HOPE FOR THE SINNER

Father in heaven, Your Son Jesus Christ showed his love for you by serving his brothers and sisters in need.  I now ask you to give me your help I serve you and your people Open my mouth to praise you in word and song. Open my ears to hear your word. Open my hand to do your work well.  Take from me all evil and distracting thoughts.

Help me to know what I should do and do it well. Help me to serve reverently at your Holy Altar and  give you praise and glory now and for ever. Amen. 

Readings

Lectures

Reflection

Saint Ambrose

The return of the redeemed through the desert

Let the wilderness and the dry-lands exult, let the wasteland 

rejoice and bloom, let it bring forth flowers like the jonquil, 
let it rejoice and sing for joy. 
The glory of Lebanon is bestowed on it,
 the splendour of Carmel and Sharon;
they shall see the glory of the Lord, 
the splendour of our God. 
Strengthen all weary hands, steady all trembling
 knees and say to all faint hearts, 
‘Courage! Do not be afraid. 
‘Look, your God is coming, vengeance is coming,
 the retribution of God; he is coming to save you.’
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, 
the ears of the deaf unsealed, 
then the lame shall leap like a deer and the 
tongues of the dumb sing for joy;
for water gushes in the desert, 
streams in the wasteland, the scorched earth 
becomes a lake, the parched land springs of water. 
The lairs where the jackals used to live become thickets 

of reed and papyrus...
And through it will run a highway undefiled which shall 

be called the Sacred Way; 
the unclean may not travel by it, nor fools stray along it. 
No lion will be there nor any fierce beast roam about it, but the redeemed will walk there, for those the Lord has ransomed 

shall return. 
They will come to Zion shouting for joy, everlasting joy on their faces; joy and gladness will go with them and sorrow and lament be ended.

Look, our God is coming to save us

'Your sins are forgiven you: get up and walk'

Jesus was teaching one day, and among the audience there were Pharisees and doctors of the Law who had come from every village in Galilee, from Judaea and from Jerusalem. And the Power of the Lord was behind his works of healing. Then some men appeared, carrying on a bed a paralysed man whom 
they were trying to bring in and lay down in front of him. But as the crowd made it impossible to find a  way of getting him in, they went up on to the flat roof and lowered him and his stretcher down through the tiles into the middle of the gathering, in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith he said,  ‘My friend, your  sins are forgiven you.’ The scribes and the Pharisees began to think this over. ‘Who is this man talking 
blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’

 But Jesus, aware of their thoughts, made them this reply, ‘What are these thoughts you have in your hearts? Which of these is easier: to say, “Your sins are forgiven you” or to say, “Get up and walk”? But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ – he said to the paralysed man – ‘I order you: get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.’ And immediately before their very eyes he got up, picked up what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 
They were all astounded and praised God, and were filled with awe, saying, ‘We have seen strange 
things today.’

Lord, you made Saint Ambrose an outstanding teacher of the Catholic faith and gave him the courage of an apostle. Raise up in your Church more leaders after your own heart, to guide us with courage and wisdom. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Pauline Prayer of the Church

THE GLORY OF THE LORD SHALL BE REVEALED TO ALL

Father in heaven, Your Son Jesus Christ showed his love for you by serving his brothers and sisters in need.  I now ask you to give me your help I serve you and your people Open my mouth to praise you in word and song. Open my ears to hear your word. Open my hand to do your work well.  Take from me all evil and distracting thoughts.

Help me to know what I should do and do it well. Help me to serve reverently at your Holy Altar and  give you praise and glory now and for ever. Amen.

Readings

Lectures

Reflection

The glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all mankind shall see it

'Console my people, console them 'says your God.

'Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and 

call her that her time of service is ended, 

that her sin  is atoned for, that she has

 received from the hand of the 

Lord double punishment for all her crimes.' 

A voice cries, 'Prepare in the wilderness

a way for the Lord.

Make a straight highway for our God across the desert.

Let every valley be filled in, every mountain and

hill be laid low. 

Let every cliff become plan, and the ridges a valley; 

then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all 

mankind shall see it;

for the mouth of the Lord has spoken,'  Isaiah 40:1-5,9-11

Let us see, O Lord, your mercy, and give us your saving help.

We are waiting for the new heavens and the new earth

There is one thing, my friends, that you must never forget: that with the Lord, ‘a day’ can mean a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord is not being slow to carry out his promises, as anybody else might be called slow; but he is being patient with you all, wanting nobody to be lost and everybody to be brought to change his ways. The Day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then with a roar the sky will vanish, the elements will catch fire and fall apart, the earth and all that it contains will be burnt up.

 

Since everything is coming to an end like this, you should be living holy and saintly lives while you wait and long for the Day of God to come, when the sky will dissolve in flames and the elements melt in the heat. What we are waiting for is what he promised: the new heavens and new earth, the place where righteousness will be at home. So then, my friends, while you are waiting, do your best to live lives without spot or stain so that he will find you at peace.

