PRAYER OF THE DAY

PRAYER FOR THE BEATIFICATION OF VENERABLE SOLANUS CASEY

O God, I adore You. I give myself to You.

May I be the person You want me to be,

and may Your will be done in my life today.

I thank You for the gifts You gave to Father Solanus.

If it is Your Will, bless us with the beatification of

Venerable Solanus so that others may imitate

and carry on his love for all the poor and suffering of our world.

As he joyfully accepted Your divine plans,

I ask You, according to Your Will,

to hear my prayer for . . . (your intention)

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

“Blessed be God in all His designs.”

Imprimatur: Adam Cardinal Maida, Archbishop of Detroit

March 31, 2007

DAILY MASS READINGS

Saturday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading

Phil 1:18b-26

Brothers and sisters:

As long as in every way, whether in pretense or in truth,

Christ is being proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

Indeed I shall continue to rejoice,

for I know that this will result in deliverance for me

through your prayers and support from the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

My eager expectation and hope

is that I shall not be put to shame in any way,

but that with all boldness, now as always,

Christ will be magnified in my body,

whether by life or by death.

For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.

If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me.

And I do not know which I shall choose.

I am caught between the two.

I long to depart this life and be with Christ,

for that is far better.

Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit.

And this I know with confidence,

that I shall remain and continue in the service of all of you

for your progress and joy in the faith,

so that your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound on account of me

when I come to you again.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 42:2, 3, 5cdef

R. My soul is thirsting for the living God.

As the hind longs for the running waters,

so my soul longs for you, O God.

R. My soul is thirsting for the living God.

Athirst is my soul for God, the living God.

When shall I go and behold the face of God?

R. My soul is thirsting for the living God.

I went with the throng

and led them in procession to the house of God.

Amid loud cries of joy and thanksgiving,

with the multitude keeping festival.

R. My soul is thirsting for the living God.

Gospel

Lk 14:1, 7-11

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine

at the home of one of the leading Pharisees,

and the people there were observing him carefully.

He told a parable to those who had been invited,

noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table.

"When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet,

do not recline at table in the place of honor.

A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him,

and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say,

'Give your place to this man,'

and then you would proceed with embarrassment

to take the lowest place.

Rather, when you are invited,

go and take the lowest place

so that when the host comes to you he may say,

'My friend, move up to a higher position.'

Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table.

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,

but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

SAINT OF THE DAY

November 3

Venerable Solanus Casey (1870-1957)

Barney Casey became one of Detroit’s best-known priests even though he was not allowed to preach formally or to hear confessions!

Barney came from a large family in Oak Grove, Wisconsin. At the age of 21, and after he had worked as a logger, a hospital orderly, a streetcar operator and a prison guard, he entered St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee—where he found the studies difficult. He left there and, in 1896, joined the Capuchins in Detroit, taking the name Solanus. His studies for the priesthood were again arduous.

On July 24, 1904, he was ordained, but because his knowledge of theology was judged to be weak, Father Solanus was not given permission to hear confessions or to preach. A Franciscan Capuchin who knew him well said this annoying restriction "brought forth in him a greatness and a holiness that might never have been realized in any other way." During his 14 years as porter and sacristan in Yonkers, New York, the people there recognized him as a fine speaker. "For, though he was forbidden to deliver doctrinal sermons," writes his biographer, James Derum, "he could give inspirational talks, or feverinos, as the Capuchins termed them" (18:96). His spiritual fire deeply impressed his listeners.

Father Solanus served at parishes in Manhattan and Harlem before returning to Detroit, where he was porter and sacristan for 20 years at St. Bonaventure Monastery. Every Wednesday afternoon he conducted well-attended services for the sick. A co-worker estimates that on the average day 150 to 200 people came to see Father Solanus in the front office. Most of them came to receive his blessing; 40 to 50 came for consultation. Many people considered him instrumental in cures and other blessings they received.

Father Solanus’ sense of God’s providence inspired many of his visitors. "Blessed be God in all his designs" was one of his favorite expressions.

The many friends of Father Solanus helped the Capuchins begin a soup kitchen during the Depression. 
Capuchins are still feeding the hungry there today.

In 1946 in failing health, he was transferred to the Capuchin novitiate in Huntington, Indiana, where he lived until 1956 when he was hospitalized in Detroit. He died on July 31, 1957. An estimated 20,000 people passed by his coffin before his burial in St. Bonaventure Church in Detroit.

