PRAYER OF THE DAY

PRAYERS FOR THE POPE

O God,

the Shepherd and Ruler of all Your faithful people,

mercifully look upon Your servant BENEDICT,

whom You have chosen as the chief Shepherd to preside over Your Church.

We beg You to help him edify,

both by word and example,

those over whom he has charge,

that he may reach everlasting life together with the flock entrusted to him.

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Almighty and Everlasting God,

have mercy on Your servant BENEDICT,

our Supreme Pontiff,

and direct him,

according to Your loving kindness,

in the way of eternal salvation,

that with Your help he may ever desire that which is pleasing to You and accomplish it with all his strength.

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Lord Jesus,

shelter our Holy Father the Pope under the protection of Your Sacred Heart.

Be his light,

his strength and his consolation.

DAILY MASS READINGS

Monday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading

Gn 1:1-19

In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth,

the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss,

while a mighty wind swept over the waters.

Then God said,

“Let there be light,” and there was light.

God saw how good the light was.

God then separated the light from the darkness.

God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.”

Thus evening came, and morning followed–the first day.

Then God said,

“Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters,

to separate one body of water from the other.”

And so it happened:

God made the dome,

and it separated the water above the dome from the water below it.

God called the dome “the sky.”

Evening came, and morning followed–the second day.

Then God said,

“Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin,

so that the dry land may appear.”

And so it happened:

the water under the sky was gathered into its basin,

and the dry land appeared.

God called the dry land “the earth,”

and the basin of the water he called “the sea.”

God saw how good it was.

Then God said,

“Let the earth bring forth vegetation:

every kind of plant that bears seed

and every kind of fruit tree on earth

that bears fruit with its seed in it.”

And so it happened:

the earth brought forth every kind of plant that bears seed

and every kind of fruit tree on earth that

bears fruit with its seed in it.

God saw how good it was.

Evening came, and morning followed–the third day.

Then God said:

“Let there be lights in the dome of the sky,

to separate day from night.

Let them mark the fixed times, the days and the years,

and serve as luminaries in the dome of the sky,

to shed light upon the earth.”

And so it happened:

God made the two great lights,

the greater one to govern the day,

and the lesser one to govern the night;

and he made the stars.

God set them in the dome of the sky,

to shed light upon the earth,

to govern the day and the night,

and to separate the light from the darkness.

God saw how good it was.

Evening came, and morning followed–the fourth day.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 104:1-2a, 5-6, 10 And 12, 24 And 35c

R. May the Lord be glad in his works.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!

You are clothed with majesty and glory,

robed in light as with a cloak.

R. May the Lord be glad in his works.

You fixed the earth upon its foundation,

not to be moved forever;

With the ocean, as with a garment, you covered it;

above the mountains the waters stood.

R. May the Lord be glad in his works.

You send forth springs into the watercourses

that wind among the mountains.

Beside them the birds of heaven dwell;

from among the branches they send forth their song.

R. May the Lord be glad in his works.

How manifold are your works, O LORD!

In wisdom you have wrought them all—

the earth is full of your creatures;

Bless the LORD, O my soul! Alleluia.

R. May the Lord be glad in his works.

Gospel

Mk 6:53-56

After making the crossing to the other side of the sea,

Jesus and his disciples came to land at Gennesaret

and tied up there.

As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him.

They scurried about the surrounding country

and began to bring in the sick on mats

to wherever they heard he was.

Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered,

they laid the sick in the marketplaces

and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak;

and as many as touched it were healed.

SAINT OF THE DAY

February 11

St. Gregory II (d. 731)

Born in Rome, Gregory became involved in Church affairs from an early age. It was Pope St. Sergius I who noticed the fine qualities of the pious young man and ordained Gregory a subdeacon. He served under the next four popes as treasurer of the church, then librarian. He was assigned important missions and accompanied Pope Constantine to Constantinople for discussions with Emperor Justinian II. 
Upon the death of Constantine, Gregory was chosen pope and installed in 715.

Gregory served as pope for 15 years. During that time he held synods to correct abuses, stop heresy and promote discipline and morality. He rebuilt a great portion of the walls of Rome to protect the city against attacks by the Lombards. He restored many churches, and was especially solicitous of the sick and aged. The great monastery near the church of St. Paul was reestablished, as was the abbey of Monte Cassino which had been destroyed by the Lombards 150 years before. He consecrated St. Boniface and St. Corbinian as bishops to go as missionaries to the tribes in Germany. 
Under Gregory, pilgrims from England increased in numbers to such an extent that they required a church,

a cemetery and a school of their own.

