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for Roman Catholics http://www.shrineofsaintjude.net/home-s19-2010.html |
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for Roman Catholics http://www.shrineofsaintjude.net/home-s19-2010.html |
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Proper Preparation
Catholic Douay Rheims Bible
This is the Written Word of God
"Proximate preparation" includes two prayers:
1) The Act of Contrition.
2) The Veni, Sancte Spiritus.
O my God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, because I love Thee above all things with my whole heart and soul. I detest all of my sins because it was for them and His Love for me that Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity, my Lord and my God, suffered, was crucified, and died on the cross. O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee by my sins, faults, imperfections, negligences and carelessness, Who art all good and deserving of all of my love.
I firmly resolve with the help of Thy Grace, to sin no more, to confess my sins, to do penance, to amend my life, to avoid all of the near occasions of sin, and always give to Thee freely, liberally and generously what is of supererogation and perfection, not only in greater things, but especially in lesser things, so that I may gain beforehand Thy efficacious, superabundant, particular and special Graces and Helps so that I will always be victorious in resisting and overcoming all temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil and his followers. Grant me those Graces and Helps needed so that my every thought, word and action may be done solely out of love for Thee, Who art Love. Amen.
Saint John Chrysostom
It was the custom of Patriarch Saint John Chrysostom [b. Antioch, c. 347 A.D. - d. at Commana in Pontus on Friday, September 14, 407 A.D.], Patriarch of Constantinople [Thursday, February 26, 398 A.D. - Thursday, June 24, 404 A.D.], exiled from his See the 2nd time on Thursday, June 24, 404 A.D., Father and Doctor of the Catholic Church, to properly prepare himself and his Congregation before preaching. He taught that unless God the Holy Ghost prepares the minds and hearts of the Preacher and of the Congregation, the Preacher preaches in vain and the Congregation listens in vain.
Therefore, so as not to waste your time, please pray the Veni, Sancte Spiritus, remembering how one Holy Saint was of the opinion that a Sermon is a Sacramental.
Veni, Sancte Spiritus
Come, O Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful
And kindle in them the fire of Thy love.
V. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be
created;
R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
Let Us Pray
O God, who didst instruct the hearts of Thy faithful by the light of Thy Holy Spirit, grant us in the same Spirit to relish what is right and ever to rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary; pray for us.
Saint Thomas Aquinas, Patron Saint of Catholic Schools,
pray for us.
Epistle for Easter Sunday
1 Corinthians 5:7-8.
The Epistle appointed to be read during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass today is taken from Saint Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verses 7-8.
Brethren:
Purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new paste, as you are unleavened. For Christ our pasch is sacrificed. Therefore let us feast, not with the old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and Truth.
Gospel for Easter Sunday
Mark 16:1-7.
The Gospel for today is taken from the Holy Gospel of Saint Mark, Chapter 16, Verses 1-7.
At that time:
Mary Magdalen, and Mary the Mother of James, and Salome, bought sweet spices, that coming, they might anoint Jesus. And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they come to the sepulchre, the sun being now risen.
And they said one to another: Who shall roll us back the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
And looking, they saw the stone rolled back. For it was very great. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed with a white robe: and they were astonished. Who saith to them:
Be not affrighted; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, Who was crucified: He is risen, He is not here, behold the place where they laid him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He goeth before you into Galilee; there you shall see Him, as He told you.Thus far are the words of today's Holy Gospel.
“Who... by rising
again has restored us to life.”
(PASCHAL
PREFACE)
VIn
the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.
“For as yet they knew not the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead” (John 20:9).In meditating on these things, five points immediately come to mind:
1) The infinite goodness of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
2) The delightful beauty of His glorified body.
3) His wonderful love for each of us.
4) The joyful solemnity of God.
5) The fervent Charity of the Holy Women.
The word “Jesus” means “Saviour” because Jesus wished to die for each of us that He might save each of us by His bloody death on the Cross. This shows His infinite goodness. There are three reasons why the Savior appears today:
(1) Because He saved us today from those demons whom He despoiled today as God the Holy Ghost testifies through the pen of Saint Paul:
“And despoiling the principalities and powers, He hath exposed them confidently in open shew, triumphing over them in Himself” (Colossians 2:15).(2) Because today He saved each of us from death which He vanquished today as you read in the Collect:
“O God, Who on this day, through Thine only-begotten Son, didst overcome death, and open unto us the gates of everlasting life”.You also find God the Holy Ghost telling us through Saint Paul that:
“Death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54)because today Christ victoriously rose, having conquered death itself.
(3) Because Christ saved us from Hell by unchaining all of us from Hell today as the Psalmist sings:
“Because He hath broken gates of brass, and burst iron bars” (Psalm 106:16)which is echoed by Isaias the Prophet:
“I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and will burst the bars of iron” (Isaias 45:2)which refer to the Gates of Hell.
2) The delightful beauty of His glorified body.
This is fittingly expressed by the word “Nazarene” as it is customarily applied to Christ. This signifies the flower of flowers whose beauty remains where you read in Solomon’s Canticle of Canticles in the original Hebrew - which is literally translated as:
“I narcissus of the Sharon, anemone of the vales”,which in English is translated as:
“I am the Rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys” (Canticle of Canticles 2:1).
