Day: August 4, 2016

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(Usus Antiquior) Transfiguration of our Lord (II Classis) – Saturday, 6 August 2016 : Offertory, Secret Prayer of the Priest, Communion and Post-Communion Prayer

Liturgical Colour : White

Offertory

Psalm 111 : 3

Gloria et divitiae in domo Ejus : et justitia Ejus manet in saeculum saeculi. Alleluja.

 

English translation

Glory and wealth are in His house, and His justice remains forever and ever. Alleluia.

 

Secret Prayer of the Priest

Oblata, quaesumus, Domine, munera gloriosi Unigeniti Tui Transfiguratione sanctifica : nosque a peccatorum maculis, splendoribus ipsius illustrationis emunda. Per eumdem Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

 

English translation

Sanctify, we beseech You, o Lord, the gifts offered on the glorious Transfiguration of Your only begotten Son, and by the splendours of that very illumination cleanse us from the stains of our sins. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

 

Alternative Secret Prayer of the Priest (Commemoration of the Holy Martyrs)

Munera Tibi, Domine, nostrae devotionis offerimus : quae et pro Tuorum tibi gratia sint honore justorum, et nobis salutaria, Te miserante, reddantur. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

 

English translation

We offer You, o Lord, the gifts of our devotion. May they be rendered both pleasing unto You, for the honour of Your just ones, and to us through Your mercy, helpful to salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

 

Communion

Matthew 17 : 9

Visionem, quam vidistis, nemini dixeritis, donec a mortuis resurgat Filius hominis.

 

English translation

Tell the vision you have seen to no man, until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.

 

Post-Communion Prayer

Praesta, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus : ut sacrosancta Filii Tui Transfigurationis mysteria, quae sollemni celebramus officio, purificata mentis intellegentia consequamur. Per eumdem Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

 

English translation

Grant, we beseech You, o Almighty God, that with the understanding of a purified mind we may follow those sacred mysteries of Your Son’s Transfiguration which we celebrate with our solemn office. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

 

Alternative Post-Communion Prayer (Commemoration of the Holy Martyrs)

Praesta nobis, quaesumus, Domine : intercedentibus sanctis Martyribus Tuis Xysto, Felicissimo et Agapito; ut, quod ore contingimus, pura mente capiamus. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

 

English translation

Grant us, we beseech You, o Lord, by the intercession of Your holy Martyrs, Sixtus, Felicissimus and Agapitus, that what we touch with our lips we may receive with a pure heart. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

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(Usus Antiquior) Transfiguration of our Lord (II Classis) – Saturday, 6 August 2016 : Holy Gospel

Liturgical Colour : White

Sequentia Sancti Evangelii secundum Matthaeum – Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew

Matthew 17 : 1-9

In illo tempore : Assumpsit Jesus Petrum, et Jacobum, et Joannem fratrem ejus, et duxit illos in montem excelsum seorsum : et transfiguratus est ante eos. Et resplenduit facies Ejus sicut sol : vestimenta autem Ejus facta sunt alba sicut nix.

Et ecce, apparuerunt illis Moyses et Elias cum Eo loquentes. Respondens autem Petrus, dixit ad Jesum : Domine, bonum est nos hic esse : si vis, faciamus hic tria tabernacula, Tibi unum, Moysi unum et Eliae unum.

Adhuc eo loquente, ecce, nubes lucida obumbravit eos. Et ecce vox de nube, dicens : Hic est Filius Meus dilectus, in quo Mihi bene complacui : ipsum audite. Et audientes discipuli, ceciderunt in faciem suam, et timuerunt valde.

Et accesit Jesus, et tetigit eos, dixitque eis : Surgite, et nolite timere. Levantes autem oculos suos, neminem viderunt nisi solum Jesum. Et descendentibus illis de monte, praecepit eis Jesus, dicens : Nemini dixeritis visionem, donec Filius hominis a mortuis resurgat.

 

English translation

At that time, Jesus took Peter, James and John, his brother, and bringing them up into a high mountain apart, and He was transfigured before them. And His facecdod shine as the sun, and His garments became white as snow.

And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with Him. And Peter answering, said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here, if You will, let us make here three tents, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

And as he was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them, and lo, a voice out of the cloud saying, “This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased, listen to Him.” And the disciples hearing this, fell upon their face, and were very much afraid.

