PRAYER OF THE DAY

MARIAN PRAYER OF SAINT JOHN EUDES

O Blessed Virgin,

Mother of my God and Savior,

I honor and revere you

in the first moment of your life.

I honor and revere

the dispositions of your holy soul,

an all that took place in you at that time.

You began immediately,

O holy Virgin,

to love and glorify God most perfectly,

and from that first moment

to the last of your life,

you did ever love and glorify him more and more.

As for me, in spite of all the years

I have been in this world,

I have not yet begun to love

and serve him as I should.

O Mother of mercy,

beg your divine Son to have mercy on me.

Atone for my failings,

offering Him on my behalf

all the love

and glory you ever gave Him,

to satisfy for my neglect

in loving and glorifying Him.

Grant that I may share

in your surpassing love for him,

and in the fidelity of that great eternal love.

Pray for me,

that He may give me the grace to begin,

at least now,

to love Him perfectly,

and that all that shall take place

during this year,

and all my life,

may be consecrated to His glory and your honor.

O angels, and saints of Jesus Christ,

pray for me,

that our loving Savior may give me new grace

and new love for him,

to devote this year and my whole life,

purely and solely to the service of His glory and love.

DAILY MASS READINGS

Monday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading

JGS 2:11-19

The children of Israel offended the LORD by serving the Baals.

Abandoning the LORD, the God of their fathers,

who led them out of the land of Egypt,

they followed the other gods of the various nations around them,

and by their worship of these gods provoked the LORD.

Because they had thus abandoned him and served Baal and the Ashtaroth,

the anger of the LORD flared up against Israel,

and he delivered them over to plunderers who despoiled them.

He allowed them to fall into the power of their enemies round about

whom they were no longer able to withstand.

Whatever they undertook, the LORD turned into disaster for them,

as in his warning he had sworn he would do,

till they were in great distress.

Even when the LORD raised up judges to deliver them

from the power of their despoilers,

they did not listen to their judges,

but abandoned themselves to the worship of other gods.

They were quick to stray from the way their fathers had taken,

and did not follow their example of obedience

to the commandments of the LORD.

Whenever the LORD raised up judges for them, he would be with the judge

and save them from the power of their enemies

as long as the judge lived;

it was thus the LORD took pity on their distressful cries

of affliction under their oppressors.

But when the judge died,

they would relapse and do worse than their ancestors,

following other gods in service and worship,

relinquishing none of their evil practices or stubborn conduct.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 106:34-35, 36-37, 39-40, 43AB AND 44

R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

They did not exterminate the peoples,

as the LORD had commanded them,

But mingled with the nations

and learned their works.

R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

They served their idols,

which became a snare for them.

They sacrificed their sons

and their daughters to demons.

R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

They became defiled by their works,

and wanton in their crimes.

And the LORD grew angry with his people,

and abhorred his inheritance.

R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

Many times did he rescue them,

but they embittered him with their counsels.

Yet he had regard for their affliction

when he heard their cry.

R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

Gospel

MT 19:16-22

A young man approached Jesus and said,

“Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”

He answered him,

“Why do you ask me about the good?

There is only One who is good.

If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

He asked him, “Which ones?”

And Jesus replied,

“You shall not kill;

you shall not commit adultery;

you shall not steal;

you shall not bear false witness;

honor your father and your mother;

and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

The young man said to him,

“All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?”

Jesus said to him,

“If you wish to be perfect, go,

sell what you have and give to the poor,

and you will have treasure in heaven.

Then come, follow me.”

When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad,

for he had many possessions.

SAINT OF THE DAY

August 19

St. John Eudes (1601-1680)

How little we know where God’s grace will lead. Born on a farm in northern France, John died at 79 in the next “county” or department. In that time he was a religious, a parish missionary, founder of two religious communities and a great promoter of the devotion to the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

He joined the religious community of the Oratorians and was ordained a priest at 24. During severe plagues in 1627 and 1631, he volunteered to care for the stricken in his own diocese. Lest he infect his fellow religious, 

he lived in a huge cask in the middle of a field during the plague.

At age 32, John became a parish missionary. His gifts as preacher and confessor won him great popularity. 

He preached over 100 parish missions, some lasting from several weeks to several months.

In his concern with the spiritual improvement of the clergy, he realized that the greatest need was for seminaries. He had permission from his general superior, the bishop and even Cardinal Richelieu to begin this work, but the succeeding general superior disapproved. After prayer and counsel, John decided it was best to leave the religious community. The same year he founded a new one, ultimately called the Eudists (Congregation of Jesus and Mary), devoted to the formation of the clergy by conducting diocesan seminaries. The new venture, while approved by individual bishops, met with immediate opposition, especially from Jansenists and some of his former associates. John founded several seminaries in Normandy, but was unable to get approval from Rome 

(partly, it was said, because he did not use the most tactful approach).