At the funeral Mass, Father Gerald, the provincial, said: "His was a life of service and love for people like me and you. When he was not himself sick, he nevertheless suffered with and for you that were sick. When he was not physically hungry, he hungere with people like you. He had a divine love for people. He loved people for what he could do for them —and for God, through them."

In 1960 a Father Solanus Guild was formed in Detroit to aid Capuchin seminarians. By 1967 the guild had 5,000 members—many of them grateful recipients of his practical advice and his comforting assurance that God would not abandon them in their trials. He was declared Venerable in 1995.

OFFICE OF READINGS

O Lord, open my lips.

And my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Invitatory Psalm

Psalm 94 (95)

Let us listen for the Lord’s voice, 

so that we can reach his place of rest.

– Let us listen for the Lord’s voice, 

so that we can reach his place of rest.

Come, let us rejoice in the Lord,

let us acclaim God our salvation.

Let us come before him proclaiming our thanks,

let us acclaim him with songs.

– Let us listen for the Lord’s voice, 

so that we can reach his place of rest.

For the Lord is a great God,

a king above all gods.

For he holds the depths of the earth in his hands,

and the peaks of the mountains are his.

For the sea is his: he made it;

and his hands formed the dry land.

– Let us listen for the Lord’s voice, 

so that we can reach his place of rest.

Come, let us worship and bow down,

bend the knee before the Lord who made us;

for he himself is our God and we are his flock,

the sheep that follow his hand.

– Let us listen for the Lord’s voice, 

so that we can reach his place of rest.

If only, today, you would listen to his voice:

“Do not harden your hearts

as you did at Meribah,

on the day of Massah in the desert,

when your fathers tested me –

they put me to the test,

although they had seen my works.”

– Let us listen for the Lord’s voice, 

so that we can reach his place of rest.

“For forty years they wearied me,

that generation.

I said: their hearts are wandering,

they do not know my paths.

I swore in my anger:

they will never enter my place of rest.”

– Let us listen for the Lord’s voice, 

so that we can reach his place of rest.

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.

– Let us listen for the Lord’s voice, 

so that we can reach his place of rest.

Hymn

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,

In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,

Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,

Almighty, victorious, thy great Name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,

Nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might;

Thy justice like mountains high soaring above

Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.

To all life thou givest, to both great and small;

In all life thou livest, the true life of all;

We blossom and flourish, like leaves on the tree,

Then wither and perish; but naught changeth thee.

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,

Thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;

All laud we would render: O help us to see

‘Tis only the splendour of light hideth thee.

Psalm 135 (136)

A paschal hymn

The Lord alone has wrought marvellous works, 

for his love endures for ever.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

for his love is for ever.

Give thanks to the God of gods,

for his love is for ever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords,

for his love is for ever.

He alone works wonders,

for his love is for ever.

In his wisdom he made the heavens,

for his love is for ever.

He set the Earth upon the waters,

for his love is for ever.

He created the great lights,

for his love is for ever.

The sun, to rule over the day,

for his love is for ever.

The moon and stars, to rule over the night,

for his love is for ever.

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 alone has wrought marvellous works, 

for his love endures for ever.

Psalm 135 (136)

He brought Israel out from Egypt, with arm outstretched, with power in his hand.

He struck down the first-born of Egypt,

for his love is for ever.

He led Israel out from their midst,

for his love is for ever.

With a strong hand and an outstretched arm,

for his love is for ever.

He divided the Red Sea in two,

for his love is for ever.

He led Israel out through the sea,

for his love is for ever.

He overthrew Pharaoh and his army,

for his love is for ever.

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.

He brought Israel out from Egypt, with arm outstretched, with power in his hand.

Psalm 135 (136)

To the Lord of heaven give thanks: 

he set us free from our foes.

He led his people through the wilderness,

for his love is for ever.

He struck down great kings,

for his love is for ever.

Sihon, king of the Amorites,

for his love is for ever.

And Og, the king of Bashan,

for his love is for ever.

He gave their land to his people,

for his love is for ever.

A heritage for Israel his servant,

for his love is for ever.

He remembered us in our affliction,

for his love is for ever.

He rescued us from our enemies,

for his love is for ever.

He gives food to all creatures that live,

for his love is for ever.

