PRAYER OF THE DAY

Prayer of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart

Queen of the Most Holy Rosary,

and tender Mother of all people,

I consecrate myself to your Immaculate Heart,

and recommend to you my family, my country,

and the whole human race.

Please accept my consecration,

dearest Mother,

and use me as you wish,

to accomplish your designs upon the world.

O Immaculate Heart of Mary,

Queen of Heaven and earth,

rule over me,

and teach me how to allow the Heart of Jesus

to rule and triumph in me and around me,

as it has ruled and triumphed in you.

Amen.

DAILY MASS READINGS

Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Reading

TB 12:1, 5-15, 20

Tobit called his son Tobiah and said to him,

“Son, see to it that you give what is due to the man

who made the journey with you; give him a bonus too.”

So he called Raphael and said,

“Take as your wages half of all that you have brought back,

and go in peace.”

Raphael called the two men aside privately and said to them:

“Thank God! Give him the praise and the glory.

Before all the living,

acknowledge the many good things he has done for you,

by blessing and extolling his name in song.

Honor and proclaim God’s deeds,

and do not be slack in praising him.

A king’s secret it is prudent to keep,

but the works of God are to be declared and made known.

Praise them with due honor.

Do good, and evil will not find its way to you.

Prayer and fasting are good,

but better than either is almsgiving accompanied by righteousness.

A little with righteousness is better than abundance with wickedness.

It is better to give alms than to store up gold;

for almsgiving saves one from death and expiates every sin.

Those who regularly give alms shall enjoy a full life;

but those habitually guilty of sin are their own worst enemies.

“I will now tell you the whole truth;

I will conceal nothing at all from you.

I have already said to you,

‘A king’s secret it is prudent to keep,

but the works of God are to be made known with due honor.’

I can now tell you that when you, Tobit, and Sarah prayed,

it was I who presented and read the record of your prayer

before the Glory of the Lord;

and I did the same thing when you used to bury the dead.

When you did not hesitate to get up

and leave your dinner in order to go and bury the dead,

I was sent to put you to the test.

At the same time, however,

God commissioned me to heal you and your daughter-in-law Sarah.

I am Raphael, one of the seven angels

who enter and serve before the Glory of the Lord.”

“So now get up from the ground and praise God.

Behold, I am about to ascend to him who sent me;

write down all these things that have happened to you.”

Responsorial Psalm

TB 13:2, 6EFGH, 7, 8

R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.

He scourges and then has mercy;

he casts down to the depths of the nether world,

and he brings up from the great abyss.

No one can escape his hand.

R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.

So now consider what he has done for you,

and praise him with full voice.

Bless the Lord of righteousness,

and exalt the King of ages.

R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.

In the land of my exile I praise him

and show his power and majesty to a sinful nation.

R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.

Bless the Lord, all you his chosen ones,

and may all of you praise his majesty.

Celebrate days of gladness, and give him praise.

R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.

Gospel

LK 2:41-51

Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,

and when he was twelve years old,

they went up according to festival custom.

After they had completed its days, as they were returning,

the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,

but his parents did not know it.

Thinking that he was in the caravan,

they journeyed for a day

and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,

but not finding him,

they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.

After three days they found him in the temple,

sitting in the midst of the teachers,

listening to them and asking them questions,

and all who heard him were astounded

at his understanding and his answers.

When his parents saw him,

they were astonished,

and his mother said to him,

“Son, why have you done this to us?

Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”

And he said to them,

“Why were you looking for me?

Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

But they did not understand what he said to them.

He went down with them and came to Nazareth,

and was obedient to them;

and his mother kept all these things in her heart.

SAINT OF THE DAY

June 8

St. William of York (d. 1154)

A disputed election as archbishop of York and a mysterious death.

Those are the headlines from the tragic life of today's saint.

Born into a powerful family in 12th-century England, William seemed destined for great things.

His uncle was next in line for the English throne—though a nasty dynastic struggle complicated things.

William himself faced an internal Church feud.

Despite these roadblocks, he was nominated as archbishop of York in 1140.

Local clergymen were less enthusiastic, however, and the archbishop of Canterbury refused to consecrate William.

Three years later a neighboring bishop performed the consecration, but it lacked the approval of Pope Innocent II,

whose successors likewise withheld approval. William was deposed, and a new election was ordered.

It was not until 1154—14 years after he was first nominated—that William became archbishop of York.

When he entered the city that spring after years of exile, he received an enthusiastic welcome.

Within two months he was dead, probably from poisoning.

His administrative assistant was a suspect, though no formal ruling was ever made.

Despite all that happened to him, William did not show resentment toward his opponents.

Following his death, many miracles were attributed to him.

He was canonized 73 years later.

OFFICE OF READINGS

O Lord, open our lips.

And we shall praise your name.

Invitatory Psalm

Psalm 99 (100)

Christ is the son of Mary:

come, let us adore him.

Rejoice in the Lord, all the earth,

and serve him with joy.

Exult as you enter his presence.

Christ is the son of Mary:

come, let us adore him.

Know that the Lord is God.

He made us and we are his

– his people, the sheep of his flock.

Christ is the son of Mary:

come, let us adore him.

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.

Christ is the son of Mary:

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 is the son of Mary:

come, let us adore him.

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 130 (131)

Childlike trust in God

Whoever humbles himself like a little child

will be greater in the kingdom of heaven.

Lord, I do not puff myself up or stare about,

or walk among the great or seek wonders beyond me.

