Prepare for Mass

Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. – Mt 6:33

  • RSS Daily Readings – catholic.org

  • Amazing Grace My Chains are Gone -Chris Tomlin

  • Next Sunday

  • Spin the Tee for Totally Random Post

  • SpiritualInspirations
    Click For More Spiritual Inspiration
  • Resources

    Resources for Catholic Educators

    YEAR A

    YEAR B

    YEAR C

    Fifth Sunday of Lent

    Fourth Sunday of Lent

    Third Sunday of LENT

    Second Sunday of LENT

    First Sunday of LENT

    Previously Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time

    Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time

    Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time

    Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time

    Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time

    Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time

    Third Sunday of Ordinary Time

    Second Sunday of Ordinary Time



    Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

    Epiphany

    Holy Family

    Christmas

    Fourth Sunday of Advent

    Third Sunday of Advent

    Second Sunday of Advent

    First Sunday of Advent

    Christ the King Destruction of the temple = Facing fears and persevere filled with hope

    Not God of the Dead, God of the living Zacchaeus today salvation has come to this house

    Pharisee and the Tax Collector - The Lord Hears the Cry of the Poor

    Persistence and helping each other live faithfully

    Spiritual cleansing - ten were made clean only one came back - gratitude

    Big faith is found in the smallest of things

    Rich Man and Lazarus

    Unjust Steward - The person who is trustworthy in small matters will also be trustworthy in big ones

    God’s Concern for the Lost

    Cost of Discipleship

    Crosses to bear and Narrow Gate Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary

    Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, was from the very beginning free from the taint of original sin, the minds of the faithful were filled with a stronger hope that the day might soon come when the dogma of the Virgin Mary's bodily Assumption into heaven would also be defined by the Church's supreme teaching authority.

    The Liturgy on the 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time prepares us in a certain way for the Solemnity of Mary's Assumption into Heaven, which we will be celebrating on 15 August. Indeed, it is fully oriented to the future, to Heaven, where the Blessed Virgin Mary has preceded us in the joy of Paradise.

    In particular, the Gospel passage, continuing last Sunday's message, asks Christians to detach themselves from material goods, which are for the most part illusory, and to do their duty faithfully, constantly aspiring to Heaven. May the believer remain alert and watchful to be ready to welcome Jesus when he comes in his glory.

    By means of examples taken from everyday life, the Lord exhorts his disciples, that is, us, to live with this inner disposition, like those servants in the parable who were waiting for their master's return. "Blessed are those servants", he said, "whom the master finds awake when he comes" (Lk 12: 37). We must therefore watch, praying and doing good.

    It is true, we are all travellers on earth, as the Second Reading of today's liturgy from the Letter to the Hebrews appropriately reminds us. It presents Abraham to us in the clothes of a pilgrim, as a nomad who lives in a tent and sojourns in a foreign land. He has faith to guide him.

    "By faith", the sacred author wrote, "Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was to go" (Heb 11: 8).

    Indeed, Abraham's true destination was "the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (11: 10). The city to which he was alluding is not in this world but is the heavenly Jerusalem, Paradise.

    This was well known to the primitive Christian community, which considered itself "alien" here below and called its populated nucleuses in the cities "parishes", which means, precisely, colonies of foreigners [in Greek, pároikoi] (cf. I Pt 2: 11). In this way, the first Christians expressed the most important characteristic of the Church, which is precisely the tension of living in this life in light of Heaven.

    Today's Liturgy of the Word, therefore, desires to invite us to think of "the life of the world to come", as we repeat every time we make our profession of faith with the Creed. It is an invitation to spend our life wisely and with foresight, to consider attentively our destiny, in other words, those realities which we call final: death, the last judgement, eternity, hell and Heaven. And it is exactly in this way that we assume responsibility for the world and build a better world.

    May the Virgin Mary, who watches over us from Heaven, help us not to forget that here on earth we are only passing through, and may she teach us to prepare ourselves to encounter Jesus, who is "seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead". source: vatican.va

    Be rich in what matters to God and don’t store up treasures for yourself.

    Seek and you will find knock and the door will be opened

    Previously... The Gospel episode of Jesus' visit to the house of Martha and Mary (cf. Lk 10: 38-42). While Martha is totally taken up with household tasks, Mary is seated at the Master's feet listening to his word. Christ affirms that Mary "has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her" (Lk 10: 42). Listening to the Word of God is the most important thing in our lives.

