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Saint of the Day: St. Jerome (WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30)

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September 30, 2020

Saint of the Day: St. Jerome (WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30)

Patron Saint of Scripture Scholars

History

+ Jerome was born in northern Italy and received a good education. He learned to write Latin and acquired a love of the classics. In 374, Jerome traveled to the Holy Land and spent time with a group of monks in Calchis. It was during this time that he learned Hebrew.

+ After studying Scripture in Constantinople, Jerome went to Rome, where he served as secretary for Pope Saint Damasus.

+ In 384, Jerome settled in Bethlehem, where his study of Scripture bore great fruit. In addition to translating the Bible into Latin, he composed several commentaries on Scripture and became the spiritual director for a group of nuns under the direction of Saint Paula.

+ Between 410 and 4121, Jerome set aside his studies to provide shelter and care for Roman refugees who had sought shelter in Bethlehem after Saracens invaded Palestine. At that time he wrote, “I cannot help them all, but I grieve and weep with them. Completely involved in the activities charity imposes on me, I have set aside my commentary on Ezekiel and almost all study. For today we must translate the words of Scripture into deeds, and instead of speaking saintly words we must act them.”

+ Jerome died in 420. In 1298, he was named a Doctor of the Church. He is honored as the patron of those who study and teach Sacred Scripture.

+ Saint Jerome’s Latin translation of the Bible was the result of a commission given to him in 382 by Pope Saint Damasus to revise the “Old Latin” Gospels then used by the Church. Jerome’s translation came to be known as the Latin “Vulgate” and was the Church’s official translation of the Bible (with minor changes) until 1979 when the Nova (“New”) Vulgate was promulgated.

FOR PRAYER AND REFLECTION

“How could one live without the knowledge of Scripture, through which one learns to know Christ himself, who is the life of believers?”—Saint Jerome

PRAYER

O God, who gave the Priest Saint Jerome

a living and tender love for Sacred Scripture,

grant that your people

may be ever more fruitfully nourished by your Word

and find in it the fount of life.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

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

one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

PRAYER FOR THIS MORNING (WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30)

raphael

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September 30, 2020

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PRAYER FOR THIS MORNING (WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30)

Saint Jerome

Prayer for the Morning

The Word of the Lord endures for ever:

let us give thanks and praise!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning,

is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia!

HYMN

Jerome the ardent, strong and keen ascetic,

Eminent scholar, steeped in erudition,

Greatly we praise him since all ages profit

By his wide knowledge.

Learned and tireless, nothing could deter him

From patient study, though when critics pressed him,

Fierce as a lion, he would swiftly answer

In refutation.

Sparing no labor, he explored with relish

Scripture’s green pastures, digging for its treasure,

That in its pages many should find graces

Rich and abundant.

Seeking the silence of the lonely desert

Christ’s lowly birthplace won his predilection;

There to his labors and his prayer he added

Penance and fasting.

PSALM 119:105-112

Now indeed I know that you are a man of God. The word of the Lord comes truly from your mouth. (cf. 1 Kgs 17:24)

Saint Jerome lived intensely by the light of God’s Word through study, prayer, and the painstaking work of translating it into the vernacular, which was Latin at the time, and writing commentaries on it.

Your word is a lamp for my steps

and a light for my path.

I have sworn and have made up my mind

to obey your decrees.

Lord, I am deeply afflicted:

by your word give me life.

Accept, Lord, the homage of my lips

and teach me your decrees.

Though I carry my life in my hands,

I remember your law.

Though the wicked try to ensnare me

I do not stray from your precepts.

Your will is my heritage for ever,

the joy of my heart.

I set myself to carry out your will

in fullness, for ever.

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (2 Timothy 3:14-17)

Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it, and that from infancy you have known [the] sacred scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

Behold, I make my words/ in your mouth, a fire.

(Jer 5:14)

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH

Jesus answered and said to him, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” (Jn 14:23)

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;

he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior,

born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old

that he would save us from our enemies,

from the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers

and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:

to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

free to worship him without fear,

holy and righteous in his sight

all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet

of the Most High;

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

to give his people knowledge of salvation

by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God

the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

to shine on those who dwell in darkness

and the shadow of death,

and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father…

INTERCESSIONS

God speaks his Word to all peoples. In gratitude, let us pray:

R/Speak, Lord; your servants are listening!