It was in his dealings with Emperor Leo III that Gregory's spirit of strength and patience was best shown. Leo demanded the destruction of all holy images and severely penalized those who did not follow his orders. When bishops failed to convince him of his error, they disobeyed and appealed to the pope. On the one hand, Gregory tried his best to change the thinking of the emperor. On the other, 
he counseled the people to maintain their allegiance to the prince, all the time encouraging the bishops to oppose the heresy.

Gregory II died in 731.

OFFICE OF READINGS

O Lord, open my lips.

And my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Invitatory Psalm

Psalm 23 (24)

Let us come before the Lord and proclaim our thanks.

– Let us come before the Lord and proclaim our thanks.

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.

– Let us come before the Lord and proclaim our thanks.

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.

– Let us come before the Lord and proclaim our thanks.

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.

– Let us come before the Lord and proclaim our thanks.

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.

– Let us come before the Lord and proclaim our thanks.

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 come before the Lord and proclaim our thanks.

Hymn

Stanbrook Abbey Hymnal

O God of truth, prepare our minds

To hear and heed your holy word;

Fill every heart that longs for you

With your mysterious presence, Lord.

Almighty Father, with your Son

And blessed Spirit, hear our prayer:

Teach us to love eternal truth

And seek its freedom everywhere.

Psalm 6

A prayer for relief from affliction

Lord, save me in your merciful love.

Lord, do not condemn me in your fury:

do not destroy me in your anger.

Take pity on me, Lord, for I am sick;

heal me, Lord, for my bones are in disarray.

My spirit is deeply disturbed,

and you, Lord – how long?

Turn to me, Lord, rescue my spirit:

in your pity, save me.

If I die, how can I praise you?

Can anyone in the underworld proclaim your name?

I struggle and groan,

soak my bed with weeping night after night;

my eyes are troubled with sadness:

I grow older as my enemies watch.

Leave me, all who do evil,

for the Lord has heard my voice as I wept.

The Lord listened to my prayer,

granted me what I asked.

Let my enemies be ashamed and confounded:

let shame and confusion overtake them soon.

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, save me in your merciful love.

Psalm 9A (9)

Thanksgiving for victory

The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed in times of distress.

I will thank you, Lord, with all my heart;

I will tell of your wonders.

I will rejoice in you and triumph,

make music to your name, O Most High.

Because my enemies are in full retreat;

they stumble and perish at your presence.

For you have given judgement in my favour,

upheld my case,

taken your seat on the throne of judgement.

You have rebuked the nations,

condemned the wicked,

wiped out their name for ever and for ever.

My enemies are no more;

their land is a desert for ever.

You have demolished their cities,

their very memory is wiped away.

But the Lord will reign for ever:

he has made his throne his judgement-seat.

He himself will judge the whole world in justice,

judge the peoples impartially.

The Lord will be a refuge for the oppressed,

a refuge in good times and in bad.

Let them put their hope in you, those who know your name;

for you, Lord, have never abandoned those who seek you.

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 is a stronghold for the oppressed in times of distress.

Psalm 9A (9)

I will recount all your praise at the gates of the city of Sion.

Sing to the Lord who dwells in Zion,

proclaim to the nations his loving care.

For he has remembered the poor and avenged them with blood:

he has not forgotten the cry of the weak.

Take pity on me, Lord:

see how my enemies torment me.

You raise me up from the gates of death,

and I will proclaim your praise at the gates of the daughter of Zion;

I will rejoice in your salvation.

The nations have fallen into the pit that they made,

into the very trap that they set: their feet are caught fast.

The Lord’s justice shines forth:

the sinner is trapped by his very own action.

Sinners will go down to the underworld,

and all nations that forget God.

For the weak will not always be forgotten:

the hope of the weak will never perish.

Rise up, Lord, let men not be complacent:

let the nations come before you to be judged.

Put fear into them, Lord:

let them know that they are only men.

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.

I will recount all your praise at the gates of the city of Sion.

Give me understanding, and I will follow your law.

– I will keep it wholeheartedly.

Reading

Galatians 1:13-2:10

You must have heard of my career as a practising Jew,

how merciless I was in persecuting the Church of God,

how much damage I did to it,

how I stood out among other Jews of my generation,

and how enthusiastic I was for the traditions of my ancestors.

Then God, who had specially chosen me while I was still in my mother’s womb,

called me through his grace and chose to reveal his Son in me,

so that I might preach the Good News about him to the pagans.

I did not stop to discuss this with any human being,

nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were already apostles before me,

but I went off to Arabia at once and later went straight back from there to Damascus.