    Christ is always in our midst and desires to speak to our hearts. We can listen to him by meditating with faith on Sacred Scripture, by recollection in private and communal prayer, by silent meditation before the Tabernacle, from which he speaks to us of his love.

    Christians, especially on Sundays, are called to meet and listen to the Lord. This happens most completely through participation in Holy Mass, during which Christ prepares the banquet of the Word and of the Bread of Life for the faithful. But other moments of prayer and reflection, of rest and brotherhood, can also be profitably combined to make the Lord's Day holy.

    When, through the action of the Holy Spirit, God takes up his dwelling in the heart of the believer, it becomes easier for him/her to serve the brethren. This is what happened in a unique and perfect way in Mary Most Holy. To her we entrust this vacation period, to make the most of it as a favourable time to rediscover the primacy of the interior life.

    The Church is God's family in the world. In this family no one ought to go without the necessities of life. Yet at the same time caritas- agape extends beyond the frontiers of the Church. The parable of the Good Samaritan remains as a standard which imposes universal love towards the needy whom we encounter “by chance” (cf. Lk 10:31), whoever they may be. Without in any way detracting from this commandment of universal love, the Church also has a specific responsibility: within the ecclesial family no member should suffer through being in need. The teaching of the Letter to the Galatians is emphatic: “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (6:10). source:vatican.va In the sending of the seventy-two, Jesus confirms that through his disciples, and those who would come to believe in him through their word, his peace and the news that “the kingdom of God has come near to you” would be proclaimed to the world. At their joyful return, despite rejection, Jesus rejoices at their success in the submission of the evil spirits in his name: the message is never to cease, never to give up.

    God’s will is for his people to be one. Like the Christians in Thessalonika, we are urged to “rejoice always” and “pray without ceasing”, trusting that as we commit ourselves wholly to working with God, his purpose of unity will finally be fulfilled.



  • Subscribe


  • Hear My Voice

    Children's book to help "Prepare for Mass" Preview sample pages from the book and read reviews. If you like it, please go back to PrepareforMass and order it directly from the link.
    "Religion is not a Technology!" - There needs to be a personal relationship there. - Father Ted Tyler
    If the close relationship between the Last Supper and the mystery of Jesus' death on the Cross is emphasized on Holy Thursday, today, the Feast of Corpus Christi, with the procession and unanimous adoration of the Eucharist, attention is called to the fact that Christ sacrificed himself for all humanity. His passing among the houses and along the streets of our city will be for those who live there an offering of joy, eternal life, peace and love.

    In the Gospel passage, a second element catches one's eye: the miracle worked by the Lord contains an explicit invitation to each person to make his own contribution. The two fish and five loaves signify our contribution, poor but necessary, which he transforms into a gift of love for all.

    "Christ continues today" I wrote in the above-mentioned Post Synodal Exhortation, "to exhort his disciples to become personally engaged" (Sacramentum Caritatis, n. 88).

    Thus, the Eucharist is a call to holiness and to the gift of oneself to one's brethren: "Each of us is truly called, together with Jesus, to be bread broken for the life of the world".

    source: vatican.va


  • Prepare for Mass now on Twitter

  • Twitter Updates

  • Loving Means Acting Like The Good Samaritan

    Today, for example, the liturgy invites us to reflect on the famous Parable of the Good Samaritan (cf. Lk 10: 25-37), which introduces us into the heart of the Gospel message: love for God and love for neighbour. But the person speaking to Jesus asks: who is my neighbour? And the Lord answers by reversing the question and showing through the account of the Good Samaritan that each one of us must make himself close to every person he meets: "Go and do likewise" (Lk 10: 37).

    Loving, Jesus says, means acting like the Good Samaritan. And we know that he himself is the Good Samaritan par excellence; although he was God, he did not hesitate to humble himself to the point of becoming a man and giving his life for us.

    Love is therefore the "heart" of Christian life; indeed, love alone, awakened in us by the Holy Spirit, makes us Christ's witnesses.
    source:vatican.va


  • Texts of St. Josemaría:

    Our Lady was a guest at one of those noisy country weddings attended by people from many different villages. Mary was the only one who noticed the wine was running out. Don’t these scenes from Christ’s life seem familiar to us? The greatness of God lives at the level of ordinary things. It is natural for a woman, a homemaker, to notice an oversight, to look after the little things that make life pleasant. And that is how Mary acted.

