Give Us This Day

Give Us This Day®Canticle of Zechariah (Benedictus) Luke 1:68-79

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior,born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old that he would save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathersand to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:to set us free from the hands of our enemies,free to worship him without fear,holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High;for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,to give his people knowledge of salvationby the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our Godthe dawn from on high shall break upon us,to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

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Labor Day

✛ François Mauriac Paula Huston

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✛ French Martyrs of September

Sr. Joan Chittister

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St. Gregory the Great

✛ St. Gregory the Great Hosffman Ospino

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✛ Albert Schweitzer Jay Cormier

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✛ Bd. Mother Teresa Silas Henderson

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✛ St. Phoebe Sr. Barbara Reid

Within the Word: Thanks to Those Feisty Corinthians Florence Morgan Gillman

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Sr. Verna Holyhead

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Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

✛ John Howard Griffin Sr. Maria Tasto

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St. Peter Claver

✛ Bd. Jacques Laval Richard Reece

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✛ Sts. Natalia and Adrian Ellyn Sanna

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✛ Bd. Louisa of Savoy Fr. James Wallace

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[Most Holy Name of Mary]

✛ The Cloud of Unknowing Author

Diana Hayes

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St. John Chrysostom

✛ Fr. Thomas Frederick Price

Fr. Ronald RaabWithin the Word: Judgment and JusticeSr. Shawn Carruth

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Exaltation of the Holy CrossSt. Chromatius

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Our Lady of Sorrows

✛ Bd. Pino Puglisi Fr. William Skudlarek

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Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian

✛ St. Cyprian C. Vanessa White

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[St. Robert Bellarmine]

✛ St. Hildegard of Bingen Madeleine Delbrêl

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✛ Corita Kent Therese Borchard

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[St. Januarius]

✛ St. Notburga Mary Stommes

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St. Andrew Kim and the Korean Martyrs

✛ St. Andrew Kim and the Korean Martyrs

Fr. Kevin O’BrienWithin the Word: Had There Been No Cross St. Andrew of Crete

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Madeleine L’Engle

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✛ Daria Donnelly Sr. Kathleen Hughes

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St. Pius of Pietrelcina

✛ St. (Padre) Pio Fr. Brendan

McGuire

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✛ Bd. Robert of Knaresborough

Pope Francis

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✛ St. Sergius of Radonezh Mary DeTurris Poust

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[Sts. Cosmas and Damian]

✛ St. Therese Couderc Fr. vanThanh Nguyen

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St. Vincent de Paul

✛ St. Lioba Chiara Lubich

Within the Word: EcclesiastesKathleen O’Connor

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Kimberly Hope Belcher

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Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael

✛ Bd. Richard Rolle Abbot John Klassen

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St. Jerome

✛ Shusaku Endo Sr. Maria Boulding

Within the Word: The Impatience of JobBishop Emil Wcela

Key✛ Blessed Among Us by Robert Ellsberg Reflection / Within the Word Author[ ] Optional MemorialVestment colors:G Green R Red W White

September 2014

Give UsThısDay®DAILY PRAYER FOR TODAY’S CATHOLIC

Editorial Advisors James Martin, SJ ◆ Irene Nowell, OSB Bishop Robert F. Morneau ◆ Timothy Radcliffe, OP Kathleen Norris ◆ Ronald Rolheiser, OMI

Peter Dwyer, PublisherMary Stommes, Editor

Catherine Donovan, Associate PublisherNancy Bauer, OSB, Assistant Editor

Robert Ellsberg, “Blessed Among Us” AuthorIrene Nowell, OSB, Scripture Editor, Morning and Evening

Susan Barber, OSB, Intercessions

www.giveusthisday.orgCustomer Service: 888-259-8470, [email protected]

Give Us This Day, Liturgical PressPO Box 7500, Collegeville, MN 56321-7500

© 2014 by the Order of Saint Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota.Printed in the United States of America.

Give Us This Day® (ISSN 2159-2136, print; 2166-0654, large print; 2159-2128, online) is published monthly by Liturgical Press, an apostolate of Saint John’s Abbey, 2950 Saint John’s Road, Collegeville, Minnesota. Rev. John Klassen, OSB, Abbot. For complete publication information see page 350.

Published with the approval of the Committee on Divine Worship, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

CONTENTS September 2014 ◆ Volume 4, Issue 9

Prayer and Work Fr. Columba Stewart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Teach Us to Pray: Praying with Our Lady of Sorrows Fr. James Martin . . . . 7Blessing of Work Sr. Genevieve Glen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Prayers and Blessings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Prayer at Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Daily Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Order of Mass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311Liturgy of the Word (with Holy Communion) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337Hymns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340Guide to Lectio Divina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346

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Cultivation of Vines, relief sculpture, Amiens Cathedral, France.

Sunday, September 28

MorningO Lord, open my lips.And my mouth will proclaim your praise.

(opt. hymn, pp. 340–45)Psalm 100Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.Serve the Lord with gladness.Come before him, singing for joy.

Know that he, the Lord, is God.He made us; we belong to him.We are his people, the sheep of his flock.

