PRAYER OF THE DAY

Thanksgiving After Communion

I give Thee thanks,

O holy Lord, Father Almighty, Eternal God,

that Thou hast vouchsafed,

for no merit of my own,

but of the mere condescension of Thy mercy,

to satisfy me, a sinner and Thine unworthy servant,

with the Precious Blood of Thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ.

I implore Thee,

let not this Holy Communion be to me an increase of guilt unto my punishment,

but an availing plea unto pardon and forgiveness.

Let it be to me the armor of faith and the shield of good will.

Grant that it may work the extinction of my vices,

the rooting out of concupiscence and lust,

and the increase within me of charity and patience,

of humility and obedience.

Let it be my strong defense against the snares of all my enemies,

visible and invisible;

the stilling and the calm of all my impulses, carnal and spiritual;

my indissoluble union with Thee the one and true God,

and a blessed consummation at my last end.

And I beseech thee that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to bring me,

sinner as I am,

to that ineffable banquet where Thou,

with the Son and the Holy Ghost,

art to Thy saints true and unfailing light,

fullness and content,

joy for evermore,

gladness without alloy,

consummate and everlasting bliss.

Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

(St. Thomas Aquinas)

DAILY MASS READINGS

Saturday in the Octave of Easter

Reading

ACTS 4:13-21

Observing the boldness of Peter and John

and perceiving them to be uneducated, ordinary men,

the leaders, elders, and scribes were amazed,

and they recognized them as the companions of Jesus.

Then when they saw the man who had been cured standing there with them,

they could say nothing in reply.

So they ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin,

and conferred with one another, saying,

“What are we to do with these men?

Everyone living in Jerusalem knows that a remarkable sign

was done through them, and we cannot deny it.

But so that it may not be spread any further among the people,

let us give them a stern warning

never again to speak to anyone in this name.”

So they called them back

and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

Peter and John, however, said to them in reply,

“Whether it is right in the sight of God

for us to obey you rather than God, you be the judges.

It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.”

After threatening them further,

they released them,

finding no way to punish them,

on account of the people who were all praising God

for what had happened.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 118:1 AND 14-15AB, 16-18, 19-21

R. I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,

for his mercy endures forever.

My strength and my courage is the LORD,

and he has been my savior.

The joyful shout of victory

in the tents of the just.

R. I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me.

or:

R. Alleluia.

“The right hand of the LORD is exalted;

the right hand of the LORD has struck with power.”

I shall not die, but live,

and declare the works of the LORD.

Though the LORD has indeed chastised me,

yet he has not delivered me to death.

R. I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Open to me the gates of justice;

I will enter them and give thanks to the LORD.

This is the gate of the LORD;

the just shall enter it.

I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me

and have been my savior.

R. I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Gospel

MK 16:9-15

When Jesus had risen, early on the first day of the week,

he appeared first to Mary Magdalene,

out of whom he had driven seven demons.

She went and told his companions who were mourning and weeping.

When they heard that he was alive

and had been seen by her, they did not believe.

After this he appeared in another form

to two of them walking along on their way to the country.

They returned and told the others;

but they did not believe them either.

But later, as the Eleven were at table, he appeared to them

and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart

because they had not believed those

who saw him after he had been raised.

He said to them,

“Go into the whole world

and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.”

SAINT OF THE DAY

April 6

St. Crescentia Hoess (1682-1744)

Crescentia was born in 1682 in a little town near Augsburg, the daughter of a poor weaver. She spent play time praying in the parish church, assisted those even poorer than herself and had so mastered the truths of her religion that she was permitted to make her holy Communion at the then unusually early age of seven. 

In the town she was called "the little angel."

As she grew older she desired to enter the convent of the Tertiaries of St. Francis. But the convent was poor and, because Crescentia had no dowry, the superiors refused her admission. Her case was then pleaded by the Protestant mayor of the town to whom the convent owed a favor. The community felt it was forced into receiving her, and her new life was made miserable. She was considered a burden and assigned nothing other than menial tasks. 

Even her cheerful spirit was misinterpreted as flattery or hypocrisy.

Conditions improved four years later when a new superior was elected who realized her virtue. Crescentia herself was appointed mistress of novices. She so won the love and respect of the sisters that, upon the death of the superior, Crescentia herself was unanimously elected to that position. Under her the financial state of the convent improved and her reputation in spiritual matters spread. She was soon being consulted by princes and princesses as well as by bishops and cardinals seeking her advice. And yet, a true daughter of Francis, she remained ever humble.