And Jesus came and touched them, and said to them, “Arise, and do not fear.” And they lifting up their eyes saw no one, but only Jesus. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, “Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.”

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(Usus Antiquior) Transfiguration of our Lord (II Classis) – Saturday, 6 August 2016 : Gradual and Alleluia

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 44 : 3, 2 and Wisdom 7 : 26

Speciosus forma prae filiis hominum : diffusa est gratia in labiis Tuis.

Priest : Eructavit cor meum verbum bonum : dico ego opera mea Regi.

Alleluja, Alleluja.

Priest : Candor est lucis aeternae, speculum sine macula, et imago bonitatis illius. Alleluja.

 

English translation

You are beautiful above the sons of men, grace is poured abroad in Your lips.

Priest : My heart had uttered a good word. I speak my works to the King.

Alleluia, Alleluia.

Priest : He is the brightness of eternal light, the unspotted mirror, and the image of His goodness. Alleluia.

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(Usus Antiquior) Transfiguration of our Lord (II Classis) – Saturday, 6 August 2016 : Epistle

Liturgical Colour : White

Lectio Epistolae Beati Petri Apostoli – Lesson from the Epistle of Blessed Peter the Apostle

2 Peter 1 : 16-19

Carissimi : Non doctas fabulas secuti notam fecimus vobis Domini nostri Jesu Christi virtutem et praesentiam sed speculatores facti illius magnitudinis.

Accipiens enim a Deo Patre honorem et gloriam, voce delapsa ad eum hujuscemodi a magnifica gloria : Hic est Filius meus dilectus, in quo mihi complacui, ipsum audite.

Et hanc vocem nos audivimus de caelo allatam, cum essemus cum ipso in monte sancto. Et habemus firmiorem propheticum sermonem : cui bene facitis attendentes, quasi lucernae lucenti in caliginoso loco, donec dies elucescat, et lucifer oriatur in cordibus vestris.

 

English translation

Dearly beloved, we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known to you the power and presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, but having been made eyewitnesses of His majesty.

For He received from God the Father honour and glory, this voice coming down to Him from the excellent glory. This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased, listen to Him.

And this voice we heard from Heaven, when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And we have the firmer prophetical words, where unto you it does well to attend, as to a light that shines in the dark places, until the day dawn, and the morning star arise in your hearts.

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(Usus Antiquior) Transfiguration of our Lord (II Classis) – Saturday, 6 August 2016 : Introit and Collect

Liturgical Colour : White

Introit

Psalm 76 : 19 and Psalm 83 : 2-3

Illuxerunt coruscationes Tuae orbi terrae : commota est et contremuit terra.

Quam dilecta tabernacula Tua, Domine virtutum! Conscupiscit, et deficit anime mea in atria Domini.

Priest : Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto, sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper : et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

 

English translation

Your lightnings enlightened the world, the earth shook and trembled.

How lovely are Your tabernacles, o Lord of hosts! My soul longed and fainted for the courts of the Lord.

Priest : 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.

 

Collect

Deus, qui fidei sacramenta in Unigeniti Tui gloriosa Transfiguratione patrum testimonio roborasti, et adoptionem filiorum perfectam, voce delapsa in nube lucida, mirabiliter praesignasti : concede propitius; ut ipsius Regis gloriae nos coheredes efficias, et ejusdem gloriae tribuas esse consortes. Per eumdem Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

 

English translation

O God, You Who in the glorious Transfiguration of Your only begotten Son had confirmed the sacraments of faith by the testimony of the fathers, and You Who had wonderfully foreshowed the perfect adoption of Your children by a voice coming down in a shining cloud, mercifully grant that we be made co-heirs of the King of glory Himself, and grant us to be sharers in that very glory. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

 

Alternative Collect (Commemoration of the Holy Martyrs)

Deus, qui nos concedis sanctorum in Martyrum Tuorum Xysti, Felicissimi, et Agapiti natalitia colere : da nobis in aeterna beatitudine de eorum societate gaudere. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

 

English translation

O God, You Who had permitted us to celebrate the birthday of Your holy martyrs, Sixtus, Felicissimus and Agapitus, grant us to enjoy their companionship in everlasting beatitude. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

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Friday, 5 August 2016 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Dedication of a Basilica)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we celebrate the great feast in the memory of the dedication of one of the greatest churches of Christendom, one of the major Papal Basilicas in the holy city of Rome, one devoted to the Blessed Mother of the Lord, Mary herself, in her persona as the protector of the city of Rome, known also as St. Mary Major, Santa Maria Maggiore or as our Lady of the Snows.

