PRAYER OF THE DAY

Prayer of Pope St. Gregory the Great

O God,

who scourges our faults with strokes of love,

to cleanse us from our iniquities:

enable us to profit by these strokes,

and to rejoice in your consolation speedily!

DAILY MASS READINGS

Memorial of Saint Leo the Great,

pope and doctor of the Church

Reading

Phil 4:10-19

Brothers and sisters:

I rejoice greatly in the Lord

that now at last you revived your concern for me.

You were, of course, concerned about me but lacked an opportunity.

Not that I say this because of need,

for I have learned, in whatever situation I find myself,

to be self-sufficient.

I know indeed how to live in humble circumstances;

I know also how to live with abundance.

In every circumstance and in all things

I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry,

of living in abundance and of being in need.

I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.

Still, it was kind of you to share in my distress.

You Philippians indeed know that at the beginning of the Gospel,

when I left Macedonia,

not a single church shared with me

in an account of giving and receiving, except you alone.

For even when I was at Thessalonica

you sent me something for my needs,

not only once but more than once.

It is not that I am eager for the gift;

rather, I am eager for the profit that accrues to your account.

I have received full payment and I abound.

I am very well supplied because of what I received from you

through Epaphroditus,

"a fragrant aroma," an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.

My God will fully supply whatever you need,

in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 112:1b-2, 5-6, 8a And 9

R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Blessed the man who fears the LORD,

who greatly delights in his commands.

His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;

the upright generation shall be blessed.

R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Well for the man who is gracious and lends,

who conducts his affairs with justice;

He shall never be moved;

the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.

R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.

or:

R. Alleluia.

His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear.

Lavishly he gives to the poor;

his generosity shall endure forever;

his horn shall be exalted in glory.

R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Gospel

Lk 16:9-15

Jesus said to his disciples:

"I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth,

so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

The person who is trustworthy in very small matters

is also trustworthy in great ones;

and the person who is dishonest in very small matters

is also dishonest in great ones.

If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth,

who will trust you with true wealth?

If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another,

who will give you what is yours?

No servant can serve two masters.

He will either hate one and love the other,

or be devoted to one and despise the other.

You cannot serve God and mammon."

The Pharisees, who loved money,

heard all these things and sneered at him.

And he said to them,

"You justify yourselves in the sight of others,

but God knows your hearts;

for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God."

SAINT OF THE DAY

November 10

St. Leo the Great (d. 461)

With apparent strong conviction of the importance of the Bishop of Rome in the Church, and of the Church as the ongoing sign of Christ’s presence in the world, Leo the Great displayed endless dedication as pope. Elected in 440, he worked tirelessly as "Peter’s successor," guiding his fellow bishops as "equals in the episcopacy and infirmities."

Leo is known as one of the best administrative popes of the ancient Church. 
His work branched into four main areas, indicative of his notion of the pope’s total

responsibility for the flock of Christ. He worked at length to control the heresies of Pelagianism, Manichaeism and others, placing demands on their followers so as to secure true Christian beliefs. A second major area of his concern was doctrinal controversy in the Church in the East, to which he responded with a classic letter setting down the Church’s teaching on the two natures of Christ. 
With strong faith, he also led the defense of Rome against barbarian attack, taking the role of peacemaker.

In these three areas, Leo’s work has been highly regarded. His growth to sainthood has its basis in the spiritual depth with which he approached the pastoral care of his people, which was the fourth focus of his work. He is known for his spiritually profound sermons. An instrument of the call to holiness, well-versed in Scripture and ecclesiastical awareness, Leo had the ability to reach the everyday needs and interests of his people. 
One of his sermons is used in the Office of Readings on Christmas.

It is said of Leo that his true significance rests in his doctrinal insistence on the mysteries of Christ and the Church and in the supernatural charisms of the spiritual life given to humanity in Christ and in his Body, the Church. Thus Leo held firmly that everything he did and said as pope for the administration of the Church represented Christ, the head of the Mystical Body, and St. Peter, in whose place Leo acted.

OFFICE OF READINGS

O Lord, open my lips.

And my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Invitatory Psalm

Psalm 99 (100)

Come, let us worship Christ, the prince of shepherds.

– Come, let us worship Christ, the prince of shepherds.

Rejoice in the Lord, all the earth,

and serve him with joy.

Exult as you enter his presence.

– Come, let us worship Christ, the prince of shepherds.

Know that the Lord is God.

He made us and we are his

– his people, the sheep of his flock.

– Come, let us worship Christ, the prince of shepherds.

