MEMORIAL OF SAINT BERNARD

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH

Antiphon

Filled by the Lord with a spirit of understanding,

blessed Bernard ministered streams of clear teaching

to the people of God.

Collect

O God, who made of the Abbot Saint Bernard

a man consumed with zeal for your house

and a light shining and burning in your Church,

grant, through his intercession,

that we may be on fire with the same spirit

and walk always as children of light.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

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

one God, forever and ever.

Amen.

DAILY MASS READINGS

Memorial of Saint Bernard

Abbot and Doctor of the Church

Reading

EZ 36:23-28

Thus says the LORD:

I will prove the holiness of my great name,

profaned among the nations,

in whose midst you have profaned it.

Thus the nations shall know that I am the LORD, says the Lord GOD,

when in their sight I prove my holiness through you.

For I will take you away from among the nations,

gather you from all the foreign lands,

and bring you back to your own land.

I will sprinkle clean water upon you

to cleanse you from all your impurities,

and from all your idols I will cleanse you.

I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you,

taking from your bodies your stony hearts

and giving you natural hearts.

I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes,

careful to observe my decrees.

You shall live in the land I gave your ancestors;

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

Responsorial Psalm

PS 51:12-13, 14-15, 18-19

R. I will pour clean water on you and wash away all your sins.

A clean heart create for me, O God,

and a steadfast spirit renew within me.

Cast me not out from your presence,

and your Holy Spirit take not from me.

R. I will pour clean water on you and wash away all your sins.

Give me back the joy of your salvation,

and a willing spirit sustain in me.

I will teach transgressors your ways,

and sinners shall return to you.

R. I will pour clean water on you and wash away all your sins.

For you are not pleased with sacrifices;

should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.

My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;

a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

R. I will pour clean water on you and wash away all your sins.

Alleluia

PS 95:8

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

If today you hear his voice,

harden not your hearts.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

MT 22:1-14

Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and the elders of the people in parables saying,

“The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king

who gave a wedding feast for his son.

He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast,

but they refused to come.

A second time he sent other servants, saying,

‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet,

my calves and fattened cattle are killed,

and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’

Some ignored the invitation and went away,

one to his farm, another to his business.

The rest laid hold of his servants,

mistreated them, and killed them.

The king was enraged and sent his troops,

destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.

Then the king said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready,

but those who were invited were not worthy to come.

Go out, therefore, into the main roads

and invite to the feast whomever you find.’

The servants went out into the streets

and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,

and the hall was filled with guests.

But when the king came in to meet the guests

he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.

He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it

that you came in here without a wedding garment?’

But he was reduced to silence.

Then the king said to his attendants,

‘Bind his hands and feet,

and cast him into the darkness outside,

where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’

SAINT OF THE DAY

August 20

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux

(1090 - 1153)

In the year 1111, at the age of 20, Bernard left his home to join the monastic community of Citeaux. His five brothers, two uncles, and some 30 young friends followed him into the monastery. Within four years, a dying community had recovered enough vitality to establish a new house in the nearby valley of Wormwoods, with Bernard as abbot. The zealous young man was quite demanding, though more on himself than others. A slight breakdown of health taught him to be more patient and understanding. 

The valley was soon renamed Clairvaux, the valley of light.

His ability as arbitrator and counselor became widely known. More and more he was lured away from the monastery to settle long-standing disputes. On several of these occasions, he apparently stepped on some sensitive toes in Rome. Bernard was completely dedicated to the primacy of the Roman See. But to a letter of warning from Rome, he replied that the good fathers in Rome had enough to do to keep the Church in one piece. If any matters arose that warranted their interest, 

he would be the first to let them know.

Shortly thereafter it was Bernard who intervened in a full-blown schism and settled it in favor of the Roman pontiff against the antipope.

The Holy See prevailed on Bernard to preach the Second Crusade throughout Europe. His eloquence was so overwhelming that a great army was assembled and the success of the crusade seemed assured. The ideals of the men and their leaders, however, 

were not those of Abbot Bernard, and the project ended as a complete military and moral disaster.

Bernard felt responsible in some way for the degenerative effects of the crusade.

This heavy burden possibly hastened his death, which came August 20, 1153.

