FREE DIGITAL SAMPLE FOR December 30, 2018 January 5, 2019
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2018 THE HOLY FAMILY (Lec. 17) OF JESUS, MARY 1) 1 Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28 AND JOSEPH 2) 1 John 3:1-2, 21, 24 - FEAST 3) Luke 2:41-52 Let us strive to imitate the Holy Family s mutual love and concern for one another. By being born into a human family, the eternal Son of God has blessed every family, and so made marriage and family a pathway to holiness and eternal life. In the face of God s ever-flowing generosity, highlighted for us today in the blessing of family life, we become aware of our human shortcomings and our need for God s mercy and love. Today we hear about the birth of Samuel and how his mother gives thanks in the Temple and dedicates her son to the Lord. John, in his letter, highlights our dignity and destiny we are God s children now and are commanded to love one another. The Gospel from Luke relates the story of Jesus at the age of twelve remaining in the Temple after his family had departed, and the subsequent worry and searching for him that his parents experienced. PRIEST: Let us humbly come before our heavenly Father and present our needs, trusting always in his love for us. 1) For Pope Francis and all the clergy, may the Lord inspire them in their ministry of love and mercy, let us pray to the Lord. 2) For government leaders, may the Lord grant them courage to uphold the dignity and sanctity of life from conception through natural death, let us pray to the Lord. 3) For all of our homes and families, that the love of God may dwell in each, let us pray to the Lord. 4) For this faith community, may we prayerfully support those who are discerning a call to ministry in the Church as priests, deacons or religious, let us pray to the Lord. 5) For those who have died marked with the sign of faith, may they enter into eternal life with the God who created them, let us pray to the Lord. PRIEST: Father, we give thanks for the gift of marriage and family, and we ask you to continue to pour out your many blessings upon us. We ask this in the name of your son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Monday, December 31, 2018 THE SEVENTH DAY (Lec. 204) WITHIN THE OCTAVE 1) 1 John 2:18-21 OF THE NATIVITY 2) John 1:1-18 OF THE LORD (Opt. Mem. Saint Sylvester I, Pope) Jesus dwells among us. Jesus is the true light of the world. He enlightens our lives with a power that the darkness cannot overcome. He continues to dwell with us, to share in our suffering and comfort us when we are troubled. As the Son of God, he has revealed the Father to us, so that we, too, might become children of God. In our first reading, John warns that the antichrist is coming, causing many to desert. But those who know the truth will stay faithful. The Gospel tells us that the Word was with God from the beginning, and the Word was God. He became flesh and dwelled among us. John the Baptist testified to him, saying, this was he of whom I said. PRIEST: Let us offer our petitions to God, on behalf of the needs of the Church and the world. 1) For all members of the Church, may God give us courage and the wisdom to help build his kingdom here on earth, let us pray to the Lord. 2) For those responsible for law enforcement, may God instill in them a spirit of service, fairness and justice, let us pray to the Lord. 3) For refugees from war, persecution and violence, may God provide them safety and security, let us pray to the Lord. 4) For the elderly in our faith community who are lonely, may God comfort them and inspire others to attend to their needs, let us pray to the Lord. 5) For those who have died, may they be rewarded for their faithfulness and live forever in the presence of God, let us pray to the Lord. PRIEST: Heavenly Father, we ask that you hear these prayers which we bring to you in the name of your son, Jesus our Lord.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2019 SOLEMNITY OF MARY, (Lec. 18) THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD; 1) Numbers 6:22-27 THE OCTAVE DAY; 2) Galatians 4:4-7 OF CHRISTMAS 3) Luke 2:16-21 (Holyday of Obligation) Mary receives the message of the angels through the shepherds and she reflects on it in her heart. Mary reflected on what she heard. Other translations say that she pondered what she heard, which is more helpful. To ponder is not just to think about or reflect, but to feel the weight of something. Mary felt the weight of the shepherds message to her regarding her Son (foreshadowing the pain of the sword that would pierce her soul upon his death), and she embraced it and allowed it to become a part of her. We, too, can embrace God s word in this way feeling its weight and allowing it to truly become a part of us. In the first reading, the Lord gives Moses the words of blessing for Aaron to use over the people of Israel. In the second reading, Saint Paul reminds the Galatians that God sent his Son, born of a woman, to save us and adopt us as his children. In today s Gospel, the shepherds go to Bethlehem and find Mary, Joseph and the infant. They convey what they had been told about the Child. A few days later, the child is circumcised and given his name, Jesus. PRIEST: God made salvation available through the coming of his Son who was born of Mary. Let us now approach him with our needs. 