In his parish mission work, John was disturbed by the sad condition of prostitutes who sought to escape their miserable life. Temporary shelters were found but arrangements were not satisfactory. A certain Madeleine Lamy, who had cared for several of the women, one day said to him, “Where are you off to now? To some church, I suppose, where you’ll gaze at the images and think yourself pious. And all the time what is really wanted of you is a decent house for these poor creatures.” The words, and the laughter of those present, struck deeply within him. 

The result was another new religious community, called the Sisters of Charity of the Refuge.

He is probably best known for the central theme of his writings: Jesus as the source of holiness, Mary as the model of the Christian life. John's devotion to the Sacred Heart and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary led Pius XI to declare him the father of the liturgical cult of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

OFFICE OF READINGS

O Lord, open our lips.

And we shall praise your name.

Invitatory Psalm

Psalm 99 (100)

Let us rejoice in the Lord,

with songs let us praise him.

Rejoice in the Lord, all the earth,

and serve him with joy.

Exult as you enter his presence.

Let us rejoice in the Lord,

with songs let us praise him.

Know that the Lord is God.

He made us and we are his

– his people, the sheep of his flock.

Let us rejoice in the Lord,

with songs let us praise 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.

Let us rejoice in the Lord,

with songs let us praise 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.

Let us rejoice in the Lord,

with songs let us praise him.

Hymn

Come, Spirit blest, with God the Son

and God the Father, ever one:

shed forth your grace within our breast

and live in us, a ready guest.

By every power, by heart and tongue,

by act and deed, your praise be sung.

Inflame with perfect love each sense,

that others’ souls may kindle thence.

Psalm 72 (73)

Why should the just suffer?

How good God is to Israel,

to those who are pure of heart.

How good God is to the upright,

to those who are pure of heart!

But as for me, my feet nearly stumbled,

my steps were on the point of going astray,

as I envied the boasters and sinners,

envied their comfort and peace.

For them there are no burdens,

their bellies are full and sleek.

They do not labour, like ordinary men;

they do not suffer, like mortals.

They wear their pride like a necklace,

their violence covers them like a robe.

Wickedness oozes from their very being,

the thoughts of their hearts break forth:

they deride, they utter abominations,

and from their heights they proclaim injustice.

They have set their mouth in the heavens,

and their tongue traverses the earth.

Thus they sit in their lofty positions,

and the flood-waters cannot reach them.

They ask, “How can God know?

Does the Most High have any understanding?”

Behold, then, the wicked, always prosperous:

their riches growing for 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.

How good God is to Israel,

to those who are pure of heart.

Psalm 72 (73)

Their rejoicing will be turned to weeping,

their joy to sorrow.

I said, “It was pointless to purify my heart,

to wash my hands in innocence –

for still I suffered all through the day,

still I was punished every morning.”

If I had said, “I will speak like them,”

I would have betrayed the race of your children.

I pondered and tried to understand:

my eyes labored to see –

until I entered God’s holy place

and heard how they would end.

For indeed you have put them on a slippery surface

and have thrown them down in ruin.

How they are laid waste!

How suddenly they fall and perish in terror!

You spurn the sight of them, Lord,

as a dream is abandoned when the sleeper awakes.

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.

Their rejoicing will be turned to weeping,

their joy to sorrow.

Psalm 72 (73)

All those who abandon you shall perish;

but to be near God is my happiness.

My heart was sore, my being was troubled –

I was a fool, I knew nothing;

I was like a dumb beast before you.

But still I stay with you:

you hold my right hand.

You lead me according to your counsel,

until you raise me up in glory.

For who else is for me, in heaven?

On earth, I want nothing when I am with you.

My flesh and heart are failing,

but it is God that I love:

God is my portion for ever.

Behold, those who abandon you will perish:

you have condemned all who go whoring away from you.

But for myself, I take joy in clinging to God,

in putting my trust in the Lord, my God,

to proclaim your works at the gates of the daughters of Zion.

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 those who abandon you shall perish;

but to be near God is my happiness.

How sweet is the taste of your sayings, O Lord,

– sweeter than honey in my mouth.