A voice cries in the wilderness: prepare a way for the Lord

The beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah: 

Look, I am going to send my messenger before you; he will prepare your way. A voice cries in the wilderness:  Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight.

and so it was that John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. All Judaea and all the people of Jerusalem made their way to him, and as they were baptised by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins. John wore a garment of camel-skin, and he lived on locusts and wild honey. In the course of his preaching he said, ‘Someone is following me, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals. I have baptised you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.’

Lord Jesus Christ, you are my Shepherd. Guide me, direct my steps. Be the Shepherd of my heart that I may hear your voice, listen to your word. That you O Lord will be my shield and protection. Thank you Jesus Christ my Lord and Shepherd. Jesus I trust in you. Psalm 23

THE LORD GOD WILL BE GRACIOUS TO YOU

Father in heaven, Your Son Jesus Christ showed his love for you by serving his brothers and sisters in need.  I now ask you to give me your help I serve you and your people Open my mouth to praise you in word and song. Open my ears to hear your word. Open my hand to do your work well.  Take from me all evil and distracting thoughts.

Help me to know what I should do and do it well. Help me to serve reverently at your Holy Altar and  give you praise and glory now and for ever. Amen.

Readings

Lectures

Reflection

The Lord God will be gracious to you and hear your cry

Thus says the Lord God, the Holy of Israel:

People of Zion, you will live in Jerusalem and weep no more. He

will be gracious to you  when he hears your cry; when he hears he will answer. When the Lord has given you the bread of suffering and the water of distress, he who is your teacher will hide no longer, and you will see your teacher with your own eyes. Whether you turn to right or left, your ears will hear these words behind you, ‘This is the way, follow it.’ He will send rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the bread that the ground provides will be rich and nourishing. Your cattle will graze, that day, in wide pastures. Oxen and donkeys that till the ground will eat a salted fodder, winnowed with shovel and fork. On every lofty mountain, on every high hill there will be streams and watercourses, on the day of the great slaughter when the strongholds fall. Then moonlight will be bright as sunlight and sunlight itself be seven times brighter – like the light of seven days in one – on the day the Lord dresses the wound of his people and heals the bruises his blows have left.

Happy are all who hope in the Lord

The harvest is rich but the labourers are few

Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness.  And when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.’  He summoned his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to cast them out and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness. These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them as follows: ‘Go rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils. You received without charge, give without charge.’

Be gracious to me Lord. In tears have I poured out my heart to you. You search me and you see my heart. You know me through and through. Father you know every step I take, you know all my heart's intention. I may have made a wrong step, but you Lord see my heart Father be gracious to me.

Lord the harvest is plentiful, Lord Jesus Christ I am not worthy to be a labourer in your field. Be with me Lord

Psalm 51

TAKE PITY ON US

Father in heaven, Your Son Jesus Christ showed his love for you by serving his brothers and sisters in need.  I now ask you to give me your help I serve you and your people Open my mouth to praise you in word and song. Open my ears to hear your word. Open my hand to do your work well.  Take from me all evil and distracting thoughts.

Help me to know what I should do and do it well. Help me to serve reverently at your Holy Altar and  give you praise and glory now and for ever. Amen.

Readings

Lectures

Reflection

In a very short time, the deaf will hear and the eyes of the blind will see

Thus says the Lord; 

 

In a short time, a very short time, shall not Lebanon become fertile land and fertile land turn into forest? 
The deaf, that day, will hear the words of a book and, after shadow and darkness, the eyes of the blind will see.

But the lowly will rejoice in the Lord even more and the poorest exult in the Holy One of Israel; for tyrants shall be no more, and scoffers vanish, and all be destroyed who are disposed to do evil: those who gossip to incriminate others, those who try at the gate to trip the arbitrator and get the upright man’s case dismissed for groundless reasons.

Therefore the Lord speaks, the God of the House of Jacob, Abraham’s redeemer:
No longer shall Jacob be ashamed, no more shall his face grow pale, for he shall see what my hands have done in his midst, he shall hold my name holy.
They will hallow the Holy One of Jacob, stand in awe of the God of Israel. 
Erring spirits will learn wisdom and murmurers accept instruction.

The Lord is my light and my help

Take care that no-one learns about this

As Jesus went on his way two blind men followed him shouting, ‘Take pity on us, Son of David.’ And  when Jesus reached the house the blind men came up with him and he said to them, ‘Do you believe I can do this?’ They said, ‘Sir, we do.’ Then he touched their eyes saying, ‘Your faith deserves it, so let  this be done for you.’ And their sight returned. 

Then Jesus sternly warned them, ‘Take care that no one 
learns about this.’ But when they had gone, they talked about him all over the countryside.

Lord Jesus Christ Son of the living God, have mercy on me.

TRUST IN THE LORD FOR THE LORD IS EVERLASTING ROCK

Father in heaven, Your Son Jesus Christ showed his love for you by serving his brothers and sisters in need.  I now ask you to give me your help I serve you and your people Open my mouth to praise you in word and song. Open my ears to hear your word. Open my hand to do your work well.  Take from me all evil and distracting thoughts.
 
