PRAYER OF THE DAY

PRAYER FOR FOURTH WEEK OF LENT

[This prayer is designed to be said within the family before a Crucifix during the fourth week of Lent.]

Mother or a child:

From the words of St. Paul [Hebrews 9:13-14].

Dearly beloved,

if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkled ashes of a heifer sanctify unto the cleansing of the flesh

(according to Old Testament religion),

how much more will the Blood of Christ,

who through the Holy Spirit offered Himself unblemished unto God,

cleanse Your conscience from dead works to serve the living God!

Father:

We ought to glory in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Family:

in whom is our salvation, life and resurrection.

Father:

Let us pray.

We want to serve You, Lord.

By Your grace may our good desires bear their fruits;

for the penances we have undertaken will be useful only if they please Your loving heart.

This we ask of You through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son.

Family:

Amen.

Favor this dwelling, Lord, with Your presence.

Far from it repulse all the wiles of Satan.

Your holy angels, let them live here, to keep us in peace.

And may Your blessing remain always upon us.

This we ask of You through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son.

Father:

Let us bless the Lord.

Family:

Thanks be to God.

Father:

May the almighty and merciful Lord, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bless and keep us.

Family:

Amen.

DAILY MASS READINGS

Fourth Sunday of Lent

Reading 1

JOS 5:9A, 10-12

The LORD said to Joshua,

“Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you.”

While the Israelites were encamped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho,

they celebrated the Passover

on the evening of the fourteenth of the month.

On the day after the Passover,

they ate of the produce of the land

in the form of unleavened cakes and parched grain.

On that same day after the Passover,

on which they ate of the produce of the land, the manna ceased.

No longer was there manna for the Israelites,

who that year ate of the yield of the land of Canaan.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

I will bless the LORD at all times;

his praise shall be ever in my mouth.

Let my soul glory in the LORD;

the lowly will hear me and be glad.

R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Glorify the LORD with me,

let us together extol his name.

I sought the LORD, and he answered me

and delivered me from all my fears.

R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,

and your faces may not blush with shame.

When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,

and from all his distress he saved him.

R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Reading 2

2 COR 5:17-21

Brothers and sisters:

Whoever is in Christ is a new creation:

the old things have passed away;

behold, new things have come.

And all this is from God,

who has reconciled us to himself through Christ

and given us the ministry of reconciliation,

namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,

not counting their trespasses against them

and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

So we are ambassadors for Christ,

as if God were appealing through us.

We implore you on behalf of Christ,

be reconciled to God.

For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin,

so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

Gospel

LK 15:1-3, 11-32

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,

but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,

“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

So to them Jesus addressed this parable:

“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father,

‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’

So the father divided the property between them.

After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings

and set off to a distant country

where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.

When he had freely spent everything,

a severe famine struck that country,

and he found himself in dire need.

So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens

who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.

And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,

but nobody gave him any.

Coming to his senses he thought,

‘How many of my father’s hired workers

have more than enough food to eat,

but here am I, dying from hunger.

I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,

“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.

I no longer deserve to be called your son;

treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’

So he got up and went back to his father.

While he was still a long way off,

his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.

He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.

His son said to him,

‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;

I no longer deserve to be called your son.’

But his father ordered his servants,

‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him;

put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.

Then let us celebrate with a feast,

because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again;

he was lost, and has been found.’

Then the celebration began.

Now the older son had been out in the field

and, on his way back, as he neared the house,

he heard the sound of music and dancing.

He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.

The servant said to him,

‘Your brother has returned

and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf

because he has him back safe and sound.’

He became angry,

and when he refused to enter the house,

his father came out and pleaded with him.

He said to his father in reply,

‘Look, all these years I served you

and not once did I disobey your orders;

yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.

But when your son returns

who swallowed up your property with prostitutes,

for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’

He said to him,

‘My son, you are here with me always;

everything I have is yours.

But now we must celebrate and rejoice,

because your brother was dead and has come to life again;

he was lost and has been found.’”

SAINT OF THE DAY

March 10

St. John Ogilvie (c. 1579-1615)

John Ogilvie's noble Scottish family was partly Catholic and partly Presbyterian. His father raised him as a Calvinist, sending him to the continent to be educated. There John became interested in the popular debates going on between Catholic and Calvinist scholars. Confused by the arguments of Catholic scholars whom he sought out, he turned to Scripture. Two texts particularly struck him: "God wills all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth," and "Come to me all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you."

Slowly, John came to see that the Catholic Church could embrace all kinds of people. Among these, he noted, were many martyrs. He decided to become Catholic and was received into the Church at Louvain, Belgium, in 1596 at the age of 17.

John continued his studies, first with the Benedictines, then as a student at the Jesuit College at Olmutz. He joined the Jesuits and for the next 10 years underwent their rigorous intellectual and spiritual training. Ordained a priest in France in 1610, he met two Jesuits who had just returned from Scotland after suffering arrest and imprisonment. They saw little hope for any successful work there in view of the tightening of the penal laws. But a fire had been lit within John. 