    “Do whatever he tells you.” (John 2:5)

    If our faith is weak, we should turn to Mary. Because of the miracle at the marriage feast at Cana, which Christ performed at his Mother’s request, his disciples learned to believe in him (cf. John 2:11). Our Mother is always interceding with her Son so that he may attend to our needs and show himself to us, so that we can cry out, “You are the Son of God.”

    Grant me, dear Jesus, the faith I truly desire. My Mother, sweet Lady, Mary most holy, make me really believe! (Holy Rosary–Appendix, Wedding Feast at Cana)

    The Christian apostolate — and I’m talking about an ordinary Christian living as just one more man or woman among equals — is a great work of teaching. Through real, personal, loyal friendship, you create in others a hunger for God and you help them to discover new horizons — naturally, simply. With the example of your faith lived to the full, with a loving word, which is full of the force of divine truth.

    Be daring. Count on the help of Mary, queen of apostles. Without ceasing to be a mother, Our Lady is able to get each of her children to face his own responsibilities. Mary always does the immense favor of bringing to the cross, of placing face to face with the example of the Son of God, those who come close to her and contemplate her life. It is in this confrontation that Christian life is decided. And here Mary intercedes for us so that our behavior may lead to a reconciliation of the younger brother — you and me — with the firstborn Son of the Father.

    Many conversions, many decisions to give oneself to the service of God have been preceded by an encounter with Mary. Our Lady has encouraged us to look for God, to desire to change, to lead a new life. And so the “Do whatever he tells you” has turned into real self-giving, into a Christian vocation, which from then on enlightens all our personal life. (Christ is Passing By, 149)

    opusdei.us

  • Archives

  • RSS Today’s Gospel

  • RSS Homily of the Day

  • RSS Father Dave Dwyer’s Homilies

    • Let's Dig In! February 24, 2012
      Friday after Ash Wednesday. Father Dave likes when people say "let's dig in!" - don't you? Could we use this term in our faith lives? (Preached on Friday, February 24, 2012, 12:15pm, St. Malachy's Church, 49th and Broadway, Times Square, New York City)
    • Life Gets In The Way February 23, 2012
      Thursday after Ash Wednesday. Have you ever heard the term "life got in the way"? Does any of this ring true of our faith lives? (Preached on Thursday, February 23, 2012, 12:15pm, St. Malachy's Church, 49th and Broadway, Times Square, New York City)
    • If It Be Your Will February 13, 2012
      Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time. Have you ever wanted a particular outcome in your heart with something, even if you outwardly wished for something else? Father Dave sees this situation in the readings today, too. (Preached on Monday, February 13, 2012, 12:15pm, St. Malachy's Church, 49th and Broadway, Times Square, New York City)
    • What Are You Open To? What Are You Closed To? February 10, 2012
      Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin. Which of God's words do we choose to hear or not hear? Do we have selective hearing when it comes to the Lord? Which things do we always gladly welcome into our lives? (Preached on Friday, February 10, 2012, 6:00pm, St. Malachy's Church, 49th and Broadway, Times Square, New York City)
  • RSS Busted Halo Show – Father Dave Dwyer The Catholic Channel Sirius 159

  • RSS SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY

    • An error has occurred; the feed is probably down. Try again later.
  • Pages

  • Holy Eucharist

  • Today is a great day



  • Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 2,235 other followers

  • Tags

  • Ordinary Time Prayer

    Heavenly Father You are the One from Whom every family derives its origin. Grant that, in keeping with Your glorious riches we may be strengthened with power through the Spirit for the development of our inner selves. Help us to develop our natural potentialities to the full while at the same time growing in Your likeness to Your Son Jesus Christ. Amen Lord Jesus I know that all human relations take time if they are to grow and deepen. This is also true of my relations with You, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, which must grow over the course of my life. However, this growth is not automatic; time alone means nothing unless I add earnest efforts to it. You have inspired Your Church to set aside special times when this growth can develop more intensely - the special seasons of the Church Year. If I fail to move toward You during these times, I waste precious opportunities and endanger my spiritual life. Help me to take them seriously and make a real attempt to use them well, so that I may grow into the person You want me to be. New Saint Joseph People's Prayer Book Lenten Prayer Almighty and Everlasting God,
    You have given the human race
    Jesus Christ our Savior as a model of humility.
    He fulfilled Your Will by becoming Man
    And giving His life on the Cross.
    Help us to bear witness to You
    By following His example of suffering
    And make us worthy to share in His Resurrection.
    We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son.