Bodily afflictions and pain were always with her. First it was headaches and toothaches. Then she lost the ability to walk, her hands and feet gradually becoming so crippled that her body curled up into a fetal position. In the spirit of Francis she cried out, "Oh, you bodily members, praise God that he has given you the capacity to suffer." 

Despite her sufferings she was filled with peace and joy as she died on Easter Sunday in 1744.

She was beatified in 1900 and canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2001.

OFFICE OF READINGS

O Lord, open my lips.

And my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Invitatory Psalm

Psalm 94 (95)

The Lord has truly risen,

alleluia.

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.

The Lord has truly risen,

alleluia.

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.

The Lord has truly risen,

alleluia.

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.

The Lord has truly risen,

alleluia.

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.”

The Lord has truly risen,

alleluia.

“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.”

The Lord has truly risen,

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.

The Lord has truly risen,

alleluia.

Hymn

Love’s redeeming work is done,

fought the fight, the battle won.

Lo, our Sun’s eclipse is o’er!

Lo, he sets in blood no more!

Vain the stone, the watch, the seal!

Christ has burst the gates of hell;

death in vain forbids him rise;

Christ has opened paradise.

Lives again our victorious King;

where, O death, is now thy sting?

Dying once, he all doth save;

where thy victory, O grave?

Soar we now where Christ has led,

following our exalted Head;

made like him, like him we rise,

ours the cross, the grave, the skies.

Hail the Lord of earth and heaven!

Praise to thee by both be given:

thee we greet triumphant now;

hail, the Resurrection thou!

Psalm 144 (145)

The greatness and goodness of God

The Lord is great and his greatness is without measure.

Alleluia.

I will praise you to the heights, O God, my king –

I will bless your name for ever and for all time.

I will bless you, O God, day after day –

I will praise your name for ever and all time.

The Lord is great, to him all praise is due –

he is great beyond measuring.

Generation will pass to generation the praise of your deeds,

and tell the wonders you have done.

They will tell of your overwhelming power,

and pass on the tale of your greatness.

They will cry out the story of your great kindness,

they will celebrate your judgements.

The Lord takes pity, his heart is merciful,

he is patient and endlessly kind.

The Lord is gentle to all –

he shows his kindness to all his creation.

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 great and his greatness is without measure.

Alleluia.

Psalm 144 (145)

The Lord has revealed the glorious splendor of his reign.

Alleluia.

Let all your creatures proclaim you, O Lord,

let your chosen ones bless you.

Let them tell of the glory of your reign,

let them speak of your power –

so that the children of men may know what you can do,

see the glory of your kingdom and its greatness.

Your kingdom stands firm for all ages,

your rule lasts for ever and 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 has revealed the glorious splendor of his reign.

Alleluia.

Psalm 144 (145)

Let all men bless your holy name for ever.

Alleluia.

The Lord is faithful in all his words,

the Lord is holy in all his deeds.

The Lord supports all who are falling,

the Lord lifts up all who are oppressed.

All look to you for help,

and you give them their food in due season.

In your goodness you open your hand,

and give every creature its fill.

The Lord is just in all his ways,

the Lord is kind in all that he does.

The Lord is near to those who call on him,

to all those who call on him in truth.

For those that honour him,

he does what they ask,

he hears all their prayers,

and he keeps them safe.

The Lord keeps safe all who love him,

but he dooms all the wicked to destruction.

My mouth shall tell the praises of the Lord.

Let all flesh bless his holy name,

for ever and 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.

Let all men bless your holy name for ever.

Alleluia.

God raised Christ from the dead, alleluia,

– so that our faith and hope would be in God, alleluia.

First Reading

1 Peter 4:12-5:14

My dear people, you must not think it unaccountable that you should be tested by fire. There is nothing extraordinary in what has happened to you. If you can have some share in the sufferings of Christ, be glad, because you will enjoy a much greater gladness when his glory is revealed. It is a blessing for you when they insult you for bearing the name of Christ, because it means that you have the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God resting on you. None of you should ever deserve to suffer for being a murderer, a thief, a criminal or an informer; but if anyone of you should suffer for being a Christian, then he is not to be ashamed of it; he should thank God that he has been called one. The time has come for the judgement to begin at the household of God; and if what we know now is only the beginning, what will it be when it comes down to those who refuse to believe God’s Good News? If it is hard for a good man to be saved, 

what will happen to the wicked and to sinners? 