It was told that one fine day at the time when Christianity was just tolerated by the Roman Empire, at the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine, an elderly couple John and his wife vowed to donate their possessions to the Blessed Virgin Mary, having no heir of their own to inherit their properties. They prayed to the Blessed Virgin that she might show them the way how to properly dispose that property in her care.

And she showed it through the miracle of snows that fell during the height of summer, on this exact day, the fifth day of August, on one of the hills of Rome, where the elderly couple initiated the building of the great Basilica with the help and support of the Emperor, which had since then became a great church and a great place of contemplation, dedicated to the mother of our Lord and God, protector of God’s beloved people.

This is one of the example of how the mother of our Lord has always on the lookout for us the people loved by her own Son, Jesus Christ. She has watched over us and prayed for us, that we may find our way out of the darkness of this world and enter into the light of our Lord, forever to be granted the salvation and the eternal life that God bestows on His faithful ones alone.

She is a great ally to all of us, having shown us how to be faithful to the Lord in her own ways. She has been faithful to the Lord, obedient in all of her ways, devoting her entire life to serve the Lord, and faithfully stayed by the side of her Son, all the way from the time she conceived Him by the power of the Holy Spirit, and all the way through His life on earth until He ascended the hill of Calvary to His death.

And despite her doubts, fears and uncertainties, she persevered on and continued to help her Son in His works to save the whole world and all mankind. And thus, she became a the great beacon and guiding light, the example for all mankind to follow, the perfect role model on how to become a faithful servant and follower of our Lord.

And thus as we celebrate together this great feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, let us all learn to be more like Mary, the mother of our Lord, in how she had been ever faithful, in how she lived a life filled with dedication and commitment to the mission which had been entrusted to her. Indeed, hers was the special role that was greater than any other missions which we have, but each and every one of us also have that mission, to live our lives faithfully as Christians, as those who believe in the Lord and live according to His ways.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all commit ourselves anew to the Lord, and renew our commitment to Him through not just words alone, but also through real action. And this means that we should love one another just as He has loved us in the first place. Let us all follow the example of Mary, His mother, who is our greatest intercessor and defender, the one who can help us to reach out to the salvation found in our Lord Jesus alone.

May our Blessed Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Lady of Snows, bless us all and may she be ever loving to us, keeping us all under her watchful care, that through her we may find that clear path to the eternal life which her Son has promised all those who are faithful to Him. God bless us all. Amen.

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Friday, 5 August 2016 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Dedication of a Basilica)

Matthew 16 : 24-28

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “If you want to follow Me, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Me. For whoever chooses to save his life will lose it, but the one who loses his life for My sake will find it. What will one gain by winning the whole world if he destroys his soul? There is nothing you can give to get back your soul.”

“Know that the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with the holy Angels, and He will reward each one according to his deeds. Truly, I tell you, there are some here who will not die, before they see the Son of Man coming as King.”
Alternative reading (Mass for Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Luke 11 : 27-28

At that time, as Jesus was speaking, a woman spoke from the crowd and said to Him, “Blessed is the one who gave You birth and nursed You!” Jesus replied, “Truly blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it as well.”

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Friday, 5 August 2016 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Dedication of a Basilica)

Deuteronomy 32 : 35cd-36ab, 39abcd, 41

Their day of calamity is at hand, and swiftly their doom will come. The Lord will give justice to His people and have mercy on His servants.

Learn this now – that I alone am He; there is no god besides Me. It is I Who give both death and life; it is I Who wound and heal as well and out of My hand no one can deliver.

When I sharpen My glittering sword and My hand takes hold of judgment, I will deal out vengeance upon My foes and retribution upon those who hate Me.

Alternative reading (Mass for Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Judith 13 : 18bcde, 19

My daughter, may the Most High God bless you more than all women on earth. And blessed be the Lord God, the Creator of heaven and earth, Who has led you to behead the leader of our enemies.

Never will people forget the confidence you have shown; they will always remember the power of God.

