PRAYER OF THE DAY

Prayer to Saint John Bosco

O glorious Saint John Bosco,

who in order to lead young people to the feet of the divine Master

and to mould them in the light of faith and Christian morality

didst heroically sacrifice thyself to the very end of thy life

and didst set up a proper religious Institute destined to endure

and to bring to the farthest boundaries of the earth thy glorious work,

obtain also for us from Our Lord a holy love for young people

who are exposed to so many seductions in order that we may generously spend ourselves

in supporting them against the snares of the devil,

in keeping them safe from the dangers of the world,

and in guiding them, pure and holy,

in the path that leads to God.

Amen.

DAILY MASS READINGS

Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest

Reading

2 SM 11:1-4A, 5-10A, 13-17

At the turn of the year, when kings go out on campaign,

David sent out Joab along with his officers

and the army of Israel,

and they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah.

David, however, remained in Jerusalem.

One evening David rose from his siesta

and strolled about on the roof of the palace.

From the roof he saw a woman bathing, who was very beautiful.

David had inquiries made about the woman and was told,

“She is Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam,

and wife of Joab’s armor bearer Uriah the Hittite.”

Then David sent messengers and took her.

When she came to him, he had relations with her.

She then returned to her house.

But the woman had conceived,

and sent the information to David, “I am with child.”

David therefore sent a message to Joab,

“Send me Uriah the Hittite.”

So Joab sent Uriah to David.

When he came, David questioned him about Joab, the soldiers,

and how the war was going, and Uriah answered that all was well.

David then said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and bathe your feet.”

Uriah left the palace,

and a portion was sent out after him from the king’s table.

But Uriah slept at the entrance of the royal palace

with the other officers of his lord, and did not go down

to his own house.

David was told that Uriah had not gone home.

On the day following, David summoned him,

and he ate and drank with David, who made him drunk.

But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his bed

among his lord’s servants, and did not go down to his home.

The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab

which he sent by Uriah.

In it he directed:

“Place Uriah up front, where the fighting is fierce.

Then pull back and leave him to be struck down dead.”

So while Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah

to a place where he knew the defenders were strong.

When the men of the city made a sortie against Joab,

some officers of David’s army fell,

and among them Uriah the Hittite died.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 51:3-4, 5-6A, 6BCD-7, 10-11

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;

in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.

Thoroughly wash me from my guilt

and of my sin cleanse me.

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

For I acknowledge my offense,

and my sin is before me always:

“Against you only have I sinned,

and done what is evil in your sight.”

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

I have done such evil in your sight

that you are just in your sentence,

blameless when you condemn.

True, I was born guilty,

a sinner, even as my mother conceived me.

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Let me hear the sounds of joy and gladness;

the bones you have crushed shall rejoice.

Turn away your face from my sins,

and blot out all my guilt.

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Gospel

MK 4:26-34

Jesus said to the crowds:

“This is how it is with the Kingdom of God;

it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land

and would sleep and rise night and day

and the seed would sprout and grow,

he knows not how.

Of its own accord the land yields fruit,

first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.

And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,

for the harvest has come.”

He said,

“To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God,

or what parable can we use for it?

It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,

is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.

But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants

and puts forth large branches,

so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”

With many such parables

he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.

Without parables he did not speak to them,

but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

SAINT OF THE DAY

January 31

St. John Bosco (1815-1888)

John Bosco’s theory of education could well be used in today’s schools. It was a preventive system, rejecting corporal punishment and placing students in surroundings removed from the likelihood of committing sin. He advocated frequent reception of the sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion. He combined catechetical training and fatherly guidance, 

seeking to unite the spiritual life with one’s work, study and play.

Encouraged during his youth to become a priest so he could work with young boys, John was ordained in 1841. His service to young people started when he met a poor orphan and instructed him in preparation for receiving Holy Communion. 

He then gathered young apprentices and taught them catechism.

After serving as chaplain in a hospice for working girls, John opened the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales for boys. Several wealthy and powerful patrons contributed money, enabling him to provide two workshops for the boys, shoemaking and tailoring.

