The Daily Gospel

DAILY GOSPEL
«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68


Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Wednesday of the Fifth week of Lent

Today the Church celebrates : St. Catherine of Sweden (1330 + 1381), Bl. Maria Karlowska (1865-1935)

Origen : "If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free"


Book of Daniel 3:14-20.91-92.95.

King Nebuchadnezzar said: "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you will not serve my god, or worship the golden statue that I set up? Be ready now to fall down and worship the statue I had made, whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet, flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe, and all the other musical instruments; otherwise, you shall be instantly cast into the white-hot furnace; and who is the God that can deliver you out of my hands?" Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, "There is no need for us to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If our God, whom we serve, can save us from the white-hot furnace and from your hands, O king, may he save us! But even if he will not, know, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the golden statue which you set up." Nebuchadnezzar's face became livid with utter rage against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times more than usual and had some of the strongest men in his army bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and cast them into the white-hot furnace. King Nebuchadnezzar rose in haste and asked his nobles, "Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?" "Assuredly, O king," they answered. "But," he replied, "I see four men unfettered and unhurt, walking in the fire, and the fourth looks like a son of God." Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent his angel to deliver the servants that trusted in him; they disobeyed the royal command and yielded their bodies rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.

Dn 3:52-56.

"Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; And blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.
Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory, praiseworthy and glorious above all forever.
Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
Blessed are you who look into the depths from your throne upon the cherubim, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven, praiseworthy and glorious forever.


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 8:31-42.

Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, "If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, 'You will become free'?" Jesus answered them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains. So if a son frees you, then you will truly be free. I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are trying to kill me, because my word has no room among you. I tell you what I have seen in the Father's presence; then do what you have heard from the Father." They answered and said to him, "Our father is Abraham." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works of Abraham. But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God; Abraham did not do this. You are doing the works of your father!" (So) they said to him, "We are not illegitimate. We have one Father, God." Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here; I did not come on my own, but he sent me.

Copyright Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day :

Origen (c.185-253), priest and theologian
Homilies on Exodus, no.8

"If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free"


«I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, that place of slavery» (Ex 2,20). These words are not just being spoken to those who came out of Egypt in former times but, still more, to you who hear them now, provided only that you are leaving Egypt... Consider: are not this world's affairs and the deeds of the flesh the house of slavery? And, on the other hand, are not flight from the things of this world and life in God the house of freedom, as the Lord said in the Gospel: «If you remain in my word, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free»?

Yes indeed, Egypt is the house of slavery; Jerusalem and Judah the house of freedom. Now hear what the apostle Paul has to say on the subject...: «The Jerusalem above is freeborn and she is mother of us all» (Gal 4,26). So just as the earthly province of Egypt is called «house of slavery» for the children of Israel as opposed to Jerusalem and Judah, which stand for a «house of freedom» in their regard, in the same way, compared to the heavenly Jerusalem which we might call «mother of the free», the whole world and all it contains is a house of slavery. In former times, as a punishment for sin, there was a transition from the paradise of freedom to the bondage of this world...; hence the first words to inaugurate God's commandments are about freedom: «I am the Lord your God who brought you up from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery.»

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DAILY GOSPEL
«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68


Thursday, 25 March 2010
The Annunciation of the Lord - Solemnity

The Annunciation of the Lord - Solemnity
Today the Church celebrates : , , Bl. Omeljan Kovč, Priest and Martyr (1884-1944)

Saint Bede the Venerable : "The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."


Book of Isaiah 7:10-14.8:10.

The LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying: Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky! But Ahaz answered, "I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!" Then he said: Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary men, must you also weary my God? Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. Form a plan, and it shall be thwarted; make a resolve, and it shall not be carried out, for "With us is God!"

Psalms 40(39):7-11.

sacrifice and offering you do not want; but ears open to obedience you gave me. Holocausts and sin-offerings you do not require;
so I said, "Here I am; your commands for me are written in the scroll.
To do your will is my delight; my God, your law is in my heart!"
I announced your deed to a great assembly; I did not restrain my lips; you, LORD, are my witness.
Your deed I did not hide within my heart; your loyal deliverance I have proclaimed. I made no secret of your enduring kindness to a great assembly.


Letter to the Hebrews 10:4-10.

It is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats take away sins. For this reason, when he came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight in. Then I said, 'As is written of me in the scroll, Behold, I come to do your will, O God.'" First he says, "Sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings, you neither desired nor delighted in." These are offered according to the law. Then he says, "Behold, I come to do your will." He takes away the first to establish the second. By this "will," we have been consecrated through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 1:26-38.

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?" And the angel said to her in reply, "The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God." Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

Copyright Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day :

Saint Bede the Venerable (c.673-735), monk, Doctor of the Church
Homilies for Advent, no.3 ; CCL 122, 14-17 (Friends of Henry Ashworth)

"The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."


«The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.» What is said of the house of David applies not only to Joseph but also to Mary. It was a precept of the law that each man should marry a wife from his own tribe and kindred. Saint Paul also bears testimony to this when he writes to Timothy: «Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descended from David, as preached in my Gospel» (2Tm 2,8)...

«He will be great, and will be called the son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.» The angel refers to the kingdom of the Israelite nation as the throne of David because in his time, by the Lord's command and assistance, David governed it with a spirit of faithful service... As David had once ruled the people with temporal authority, so Christ would now lead them to the eternal kingdom by his spiritual grace...

«He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever». The house of Jacob here refers to the universal Church which, through its faith in and witness to Christ, shares the heritage of the patriarchs. This may apply either to those who are physical descendants of the patriarchal families, or to those who come from gentile nations and are reborn in Christ by the waters of baptism. In this house Christ shall reign for ever, and «of his kingdom there will be no end». During this present life, Christ rules in the Church. By faith and love he dwells in the hearts of his elect, and guides them by his unceasing care toward their heavenly reward. In the life to come, when their period of exile on earth is ended, he will exercise his kingship by leading the faithful to their heavenly country. There, for ever inspired by the vision of his presence, their one delight will be to praise and glorify him.

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DAILY GOSPEL

«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68

Friday, 26 March 2010
Friday of the Fifth week of Lent


Today the Church celebrates : St. Margaret Clitherow


Saint Bernard : "I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?"


Book of Jeremiah 20:10-13.

I hear the whisperings of many: "Terror on every side! Denounce! let us denounce him!" All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine. "Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail, and take our vengeance on him." But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph. In their failure they will be put to utter shame, to lasting, unforgettable confusion. O LORD of hosts, you who test the just, who probe mind and heart, Let me witness the vengeance you take on them, for to you I have entrusted my cause. Sing to the LORD, praise the LORD, For he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!

Psalms 18(17):2-7.

He said: I love you, LORD, my strength,
LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, My God, my rock of refuge, my shield, my saving horn, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim! I have been delivered from my enemies.
The breakers of death surged round about me; the menacing floods terrified me.
The cords of Sheol tightened; the snares of death lay in wait for me.
In my distress I called out: LORD! I cried out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry to him reached his ears.


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 10:31-42.

The Jews picked up rocks to stone him. Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?" The Jews answered him, "We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy. You, a man, are making yourself God." Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"'? If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came, and scripture cannot be set aside, can you say that the one whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world blasphemes because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? If I do not perform my Father's works, do not believe me; but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize (and understand) that the Father is in me and I am in the Father." (Then) they tried again to arrest him; but he escaped from their power. He went back across the Jordan to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained. Many came to him and said, "John performed no sign, but everything John said about this man was true." And many there began to believe in him.

Copyright Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day :

Saint Bernard (1091-1153), Cistercian monk and doctor of the Church
Selected sermons, no. 22, 5-6

"I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?"


You owe your whole life to Christ Jesus, for he gave his life for your life and endured bitter torments that you might not have to endure eternal torment... Is there anything that will not seem sweet to you after you have gathered into your heart all the bitter sufferings of your Lord?... As the heavens are higher than the earth (Is 55,9) so is his life higher than our life and yet it has been given for our life. As mere nothingness cannot be compared to any other thing so our life cannot be measured against his...

When I have dedicated to him all that I am, all of which I am capable, it will still be like a star compared to the sun, a drop of water to a river, a single stone to a tower, a grain of sand to a mountain. I have nothing but two, small things, very small indeed: my body and my soul or, rather, only one, small thing: my will. And am I not going to give it to him who has gone before so small a being as I with such blessings, to him who in wholly giving himself has wholly redeemed me? Otherwise, were I to keep my will for myself, with what face, what eyes, what spirit or conscience would I take my refuge in the merciful heart of our God? How could I dare to pierce that strong rampart guarding Israel and cause, not just a few drops, but torrents of the blood that flows from the five parts of his body, to flow at the price of my redemption?


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DAILY GOSPEL

«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68

Saturday, 27 March 2010
Saturday of the Fifth week of Lent


Today the Church celebrates : St John of Egypt (+ 394)

Saint Cyril of Alexandria : "To gather into one the dispersed children of God"


Book of Ezekiel 37:21-28.

Thus says the Lord GOD: I will take the children of Israel from among the nations to which they have come, and gather them from all sides to bring them back to their land. I will make them one nation upon the land, in the mountains of Israel, and there shall be one prince for them all. Never again shall they be two nations, and never again shall they be divided into two kingdoms. No longer shall they defile themselves with their idols, their abominations, and all their transgressions. I will deliver them from all their sins of apostasy, and cleanse them so that they may be my people and I may be their God. My servant David shall be prince over them, and there shall be one shepherd for them all; they shall live by my statutes and carefully observe my decrees. They shall live on the land which I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where their fathers lived; they shall live on it forever, they, and their children, and their children's children, with my servant David their prince forever. I will make with them a covenant of peace; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them, and I will multiply them, and put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling shall be with them; I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Thus the nations shall know that it is I, the LORD, who make Israel holy, when my sanctuary shall be set up among them forever.