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Friday, 5 August 2016 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Dedication of a Basilica)

Nahum 2 : 1, 3 and Nahum 3 : 1-3, 6-7

See, there on the mountains, the feet of One Who brings Good News, One Who proclaims peace. Judah, celebrate your feasts and carry out your vows. For the wicked have been destroyed, they will not attack you any more. YHVH will now restore Jacob’s magnificence, like Israel’s splendour. For they had been plundered, laid waste as a ravaged vineyard.

Woe to the bloody city, city of lies and booty, o city of unending plunder! But what! Crack of whips, rumble of wheels and clatter of hoofs! See the frenzied chargers, the flashing swords and glittering spears, the heaps of the wounded, the dead and dying – we trip over corpses!

I will pelt you with filth, I will treat you with contempt and make of you a shameful show, so that all who look on you will turn their backs in disgust and say : Nineveh – a city of lust – is in ruins. Who will mourn for her? Where can we find one to comfort her?

Alternative reading (Mass for Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Revelations 21 : 1-5a

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had passed away and no longer was there any sea. I saw the new Jerusalem, the Holy City coming down from God, out of heaven, adorned as a bride prepared for her husband.

A loud voice came from the Throne, “Here is the dwelling of God among mortals : He will pitch His tent among them and they will be His people; He will be God-with-them. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death or mourning, crying out or pain, for the world that was has passed away.”

The One seated on the Throne said, “See, I make all things new.”

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Thursday, 4 August 2016 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Vianney, Priest and Patron of Parish Priests (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we celebrate the feast of the famous St. John Vianney, the patron saint of priests, specifically our parish priests. He was also known by his name of the Cure of Ars, from the role he played in his dwelling at Ars in France, where he worked many works of wonders and miracles among the people of God through his hard work and dedication.

In the Scripture readings today, we heard about the covenant and the promise that God had made through His prophet Jeremiah, that He would renew the covenant with His people and bring them together again as one people, and gather them in His love into His embrace. And this was taken in the context that the people of God had been brought low and many were brought into exile in the land of their enemies, having sinned many times before the Lord.

And brothers and sisters in Christ, today we also heard in the Gospel, the famous exchange between Jesus and His disciples, primarily St. Peter, who professed his renewed faith to the Lord, proclaiming without hesitation that Jesus his Master, is the Son of the Living God, the Messiah, and the Lord of all. This is something which many others, the Pharisees, the teachers of the Law and even among the disciples themselves, found hard to believe.

And Jesus entrusted all of His flock to him, whom He charged to be the leader of the whole Church which He established upon this world, founded upon that same faith which St. Peter had proclaimed before all that day. And He charged him with the care of the keys to the kingdom of heaven, with the responsibility to bind and unbind the souls of mankind to the Lord, that is the mission of the Church.

And how is this relevant to what we are celebrating today as the feast day of St. John Vianney? St. John Vianney is an example for all the priests, all those who have devoted themselves to the Lord. He has given himself in service to those who are the least and the weakest in the society, and he has delivered many great sermons, calling on many people to repent their sins and to find their way back to the Lord.

He cured the hearts of the faithful, and brought them back from the darkness and back into the light. He stirred the hearts of sinners that they might hearken to the word and the calling of God, which sounded in their hearts, and pulled them back from the edge of the precipice leading to hell. And thus, in this manner, St. John Vianney embodied that calling and that mission which Jesus our Lord had entrusted to St. Peter.

Our priests and our devoted servants of God are all precious to us, and they are the ones who are our bridges, the ones who help us to encounter the Lord, much as He is the One Who is the bridge between us sinful men and the Father in Heaven. They do not have an easy life, and as we all should understand, being priests and devoted servants of God is difficult, as challenges after challenges shall come their way.

Therefore today, as we celebrate together the feast of St. John Vianney, the patron saint of priests, let us all pray for our priests, all those who have devoted their lives and given themselves to care for God’s people, and to gather as many souls as possible to the salvation in God. Let us all devote ourselves as well in similar manner and commit ourselves to support our faithful priests, that their works will lead to even greater impact in bringing God’s beloved but wayward people back into His embrace.

May God help us all, and may He awaken in us all as well, the spirit of service and dedication, and hopefully that some of us may take up the challenge and the calling He had made unto us, that we too may have new priests and holy servants of God arising from our ranks. God bless us all. Amen.