By 1856, the institution had grown to 150 boys and had added a printing press for publication of religious and catechetical pamphlets. His interest in vocational education and publishing justify him as patron of young apprentices and Catholic publishers.

John’s preaching fame spread and by 1850 he had trained his own helpers because of difficulties in retaining young priests. 

In 1854 he and his followers informally banded together, inspired by St. Francis de Sales [January 24].

With Pope Pius IX’s encouragement, John gathered 17 men and founded the Salesians in 1859. 

Their activity concentrated on education and mission work. 

Later, he organized a group of Salesian Sisters to assist girls.

OFFICE OF READINGS

O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will proclaim Your Praise!

Invitatory Psalm

Psalm 99 (100)

Christ is the chief shepherd,

the leader of his flock:

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 chief shepherd,

the leader of his flock:

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 chief shepherd,

the leader of his flock:

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 chief shepherd,

the leader of his flock:

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 chief shepherd,

the leader of his flock:

come, let us adore him.

Hymn

Stanbrook Abbey Hymnal

In ancient times God spoke to us

Through prophets, and in varied ways,

But now he speaks through Christ his Son,

His radiance through eternal days.

To God the Father of the world,

His Son through whom he made all things,

And Holy Spirit, bond of love,

All glad creation glory sings.

Psalm 68 (69)

I am consumed with zeal for your house

I am wearied with all my crying as I await my God.

Save me, O God,

for the waters have come up to my neck.

I am stuck in bottomless mud;

I am adrift in deep waters

and the flood is sweeping me away.

I am exhausted with crying out, my throat is parched,

my eyes are failing as I look out for my God.

Those who hate me for no reason

are more than the hairs of my head.

They are strong, my persecutors, my lying enemies:

they make me give back things I never took.

God, you know my weakness:

my crimes are not hidden from you.

Let my fate not put to shame those who trust in you,

Lord, Lord of hosts.

Let them not be dismayed on my account,

those who seek you, God of Israel.

For it is for your sake that I am taunted

and covered in confusion:

I have become a stranger to my own brothers,

a wanderer in the eyes of my mother’s children –

because zeal for your house is consuming me,

and the taunts of those who hate you

fall upon my head.

I have humbled my soul with fasting

and they reproach me for it.

I have made sackcloth my clothing

and they make me a byword.

The idlers at the gates speak against me;

for drinkers of wine, I am the butt of their songs.

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 am wearied with all my crying as I await my God.

Psalm 68 (69)

For food they gave me poison,

and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

But I turn my prayer to you, Lord,

at the acceptable time, my God.

In your great kindness, hear me,

and rescue me with your faithful help.

Tear me from the mire, before I become stuck;

tear me from those who hate me;

tear me from the depths of the waters.

Do not let the waves overwhelm me;

do not let the deep waters swallow me;

do not let the well’s mouth engulf me.

Hear me, Lord, for you are kind and good.

In your abundant mercy, look upon me.

Do not turn your face from your servant:

I am suffering, so hurry to answer me.

Come to my soul and deliver it,

rescue me from my enemies’ attacks.

You know how I am taunted and ashamed;

how I am thrown into confusion.

You can see all those who are troubling me.

Reproach has shattered my heart – I am sick.

I looked for sympathy, but none came;

I looked for a consoler but did not find one.

They gave me bitterness to eat;

when I was thirsty, they gave me vinegar to drink.

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.

For food they gave me poison,

and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

Psalm 68 (69)

Seek the Lord, and he will give life to your soul.

I am weak and I suffer,

but your help, O God, will sustain me.

I will praise the name of God in song

and proclaim his greatness with praises.

This will please the Lord more than oxen,

than cattle with their horns and hooves.

Let the humble see and rejoice.

Seek the Lord, and your heart shall live,

for the Lord has heard the needy

and has not despised his captive people.

Let heaven and earth praise him,

the seas and all that swims in them.

For the Lord will make Zion safe

and build up the cities of Judah:

there they will live, the land will be theirs.

The seed of his servants will inherit the land,

and those who love his name will dwell there.

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.

Seek the Lord, and he will give life to your soul.

The Lord will teach us his ways

– and we shall walk in his paths.