For all students and teachers of your Word:

– fill them with the spirit of wisdom and understanding. R/

For all translators of your Word:

– grant them patience and perseverance at their difficult task. R/

For all who pray your Word:

– fill us with love for you and for the gift of the Scriptures. R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

O God, you illumined Saint Jerome with love for your Word and for the task of proclaiming it to others. Shine on your people’s path, that we may walk always in the light of your Word toward your heavenly Kingdom, through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

PRAYER FOR THIS EVENING (TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29)

raphael

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September 29, 2020

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PRAYER FOR THIS EVENING (TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29)

Prayer for the Evening

In the presence of the angels

let us praise our God!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning,

is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia!

HYMN

Stars of the morning, so gloriously bright,

Filled with celestial splendor and light,

These that, where night never follows the day,

Raise the “Thrice Holy” song ever and aye.

These are your ministers, these do you own,

God of Sabaoth, the nearest your throne;

These are your messengers, these do you send,

Help of the helpless ones! man to defend.

Still let them succor us; still let them fight,

Lord of angelic hosts, battling for right;

Till, where their anthems they ceaselessly pour,

We with the angels may bow and adore.

PSALM 138:1-5

The angel who spoke with me said to me, Proclaim: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am deeply moved for the sake of Jerusalem and Zion. (Zec 1:14)

In whatever form they appear, the great angels of God bear the message of God’s faithfulness and love for his people, and proclaim the glory of his saving power.

I thank you, Lord, with all my heart,

you have heard the words of my mouth.

In the presence of the angels I will bless you.

I will adore before your holy temple.

I thank you for your faithfulness and love

which excel all we ever knew of you.

On the day I called, you answered;

you increased the strength of my soul.

All earth’s kings shall thank you

when they hear the words of your mouth.

They shall sing of the Lord’s ways:

“How great is the glory of the Lord!”

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (Isaiah 63:9)

It was not a messenger or an angel,/ but he himself who saved them./ Because of his love and pity/ he redeemed them himself,/ Lifting them and carrying them/ all the days of old.

Blessed be God for ever!

CANTICLE OF MARY

Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest/ and on earth peace.” (Lk 2:13-14)

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,

he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father…

INTERCESSIONS

To the One who reigns above the angels yet stoops down to hear the prayers of earth, let us pray:

R/With the angels, we sing your praise!

You are all-holy and all-loving: R/

You send your messengers to bear the tidings of salvation: R/

You will to gather your people into your glory with all the angels: R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

May mercy, peace, and love be ours in abundance. Amen. (cf. Jude 2)

MARIAN ANTIPHON

Antiphon for the Feast of the Nativity

of the Blessed Virgin Mary,

8 September

With joy let us celebrate the nativity of blessed Mary,

that she may intercede for us

before the Lord Jesus Christ.

Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae;

vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.

Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Evae.

Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes

in hac lacrimarum valle.

Eia ergo, advocata nostra,

illos tuos misericordes oculos

ad nos converte.

Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,

nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.

O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.

Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy,

our life, our sweetness, and our hope.

To you do we cry,

poor banished children of Eve.

To you do we send up our sighs,

mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.

Turn then, O most gracious advocate,

your eyes of mercy toward us,

and after this our exile

show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus.

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

V/ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,

R/ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

The young artist and athlete who continues to inspire even after his death

raphael

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September 29, 2020

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The young artist and athlete who continues to inspire even after his death

Isaac Scharbach’s faith, virtue, and talent was already apparent, but the extent of it all is becoming more widely known.

Today, Isaac Ian Scharbach would have turned 22, but on August 1 he was tragically killed while cycling near his family home in Maryland. In the days that have followed, what family and friends have revealed about Isaac — his virtue, his spiritual depth, his love of life and devotion to others — has been inspiring many far and wide. What began when he was here has continued after his death. His incredible life is an example for all of us, young and not so young.Isaac is the second child and eldest son of Fr. Albert Scharbach, a former Anglican priest who was ordained in the Catholic Church seven years ago and is now pastor of Mount Calvary Catholic Church in downtown Baltimore, and Abby Scharbach, who works at the GIVEN Institute and heads up ministries at their parish as well as homeschooling some of their children.