Jer. 31:10.11-12.13.

Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, proclaim it on distant coasts, and say: He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together, he guards them as a shepherd his flock.
The LORD shall ransom Jacob, he shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror.
Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion, they shall come streaming to the LORD'S blessings: The grain, the wine, and the oil, the sheep and the oxen; They themselves shall be like watered gardens, never again shall they languish.
Then the virgins shall make merry and dance, and young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 11:45-56.

Many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what Jesus had done began to believe in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, "What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs. If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation." But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish." He did not say this on his own, but since he was high priest for that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God. So from that day on they planned to kill him. So Jesus no longer walked about in public among the Jews, but he left for the region near the desert, to a town called Ephraim, and there he remained with his disciples. Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before Passover to purify themselves. They looked for Jesus and said to one another as they were in the temple area, "What do you think? That he will not come to the feast?"

Copyright Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day :

Saint Cyril of Alexandria (380-444), Bishop, Doctor of the Church
Commentary on the letter to the Romans, 15, 7

"To gather into one the dispersed children of God"


It is written that: «We, though many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of one another» (Rom 12,5), for Christ gathers us into a unity by bonds of love: «He made both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity... abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims that he might create in himself one new person in place of two» (Eph 2,14-15). Therefore we ought to have the same feelings towards each other: «If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honoured, all the parts share its joy» (1Cor 12,26). Hence, as Saint Paul again says: «Welcome one another as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God» (Rom 15,7). Let us welcome each other if we would share these same feelings. «Let us bear one another's burdens; striving to preserve unity of Spirit through the bond of peace» (Eph 4,2-3). This is how God has welcomed us in Christ. For that man spoke truly when he said: «God so loved the world that he gave us his only Son» (Jn 3,16). For indeed the Son was given as a ransom for the lives of all of us and we have been liberated from death, set free from death and sin.

Saint Paul illuminates the outline of this plan of salvation when he says that: «Christ became a minister of the circumcised to show God's truthfulness» (Rom 15,8). For God had promised the patriarchs, fathers to the Jews, that he would bless their descendants, who would also become as numerous as the stars of heaven. And this is the reason why the Word, who is God, was manifested in the flesh and became man. He upholds all creation in being and maintains the well-being of all that exists because he is God. But he came into this world when he became incarnate «not to be served» but, as he himself said: «to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many» (Mk 10,45).

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DAILY GOSPEL
«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68


Sunday, 28 March 2010
Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion

Passion (Palm) Sunday
Today the Church celebrates : St Gontran, King (545-592)

Saint Proclus of Constantinople : "Blessed is he who comes, he, our King!"


Book of Isaiah 50:4-7.

The Lord GOD has given me a well-trained tongue, That I might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them. Morning after morning he opens my ear that I may hear; And I have not rebelled, have not turned back. I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; My face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. The Lord GOD is my help, therefore I am not disgraced; I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame.

Psalms 22(21):8-9.17-18.19-20.23-24.

All who see me mock me; they curl their lips and jeer; they shake their heads at me:
"You relied on the LORD--let him deliver you; if he loves you, let him rescue you."
Many dogs surround me; a pack of evildoers closes in on me. So wasted are my hands and feet
that I can count all my bones. They stare at me and gloat;
they divide my garments among them; for my clothing they cast lots.
But you, LORD, do not stay far off; my strength, come quickly to help me.
Then I will proclaim your name to the assembly; in the community I will praise you:
"You who fear the LORD, give praise! All descendants of Jacob, give honor; show reverence, all descendants of Israel!


Letter to the Philippians 2:6-11.

Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 22:14-71.23:1-56.

When the hour came, Jesus took his place at table with the apostles. He said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, for, I tell you, I shall not eat it (again) until there is fulfillment in the kingdom of God." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and said, "Take this and share it among yourselves; for I tell you (that) from this time on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me." And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you. And yet behold, the hand of the one who is to betray me is with me on the table; for the Son of Man indeed goes as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed." And they began to debate among themselves who among them would do such a deed. Then an argument broke out among them about which of them should be regarded as the greatest. He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them and those in authority over them are addressed as 'Benefactors'; but among you it shall not be so. Rather, let the greatest among you be as the youngest, and the leader as the servant. For who is greater: the one seated at table or the one who serves? Is it not the one seated at table? I am among you as the one who serves. It is you who have stood by me in my trials; and I confer a kingdom on you, just as my Father has conferred one on me, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom; and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers." He said to him, "Lord, I am prepared to go to prison and to die with you." But he replied, "I tell you, Peter, before the cock crows this day, you will deny three times that you know me." He said to them, "When I sent you forth without a money bag or a sack or sandals, were you in need of anything?" "No, nothing," they replied. He said to them, "But now one who has a money bag should take it, and likewise a sack, and one who does not have a sword should sell his cloak and buy one. For I tell you that this scripture must be fulfilled in me, namely, 'He was counted among the wicked'; and indeed what is written about me is coming to fulfillment." Then they said, "Lord, look, there are two swords here." But he replied, "It is enough!" Then going out he went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. When he arrived at the place he said to them, "Pray that you may not undergo the test." After withdrawing about a stone's throw from them and kneeling, he prayed, saying, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done." (And to strengthen him an angel from heaven appeared to him. He was in such agony and he prayed so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground.) When he rose from prayer and returned to his disciples, he found them sleeping from grief. He said to them, "Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not undergo the test." While he was still speaking, a crowd approached and in front was one of the Twelve, a man named Judas. He went up to Jesus to kiss him. Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?" His disciples realized what was about to happen, and they asked, "Lord, shall we strike with a sword?" And one of them struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said in reply, "Stop, no more of this!" Then he touched the servant's ear and healed him. And Jesus said to the chief priests and temple guards and elders who had come for him, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? Day after day I was with you in the temple area, and you did not seize me; but this is your hour, the time for the power of darkness." After arresting him they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest; Peter was following at a distance. They lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter sat down with them. When a maid saw him seated in the light, she looked intently at him and said, "This man too was with him." But he denied it saying, "Woman, I do not know him." A short while later someone else saw him and said, "You too are one of them"; but Peter answered, "My friend, I am not." About an hour later, still another insisted, "Assuredly, this man too was with him, for he also is a Galilean." But Peter said, "My friend, I do not know what you are talking about." Just as he was saying this, the cock crowed, and the Lord turned and looked at Peter; and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, "Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times." He went out and began to weep bitterly. The men who held Jesus in custody were ridiculing and beating him. They blindfolded him and questioned him, saying, "Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?" And they reviled him in saying many other things against him. When day came the council of elders of the people met, both chief priests and scribes, and they brought him before their Sanhedrin. They said, "If you are the Messiah, tell us," but he replied to them, "If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I question, you will not respond. But from this time on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God." They all asked, "Are you then the Son of God?" He replied to them, "You say that I am." Then they said, "What further need have we for testimony? We have heard it from his own mouth." Then the whole assembly of them arose and brought him before Pilate. They brought charges against him, saying, "We found this man misleading our people; he opposes the payment of taxes to Caesar and maintains that he is the Messiah, a king." Pilate asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" He said to him in reply, "You say so." Pilate then addressed the chief priests and the crowds, "I find this man not guilty." But they were adamant and said, "He is inciting the people with his teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to here." On hearing this Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean; and upon learning that he was under Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod who was in Jerusalem at that time. Herod was very glad to see Jesus; he had been wanting to see him for a long time, for he had heard about him and had been hoping to see him perform some sign. He questioned him at length, but he gave him no answer. The chief priests and scribes, meanwhile, stood by accusing him harshly. (Even) Herod and his soldiers treated him contemptuously and mocked him, and after clothing him in resplendent garb, he sent him back to Pilate. Herod and Pilate became friends that very day, even though they had been enemies formerly. Pilate then summoned the chief priests, the rulers, and the people and said to them, "You brought this man to me and accused him of inciting the people to revolt. I have conducted my investigation in your presence and have not found this man guilty of the charges you have brought against him, nor did Herod, for he sent him back to us. So no capital crime has been committed by him. Therefore I shall have him flogged and then release him." But all together they shouted out, "Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us." (Now Barabbas had been imprisoned for a rebellion that had taken place in the city and for murder.) Again Pilate addressed them, still wishing to release Jesus, but they continued their shouting, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" Pilate addressed them a third time, "What evil has this man done? I found him guilty of no capital crime. Therefore I shall have him flogged and then release him." With loud shouts, however, they persisted in calling for his crucifixion, and their voices prevailed. The verdict of Pilate was that their demand should be granted. So he released the man who had been imprisoned for rebellion and murder, for whom they asked, and he handed Jesus over to them to deal with as they wished. As they led him away they took hold of a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country; and after laying the cross on him, they made him carry it behind Jesus. A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented him. Jesus turned to them and said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children, for indeed, the days are coming when people will say, 'Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed.' At that time people will say to the mountains, 'Fall upon us!' and to the hills, 'Cover us!' for if these things are done when the wood is green what will happen when it is dry?" Now two others, both criminals, were led away with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left. (Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.") They divided his garments by casting lots. The people stood by and watched; the rulers, meanwhile, sneered at him and said, "He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Messiah of God." Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine they called out, "If you are King of the Jews, save yourself." Above him there was an inscription that read, "This is the King of the Jews." Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us." The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, "Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon because of an eclipse of the sun. Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle. Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit"; and when he had said this he breathed his last. The centurion who witnessed what had happened glorified God and said, "This man was innocent beyond doubt." When all the people who had gathered for this spectacle saw what had happened, they returned home beating their breasts; but all his acquaintances stood at a distance, including the women who had followed him from Galilee and saw these events. Now there was a virtuous and righteous man named Joseph who, though he was a member of the council, had not consented to their plan of action. He came from the Jewish town of Arimathea and was awaiting the kingdom of God. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. After he had taken the body down, he wrapped it in a linen cloth and laid him in a rock-hewn tomb in which no one had yet been buried. It was the day of preparation, and the sabbath was about to begin. The women who had come from Galilee with him followed behind, and when they had seen the tomb and the way in which his body was laid in it, they returned and prepared spices and perfumed oils. Then they rested on the sabbath according to the commandment.