OFFICE OF READINGS

 O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will proclaim Your Praise!

Invitatory Psalm

Psalm 66 (67)

The Lord is the source of all wisdom: 

come, let us adore him.

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.

The Lord is the source of all wisdom: 

come, let us adore him.

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.

The Lord is the source of all wisdom: 

come, let us adore him.

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.

The Lord is the source of all wisdom: 

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.

The Lord is the source of all wisdom: 

come, let us adore him.

Hymn

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,

In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,

Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,

Almighty, victorious, thy great Name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,

Nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might;

Thy justice like mountains high soaring above

Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.

To all life thou givest, to both great and small;

In all life thou livest, the true life of all;

We blossom and flourish, like leaves on the tree,

Then wither and perish; but naught changeth thee.

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,

Thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;

All laud we would render: O help us to see

‘Tis only the splendor of light hideth thee.

Psalm 49 (50)

True reverence for the Lord

The Lord has summoned heaven and earth to witness his judgement of his people.

The Lord, the God of gods has spoken:

he has summoned the whole earth, from east to west.

God has shone forth from Zion in her great beauty.

Our God will come, and he will not be silent.

Before him, a devouring fire;

around him, a tempest rages.

He will call upon the heavens above, and on the earth, to judge his people.

“Bring together before me my chosen ones, who have sealed my covenant with sacrifice.”

The heavens will proclaim his justice; for God is the true judge.

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 summoned heaven and earth to witness his judgement of his people.

Psalm 49 (50)

Call on me in the day of trouble,

and I will come to free you.

Listen, my people, and I will speak;

Israel, I will testify against you.

I am God, your God.

I will not reproach you with your sacrifices,

for your burnt offerings are always before me.

But I will not accept calves from your houses,

nor goats from your flocks.

For all the beasts of the forests are mine,

and in the hills, a thousand animals.

All the birds of the air – I know them.

Whatever moves in the fields – it is mine.

If I am hungry, I will not tell you;

for the whole world is mine, and all that is in it.

Am I to eat the flesh of bulls,

or drink the blood of goats?

Offer a sacrifice to God – a sacrifice of praise;

to the Most High, fulfill your vows.

Then you may call upon me in the time of trouble:

I will rescue you, and you will honor me.

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.

Call on me in the day of trouble,

and I will come to free you.

Psalm 49 (50)

A sacrifice of thanksgiving will honor me.

To the sinner, God has said this:

Why do you recite my statutes?

Why do you dare to speak my covenant?

For you hate what I teach you,

and reject what I tell you.

The moment you saw a thief, you joined him;

you threw in your lot with adulterers.

You spoke evil with your mouth,

and your tongue made plans to deceive.

Solemnly seated, you denounced your own brother;

you poured forth hatred against your own mother’s son.

All this you did, and I was silent;

so you thought that I was just like you.

But I will reprove you –

I will confront you with all you have done.

Understand this, you who forget God;

lest I tear you apart, with no-one there to save you.

Whoever offers up a sacrifice of praise gives me true honor;

whoever follows a sinless path in life will be shown the salvation of 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.

A sacrifice of thanksgiving will honor me.

We ceaselessly pray to God for you.

– For you to have the fullest knowledge of God’s will.

First Reading

Isaiah 37:21-35

Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah.

‘This’ he said ‘is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says in answer to the prayer you have addressed to me about Sennacherib king of Assyria. 

Here is the oracle that the Lord has pronounced against him:

“She despises you, she scorns you,

the virgin, daughter of Zion;

she tosses her head behind you,

the daughter of Jerusalem.

Whom have you insulted, whom did you blaspheme?

Against whom raised your voice

and lifted your insolent eyes?

Against the Holy One of Israel.

Through your minions you have insulted the Lord;

you have said: With my many chariots

I have climbed the tops of mountains,

the utmost peaks of Lebanon.

I have felled its tall forest of cedars,

its finest cypresses.

I have reached its furthest recesses,

its forest garden.

Yes I have dug wells and drunk

of alien waters;

I have put down my feet, and have dried up

all the rivers of Egypt.

“Do you hear? Long ago

I planned for it,

from days of old I designed it,

now I carry it out.

Your part was to bring down in heaps of ruins

fortified cities.