Give thanks to the God of heaven,

for his love is for ever.

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.

To the Lord of heaven give thanks: 

he set us free from our foes.

Lord, show me your ways,

– and teach me your paths.

Reading

Wisdom 11:21-12:2,11-19

Lord, who can withstand the might of your arm?

In your sight the whole world is like a grain of dust that tips the scales,

like a drop of morning dew falling on the ground.

Yet you are merciful to all, because you can do all things

and overlook men’s sins so that they can repent.

Yes, you love all that exists, you hold nothing of what you have made in abhorrence,

for had you hated anything, you would not have formed it.

And how, had you not willed it, could a thing persist,

how be conserved if not called forth by you?

You spare all things because all things are yours, Lord, lover of life,

you whose imperishable spirit is in all.

Little by little, therefore, you correct those who offend,

you admonish and remind them of how they have sinned,

so that they may abstain from evil and trust in you, Lord.

Nor was it from awe of anyone that you left them unpunished for their sins.

Who would venture to say, ‘What have you done?’

Who would dare to defy your sentence?

Who arraign you for destroying nations which you have created?

What champion of guilty men dare come to confront you and challenge you?

For there is no god, other than you, who cares for every thing,

to whom you might have to prove that you never judged unjustly;

as for those you punished, no king, no despot, dare reproach you with it to your face.

Being just yourself, you order all things justly,

holding it unworthy of your power

to condemn a man who has not deserved to be punished.

Your justice has its source in strength,

your sovereignty over all makes you lenient to all.

You show your strength when your sovereign power is questioned

and you expose the insolence of those who know it;

but, disposing of such strength, you are mild in judgement,

you govern us with great lenience,

for you have only to will, and your power is there.

By acting thus you have taught a lesson to your people

how the virtuous man must be kindly to his fellow men,

and you have given your sons the good hope

that after sin you will grant repentance.

Responsory

Lord, you alone are all-merciful and not one of your creatures do you reject.

You overlook our human failings,

hoping for our repentance,

because you are the Lord our God.

Look upon us and be gracious,

and show us your mercy,

because you are the Lord our God.

Reading

St Catherine of Siena's Dialogue on Divine Providence

How good and how delightful is your spirit, Lord, in all men!

The eternal Father, indescribably kind and tender, turned his eye to this soul and spoke to her thus:

‘O dearest daughter, I have determined to show my mercy and loving kindness to the world, and I choose to provide for mankind all that is good. But man, ignorant, turns into a death-giving thing what I gave in order to give him life. Not only ignorant, but cruel: cruel to himself. 

But still I go on providing. For this reason I want you to know: whatever I give to man, I do it out of my great providence.

‘So it was that when, by my providence, I created man, I looked into myself and fell in love with the beauty of the creature I had made – 

for it had pleased me, in my providence, to create man in my own image and likeness.

‘Moreover, I gave man memory, to be able to remember the good things I had done for him and to be able to share in my own power, 

the power of the eternal Father.

‘Moreover, I gave man intellect, so that, seeing the wisdom of my Son, he could recognise and understand my own will; 

for I am the giver of all graces and I give them with a burning fatherly love.

‘Moreover, I gave man the desire to love, sharing in the tenderness of the Holy Spirit, 

so that he might love the things that his intellect had understood and seen.

‘But my kind providence did all this solely that man might be able to understand me and enjoy me, rejoicing in my vision for all eternity. And as I have told you elsewhere, the disobedience of your first parent Adam closed heaven to you – and from that disobedience came all evil through the whole world.

‘To relieve man of the death that his own disobedience had brought, I tenderly and providently gave you my only-begotten Son to heal you and bring satisfaction for your needs. I gave him the task of being supremely obedient, to free the human race of the poison that your first parent’s disobedience had spread throughout the world. Falling in love, as it were, with his task, and truly obedient, he hurried to a shameful death on the most holy Cross. By his most holy death he gave you life: not human life this time, but with the strength of his divinity.’

Responsory

Guard me, O Lord, as the apple of your eye;

hide me in the shadow of your wings.

Display your great love, you whose right hand saves those who trust in you;

hide me in the shadow of your wings.

Let us pray.

Lord God, deepen our faith,

strengthen our hope,

enkindle our love;

and so that we may obtain what you promise,

make us love what you command.

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.