Enter his gates with thanksgivingand his courts with songs of praise.Give thanks to him, and bless his name.

Indeed, how good is the Lord,eternal his merciful love.He is faithful from age to age.

Glory to the Father . . .

Scripture Micah 7:18-20

Who is a God like you, who removes guilt / and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance; / Who does

not persist in anger forever, / but instead delights in mercy, / And will again have compassion on us, / treading under-foot our iniquities? / You will cast into the depths of the sea

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all our sins; / You will show faithfulness to Jacob, / and loyalty to Abraham, / As you have sworn to our ancestors / from days of old.

Read, Ponder, Pray on a word or phrase from today’s Scriptures (Lectio Divina, p. 346)

AntiphonIf the wicked turn from their wickedness, they save their lives.

Canticle of Zechariah (inside front cover)

IntercessionsGod, you are faithful from age to age. With joy we pray: r. God, in your compassionate love, hear our prayer.

Grant that the faith of your Church may bear abundant fruit in good works. r.

Touch the hearts of all who seek to join the Church. r.

Bless all who have asked for our prayer. r.

Our Father . . .

May the Cross and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ be the source of our forgiveness and peace. Amen.

MassTwenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Entrance Antiphon Daniel 3:31, 29, 30, 43, 42All that you have done to us, O Lord, / you have done with true judgment, / for we have sinned against you / and not obeyed your commandments. / But give glory to your name / and deal with us according to the bounty of your mercy.

Gloria (p. 313)

CollectO God, who manifest your almighty powerabove all by pardoning and showing mercy,bestow, we pray, your grace abundantly upon usand make those hastening to attain your promisesheirs to the treasures of heaven.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.

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel 18:25-28

By turning from wickedness, a wicked person shall preserve his life.

Thus says the Lord: You say, “The Lord’s way is not fair!” Hear now, house of Israel: Is it my way that is unfair,

or rather, are not your ways unfair? When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies, it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die. But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed, and does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life; since he has


turned away from all the sins that he has committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

r. (6a) Remember your mercies, O Lord.

Your ways, O Lord, make known to me;teach me your paths,

guide me in your truth and teach me,for you are God my savior. r.

Remember that your compassion, O Lord,and your love are from of old.

The sins of my youth and my frailties remember not;in your kindness remember me,because of your goodness, O Lord. r.

Good and upright is the Lord;thus he shows sinners the way.

He guides the humble to justice,and teaches the humble his way. r.

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians 2:1-11 (Shorter Form [ ], 2:1-5)

Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus.

[Brothers and sisters: If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the

Spirit, any compassion and mercy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing. Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also for those of others.

Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus,] / Who, though he was in the form of God, / did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. / Rather, he emptied himself, / taking the form of a slave, / coming in human likeness; / and found human in appearance, / he humbled himself, / becoming obedient to the point of death, / even death on a cross. / Because of this, God greatly exalted him / and bestowed on him the name / which is above every name, / that at the name of Jesus / every knee should bend, / of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, / and every tongue confess that / Jesus Christ is Lord, / to the glory of God the Father.The word of the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation John 10:27My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;I know them, and they follow me.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 21:28-32

He changed his mind and went. Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of heaven before you.

Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people: “What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came

to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ He said in reply, ‘I will not,’ but afterwards changed his mind and went. The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did his father’s will?” They answered, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes


did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him.”The Gospel of the Lord.

Creed (p. 314)

Prayer over the OfferingsGrant us, O merciful God,that this our offering may find acceptance with youand that through it the wellspring of all blessingmay be laid open before us.Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon Cf. Psalm 119 (118):49-50Remember your word to your servant, O Lord, / by which you have given me hope. / This is my comfort when I am brought low.

Or: 1 John 3:16By this we came to know the love of God: / that Christ laid down his life for us; / so we ought to lay down our lives for one another.

Prayer after CommunionMay this heavenly mystery, O Lord,restore us in mind and body,that we may be coheirs in glory with Christ,to whose suffering we are unitedwhenever we proclaim his Death.Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

ReflectionThe Vineyard Isn’t a Chore

“It’s not fair!” As a mother of three, I hear this a lot. And justice is often elusive: if my son harassed his sister for ten minutes and then took her toy, and she smacked him and collapsed kicking and screaming, who most deserves a time out? (I do—with tea and a book.)

The readings today also cry out for fairness: Justice is your task, O Lord! Why do the wicked thrive and the good suffer? Through Ezekiel, God thunders back, “Is it not your ways that are unfair?” Neither Ezekiel nor the parable in the Gospel attempts to answer the problem of evil in the world—rather, they redirect us to our nearer concerns. If I have committed myself to God’s kingdom, am I doing its work? If sinners are entering the kingdom ahead of me, am I meek enough to follow in their footsteps?

In the lead to his beautiful hymn about Christ, Paul begs, “regard others as more important than yourselves.” Is our Christianity about the appearance of obedience (“Yes, sir!”) or about the needs of God’s hurt and grieving sons and daughters? Let us change our minds—that is, “be con-verted”—and go out.

Then we will remember what the tax collectors and the prostitutes have always known, that working in God’s vine-yard isn’t a chore. It’s a gift: unity, wholeness, in the mind and heart of Jesus.

Whether we are in the boardroom or the playroom, let us see the vineyard.

Kimberly Hope Belcher

Kimberly Hope Belcher is a married mother of three small children and a professor of theology and liturgy at the University of Notre Dame.


EveningGod, come to my assistance.Lord, make haste to help me.

(opt. hymn, pp. 340–45)Psalm 24:1-6The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness,the world, and those who dwell in it.It is he who set it on the seas;on the rivers he made it firm.

Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?Who shall stand in his holy place?The clean of hands and pure of heart,whose soul is not set on vain things,who has not sworn deceitful words.

Blessings from the Lord shall he receive,and right reward from the God who saves him.Such are the people who seek him,who seek the face of the God of Jacob.


Scripture James 2:14-17

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save

him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace,

keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.


AntiphonJust as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Canticle of Mary (inside back cover)

IntercessionsSovereign God, we acclaim you as Lord, and we pray: r. God, in your loving-kindness, hear our prayer.

Strengthen your Church in corporal and spiritual works of mercy. r.

Look with favor on those who seek forgiveness. r.

Welcome into your kingdom our departed brothers and sisters. r.

Our Father . . .

May God bless us with peace and knowledge of the love shown to us through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

291September 28–30Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

Within the WordThe Impatience of Job

Job never existed as an individual, but he lives in anyone who has ever asked, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” If God is good, then why?

Job is a wealthy man. Disaster changes that quickly. Raiders rustle his oxen, donkeys, and camels and murder the herds-men. Lightning slaughters his sheep. A terrible storm kills all his sons and daughters while they celebrate at dinner.

Job’s response is the memorable, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” More-over, Scripture tells us, “In all this Job . . . did not charge God with wrong.”

Then Job breaks out with boils, “from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.” As Job sits on an ash-heap scraping his sores with a piece of broken pottery, his wife mocks him, “Curse God and die!”

Job’s resolute response: “We accept good things from God; should we not accept evil?” The narrator is also unwavering: “Through all this, Job did not sin in what he said.”

Finally, Job’s patience shatters. “Curse the day I was born!” he moans. Now begins a passionate debate among Job and his friends about that most troubling enigma in the mystery of God: the harsh reality of evil.

Job’s friends believe they understand God. Job is suffering because he has offended God in some serious way. His suf-ferings are God’s judgments on Job’s sins. God is just. What happens to us in this life reflects our status before God. Good is rewarded, evil punished. If Job would repent of his sins, all would be forgiven.

Job has no doubt that God is our judge. What he disputes is the justice of God. Whatever Job may have done wrong in his life, nothing merits the catastrophes that have come upon him. As Job sees it, God treats us according to his own whims and not according to how much good or how much evil we bring into the world.

The arguments fly back and forth in masterful form, with Job and his friends ever more firmly fixed in their views.

Then God enters the debate and confronts Job. God de-scribes the wonders of creation and all the mysteries buried within. He asks Job over and over, “Can you do these things? Do you understand them all?” God speaks of Behemoth and Leviathan, two mythical monsters of chaos, and affirms how he has control even over them.

Job’s first reply to the Lord is an acknowledgment of his own humble status before the greatness of God. “What can I answer you? I put my hand over my mouth.” Job will say no more. But he does have a final word! “By hearsay I had heard of you, but now my eye has seen you.” Job may not have an intellectual answer to the problem of evil, but his eyes have been opened to see God in a new way, and this makes him willing to live with what he cannot comprehend.

Ultimately, the book of Job leaves God and the universal experience of good and evil still shrouded in mystery. Cen-turies later, Christians believe, God became human in Jesus. What Jesus Christ reveals to us about God in the paschal mystery—in his life, death, and resurrection—is the basis for our trust despite all the unanswered questions.

—Bishop Emil Wcela

Emil A. Wcela served as auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, for nineteen years before retiring in 2007. Author of several books on the Bible, he continues to teach and write.

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Monday, September 29


(opt. hymn, pp. 340–45)Psalm 138:1-3, 6-8I thank you, Lord, with all my heart;you have heard the words of my mouth.In the presence of the angels I praise you.I bow down toward your holy temple.

I give thanks to your namefor your merciful love and your faithfulness.You have exalted your name over all.On the day I called, you answered me;you increased the strength of my soul.

The Lord is high, yet he looks on the lowly,and the haughty he knows from afar.You give me life though I walk amid affliction;you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes.

With your right hand you save me;the Lord will accomplish this for me.O Lord, your merciful love is eternal;discard not the work of your hands.


Scripture Tobit 12:11-12, 14-15

I shall now tell you the whole truth and conceal nothing at all from you. I have already said to you, ‘A king’s secret

should be kept secret, but one must declare the works of

God with due honor.’ Now when you, Tobit, and Sarah prayed, it was I who presented the record of your prayer before the Glory of the Lord; and likewise whenever you used to bury the dead. I was sent to put you to the test. At the same time, however, God sent me to heal you and your daughter-in-law Sarah. I am Raphael, one of the seven an-gels who stand and serve before the Glory of the Lord.”


AntiphonIn the company of the angels I will sing psalms to you, my God.


IntercessionsLord, in the sight of the holy archangels, we sing your praise and pray for their protection as we say: r. Lord, have mercy on us.

Strengthen us to be faithful servants. r.

Lead all nations to end the production of nuclear and chemical weapons. r.

Protect those who trust in your love. r.

Our Father . . .

May God give us peace, goodwill, and communion with all the heavenly host, now and forever. Amen.

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Blessed Among UsBlessed Richard RolleMystic (1300–1349)

Richard Rolle, one of the great mystics who thrived in four-teenth-century England, was born to a prominent family in Yorkshire. At the age of nineteen he left his studies and ad-opted a solitary life of prayer and devotion. Though his par-ents thought him mad, he found patrons who set him up in a simple hermitage that remained his home.

Rolle wrote a number of books describing his mystical rap-ture, an experience of ardent love characterized in terms of “warmth, song, and sweetness.” Yet he was capable of acerbic criticism of conditions in the Church and society, challenging the worldliness of many clergy and espousing an ideal of ap-ostolic poverty. Though this caused him difficulties with his bishop, “the more men have raved against me with words of backbiting, so much the more I have grown in spiritual profit.”

Despite his solitary life, he was no gloomy misanthrope. He exemplified that “mirth in the love of God” that he at-tributed to the saints. Having perfected his capacity for con-templation, he found himself equally capable of encountering God among other people or in nature as in solitude. He wrote, “If our love be pure and perfect, whatever our heart loves, it is God.”

He died on September 29, 1349, a victim of the Black Death.

“In the beginning . . . I thought I would be like the little bird that for love of its lover longs; but in her longing she is glad-dened when he comes that she loves. And joying she sings, and singing she longs, but in sweetness and heat.”

—Blessed Richard Rolle

MassSaints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Feast

Entrance Antiphon Cf. Psalm 103 (102):20Bless the Lord, all you his angels, mighty in power, / fulfilling his word, and heeding his voice.

Gloria (p. 313)

CollectO God, who dispose in marvelous orderministries both angelic and human,graciously grantthat our life on earth may be defendedby those who watch over usas they minister perpetually to you in heaven.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.

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 (alt. Rev 12:7-12ab)

Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him.

As I watched: / Thrones were set up / and the Ancient One took his throne. / His clothing was bright as snow,

/ and the hair on his head as white as wool; / His throne was flames of fire, / with wheels of burning fire. / A surging stream of fire / flowed out from where he sat; / Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him, / and myriads upon myriads attended him.

The court was convened, and the books were opened. As the visions during the night continued, I saw / One like a son of man coming, / on the clouds of heaven; / When he


reached the Ancient One / and was presented before him, / He received dominion, glory, and kingship; / nations and peoples of every language serve him. / His dominion is an everlasting dominion / that shall not be taken away, / his kingship shall not be destroyed.The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 4-5

r. (1) In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.

I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with all my heart,for you have heard the words of my mouth;in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;

I will worship at your holy templeand give thanks to your name. r.

Because of your kindness and your truth;for you have made great above all thingsyour name and your promise.

When I called, you answered me;you built up strength within me. r.

All the kings of the earth shall give thanks to you, O Lord,when they hear the words of your mouth;

And they shall sing of the ways of the Lord:“Great is the glory of the Lord.” r.

Gospel Acclamation Psalm 103:21Bless the Lord, all you angels,you ministers, who do his will.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 1:47-51

You will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity

in him.” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”The Gospel of the Lord.

Prayer over the OfferingsWe offer you a sacrifice of praise, O Lord,humbly entreating,that, as these gifts are borne by the ministry of Angelsinto the presence of your majesty,so you may receive them favorablyand make them profitable for our salvation.Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon Psalm 138 (137):1I will thank you, Lord, with all my heart; / in the presence of the Angels I will praise you.


Prayer after CommunionHaving been nourished with heavenly Bread,we beseech you humbly, O Lord,that, drawing from it new strength,under the faithful protection of your Angels,we may advance boldly along the way of salvation.Through Christ our Lord.

ReflectionEcho the Hymn

Remember the popular TV series Touched by an Angel? The angels Tess and her sidekick Monica differ significantly from their biblical counterparts. They are, after all, creatures of primetime—likeable, hip, chatty, neighborly, engaging. Even Andrew, the angel of death, comes across as an okay guy. TV angels are talkative; those of the Bible are silent or say very little. Biblical angels do not linger. They get their work done and depart, with no long Minnesota good-byes.

Biblical angels bear messages that are greater than any human, even a prophet, could communicate. Remember Gabriel’s announcement to Mary? An angel’s appearance in the Bible often signals that God is going to do something big, that history is going to change direction. The Bible’s angels—unlike Raphael’s playful cherubs on the “Sistine Madonna”—are often fierce, warlike creatures. Nowhere in the Bible does an angel’s visit suggest that you have won the lottery.

Our Eucharistic liturgy still echoes the hymn of the angels in Isaiah 6: “Holy, holy, holy . . .” I like to think that on the days when we are ragged at liturgy, when we can’t seem to agree on a tempo, when we have a hard time hitting that top

note, the angels clean it up and make it worthy of the God we love and worship. Perhaps what TV shows like Touched by an Angel point to is our desire to know the breadth of God’s mercy in the sudden way that grace makes all things good. It is surely true that a single action of love links our voices with the angels, bread with body, wine with blood, commu-nity with Christ.

Abbot John Klassen

John Klassen, OSB, is abbot of Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota.



(opt. hymn, pp. 340–45)Psalm 103:1-5, 20-22Bless the Lord, O my soul,and all within me, his holy name.Bless the Lord, O my soul,and never forget all his benefits.

It is the Lord who forgives all your sins,who heals every one of your ills,who redeems your life from the grave,who crowns you with mercy and compassion,who fills your life with good things,renewing your youth like an eagle’s.

Bless the Lord, all you his angels,mighty in power, fulfilling his word,who heed the voice of his word.

Bless the Lord, all his hosts,his servants, who do his will.Bless the Lord, all his works,in every place where he rules.Bless the Lord, O my soul!


Scripture Revelation 8:1-4

When he broke open the seventh seal, there was si-lence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw

that the seven angels who stood before God were given seven trumpets.

Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a gold censer. He was given a great quantity of incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the holy ones, on the gold altar that was before the throne. The smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the holy ones went up before God from the hand of the angel.


AntiphonLet us praise the Lord, whom the angels acclaim.


IntercessionsHoly God, from you is tenderness and mercy. In faith we pray: r. We bless you, Lord.

Your love is from all ages: root us in the faith of our ancestors. r.

Your justice is beyond all time: free those who are unjustly imprisoned. r.

Your rule is over all there is: teach every land and people to fear you. r.

Our Father . . .

May God and the angels protect us and enfold us with tender care and mercy. Amen.

302 Tuesday 303

Tuesday, September 30


(opt. hymn, pp. 340–45)Psalm 5:2-5, 8-9To my words give ear, O Lord;give heed to my sighs.Attend to the sound of my cry,my King and my God.

To you do I pray, O Lord.In the morning you hear my voice;in the morning I plead and watch before you.

You are no God who delights in evil;no sinner is your guest.

Yet through the greatness of your merciful love,I enter your house.I bow down before your holy temple,in awe of you.

Lead me, Lord, in your justice,because of my foes;make straight your way before me.


Scripture Jeremiah 20:14-15, 17b-18

Cursed be the day / on which I was born! / May the day my mother gave me birth / never be blessed! / Cursed

be the one who brought the news / to my father, / “A child, a son, has been born to you!” / filling him with great joy. / Then my mother would have been my grave, / her womb confining me forever. / Why did I come forth from the womb, / to see sorrow and pain, / to end my days in shame?


AntiphonWhy is light given to the toilers and life to the bitter in spirit?


IntercessionsLord God, in company with St. Jerome, lover and translator of your Word, we pray: r. Show us your mercy, O God.

Inspire all who read, study, and pray the Scriptures. r.

Guide the work of translators in their difficult task. r.

Help us to translate your words into deeds of kindness and love. r.

Our Father . . .

May almighty God fix the divine Word in our hearts and fill us with lasting joy. Amen.

304 September 30 Tuesday 305

Blessed Among UsShusaku EndoNovelist (1923–1996)

The novelist Shusaku Endo, who was baptized as a child fol-lowing his parents’ divorce, spent much of life pondering the ambivalence and tension implied in his identity as a Japanese and a Catholic. He later likened his faith to an arranged mar-riage; he tried several times to leave, but something always held him close.

After a trip to the Holy Land, Endo developed a deep love for the image of the Suffering Servant, despised and rejected. He believed this image of the Christ who made himself noth-ing, an image of maternal compassion in place of an image of power and judgment, was the image that might touch the Japanese heart. He expanded these reflections in a popular Life of Jesus.

Endo is best known for his novel Silence, which tells the story of a Portuguese Jesuit in Japan during the time of fierc-est persecution. After his own arrest and torture, he is forced to watch a parade of faithful Christians go to their deaths. To spare their lives, he is finally induced to recant and trample on a holy image, after hearing the voice of Christ tell him, “Trample! Trample! I more than anyone know of the pain in your foot. Trample! It was to be trampled on by men that I was born into this world. It was to share men’s pain that I carried my cross.”

Endo died on September 29, 1996.

“God is not a punishing God, but a God who asks that children be forgiven.”

—Shusaku Endo

MassSt. Jerome, Memorial

Entrance Antiphon Cf. Psalm 1:2-3Blessed indeed is he / who ponders the law of the Lord day and night: / he will yield his fruit in due season.

CollectO God, who gave the Priest Saint Jeromea living and tender love for Sacred Scripture,grant that your peoplemay be ever more fruitfully nourished by your Wordand find in it the fount of life.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.

A reading from the Book of Job 3:1-3, 11-17, 20-23

Why is light given to the toilers?

Job opened his mouth and cursed his day. Job spoke out and said: / Perish the day on which I was born, / the

night when they said, “The child is a boy!”Why did I not perish at birth, / come forth from the

womb and expire? / Or why was I not buried away like an untimely birth, / like babes that have never seen the light? / Wherefore did the knees receive me? / or why did I suck at the breasts?

For then I should have lain down and been tranquil; / had I slept, I should then have been at rest / With kings and counselors of the earth / who built where now there are ruins / Or with princes who had gold / and filled their houses with silver.

There the wicked cease from troubling, / there the weary are at rest.


Why is light given to the toilers, / and life to the bitter in spirit? / They wait for death and it comes not; / they search for it rather than for hidden treasures, / Rejoice in it exult-ingly, / and are glad when they reach the grave: / Those whose path is hidden from them, / and whom God has hemmed in!The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm 88:2-3, 4-5, 6, 7-8

r. (3) Let my prayer come before you, Lord.O Lord, my God, by day I cry out;

at night I clamor in your presence.Let my prayer come before you;

incline your ear to my call for help. r.For my soul is surfeited with troubles

and my life draws near to the nether world.I am numbered with those who go down into the pit;

I am a man without strength. r.My couch is among the dead,

like the slain who lie in the grave,Whom you remember no longer

and who are cut off from your care. r.You have plunged me into the bottom of the pit,

into the dark abyss.Upon me your wrath lies heavy,

and with all your billows you overwhelm me. r.

Gospel Acclamation Mark 10:45The Son of Man came to serveand to give his life as a ransom for many.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke 9:51-56

He resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem.

When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,

and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they en-tered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Jesus turned and re-buked them, and they journeyed to another village.The Gospel of the Lord.

Prayer over the OfferingsGrant us, O Lord,that, having meditated on your Word,following the example of Saint Jerome,we may more eagerly draw nearto offer your majesty the sacrifice of salvation.Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon Cf. Jeremiah 15:16Lord God, your words were found and I consumed them; / your word became the joy and the happiness of my heart.

Prayer after CommunionMay these holy gifts we have received, O Lord,as we rejoice in celebrating Saint Jerome,stir up the hearts of your faithfulso that, attentive to sacred teachings,they may understand the path they are to followand, by following it, obtain life everlasting.Through Christ our Lord.

ReflectionThe Pull of Jerusalem

Jesus’ feelings about Jerusalem must have been intense and ambivalent. When he “set his face” to go there he knew he was


courting hostility, danger and probably death. It would have been much easier to stay in Galilee where people were simpler and he was generally well received, and there is a kind of bitter irony in his words, “it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem” (Luke 13:33). Yet Jerusalem was also the beloved city, and he resonated to all that it meant for a Jew: all the memories, all the vividly remembered thousand years of Israel’s holiest place. The patriotism that was strong in him was bound up with his love and reverence for the God of Israel who had chosen this city; he loved Jerusalem and he ached for it. He knew the prophets’ visions of a beautiful, purified, radiant Jerusalem alight with the glory of God. He relived with even more intensity the tearing of heart that had been the lot of Jeremiah, passionately in love with Jerusalem but sent to preach its doom and destruction. . . .

Above all, Jerusalem was the place of his destiny, the place where his Father willed him to go. There he would know the Father and be known by him, in that intimacy to which the maturity of his obedient love would lay him open. That was the pull.

Anyone who faithfully prays knows this same mixture of desire and dread. We want God; we long for union with him, holiness and perfect love. We want to be entirely given. We lift our eyes to the hills, to the vision of the heights, to Jeru-salem, the mountain city called Vision of Peace. Yet we fear the pain, the dying, the surrender, the losing of self, the ulti-mate letting go.

Sr. Maria Boulding, The Coming of God

Maria Boulding (1929–2009) was a Benedictine nun of Stanbrook Abbey in England. She was a theologian, spiritual writer, and translator of the works of St. Augustine. She authored The Coming of God and edited A Touch of God.


(opt. hymn, pp. 340–45)Psalm 99:1-2, 5-9The Lord is king; the peoples tremble.He is enthroned on the cherubim; earth quakes.The Lord is great in Sion.He is exalted over all the peoples.

Exalt the Lord our God;bow down before his footstool.Holy is he!

Among his priests were Aaron and Moses;among those who invoked his name was Samuel.They cried out to the Lord and he answered.

To them he spoke in the pillar of cloud.They obeyed his decrees and the statuteswhich he had given them.

O Lord our God, you answered them.For them you were a God who forgives,and yet you punished their offenses.

Exalt the Lord our God;bow down before his holy mountain,for the Lord our God is holy.


Scripture Acts 1:4-9

Jesus] enjoined [the disciples] not to depart from Jeru-salem, but to wait for “the promise of the Father about

which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with

310 September 30

water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the holy Spirit.”

When they had gathered together they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.


AntiphonYou will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.


IntercessionsGod, we acclaim your justice and strength, and we pray: r. Holy God, hear our prayer.

You love justice: make us mindful of the ways in which we can help the poor. r.

You strengthen the upright: grant perseverance to those tested by trial or hardship. r.

You secure equity: lead all nations to steward the earth’s resources for the good of all, especially the poor. r.

Our Father . . .

May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with us, now and always. Amen.

311

The Order of Mass❙❚ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the

Holy Spirit.❙❚ Amen.

GreetingThe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,and the love of God,and the communion of the Holy Spiritbe with you all.And with your spirit.Grace to you and peace from God our Fatherand the Lord Jesus Christ.And with your spirit.The Lord be with you.And with your spirit.

Penitential ActBrethren (brothers and sisters), let us acknowledge our sins,and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.

(Pause)I confess to almighty Godand to you, my brothers and sisters,that I have greatly sinned,in my thoughts and in my words,in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, And, striking their breast, they say:

through my fault, through my fault,through my most grievous fault; Then they continue:

B

C

A

A

312 The Order of Mass The Order of Mass 313

therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,all the Angels and Saints,and you, my brothers and sisters,to pray for me to the Lord our God.Have mercy on us, O Lord.For we have sinned against you.Show us, O Lord, your mercy.And grant us your salvation.

These or other invocations may be used.

You were sent to heal the contrite of heart:Lord, have mercy. Or: Kyrie, eleison.Lord, have mercy. Or: Kyrie, eleison.You came to call sinners:Christ, have mercy. Or: Christe, eleison.Christ, have mercy. Or: Christe, eleison.You are seated at the right hand of the Father to intercede for us:Lord, have mercy. Or: Kyrie, eleison.Lord, have mercy. Or: Kyrie, eleison.

❙❚ May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.

❙❚ Amen.

KyrieThe Kyrie, eleison (Lord, have mercy) invocations follow, unless they have just occurred in a formula of the Penitential Act.❙❚ Lord, have mercy. ❙❚ Kyrie, eleison.❙❚ Lord, have mercy. ❙❚ Kyrie, eleison.❙❚ Christ, have mercy. ❙❚ Christe, eleison.❙❚ Christ, have mercy. ❙❚ Christe, eleison.❙❚ Lord, have mercy. ❙❚ Kyrie, eleison.❙❚ Lord, have mercy. ❙❚ Kyrie, eleison.

GloriaGlory to God in the highest,and on earth peace to people of good will.We praise you,we bless you,we adore you,we glorify you,we give you thanks for your great glory,Lord God, heavenly King,O God, almighty Father.Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son,Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us;you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer;you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.For you alone are the Holy One,you alone are the Lord,you alone are the Most High,Jesus Christ,with the Holy Spirit,in the glory of God the Father.Amen.

Collect (Opening Prayer)

Liturgy of the WordFirst Reading

Responsorial Psalm

C

B

314 The Order of Mass The Order of Mass 315

Second Reading

Gospel Acclamation

GospelCleanse my heart and my lips, almighty God,that I may worthily proclaim your holy Gospel.❙❚ The Lord be with you.❙❚ And with your spirit.❙❚ A reading from the holy Gospel according to N.❙❚ Glory to you, O Lord.At the end:❙❚ The Gospel of the Lord.❙❚ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Through the words of the Gospelmay our sins be wiped away.

Homily

Profession of Faith[The Apostles’ Creed can be found on p. 338]

I believe in one God,the Father almighty,maker of heaven and earth,of all things visible and invisible.I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,the Only Begotten Son of God,born of the Father before all ages.God from God, Light from Light,true God from true God,begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;through him all things were made.For us men and for our salvationhe came down from heaven,

At the words that follow, up to and including and became man, all bow.

and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,and became man.For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,he suffered death and was buried,and rose again on the third dayin accordance with the Scriptures.He ascended into heavenand is seated at the right hand of the Father.He will come again in gloryto judge the living and the deadand his kingdom will have no end.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,who proceeds from the Father and the Son,who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,who has spoken through the prophets.I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sinsand I look forward to the resurrection of the deadand the life of the world to come. Amen.

Prayer of the Faithful (Bidding Prayers)

Liturgy of the EucharistPresentation and Preparation of the GiftsBlessed are you, Lord God of all creation,for through your goodness we have receivedthe bread we offer you:fruit of the earth and work of human hands,it will become for us the bread of life.Blessed be God for ever.

316 The Order of Mass

337

By the mystery of this water and winemay we come to share in the divinity of Christwho humbled himself to share in our humanity.Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation,for through your goodness we have receivedthe wine we offer you:fruit of the vine and work of human hands,it will become our spiritual drink.Blessed be God for ever.With humble spirit and contrite heartmay we be accepted by you, O Lord,and may our sacrifice in your sight this daybe pleasing to you, Lord God.Wash me, O Lord, from my iniquityand cleanse me from my sin.

Invitation to PrayerPray, brethren (brothers and sisters),that my sacrifice and yoursmay be acceptable to God,the almighty Father.May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your handsfor the praise and glory of his name,for our goodand the good of all his holy Church.

Prayer over the Offerings

Eucharistic Prayer❙❚ The Lord be with you. ❙❚ And with your spirit.❙❚ Lift up your hearts. ❙❚ We lift them up to the Lord.❙❚ Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.❙❚ It is right and just.