First Reading

Deuteronomy 31:1-15,23

The last words of Moses

Moses proceeded to address these words to the whole of Israel, ‘I am one hundred and twenty years old now, and can no longer come and go as I will. The Lord has said to me, “You shall not cross this Jordan.” It is the Lord your God who will cross it at your head to destroy these nations facing you and dispossess them; and Joshua too shall cross at your head, as the Lord has said. The Lord will treat them as he treated Sihon and Og the Amorite kings and their land, destroying them. The Lord will hand them over to you, and you will deal with them in exact accordance with the commandments I have enjoined on you. Be strong, stand firm, have no fear of them, no terror, for the Lord your God is going with you; he will not fail you or desert you.’

Then Moses summoned Joshua and in the presence of all Israel said to him, ‘Be strong, stand firm; you are going with this people into the land the Lord swore to their fathers he would give them; you are to give it into their possession. The Lord himself will lead you; he will be with you; he will not fail you or desert you. Have no fear, do not be disheartened by anything.’

Moses committed this Law to writing and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the Lord’s covenant, and to all the elders of Israel. And Moses gave them this command: ‘At the end of every seven years, at the time fixed for the year of remission, at the feast of Tabernacles, when the whole of Israel comes to look on the face of the Lord your God in the place he chooses, you must proclaim this Law in the hearing of all Israel. Call the people together, men, women, children, and the stranger who lives with you, for them to hear it and learn to fear the Lord your God and keep and observe all the words of this Law. 

Their children, who as yet do not know it, 

shall hear it and learn to fear the Lord your God for as long as you live in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.’

The Lord said to Moses, ‘And now the time draws near when you must die. 

Summon Joshua and take your stand at the Tent of Meeting, that I may give him his orders.’

And Moses and Joshua came and took their stand at the Tent of Meeting. And the Lord showed himself at the Tent in a pillar of cloud; the pillar of cloud stood at the door of the Tent.

He gave Joshua son of Nun this order:

‘Be strong and stand firm, for you are to bring the sons of Israel to the land I swore I would give them, 

and I myself will be with you.’

Responsory

Be strong and stand firm,

for the Lord your God is going with you.

He will be with you, have no fear.

The Lord will be at your side,

he will keep your steps from the snare.

He will be with you, have no fear.

Second Reading

From a letter

by Saint John Bosco, priest

I have always labored out of love

First of all, if we wish to appear concerned about the true happiness of our foster children and if we would move them to fulfill their duties, you must never forget that you are taking the place of the parents of these beloved young people. I have always labored lovingly for them, and carried out my priestly duties with zeal. And the whole Salesian society has done this with me.

My sons, in my long experience very often I had to be convinced of this great truth. It is easier to become angry than to restrain oneself, and to threaten a boy than to persuade him. Yes, indeed, it is more fitting to be persistent in punishing our own impatience and pride than to correct the boys. We must be firm but kind, and be patient with them.

I give you as a model the charity of Paul which he showed to his new converts. 

They often reduced him to tears and entreaties when he found them lacking docility and even opposing his loving efforts.

See that no one finds you motivated by impetuosity or willfulness. It is difficult to keep calm when administering punishment, but this must be done if we are to keep ourselves from showing off our authority or spilling out our anger.

Let us regard those boys over whom we have some authority as our own sons. Let us place ourselves in their service. Let us be ashamed to assume an attitude of superiority. Let us not rule over them except for the purpose of serving them better.

This was the method that Jesus used with the apostles. He put up with their ignorance and roughness and even their infidelity. He treated sinners with a kindness and affection that caused some to be shocked, others to be scandalized, 

and still others to hope for God’s mercy. And so he bade us to be gentle and humble of heart.

They are our sons, 

and so in correcting their mistakes we must lay aside all anger and restrain it so firmly that it is extinguished entirely.

There must be no hostility in our minds, no contempt in our eyes, no insult on our lips. We must use mercy for the present and have hope for the future, as is fitting for true fathers who are eager for real correction and improvement.

In serious matters it is better to beg God humbly than to send forth a flood of words that will only offend the listeners and have no effect on those who are guilty.

Responsory

The people were bringing little children to Jesus, for him to touch them.