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 Christ, the prince of shepherds.

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 Christ, the prince of shepherds.

Hymn

How great the tale, that there should be,

In God’s Son’s heart, a place for me!

That on a sinner’s lips like mine

The cross of Jesus Christ should shine!

Christ Jesus, bend me to thy will,

My feet to urge, my griefs to still;

That e’en my flesh and blood may be

A temple sanctified to Thee.

No rest, no calm my soul may win,

Because my body craves to sin;

Till thou, dear Lord, thyself impart

Peace on my head, light in my heart.

May consecration come from far,

Soft shining like the evening star.

My toilsome path make plain to me,

Until I come to rest in thee.

Psalm 106 (107)

Thanksgiving after rescue

Let them thank the Lord for his love,

for the wonders he does for men.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

for his kindness is for ever.

Let them say this, the people the Lord has redeemed,

those whom he rescued from their enemies

whom he gathered together from all lands,

from east and west, from the north and the south.

They wandered through desert and wilderness,

they could find no way to a city they could dwell in.

Their souls were weary within them,

weary from hunger and thirst.

They cried to the Lord in their trouble

and he rescued them from their distress.

He set them on the right path

towards a city they could dwell in.

Let them give thanks to the Lord for his kindness,

for the wonders he works for men:

the Lord, who feeds hungry creatures

and gives water to the thirsty to drink.

They sat in the darkness and shadow of death,

imprisoned in chains and in misery,

because they had rebelled against the words of God

and spurned the counsels of the Most High.

He wore out their hearts with labour:

they were weak, there was no-one to help.

They cried to the Lord in their trouble

and he rescued them from their distress.

He led them out of the darkness and shadow of death,

he shattered their chains.

Let them give thanks to the Lord for his kindness,

for the wonders he works for men:

the Lord, who shatters doors of bronze,

who breaks bars of iron.

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 them thank the Lord for his love,

for the wonders he does for men.

Psalm 106 (107)

They have seen the Lord’s deeds and the wonders he does.

The people were sick because they transgressed,

afflicted because of their sins.

All food was distasteful to them,

they were on the verge of death.

They cried to the Lord in their trouble

and he rescued them from their distress.

He sent forth his word and healed them,

delivered them from their ruin.

Let them give thanks to the Lord for his kindness,

for the wonders he works for men:

Let them offer a sacrifice of praise

and proclaim his works with rejoicing.

Those who go down to the sea in ships,

those who trade across the great waters –

they have seen the works of the Lord,

the wonders he performs in the deep.

He spoke, and a storm arose,

and the waves of the sea rose up.

They rose up as far as the heavens

and descended down to the depths:

the sailors’ hearts melted from fear,

they staggered and reeled like drunkards,

terror drove them out of their minds.

But they cried to the Lord in their trouble

and he rescued them from their distress.

He turned the storm into a breeze

and silenced the waves.

They rejoiced at the ending of the storm

and he led them to the port that they wanted.

Let them give thanks to the Lord for his kindness,

for the wonders he works for men:

let them exalt him in the assembly of the people,

give him praise in the council of the elders.

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.

They have seen the Lord’s deeds and the wonders he does.

Psalm 106 (107)

The upright see and rejoice; 

they consider the love of the Lord.

The Lord has turned rivers into wilderness,

he has made well-watered lands into desert,

fruitful ground into salty waste

because of the evil of those who dwelt there.

But he has made wilderness into ponds,

deserts into the sources of rivers,

he has called together the hungry

and they have founded a city to dwell in.

They have sowed the fields, planted the vines;

they grow and harvest their produce.

He has blessed them and they have multiplied;

he does not let their cattle decrease.

But those others became few and oppressed

through trouble, evil, and sorrow.

He poured his contempt on their princes

and set them to wander the trackless waste.

But the poor he has saved from their poverty

and their families grow numerous as sheep.

The upright shall see, and be glad,

and all wickedness shall block up its mouth.

Whoever is wise will remember these things

and understand the mercies of 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.

The upright see and rejoice; 

they consider the love of the Lord.

Lord, your faithfulness reaches up to the clouds.

– Your judgements reach down to the depths.