Copyright Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day :

Saint Proclus of Constantinople (c.390-446), Bishop
Sermon 9, for Palm Sunday; PG 65, 772

"Blessed is he who comes, he, our King!"


This day, my beloved, is a day of the greatest importance. It asks from us great desire, overwhelming eagerness, a brisk going forward to stand awaiting the heavenly King. Paul, messenger of the Good News, has told us: «The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all» (Phil 4,5-6)...

Let us then light the lamps of our faith: like the five wise virgins (Mt 25,1f.) let us fill them with the oil of compassion towards the poor; let us be wide awake to welcome Christ with palms of righteousness in our hands. Let us kiss him, pouring over him Mary's perfume (Jn 12,3). Hear the resurrection song: may our voices be raised in a manner worthy of the divine majesty and let us, together with the people, shout aloud the cry that breaks out from the crowd: «Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel». How good it is to say: «He who comes», for he comes unceasingly and never fails us: «The Lord is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth» (Ps 145[144],18). «Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.»

This gentle King stands at our door, bringing peace. He who is enthroned on the cherubim in heaven is seated on the foal of an ass here below. Let us make ready the houses of our souls, sweeping away the cobwebs of brotherly misunderstandings, and let the dust of malicious gossip not be found amongst us. Let us spread abroad the waves of our love and pacify all those clashes that arouse our animosity and let then us sow flowers of piety at the door of our lips. Let us then put forth with the people the cry that stirs the crowd: «Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!»
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DAILY GOSPEL
«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68


Monday, 29 March 2010
Monday of Holy Week

Today the Church celebrates : St Gladys, Hermit (5th century)

William of Saint-Thierry : "The house was filled with the fragrance of the oil"


Book of Isaiah 42:1-7.

Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, Upon whom I have put my Spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations, Not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street. A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, Until he establishes justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait for his teaching. Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spreads out the earth with its crops, Who gives breath to its people and spirit to those who walk on it: I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, To open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.

Psalms 27:1.2.3.13-14.

Of David The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom do I fear? The LORD is my life's refuge; of whom am I afraid?
When evildoers come at me to devour my flesh, These my enemies and foes themselves stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp against me, my heart does not fear; Though war be waged against me, even then do I trust.
But I believe I shall enjoy the LORD'S goodness in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD, take courage; be stouthearted, wait for the LORD!


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 12:1-11.

Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him. Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. Then Judas the Iscariot, one (of) his disciples, and the one who would betray him, said, Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days' wages and given to the poor? He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the contributions. So Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me." (The) large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came, not only because of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too, because many of the Jews were turning away and believing in Jesus because of him.

Copyright Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day :

William of Saint-Thierry (c.1085-1148), Benedictine, then a Cistercian monk
Meditations, no. 5, 8-9 (Cistercian Fathers series, 3)

"The house was filled with the fragrance of the oil"


Since my childhood I have never ceased to sin, and you have never ceased to work my good... But turn your judgment into mercy, Lord, and condemn sin by sin... But first, Lord, let the fire of your perfect love inflame my heart, let its great heat sweat and cook out of me all the poison of sin; let it search out and wash away with the tears of my eyes all that defiles my conscience. May your cross drive from me all the evil that I have contracted through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, through the long-continued rusting of my negligence.

Lord, anyone who likes may hear me thus confessing, and may laugh at me! Anyone may see me lying with the sinful woman at your mercy's feet, washing them with the tears of my heart and anointing them with the perfume of heartfelt devotion! (Lk 7,38). Let me give my whole substance (whatever that amounts to!) alike in body and soul, to buy the perfume that you will accept, that I may pour it out upon your head, whose head is God, and on your feet, whose lower part is our humble nature. Let the Pharisee murmur, but do you have mercy on me, O my God! Let the thief with his money-bag gnash his teeth at me if he likes; as long as you are pleased with me, I care very little who may be displeased.

O my heart's love, may I anoint you daily, ceaselessly, for, when I am anointing you, I anoint myself... Grant, Lord, that I may faithfully devote to you all that I have, all that I know, all that I am, and all that I can do; let me keep nothing for myself! I stand to be judged by you, and by no man; I lie at your mercy's feet, and there I will lie and lament, until you make me hear your blessed voice, the judgment of your lips, the declaration of your righteousness which is mine too: «Her many sins are forgiven, for she loved much» (Lk7,47).


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Thanks Sis Tada....

DAILY GOSPEL
«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68


Tuesday, 30 March 2010
Tuesday of Holy Week

Today the Church celebrates : St. John Climacus, anchorite (6th-7th centuries)

Saint Augustine : "He dipped the morsel and handed it to Judas"


Book of Isaiah 49:1-6.

Hear me, O islands, listen, O distant peoples. The Lord called me from birth, from my mother's womb he gave me my name. He made of me a sharp-edged sword and concealed me in the shadow of his arm. He made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me. You are my servant, he said to me, Israel, through whom I show my glory. Though I thought I had toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength, Yet my reward is with the LORD, my recompense is with my God. For now the LORD has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb, That Jacob may be brought back to him and Israel gathered to him; And I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD, and my God is now my strength! It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

Psalms 71(70):1-2.3-4.5-6.15.17.

In you, LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue and deliver me; listen to me and save me!
Be my rock and refuge, my secure stronghold; for you are my rock and fortress.
My God, rescue me from the power of the wicked, from the clutches of the violent.
You are my hope, Lord; my trust, GOD, from my youth.
On you I depend since birth; from my mother's womb you are my strength; my hope in you never wavers.
My mouth shall proclaim your just deeds, day after day your acts of deliverance, though I cannot number them all.
God, you have taught me from my youth; to this day I proclaim your wondrous deeds.


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 13:21-33.36-38.

Reclining at table with his disciples, Jesus was deeply troubled and testified, «Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.» The disciples looked at one another, at a loss as to whom he meant. One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining at Jesus' side. So Simon Peter nodded to him to find out whom he meant. He leaned back against Jesus' chest and said to him, "Master, who is it?" Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it." So he dipped the morsel and (took it and) handed it to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot. After he took the morsel, Satan entered him. So Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly." (Now) none of those reclining at table realized why he said this to him. Some thought that since Judas kept the money bag, Jesus had told him, "Buy what we need for the feast," or to give something to the poor. So he took the morsel and left at once. And it was night. When Judas had left them, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. (If God is glorified in him,) God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him at once. My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. You will look for me, and as I told the Jews, 'Where I go you cannot come,' so now I say it to you. Simon Peter said to him, "Master, where are you going?" Jesus answered (him), "Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, though you will follow later." Peter said to him, "Master, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you." Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for me? Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow before you deny me three times."

Copyright Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day :

Saint Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church
Sermons on Saint John's Gospel, 62, 63

"He dipped the morsel and handed it to Judas"


When our Lord, Bread of Life (Jn 6,35), had given bread to that dead man and, in handing him the bread, indicated the one who would betray the living bread, he said to him: «What you have to do, do quickly». He was not commanding a crime; he was revealing his evil deed to Judas and declaring our good to us. Was it not all the worse for Judas and all the better for us that Christ should be delivered up? For Judas, who is harming himself, acts on our behalf without knowing it.

«What you have to do, do quickly.» These are words of a man who stands ready, not of a man who is annoyed; these words say less about the punishment of the betrayer as about the reward of the redeemer, of the one who redeems. For in saying: «What you have to do, do quickly» Christ is seeking to hasten the salvation of believers far more than he is accusing the unfaithful man's crime. «He was handed over for our transgressions; Christ loved the Church and handed himself over for her» (Rom 4,25; Eph 5,25). This is what caused the apostle Paul say: «He loved me and gave himself up for me» (Ga 2,20). For in fact no one could have handed Christ over if he had not handed over himself... When Judas betrayed him, it was Christ who handed himself over; the former undertook his sale, the latter our purchase. «What you have to do, do quickly»: not so that it might be given over into your power but because it is the will of him who can do all things...

«Judas took the morsel and left at once. It was night.» And he who went out was himself night. Then, when night had left, Jesus said: «Now is the Son of Man glorified!» Day unto day hands on the word (cf. Ps 19[18],3), that is to say Christ entrusts it to his disciples so that they might hear and follow him in love... Something similar will take place when the world that Christ has vanquished passes away, Then, when the weeds are no longer mixed up with the wheat, the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father (Mt 13,43).

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DAILY GOSPEL
«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68


Wednesday, 31 March 2010
Wednesday of Holy Week

Today the Church celebrates : St. Benjamin, Deacon and Martyr (c. 424)

Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross [Edith Stein] : "Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?"


Book of Isaiah 50:4-9.

The Lord GOD has given me a well-trained tongue, That I might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them. Morning after morning he opens my ear that I may hear; And I have not rebelled, have not turned back. I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; My face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. The Lord GOD is my help, therefore I am not disgraced; I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame. He is near who upholds my right; if anyone wishes to oppose me, let us appear together. Who disputes my right? Let him confront me. See, the Lord GOD is my help; who will prove me wrong? Lo, they will all wear out like cloth, the moth will eat them up.

Psalms 69(68):8-10.21-22.31.33-34.

For your sake I bear insult, shame covers my face.
I have become an outcast to my kin, a stranger to my mother's children.
Because zeal for your house consumes me, I am scorned by those who scorn you.
Insult has broken my heart, and I am weak; I looked for compassion, but there was none, for comforters, but found none.
Instead they put gall in my food; for my thirst they gave me vinegar.
That I may praise God's name in song and glorify it with thanksgiving.
"See, you lowly ones, and be glad; you who seek God, take heart!
For the LORD hears the poor, does not spurn those in bondage.