The disciples turned them away, but when Jesus saw this, he said to them,

Let the children come to me;

do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.

Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.

Let the children come to me;

do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.

Let us pray.

We praise you, Lord, for calling Saint John Bosco

to be a loving father and prudent guide of the young.

Give us his fervent zeal for souls

and enable us to live for you alone.

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.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Prayer for the Restoration and Unity of Holy Mother Church

O Immaculate Mother of God and Our Mother,

Mediatrix of every grace and Corredemptrix of mankind:

as Thou didst gaze upon Thy Most Beloved Son,

filled with suffering and ignominy upon His Holy Cross,

on account of His most tender and loving compassion for us poor sinners,

deign in Thy great Maternal solicitude for us Thy children,

to obtain from Him every grace and mercy,

so that fortified in the unity of the One True Faith

and restored to the bonds of charity and authentic worship,

His Virgin Bride, Our Mother the Church,

may once again offer to the Eternal Father,

through the ministry of His sacred Priests,

the holy, immaculate, and pure offering of His Body and Blood,

in propitiation for our sins and those of the whole world.

We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ,

who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit,

God forever and ever.

Amen.

DAILY MASS READINGS

Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

Reading

2 SM 7:18-19, 24-29

After Nathan had spoken to King David,

the king went in and sat before the LORD and said,

“Who am I, Lord GOD, and who are the members of my house,

that you have brought me to this point?

Yet even this you see as too little, Lord GOD;

you have also spoken of the house of your servant

for a long time to come:

this too you have shown to man, Lord GOD!

“You have established for yourself your people Israel as yours forever,

and you, LORD, have become their God.

And now, LORD God, confirm for all time the prophecy you have made

concerning your servant and his house,

and do as you have promised.

Your name will be forever great, when men say,

‘The LORD of hosts is God of Israel,’

and the house of your servant David stands firm before you.

It is you, LORD of hosts, God of Israel,

who said in a revelation to your servant,

‘I will build a house for you.’

Therefore your servant now finds the courage to make this prayer to you.

And now, Lord GOD, you are God and your words are truth;

you have made this generous promise to your servant.

Do, then, bless the house of your servant

that it may be before you forever;

for you, Lord GOD, have promised,

and by your blessing the house of your servant

shall be blessed forever.”

Responsorial Psalm

PS 132:1-2, 3-5, 11, 12, 13-14

R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.

LORD, remember David

and all his anxious care;

How he swore an oath to the LORD,

vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob.

R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.

“I will not enter the house where I live,

nor lie on the couch where I sleep;

I will give my eyes no sleep,

my eyelids no rest,

Till I find a home for the LORD,

a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.

The LORD swore an oath to David

a firm promise from which he will not withdraw:

“Your own offspring

I will set upon your throne.”

R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.

“If your sons keep my covenant,

and the decrees which I shall teach them,

Their sons, too, forever

shall sit upon your throne.”

R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.

For the LORD has chosen Zion,

he prefers her for his dwelling:

“Zion is my resting place forever;

in her I will dwell, for I prefer her.”

R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.

Gospel

MK 4:21-25

Jesus said to his disciples,

“Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket

or under a bed,

and not to be placed on a lampstand?

For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible;

nothing is secret except to come to light.

Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.”

He also told them, “Take care what you hear.

The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you,

and still more will be given to you.

To the one who has, more will be given;

from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

SAINT OF THE DAY

January 30

St. Hyacintha of Mariscotti (1585-1640)

Hyacintha accepted God’s standards somewhat late in life. Born of a noble family near Viterbo, she entered a local convent of sisters who followed the Third Order Rule. However, she supplied herself with enough food, 

clothing and other goods to live a very comfortable life amid these sisters pledged to mortification.

A serious illness required that Hyacintha’s confessor bring Holy Communion to her room. Scandalized on seeing how soft a life she had provided for herself, the confessor advised her to live more humbly. Hyacintha disposed of her fine clothes and special foods. She eventually became very penitential in food and clothing; she was ready to do the most humble work in the convent. She developed a special devotion to the sufferings of Christ and by her penances became an inspiration to the sisters in her convent. She was canonized in 1807.