Reading

1 Maccabees 9:1-22

Demetrius heard that Nicanor and his army had fallen in battle, and he sent Bacchides and Alcimus a second time into the land of Judah, and with them the right wing of his army. They took the road to Galilee and besieged Mesaloth in Arbela, and captured it, putting many people to death. In the first month of the year one hundred and fifty-two they set up camp before Jerusalem; they then moved on, making their way to Beerzeth with twenty thousand foot and two thousand horse. Judas lay in camp at Elasa, with three thousand picked men. When they saw the huge size of the enemy forces they were terrified, and many slipped out of the camp, until no more than eight hundred of the force were left. When Judas saw that his army had melted away and that attack was imminent, he was aghast, for he had no time to rally them. Yet, dismayed as he was, he said to those who were left, ‘Up! Let us face the enemy; we may yet have the strength to fight them.’ His men tried to dissuade him, declaring, ‘We have no strength for anything but to escape with our lives this time; then we can come back with our brothers to fight them; by ourselves we are too few.’ ‘God forbid’ Judas retorted ‘that I should do such a thing as run away from them! If our time has come, at least let us die like men for our countrymen, and leave nothing to tarnish our reputation.’

The enemy forces then marched out of the camp, and the Jews took up their position in readiness to engage them. The cavalry was ordered into two squadrons; the slingers and archers marched in the van of the army with the shock-troops, all stout fighters; Bacchides was on the right wing. The phalanx advanced from between the two squadrons, sounding the trumpets; the men on Judas’ side blew their trumpets also, and the earth shook with the noise of the armies. The engagement lasted from morning until evening.

Judas saw that Bacchides and the main strength of his army lay on the right; all the stout-hearted rallied to him, and they broke the right wing and pursued them to the furthest foothills of the range. But when the Syrians on the left wing saw that the right had been broken, they turned and followed hot on the heels of Judas and his men to take them in the rear. The fight became desperate, and there were many casualties on both sides. Judas himself fell, and the remnant fled.

Jonathan and Simon took up their brother Judas and buried him in his ancestral tomb at Modein. All Israel wept and mourned him deeply and for many days they repeated this dirge, ‘What a downfall for the strong man, the man who saved Israel single-handed!’ The other deeds of Judas, the battles he fought, the exploits he performed, and all his titles to greatness have not been recorded; but they were very many.

Responsory

Do not be daunted by an enemy attack: 

remember how our fathers were saved.

Let us besiege heaven with our prayers and our God will have mercy on us.

Remember the wonders he worked against Pharaoh and his army at the Red Sea.

Let us besiege heaven with our prayers and our God will have mercy on us.

Reading

A sermon of St Leo the Great

The special obligations of our ministry

Although the universal Church of God is constituted of distinct orders of members, still, in spite of the many parts of its holy body, the Church subsists as an integral whole, just as the Apostle says: We are all one in Christ. No difference in office is so great that anyone can be separated, through lowliness, from the head. In the unity of faith and baptism, therefore, our community is undivided. There is a common dignity, as the apostle Peter says in these words: And you are built up as living stones into spiritual houses, a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices which are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. And again: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart.

For all, regenerated in Christ, are made kings by the sign of the cross; they are consecrated priests by the oil of the Holy Spirit, so that beyond the special service of our ministry as priests, all spiritual and mature Christians know that they are a royal race and are sharers in the office of the priesthood. For what is more king-like than to find yourself ruler over your body after having surrendered your soul to God? And what is more priestly than to promise the Lord a pure conscience and to offer him in love unblemished victims on the altar of one’s heart?

Because, through the grace of God, it is a deed accomplished universally on behalf of all, it is altogether praiseworthy and in keeping with a religious attitude for you to rejoice in this our day of consecration, to consider it a day when we are especially honoured. For indeed one sacramental priesthood is celebrated throughout the entire body of the Church. The oil which consecrates us has richer effects in the higher grades, yet it is not sparingly given in the lower.

Sharing in this office, my dear brethren, we have solid ground for a common rejoicing; yet there will be more genuine and excellent reason for joy if you do not dwell on the thought of our unworthiness. It is more helpful and more suitable to turn your thoughts to study the glory of the blessed apostle Peter. We should celebrate this day above all in honour of him. He overflowed with abundant riches from the very source of all graces, yet though he alone received much, nothing was given over to him without his sharing it. The Word made flesh lived among us, and in redeeming the whole human race, Christ gave himself entirely.

Responsory

Jesus said to Simon,

I tell you this: You are Peter,

and it is upon this rock that I will build my Church,

and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

God has built it to endure for all eternity,

and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Let us pray.

Lord God, you built your Church on the firm foundation of the apostle Peter,

and you promised that the gates of hell would never overcome it.

Supported by the prayers of Pope Saint Leo,

we ask that you will keep the Church faithful to your truth,

and maintain it in enduring peace.

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.