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 26:14-25.

One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over. On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples approached Jesus and said, "Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?" He said, "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, 'The teacher says, "My appointed time draws near; in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples."'" The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered, and prepared the Passover. When it was evening, he reclined at table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, "Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me." Deeply distressed at this, they began to say to him one after another, "Surely it is not I, Lord?" He said in reply, "He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me is the one who will betray me. The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born." Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply, "Surely it is not I, Rabbi?" He answered, "You have said so."

Copyright Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day :

Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross [Edith Stein] (1891-1942), Carmelite, martyr, co-patron of Europe
The Prayer of the Church (Institute of Carmelite Studies)

"Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?"


The Gospels tell us that Christ prayed the way a devout Jew faithful to the Law prayed... We know that Jesus said the old blessings over bread, wine, and the fruitso f the earth as they are prayed to this day. So he fulfilled one of the most sacred religious duties: the ceremonial Passover seder to commemorate deliverance from slavery in Egypt. And perhaps this very gathering gives us the most profound glimpse into Christ's prayer and the key to understanding the prayer of the Church...

Blessing and distributing bread and wine were part of the Passover rite. But here both receive an entirely new meaning. This is where the life of the church begins. Only at Pentecost will it appear publicly as a Spirit-filled and visible community. But here at the Passover meal the seeds of the vineyard are planted that make the outpouring of the Spirit possible. In the mouth of Christ, the old blessings become life-giving words. The fruits of the earth become his body and blood, filled with his life... Through the Lord's last supper, the Passover meal of the Old Covenant is converted into the Easter meal of the New Covenant.

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DAILY GOSPEL
«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68


Thursday, 01 April 2010
Holy Thursday

Holy Thursday
Today the Church celebrates : St. Hugh, Bishop (1053-1132)

Saint John-Mary Vianney : "He loved them to the end"


Book of Exodus 12:1-8.11-14.

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, "This month shall stand at the head of your calendar; you shall reckon it the first month of the year. Tell the whole community of Israel: On the tenth of this month every one of your families must procure for itself a lamb, one apiece for each household. If a family is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join the nearest household in procuring one and shall share in the lamb in proportion to the number of persons who partake of it. The lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish. You may take it from either the sheep or the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, and then, with the whole assembly of Israel present, it shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight. They shall take some of its blood and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel of every house in which they partake of the lamb. That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. "This is how you are to eat it: with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand, you shall eat like those who are in flight. It is the Passover of the LORD. For on this same night I will go through Egypt, striking down every first--born of the land, both man and beast, and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt-I, the LORD! But the blood will mark the houses where you are. Seeing the blood, I will pass over you; thus, when I strike the land of Egypt, no destructive blow will come upon you. "This day shall be a memorial feast for you, which all your generations shall celebrate with pilgrimage to the LORD, as a perpetual institution.

Psalms 116(115):12-13.15-16.17-18.

How can I repay the LORD for all the good done for me?
I will raise the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD.
Too costly in the eyes of the LORD is the death of his faithful.
LORD, I am your servant, your servant, the child of your maidservant; you have loosed my bonds.
I will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD.
I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,


First Letter to the Corinthians 11:23-26.

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 13:1-15.

Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end. The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over. So, during supper, fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God, he rose from supper and took off his outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and dry them with the towel around his waist. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Master, are you going to wash my feet?" Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later." Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me." Simon Peter said to him, "Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well." Jesus said to him, "Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed, for he is clean all over; so you are clean, but not all." For he knew who would betray him; for this reason, he said, "Not all of you are clean." So when he had washed their feet (and) put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, "Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me 'teacher' and 'master,' and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.

Copyright Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day :

Saint John-Mary Vianney (1786-1859), priest, curé of Ars
Sermon for Holy Thursday

"He loved them to the end"


What great love, what charity was that of Jesus Christ when he chose the evening of the day he was to be put to death to institute a sacrament through which he would remain in our midst, to be our Father, Consoler, and all our good! Still happier than those who were alive during his mortal life, when he was only in one place and people had to come from a great distance if they were to have the joy of seeing him, now, today we find him everywhere in the world and this joy is promised to me until the world's end. O what great love was that of God for his creatures!

No indeed! Nothing could stop him when it came to showing us the greatness of his love. At that happy moment for us, all Jerusalem was on fire, all the people in an uproar, everyone was plotting his harm, everyone wanting to shed his precious blood – and yet it was precisely at that moment that he prepared for them, as for us, the most unutterable testimony of his love.


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DAILY GOSPEL
«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68


Friday, 02 April 2010
Good Friday of the Lord's Passion

Good Friday
Today the Church celebrates : St. Francis of Paula, Hermit (1416-1508)

Saint Augustine : «When the centurion who stood facing him saw how he breathed his last, he said: 'Truly, this man was the Son of God!' » (Mk 15,39)


Book of Isaiah 52:13-15.53:1-12.

See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be raised high and greatly exalted. Even as many were amazed at him-- so marred was his look beyond that of man, and his appearance beyond that of mortals-- So shall he startle many nations, because of him kings shall stand speechless; For those who have not been told shall see, those who have not heard shall ponder it. Who would believe what we have heard? To whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up like a sapling before him, like a shoot from the parched earth; There was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him, nor appearance that would attract us to him. He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, One of those from whom men hide their faces, spurned, and we held him in no esteem. Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured, While we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins, Upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed. We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; But the LORD laid upon him the guilt of us all. Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth; Like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers, he was silent and opened not his mouth. Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away, and who would have thought any more of his destiny? When he was cut off from the land of the living, and smitten for the sin of his people, A grave was assigned him among the wicked and a burial place with evildoers, Though he had done no wrong nor spoken any falsehood. (But the LORD was pleased to crush him in infirmity.) If he gives his life as an offering for sin, he shall see his descendants in a long life, and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him. Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days; Through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear. Therefore I will give him his portion among the great, and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty, Because he surrendered himself to death and was counted among the wicked; And he shall take away the sins of many, and win pardon for their offenses.

Psalms 31:2.6.12-13.15-16.17.25.

In you, LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your justice deliver me;
Into your hands I commend my spirit; you will redeem me, LORD, faithful God.
To all my foes I am a thing of scorn, to my neighbors, a dreaded sight, a horror to my friends. When they see me in the street, they quickly shy away.
I am forgotten, out of mind like the dead; I am like a shattered dish.
But I trust in you, LORD; I say, "You are my God."
My times are in your hands; rescue me from my enemies, from the hands of my pursuers.
Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your kindness.
Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.


Letter to the Hebrews 4:14-16.5:7-9.

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help. In the days when he was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him,

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 18:1-40.19:1-42.

When he had said this, Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to where there was a garden, into which he and his disciples entered. Judas his betrayer also knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So Judas got a band of soldiers and guards from the chief priests and the Pharisees and went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him, went out and said to them, "Whom are you looking for?" They answered him, "Jesus the Nazorean." He said to them, "I AM." Judas his betrayer was also with them. When he said to them, "I AM," they turned away and fell to the ground. So he again asked them, "Whom are you looking for?" They said, "Jesus the Nazorean." Jesus answered, "I told you that I AM. So if you are looking for me, let these men go." This was to fulfill what he had said, "I have not lost any of those you gave me." Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave's name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword into its scabbard. Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?" So the band of soldiers, the tribune, and the Jewish guards seized Jesus, bound him, and brought him to Annas first. He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had counseled the Jews that it was better that one man should die rather than the people. Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Now the other disciple was known to the high priest, and he entered the courtyard of the high priest with Jesus. But Peter stood at the gate outside. So the other disciple, the acquaintance of the high priest, went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter in. Then the maid who was the gatekeeper said to Peter, "You are not one of this man's disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not." Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal fire that they had made, because it was cold, and were warming themselves. Peter was also standing there keeping warm. The high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his doctrine. Jesus answered him, "I have spoken publicly to the world. I have always taught in a synagogue or in the temple area where all the Jews gather, and in secret I have said nothing. Why ask me? Ask those who heard me what I said to them. They know what I said." When he had said this, one of the temple guards standing there struck Jesus and said, "Is this the way you answer the high priest?" Jesus answered him, "If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong; but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?" Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Now Simon Peter was standing there keeping warm. And they said to him, "You are not one of his disciples, are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not." One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said, "Didn't I see you in the garden with him?" Again Peter denied it. And immediately the cock crowed. Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium. It was morning. And they themselves did not enter the praetorium, in order not to be defiled so that they could eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and said, "What charge do you bring (against) this man?" They answered and said to him, "If he were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you." At this, Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law." The Jews answered him, "We do not have the right to execute anyone," in order that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled that he said indicating the kind of death he would die. So Pilate went back into the praetorium and summoned Jesus and said to him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?" Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants (would) be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here." So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." Pilate said to him, "What is truth?" When he had said this, he again went out to the Jews and said to them, "I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at Passover. Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?" They cried out again, "Not this one but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a revolutionary. Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged. And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head, and clothed him in a purple cloak, and they came to him and said, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they struck him repeatedly. Once more Pilate went out and said to them, "Look, I am bringing him out to you, so that you may know that I find no guilt in him." So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak. And he said to them, "Behold, the man!" When the chief priests and the guards saw him they cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and crucify him. I find no guilt in him." The Jews answered, "We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God." Now when Pilate heard this statement, he became even more afraid, and went back into the praetorium and said to Jesus, "Where are you from?" Jesus did not answer him. So Pilate said to him, "Do you not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you and I have power to crucify you?" Jesus answered (him), "You would have no power over me if it had not been given to you from above. For this reason the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin." Consequently, Pilate tried to release him; but the Jews cried out, "If you release him, you are not a Friend of Caesar. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar." When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus out and seated him on the judge's bench in the place called Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha. It was preparation day for Passover, and it was about noon. And he said to the Jews, "Behold, your king!" They cried out, "Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your king?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar." Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and carrying the cross himself he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, "Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews." Now many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that he said, 'I am the King of the Jews.'" Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written." When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four shares, a share for each soldier. They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top down. So they said to one another, "Let's not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be," in order that the passage of scripture might be fulfilled (that says): "They divided my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots." This is what the soldiers did. Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son." Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I thirst." There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, "It is finished." And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit. Now since it was preparation day, in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and they be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out. An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows that he is speaking the truth, so that you also may (come to) believe. For this happened so that the scripture passage might be fulfilled: "Not a bone of it will be broken." And again another passage says: "They will look upon him whom they have pierced." After this, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So he came and took his body. Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about one hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom. Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried. So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by.