Isaac has eight siblings and took his brotherly role to heart, developing a close relationship with each of them. As his father shared in an interview in The Catholic Review, Isaac had a “seemingly irreplaceable role in our family, where he served as the primary balm who could soften, inspire, and encourage each of us. But I know God wouldn’t take someone so devoted to him unless there was a great blessing intended.”

It was with this belief that Fr. Scharbach was able to celebrate his own son’s funeral Mass on the feast of the Transfiguration, just a few days after Isaac’s passing. His moving homily can be read and watched here.

While Isaac loved his family dearly, it was his incredible faith, service to others, and love of beauty that makes him an unusual young adult worthy of emulation.

Incredible spiritual journal entries

Although it isn’t common for modern teenage boys, Isaac kept a spiritual journal throughout his high school years that provides some insight into his faith and the remarkable person he was. (At that time, he was also considering religious life.) His father has shared some of the entries that Isaac wrote when he was a teen, and wrote this of Isaac in a recent Facebook entry:

“Anyone who knew Isaac could speak of his great exuberance for life. Anything he did, he was ALL IN. He was fun-loving and brought the best out of everyone. But sometimes I wondered where his sanctity came from: always making a priority of prayer, always thinking the best of others, always kind. He surpassed any example I gave him. But as I look at his journal, I’ve learned that his sanctity didn’t just ‘happen.’ He fought for it every day. Entry after entry like this:

“I am your instrument, O God; I am humble before your glory. I cower at your brightness, O God, and all I can do is praise you. O God, help me to empty myself of all that is futile. Come upon me, O God. Fill my mind; inspire my heart. May I serve you through all of my beings; may everything I do radiate your love, hope, and peace. Father, make my poor self a dwelling of your glory, your Spirit. Amen.” — Isaac, age 16, 2014

This following entry, also from 2014, speaks of Isaac’s utter faith in God:

“O God, I don’t know when I will leave this world: any day, any hour. What a great goodbye that will be — all my relationships, all my work, all my longings, all my worldly joys. How soon this day will come. May I not store up any faith in a world I will leave so soon. May my only goal, my only faith, my only hope be in you, my Lord. May no hour pass without my offering thanksgiving. O Father, I am yours.” — Isaac, age 15

Fr. Albert also spoke of another diary entry his son made at a time he was physically exhausted:

“O God, I am weary, I am weary. My limbs are heavy, my eyelids droop, my breath comes in sighs. Even so, I will sing your praise, my God. Even in exhaustion, I find joy and peace in you, my God.” — Isaac, age 15

While Isaac’s unusually powerful journal entries speak of his faith, many — including college friends, classmates, and professors — have shared how their personal encounters with him deeply affected their own faith and changed their lives.

Fr. Joseph Gill, a deacon at the Catholic Community of South Baltimore in 2010, who knew the Scharbach family and witnessed Isaac serve as an altar boy, recalled him to be “a quiet, devout boy — I remember him always recollected in prayer, even as a young teen,” adding that Isaac was “a soul who achieved great holiness in his 21 years.” Father Gill ended his Facebook post with: “The #1 greatest joy of being a priest is belonging completely to Jesus. The second greatest joy of being a priest is meeting living saints — people, young and old, whose holiness is an inspiration to me and to the world …”

A “quiet leader”

Isaac was highly involved in high school campus ministry at Mount St Joseph in Baltimore. According to Clay Bonham, a religion teacher, and director of campus ministry, “He had a strong devotion to the Divine Mercy Chaplet and said we should do it on Fridays. We did,” Bonham added, “and he brought other students in on that.” In fact, Isaac would rise early before school to pray the Divine Office on his own without any encouragement from others.