Truly calm and quiet I have made my spirit:

quiet as a weaned child in its mother’s arms –

like an infant is my soul.

Let Israel hope in the Lord, now and for all time.

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.

Whoever humbles himself like a little child

will be greater in the kingdom of heaven.

Psalm 131 (132)

God's promise to the house of David

With an honest heart I have offered up all things joyfully,

O my God.

Lord, remember David

and how he served you.

He swore to the Lord,

vowed a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:

“I will not go into my tent, my home,

nor go up to my bed of rest;

I will not let my eyes sleep

or my eyelids grow heavy

until I have found a place for the Lord,

a dwelling-place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

We heard that it was in Ephratha,

we found it in the plains of Jaar.

So let us go into his dwelling-place

and let us worship before his footstool.

Rise up, Lord, and come to your place of rest.

Come with the Ark of your power.

Let your priests be robed in your justice,

and let your chosen ones rejoice.

Remember what David did for you,

and do not turn your face from your Anointed.

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.

With an honest heart I have offered up all things joyfully,

O my God.

Psalm 131 (132)

The Lord swore an oath to David and he will not go back on his word;

he made his kingdom firm for ever.

The Lord swore David a true oath,

he will not go back on his word:

“The fruit of your body

I will place on your throne.

If your children keep my covenant and the commands I teach them,

their children’s children will occupy your throne for ever.”

For the Lord has chosen Zion,

taken it for his dwelling-place:

“Here will I take my rest for all time:

here will I live, such is my desire.

I will bless its crops with my blessing,

I will fill its poor with bread.

I will clothe its priests with righteousness.

Its chosen ones will exult with joy.

There will I plant the sign of David,

and prepare a lamp for my anointed one.

I will wrap his enemies in confusion,

but over his head my crown will shine.

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 swore an oath to David and he will not go back on his word;

he made his kingdom firm for ever.

Come and see the works of the Lord,

– who has done wonders on the earth.

First Reading

Job 42:7-16

When the Lord had said all this to Job, he turned to Eliphaz of Teman. ‘I burn with anger against you and your two friends’ he said ‘for not speaking truthfully about me as my servant Job has done. So now find seven bullocks and seven rams, and take them back with you to my servant Job and offer a holocaust for yourselves, while Job, my servant, offers prayers for you. I will listen to him with favor and excuse your folly in not speaking of me properly as my servant Job has done.’ Eliphaz of Teman, Bildad of Shuah and Zophar of Naamath went away to do as the Lord had ordered, and the Lord listened to Job with favor.

The Lord restored Job’s fortunes, because he had prayed for his friends. More than that, the Lord gave him double what he had before. And all his brothers and all his sisters and all his friends of former times came to see him and sat down at table with him. They showed him every sympathy, and comforted him for all the evils the Lord had inflicted on him. Each of them gave him a silver coin, and each a gold ring. The Lord blessed Job’s new fortune even more than his first one. He came to own fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand she-donkeys. He had seven sons and three daughters; his first daughter he called ‘Turtledove’, the second ‘Cassia’ and the third ‘Mascara.’ Throughout the land there were no women as beautiful as the daughters of Job. And their father gave them inheritance rights like their brothers.

After his trials, Job lived on until he was a hundred and forty years old, and saw his children and his children’s children up to the fourth generation.

Responsory

The Lord said to Eliphaz,

You with your two friends have not spoken rightly concerning me,

as has my servant Job.

He will pray for you.

His prayer I will accept, not to punish you severely.

He will pray for you.

Second Reading

A sermon of St Laurence Justinian

Mary kept all these things in her heart

As Mary pondered all she had learned from reading and from what she had heard and seen, how greatly did she increase in faith, advance in merit and become enlightened with wisdom! More and more she was consumed with burning love. Drawing life and inspiration from the heavenly mysteries which were being unlocked for her, she was filled with joy; she became alive with the Spirit, she was guided towards God and was kept humble in herself. The effects of divine grace are such indeed that they raise one from the depths to the heights, and transform one in an ever greater degree of glory. Entirely blessed was the mind of the Virgin which, through the direction of the Spirit dwelling in her, ever obeyed the command of the Word of God in all things. She was governed not by her own judgement or opinions, but she outwardly performed through her body whatever wisdom had indicated inwardly to her faith. It was surely fitting that divine Wisdom, which had built the house of the Church for its abode, should use most holy Mary as its instrument, where the observance of the law, purification of the heart, the doctrine of humility and spiritual offering were concerned.

Imitate her, O faithful soul. Enter into the temple of your heart that you may be purified in spirit and cleansed of the pollution of your sins. In everything we do God considers our disposition rather than our actions. And so, whether we retire mentally to God in earnest contemplation and remain at rest or whether we are intent on being of service to those around us with good works and worthy undertakings, let our object be that we are motivated only by love of Christ. So the really acceptable offering of purification of the spirit is that which is rendered not in a man-made temple but in the temple of the heart, where Christ the Lord is pleased to enter.

Responsory

I know not how to praise you, holy and immaculate Virgin.

Heaven itself cannot contain the One whom you bore in your womb.

Blessed are you among women,

and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

Heaven itself cannot contain the One whom you bore in your womb.

Let us pray.

God our Father,

you created a worthy dwelling-place for the Holy Spirit

in the heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Grant that through her prayers

we may become a temple fit for your glory.

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 praise the Lord.

– Thanks be to God.