1) For Pope Francis and for all who teach the faith, may Mary s obedience to God inspire them in their own yes to God s will, let us pray to the Lord. 2) For government officials, may they be perfected by God in their desire to do his will in their civil service, let us pray to the Lord. 3) For the sick and the suffering, may they experience the healing presence of Christ through his Church, the body of Christ, let us pray to the Lord. 4) For those gathered here and all whom we love, that through the intercession of Mary we may grow ever closer to our Lord, let us pray to the Lord. 5) For our beloved dead, that they may be welcomed into the fullness of eternal joy with our Blessed Mother and all of the saints, let us pray to the Lord. PRIEST: Father in heaven, we bring you these prayers and the intentions of our hearts this day, trusting that in your time and according to your will, you will hear and answer us through your son, Christ our Lord.
Wednesday, January 2, 2019 CHRISTMAS WEEKDAY (Lec. 205) (OBL MEM 1) 1 John 2:22-28 Saints Basil the Great 2) John 1:19-28 and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church) Jesus is Son of God and Son of Mary. Our observance of the Feasts of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen is also a celebration of our doctrine of the two natures of Christ: human and divine. The early Church sometimes struggled to understand this, and through Jesus own words (as found in Saint John today), and the theological work of these great saints and Doctors of the Church, we, today, are consoled by the revealed truth that God became one of us, for the purpose of our salvation. Saint John writes that those who deny that Jesus is the Christ, and the Son of the Father, are liars; he also reminds us of the promise made to us namely, eternal life. In the Gospel, the Levites and priests question John the Baptist as to who he really is, and John responds that he is the voice of one crying out in the desert, Make straight the way of the Lord. PRIEST: With hearts filled with joyful praise, we petition our loving God. 1) For all pastoral leaders in our Church, may Christ draw them ever closer to himself and intercede in their every need, let us pray to the Lord. 2) For civic leaders, may the Lord bless them with skills and talents to alleviate poverty in the communities they serve, let us pray to the Lord. 3) For parents and catechists, may the Spirit be their guide as they teach our children in the ways of our faith, let us pray to the Lord. 4) For those who face addictions, may God s grace give them courage in their struggles, let us pray to the Lord. 5) For those who have died, may they be with the Lord forever in heaven, let us pray to the Lord. PRIEST: Loving Father, hear the prayers of your people as we give thanks for the gift of your Son alive in our hearts and working in our lives. Through your son, Christ our Lord.
Thursday, January 3, 2019 CHRISTMAS WEEKDAY (Lec. 206) (Opt. Mem. 1) 1 John 2:29 3:6 The Most Holy Name 2) John 1:29-34 of Jesus) Jesus is the true Son of God, and through God's extraordinary love, we are adopted children of God. Throughout the Old Testament, the promises of God were offered exclusively to those people who were part of the covenant with him and who followed his laws. In the coming of Christ, we have the new covenant and the fulfillment of the law. All who come to know Christ and through him, the Father are adopted as God s own and receive the promise of salvation. The first reading reminds us that through the extraordinary love God has for us and the sacrifice of Jesus, we have been made children of God. In the Gospel, John the Baptist reveals Jesus as the true Son of God. He gives eyewitness testimony that the Holy Spirit came down and remained with Jesus as a sign that he is God's Son. PRIEST: Let us join together to present our petitions to our heavenly Father. 1) For the Church, that God may endow each believer with the grace to live faithfully as his children, let us pray to the Lord. 2) For the world, that the peace of Christ may touch all nations and lead them to understanding, harmony and compassion, let us pray to the Lord. 3) For the nameless victims of religious persecution, that they may be certain God knows each of them by name and counts them as his precious children, let us pray to the Lord. 4) For all who live and worship in this faith community, that we may grow in all virtues through the Most Holy Name of Jesus, let us pray to the Lord. 5) For those who have died, that they may feel the love of their heavenly Father as he welcomes them into Paradise, let us pray to the Lord. PRIEST: Heavenly Father, your children cry out to you and trust in your loving care. Hear now our prayers which we offer through your son, Jesus Christ.