For the next two and a half years he pleaded to be missioned there.

Sent by his superiors, he secretly entered Scotland posing as a horse trader or a soldier returning from the wars in Europe. Unable to do significant work among the relatively few Catholics in Scotland, John made his way back to Paris to consult his superiors. Rebuked for having left his assignment in Scotland, he was sent back. He warmed to the task before him and had some success in making converts and in secretly serving Scottish Catholics. 

But he was soon betrayed, arrested and brought before the court.

His trial dragged on until he had been without food for 26 hours. He was imprisoned and deprived of sleep. For eight days and nights he was dragged around, prodded with sharp sticks, his hair pulled out. Still, he refused to reveal the names of Catholics or to acknowledge the jurisdiction of the king in spiritual affairs. 

He underwent a second and third trial but held firm.

At his final trial, he assured his judges: 

"In all that concerns the king, I will be slavishly obedient; if any attack his temporal power, I will shed my last drop of blood for him. 

But in the things of spiritual jurisdiction which a king unjustly seizes I cannot and must not obey."

Condemned to death as a traitor, he was faithful to the end, even when on the scaffold he was offered his freedom and a fine living if he would deny his faith. His courage in prison and in his martyrdom was reported throughout Scotland.

John Ogilvie was canonized in 1976, becoming the first Scottish saint since 1250.

OFFICE OF READINGS

O Lord, open my lips.

And my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Invitatory Psalm

Psalm 66 (67)

Christ the Lord was tempted and suffered for us.

Come, let us adore him.

O God, take pity on us and bless us,

and let your face shine upon us,

so that your ways may be known across the world,

and all nations learn of your salvation.

Christ the Lord was tempted and suffered for us.

Come, let us adore him.

Let the peoples praise you, O God,

let all the peoples praise you.

Let the nations be glad and rejoice,

for you judge the peoples with fairness

and you guide the nations of the earth.

Christ the Lord was tempted and suffered for us.

Come, let us adore him.

Let the peoples praise you, O God,

let all the peoples praise you.

The earth has produced its harvest:

may God, our God, bless us.

May God bless us,

may the whole world revere him.

Christ the Lord was tempted and suffered for us.

Come, let us adore him.

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.

Christ the Lord was tempted and suffered for us.

Come, let us adore him.

Hymn

Forty days and forty nights

thou wast fasting in the wild

forty days and forty nights

tempted still, yet undefiled.

Shall not we thy sorrow share,

and from earthly joys abstain,

fasting with unceasing prayer,

strong with thee to suffer pain?

And if Satan, vexing sore,

flesh or spirit should assail,

thou, his vanquisher before,

grant we may not faint or fail.

So shall we have peace divine;

holier gladness ours shall be;

round us too shall angels shine,

such as ministered to thee.

Keep, O keep us, Saviour dear,

ever constant by thy side;

that with thee we may appear

at the eternal Eastertide.

Psalm 23 (24)

The Lord comes to his temple

Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?

Who shall stand in his holy place?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?

Who shall stand in his holy place?

Psalm 65 (66)

Hymn for a sacrifice of thanksgiving

All peoples, bless our God,

who gave his life to our souls.

Cry out to God, all the earth,

sing psalms to the glory of his name,

give him all glory and praise.

Say to God, “How tremendous your works!

Faced with the greatness of your power

your enemies dwindle away.

Let all the earth worship you and sing your praises,

sing psalms to your name.”

Come and see the works of God,

be awed by what he has done for the children of men.

He turned the sea into dry land,

and they crossed the waters on foot:

therefore will we rejoice in him.

In his might he will rule for all time,

his eyes keep watch on the nations:

no rebellion will ever succeed.

Bless our God, you nations,

and let the sound of your praises be heard.

Praise him who brought us to life,

and saved us from stumbling.

For you have tested us, O Lord,

you have tried us by fire, as silver is tried.

You led us into the trap,

heaped tribulations upon us.

You set other men to rule over us –

but we passed through fire and water,

and you led us out to our 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.

All peoples, bless our God,

who gave his life to our souls.

Psalm 65 (66)

Come and hear, all who fear God.

I will tell what he did for my soul.

I shall enter your house with burnt-offerings.

I shall fulfil my vows to you,

the vows that I made with my lips,

the vows that I uttered in my troubles.

I shall offer you rich burnt-offerings,

the smoke of the flesh of rams;

I shall offer you cattle and goats.

Draw near and listen, you who fear the Lord,

and I will tell all that he has done for me.

I cried out aloud to him,

and his praise was on my tongue.

If I looked upon sin in the depths of my heart,

the Lord would not hear me –

but the Lord has listened,

he has heard the cry of my appeal.