The death of Christ was an Act of Heroic Charity, far beyond the greatest Charity witnessed before or since. This Heroic Charity is beyond any person’s ability to comprehend as the Apostle teaches:
“the charity of Christ, which surpasseth all knowledge” (Ephesians 3:19).The Beloved Apostle remarks that:
“Greater love than this no man hath” (John 15:13).
(1) To prove to everyone not only that He really died, but also that he really rose from this death, because it was self-evident to everyone who was present at His death that He really and truly was dead as the Book of Acts testifies:
“And We are witnesses of all things that He did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, Whom they killed, hanging Him upon a tree. Him God raised up the third day, and gave Him to be made manifest, Not to all the people, but to witnesses preordained by God, even to Us, who did eat and drink with Him after He arose again from the dead” (Acts 10:39-41).(2) That just as a tree had produced the fruit of death in the Garden, so also another Tree would produce the fruit of life to vivify all of us as Saint Gregory the Great says:
“Who by the wood of the Cross wrought salvation for the human race”.(3) That just as the Devil had overcome mankind by a tree, so also Christ, in like manner, by another Tree, would be triumphant and totally victorious.
4) The joyful solemnity of God.
Here today’s festivity is acknowledged. Christ’s Resurrection from the dead today makes today an occasion of great solemnity and joy. David, by God the Holy Ghost in prophecy, sings in Psalm 117:
“This is the day which the Lord hath made: let us be glad and rejoice therein” (Psalm 117:24).There are three events which make today solemn:
(1) The sending of an Angel from Heaven:
“For an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and coming, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. And his countenance was as lightning, and his raiment as snow. And for fear of him, the guards were struck with terror, and became as dead men” (Matthew 28:2-4).(2) The earth, by leaping for joy:
“There was a great earthquake” (Matthew 28:2).(3) The graves of the Saints were opened:
“The graves were opened: and many bodies of the Saints that had slept arose, and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, came into the holy city, and appeared to many” (Matthew 27:52-53).
“The first day of the week, came Mary Magdalen and the other Mary, to see the sepulchre” (Matthew 28:1).These Holy Women teach us to seek Jesus in 3 ways - by Faith, Hope, and Charity.“And the Angel answering, said to the Women: Fear not you; for I know that you seek Jesus Who was crucified. He is not here, for He is risen, as He said. Come, and see the place where the Lord was laid” (Matthew 28:5-6).
(1) We seek Him by Faith because all of us seek the light of His Truth.
(2) We seek Him by Hope because we all look for the glory of His Majesty.
(3) We seek Him by Charity because we all seek His goodness.
Let each of us resolve, with God’s Graces, to contemplate on the following this week:
1) The infinite goodness of Our Lord Jesus Christ: because He saved us today from those demons whom He despoiled today; because today He saved each of us from death which He vanquished today; and, because today Christ victoriously rose, having conquered death itself.As a final resolution, in the Holy Name of Jesus, and in an exercise of Catholic Charity, please contribute to the support of the Church - in this case - the Shrine of Saint Jude. Please help us to save Souls!2) The delightful beauty of His glorified body which is fittingly expressed by the word “Nazarene” as it is customarily applied to Christ, and signifies the flower of flowers whose beauty remains, as Solomon’s Canticle of Canticles has it: "I am the Rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys”.
3) His wonderful love for each of us. The death of Christ was an Act of Heroic Charity, that charity "which surpasseth all knowledge” because “Greater love than this no man hath”. In this way did Christ prove to everyone not only that He really died, but also that he really rose from this death and that, just as a tree had produced the fruit of death in the Garden, so also another Tree would produce the fruit of life to vivify all of us since just as the Devil had overcome mankind by a tree, so also Christ, in like manner, by another Tree, would be triumphant and totally victorious.
4) The joyful solemnity of God. Consider the three events which make today solemn, namely: the sending of an Angel from Heaven; the earth, by leaping for joy; and, the graves of the Saints were opened.
5) The fervent Charity of the Holy Women who sought Christ by: Faith - because all of us seek the light of His Truth; Hope - because we all look for the glory of His Majesty; and Charity - because we all seek His goodness.
Thank you for your thoughtfulness and Charity! Remember, God is never outdone in generosity!!!
Think how happy you will be when, in the next life, God shows you all of the Souls you helped to save by helping our Apostolates, including this Sermon web site, because "he who causeth a sinner to be converted from the error of his way, shall save his soul from death, and shall cover a multitude of sins" (James 5:20).
“And in doing good, let us not fail. For in due time we shall reap, not failing. Therefore, whilst we have time, let us work good to all men, but especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Galatians 6:9-10).
The Blessing
| V. Sit X Nomen
Domini benedictum.
R. Ex hoc nunc, et usque in saeculum. V. U Adjutorium nostrum in Nomine Domini. R. Qui fecit cœlum et terram. V. Benedicat vos, Omnipotens Deus: V. Pa X ter, et Fi X lius, et Spiritus XSanctus, descendat super vos, et maneat semper. R. Amen. |
V. Blessed X
be the Name of the Lord.
R. Now and for ever more. V. U Our help is in the Name of the Lord. R. Who made Heaven and earth. V. May Almighty God bless thee: V. The Fa X ther, the S X on, and the Holy X Ghost, descend upon thee, and always remain with thee. R. Amen. |
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