The “quiet leader” was also a well-rounded scholar, as his former science teacher, Jason Ader, attested to when explaining that although science wasn’t Isaac’s real area of interest, he nevertheless “jumped into chemistry and did incredibly well. He was an all-around world scholar. He could do it all – classics, math, the sciences. He was so talented but never flashy. He was just quietly extraordinary.”

This level of enthusiasm and desire to serve God followed Isaac to Davidson College in North Carolina, where he was due to enter his senior year this fall as a double major in art and classical studies. He was an active member of the Catholic campus ministry and on his own initiative had begun to raise money to build an adoration chapel at Davidson, a Presbyterian college.

An athlete who loved cycling and the outdoors

As a young teen, Isaac began to share a love for cycling with his father and eventually also his younger brother. At college, he would cycle to and from Mass, and loved being out amidst God’s creation. His mother Abby has written of his great love of adventure and the outdoors:

“…whenever we went on family hikes, Isaac would run ahead and climb up every rock or precipice he could find. He loved the heights, the conquest. In life, he’s run ahead of us in every way—in holiness, in love, and vision. And now he’s climbed that last mountain ahead of us too.”

An artist and lover of beauty

As if all these graces and talents weren’t enough, Isaac was a very gifted artist who recognized beauty all around him and deeply related to this great attribute of God. His father shared a few of his diary entries that Isaac specifically wrote about beauty:

“Distance from God is the source of our lack of understanding of beauty. Closeness to God gives understanding of beauty because God is Beauty.” – Notebook journal, 12/18

“What does it mean to love someone? To appreciate the beauty of a person. That is, to see Christ in them and adore him.” – Prayer journal, inside cover

“O God, what incomparable joy it is to love and serve you. Beauty in art, in poetry, and in nature points to your beauty, O God, and I thank you that you have so blessed us in this world with knowledge of you—perception of and attainment of you being the end of all beauties.” – Prayer journal, 2/19

“Jesus was present throughout salvation history in God’s revelation to his people. This reached it’s climax when this Word became flesh. By creating something beautiful, the artist has the responsibility of revealing God, of making Christ mystically incarnate in his work.” – Art journal, 12/19

Isaac began creating art, including sacred art, in high school, and studied under one of the best iconographers in the world in Greece during his junior year in college. In fact, he was due to spend this past summer at Mount Athos doing just that, but the pandemic prevented it.

Theotokos by Isaac Scharbach, tempura paints in 5 colors

Eucharistic devotion

Isaac’s father also shared how his firstborn son “always received the Eucharist as if it was his first time receiving, his last time receiving, his only time receiving,” adding, “This was evident in his face and his entire bodily posture: peace, joy and an apparent interior ecstasy that communicated there was no place else he would rather be.”

Serving Easter Vigil Mass with his father, Fr. Albert Scharbach; Isaac in foreground.

Through his faith and the example set to him by his incredible family, Isaac grew into a man who served God in everything he did. In addition to his humility, perhaps what stood out most about him for most people was his kindness and readiness to serve.

“Isaac was always kind, he always thought the best of others and he was always trying to help people,” shared his father. “And I mean always, without exception. There are very few other people I can say that about, if anyone.”

This young man truly made a difference to those he met. It is a true testament to his virtue for his father to share in an interview with The Catholic Review, “I raised my son, but now he is raising me up by his example.”

Isaac leaves behind his mother and father and his eight siblings: Keelan, Kady, Ander, Ellie, Thomas, Sophie, Alessia, and Greta. May his soul, and the souls of all our faithful departed, rest in peace. Isaac Scharbach, pray for us!

Isaac, second from the left, with his family.

John Paul II promoted the St. Michael Prayer to protect life in the womb

raphael

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September 29, 2020

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John Paul II promoted the St. Michael Prayer to protect life in the womb

The Polish Pontiff recalled the Book of Revelation and how St. Michael protected the woman about to give birth.

St. John Paul II was widely known for his promotion of the pro-life cause, believing that both child and mother deserved to be cared for and protected.In particular, John Paul II saw the struggle to protect life in the womb as a spiritual battle. He saw this most clearly when he read a chapter in the Book of Revelation, in which St. John describes a vision of a woman about to give birth.

John Paul II related his observations in a Regina Caeli Address in 1994.

During the Easter season, the Church reads the Book of Revelation, which contains the words relating to the great sign that appeared in heaven: a Woman clothed with the sun ; this is the Woman about to give birth. The apostle John sees a red dragon appear before it, determined to devour the newborn child (cf. Rev 12, 1-4).

This apocalyptic image also belongs to the mystery of the resurrection. The Church re-proposes it on the day of the Assumption of the Mother of God. It is an image which has its expression also in our times, particularly in the Year of the Family. When in fact all the threats against life accumulate in front of the woman that she is about to bring into the world, we must turn to the Woman clothed with the sun, so that she surrounds with her maternal care every human being undermined in the maternal womb.

He then explains how St. Michael is a strong advocate for this spiritual battle and why we should say the St. Michael Prayer.

May prayer strengthen us for that spiritual battle of which the Letter to the Ephesians speaks: “Draw strength in the Lord and in the strength of his power” ( Eph 6:10 ). It is to this same battle that the Book of Revelation refers, recalling before our eyes the image of St. Michael the Archangel (cf. Rev 12: 7). Pope Leo XIII was certainly well aware of this scene when, at the end of the last century, he introduced a special prayer to St. Michael throughout the Church : “Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil …”

Even if today this prayer is no longer recited at the end of the Eucharistic celebration, I invite everyone not to forget it, but to recite it to obtain help in the battle against the forces of darkness and against the spirit of this world.

While the protection of life in the womb requires a multi-faceted and compassionate approach, we should not forget the spiritual battle that is at work and how Satan greatly delights in the destruction of human life.

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.

PRAYER FOR THIS MORNING (TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29)

raphael

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September 29, 2020

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PRAYER FOR THIS MORNING (TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29)

Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael

Prayer for the Morning

Let us praise God above all for ever!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning,

is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia!

HYMN

O Lord, the angels’ sheer delight!

Their life reflects your splendor bright;

As we today their praise declare,

May we their joy for ever share.

Saint Michael, be our refuge here,

Preserve us from all useless fear;

Through you may God his peace bestow

On all the nations here below.

Saint Gabriel, be with us this day,

Reveal God’s will to us, we pray;

As Mary once did answer you,

May our response be firm and true.

Saint Raphael, heal our sinful heart,

May God his grace to us impart,

And may you guide us on the way

That we may never go astray.

PSALM 103:19-22

You walk on the wings of the wind,/ you make the winds your messengers/ and flashing fire your servants. (Ps 104:3-4)

The great archangels—Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael—lead the choirs of those awesome servants of God whom we picture as “wings of the wind” and “flashes of fire,” and to whom we give the name “angel,” meaning “messenger.”

The Lord has set his sway in heaven

and his kingdom is ruling over all.

Give thanks to the Lord, all his angels,

mighty in power, fulfilling his word,

who heed the voice of his word.

Give thanks to the Lord, all his hosts,

his servants who do his will.

Give thanks to the Lord, all his works,

in every place where he rules.

My soul, give thanks to the Lord!

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (Isaiah 6:1-3)

I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, with the train of his garment filling the temple. Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings: with two they veiled their faces, with two they veiled their feet, and with two they hovered aloft.

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts!” they cried one to the other. “All the earth is filled with his glory!”

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts! (Is 6:3)

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH

Exult with him, you heavens,/ glorify him, all you angels of God. (Dt 32:43)

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;

he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior,

born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old

that he would save us from our enemies,

from the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers

and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:

to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

free to worship him without fear,

holy and righteous in his sight

all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet

of the Most High;

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

to give his people knowledge of salvation

by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God

the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

to shine on those who dwell in darkness

and the shadow of death,

and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father…

INTERCESSIONS

To God who is enthroned upon the seraphim, we pray:

R/We give you thanks and praise!

Through the power of Michael, leader of the heavenly armies in the war against evil:

– protect your people, Lord! R/

Through the word of Gabriel, message-bearer of the Gospel:

– save your people, Lord! R/

Through the intervention of Raphael, companion and healer:

– comfort your people, Lord! R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

O God, in your great wisdom you have given to your angels and to your people each their proper tasks. Grant us their protection, who serve ever in your presence, through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

PRAYER FOR THIS EVENING (MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28)

raphael

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September 28, 2020

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PRAYER FOR THIS EVENING (MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28)

Prayer for the Evening

God is our shelter and our shield:

come, let us adore!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning,

is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia!