Blessed be God, who has not spurned my prayer,

who has not kept his mercy from 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.

Come and hear, all who fear God.

I will tell what he did for my soul.

Your words, Lord, are spirit and life.

– You have the message of eternal life.

First Reading

Leviticus 8:1-17,9:22-24

The consecration of the priests

The Lord spoke to Moses; he said:

‘Take Aaron, his sons with him, and the vestments, and the chrism, the bull for the sacrifice for sin, the two rams and the basket of unleavened bread. Then call the whole community together at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.’

Moses followed the orders of the Lord; the community gathered at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, 

and Moses said to them, ‘This is what the Lord has ordered to be done.’

He made Aaron and his sons come forward, and washed them with water.

He put the tunic on him, passed the girdle round his waist, dressed him in the robe and put the ephod on him. Then he put round his waist the woven band of the ephod with which he clothed him. He put the pectoral on him, and placed the Urim and Thummim in it. He put the turban on his head, with the golden plate on the front; 

this is the sacred diadem as the Lord prescribed it to Moses.

Then Moses took the chrism and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it, to consecrate them. He sprinkled the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and its furnishing, the basin and its stand, to consecrate them. 

Then he poured the chrism on Aaron’s head, consecrating him by unction.

Then Moses made Aaron’s sons come forward; he put the tunics on them, 

passed the girdles round their waists and put on their head-dress, 

as the Lord had ordered Moses.

Then he had the bull for the sacrifice for sin brought forward. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the victim’s head and Moses immolated it. Then he took the blood and with his finger put some of it on the horns round the altar, to take away its sin. Then he poured out the rest of the blood at the foot of the altar, which he consecrated by performing the rite of atonement over it. Then he took all the fat that covers the entrails, the fatty mass which is over the liver, the two kidneys and their fat; and he burnt them all on the altar. The bull’s skin, 

its flesh and its dung he burnt outside the camp, as the Lord had ordered Moses.

Then Aaron raised his hands towards the people and blessed them. Having thus performed the sacrifice for sin, the holocaust and the communion sacrifice, he came down and entered the Tent of Meeting with Moses. Then they came out together to bless the people and the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole people – a flame leaped forth from before the Lord and consumed the holocaust and the fat that was on the altar. 

At this sight the people shouted for joy and fell on their faces.

Responsory

Of priests there was a succession, since death denied them permanence,

but Christ remains for ever and can never lose his priesthood.

The Lord raised up Aaron to a holy office;

he conferred on him the priesthood of the nation and honoured him with glory,

but Christ remains for ever and can never lose his priesthood.

Second Reading

From a treatise on John

by Saint Augustine, bishop

Christ is the way to the light, the truth and the life

The Lord tells us: I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. In these few words he gives a command and makes a promise. Let us do what he commands so that we may not blush to covet what he promises and to hear him say on the day of judgement: “I laid down certain conditions for obtaining my promises. Have you fulfilled them?” If you say: “What did you command, Lord our God?” he will tell you: “I commanded you to follow me. You asked for advice on how to enter into life. What life, if not the life about which it is written: 

With you is the fountain of life?”

Let us do now what he commands. Let us follow in the footsteps of the Lord. Let us throw off the chains that prevent us from following him. Who can throw off these shackles without the aid of the one addressed in these words: You have broken my chains? Another psalm says of him: The Lord frees those in chains, the Lord raises up the downcast.

Those who have been freed and raised up follow the light. The light they follow speaks to them: I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness. The Lord gives light to the blind. Brethren, that light shines on us now, for we have had our eyes anointed with the eye-salve of faith. His saliva was mixed with earth to anoint the man born blind. We are of Adam’s stock, blind from our birth; we need him to give us light. He mixed saliva with earth, and so it was prophesied: Truth has sprung up from the earth. He himself has said: I am the way, the truth and the life.

We shall be in possession of the truth when we see face to face. This is his promise to us. 

Who would dare to hope for something that God in his goodness did not choose to promise or bestow?

We shall see face to face. The Apostle says: Now I know in part, now obscurely through a mirror, but then face to face. John the Apostle says in one of his letters: Dearly beloved, we are now children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. We know that when he is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 

This is a great promise.

If you love me, follow me. “I do love you,” you protest, “but how do I follow you?” If the Lord your God said to you: “I am the truth and the life,” in your desire for truth, in your love for life, you would certainly ask him to show you the way to reach them. You would say to yourself: “Truth is a great reality, life is a great reality; 

if only it were possible for my soul to find them!”

Responsory

I hate the ways of falsehood.

Your word is a lamp for my steps,

and a light for my path.

Lord, to whom shall we go?

You have the message of eternal life.

Your word is a lamp for my steps,

and a light for my path.

Let us pray.

Lord God, in your surpassing wisdom

you reconcile man to yourself through your Word.

Grant that your Christian people may come with eager faith and ready will

to celebrate the Easter festival.

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.