OFFICE OF READINGS

O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will proclaim Your Praise!

Invitatory Psalm

Psalm 23 (24)

Come, let us adore the Lord, for he is our God.

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.

Come, let us adore the Lord, for he is our God.

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 savior.

This is the way of those who seek him,

seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Come, let us adore the Lord, for he is our God.

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.

Come, let us adore the Lord, for he is our God.

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.

Come, let us adore the Lord, for he is our God.

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, let us adore the Lord, for he is our God.

Hymn

Stanbrook Abbey Hymnal

Eternal Father, through your Word

You gave new life to Adam’s race,

And call us now to live in light,

New creatures by your saving grace.

To you who stooped to all who sin

We render homage and give praise:

To Father, Son and Spirit blest

Whose loving gift is endless days.

Psalm 88 (89)

A lament at the ruin of the house of David

Pay heed, Lord, and see how we are taunted.

But you have spurned and rejected him;

you are enraged against your anointed.

You have repudiated the covenant of your servant,

you have trampled his crown in the dust.

You have demolished his walls

and laid his fortifications in ruins.

Anyone who passes can despoil him;

he is a mockery among his neighbors.

You have strengthened the arm of those who oppress him,

you have gladdened the hearts of his enemies.

You have turned back the sharp edge of his sword;

you have deprived him of your help in battle.

You have put an end to his splendor,

and cast his throne to the ground.

You have cut short the days of his youth;

you have covered him from head to foot in shame.

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.

Pay heed, Lord, and see how we are taunted.

Psalm 88 (89)

I am the root and stock of David;

I am the splendid morning star.

How long, O Lord, will you hide yourself? For ever?

Will your anger always burn like fire?

Remember how short is my time.

Was it truly so pointless, your creation of man?

Who is the man who can live and not die,

who can save his life from the grasp of the underworld?

Where are the kindnesses you showed us of old?

Where is the truth of your oath to David?

Remember, Lord, how your servants are taunted,

the taunts I bear in my bosom, the taunts of the nations –

the insults of your enemies, Lord,

the insults that follow the steps of 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.

I am the root and stock of David;

I am the splendid morning star.

Psalm 89 (90)

Let the Lord's glory shine upon us

Our years pass like grass;

but you, God, are without beginning or end.

Lord, you have been our refuge

from generation to generation.

Before the mountains were born,

before earth and heaven were conceived,

from all time to all time, you are God.

You turn men into dust,

you say to them “go back, children of men.”

A thousand years in your sight

are like yesterday, that has passed;

like a short watch in the night.

When you take them away, they will be nothing but a dream;

like the grass that sprouts in the morning:

in the morning it grows and flowers,

in the evening it withers and dries.

For we are made weak by your anger,

thrown into confusion by your wrath.

You have gazed upon our transgressions;

the light of your face illuminates our secrets.

All our days vanish in your anger,

we use up our years in a single breath.

Seventy years are what we have,

or eighty for the stronger ones;

and most of that is labour and sadness –

quickly they pass, and we are gone.

Who can comprehend the power of your wrath?

Who can behold the violence of your anger?

Teach us to reckon our days like this,

so that our hearts may be led at last to wisdom.

Turn to us, Lord, how long must we wait?

Let your servants call on you and be answered.

Fill us with your kindness in the morning,

and we shall rejoice and be glad all the days of our life.

Give us joy for as long as you afflicted us,

for all the years when we suffered.

Let your servants see your great works,

and let their children see your glory.

Let the glory of the Lord God be upon us:

make firm the work of your hands.

Make firm the work of your hands.

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.

Our years pass like grass;

but you, God, are without beginning or end.

Lord, from you springs life;

– in your light we shall see light.

First Reading

Deuteronomy 30:1-20

Pardon after exile

And when all these words come true for you, the blessing and the curse I have set before you, if you meditate on them in your heart wherever among the nations the Lord your God drives you, if you return to the Lord your God, if you obey his voice with all your heart and soul in everything I enjoin on you today, you and your children, then the Lord your God will bring back your captives, he will have pity on you and gather you once again out of all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you. Had you wandered to the ends of the heavens, the Lord your God would gather you even from there, would come there to reclaim you and bring you back to the land your fathers possessed, so that you in your turn might make it your own, 

prospering there and increasing even more than your fathers.