HYMN

Our King of glory, him have we,

The Lion-Lord of victory:

The Father’s sole-begotten Son

Light’ning the ages as they run.

R/And therefore Father, Son, adore

With Holy Spirit evermore.

That dear, through him, to God we be,

From death delivered and set free:

Our death-wounds healed by his, despite

The ancient dragon’s deadly bite. R/

PSALM 36:6-10

Over all, his glory will be shelter and protection:/ shade from the parching heat of day,/ refuge and cover from storm and rain. (Is 4:6)

Jesus Christ, God’s Only Begotten Son, is the wealth of his house; the Spirit pouring out upon the world through his Death and Resurrection is the stream of God’s delight and the source of life. These gifts of God’s love are the origin of all holiness.

Your love, Lord, reaches to heaven;

your truth to the skies.

Your justice is like God’s mountain,

your judgments like the deep.

To both man and beast you give protection.

O Lord, how precious is your love.

My God, the sons of men

find refuge in the shelter of your wings.

They feast on the riches of your house;

they drink from the stream of your delight.

In you is the source of life

and in your light we see light.

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (Revelation 7:15-16)

They stand before God’s throne/ and worship him day and night in his temple./ The one who sits on the throne will shelter them./ They will not hunger or thirst anymore,/ nor will the sun or any heat strike them.

Let me dwell in your tent for ever/ and hide

in the shelter of your wings. (Ps 61:5)

CANTICLE OF MARY

You are a refuge to the poor,/ a refuge to the needy in distress;/ Shelter from the rain,/ shade from the heat. (Is 25:4)

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,

he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father…

INTERCESSIONS

God is our promised shelter and our shade. To him we pray:

R/Protect us from all harm.

In the midst of life’s tribulations,

– strengthen our hope in your promised Kingdom. R/

In the midst of physical ailments,

– grant us trust in your healing power. R/

In the midst of worry and distress,

– send us peace of heart. R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

May the blessing of almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, descend on us and remain with us for ever. Amen.

MARIAN ANTIPHON

Antiphon for the Feast of the Nativity

of the Blessed Virgin Mary,

8 September

With joy let us celebrate the nativity of blessed Mary,

that she may intercede for us

before the Lord Jesus Christ.

Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae;

vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.

Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Evae.

Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes

in hac lacrimarum valle.

Eia ergo, advocata nostra,

illos tuos misericordes oculos

ad nos converte.

Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,

nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.

O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.

Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy,

our life, our sweetness, and our hope.

To you do we cry,

poor banished children of Eve.

To you do we send up our sighs,

mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.

Turn then, O most gracious advocate,

your eyes of mercy toward us,

and after this our exile

show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus.

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

V/ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,

R/ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

AND TODAY WE CELEBRATE… Saint of the Day: St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions (MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28)

raphael

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September 28, 2020

0

AND TODAY WE CELEBRATE… Saint of the Day: St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions (MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28)

Martyrs from the Philippines, Formosa, and Japan (d. 1633 to 1637)

Their story

+ Between 1633 and 1637 sixteen martyrs were executed at Nagasaki, Japan.

+ The group was comprised of both professed Dominican religious and Dominican tertiaries, who had worked to spread the Gospel in the Philippines, Formosa, and Japan.

+ Included among the martyrs is Saint Lorenzo Ruiz, a Filipino husband and father who was also a member of the Holy Rosary Archconfraternity.

+ Saint Lorenzo—honored as the first canonized Filipino saint—was canonized with the other martyrs in 1987. Saint Lorenzo is honored as a patron saint of the Philippines.

For prayer and reflection

“I am a Catholic and wholeheartedly do accept death for God. Had I a thousand lives all these to Him shall I offer.”—Saint Lorenzo Ruiz

Spiritual bonus

On September 28, the Church also celebrate the memory of Saint Wenceslaus, martyr and duke of Bohemia. Honored for his faith and solicitude for the poor—celebrated in the carol “Good King Wenceslaus”—he was betrayed by his brother and killed by assassins in 935. Hailed as a martyr, he is honored as the patron saint of Bohemia.