Copyright Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day :

Saint Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church
Sermons on Saint John's Gospel, no. 2

«When the centurion who stood facing him saw how he breathed his last, he said: 'Truly, this man was the Son of God!' » (Mk 15,39)


«In the beginning was the Word, the Utterance of God» (cf. Jn 1,1). He is one and the same with him; what he is, he is always; he is without change, he is being. This is the name he made known to his servant Moses: «I am who I am» and «You will say: I AM sent me to you» (Ex 3,14)... Who could understand this? Who could reach him – supposing he were to direct all the powers of his soul as best he may to reaching him who is? I will compare him to an exile who sees his homeland from afar: the sea is separating him from it; he knows where he has to go but has no means of getting there. In the same way we want to reach that final haven which will be our own, where is the One who Is, for he alone is always the same. But the ocean of this world blocks the way...

He who calls us came here below to give us the means of getting there. He chose the wood that would enable us to cross the sea: indeed, no one can cross the ocean of this world who is not borne by the cross of Christ. Even the blind can cling to this cross. If you can't see where you are going very well, don't let go of it: it will guide you by itself. So then, brethren, this is what I should like to impress on your hearts: if you want to live in a spirit of devotion, a christian spirit, cling to Christ just as he became for us so as to rejoin him as he is now and as he has always been. This is why he came down to us, for he became man that he might take up the weak, enabling them to cross the sea and disembark into the homeland where a ship is no longer needed because there is no more ocean to cross. In all events, it would be better for one's soul not to see him who is and to embrace Christ's cross than to see him spiritually but despise the cross. So, for our own happiness, may we both see where we are going and cling to the ship that is taking us there...! Some have succeeded and have seen what he is. It was because he had seen him that John said: «In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.» They saw him and, to attain what they saw from afar, they clung to the cross of Christ. They did not despise the humility of Christ.

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DAILY GOSPEL
«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68


Saturday, 03 April 2010
Holy Saturday - Easter Vigil, solemnity

Holy Saturday and The Easter Vigil
Today the Church celebrates : St. Richard, Bishop (1197-1253)

A homily of the 5th century attributed to Eusebius the Gallican: «You have brightened this night with the radiance of the risen Christ» (Collect)


Book of Exodus 14:15-31.15:1.

The LORD said to Moses, «Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. And you, lift up your staff and, with hand outstretched over the sea, split the sea in two, that the Israelites may pass through it on dry land. But I will make the Egyptians so obstinate that they will go in after them. Then I will receive glory through Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots and charioteers. The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I receive glory through Pharaoh and his chariots and charioteers." The angel of God, who had been leading Israel's camp, now moved and went around behind them. The column of cloud also, leaving the front, took up its place behind them, so that it came between the camp of the Egyptians and that of Israel. But the cloud now became dark, and thus the night passed without the rival camps coming any closer together all night long. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD swept the sea with a strong east wind throughout the night and so turned it into dry land. When the water was thus divided, the Israelites marched into the midst of the sea on dry land, with the water like a wall to their right and to their left. The Egyptians followed in pursuit; all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and charioteers went after them right into the midst of the sea. In the night watch just before dawn the LORD cast through the column of the fiery cloud upon the Egyptian force a glance that threw it into a panic; and he so clogged their chariot wheels that they could hardly drive. With that the Egyptians sounded the retreat before Israel, because the LORD was fighting for them against the Egyptians. Then the LORD told Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may flow back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and their charioteers." So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea flowed back to its normal depth. The Egyptians were fleeing head on toward the sea, when the LORD hurled them into its midst. As the water flowed back, it covered the chariots and the charioteers of Pharaoh's whole army which had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not a single one of them escaped. But the Israelites had marched on dry land through the midst of the sea, with the water like a wall to their right and to their left. Thus the LORD saved Israel on that day from the power of the Egyptians. When Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore and beheld the great power that the LORD had shown against the Egyptians, they feared the LORD and believed in him and in his servant Moses. Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: I will sing to the LORD, for he is gloriously triumphant; horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.

Ex. 15:2-6.17-18.

My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior. He is my God, I praise him; the God of my father, I extol him.
The LORD is a warrior, LORD is his name!
Pharaoh's chariots and army he hurled into the sea; the elite of his officers were submerged in the Red Sea.
The flood waters covered them, they sank into the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, O LORD, magnificent in power, your right hand, O LORD, has shattered the enemy.
And you brought them in and planted them on the mountain of your inheritance-- the place where you made your seat, O LORD, the sanctuary, O LORD, which your hands established.
The LORD shall reign forever and ever.


Letter to the Romans 6:3-11.

Brothers and sisters: Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life. For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection. We know that our old self was crucified with him, so that our sinful body might be done away with, that we might no longer be in slavery to sin. For a dead person has been absolved from sin. If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him. As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God. Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as (being) dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 24:1-12.

At daybreak on the first day of the week the women who had come from Galilee with Jesus took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb; but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were puzzling over this, behold, two men in dazzling garments appeared to them. They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. They said to them, "Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised. Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners and be crucified, and rise on the third day." And they remembered his words. Then they returned from the tomb and announced all these things to the eleven and to all the others. The women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James; the others who accompanied them also told this to the apostles, but their story seemed like nonsense and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb, bent down, and saw the burial cloths alone; then he went home amazed at what had happened.

Copyright Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day :

A homily of the 5th century attributed to Eusebius the Gallican
Homily 12 A ; CCL 101, 145

«You have brightened this night with the radiance of the risen Christ» (Collect)


«Let the heavens be glad and earth exult» (Ps 96[95],11). More brightly than the rays of the sun this day has shone forth for us from the brilliance of the tomb. Let the underworld cry out, for from this day on it has an offspring; let it rejoice because this is the day of its visitation; let it be glad because, after endless ages, it has seen a light unknown before and at last, in the darkness of its deepest night, has breathed again! O radiant light, now seen breaking from the heights of the whitening sky..., you have clothed with sudden brightness «those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death» (Lk 1,79). For at Christ's descent at once the everlasting night of hell shone out with light and the cries of the afflicted were silenced; the chains of those condemned broke off and fell; the malicious spirits were seized with stupor as though struck by a thunderbolt...

No sooner does Christ come down than the grim doorkeepers, blind in the silence of their night, crouching in fear, whisper among themselves: «Who is this mighty one, shining with whiteness? Never has our hell received such as he; never has the world cast such a one into our maw... Had he been guilty, he would not possess such temerity; had some crime blackened him, he could never have dispersed our darkness with his shining. Yet if he is God, what is he doing in the tomb? If he is man, how does he have the courage? If he is God, what has he come here for? If he is man, how can he set prisoners free?... Oh cross, that undoes all our pleasures and give birth to our misfortune! A tree enriched us and a tree has ruined us. This mighty power, so feared by the people, has perished!»

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Thanks Sis Tada.... God bless you always..

DAILY GOSPEL
«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68


Sunday, 04 April 2010
Easter Sunday - Solemnity

Easter Sunday
Today the Church celebrates : St. Isidore of Seville, Archbishop (+ 636)

Saint Proclus of Constantinople : "Day of gladness and joy" (Ps 118[117],24)


Acts of the Apostles 10:34.37-43.

Peter proceeded to speak and said: what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and (in) Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. This man God raised (on) the third day and granted that he be visible, not to all the people, but to us, the witnesses chosen by God in advance, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commissioned us to preach to the people and testify that he is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name."

Psalms 118(117):1-2.16-17.22-23.

Give thanks to the LORD, who is good, whose love endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say: God's love endures forever.
the LORD'S right hand is raised; the LORD'S right hand strikes with power."
I shall not die but live and declare the deeds of the LORD.
The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes.


Letter to the Colossians 3:1-4.

Brothers and sisters: If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 20:1-9.

On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him." So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead.

Copyright Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day :

Saint Proclus of Constantinople (c.390-446), Bishop
Sermon 14 ; PG 65, 796

"Day of gladness and joy" (Ps 118[117],24)


How beautiful is this feast of Easter! And how beautiful our assembly! This day contains so many mysteries, both old and new! During this week of feasting or, rather, of happiness, people are rejoicing all over the world and even the powers of heaven unite themselves with us in joyful celebration of the Lord's resurrection. Angels and Archangels are exultant as they wait for the heavenly King, Christ our God, to return victorious over the earth; the choirs of saints exult as they sing of «he who rose before the dawn», the Christ (cf. Ps 110[109],3). Earth exults, for the blood of a God has washed it. The sea exults, for the footsteps of our Lord have honoured it. May every person born again of water and the Holy Spirit, exult. May Adam, the first of men, now freed from the ancient curse, exult...

