SAINT JOSEPH

Luke 2:41-51a ©

Mary stored up all these things in her heart

Every year the parents of Jesus used to go to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up for the feast as usual. When they were on their way home after the

feast, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it. They assumed he was with the caravan, and it was only after a day’s journey that they went to look for him among their relations and acquaintances. When they failed to find him they went back to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere.

 

Three days later, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the doctors, listening to them, and asking them questions; and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies. They were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, ‘My child, why have, you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.’

 

‘Why were you looking for me?’ he replied. ‘Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?’ But they did not understand what he meant.  He then went down with them and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority.

 

images of St. Joseph

ACT OF CONTRITION

AN ACT OF CONTRITION

Forgive me my sins, O Lord, forgive me my sins: the sins of my youth, the sins of my age, the sins of my soul, the sins of my body, my idle sins, my serious voluntary sins, the sins I know, the sins I do not know, the sins I have concealed so long, and which are now hidden from my memory.

 

 I am truly sorry for every sin, mortal and venial, for all the sins of my childhood up to the present hour.

I know my sins have wounded Your Tender Heart, O my Saviour, let me be freed from the bonds of evil through the most bitter passion of my Redeemer.

O my Jesus, forget and forgive what I have been.

Amen.  (from Catholic Prayer Pamphlet Visit to the Blessed Sacrament)

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you are my life, my love, my strength, and my joy. I kneel before you in homage. I worship and adore you. I surrender all to you that I may become like you.

Psalm 51

A PRAYER FOR HELP

A PRAYER FOR HELP PSALM 86

Listen to me, LORD, and answer me, for I am helpless and weak.

Save me from death, because I am loyal to you, save me, for

I am loyal to you; save me, for I am your and

I trust in you.

 

You are my God, so be merciful to me; I pray to you all day long.

Make your servant glad, O LORD, because my prayers go up to you.

You are good to us and forgiving, full of constant love for all

who pray to you.

Listen, LORD, to my prayer, hear my cries for help,

I call to you in times of trouble, because you answer my prayers.

There is no god like you, O LORD, not one has done what you have done.

All the nations that you have created will come and bow down to you;

They will praise your greatness.

You are mighty and do wonderful things; you alone are God.

Teach me, LORD, what you want me to do, and I will obey you

faithfully, teach me to serve you with complete devotion.

I will praise you with all my heart, O Lord my God:

I will praise you with all my heart, O LORD my God….

BE HOLY

Leviticus 19:1-2,11-18 ©

Only pass judgement on your neighbour according to justice

The Lord spoke to Moses. He said: ‘Speak to the whole community of the sons of Israel and say to them:

 

 ‘“Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.

  ‘“You must not steal nor deal deceitfully or fraudulently with your neighbour. You must not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God. I am the Lord. You must not exploit or rob your neighbour. You must not keep back the labourer’s wage until next morning. You must not curse the dumb, nor put an obstacle in the blind man’s way, but you must fear your God. I am the Lord.

  ‘“You must not be guilty of unjust verdicts. You must neither be partial to the little man nor overawed by the great; you must pass judgement on your neighbour according to justice. You must not slander your own people, and you must not jeopardise your neighbour’s life. I am the Lord. You must not bear hatred for your brother in your heart. You must openly tell him, your neighbour, of his offence; this way you will not take a sin upon yourself. You must not exact vengeance, nor must you bear a grudge against the children of your people. You must love your neighbour as yourself. I am the Lord.”’

THE LORD THE LORD OF BATTLE

1 Samuel 17:32-33,37,40-51 ©

David said to Saul, ‘Let no-one lose heart on his account; your servant will go and fight the Philistine.’ But Saul answered David, ‘You cannot go and fight the Philistine; you are only a boy and he has been a warrior from his youth.’

  ‘The Lord who rescued me from the claws of lion and bear’ David said ‘will rescue me from the power of this Philistine.’ Then Saul said to David, ‘Go, and the Lord be with you!’

  He took his staff in his hand, picked five smooth stones from the river bed, put them in his shepherd’s bag, in his pouch, and with his sling in his hand he went to meet the Philistine. The Philistine, his shield-bearer in front of him, came nearer and nearer to David; and the Philistine looked at David, and what he saw filled him with scorn, because David was only a youth, a boy of fresh complexion and pleasant bearing. The Philistine said to him, ‘Am I a dog for you to come against me with sticks?’ And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine said to David, ‘Come over here and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field.’ But David answered the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel that you have dared to insult. Today the Lord will deliver you into my hand and I shall kill you; I will cut off your head, and this very day I will give your dead body and the bodies of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that it is not by sword or by spear that the Lord gives the victory, for the Lord is lord of the battle and he will deliver you into our power.’

  No sooner had the Philistine started forward to confront David than David left the line of battle and ran to meet the Philistine. Putting his hand in his bag, he took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead; the stone penetrated his forehead and he fell on his face to the ground. Thus David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone and struck the Philistine down and killed him. David had no sword in his hand. Then David ran and, standing over the Philistine, seized his sword and drew it from the scabbard, and with this he killed him, cutting off his head. The Philistines saw that their champion was dead, and took to flight.

LET US SING TO THE LORD

O sing a new song to the Lord,
sing to the Lord all the earth.
O sing to the Lord, bless his name

Proclaim his help day by day,
tell among the nations his glory
and his wonders among all the peoples.

Give the Lord, you families
of peoples, give the Lord the glory
and power, give the Lord the glory
of his name.

worship the Lord in his temple.
O earth, tremble before him.
Proclaim to the nations.
God is King.  He will jue
the peoples in fairness,  Psalm 95

OBEDIENCE IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE

 1 Samuel 15:22-23

Samuel replied:

‘Is the pleasure of the Lord in holocausts and sacrifices

or in obedience to the voice of the Lord?

Yes, obedience is better than sacrifice,

submissiveness better than the fat of rams.

Rebellion is a sin of sorcery,

presumption a crime of teraphim.

 

GOOD MORNING