PRAYER OF THE DAY

A Novena to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Immaculate Heart of Mary,

full of love for God and mankind,

and of compassion for sinners,

I consecrate myself entirely to you.

I entrust to you the salvation of my soul.

May my heart be ever united with yours,

so that I may hate sin,

love God and my neighbor,

and reach eternal life together with those whom I love.

Mediatrix of All Graces and Mother of Mercy,

remember the infinite treasure which your Divine Son has merited by His suffering

and which he has confided to you for us, your children.

Filled with confidence in your motherly heart,

and for the sake of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,

obtain for me the favor I ask:

[Mention your request here].

Dearest Mother,

if what I ask for should not be according to God's will,

pray that I may receive that which will be of greater benefit to my soul.

I experience the kindness of your intercession with Jesus during life

and at the hour of my death?

Amen.

DAILY MASS READINGS

Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading

EZ 9:1-7; 10:18-22

The LORD cried loud for me to hear: 

Come, you scourges of the city!

With that I saw six men coming from the direction

of the upper gate which faces the north,

each with a destroying weapon in his hand.

In their midst was a man dressed in linen,

with a writer’s case at his waist.

They entered and stood beside the bronze altar.

Then he called to the man dressed in linen

with the writer’s case at his waist, saying to him:

Pass through the city, through Jerusalem,

and mark a “Thau” on the foreheads of those who moan and groan

over all the abominations that are practiced within it.

To the others I heard the LORD say:

Pass through the city after him and strike!

Do not look on them with pity nor show any mercy!

Old men, youths and maidens, women and children–wipe them out!

But do not touch any marked with the “Thau”; begin at my sanctuary.

So they began with the men, the elders, who were in front of the temple.

Defile the temple, he said to them, and fill the courts with the slain;

then go out and strike in the city.

Then the glory of the LORD left the threshold of the temple

and rested upon the cherubim.

These lifted their wings, and I saw them rise from the earth,

the wheels rising along with them.

They stood at the entrance of the eastern gate of the LORD’s house,

and the glory of the God of Israel was up above them.

Then the cherubim lifted their wings, and the wheels went along with them,

while up above them was the glory of the God of Israel.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 113:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

R. The glory of the Lord is higher than the skies.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Praise, you servants of the LORD,

praise the name of the LORD.

Blessed be the name of the LORD

both now and forever.

R. The glory of the Lord is higher than the skies.

or:

R. Alleluia.

From the rising to the setting of the sun

is the name of the LORD to be praised.

High above all nations is the LORD;

above the heavens is his glory.

R. The glory of the Lord is higher than the skies.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Who is like the LORD, our God, who is enthroned on high,

and looks upon the heavens and the earth below?

R. The glory of the Lord is higher than the skies.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Gospel

MT 18:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples:

“If your brother sins against you,

go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.

If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.

If he does not listen,

take one or two others along with you,

so that every fact may be established

on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church.

If he refuses to listen even to the Church,

then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.

Amen, I say to you,

whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,

and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth

about anything for which they are to pray,

it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.

For where two or three are gathered together in my name,

there am I in the midst of them.”

SAINT OF THE DAY

August 13

Sts. Pontian and Hippolytus (d. 235)

Two men died for the faith after harsh treatment and exhaustion in the mines of Sardinia. 

One had been pope for five years, the other an antipope for 18. 

They died reconciled.

Pontian. Pontian was a Roman who served as pope from 230 to 235. During his reign he held a synod which confirmed the excommunication of the great theologian Origen in Alexandria. Pontian was banished to exile by the Roman emperor in 235, and resigned so that a successor could be elected in Rome. He was sent to the “unhealthy” island of Sardinia, where he died of harsh treatment in 235. With him was Hippolytus (see below) with whom he was reconciled. The bodies of both martyrs were brought back to Rome and buried with solemn rites as martyrs.

Hippolytus. As a priest in Rome, Hippolytus (the name means “a horse turned loose”) was at first “holier than the Church.” He censured the pope for not coming down hard enough on a certain heresy—calling him a tool in the hands of one Callistus, a deacon—and coming close to advocating the opposite heresy himself. When Callistus was elected pope, Hippolytus accused him of being too lenient with penitents, and had himself elected antipope by a group of followers. He felt that the Church must be composed of pure souls uncompromisingly separated from the world: Hippolytus evidently thought that his group fitted the description. He remained in schism through the reigns of three popes. In 235 he was also banished to the island of Sardinia. Shortly before or after this event, he was reconciled to the Church, and died with Pope Pontian in exile.