Christ's resurrection has not only inaugurated this holy feast but, still more, has won for us salvation instead of suffering, immortality in place of death, healing instead of wounds, resurrection instead of decline. In former times the Passover mystery was carried out in Egypt according to the ritual prescribed by the Law: the sacrifice of the lamb was no more than a sign. But today we celebrate a spiritual Passover according to the Gospel: the day of resurrection. Then it was a lamb taken from the flock that was sacrificed...; now Christ in person offers himself as lamb of God. Then it was an animal from the sheepfold; now, not just a lamb but the shepherd himself lays down his life for his sheep (Jn 10,11)... Then the Hebrews crossed the Red Sea and sang a hymn of victory in honor of their deliverer: «Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory» (Ex 15,10). Now, all those accounted worthy of baptism sing this victory song in their hearts: «You alone are holy, you alone are God, Jesus Christ, in the glory of God the Father. Amen».


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DAILY GOSPEL
«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68


Monday, 05 April 2010
Easter Monday

Monday in the Octave of Easter
Today the Church celebrates : St. Vincent Ferrer, Priest (1350-1419)

Roman Liturgy: "Jesus met them on their way"


Acts of the Apostles 2:14.22-33.

On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed: «You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem. Let this be known to you, and listen to my words. You who are Israelites, hear these words. Jesus the Nazorean was a man commended to you by God with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs, which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know. This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God, you killed, using lawless men to crucify him. But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it. For David says of him: 'I saw the Lord ever before me, with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted; my flesh, too, will dwell in hope, because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld, nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.' My brothers, one can confidently say to you about the patriarch David that he died and was buried, and his tomb is in our midst to this day. But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne, he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld nor did his flesh see corruption. God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses. Exalted at the right hand of God, he received the promise of the holy Spirit from the Father and poured it forth, as you (both) see and hear.

Psalms 16(15):1-2.5.7-8.9-10.11.

A miktam of David. Keep me safe, O God; in you I take refuge
I say to the Lord, you are my Lord, you are my only good.
LORD, my allotted portion and my cup, you have made my destiny secure.
I bless the LORD who counsels me; even at night my heart exhorts me.
I keep the LORD always before me; with the Lord at my right, I shall never be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, my soul rejoices; my body also dwells secure,
For you will not abandon me to Sheol, nor let your faithful servant see the pit.
You will show me the path to life, abounding joy in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever.


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 28:8-15.

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce the news to his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me." While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had happened. They assembled with the elders and took counsel; then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.' And if this gets to the ears of the governor, we will satisfy (him) and keep you out of trouble." The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present (day).

Copyright Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day :

Roman Liturgy
Paschal Sequence « Victimae paschali laudes »

"Jesus met them on their way"


Christians to the Paschal Victim
Offer thankful sacrifice.
Christ the Lamb has saved the sheep;
Christ the Just One paid the price,
Reconciling sinners to the Father.

O Mary, come and say
What you saw at break of day.
«The empty tomb of my living Lord!
I saw Christ Jesus risen, and adored!»

Death and Life fought bitterly
For this wondrous victory;
The Lord of life who died
Reigns glorified!

Bright angels testified,
Shroud and grave-cloths side by side!
«Yes, Christ my hope rose gloriously.
He goes before you into Galilee.»

Share the good news, sing joyfully:
His death is victory!
Lord Jesus, victor King, show us mercy.
Amen. Alleluia!

Original version:

Victimae paschali laudes
immolent Christiani.
Agnus redemit oves:
Christus innocens Patri
reconciliavit peccatores.
Mors et vita duello
conflixere mirando:
dux vitae mortuus,
regnat vivus.
Dic nobis Maria,
quid vidisti in via?
Sepulcrum Christi viventis,
et gloriam vidi resurgentis:
Angelicos testes,
sudarium, et vestes.
Surrexit Christus spes mea:
praecedet suos in Galilaeam.
Scimus Christum surrexisse
a mortuis vere:
tu nobis, victor Rex,
miserere.
Amen. Alleluia.


To hear the Victimae paschali laudes in Gregorian chant: http://www.christusrex.org/www2/cantgreg/cantus/seq_victimae_paschali.mp3

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DAILY GOSPEL
«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68


Tuesday, 06 April 2010
Easter Tuesday

Tuesday in the Octave of Easter
Today the Church celebrates : Bl. Notker, Benedictine monk (c. 840-912)

Saint Augustine : "I am going to my Father and your Father"


Acts of the Apostles 2:36-41.

On the day of Pentecost, Peter said to the Jewish people, «Let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.» Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and they asked Peter and the other apostles, "What are we to do, my brothers?" Peter (said) to them, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the holy Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call." He testified with many other arguments, and was exhorting them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand persons were added that day.

Psalms 33(32):4-5.18-19.20.22.

For the LORD'S word is true; all his works are trustworthy.
The LORD loves justice and right and fills the earth with goodness.
But the LORD'S eyes are upon the reverent, upon those who hope for his gracious help,
Delivering them from death, keeping them alive in times of famine.
Our soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and shield.
May your kindness, LORD, be upon us; we have put our hope in you.


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 20:11-18.

Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken my Lord, and I don't know where they laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" She thought it was the gardener and said to him, "Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni," which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, "Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and what he told her.

Copyright Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day :

Saint Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church
1st sermon for Holy Thursday, Morin Guelferbytanus 13 ; PLS 2, 572

"I am going to my Father and your Father"


«Touch me not for I have not yet ascended to my Father.» What are we to say? That Christ is better touched by faith than by flesh. Touching Christ by faith is truly to touch him. This is what the woman suffering from an issue of blood did: she drew near to Christ, full of faith, and touched his robe... And our Lord, hemmed in by the crowd, was touched by no one but this woman... because she believed (Mk 5,25f.).

My brethren, Jesus is in heaven today. While he was living among his disciples, clothed visibly in flesh and possessing a body that could be touched, he was both seen and touched. But today, now he is seated at the right hand of the Father, which of us can touch him? And yet, woe to us if we do not touch him. We all touch him who believe in him. He is far away in heaven and the distance separating him from us cannot be measured. But believe, and you touch him. What am I saying? You touch him? If you believe then you have with you the one in whom you believe...

Do you know how Mary wished to touch him? She searched for him among the dead and did not believe he would rise again: «They have taken my Lord from the tomb!» (Jn 20,2). She wept for a man... «Touch me not for I have not yet ascended to my Father.» You touch me before I have ascended to the Father and see no more than a man in me. What will that sort of faith give you? «Let me ascend to the Father. I have never left him but, for your sake, I will ascend provided you believe me to be equal to the Father.» Our Lord Jesus Christ did not leave his Father when he descended from his side. So neither has he forsaken us when he went up again from our side. For at the very time of his going up and sitting at the right hand of the Father, so far he said to his disciples: «I am with you always, until the end of the age» (Mt 28,20).


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DAILY GOSPEL
«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68


Wednesday, 07 April 2010
Easter Wednesday

Wednesday in the Octave of Easter
Today the Church celebrates : Bl. Herman Joseph, St. John Baptist de la Salle, Sr Josaphata Hordashevska (1869-1919)

Cardinal John Henry Newman : "Were not our hearts burning within us"


Acts of the Apostles 3:1-10.

Peter and John were going up to the temple area for the three o'clock hour of prayer. And a man crippled from birth was carried and placed at the gate of the temple called "the Beautiful Gate" every day to beg for alms from the people who entered the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked for alms. But Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, "Look at us." He paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them. Peter said, "I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, (rise and) walk." Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong. He leaped up, stood, and walked around, and went into the temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the one who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with amazement and astonishment at what had happened to him.

Psalms 105(104):1-2.3-4.6-7.8-9.

Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name; make known among the peoples his deeds!
Sing praise, play music; proclaim all his wondrous deeds!
Glory in his holy name; rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Rely on the mighty LORD; constantly seek his face.
You descendants of Abraham his servant, offspring of Jacob the chosen one!
The LORD is our God who rules the whole earth.
He remembers forever his covenant, the pact imposed for a thousand generations,
Which was made with Abraham, confirmed by oath to Isaac,


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 24:13-35.

That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus' disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, "What are you discussing as you walk along?" They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?" And he replied to them, "What sort of things?" They said to him, "The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see." And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures. As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning (within us) while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?" So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, "The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!" Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Copyright Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day :

Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890), priest, founder of a religious community, theologian
PPS 6, 10

"Were not our hearts burning within us"


Brethren, let us turn to the account of Christ's appearances to his disciples after the Resurrection, which are most important, first, as showing that such an unconscious communion with him is possible; next, that it is likely to be the sort of communion now granted to us, from the circumstance that in that period of forty days after the Resurrection, he began to be in that relation towards his Church, in which he is still, and probably intended to intimate to us thereby what his presence with us is now.

Now observe what was the nature of His presence in the Church after his Resurrection. It was this, that he came and went as he pleased; that material substances, such as the fastened doors, were no impediments to his coming; and that when he was present his disciples did not, as a matter of course, know him... The two disciples on the way to Emmaus do not seem to have been conscious of this at the time, but on looking back, they recollected that as having been, which did not strike them while it was. "Did not," they say, "did not our heart burn within us?»...

Let us observe, too, when it was that their eyes were opened... when he consecrated and brake the Bread. There is evidently a stress laid on this in the gospel... for so it was ordained, that Christ should not be both seen and known at once; first he was seen, then he was known. Only by faith is he known to be present... He removed his visible presence, and left but a memorial of himself. He vanished from sight that he might be present in a sacrament; and in order to connect his visible presence with his presence invisible, He for one instant manifested himself to their open eyes; manifested himself, if I may so speak, while he passed from his hiding-place of sight without knowledge, to that of knowledge without sight.


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thanks po sa pagbibigay mo ng mga inspirational verses.

lang ano man po..salamat den na may nagbabasa den pla dito :)

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DAILY GOSPEL
«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68


Thursday, 08 April 2010
Easter Thursday

Thursday in the Octave of Easter
Today the Church celebrates : St. Julia Billiart

Saint Anthony of Padua : "Touch me and see"


Acts of the Apostles 3:11-26.