Even when after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him for fifteen days,

I did not see any of the other apostles;

I only saw James, the brother of the Lord,

and I swear before God that what I have just written is the literal truth.

After that I went to Syria and Cilicia,

and was still not known by sight to the churches of Christ in Judaea,

who had heard nothing except that their one-time persecutor was now preaching the faith he had previously tried to destroy;

and they gave glory to God for me.

It was not till fourteen years had passed that I went up to Jerusalem again.

I went with Barnabas and took Titus with me.

I went there as the result of a revelation,

and privately I laid before the leading men the Good News as I proclaim it among the pagans;

I did so for fear the course I was adopting or had already adopted would not be allowed.

And what happened?

Even though Titus who had come with me is a Greek,

he was not obliged to be circumcised.

The question came up only because some who do not really belong to the brotherhood

have furtively crept in to spy on the liberty we enjoy in Christ Jesus,

and want to reduce us all to slavery.

I was so determined to safeguard for you the true meaning of the Good News,

that I refused even out of deference to yield to such people for one moment.

As a result, these people who are acknowledged leaders –

not that their importance matters to me,

since God has no favourites – these leaders, as I say,

had nothing to add to the Good News as I preach it. On the contrary,

they recognised that I had been commissioned to preach the Good News to the uncircumcised

just as Peter had been commissioned to preach it to the circumcised.

The same person whose action had made Peter the apostle of the circumcised had given me a similar mission to the pagans.

So, James, Cephas and John, these leaders,

these pillars, shook hands with Barnabas and me as a sign of partnership:

we were to go to the pagans and they to the circumcised.

The only thing they insisted on was that we should remember to help the poor,

as indeed I was anxious to do.

Responsory

By God’s grace I am what I am,

and the grace he has shown me has not abandoned me nor has it been without fruit.

He whose power enabled Peter to become the apostle of the circumcised enabled me to become the apostle of the Gentiles,

and the grace he has shown me has not abandoned me nor has it been without fruit.

Reading

The 'Breviloquium' of St Bonaventure

From the knowledge of Jesus Christ flows the understanding of the whole of holy Scripture

The stream of holy Scripture flows not from human research but from revelation by God.

It springs from the Father of lights,

from whom all fatherhood in heaven and on earth takes its name.

From him, through his Son Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit flows into us;

and through the Holy Spirit,

giving, at will, different gifts to different people,

comes the gift of faith,

and through faith Jesus Christ has his dwelling in our hearts.

This is the knowledge of Jesus Christ which is the ultimate basis of the solidity and wisdom of the whole of holy Scripture.

From all this it follows that it is impossible for anyone to start to recognise Scripture

for what it is if he does not already have faith in Christ infused into him.

Christ is the lamp that illuminates the whole of Scripture:

he is its gateway and its foundation.

For this faith is behind all the supernatural enlightenments that we receive while we are still separated from the Lord and on our pilgrimage.

It makes our foundation firm,

it directs the light of the lamp,

it leads us in through the gateway.

It is the standard against which the wisdom that God has given us should be measured,

so that no-one should exaggerate his real importance,

but everyone must judge himself soberly by the standard of the faith God has given him.

The substance and fruit of holy Scripture is very specific:

the fullness of eternal happiness.

For this is what Scripture is –

its words are words of eternal life,

and it is written not just so that we should believe,

but specially so that we should possess eternal life in which we may see, and love,

and have all our desires fulfilled.

When they are fulfilled,

then we shall know the superabundant love that comes from knowledge,

and so we shall be filled with all the fullness of God.

God’s Scripture tries to lead us to this fullness,

and to the truth of the preaching of the apostles.

It is to this end, with this intention,

that we should study holy Scripture, and teach it, and hear it.

If we are to follow the direct path of Scripture and come straight to the final destination,

then right from the beginning –

when simple faith starts to draw us towards the light of the Father –

our hearts should kneel down and ask the Father to give us, through his Son and the Holy Spirit,

true knowledge of Jesus and of his love.

Once we know him and love him like this,

we shall be made firm in faith and deeply rooted in love,

and we can know the breadth, length, depth and height of holy Scripture.

That news can then lead us to the full knowledge and overwhelming love of the most holy Trinity.

The desires of the saints draw them towards the Trinity,

in which all that is good and true is and finds its completion.

Responsory

Starting with Moses and going through all the prophets,

Jesus explained to his disciples the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself.

How dull you are!

How slow to believe all that the prophets said!

Jesus explained to his disciples the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself.

Let us pray.

Guard your family, Lord,

with constant loving care,

for in your divine grace

we place our only hope.

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.