Prayer

Grant us, we pray, Lord God,

the same perseverance shown by your Martyrs

Saint Lawrence Ruiz and his companions

in serving you and their neighbor,

since those persecuted for the sake of righteousness

are blessed in your Kingdom.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

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

one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(from The Roman Missal)

Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.

PRAYER FOR THIS MORNING (MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28)

raphael

-

September 28, 2020

1

PRAYER FOR THIS MORNING (MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28)

Saint Wenceslaus; Saint Lawrence Ruiz and Companions

Prayer for the Morning

The Lord is just: come, let us adore him!

Glory to the Father…. Alleluia!

HYMN

The tree that God has planted

Will spread across the land,

The place that God has granted

The people of his hand.

The covenant he gave us

Will bring that longed-for Day;

For Christ who comes to save us

We watch and work and pray.

PSALM 1:1-3

A spreading olive tree, goodly to behold,/ the Lord has named you. (Jer 11:16)

One tradition holds that the olive tree was the tree of life planted in Eden. Christian sentiment thinks of the cross as the tree of life that awaits us in paradise restored. From it flows the grace of the Spirit that reaches us through God’s Word and all the sacraments. Those who sink their roots into that stream of grace bear, like the tree, life-giving fruit in prayer and in deeds of kindness, justice, and mercy for all.

Happy indeed is the man

who follows not the counsel of the wicked;

nor lingers in the way of sinners

nor sits in the company of scorners,

but whose delight is the law of the Lord

and who ponders his law day and night.

He is like a tree that is planted

beside the flowing waters,

that yields its fruit in due season

and whose leaves shall never fade;

and all that he does shall prosper.

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (Isaiah 44:3-4)

I will pour out water upon the thirsty ground,/ and streams upon the dry land;/ I will pour out my spirit upon your offspring,/ and my blessing upon your descendants./ They shall spring up amid the verdure/ like poplars beside the flowing waters.

Go and bear fruit that will remain. (Jn 15:16)

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH

Planted in the house of the Lord,/ they will flourish in the courts of our God,/ still bearing fruit when they are old,/ still full of sap, still green,/ to proclaim that the Lord is just. (Ps 92:14-16a)

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;

he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior,

born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old

that he would save us from our enemies,

from the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers

and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:

to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

free to worship him without fear,

holy and righteous in his sight

all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet

of the Most High;

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

to give his people knowledge of salvation

by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God

the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

to shine on those who dwell in darkness

and the shadow of death,

and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father…

INTERCESSIONS

To Christ our life, we pray:

R/Bear fruit in us!

You are the fount of life:

– enliven the listless spirits of believers who have lost their taste for prayer. R/

You are the tree of life:

– make strong the branches who have been weakened by the storms of daily life. R/

Your Spirit is the living water flowing from your side:

– deepen the roots of those who have grown restless for more abundant life. R/

Your Church is the orchard fed and pruned by your love:

– may all who seek peace find rest in its shade. R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

God our Father, by the death of your Son, you planted the seed of the tree of life deep in this earth. By his Resurrection, you gave it light and warmth. By the gift of the Spirit, you water it with the waters of life that flowed from his side on the cross. May our lives bear its fruit, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

PRAYER FOR THIS EVENING (SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27)

raphael

-

September 27, 2020

0

PRAYER FOR THIS EVENING (SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27)

Prayer for the Evening

O Lord, open our lips, that our mouths

may declare your praise!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning,

is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia!

HYMN

At the name of Jesus

Ev’ry knee shall bow,

Ev’ry tongue confess him

King of glory now;

’Tis the Father’s pleasure

We should call him Lord,

Who from the beginning

Was the mighty Word.

Humbled for a season

To receive a name

From the lips of sinners

Unto whom he came,

Faithfully he bore it

Spotless to the last,

Brought it back victorious

When through death he passed.