As the crippled man who had been cured clung to Peter and John, all the people hurried in amazement toward them in the portico called «Solomon's Portico.» When Peter saw this, he addressed the people, "You Israelites, why are you amazed at this, and why do you look so intently at us as if we had made him walk by our own power or piety? The God of Abraham, (the God) of Isaac, and (the God) of Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has glorified his servant Jesus whom you handed over and denied in Pilate's presence, when he had decided to release him. You denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. The author of life you put to death, but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses. And by faith in his name, this man, whom you see and know, his name has made strong, and the faith that comes through it has given him this perfect health, in the presence of all of you. Now I know, brothers, that you acted out of ignorance, just as your leaders did; but God has thus brought to fulfillment what he had announced beforehand through the mouth of all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away, and that the Lord may grant you times of refreshment and send you the Messiah already appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the times of universal restoration of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old. For Moses said: 'A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for you from among your own kinsmen; to him you shall listen in all that he may say to you. Everyone who does not listen to that prophet will be cut off from the people.' Moreover, all the prophets who spoke, from Samuel and those afterwards, also announced these days. You are the children of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors when he said to Abraham, 'In your offspring all the families of the earth shall be blessed.' For you first, God raised up his servant and sent him to bless you by turning each of you from your evil ways."

Psalms 8:2.5.6-7.8-9.

O LORD, our Lord, how awesome is your name through all the earth! You have set your majesty above the heavens!
What are humans that you are mindful of them, mere mortals that you care for them?
Yet you have made them little less than a god, crowned them with glory and honor.
You have given them rule over the works of your hands, put all things at their feet:
All sheep and oxen, even the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and whatever swims the paths of the seas.


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 24:35-48.

The disciples of Jesus recounted what had taken place along the way, and how they had come to recognize him in the breaking of bread. While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. Then he said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have." And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of baked fish; he took it and ate it in front of them. He said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures. And he said to them, "Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.

Copyright Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day :

Saint Anthony of Padua (c.1195-1231), Franciscan, Doctor of the Church
Sermons for Sundays and feasts of the saints

"Touch me and see"


«See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.» I think there are four reasons why our Lord showed his side, hands and feet to the apostles. First of all to prove he was truly risen and remove from us any cause for doubt. Secondly, so that the «dove» – that is to say, the Church or the faithful soul - might make its nest in those wounds as in «the crevice of the rock» (Sg 2,14) and find refuge there from the eye of the bird of prey. Thirdly, to imprint as an emblem the marks of the Passion in our hearts. And in the fourth place as a warning, asking us to show him pity and not pierce him anew with the nails of our sins.

He shows us his hands and his feet: «Behold,» he says, «the hands that have fashioned you (cf. 119[118],73); see how the nails have pierced them. Behold my heart - the heart where you my faithful, you my Church, were born as Eve was born from Adam's side: see how the lance has opened it so that the door of Paradise, held shut by the fiery Cherubim, might be opened to you. The blood that flowed from my side has driven aside that angel and blunted his sword; the water has extinguished the fire (cf Jn 19,34)... Listen carefully, take these words to yourself, and peace will be with you.»


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DAILY GOSPEL

«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68

Friday, 09 April 2010
Easter Friday


Friday in the Octave of Easter
Today the Church celebrates : St Waldeatrudis

Saint Gregory the Great : Peter drags the net ashore


Acts of the Apostles 4:1-12.

After the crippled man had been cured, while Peter and John were still speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees confronted them, disturbed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They laid hands on them and put them in custody until the next day, since it was already evening. But many of those who heard the word came to believe and (the) number of men grew to (about) five thousand. On the next day, their leaders, elders, and scribes were assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly class. They brought them into their presence and questioned them, "By what power or by what name have you done this?" Then Peter, filled with the holy Spirit, answered them, "Leaders of the people and elders: If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a cripple, namely, by what means he was saved, then all of you and all the people of Israel should know that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; in his name this man stands before you healed. He is 'the stone rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.' There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved."

Psalms 118(117):1-2.4.22-24.25-27.

Give thanks to the LORD, who is good, whose love endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say: God's love endures forever.
Let those who fear the LORD say, God's love endures forever.
The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad.
LORD, grant salvation! LORD, grant good fortune!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you from the LORD'S house.
The LORD is God and has given us light. Join in procession with leafy branches up to the horns of the altar.


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 21:1-14.

Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way. Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee's sons, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We also will come with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, "Children, have you caught anything to eat?" They answered him, "No." So he said to them, "Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something." So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish. So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards, dragging the net with the fish. When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you just caught." So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three large fish. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come, have breakfast." And none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" because they realized it was the Lord. Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish. This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead.

Copyright Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day :

Saint Gregory the Great (c.540-604), Pope, Doctor of the Church
Homilies on the Gospel, no.24 (Cistercian publications)

Peter drags the net ashore


After catching such large fish, «Simon Peter went overboard and dragged the net ashore.» I believe that you, dear listeners, now perceive why it was Peter who brought the net to land. Our holy Church had been entrusted to him; it was to him individually that it was said: «Simon, son of John, do you love me? Feed my sheep.» What was afterwards disclosed to him in words was now indicated to him by an action.

Because the Church's preacher was to part us from the waves of this world, it was surely necessary that Peter bring the net full of fish to land. He dragged the fish to the firm ground of the shore, because by his preaching he revealed to the faithful the stability of our eternal home. He accomplished this by his words and by his letters, and he accomplishes it daily by his miraculous signs. As often as he serves us from the uproar of earthly affairs, what occurs is that we are caught like fish in the net of the faith and brought to shore.

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DAILY GOSPEL

«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68

Saturday, 10 April 2010
Easter Saturday


Saturday of Easter Week
Today the Church celebrates : St Magdalena of Canossa, Virgin and Foundress (1774-1835)

Saint John of the Cross : "He rebuked them for their unbelief "


Acts of the Apostles 4:13-21.

Observing the boldness of Peter and John and perceiving them to be uneducated, ordinary men, the leaders, elders, and scribes were amazed, and they recognized them as the companions of Jesus. Then when they saw the man who had been cured standing there with them, they could say nothing in reply. So they ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin, and conferred with one another, saying, "What are we to do with these men? Everyone living in Jerusalem knows that a remarkable sign was done through them, and we cannot deny it. But so that it may not be spread any further among the people, let us give them a stern warning never again to speak to anyone in this name." So they called them back and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. Peter and John, however, said to them in reply, "Whether it is right in the sight of God for us to obey you rather than God, you be the judges. It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard." After threatening them further, they released them, finding no way to punish them, on account of the people who were all praising God for what had happened.

Psalms 118:1.14-15.16-18.19-21.

Give thanks to the LORD, who is good, whose love endures forever.
The LORD, my strength and might, came to me as savior.
The joyful shout of deliverance is heard in the tents of the victors: "The LORD'S right hand strikes with power;
the LORD'S right hand is raised; the LORD'S right hand strikes with power."
I shall not die but live and declare the deeds of the LORD.
The LORD chastised me harshly, but did not hand me over to death.
Open the gates of victory; I will enter and thank the LORD.
This is the LORD'S own gate, where the victors enter.
I thank you for you answered me; you have been my savior.


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 16:9-15.

When Jesus had risen, early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told his companions who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. After this he appeared in another form to two of them walking along on their way to the country. They returned and told the others; but they did not believe them either. (But) later, as the eleven were at table, he appeared to them and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw him after he had been raised. He said to them, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.

Copyright Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day :

Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591), Carmelite, Doctor of the Church
The Ascent of Mount Carmel, 3,31 (trans. Kieran Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodriguez)

"He rebuked them for their unbelief "


Where signs and testimonies abound, there is less merit in believing. God never works marvels except when they are a necessity for belief. Lest his disciples go without merit by having sensible proof of his resurrection, he did many things to further their belief before they saw him.

Mary Magdalene was first shown the empty sepulcher, and afterward the angels told her about the resurrection so she would, by hearing, believe before seeing. As St. Paul says: «Faith comes through hearing» (Rom10,17) . And though she beheld him, he seemed only an ordinary man, so by the warmth of his presence he could finish instructing her in the belief she was lacking

And the women were sent to tell the disciples first... And journeying incognito to Emmaus with two of his followers, he inflamed their hearts in faith before allowing them to see him. Finally he reproved all his disciples for refusing to believe those who had told them of his resurrection. And announcing to Thomas that they are blessed who believe without seeing (Jn 20,29), he reprimanded him for desiring to experience the sight and touch of his wounds.

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DAILY GOSPEL
«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68


Sunday, 11 April 2010
Second Sunday of Easter

Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday
Today the Church celebrates : St. Stanislas, Bishop and Martyr (1030-1079)

Gregory of Narek : "Receive the holy Spirit"


Acts of the Apostles 5:12-16.

Many signs and wonders were done among the people at the hands of the apostles. They were all together in Solomon's portico. None of the others dared to join them, but the people esteemed them. Yet more than ever, believers in the Lord, great numbers of men and women, were added to them. Thus they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on one or another of them. A large number of people from the towns in the vicinity of Jerusalem also gathered, bringing the sick and those disturbed by unclean spirits, and they were all cured.

Psalms 118(117):2-4.22-24.25-27.

Let the house of Israel say: God's love endures forever.
Let the house of Aaron say, God's love endures forever.
Let those who fear the LORD say, God's love endures forever.
The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad.
LORD, grant salvation! LORD, grant good fortune!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you from the LORD'S house.
The LORD is God and has given us light. Join in procession with leafy branches up to the horns of the altar.


Book of Revelation 1:9-11.12-13.17-19.

