

and wine to make man’s heart rejoice.

Oil, to make the face shine;

and bread to make man’s heart strong.

The trees of the Lord have all that they need,

and the cedars of Lebanon, that he planted.

Small birds will nest there,

and storks at the tops of the trees.

For wild goats there are the high mountains;

the crags are a refuge for the coneys.

He made the moon so that time could be measured;

the sun knows the hour of its setting.

You send shadows, and night falls:

then all the beasts of the woods come out,

lion cubs roaring for their prey,

asking God for their food.

When the sun rises they come back together

to lie in their lairs;

man goes out to his labour,

and works until evening.

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 brought forth bread from the earth and wine, to cheer man’s heart. Alleluia.

Psalm 103 (104)

God saw all he had made, and indeed it was very good. Alleluia.

How many are your works, O Lord!

You have made all things in your wisdom,

and the earth is full of your creatures.

The sea is broad and immense:

sea-creatures swim there, both small and large,

too many to count.

Ships sail across it;

Leviathan lives there, the monster;

you made him to play with.

All of them look to you

to give them their food when they need it.

You give it to them, and they gather;

you open your hand, they are filled with good things.

But turn away, and they are dismayed;

take away their breath, and they die,

once more they will turn into dust.

You will send forth your breath, they will come to life;

you will renew the face of the earth.

Glory be to the Lord, for ever;

let the Lord rejoice in his works.

He turns his gaze to the earth, and it trembles;

he touches the mountains, and they smoke.

I will sing to the Lord all my life;

as long as I exist, I will sing songs to God.

May my praises be pleasing to him;

truly I will delight in the Lord.

Let sinners perish from the earth,

let the wicked vanish from existence.

Bless the Lord, my soul!

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.

God saw all he had made, and indeed it was very good. Alleluia.

Happy are your eyes, because they see.

– Happy are your ears, because they hear.

Reading

Amos 1:1-2:3

Words of Amos, who was one of the shepherds of Tekoa. The visions he had about Israel in the time of Uzziah king of Judah and of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

He said:

The Lord roars from Zion,

and makes his voice heard from Jerusalem;

the shepherds’ pastures mourn,

and the crown of Carmel withers.

The Lord says this:

For the three crimes, the four crimes, of Damascus

I have made my decree and will not relent:

because they have thrashed Gilead with iron threshing-sledges,

I am going to hurl fire on the House of Hazael

to burn up Ben-hadad’s palaces;

I am going to break the gate bars of Damascus,

and cut down the one enthroned at Bikath-aven

and the sceptred one at Beth-eden;

and the people of Aram shall go captive to Kir, says the Lord.

The Lord says this:

For the three crimes, the four crimes, of Gaza

I have made my decree and will not relent:

because they have deported entire nations

as slaves to Edom,

I am going to hurl fire on the walls of Gaza

to burn up her palaces.

I am going to cut down the one enthroned at Ashdod

and the sceptred one at Ashkelon;

I am going to turn my hand against Ekron

until the last of the Philistines is dead,

says the Lord.

The Lord says this:

For the three crimes, the four crimes, of Tyre

I have made my decree and will not relent:

because they have deported entire nations as slaves to Edom

and have not remembered the covenant of brotherhood,

I am going to hurl fire on the walls of Tyre

to burn up her palaces.

The Lord says this:

For the three crimes, the four crimes, of Edom

I have made my decree and will not relent:

because he has persecuted his brother with the sword,

stifling his pity,

persistently nursing his fury

and ever cherishing his rage,

I am going to hurl fire on Teman

to burn up the palaces of Bozrah.

The Lord says this:

For the three crimes, the four crimes, of the sons of Ammon

I have made my decree and will not relent:

because they have disembowelled the pregnant women of Gilead

in order to extend their own frontiers,

I am going to light a fire against the wall of Rabbah

to burn up her palaces,

to the sound of war-cries on the day of battle,

amid storms on a day of hurricane;

and their king shall go into exile,

he and his princes with him,

says the Lord.

The Lord says this:

For the three crimes, the four crimes, of Moab

I have made my decree and will not relent:

because they have burnt the bones of the king of Edom for lime,

I am going to hurl fire on Moab

to burn up the palaces of Kerioth,

and Moab shall die in tumult,

to the sound of war cries and the blare of trumpets;

I will cut down the chieftain inside her

and slaughter all her princes with him,

says the Lord.

Responsory

The Lord has set up his throne for judgement, he will judge the world with justice, 

he will judge the peoples with his truth.

The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem: 

he will judge the peoples with his truth.

Reading

From the beginning of a letter attributed to Barnabas

Hope of life is the beginning and end of our faith

Greetings, sons and daughters. In the name of the Lord who loves us, peace be to you.

Because the Lord has granted you an abundance of blessings, I rejoice immeasurably in your blessed and glorious company.

You have received abundantly that indwelling grace which is the Spirit’s gift, and for this reason I hope in my own salvation and I give thanks all the more when I see the bountiful fullness of the Lord’s Spirit pouring over you. I have longed so much for you that when I saw you I was overwhelmed.

I am now convinced and fully aware that I have learned much by speaking with you, for the Lord accompanied me on the road to righteousness, and so I am driven in all ways to love you more than my own life. For surely there is a great store of faith and charity within you because of your hope for life in Christ. Therefore, I have been thinking that if my concern for you inspires me to pass on to you a portion of what I have received, then I will be rewarded for ministering to souls such as yours. Consequently, I am writing you, that you may have perfect knowledge along with your faith.

The Lord has given us these three basic doctrines: hope for eternal life, the beginning and end of our faith; justice, the beginning and end of righteousness; and love, which bears cheerful and joyous witness to the works of righteousness. Now the Lord has made the past and present known to us through his prophets, and he has given us the ability to taste the fruits of the future beforehand. Thus, when we see prophecies fulfilled in their appointed order, we ought to grow more fully and deeply in awe of him. Let me suggest a few things – not as a teacher, but as one of you – which should bring you joy in the present situation.

When evil days are upon us and the worker of malice gains power, we must attend to our own souls and seek to know the ways of the Lord. In those times reverential fear and perseverance will sustain our faith, and we will find need of forbearance and self-restraint as well. Provided that we hold fast to these virtues and look to the Lord, then wisdom, understanding, knowledge and insight will make joyous company with them.

Truly, the Lord has revealed to us through the prophets that he has no need of sacrifice, burnt offerings or oblations. He says in one place: Your endless sacrifices, what are they to me? says the Lord. I have had my fill of holocausts; I do not want the fat of your lambs, nor the blood of your bulls and goats, nor your presence in my sight. Indeed, who has made these demands of you? No more will you trample my courts. Your sacrifices of fine flour are in vain; your incense is loathsome to me; I cannot bear your feasts of the new moon, nor your sabbaths.

Responsory

We acknowledge that what makes a man righteous is faith in Jesus Christ. 

We had to become believers in Christ Jesus, so that faith in Christ might justify us.

Abraham put his faith in God, and it was reckoned virtue in him. 

We had to become believers in Christ Jesus, so that faith in Christ might justify us.

Hymn

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.

We recognize with joy

that you, Lord, created us,

and that you guide us by your providence.

In your unfailing kindness, support us in our prayer:

renew your life within us,

guard it and make it bear fruit for eternity.

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.