Their inhabitants, hands feeble,

dismayed, discomfited,

were like plants of the field,

like tender grass,

like grass of housetop and meadow,

under the east wind.

I know whenever you rise and whenever you sit,

your going out, your coming in.

Because you have raved against me

and your insolence has come to my ears,

I will put my ring through your nostrils,

my bit between your lips,

to make you return by the road

on which you came.

“This shall be the sign for you:

This year will be eaten the self-sown grain,

next year what sprouts in the fallow,

but in the third year sow and reap,

plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

The surviving remnant of the House of Judah shall bring forth

new roots below and fruits above.

For a remnant shall go out from Jerusalem,

and survivors from Mount Zion.

The jealous love of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this.

‘This, then, is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria:

“He will not enter this city,

he will let fly no arrow against it,

confront it with no shield,

throw up no earthwork against it.

By the road that he came on he will return;

he shall not enter this city. It is the Lord who speaks.

I will protect this city and save it

for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”’

Responsory

℟. The Lord has comforted his people: he has redeemed Jerusalem,

* and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

℣. The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations,

* and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

Second Reading

From a sermon

by St. Bernard, abbot

I love because I love, I love that I may love

Love is sufficient of itself, it gives pleasure by itself and because of itself. It is its own merit, its own reward. Love looks for no cause outside itself, no effect beyond itself. Its profit lies in its practice. I love because I love, I love that I may love. Love is a great thing so long as it continually returns to its fountainhead, flows back to its source, always drawing from there the water which constantly replenishes it. Of all the movements, sensations and feelings of the soul, love is the only one in which the creature can respond to the Creator and make some sort of similar return however unequal though it be. For when God loves, all he desires is to be loved in return; the sole purpose of his love is to be loved, in the knowledge that those who love him are made happy by their love of him.

The Bridegroom’s love, or rather the love which is the Bridegroom, asks in return nothing but faithful love. Let the beloved, then, love in return. 

Should not a bride love, and above all, Love’s bride? Could it be that Love not be loved?

Rightly then does she give up all other feelings and give herself wholly to love alone; in giving love back, all she can do is to respond to love. And when she has poured out her whole being in love, what is that in comparison with the unceasing torrent of that original source? Clearly, lover and Love, soul and Word, 

bride and Bridegroom, creature and Creator do not flow with the same volume; 

one might as well equate a thirsty man with the fountain.

What then of the bride’s hope, her aching desire, her passionate love, her confident assurance? Is all this to wilt just because she cannot match stride for stride with her giant, any more than she can vie with honey for sweetness, rival the lamb for gentleness, show herself as white as the lily, burn as bright as the sun, be equal in love with him who is Love? No. It is true that the creature loves less because she is less. But if she loves with her whole being, nothing is lacking where everything is given. To love so ardently then is to share the marriage bond; she cannot love so much and not be totally loved, 

and it is in the perfect union of two hearts that complete and total marriage consists. 

Or are we to doubt that the soul is loved by the Word first and with a greater love?

Responsory

℟. How abundant are your treasures of loving-kindness, O Lord,

* which you give to those who fear you.

℣. They delight in the abundance of your house,

they drink the waters of contentment

* which you give to those who fear you.

Let us pray.

Lord God,

you made Saint Bernard burn with zeal for your house,

and gave him grace to enkindle and enlighten others in your Church.

Grant that by his prayer

we may be filled with the same spirit

and always live as children of the light.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, forever and ever.

Amen.

Let us praise the Lord.

– Thanks be to God.

OPTIONAL MEMORIAL OF SAINT JOHN EUDES

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH

Antiphon

Ps 84 (83): 10-11

Turn your eyes, O God, our shield;

and look on the face of your anointed one;

one day within your courts

is better than a thousand elsewhere.

Collect

O God, who wonderfully chose the Priest Saint John Eudes

to proclaim the unfathomable riches of Christ,

grant us, by his example and teachings,

that, growing in knowledge of you,

we may live faithfully by the light of the Gospel.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

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

one God, forever and ever.

Amen.