I, John, your brother, who share with you the distress, the kingdom, and the endurance we have in Jesus, found myself on the island called Patmos because I proclaimed God's word and gave testimony to Jesus. I was caught up in spirit on the Lord's day and heard behind me a voice as loud as a trumpet, which said, "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea." Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and when I turned, I saw seven gold lampstands and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, wearing an ankle-length robe, with a gold sash around his chest. When I caught sight of him, I fell down at his feet as though dead. He touched me with his right hand and said, "Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last, the one who lives. Once I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever. I hold the keys to death and the netherworld. Write down, therefore, what you have seen, and what is happening, and what will happen afterwards.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 20:19-31.

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, «Peace be with you.» When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. (Jesus) said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe." Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of (his) disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may (come to) believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

Copyright Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day :

Gregory of Narek (c.944-1010), Armenian monk and poet
Book of Prayers, no.33 (trad. SC 78, p. 206)

"Receive the holy Spirit"


Almighty, Benefactor, Friend to humankind, God of all,
and Creator of all things, visible and invisible;
You who save us and affirm us,
who care for us and bring us peace,
Mighty Spirit of the Father...
You share the same throne, the same glory,
and the same creative activity as the Father...
By your mediation was revealed to us
the Trinity of Persons in a unity of nature in the Divinity;
and you, too, are counted as one among those Persons,
O incomprehensible One...

Through Moses you were proclaimed Spirit of God (Gn 1,2)
as you hovered over the waters
with all-embracing protectiveness, awesome, full of care.
You spread your wings in sign of your compassionate presence
hovering over those newly born,
and by this means revealed the mystery of the waters of baptism...
O Almighty One, as Lord you created
all natures and everything that exists (cf. Credo),
every being created by you,
in the moment that is last among the days of life here below
and first in the Land of the living.

He who is of the same nature as you,
He, the firstborn Son, who is consubstantial with the Father,
obeyed you as a Father in our nature,
binding his will to yours.
He made you known as true God,
equal and consubstantial to his all-powerful Father...
and he shut the mouths of those who resisted you
for they were struggling against God (cf. Mt 12,28),
whereas he forgave all who were against himself.

He is the Just One, the Pure One, the Savior of all,
delivered up on account of our sins
and raised for our justification (Rom 4,25).
Through you all glory to him,
and to you all praise, together with the all-powerful Father
for endless ages. Amen.


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DAILY GOSPEL
«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68


Monday, 12 April 2010
Monday of the Second week of Easter

Today the Church celebrates : St Julius I

Attributed to Saint Hippolytus of Rome : To be born again by water and the Holy Spirit


Acts of the Apostles 4:23-31.

After their release Peter and John went back to their own people and reported what the chief priests and elders had told them. And when they heard it, they raised their voices to God with one accord and said, "Sovereign Lord, maker of heaven and earth and the sea and all that is in them, you said by the holy Spirit through the mouth of our father David, your servant: 'Why did the Gentiles rage and the peoples entertain folly? The kings of the earth took their stand and the princes gathered together against the Lord and against his anointed.' Indeed they gathered in this city against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed, Herod and Pontius Pilate, together with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do what your hand and (your) will had long ago planned to take place. And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and enable your servants to speak your word with all boldness, as you stretch forth (your) hand to heal, and signs and wonders are done through the name of your holy servant Jesus." As they prayed, the place where they were gathered shook, and they were all filled with the holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

Psalms 2:1-3.4-6.7-9.

Why do the nations protest and the peoples grumble in vain?
Kings on earth rise up and princes plot together against the LORD and his anointed:
"Let us break their shackles and cast off their chains!"
The one enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord derides them,
Then speaks to them in anger, terrifies them in wrath:
"I myself have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain."
I will proclaim the decree of the LORD, who said to me, "You are my son; today I am your father.
Only ask it of me, and I will make your inheritance the nations, your possession the ends of the earth.
With an iron rod you shall shepherd them, like a clay pot you will shatter them."


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 3:1-8.

There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. He came to Jesus at night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him." Jesus answered and said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." Nicodemus said to him, "How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother's womb and be born again, can he?" Jesus answered, "Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I told you, 'You must be born from above.' The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

Copyright Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day :

Attributed to Saint Hippolytus of Rome (?-c.235), priest and martyr
Homily for the feast of the Epiphany, "On the holy Theophany" ; PG 10, 854-862

To be born again by water and the Holy Spirit


Pray give me your close attention. I wish to return to the fountain of life and cause the source of our cure to spring forth. The Father of immortality sent his immortal Son and Word into the world. He came to man to wash him in water and the Spirit. He gave him rebirth for the incorruptibility of his soul and body. He infused the Spirit of life and clad him all over with an imperishable armor. Thus, if man has been mortal he is to become equally divine. And if, after the rebirth of washing, he has been made divine by water and the Holy Spirit, he will also become an inheritor of heaven after the resurrection from the dead.

Come, all you nations, come to the immortality of baptism... This water is that which participates in the Spirit; watering paradise it quenches earth, it causes plants to grow, brings living beings to birth and, in a word, brings forth man to life by effecting his rebirth. In this water Christ was baptised; on it the Spirit descended in the form of a dove...

Whoever goes down with faith into the bath of regeneration casts aside the garment of a slave and puts on that of adoption. He comes up from baptism shining like the sun, radiant with righteousness. More than this: he emerges a son of God and co-heir with Christ, to whom, together with the Most Holy Spirit, the good, the life-giving, be glory and power both now and ever through all ages. Amen.

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DAILY GOSPEL
«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68


Tuesday, 13 April 2010
Tuesday of the Second week of Easter

Today the Church celebrates : St Hermenegild, Martyr (+ 586)

Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross [Edith Stein] : "You do not know where it comes from or where it goes"


Acts of the Apostles 4:32-37.

The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. With great power the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all. There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need. Thus Joseph, also named by the apostles Barnabas (which is translated "son of encouragement"), a Levite, a Cypriot by birth, sold a piece of property that he owned, then brought the money and put it at the feet of the apostles.

Psalms 93(92):1-2.5.

The LORD is king, robed with majesty; the LORD is robed, girded with might. The world will surely stand in place, never to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old; you are from everlasting, LORD.
Your decrees are firmly established; holiness belongs to your house, LORD, for all the length of days.


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 3:7-15.

Jesus said to Nicodemus: «'You must be born from above.' The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." Nicodemus answered and said to him, "How can this happen?" Jesus answered and said to him, "You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this? Amen, amen, I say to you, we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you people do not accept our testimony. If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."

Copyright Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day :

Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross [Edith Stein] (1891-1942), Carmelite, martyr, co-patron of Europe
From a Pentecost Novena1942 (trans. Waltraut Stein)

"You do not know where it comes from or where it goes"


Who are you, sweet light, that fills me
And illumines the darkness of my heart?
You lead me like a mother's hand,
And should you let go of me
I would not know how to take another step.
You are the space
That embraces my being and buries it in yourself.
Away from you, it sinks into the abyss
Of nothingness, from which you raised it to the light.
You, nearer to me than I to myself
And more interior than my most interior
And still impalpable and intangible
And beyond any name:
Holy Spirit – eternal love!

Are you not the sweet manna
That from the Son's heart
Overflows into my heart,
The food of angels and the blessed?
He who raised himself from death to life,
He has also awakened me to new life
From the sleep of death.
And he gives me new life from day to day,
And at some time his fullness is to stream through me,
Life of your life – indeed, you yourself:
Holy Spirit – eternal life!


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DAILY GOSPEL
«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68


Wednesday, 14 April 2010
Wednesday of the Second week of Easter

Today the Church celebrates : St Peter Gonzales, Dominican Priest (1190-1246)

Saint Gregory of Nazianzus : Come to the light


Acts of the Apostles 5:17-26.

The high priest rose up and all his companions, that is, the party of the Sadducees, and, filled with jealousy, laid hands upon the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, led them out, and said, "Go and take your place in the temple area, and tell the people everything about this life." When they heard this, they went to the temple early in the morning and taught. When the high priest and his companions arrived, they convened the Sanhedrin, the full senate of the Israelites, and sent to the jail to have them brought in. But the court officers who went did not find them in the prison, so they came back and reported, "We found the jail securely locked and the guards stationed outside the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside." When they heard this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss about them, as to what this would come to. Then someone came in and reported to them, "The men whom you put in prison are in the temple area and are teaching the people." Then the captain and the court officers went and brought them in, but without force, because they were afraid of being stoned by the people.

Psalms 34(33):2-3.4-5.6-7.8-9.

I will bless the LORD at all times; praise shall be always in my mouth.
My soul will glory in the LORD that the poor may hear and be glad.
Magnify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.
I sought the LORD, who answered me, delivered me from all my fears.
Look to God that you may be radiant with joy and your faces may not blush for shame.
In my misfortune I called, the LORD heard and saved me from all distress.
The angel of the LORD, who encamps with them, delivers all who fear God.
Learn to savor how good the LORD is; happy are those who take refuge in him.


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 3:16-21.

God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

Copyright Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day :

Saint Gregory of Nazianzus (330-390), Bishop, Doctor of the Church
Hymn 32 ; PG 37, 511-512

Come to the light


We bless you, Father of lights,
Christ, Word of God, splendor of the Father,
Light from light and source of all light,
Spirit of fire and breath of the Son as of the Father.

O Holy Trinity, undivided light,
You dispelled the darkness
To create a world that would bear your likeness,
luminous with order and beauty

You enlightened man with reason and wisdom,
Made him shine with the seal of your Image,
That in your light he might see light (Ps 37[36],10)
And become wholly light.

In the heavens you made numberless lights to shine,
Commanded day and night
To agree in dividing time between them,
Each peacefully taking its turn.

Night brings an end to the work of the tired body,
Day calls it to those works you love,
Teaching us to flee from darkness and hasten
Towards that day where night will be no more.
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