So even those whom God allows to suffer must trust themselves to the constancy of the creator and go on doing good.

Now I have something to tell your elders: I am an elder myself, and a witness to the sufferings of Christ, and with you I have a share in the glory that is to be revealed. Be the shepherds of the flock of God that is entrusted to you: watch over it, not simply as a duty but gladly, because God wants it; not for sordid money, but because you are eager to do it. Never be a dictator over any group that is put in your charge, but be an example that the whole flock can follow. 

When the chief shepherd appears, you will be given the crown of unfading glory.

To the rest of you I say: do what the elders tell you, and all wrap yourselves in humility to be servants of each other, because God refuses the proud and will always favour the humble. Bow down, then, before the power of God now, and he will raise you up on the appointed day; unload all your worries on to him, since he is looking after you. Be calm but vigilant, because your enemy the devil is prowling round like a roaring lion, looking for someone to eat. Stand up to him, strong in faith and in the knowledge that your brothers all over the world are suffering the same things. You will have to suffer only for a little while: the God of all grace who called you to eternal glory in Christ will see that all is well again: 

he will confirm, strengthen and support you. His power lasts for ever and ever. Amen.

I write these few words to you through Silvanus, who is a brother I know I can trust, 

to encourage you never to let go this true grace of God to which I bear witness.

Your sister in Babylon, who is with you among the chosen, sends you greetings; 

so does my son, Mark.

Greet one another with a kiss of love.

Peace to you all who are in Christ.

Responsory

If you can have some share of the sufferings of Christ,

be glad,

because you will enjoy a much greater gladness when his glory is revealed,

alleluia.

Happy are you when people hate you on account of the Son of Man,

because you will enjoy a much greater gladness when his glory is revealed,

alleluia.

Second Reading

From the Jerusalem Catecheses

The bread of Heaven and the cup of salvation

On the night he was betrayed our Lord Jesus Christ took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples and said: “Take, eat: this is my body.” He took the cup, gave thanks and said: “Take, drink: this is my blood.” Since Christ himself has declared the bread to be his body, who can have any further doubt? Since he himself has said quite categorically, This is my blood, who would dare to question it and say that it is not his blood?

Therefore, it is with complete assurance that we receive the bread and wine as the body and blood of Christ. His body is given to us under the symbol of bread, and his blood is given to us under the symbol of wine, in order to make us by receiving them one body and blood with him. Having his body and blood in our members, 

we become bearers of Christ and sharers, as Saint Peter says, in the divine nature.

Once, when speaking to the Jews, Christ said: Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you shall have no life in you. This horrified them and they left him. Not understanding his words in a spiritual way, 

they thought the Saviour wished them to practise cannibalism.

Under the old covenant there was showbread, but it came to an end with the old dispensation to which it belonged. Under the new covenant there is bread from heaven and the cup of salvation. These sanctify both soul and body, 

the bread being adapted to the sanctification of the body, the Word, to the sanctification of the soul.

Do not, then, regard the eucharistic elements as ordinary bread and wine: 

they are in fact the body and blood of the Lord, as he himself has declared. 

Whatever your senses may tell you, be strong in faith.

You have been taught and you are firmly convinced that what looks and tastes like bread and wine is not bread and wine but the body and the blood of Christ. You know also how David referred to this long ago when he sang: Bread gives strength to man’s heart and makes his face shine with the oil of gladness. Strengthen your heart, 

then, by receiving this bread as spiritual bread, and bring joy to the face of your soul.

May purity of conscience remove the veil from the face of your soul so that by contemplating the glory of the Lord, 

as in a mirror, you may be transformed from glory to glory in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Responsory

Jesus took some bread,

and when he had given thanks,

he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying,

This is my body which is given for you.

Do this as a memorial of me,

alleluia.

When your children ask you,

‘What does this ritual mean?’

you will tell them,

‘It is the sacrifice of the Passover of the Lord.’

Do this as a memorial of me,

alleluia.

Canticle

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.

Lord God,

you increase and multiply your faithful

by your abundant gift of grace.

Look now on your chosen people,

and clothe forever in the garment of eternal life

all those who have been reborn in baptism.

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.