DAILY MASS READINGS

Optional Memorial of Saint John Eudes

Priest

Reading

EPH 3:14-19

Brothers and sisters:

I kneel before the Father,

from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,

that he may grant you, in accord with the riches of his glory,

to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self,

and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;

that you, rooted and grounded in love,

may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones

what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge,

so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 131:1BCDE, 2, 3

R. In you, Lord, I have found my peace.

O LORD, my heart is not proud,

nor are my eyes haughty;

I busy not myself with great things,

nor with things too sublime for me.

R. In you, Lord, I have found my peace.

Nay rather, I have stilled and quieted

my soul like a weaned child.

Like a weaned child on its mother's lap,

so is my soul within me.

R. In you, Lord, I have found my peace.

O Israel, hope in the LORD,

both now and forever.

R. In you, Lord, I have found my peace.

Alleluia

MT 11:25

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;

you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

MT 11:25-30

At that time Jesus answered:

"I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,

for although you have hidden these things

from the wise and the learned

you have revealed them to the childlike.

Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.

All things have been handed over to me by my Father.

No one knows the Son except the Father,

and no one knows the Father except the Son

and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,

and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,

for I am meek and humble of heart;

and you will find rest for yourselves.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

SAINT OF THE DAY

August 19

Saint John Eudes

(1601 - 1680)

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

At age 32, John became a parish missionary. His gifts as a 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, John 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.

That same year John founded a new community, ultimately called the Eudists—the 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.

John Eudes 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. His devotion to the Sacred Heart and to the Immaculate Heart led Pope Pius XI to declare him the father of the liturgical cult of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

OFFICE OF READINGS

O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will proclaim Your Praise!

Invitatory Psalm

Psalm 23 (24)

Cry out with joy to God, all the earth: 

serve the Lord with gladness.

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.

Cry out with joy to God, all the earth: 

serve the Lord with gladness.

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.

Cry out with joy to God, all the earth: 

serve the Lord with gladness.

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.

Cry out with joy to God, all the earth: 

serve the Lord with gladness.

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.

Cry out with joy to God, all the earth: 

serve the Lord with gladness.

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.

Cry out with joy to God, all the earth: 

serve the Lord with gladness.

Hymn

O God, creation’s secret force,

yourself unmoved, all motion’s source,

who from the morn till evening ray

through all its changes guide the day:

Grant us, when this short life is past,

the glorious evening that shall last;

that, by a holy death attained,

eternal glory may be gained.

To God the Father, God the Son,

and God the Spirit, Three in One,

may every tongue and nation raise

an endless song of thankful praise!

St Ambrose of Milan

Psalm 102 (103)

Praise of the compassionate Lord

My soul, give thanks to the Lord,

and never forget all his blessings.

My soul, bless the Lord!

All that is in me, bless his holy name.

My soul, bless the Lord!

Never forget all he has done for you.

The Lord, who forgives your wrongdoing,

who heals all your weaknesses.

The Lord, who redeems your life from destruction,

who crowns you with kindness and compassion.

The Lord, who fills your age with good things,

who renews your youth like an eagle’s.

The Lord, who gives fair judgements,

who gives judgement in favor of the oppressed.

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.

My soul, give thanks to the Lord,

and never forget all his blessings.

Psalm 102 (103)

As a father has compassion on his sons,

the Lord has pity on those who fear him.

The Lord is compassion and kindness,

full of patience, full of mercy.

He will not fight against you for ever:

he will not always be angry.

He does not treat us as our sins deserve;

he does not pay us back for our wrongdoing.

As high as the sky above the earth,

so great is his kindness to those who fear him.

As far as east is from west,

so far he has put our wrongdoing from us.

As a father cares for his children,

so the Lord cares for those who fear him.

For he knows how we are made,

he remembers we are nothing but dust.

Man – his life is like grass,

he blossoms and withers like flowers of the field.

The wind blows and carries him away:

no trace of him remains.

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.

As a father has compassion on his sons,

the Lord has pity on those who fear him.

Psalm 102 (103)

Give thanks to the Lord, all his works.

The Lord has been kind from the beginning;

to those who fear him his kindness lasts for ever.

His justice is for their children’s children,

for those who keep his covenant,

for those who remember his commandments

and try to perform them.

The Lord’s throne is high in the heavens

and his rule shall extend over all.