First Reading

Isaiah 3:1-15

Yes, see how the Lord, the Lord of Hosts

is taking from Jerusalem and Judah

support of every kind

(support of bread and support of water):

hero, man-at-arms, judge, prophet,

diviner, elder, captain, noble,

counsellor, sorcerer, soothsayer.

‘I give them boys for princes, raw lads to rule over them.’

The people bully each other,

neighbor and neighbor;

a youth can insult his elder,

a lout abuse a noble,

so that everyone tries to catch his brother

in their father’s house, to say,

‘You have a cloak, so you be leader,

and rule this heap of ruins.’

When that day comes the other will protest,

‘I am no doctor,

in my house is neither bread nor cloak;

do not make me leader of the people.’

Yes, Jerusalem is falling into ruins

and Judah is in collapse,

since their words and their deeds affront the Lord,

insulting his glory.

Their insolent airs bear witness against them,

they parade their sin like Sodom.

To their own undoing, they do not hide it,

they are preparing their own downfall.

Tell them, ‘Happy is the virtuous man,

for he will feed on the fruit of his deeds;

woe to the wicked, evil is on him,

he will be treated as his actions deserve.’

O my people, oppressed by a lad,

ruled by women.

O my people, your rulers mislead you

and destroy the road you walk on.

The Lord rises from his judgement seat,

he stands up to arraign his people.

The Lord calls to judgement

the elders and the princes of his people:

‘You are the ones who destroy the vineyard

and conceal what you have stolen from the poor.

By what right do you crush my people

and grind the faces of the poor?’

It is the Lord, the Lord of Hosts who speaks.

Responsory

Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them,

for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds.

Woe to the wicked!

It shall be ill with them,

for what their hands have done shall be done to them.

The Lord has taken his place to contend,

he stands to judge the peoples.

Woe to the wicked!

It shall be ill with them,

for what their hands have done shall be done to them.

Second Reading

The Moral Reflections on Job

by Pope St Gregory the Great

Fights without and fears within

The saints are caught up in a turbulent war of troubles, attacked at the same time by force and by persuasion. 

Patience is their shield against force, and doctrine makes the arrows that they shoot against persuasion.

See the skill with which they prepare themselves for both fights. The perversity within, they straighten out and teach and correct. The adversity without, they face and endure and suppress. They despise the enemies that come from outside to attack them, they resist them and stop them from subverting others. But to the weak and feeble citizens within they give compassion, afraid that they might otherwise lose the life of righteousness completely.

Let us look at St Paul, the soldier of God’s army, as he fights both enemies: as he says, quarrels outside, misgivings inside. He lists the enemies he has to resist: danger from rivers and danger from brigands, danger from my own people and danger from pagans, danger in the towns and danger in the open country, danger at sea and danger from so-called brothers. He lists the weapons he fires against them: I have worked and labored, often without sleep; 

I have been hungry and thirsty and often starving; 

I have been in the cold without clothes.

In the middle of all these battles the army’s camp must still be patrolled and safeguarded: and, to leave out much more, there is my daily preoccupation: my anxiety for all the churches. You see how bravely he takes the war upon himself and how compassionately he devotes himself to keeping his neighbors safe. First he lists the evils he suffers, 

then he lists the good things he is giving.

Let us ponder what a burden it is to endure attacks from outside and at the same time to give protection to the weak inside. From without, he suffers attack: he is beaten, he is chained. From within, he endures fear: the fear that his sufferings might discourage not him, but his disciples. So he writes to them: Let no-one be unsettled by the present troubles: as you know, they are bound to come our way. In the middle of his own sufferings, it was the downfall of others that he feared: if they saw him being beaten because of his faith, 

they might hold back from professing that faith themselves.

What an immense love he has within him! 

He neglects what he himself is suffering and worries only that his disciples might suffer temptation because of it. 

He thinks nothing of the wounds of his body and he heals the wounds of other people’s hearts.

This is something characteristic of the righteous. Just because they suffer pain themselves it does not stop them caring for the needs of others. They grieve for themselves and the adversity they face but they still give the needed teaching to others. They are like some great doctor who is struck down by sickness: 

they endure their own wounds while giving healing medicines to their patients.

Responsory

Lord, help me to face you openly;

withdraw your chastising hand,

and let my dread of you no longer fill me with terror.

Chasten me, Lord,

but with due measure – not as your anger demands,

or you will grind me to dust,

and let my dread of you no longer fill me with terror.

Let us pray.

Lord God,

you have prepared for those who love you

what no eye has seen, no ear has heard.

Fill our hearts with your love,

so that, loving you above all and in all,

we may attain your promises

which the heart of man has not conceived.

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.