Celebration of the Liturgy of the Word[With Holy Communion]

Introductory RitesIntroductionDeacon or lay leader:We gather here to celebrate the Lord’s Day.Sunday has been called the Lord’s Day because

it was on this daythat Jesus conquered sin and death and rose to new life.Unfortunately, we are not able to celebrate the Mass todaybecause we do not have a priest.Let us be united in the spirit of Christ with

the Church around the worldand celebrate our redemption in Christ’s suffering,

death, and resurrection.Sign of the CrossDeacon or lay leader:❙❚ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the

Holy Spirit.❙❚ Amen.GreetingDeacon or lay leader:❙❚ Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from

the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be God for ever.❙❚ Blessed be God for ever.Collect

Liturgy of the WordFirst ReadingResponsorial PsalmSecond ReadingGospel AcclamationGospelHomily or Reflection on the Readings

338 Celebration of the Liturgy of the Word Celebration of the Liturgy of the Word 339

Period of SilenceProfession of Faith[The Nicene Creed can be found on p. 314]

Apostles’ CreedI believe in God,the Father almighty,Creator of heaven and earth,and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. At the words that follow, up to and including the Virgin Mary,

all bow.

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,born of the Virgin Mary,suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died and was buried;he descended into hell;on the third day he rose again from the dead;he ascended into heaven,and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit,the holy catholic Church,the communion of saints,the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and life everlasting. Amen.

Prayer of the Faithful

Communion RiteLord’s PrayerDeacon or lay leader:The Father provides us with food for eternal life.At the Savior’s commandand formed by divine teaching,we dare to say:

Our Father, who art in heaven,hallowed be thy name;thy kingdom come,thy will be doneon earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,and forgive us our trespasses,as we forgive those who trespass against us;and lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from evil.Amen.Invitation to CommunionDeacon or lay leader:Behold the Lamb of God,behold him who takes away the sins of the world.Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.Lord, I am not worthythat you should enter under my roof,but only say the wordand my soul shall be healed.CommunionAct of Thanksgiving

Concluding RiteInvitation to Pray for Vocations to the PriesthoodDeacon or lay leader:Mindful of our Lord’s word, “Ask the Master of the harvest to send out laborers for the harvest,” let us pray for an increase of vocations to the priesthood. May our prayer hasten the day when we will be able to take part in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist every Sunday.BlessingSign of Peace

340 Hymns Hymns 341

Now That the Daylight Fills the Skyam

Familiar Tune: On Jordan’s Bank

Awake, Be Lifted Up, O Heartam

Lord, We Sing the Glorious TriumphHoly Cross

Familiar Tune: Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

342 Hymns Hymns 343

The Lord Is My True Shepherdam/pm

Familiar Tune: O Lord, I Am Not Worthy

Lord God of Morning and of Nightam/pm

Familiar Tune: O Radiant Light, O Sun Divine

We Praise You, O Godpm

Familiar Tune: We Gather Together

1. We praise you, O God, our Redeemer, Creator, in grateful devotion our tribute we bring. We lay it before you, we kneel and adore you, we bless your holy name, glad praises we sing.

2. We worship you, God of all ages, we bless you; through life’s storm and tempest our guide you have been. When perils o’ertake us, you will not forsake us, O help us, gracious Lord, life’s battles to win.

3. With voices united our praises we offer, and gladly our songs of true worship we raise. Our sins now confessing, we pray for your blessing; to you, our great Redeemer, for ever be praise!

Text: Julia Cady Cory, 1882–1963, alt.

Guide to Lectio DivinaChoose a word or phrase of the Scriptures you wish to pray. It makes no difference which text is chosen, as long as you have no set goal of “covering” a certain amount of text. The amount of text covered is in God’s hands, not yours.

Read. Turn to the text and read it slowly, gently. Savor each portion of the reading, constantly listening for the “still, small voice” of a word or phrase that somehow says, “I am for you today.” Do not expect lightning or ecstasies. In lectio divina, God is teaching us to listen, to seek him in silence. God does not reach out and grab us but gently invites us ever more deeply into his presence.

Ponder. Take the word or phrase into yourself. Memorize it and slowly repeat it to yourself, allowing it to interact with your inner world of concerns, memories, and ideas. Do not be afraid of distractions. Memories or thoughts are simply parts of yourself that, when they rise up during lectio divina, are asking to be given to God along with the rest of your inner self. Allow this inner pondering, this rumination, to invite you into dialogue with God.

Pray. Whether you use words, ideas, or images—or all three—is not important. Interact with God as you would with one who you know loves and accepts you. Give to God what you have discovered during your experience of meditation. Give to God what you have found within your heart.

It is not necessary to assess the quality of your lectio divina, as if you were “performing” or seeking some goal. Lectio divina has no goal other than that of being in the presence of God by praying the Scriptures.

—Fr. Luke Dysinger

Luke Dysinger, OSB, is a Benedictine monk of Saint Andrew’s Abbey, Valyermo, California.

Canticle of Mary (Magnificat) Luke 1:46-55

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:the Almighty has done great things for me,and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear himin every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israelfor he has remembered his promise of mercy,the promise he made to our fathers,to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

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