The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, until you love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul, and so have life. The Lord your God will make all these curses recoil on your foes and on your enemies who have persecuted you. And once again you will obey the voice of the Lord your God and keep all those commandments of his that I enjoin on you today. The Lord your God will give you great prosperity in all your undertakings, in the fruit of your body, the fruit of your cattle and in the produce of your soil. For once again the Lord will take delight in your prosperity as he took delight in the prosperity of your fathers, if only you obey the voice of the Lord your God, 

keeping those commandments and laws of his that are written in the Book of this Law, 

and if you return to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.

For this Law that I enjoin on you today is not beyond your strength or beyond your reach. It is not in heaven, so that you need to wonder, “Who will go up to heaven for us and bring it down to us, so that we may hear it and keep it?” Nor is it beyond the seas, so that you need to wonder, “Who will cross the seas for us and bring it back to us, so that we may hear it and keep it?” 

No, the Word is very near to you, it is in your mouth and in your heart for your observance.

See, today I set before you life and prosperity, death and disaster. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I enjoin on you today, if you love the Lord your God and follow his ways, if you keep his commandments, his laws, his customs, you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you are entering to make your own. But if your heart strays, if you refuse to listen, if you let yourself be drawn into worshipping other gods and serving them, I tell you today, you will most certainly perish; you will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today: I set before you life or death, blessing or curse. Choose life, then, so that you and your descendants may live, in the love of the Lord your God, obeying his voice, clinging to him; for in this your life consists, and on this depends your long stay in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob he would give them.

Responsory

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

I will be found by you, says the Lord,

and I will restore your fortunes.

Seek and you will find;

knock and it will be opened to you.

I will be found by you, says the Lord,

and I will restore your fortunes.

Second Reading

From a sermon

by John the Serene, bishop

Love the Lord and walk in his ways

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? How great was that servant who knew how he was given light, whence it came, and what sort of man he was when he was favored by that light. The light he saw was not that which fades at dusk, 

but the light which no eye has seen. Souls brightened by this light do not fall into sin or stumble on vice.

Our Lord said: Walk while you have the light in you. What other light did he mean but himself? For it was he who said: I came as a light into the world, so that those who have eyes may not see and the blind may receive the light. The Lord then is our light, the sun of justice and righteousness, who has shone on his Catholic Church spread throughout the world. 

The prophet spoke as a figure of the Church when he cried: 

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?

The spiritual man who has been thus illumined does not limp or leave the path, but bears all things. Glimpsing our true country from afar, he puts up with adversities; he is not saddened by the things of time, but finds his strength in God. He lowers his pride and endures, possessing patience through humility. That true light which enlightens every man who comes into the world bestows itself on those who reverence it, shining where it wills, on whom it wills, and revealing itself according to the will of God the Son.

When this light begins to shine upon the man who sat in darkness and the shadow of death, in the darkness of evil and the shadow of sin, he is shocked, he calls himself to account, repents of his misdeeds in shame, and says: The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Great is this salvation, my brethren, which fears neither sickness nor lethargy and disregards pain. We should then in the fullest sense not only with our voice but with our very soul cry out, The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? If he enlightens and saves me, whom shall I fear? Even though the dark shadows of evil suggestions crowd about, The Lord is my light. They can approach, but cannot prevail; they can lay siege to our heart, but cannot conquer it. Though the blindness of concupiscence assails us, again we say: The Lord is my light. For he is our strength; he gives himself to us and we give ourselves to him. Hasten to this physician while you can, or you may not be able to find him when you want him.

Responsory

Lord, send Wisdom forth from your throne of glory to help me and to toil with me,

to teach me what is pleasing to you at all times.

Lord, grant me Wisdom, consort of your throne,

to teach me what is pleasing to you at all times.

Let us pray.

All-powerful, ever-living God,

direct our steps in the way of your love,

so that our whole life may be fragrant

with all we do in the name of Jesus, your beloved Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God for ever and ever.

Amen.

Let us praise the Lord.

– Thanks be to God.