Help me to know what I should do and do it well. Help me to serve reverently at your Holy Altar and  give you praise and glory now and for ever. Amen.

Readings

Lectures

Reflection

Saint Francis Xavier

OPEN THE GATES' LET THE UPRIGHT NATION COME IN

That day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city; to guard us he has set wall and rampart about us.
Open the gates! Let the upright nation come in, she, the faithful one
whose mind is steadfast, who keeps the peace, because she trusts in you.
Trust in the Lord for ever, for the Lord is the everlasting Rock;
he has brought low those who lived high up in the steep citadel;
he brings it down, brings it down to the ground, flings it down in the dust:
the feet of the lowly, the footsteps of the poor trample on it.

BLESSED IN THE NAME OF THE LORD IS HE WHO COMES

THE WISE MAN BUILT HIS HOUSE ON A ROCK

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘It is not those who say to me, “Lord, Lord,” who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven. Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: it was founded on rock. But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell; and what a fall it had!’

God our Father, by the preaching of Francis Xavier you brought many nations to yourself. Give his zeal for the faith to all who believe in you, that your Church may rejoice in continued growth throughout the world. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  from Pauline Prayer of the Church

 

THE GREAT FEAST

Father in heaven, Your Son Jesus Christ showed his love for you by serving his brothers and sisters in need.  I now ask you to give me your help I serve you and your people Open my mouth to praise you in word and song. Open my ears to hear your word. Open my hand to do your work well.  Take from me all evil and distracting thoughts.

 
Help me to know what I should do and do it well. Help me to serve reverently at your Holy Altar and  give you praise and glory now and for ever. Amen.

Readings

Lectures

Reflection

The Lord will prepare a banquet for every nation

On this mountain,

the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples 

a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines,

of food rich and juicy, of fine strained wines.

On this mountain he will remove

the mourning veil covering all peoples,

and the shroud enwrapping all nations,

he will destroy Death for ever.

The Lord will wipe away

the tears from every cheek;

he will take away his people’s shame

everywhere on earth,

for the Lord has said so.

That day, it will be said: See, this is our God

in whom we hoped for salvation;

the Lord is the one in whom we hoped.

We exult and we rejoice

that he has saved us;

for the hand of the Lord

rests on this mountain. 

In the Lord's own house shall I dwell for ever and ever

The Crowd praised the God of Israel

Jesus reached the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and he went up into the hills. He sat there, and large crowds came to him bringing the lame, the crippled, the blind, the dumb and many others; these they put down at his feet, and he cured them. The crowds were astonished to see the dumb speaking, the cripples whole again, the lame walking and the blind with their sight, and they praised the God of Israel.

But Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days now and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them off hungry, they might collapse on the way.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Where could we get enough bread in this deserted place to feed such a crowd?’ Jesus said to them, ‘How many loaves have you?’ ‘Seven’ they said ‘and a few small fish.’ Then he instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven loaves and the fish, and he gave thanks and broke them and handed them to the disciples, who gave them to the crowds. They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected what was left of the scraps, seven baskets full.

Loving Father, our world today is full of suffering and misery. It is comforting to know that you care for all your creatures. Thank you Lord for you will wipe away the tears from every cheek.

Father, you will take away our shame, for you O Lord has said so. On that day, it will be said, this is our God in whom we hoped for our salvation.  We put our hope in you O Lord, we exult and rejoice in your saving help.

I did not come on my own authority

Good morning Lord

Dedication

KNOWLEDGE OF THE FATHER AND THE SON

Father in heaven, Your Son Jesus Christ showed his love for you by serving his brothers and sisters in need.  I now ask you to give me your help I serve you and your people Open my mouth to praise you in word and song. Open my ears to hear your word. Open my hand to do your work well.  Take from me all evil and distracting thoughts.

 
Help me to know what I should do and do it well. Help me to serve reverently at your Holy Altar and  give you praise and glory now and for ever. Amen  Readings

Lectures

Reflection

A Shoot from the stock of Jesse

A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse,

a scion thrusts from his roots:

on him the spirit of the Lord rests,

a spirit of wisdom and insight,

a spirit of counsel and power,

a spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

(The fear of the Lord is his breath.)

He does not judge by appearances,

he gives no verdict on hearsay,

but judges the wretched with integrity,

and with equity gives a verdict for the poor of the land.

His word is a rod that strikes the ruthless, 

his sentences bring death to the wicked....  Isaiah 11:1-10 

In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.

No one knows who the Son is except the Father

Filled with joy by the Holy Spirit, Jesus said:

'I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever
and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has
been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and  who the
Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.' 

Then turning to his disciples he spoke to them in private, 'Happy the eyes that see what you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear your hear, and never heard it.

Loving Father you are ever faithful, I bless you Lord of heaven and earth.