Hippolytus was a rigorist, a vehement and intransigent man for whom even orthodox doctrine and practice were not purified enough. He is, nevertheless, the most important theologian and prolific religious writer before the age of Constantine. His writings are the fullest source of our knowledge of the Roman liturgy and the structure of the Church in the second and third centuries. His works include many Scripture commentaries, polemics against heresies and a history of the world. A marble statue, dating from the third century, representing the saint sitting in a chair, was found in 1551. On one side is inscribed his table for computing the date of Easter, on the other a list of how the system works out until the year 224. Blessed John XXIII installed the statue in the Vatican library.

OFFICE OF READINGS

O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will proclaim Your Praise!

Invitatory Psalm

Psalm 66 (67)

Let us adore the Lord,

for it is he who made us.

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.

Let us adore the Lord,

for it is he who made us.

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.

Let us adore the Lord,

for it is he who made us.

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.

Let us adore the Lord,

for it is he who made us.

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 adore the Lord,

for it is he who made us.

Hymn

Bright as fire in darkness,

Sharper than a sword,

Lives throughout the ages

God’s eternal word.

Father, Son and Spirit,

Trinity of might,

Compassed in your glory,

Give the world your light.

Stanbrook Abbey Hymnal

Psalm 88 (89)

The Lord's kindness to the house of David

Love and truth walk in your presence, Lord.

I will sing for ever of the kindnesses of the Lord:

to generation upon generation

my mouth will proclaim your faithfulness.

For you have said

“My kindness shall be established for ever”;

your faithfulness will be established in the heavens.

“I have made a covenant with my chosen one.

I have sworn to David my servant:

To all eternity I will set your descendants firm;

I shall build your house to last for all generations.”

The heavens will proclaim your wonders, O Lord,

the assembly of your holy ones will proclaim your faithfulness.

For who in the sky can be compared to the Lord?

Who could resemble the Lord among all the sons of God?

God is to be feared in the council of his holy ones,

great and terrible above all who surround him.

Lord God of hosts, who is like you?

Yours is the power, and faithfulness surrounds you.

You subdue the pride of the sea:

when its waves rise high, you calm them.

You have trampled Rahab underfoot, like a wounded man;

through the strength of your arm you have scattered your enemies.

Yours are the heavens and yours is the earth,

you set firm the globe and all it contains.

You made the north and the south,

Tabor and Hermon will rejoice in your name.

Your arm it is that has the power,

your hand is strong, your right hand held high.

Your throne is founded on justice and right,

kindness and faithfulness are your attendants.

Happy the nation that knows the cry of praise!

They will walk in the light of your presence, Lord,

and rejoice in your name all the day –

for you are the splendor of their strength,

and by your good will our standard is held high.

For our shields belong to the Lord,

and our king to the Holy One of Israel.

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.

Love and truth walk in your presence, Lord.

Psalm 88 (89)

The Son of God was born into the house of David

when he came into this world.

In a vision you spoke to your holy ones.

You said, “I have given strength to a warrior,

I have raised a chosen one from the people.

I have found David my servant,

I have anointed him with my holy oil.

For my hand will always give him support,

my right arm will give him strength.

The enemy shall make no headway against him,

the son of iniquity shall have no power over him.

I will crush his foes in his sight

and strike down those who hate him.

My faithfulness and kindness shall be with him

and his strength will be triumphant through my name.

I shall extend his power over the sea,

and his right hand over the rivers.

He will call upon me: ‘you are my father,

my God and my safe refuge.’

And I shall make him my first-born,

supreme over all the kings of the earth.

My kindness to him will continue for ever,

my covenant with him will remain firm.

For all ages I shall establish his descendants,

and for all the days of heaven his throne will stand.”

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 Son of God was born into the house of David

when he came into this world.

Psalm 88 (89)

Once for all, I have sworn to David my servant:

his dynasty shall last forever.

“But if his children abandon my law

and walk no more in the paths of my decrees;

if they profane my judgements

and do not keep to my commandments,

I will punish their transgressions with a rod,

I will punish their wickedness with a beating.

Even so, I will not turn my kindness away from him,

nor will I be untrue to my word.

I will not profane my covenant,

I will not go against the word I have spoken.

I have sworn in my sanctuary, once and for all:

I will not lie to David.

His seed shall remain for ever,

his throne firm as the sun in my sight,

just as the moon stays firm for ever,

a faithful witness in the sky.”

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.

Once for all, I have sworn to David my servant:

his dynasty shall last forever.

The words that you utter give light

– and understanding to the simple.

First Reading

Micah 4:1-7

In the days to come

the mountain of the Temple of the Lord

will be put on top of the mountains

and be lifted higher than the hills.

The peoples will stream to it,

nations without number will come to it; and they will say,

‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

to the Temple of the God of Jacob

so that he may teach us his ways

and we may walk in his paths;

since from Zion the Law will go out,

and the oracle of the Lord from Jerusalem.’

He will wield authority over many peoples

and arbitrate for mighty nations;

they will hammer their swords into ploughshares,

their spears into sickles.

Nation will not lift sword against nation,

there will be no more training for war.

Each man will sit under his vine and his fig tree,

with no one to trouble him.

The mouth of the Lord of Hosts has spoken it.

For all the peoples go forward, each in the name of its god;

but we, we go forward in the name of the Lord, our God,

for ever and evermore.

That day – it is the Lord who speaks –

I will finally gather in the lame,

and bring together those that have been led astray

and those that have suffered at my hand.

Out of the lame I will make a remnant,

and out of the weary a mighty nation.

Then will the Lord reign over them

on the mountain of Zion

from now and forever.

Responsory

Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

to the house of the God of Jacob:

he will teach us his ways and we will walk in his paths.

The Messiah is coming – he who is called Christ.

When he comes, he will show us all things.

He will teach us his ways and we will walk in his paths.

Second Reading

From a discourse on the psalms

by Saint Augustine, bishop

Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord

As we have heard, so also have we seen. Truly blessed Church! You have both heard and seen. You have heard the promises, and you see their fulfillment; you have heard in prophecy, and you see in the Gospel. Yes, all that has now been brought to completion was prophesied in times past. Raise up your eyes, then, and cast your gaze around the world. See God’s people, your heritage, spread to the ends of the earth. See the Scripture now fulfilled: All the kings of the earth will adore him, all the nations will serve him. See fulfilled what has been said: Be exalted above the heavens, O God, and your glory above all the earth. See him whose hands and feet were pierced by nails, whose bones were numbered as they hung upon the wood, and for whose garments they cast lots. See him reigning, whom they saw hanging upon the cross; see him enthroned in heaven, whom they despised when he walked on the earth. See the word fulfilled: All the ends of the earth shall turn to the Lord, 

and all nations shall worship in his sight. See all this and shout with joy: As we have heard, so also have we seen.

Deservedly then the Church is itself called from among the Gentiles: Hear, O daughter, and see, and forget your people and your father’s house. Hear and see. First you hear what you do not see; later you will see what you have heard. For he says: A people I did not know served me, as soon as they heard me they obeyed. If they obeyed as soon as they heard, it follows that they did not see. What then of the passage: Those who were not told of him will see, and they who have not heard will understand? Those to whom the prophets were not sent were the first to hear and understand the prophets, whereas those who at first did not hear them were astonished when they heard them later. Those to whom the prophets were sent remained behind, possessing the books of Scripture but not understanding the truth, 

possessing the tables of the law but not keeping their inheritance. As we have heard, 

so also have we seen also applies to us.

In the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God, that is where we have heard; there too we have seen. God has made this city firm for ever. No one should say boastfully: See, here is Christ; see, he is there. Such a claim only leads to factions. But God has promised unity. The kings were gathered together in unity, not scattered through schisms. Yet perhaps that city which had gained possession of the world will at some time be overthrown? No, God has made it firm for ever. If God has made its foundation firm for ever, how can you fear that this foundation may collapse?

Responsory

I will set up my dwelling-place among you,

and I will not cast you off;

I will live in your midst;

I will be your God and you shall be my people.

You are the temple of the living God.

God himself has said:

I will live in your midst;

I will be your God and you shall be my people.

Let us pray.

Almighty, ever-living God,

we confidently call you Father as well as Lord.

Renew your Spirit in our hearts:

make us ever more perfectly your children,

so that we may enter upon the inheritance you have promised us.

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.