Bless the Lord, all his angels,

strong in your strength, doers of his command,

bless him as you hear his words.

Bless the Lord, all his powers,

his servants who do his will.

Bless the Lord, all he has created,

in every place that he rules.

My soul, bless the Lord!

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.

Give thanks to the Lord, all his works.

Teach me the way of your precepts, O Lord,

– and I will reflect on the wonders you have wrought.

First Reading

Isaiah 9:8-10:4

The Lord hurls a word against Jacob,

it falls on Israel.

All the people of Ephraim and all the inhabitants of Samaria know it.

In their pride they have said,

speaking in the arrogance of their heart,

‘The bricks have fallen down, then we will build with dressed stone;

the sycamores have been cut down, we will put cedars in their place.’

But the Lord is marshaling his people’s enemies against them,

he is stirring up their foes:

to the east, Aram, to the west, the Philistines

devour Israel with gaping jaw.

Yet his anger is not spent,

still his hand is raised to strike.

But the people have not come back to him who struck them,

they have not come looking for the Lord of Hosts;

hence the Lord has cut head and tail from Israel,

palm branch and reed in a single day.

(The ‘head’ is the elder and the man of rank;

the ‘tail’, the prophet with lying vision.)

This people’s leaders have taken the wrong turning,

and those who are led are lost.

And so the Lord will not spare their young men,

will have no pity for their orphans and widows.

Since the whole people is godless and evil,

its speech is madness.

Yet his anger is not spent,

still his hand is raised to strike.

Yes, wickedness burns like a fire:

it consumes briar and thorn,

it sets the forest thickets alight

and columns of smoke go rolling upwards.

The land is set aflame by the wrath of the Lord of Hosts

and the people are food for the fire.

Not one spares his brother,

each devours the flesh of his neighbor.

On the right side they carve and still are hungry,

on the left they devor and are not satisfied.

Manasseh devours Ephraim, Ephraim Manasseh,

and both hurl themselves on Judah.

Yet his anger is not spent,

still his hand is raised to strike.

Responsory

℟. What darkness the Lord in his anger has brought upon the daughter of Zion!

* He hurled down from heaven to earth the glory of Israel.

℣. He did not remember in the day of his anger that Zion was his footstool.

* He hurled down from heaven to earth the glory of Israel.

Second Reading

From a sermon

by Saint Augustine

He who perseveres to the end will be saved

Whenever we suffer some distress or tribulation, there we find warning and correction for ourselves. Our holy scriptures themselves do not promise us peace, security and repose, but tribulations and distress; the gospel is not silent about scandals; but he who perseveres to the end will be saved. What good has this life of ours ever been, from the time of the first man, from when he deserved death and received the curse, 

that curse from which Christ our Lord delivered us?

So we must not complain, brothers, as some of them complained, as the apostle says, and perished from the serpents. What fresh sort of suffering, brothers, does the human race now endure that our fathers did not undergo? Or when do we endure the kind of sufferings which we know they endured? Yet you find men complaining about the times they live in, saying that the times of our parents were good. What if they could be taken back to the times of their parents, and should then complain? 

The past times that you think were good, 

are good because they are not yours here and now.

If you have now been delivered from the curse, if you have now believed in the Son of God; if you are now well versed or trained in sacred scripture, I am surprised that you should reckon Adam to have had good times. Your parents carried the burden of Adam as well. Indeed it was Adam who heard the words: In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, and you shall work the ground from which you were taken; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth to you. He deserved this, he received this, he was given this as the result of God’s just judgement. Why then do you think past times were better than yours? From that Adam to the Adam of today, toil and sweat, thorns and thistles. Have we forgotten the flood? Have we forgotten those burdensome times of famine and wars? 

They were written about to prevent us complaining of the present time against God.

What times those were! Do not we all shudder to hear or read of them? 

So we have rather cause for congratulating ourselves than grounds for complaining about our own times.

Responsory

℟. My thoughts went back to times long past,

I remembered forgotten years;

all night long I was in deep distress:

* O God, I said, be merciful.

℣. In the day of my distress I sought the Lord,

and by night I lifted my outspread hands in prayer.

* O God, I said, be merciful.

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, forever and ever.

Amen.

Let us praise the Lord.

– Thanks be to God.