PSALM 51:12-17

Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered. (Heb 5:8)

When, like the disobedient son in today’s Gospel, we forget whose children we are and chase after our own daydreams, Jesus Christ, in his self-emptying unto Death and his Resurrection to new life, brings us back in joy to that one all-important relationship we had forsaken.

A pure heart create for me, O God,

put a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from your presence,

nor deprive me of your holy spirit.

Give me again the joy of your help;

with a spirit of fervor sustain me,

that I may teach transgressors your ways

and sinners may return to you.

O rescue me, God, my helper,

and my tongue shall ring out your goodness.

O Lord, open my lips

and my mouth shall declare your praise.

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (Romans 5:17-19)

If, by the transgression of one person, death came to reign through that one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of justification come to reign in life through the one person Jesus Christ. In conclusion, just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so through one righteous act acquittal and life came to all. For just as through the disobedience of one person the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of one the many will be made righteous.

Through his suffering, my servant shall justify many,/ and their guilt he shall bear. (Is 53:11b)

CANTICLE OF MARY

He humbled himself,/ becoming obedient to death,/ even death on a cross. (Phil 2:8)

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,

he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father…

INTERCESSIONS

Through his obedience, Christ redeemed us from our disobedience and allowed us to become true children of God in love:

R/Give us again the joy of your help!

We lose sight of God’s love for us:

– awaken us once more to the truth of that love. R/

We choose our own will rather than God’s will:

– bring us back to the loving obedience of the children of God. R/

We wander unaware in the ways of death:

– make us live once more in your truth and your love. R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

May the Lord rescue us from every evil threat and bring us safe to his heavenly kingdom. Amen. (cf. 2 Tm 4:18)

MARIAN ANTIPHON

Antiphon for the Feast of the Nativity

of the Blessed Virgin Mary,

8 September

With joy let us celebrate the nativity of blessed Mary,

that she may intercede for us

before the Lord Jesus Christ.

Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae;

vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.

Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Evae.

Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes

in hac lacrimarum valle.

Eia ergo, advocata nostra,

illos tuos misericordes oculos

ad nos converte.

Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,

nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.

O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.

Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy,

our life, our sweetness, and our hope.

To you do we cry,

poor banished children of Eve.

To you do we send up our sighs,

mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.

Turn then, O most gracious advocate,

your eyes of mercy toward us,

and after this our exile

show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus.

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

V/ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,

R/ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

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Recent Comments

Articles

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Saints and More

Recent Comments

Articles

Prayers

Exhortations

Saints and More

Patron Saint of Scripture Scholars

History

FOR PRAYER AND REFLECTION

PRAYER

Prayer for the Morning

HYMN

PSALM 119:105-112

Word of God (2 Timothy 3:14-17)

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH

INTERCESSIONS

Prayer for the Evening

HYMN

PSALM 138:1-5

Word of God (Isaiah 63:9)

CANTICLE OF MARY

INTERCESSIONS

MARIAN ANTIPHON

Isaac Scharbach’s faith, virtue, and talent was already apparent, but the extent of it all is becoming more widely known.

Incredible spiritual journal entries

A “quiet leader”

An athlete who loved cycling and the outdoors

An artist and lover of beauty

Eucharistic devotion

The Polish Pontiff recalled the Book of Revelation and how St. Michael protected the woman about to give birth.

Prayer for the Morning

HYMN

PSALM 103:19-22

Word of God (Isaiah 6:1-3)

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH

INTERCESSIONS

Prayer for the Evening

HYMN

PSALM 36:6-10

Word of God (Revelation 7:15-16)

CANTICLE OF MARY

INTERCESSIONS

MARIAN ANTIPHON

Martyrs from the Philippines, Formosa, and Japan (d. 1633 to 1637)

Their story

For prayer and reflection

Spiritual bonus

Prayer

Prayer for the Morning

HYMN

PSALM 1:1-3

Word of God (Isaiah 44:3-4)

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH

INTERCESSIONS

Prayer for the Evening

HYMN

PSALM 51:12-17

Word of God (Romans 5:17-19)

CANTICLE OF MARY

INTERCESSIONS

MARIAN ANTIPHON

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