Saturday 15 February 2020
Saturday of week 5 in Ordinary Time
or Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Office of Readings
Introduction (without Invitatory)
If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, use the version with the Invitatory Psalm instead.
O God, come to our aid.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen. Alleluia.
________
Hymn
How great the tale, that there should be,
In God’s Son’s heart, a place for me!
That on a sinner’s lips like mine
The cross of Jesus Christ should shine!
Christ Jesus, bend me to thy will,
My feet to urge, my griefs to still;
That e’en my flesh and blood may be
A temple sanctified to Thee.
No rest, no calm my soul may win,
Because my body craves to sin;
Till thou, dear Lord, thyself impart
Peace on my head, light in my heart.
May consecration come from far,
Soft shining like the evening star.
My toilsome path make plain to me,
Until I come to rest in thee.
________
Psalm 130 (131)
Childlike trust in God
“Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29).
Whoever humbles himself like a little child will be greater in the kingdom of heaven.
O Lord, my heart is not proud
nor haughty my eyes.
I have not gone after things too great
nor marvels beyond me.
Truly I have set my soul
in silence and peace.
A weaned child on its mother’s breast,
even so is my soul.
O Israel, hope in the Lord
both now and for ever.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Whoever humbles himself like a little child will be greater in the kingdom of heaven.
Psalm-prayer
Lord Jesus, gentle and humble of heart, you declared that whoever receives a little child in your name receives you, and you promised your kingdom to those who are like children. Never let pride reign in our hearts, but may the Father’s compassion reward and embrace all who willingly bear your gentle yoke.
________
Psalm 131 (132)
God's promise to the house of David
“The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father” (Lk 1:32).
With an honest heart I have offered up all things joyfully, O my God.
O Lord, remember David
and all the many hardships he endured,
the oath he swore to the Lord,
his vow to the Strong One of Jacob.
‘I will not enter the house where I live
nor go to the bed where I rest.
I will give no sleep to my eyes,
to my eyelids I will give no slumber
till I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling for the Strong One of Jacob.’
At Ephrata we heard of the ark;
we found it in the plains of Yearim.
‘Let us go to the place of his dwelling;
let us go to kneel at his footstool.’
Go up, Lord, to the place of your rest,
you and the ark of your strength.
Your priests shall be clothed with holiness;
your faithful shall ring out their joy.
For the sake of David your servant
do not reject your anointed.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
With an honest heart I have offered up all things joyfully, O my God.
________
Psalm 131 (132)
The Lord swore an oath to David and he will not go back on his word; he made his kingdom firm for ever.
The Lord swore an oath to David;
he will not go back on his word:
‘A son, the fruit of your body,
will I set upon your throne.
‘If they keep my covenant in truth
and my laws that I have taught them,
their sons also shall rule
on your throne from age to age.’
For the Lord has chosen Sion;
he has desired it for his dwelling:
‘This is my resting-place for ever;
here have I chosen to live.
‘I will greatly bless her produce,
I will fill her poor with bread.
I will clothe her priests with salvation
and her faithful shall ring out their joy.
‘There David’s stock will flower;
I will prepare a lamp for my anointed.
I will cover his enemies with shame
but on him my crown shall shine.’
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
The Lord swore an oath to David and he will not go back on his word; he made his kingdom firm for ever.
Psalm-prayer
You are our King, Lord God. Help us to find a place for you in our hearts. Clothe your priests with saving power, fill the needy with bread, and let your holiness shine on us all.
Or:
You have chosen the new Zion as your dwelling place, Lord God, the Church as your place of rest. You have kindled in her a lamp that will burn brightly for ever before Christ your Anointed One. Make our hearts your tabernacle, clothe your priests with justice, your faithful with holiness and give bread to the poor. May all rejoice with you in heaven.
________
℣. Come, consider the works of the Lord.
℟. He has done wonderful deeds on the earth.
________
First Reading
Galatians 5:25-6:18
On charity and zeal
Since the Spirit is our life, let us be directed by the Spirit. We must stop being conceited, provocative and envious.
Brothers, if one of you misbehaves, the more spiritual of you who set him right should do so in a spirit of gentleness, not forgetting that you may be tempted yourselves. You should carry each other’s troubles and fulfil the law of Christ. It is the people who are not important who often make the mistake of thinking that they are. Let each of you examine his own conduct; if you find anything to boast about, it will at least be something of your own, not just something better than your neighbour has. Everyone has his own burden to carry.
People under instruction should always contribute something to the support of the man who is instructing them.
Do not delude yourself into thinking God can be cheated: where a man sows, there he reaps: if he sows in the field of self-indulgence he will get a harvest of corruption out of it; if he sows in the field of the Spirit he will get from it a harvest of eternal life. We must never get tired of doing good because if we do not give up the struggle we shall get our harvest at the proper time. While we have the chance, we must do good to all, and especially to our brothers in the faith.
Take good note of what I am adding in my own handwriting and in large letters. It is only self-interest that makes them want to force circumcision on you – they want to escape persecution for the cross of Christ – they accept circumcision but do not keep the Law themselves; they only want you to be circumcised so that they can boast of the fact. As for me, the only thing I can boast about is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world. It does not matter if a person is circumcised or not; what matters is for him to become an altogether new creature. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, who form the Israel of God.
I want no more trouble from anybody after this; the marks on my body are those of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, my brothers. Amen.
Responsory
Ga 6:7-8; Jn 6:63
℟. A man will reap what he sows: if nature is his seed-ground, nature will give him a perishable harvest;* if his seed-ground is the Spirit, it will give him a harvest of eternal life.
℣. What gives life is God’s Spirit: man’s power is of no use at all.* If his seed-ground is the Spirit, it will give him a harvest of eternal life.
________
Second Reading
From a sermon by Blessed Isaac of Stella, abbot
The pre-eminence of love
Why, my brethren, are we so little concerned with finding opportunities to advance each other’s salvation, responding to greater need with greater help and bearing each other’s burdens? This is what St Paul advised: Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ – or, again, forbearing each other in love. For that is most definitely the law of Christ.
When I notice something wrong in my brother that cannot be corrected – either because it is inevitable or because it comes from some weakness of his in body or character – why do I not bear it patiently and offer my willing sympathy? As scripture says, their children will be carried on their shoulders and comforted on their laps. Could it be because there is a lack in me, a lack of that which bears all things and is patient enough to take up the burden, a lack of the will to love?
This is what the law of Christ is like, of Christ who bore our griefs in his passion and carried our sorrows in his compassion for us, loving those whom he carried and carrying those whom he loved. On the other hand, whoever turns on his brother in the brother’s time of need, who exploits his weakness, whatever that weakness may be – without doubt he has subjected himself to the law of Satan and is carrying it out. Let us have compassion for each other and love the brotherhood we share, bear each other’s weaknesses and fight against each other’s vices.
Whatever religious practice or observance it leads to, any teaching or discipline that fosters a stronger love of God and, through God, of our neighbours, is most acceptable to God for that reason. This love is the reason why things should be or not be, why they should remain the same or be changed. This love should be the reason why things are and the end to which all things are directed. For nothing can be considered wrong that is truly directed towards and according to that love.
Without such love we cannot be pleasing to God, and without it we cannot achieve anything at all. May God choose to grant it to us, he who lives and reigns through the undying ages. Amen!
Responsory
℟. The message you have heard from the beginning is this:* that you should love one another.
℣. The whole Law can be summed up in a single commandment:* that you should love one another.
________
Let us pray.
Guard your family, Lord,
with constant loving care,
for in your divine grace
we place our only hope.
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.
________
Let us praise the Lord.
– Thanks be to God.
Copyright © 1996-2020 Universalis Publishing Limited: see www.universalis.com. Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible are published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc, and used by permission of the publishers. Text of the Psalms: Copyright © 1963, The Grail (England). Used with permission of A.P. Watt Ltd. All rights reserved.