    Amen.
    Our Father...
    MARY, Mother of Jesus,
    you were Jesus’ gift for us from the Cross.
    He gave you to us as our mother.
    Intercede for all our needs.
    Hail Mary...
    Glory Be...


  • The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light

    pope benedict address to diplomatic core - vatican.va As a new year begins, our own hearts and the entire world continue to echo the joyful message proclaimed twenty centuries ago in the night of Bethlehem, a night which symbolizes humanity’s deep need for light, love and peace. To the men and women of that time, as to those of our own day, the heavenly hosts brought the good news of the coming of the Saviour: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined” (Is 9:1). The mystery of the Son of God who became the son of man truly surpasses all human expectations. In its absolute gratuitousness this saving event is the authentic and full response to the deep desire of every heart. The truth, goodness, happiness and abundant life which each man and woman consciously or unconsciously seeks are given to us by God. In longing for these gifts, each person is seeking his Creator, for “God alone responds to the yearning present in the heart of every man and woman” (Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini, 23). Humanity throughout history, in its beliefs and rituals, demonstrates a constant search for God and “these forms of religious expression are so universal that one may well call man a religious being” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 28). The religious dimension is an undeniable and irrepressible feature of man’s being and acting, the measure of the fulfilment of his destiny and of the building up of the community to which he belongs. Consequently, when the individual himself or those around him neglect or deny this fundamental dimension, imbalances and conflicts arise at all levels, both personal and interpersonal.
  • SocialVibe


  • Each of us has dignity

    The Parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Prodigal Son are reminders that each one of us has dignity and are worth everything to God who wants a relationship with us and for us to be happy forever.
  • The Multitudes Were Following After Him

    The crowds were following Jesus when he turned around and made them think about something. Easy is it to follow him when it is convenient. Hard is it to follow him when doing so will cause us discomfort. Sometimes doing the right thing will cause us some discomfort but it is the cross that we are asked to bear.
  • Narrow Gate

    There is a question that has always nagged believers: Will there be many or few people saved? During certain periods this problem became so acute as to cause some people terrible anxiety.

    This Sunday's Gospel informs us that Jesus himself was once asked this question. "Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, 'Lord, will only a few people be saved?'"

    The question, as we see, focuses on the number -- How many will be saved? Will it be many or few? In answering the question, Jesus shifts the focus from "how many" to "how" to be saved, that is, by entering "through the narrow gate."

    We see this same attitude in regard to Jesus' second coming. The disciples ask "when" the return of the Son of Man will happen and Jesus answers indicating "how" we should prepare ourselves for that return, and what to do during the time of waiting (cf. Matthew 24:3-4).

    Jesus' way of responding to these questions is not strange or discourteous. He is just acting in the way of one who wants to teach his disciples how to move from a life of curiosity to one of true wisdom; from the allure of idle questions to the real problems we need to grapple with in life.

    From this we already see the absurdity of those who, like the Jehovah Witnesses, believe they know the precise number of the saved: 144,000.

    This number, which recurs in the Book of Revelations has a purely symbolic value (the square of 12 -- the number of the tribes of Israel -- multiplied by 1,000) and is explained by the expression that immediately follows: "A great multitude that no man could number" (Revelations 7:4, 9).

    Above all, if 144,000 is really the number, then we can both close up shop. Above the gate to heaven there must be a sign like the ones parking lots put up: "Full."

    If, therefore, Jesus is not so much interested in revealing to us the number of the saved as he is in telling us how to be saved, we can understand what he is trying to tell us here. In substance, there are two things: one negative and the other positive.

    It is useless, or rather it is not enough, to belong to a certain ethnic group, race, tradition, or institution, not even the chosen people from whom the Savior himself comes. What puts us on the road to salvation is not a title of ownership ("We ate and drank in your presence..."), but a personal decision, followed by a consistent way of life. This is even more clear in Matthew's text which contrasts two ways and two gates, one narrow and the other wide (cf. Matthew 7:13-14).

    Why are these ways respectively called "narrow" and "wide"? Is it perhaps that the way of evil is always easy and pleasant to follow and the way of goodness always hard and tiresome?

    Here we must be careful not to cede to the usual temptation of believing that here below everything goes magnificently well for the wicked and everything goes terribly for the good.

    The way of the wicked is wide, but only at the beginning. As one goes down this way it gradually becomes narrow and bitter. In any case, it becomes very narrow at the end because it finishes in a blind alley.

    The joy that is experienced in it has the characteristic of diminishing more and more as one tastes it, and it finally causes nausea and sadness. We see this in certain forms of intoxication experienced in drugs, alcohol and sex. A larger dose or stronger stimulation is needed each time to produce pleasure of the same intensity.

    Finally the organism no longer responds and it begins to break down, even physically.

    The way of the just is instead narrow at the beginning, when one starts off on it, but it then becomes a spacious boulevard because hope, joy and peace of heart are found in it.

    Father Cantalamessa

  • Faithfully Waiting

    Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

    Be watchful for you know not the day nor the hour

    You also must be ready for the Son of man is coming at an unexpected hour

    To whom much is given much will be expected

    Keep your lamps burning

    Watchful Servants/Faithful or Unfaithful Servant

    Are you faithful to God?

  • Thoughts on Greed

    Greed and envy focus a person on self. Those who pursue wealth seek security and safety. They use their riches to shield themselves from life's vicissitudes and to find comfort and confidence in material things. In the pursuit of wealth they lose sight of the real meaning of life because they are seduced by the illusion that with their fortune they can control their lives. Yet one day everyone will die - possessions cannot protect against that day. source: Catholic-Bible-School.org

    Novena Prayer to St Martha "St. Martha, I resort to thy protection and aid and as a proof of my affection and faith I offer this light which I shall burn every Tuesday. Comfort me in all my difficulties and through the great favor thou didst enjoy when the Savior was lodged in thy house,. Intercede for my family that we may always hold God in our hearts, and that we may be provided for in all our necessities, I ask, St. Martha, to overcome all difficulties as thou didst overcome the dragon at thy feet."

  • Pope Benedict XVI on the sinful woman redeemed by love

    The manner in which she chose to come before Jesus, bathing his feet with tears and drying them with her hair, kissing them and sprinkling scented oil upon them, was done to shock those who viewed people in her condition with the merciless eye of the judge. What is striking, on the other hand, is the tenderness with which Jesus treated this woman, exploited and judged by so many. In Jesus she found at last a pure eye, a heart capable of loving without exploiting. In the gaze and heart of Jesus she received the revelation of God-Love!

    To avoid any misunderstanding, it should be noted that Jesus' mercy was not expressed by putting moral law in parentheses. For Jesus, good is good and evil is evil. Mercy does not change the connotations of sin but consumes it in a fire of love.



  • Life is not just a succession of events or experiences; it is a search for the true, the good, and the beautiful. It is to this end that we make our choices; it is for this that we exercise our freedom; it is in this - in truth, in goodness, and in beauty - that we find happiness and joy. -PB16 Message for the 43rd World Communications Day May 24, 2009


  • Find a Mass

  • RSS CatholicTV – DAILY MASS – Most Recent Episodes

    • 1st Friday Lent February 24, 2012
      Daily Mass celebrated by Father Mark Murphy, Friday, February 24, 2012. var objname='txtDescription'; From the Catholic web site, CatholicTV.com, our online masses are available every day of the...
  • Holy Mass

  • Watch videos at Vodpod and other videos from this collection.
  • Recent Posts

  • Catholic Roundup’s

  • Pray the Rosary



    Praying the Rosary by Susan Bailey

    Praying the Holy Rosary everyday is a good and holy thing to do.


    Order Susan Bailey's CD...
    Click here for more information


    Prepare for Mass

    Live a good life

    Strive for holiness

    Care for body and soul

  • RSS LifeTeenSundaySundaySunday Podcast

    • Why do Catholics Abstain from Eating Meat on Fridays during Lent? February 24, 2012
      Picture it: You’re in a hurry. You’re focused on school or work or family or friends, where there are a thousand things going on. You stop “real quick” to eat in the middle of the day. Halfway through the meal - or a little while after - you remember it’s Friday. And it’s Lent! And that’s a burger in your stomach!! In the words of Homer Simpson, “D’oh!” […]
  • RSS Gus Lloyd’s Reflections

    • Paging Dr. Jesus February 25, 2012
      We hear more today about things that are pleasing to God in our first reading from Isaiah 58. The Lord also talks about how we should conduct ourselves on the sabbath. "If you honor it by not following your ways, seeking your own interests, or speaking with malice - Then you shall delight in the [...]
      Gus Lloyd
    • An Acceptable Fast February 24, 2012
      In our first reading today from Isaiah 58, we hear what is truly an acceptable form of fasting. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading, the Pharisees ask Jesus why His disciples don't fast. Jesus replies, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will [...]
      Gus Lloyd
  • RSS EWTN Daily

  • Flickr Photos

    Out of Sight

    More Photos
  • RSS Daily Catholic Mass Readings

    • Daily Catholic Mass Readings for Saturday 25 February 2012
      Isaiah 58: 9 - 14 9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, Here I am. "If you take away from the midst of you the yoke, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, 10 if you pour ...
    • Daily Catholic Mass Readings for Friday 24 February 2012
      Isaiah 58: 1 - 9 1 "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins. 2 Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation ...
    • Daily Catholic Mass Readings for Thursday 23 February 2012
      Deuteronomy 30: 15 - 20 15 "See, I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil. 16 If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you this day, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, ...
    • Daily Catholic Mass Readings for Wednesday 22 February 2012
      Joel 2: 12 - 18 12 "Yet even now," says the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13 and rend your hearts and not your garments." Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow ...
    • Daily Catholic Mass Readings for Tuesday 21 February 2012
      James 4: 1 - 10 1 What causes wars, and what causes fightings among you? Is it not your passions that are at war in your members? 2 You desire and do not have; so you kill. And you covet and cannot obtain; so you fight and wage ...
    • Daily Catholic Mass Readings for Monday 20 February 2012
      James 3: 13 - 18 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good life let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the ...
    • Daily Catholic Mass Readings for Sunday 19 February 2012
      Isaiah 43: 18 - 19, 21 - 22, 24 - 25 18 "Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness ...
    • Daily Catholic Mass Readings for Saturday 18 February 2012
      James 3: 1 - 10 1 Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, for you know that we who teach shall be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all make many mistakes, and if any one makes no mistakes in what he says he is ...
    • Daily Catholic Mass Readings for Friday 17 February 2012
      James 2: 14 - 24, 26 14 What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, 16 and one ...
    • Daily Catholic Mass Readings for Thursday 16 February 2012
      James 2: 1 - 9 1 My brethren, show no partiality as you hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man with gold rings and in fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing ...
  • RSS Catholic Online > U.S. News

  • RSS Catholic Answers Forums

    • My husband is back in the hospital February 25, 2012
      I would like to ask for prayers for my husband He is a diabetic who has had an open wound on his leg for almost a year and a half. He has had 3 failed skin grafts and a number of infections. He needed to go back to the hospital again today with another infection. Heavenly Father Please comfort and protect my husband while he needs to be in the hospital. I be […]
    • Saturday Fun February 25, 2012
      This weekend will bring lo of excitement for sports and entertainment fans. Following are some of big events which will be coming on Saturday. Watch Independent Spirit Awards 2012 Online (http://person.com/blogs.event.phtml?uid=5798715&evid=199496) DRIVE4COPD 300 Live Stream (http://person.com/blogs.event.phtml?uid=5798715&evid=199497) NBA All Star S […]
    • This question is for roman catholics in india? February 25, 2012
      I am practicing roman catholicism. Do I have to be a part of Assyrian/oriental Orthodox/ Independent /Eastern Orthodox Church to become a roman catholic???
    • Divorce Question February 25, 2012
      Hi, I need your help. I helped a dear friend return to the Church in which he was baptized, and now he has met with a great personal tragedy. When he was a militant atheist , he met and married an unbaptized atheist in a purely civil ceremony in Europe. Now, she is divorcing him and it seems pretty final. Today he asked me if it was a sin for him to be divor […]
    • Deep repugnance for pro-life work February 25, 2012
      I am very active in the pro-life movement; I'm running my university's pro-life student group, I regularly pray outside abortion clinics, I post pro-life articles on facebook and engage in discussion with friends about life issues, etc. However, I have a great repugnance toward this work. The last thing I want to do each week is to head over to the […]
    • Concentrating at Mass February 25, 2012
      I've got difficulty doing so. Any tips?
    • Can one be Catholic AND Evangelical Christian? February 25, 2012
      I know that you have to be evangelical to be Catholic, because one needs to believe in the Gospel (Evangelio). But my question is: Can one be Roman Catholic and Evangelical Christian (that is, from the Protestant denomination)? I ask because although I attend Mass on Saturday afternoons, I'm also beginning to attend my wife's Evangelical center on […]
    • What is about Vatican II that people object to? February 25, 2012
      It seems that most Ecumenical Councils have some grumbling detractors. Vatican I defined the doctrine of Papal infallibility, and caused several groups to become schismatics (notably the Old Catholics). But I am at a loss to understand why anybody objects to Vatican II - especially among more traditionally-minded Catholics (I consider myself a "traditio […]
    • Demonic Obsession? February 25, 2012
      Hello everyone. I am an eighteen year old female, and I THINK I just suffer from severe OCD. I am concerned, because I recently read about demonic obsession and am worried that I have that instead. I get intruisive thoughts, and sudden urges to do violent things (that I know I wouldn't do) and then I become worried that I would act on them. Most of the […]
    • help February 25, 2012
      please pray for our day care center for poor children and their needs of clothing shoes and note books , food etc
    • Priests and Mortal Sins February 25, 2012
      If a Priest has committed a Mortal Sin, are sacraments preformed by the Priest still valid?
    • Revelation and Christ's Bride February 25, 2012
      Pondering something.... Where is Christ's church in Revelation after the letters to the 7 churches? During the plagues and judgements I see no mention of The Church. Is it that those events don't effect believers? Or is it that they are all killed? I kinda see why rapture believers might think the church is taken away from the carnage. Just wonderi […]
    • Please pray for February 25, 2012
      Those involved in accidents
    • Demonic Obsession? February 25, 2012
      Hello everyone. I am an eighteen year old female, and I THINK I just suffer from severe OCD. I am concerned, because I recently read about demonic obsession and am worried that I have that instead. I get intruisive thoughts, and sudden urges to do violent things (that I know I wouldn't do) and then I become worried that I would act on them. Most of the […]
    • How do we answer Sola Fide? February 25, 2012
      I often hear this from Protestants who claim it is just by faith... But then again, what about the Separation of the Goats and the Sheep? Both call Jesus Lord, so they have faith, but the sheep took care of others, while the goats did nothing. Or Romans 2:6-8: "God “will repay each person according to what they have done.”[a] 7 To those who by persisten […]

Third Sunday of Advent

Posted by prepareformass on December 7, 2010

Sunday December 12 is The Third Sunday of Advent

December 12 2010 – (12/12/2010) – Readings

Is 35:1-6a, 10
Ps 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10
Jas 5:7-10
Mt 11:2-11

Triumph

Be strong

Let the desert and dry lands be glad

The eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unsealed…

Then the lame will leap like a deer and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy

 Prepare the way

Be patient and don’t lose heart because the Lord will be coming soon

LifeTeen Sunday Sunday Sunday podcast
Listen to the Readings



First Reading

Is 35:1-6a, 10
The desert and the parched land will exult;
the steppe will rejoice and bloom.
They will bloom with abundant flowers,
and rejoice with joyful song.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to them,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.
Strengthen the hands that are feeble,
make firm the knees that are weak,
say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
with divine recompense
he comes to save you.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing.

Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return
and enter Zion singing,
crowned with everlasting joy;
they will meet with joy and gladness,
sorrow and mourning will flee.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10
R. (cf. Is 35:4) Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD God keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD gives sight to the blind;
the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.
The LORD loves the just;
the LORD protects strangers.
R. Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations.
R. Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Second Reading

Jas 5:7-10
Be patient, brothers and sisters,
until the coming of the Lord.
See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth,
being patient with it
until it receives the early and the late rains.
You too must be patient.
Make your hearts firm,
because the coming of the Lord is at hand.
Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another,
that you may not be judged.
Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates.
Take as an example of hardship and patience, brothers and sisters,
the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

Gospel

Mt 11:2-11
When John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ,
he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question,
“Are you the one who is to come,
or should we look for another?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Go and tell John what you hear and see:
the blind regain their sight,
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear,
the dead are raised,
and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.
And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”

As they were going off,
Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John,
“What did you go out to the desert to see?
A reed swayed by the wind?
Then what did you go out to see?
Someone dressed in fine clothing?
Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces.
Then why did you go out? To see a prophet?
Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
This is the one about whom it is written:
Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way before you.
Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

 
Advertisement

Leave a Reply

Please log in using one of these methods to post your comment:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out / Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out / Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out / Change )

Connecting to %s

 
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 2,235 other followers