Friday, January 4, 2019 CHRISTMAS WEEKDAY (Lec. 207) (OBL MEM 1) 1 John 3:7-10 USA: Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, 2) John 1:35-42 Religious) Jesus invites us, Come, and you will see. John the Baptist proclaims, Behold, the Lamb of God, and two of his own disciples leave him to follow Jesus. Their faith in John s prophecy, and their belief in what they saw, compelled them to immediate discipleship. Their encounter with Christ changed their direction; turned them around (Lat., conversiō) converted them for his mission. At every Mass, we, too, behold the Lamb of God, and we also encounter Christ. May we also be converted for his mission. In the First Letter of John, a clear distinction is made between the children of God and the children of the Devil. In the Gospel of John, two disciples of John respond to Jesus invitation, Come, and you will see. Andrew, one of the two, then brings his brother Simon to Jesus, and Jesus renames him Peter. PRIEST: Let us turn to God in trust, confident that he will respond to our petitions. 1) For the Church throughout the world, may she grow in strength and number of disciples through the invitation of the Lamb of God, let us pray to the Lord. 2) For those in governmental leadership, may the witness of Saints Andrew and Peter guide them in their service, let us pray to the Lord. 3) For those who suffer from anxiety or depression, may the hope of Christ bring peace to their lives, let us pray to the Lord. 4) For all of us gathered here, may our faith in our loving Father be nurtured through the blessings we receive, let us pray to the Lord. 5) For those who have died, may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with them now and forever, let us pray to the Lord. PRIEST: Loving Father, we trust always in your love and mercy, and we thank you for sending your son, Jesus to bring salvation to the world. Hear the prayers we offer today through your son, Christ our Lord.
Saturday, January 5, 2019 CHRISTMAS WEEKDAY (Lec. 208) (OBL MEM 1) 1 John 3:11-21 USA: Saint John Neumann, 2) John 1:43-51 Bishop) Jesus calls us to share his love by serving others. As we continue to celebrate the birth of Christ in time, we see that love is the core of God s greatest initiative. By becoming one with us in the flesh, Christ has placed this divine love in our very midst and has called us to share that love by serving others. Saint John reminds us that love is at the heart of the mystery of the Incarnation and the Christian life. It is both the truest hallmark of the believer and the greatest proof of God s presence in our lives. In the Gospel, Jesus calls his first disciples and promises that they will see great things if they follow him. PRIEST: With confidence and trust, let us bring our prayers and needs before the Father. 1) For the Church, as the Body of Christ, may God bless her efforts to proclaim the kingdom of God, let us pray to the Lord. 2) For all nations, may Jesus the Messiah and the salvation he has won for all bring them everlasting peace, let us pray to the Lord. 3) For the dying and for all who bear the burden of sickness, may they share in and know the love of Christ at their time of difficulty, let us pray to the Lord. 4) For vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life, may all who have been called to vocation in the Church respond with courage and generosity, let us pray to the Lord. 5) For all our beloved dead, may they pass over from death to life and live eternally the reward promised to all who love God and neighbor, let us pray to the Lord. PRIEST: Almighty and eternal God, you sent your only Son as Lord and Savior. Hear our prayers and grant us the grace to be always steadfast in faith and joyful in hope. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord.