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THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
THE INTROIT: Respice, Do mine Psalm 74 LOOK, O Lord, graciously upon thy covenant, and forsake not the congregation of the poor for ever: arise, O Lord, maintain thine own cause; and be not unmindful of the voices of them that seek thee. Ps. Ibid. O God, wherefore art thou absent from us so long: why is thy wrath so hot against the sheep of thy pasture? Glory... Look, O Lord...
THE COLLECT: ALMIGHTY and merciful God, of whose only gift it cometh that thy faithful people do unto thee true and laudable service; Grant, we beseech thee, that we may so faithfully serve thee in this life, that we fail not finally to attain thy heavenly promises; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. Who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
DEFEND us, we beseech thee, O Lord, from all perils of mind and body: and at the intercession of the blessed and glorious Mary, the ever Virgin Mother of God, of blessed Joseph, of thy blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, of blessed N..., and of all Saints, graciously bestow upon us both peace and safety; that all adversity and error being done away, thy Church may serve thee in untroubled freedom.
WE beseech thee, O Lord; mercifully to forgive the sins of thy people; that we, who ourselves can do nothing that is acceptable unto thee, may be succoured by the intercession of the Mother of thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen
FOR THE EPISTLE: Galatians 3:16ff
To Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
THE GRADUAL: Psalm 74. Look upon thy covenant, O Lord: and forget not the congregation of the poor for ever. Arise, O Lord, maintain thine own cause: remember how the foolish man blasphemeth thee daily.Alleluia, alleluia. Psalm 90. Lord, thou hast been our refuge: from one generation to another, alleluia
THE HOLY GOSPEL: Saint Luke 10:23ff
BLESSED are the eyes which see the things that ye see: for I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
THE OFFERTORY: Psalm 31. My hope hath been in thee, O Lord: I have said, Thou art my God, my time is in thy hand.
THE COMMUNION: Wisdom16. Thou hast given us Bread from heaven, O Lord: having every delight, and every taste of sweetness.
THE POST-COMMUNION: QUICKEN us, we pray thee, O Lord, who have received these holy mysteries: that they may win for us both pardon and protection. Through Jesus Christ thy Son, our Lord. Who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
WE beseech thee, O Lord: that the gifts now offered in this heavenly Sacrament may cleanse and defend us; that at the intercession of blessed Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, of blessed Joseph, of thy blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, of blessed N..., and of all thy Saints, they may render us free from iniquity and safe from all adversity.
O Lord, who hast vouchsafed to make us partakers of thy heavenly banquet: we humbly beseech thee; that we who here observe the Glorification of the Mother of God, may by her intercession be delivered from all the evils that beset us. Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
WHAT IS LENT?
- What is the Lenten season, and why is it set apart? It is a period of six weeks preceding the anniversary of the Saviour's death, and is set apart as a special season of fasting, penitence, and prayer.
- Why is it called Lent? Because it always comes in the spring of the year, and the old Saxon word Lent means spring.
- With what remarkable event in the Saviour's life does the Lenten season correspond? The forty days which He spent fasting in the wilderness.
- Why is the first dciy of Lent called Ash Wednesday? It is called so from the custom whid1 prevailed in the early Church of sprinkling ashes on the heads of penitents the first day of Lent, in token of humiliation and sorrow for sin.
- Are there any examples of this custom mentioned in the Bible? Yes; the example of Daniel and of David and the people of Nineveh, to which our Lord Himself refers (St. Matt. 11: 21).
- If Lent is only of forty days' duration, why does it begin forty-six days before Easter? Because there are six Sundays in Lent, and as all Sundays are feast days, kept in honor of the Resurrection, they are taken out; and to make up for these, six days are added at the beginning of the season.
- How should the Lenten season be observed by Christian people? As a special season for drawing near toby extraordinary acts of penitence, charity, and religious devotion; by fasting, and abstinence from public places of amusement, and from all things that tend to draw away the heart from God.
- What is the ohject of keeping Lent? To deepen the religious life, to purify the heart horn sin, and to unite us more closely to the Saviour.
- Why does the Church require us to observe the Lenten Fast'?(1) Because repentance and humiliation are essential to growth in grace; and ( 2) because these duties are apt to be neglected and forgotten unless some special time is set apart for their observance.
- What objection do people sometimes urge against the observauce of the Lenten Fast? They say that it is a useless and superstitious by extraordinary acts of penitence, charity, and religious devotion; by fasting, and abstinence from public places of amusement, and from all things that tend to draw away the heart from God.
- What is the ohject of keeping Lent'? To deepen the religious life, to purify the heart horn sin, and to unite us more closely to the Saviour.
- Why does the Church require us to observe the Lenten Fast? ( 1) Because repentance and humiliation are essential to growth in grace; and ( 2) because these duties are apt to be neglected and forgotten unless some special time is set apart for their observance.
- What objection do people sometimes urge against the observauce of the Lenten Fast? They say that it is a useless and superstitiouscustom, and that Christ nowhere commanded His disciples to fast.
- What answer do we make to this objection? ( 1) Fasting was a common practice not only among God's chosen people and His prophets under the Old Testament dispensation, but even beathen people practised it ( e.g., Ex. 34: 28; I Kings 19: 8; II Sam. 12: 16; Joel 1: 14; Jonah 3: s; Ps. 35: 13). ( 2) Our Lord fasted and so did His disciples; (St. Matt. 4: 2. Acts 13: 2-3; 10: 30). And although Christ did not command His followers to fast He assumed that they would do so and gave them directions how to do ( St. Matt. 6: 17). No one can say therefore that the custom, is either useless or superstitious, for it has the highest of divine authority.( 3) A few persons who accept the principle of Lent complain that the season is so long that people weary of its observance and relax its discipline. But it is intentionally made long, so that it must be kept by ordered rule and rational selfcontrol, instead by impulsive actions and emotional devotions.
- What is the effect of a Lenten season rightly kept? It purifies the heart from greed and lust, breaks the force of evil habit, brings us near to Christ, and creates a closer bond of union between our souls and heaven.
- How long has the custom of keeping Leut been observed by the Church?We know that it was observed in the first ceutury after Christ, and probably from the very days of the Apostles, though the season was not always forty days in length.
( Above from The Prayer Book Reason Why)
THINGS TO DO IN LENT
- THINGS TO DO IN LENT By The Late Fr. Frank Pannitti HCCAR As we begin this Holy Season of Lent, may I invite you to ponder on God’s love that knew no bounds in loving us and giving Himself for us on the Cross. Lenten discipline is not so much a placing of chains upon the body, but an unfettering of the spirit, so that we might move more freely toward God focusing on the “Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us” (Galatians 2:20) That is why we engage in spiritual discipline during Lent, and practice the Lenten Rule of Prayer, Fasting/Abstinence, and Almsgiving given by our Lord and Savior in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:1-18). Lent is an opportunity to set aside time for Prayer, Study, Meditation, and Reflection.
- The Sacrament of Penance (Confession): The Sacrament is available through the season of Lent. All parishioners are urged to give serious prayer and commitment to utilizing this Sacrament. By carefully examining our consciences, we will discover where we have offended God in our thoughts, words, and deeds. When we have confessed these sins and received assurance of forgiveness through absolution, we will better know in what area of our lives we are subject to spiritual peril and will achieve our Lenten goal of becoming Christ-like Christians.
- Prayer Throughout Lent read daily mediations such as; Lent and Easter, Wisdom from Henri J.M. Nouwen where Fr. Nouwen helps us become more sensitive to our own weaknesses and Christ’s victory over sin. Through it all, Father Nouwen comforts and reassures us with reminders that God loves and accepts us even in our human state. or Lent and Easter Wisdom from Fulton J. Sheen: Daily Scripture and Prayers Together With Sheen’s Own Words - Timeless words from Bishop Fulton Sheen enabling their readers towards a better understanding of their spiritual selves. The book covers the traditional themes of Lent--sin and salvation, death and Resurrection, sorrow and hope, ashes and lilies--these 50 passages and accompanying mini-prayers offer readers a practical spiritual program as a retreat from the cares and concerns of a secular world view. Throughout Lent read the daily meditations, allowing time for prayer.
- TO DO: Attend Mass each Sunday in Lentespecially during the special days of Holy Week: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter. Attend a weekday service during the week as an added addition to your spiritual discipline. Attend weekday studies made available at your church. Make an effort to make a special Lenten Devotion by taking part in the Stations of the Cross - meditate on the sufferings that Jesus endured to save you.
- Fasting/Abstinence: The two fast days are Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, when we do not eat between midnight and 3:00 PM of that day. Break the fast with a simple meal, no meat. Wednesdays and Fridays are days of abstinence when we partake of a simpler meal. Doing without meat, or reducing the amount consumed, is a traditional practice on Wednesdays and Fridays.
- Almsgiving: From the money saved by eating simpler meals and from abstinence from your favorite food, drink, tobacco, movies, video rentals etc. Do the following: Give some of the money to fill your Lenten Offering Box to help those in need. Give some of the money saved towards your Easter Offering to help the spiritually hungry. For what is required is that we give, not much or little, but not less than is in our power to give. ><> ><> ><>
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