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

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  • 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.

  • 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

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Posts Tagged ‘25th Sunday in Ordinary Time’

Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted by prepareformass on September 19, 2012


Sunday September 23rd 2012 is the

Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”

Year B

MUSIC RECOMMENDATIONS FROM ‘SPIRIT AND SONG’
Mass preparation for families

September 23 2012 – (9/23/2012) – Readings

Wis 2:12, 17-20

Ps 54:3-4, 5, 6 and 8

Jas 3:16-4:3

Mk 9:30-37

LifeTeen Sunday Sunday Sunday podcast

Listen to the Readings

Freely will I offer you sacrifice;
I will praise your name, O LORD, for its goodness.

Selflessness

“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me;
and whoever receives me,
receives not me but the One who sent me.”

The wisdom from above is first of all pure,
then peaceable, gentle, compliant,
full of mercy and good fruits

Mass Preparation for this Sunday

The Center for Liturgy at St Louis University

St Charles Borromeo Catholic Church – www.scborromeo.org 

Catholic Doors Homilies

Posted in 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, catholic, catholicism, christianity, church, faith, jesus christ, Prepare for Mass, Twenty fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, year b | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted by prepareformass on September 17, 2011


Sunday September 18th 2011 is the Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

MUSIC RECOMMENDATIONS FROM ‘SPIRIT AND SONG’

September 18 2011 – (9/18/2011) – Readings

Is 55:6-9

Ps 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18

Phil 1:20c-24, 27a

Mt 20:1-16a

LifeTeen Sunday Sunday Sunday podcast

Listen to the Readings

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time – The laborers in the vineyard

Generosity of God

 

The Lord is kind and merciful

 

Thus says the Lord… “As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts.”

The Lord is near to all who call upon him.

The LORD is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and of great kindness.

The LORD is good to all

and compassionate toward all his works.

First Reading

Is 55:6-9

Seek the LORD while he may be found,call him while he is near.

Let the scoundrel forsake his way,

and the wicked his thoughts;

let him turn to the LORD for mercy;

to our God, who is generous in forgiving.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.

As high as the heavens are above the earth,

so high are my ways above your ways

and my thoughts above your thoughts.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18

R. (18a) The Lord is near to all who call upon him.Every day will I bless you,

and I will praise your name forever and ever.

Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;

his greatness is unsearchable.

R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.

The LORD is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and of great kindness.

The LORD is good to all

and compassionate toward all his works.

R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.

The LORD is just in all his ways

and holy in all his works.

The LORD is near to all who call upon him,

to all who call upon him in truth.

R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.

Second Reading

Phil 1:20c-24, 27a

Brothers and sisters:Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.

For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.

If I go on living in the flesh,

that means fruitful labor for me.

And I do not know which I shall choose.

I am caught between the two.

I long to depart this life and be with Christ,

for that is far better.

Yet that I remain in the flesh

is more necessary for your benefit.Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Gospel

Mt 20:1-16a

Jesus told his disciples this parable:”The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner

who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.

After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,

he sent them into his vineyard.

Going out about nine o’clock,

the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard,

and I will give you what is just.’

So they went off.

And he went out again around noon,

and around three o’clock, and did likewise.

Going out about five o’clock,

the landowner found others standing around, and said to them,

‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’

They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’

He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’

When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,

‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay,

beginning with the last and ending with the first.’

When those who had started about five o’clock came,

each received the usual daily wage.

So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,

but each of them also got the usual wage.

And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,

‘These last ones worked only one hour,

and you have made them equal to us,

who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’

He said to one of them in reply,

‘My friend, I am not cheating you.

Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?

Take what is yours and go.

What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?

Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?

Are you envious because I am generous?’

Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Mass Preparation for this Sunday

The Center for Liturgy at St Louis University

St Charles Borromeo Catholic Church – www.scborromeo.org

LifeTeen

Posted in 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, catholic, catholicism, christianity, church, faith, jesus christ, Prepare for Mass, Twenty fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, year a | Tagged: , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Parable of the laborers in the vineyard

Posted by prepareformass on September 14, 2008


Prepare for Mass – 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Todays Readings

The Lord is near to all who call upon him in truth – Ps 145:18. 
Seek the LORD while he may be found, call him while he is near – Is 55:6
and turn away from things that are bad for us and cling to his mercy and compassion. His ways are far above our ways.  

Is 55: 6-9
Seek the LORD while he may be found, call him while he is near.
Let the scoundrel forsake his way, and the wicked man his thoughts; Let him turn to the LORD for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts.

Paul in Phil 1:20-24 discusses living in Christ and dying with Christ.  “Christ will be magnified in my body whether by life or by death” Phil 1:20c.  He speaks about living in the flesh as fruitful labor.

Jesus tells a parable of the landowner who hires people to labor in the field.  The ones who start late are treated with the same compassion as those who labor all day.  This shows the tremendous compassion God has for all people.  In this parable we are reminded by the landowner searching for laborers throughout the day of how God searches for us throughout our lives.  As we work and labor throughout life doing good deeds are we compassionate for people who in the eleventh hour are called into labor or are we upset with envy by God’s generosity?

Laborers in the vineyard – Justin Allard

Homily – Fr Bonaventure – The Parable of the Vineyard

Pope Benedict General Intentions February 2008 – Kristy Linnhoff

Marie Bellet – Ordinary Time

Psalm 145
Photographic depiction of Psalm 145 from YouTube user marghut

More Psalm 145 videos…


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