RELIGION AND ART

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary ‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit exults in God my saviour' First Reading apocalypse 11:18,12:1-2,10  A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman adorned with the sun The sanctuary of God in heaven opened and the ark of the covenant could be seen inside it. Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman, adorned with the sun, standing on the moon, and with the twelve stars on her head for a crown. She was pregnant, and in labour, crying aloud in the pangs of childbirth. Then a second sign appeared in the sky, a huge red dragon which had seven heads and ten horns, and each of the seven heads crowned with a coronet. Its tail dragged a third of the stars from the sky and dropped them to the earth, and the dragon stopped in front of the woman as she was having the child, so that he could eat it as soon as it was born from its mother. The woman brought a male child into the world, the son who was to rule all the nations with ...

Thursday Week19 in Ordinary Time - Saint Maximillian Kolbe, Priest, Martyr ‘Is it against the Law for a man to divorce his wife on any pretext whatever?’ First Reading Ezekiel 16:1-15,60,63  I clothed you with my own splendour but you made yourself a prostitute The word of the Lord was addressed to me as follows, ‘Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her filthy crimes. Say, “The Lord says this: By origin and birth you belong to the land of Canaan. Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. At birth, the very day you were born, there was no one to cut your navel-string, or wash you in cleansing water, or rub you with salt, or wrap you in napkins. No one leaned kindly over you to do anything like that for you. You were exposed in the open fields; you were as unloved as that on the day you were born. ‘“I saw you struggling in your blood as I was passing, and I said to you as you lay in your blood: Live, and grow like the grass of the fields. You developed, you grew, you rea...

Tuesdy Week 19 in Ordinary Time   Saint Clare, Virgin ‘Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. First Reading Ezekiel 2:8-2,4  He gave me the scroll to eat and it was as sweet as honey I, Ezekiel, heard a voice speaking. It said, ‘You, son of man, listen to the words I say; do not be a rebel like that rebellious set. Open your mouth and eat what I am about to give you.’ I looked. A hand was there, stretching out to me and holding a scroll. He unrolled it in front of me; it was written on back and front; on it was written ‘lamentations, wailings, moanings.’ He said, ‘Son of man, eat what is given to you; eat this scroll, then go and speak to the House of Israel.’ I opened my mouth; he gave me the scroll to eat and said, ‘Son of man, feed and be satisfied by the scroll I am giving you.’ I ate it, and it tasted sweet as honey. Then he said, ‘Son of man, go to the House of Israel and tell them what I have said.’ Responsorial Psalm:  Your prom...

ST. DOMINIC, PRIEST: ‘Why were we unable to cast it out? First Reading Habakkuk 1:12-2:4  If the vision comes slowly, wait: it will come without fail Are not you, from ancient times the Lord, my God, my Holy One, who never dies? O Lord, you have made this people an instrument of justice, set it firm as a rock in order to punish. Your eyes are too pure to rest on wickedness, you cannot look on at tyranny. Why do you look on while men are treacherous, and stay silent while the evil man swallows a better man than he? You treat mankind like fishes in the sea, like creeping, masterless things. A people, these, who catch all on their hook, who draw them with their net, in their dragnet gather them,and so, triumphantly, rejoice. At this, they offer a sacrifice to their net, and burn incense to their dragnet, for providing them with luxury and lavish food. Are they then to empty their net unceasingly, slaughtering nations without pity? I will stand on my watchtower, and take up my post...

Friday Week 18 in Ordinary Time 'Yes, the Lord is restoring the vineyard ' First Reading Nahum 3:1,3,3:1-3,6-7  Israel restored; Nineveh ruined  See, over the mountains the messenger hurries!  ‘Peace!’ he proclaims.  Judah, celebrate your feasts,  carry out your vows,  for Belial will never pass through you again;  he is utterly annihilated.  Yes, the Lord is restoring the vineyard of Jacob  and the vineyard of Israel.  For the plunderers had plundered them,  they had broken off their branches.   Woe to the city soaked in blood,  full of lies,  stuffed with booty,  whose plunderings know no end!  The crack of the whip!  The rumble of wheels!  Galloping horse,  jolting chariot,  charging cavalry,  flash of swords, gleam of spears...  a mass of wounded,  hosts of dead,  countless corpses;  they stumble over the dead.  I am going to pelt you with filth,...

‘This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favour. Listen to him.’  First Reading Daniel 7:9-10,13-14  His robe was white as snow   As I watched: Thrones were set in place  and one of great age took his seat. His robe was white as snow, the hair of his head as pure as wool. His throne was a blaze of flames, its wheels were a burning fire. A stream of fire poured out, issuing from his presence. A thousand thousand waited on him, ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. A court was held and the books were opened.  I gazed into the visions of the night. And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man. He came to the one of great age and was led into his presence. On him was conferred sovereignty,  glory and kingship, and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants. His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty which shall never pass away, nor will his empire ever be destroyed. Responsorial Psalm:  The Lord is ...

Wednesday 18th ek in Ordinary Time ‘Ah yes, sir; but even house-dogs can eat the scraps that fall from their master’s table.’ First Reading Jeremiah 31:1-7  You shall be rebuilt, virgin of Israel I will be the God of all the clans of Israel – it is the Lord who speaks – they shall be my people.  The Lord says this:  They have found pardon in the wilderness,  those who have survived the sword. Israel is marching to his rest.  The Lord has appeared to him from afar:  I have loved you with an everlasting love,  so I am constant in my affection for you.  I build you once more; you shall be rebuilt,  virgin of Israel. Adorned once more, and with your tambourines,  you will go out dancing gaily.  You will plant vineyards once more  on the mountains of Samaria  (the planters have done their planting:  they will gather the fruit).  Yes, a day will come when the watchmen shout  on the mountains of Ephraim,  ‘U...

Tuesday Week 18 : Saint John Vianney, Priest 'Any plant my Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots' First Reading Jeremiah 30:1-2,12-15,18-22  Your wound is incurable but I will heal you  The word addressed to Jeremiah by the Lord: the Lord, the God of Israel says this: Write all the words I have spoken to you in a book.  Yes, the Lord says this:  Your wound is incurable,  your injury past healing.  There is no one to care for your sore,  no medicine to make you well again.  All your lovers have forgotten you,  they look for you no more.  Yes, I have struck you as an enemy strikes,  with harsh punishment  so great is your guilt, so many your sins.  Why bother to complain about your wound?  Your pain is incurable.  So great is your guilt, so many your sins,  that I have done all this to you.  The Lord says this:  Now I will restore the tents of Jacob,  and take pity on his dwelli...