DR Squared: Memorial Of St. Francis Xavier, Priest

First Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23

For if I preach the gospel, it is no glory to me, for a necessity lieth upon me: for woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel. For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation is committed to me:  What is my reward then? That preaching the gospel, I may deliver the gospel without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel. For whereas I was free as to all, I made myself the servant of all, that I might gain the more. To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak. I became all things to all men, that I might save all. And I do all things for the gospel's sake: that I may be made partaker thereof.

Responsorial Psalm:  cf. Mark 16:15; V. Psalm 117 (116)

R.  Go ye into the whole world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 

V.  O praise the Lord, all ye nations:

     praise him, all ye people. 

V.  For his mercy is confirmed upon us: 

     and the truth of the Lord remaineth for ever.

Gospel Reading:  Mark 16:15-20

And he said to them: Go ye into the whole world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be condemned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name they shall cast out devils: they shall speak with new tongues. They shall take up serpents; and if they shall drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them: they shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they shall recover. And the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God. But they going forth preached everywhere: the Lord working withal, and confirming the word with signs that followed.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

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Originally posted 12/2/2024.

DR Squared: Wednesday Of The First Week Of Advent (Year II)

First Reading:  Isaiah 25:6-10a

And the Lord of hosts shall make unto all people in this mountain, a feast of fat things, a feast of wine, of fat things full of marrow, of wine purified from the lees. And he shall destroy in this mountain the face of the bond with which all people were tied, and the web that he began over all nations. He shall cast death down headlong for ever: and the Lord God shall wipe away tears from every face, and the reproach of his people he shall take away from off the whole earth: for the Lord hath spoken it. And they shall say in that day: Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord, we have patiently waited for him, we shall rejoice and be joyfull in his salvation. For the hand of the Lord shall rest in this mountain:

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 23 (22):6b; V. 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

R.  And that I may dwell in the house of the Lord unto length of days.

V.  The Lord ruleth me: and I shall want nothing.

      He hath set me in a place of pasture.

      He hath brought me up, on the water of refreshment:

      He hath converted my soul.

V.  He hath led me on the paths of justice,

      for his own name's sake.

      For though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death,

      I will fear no evils, for thou art with me.

      Thy rod and thy staff, they have comforted me.

V.  Thou hast prepared a table before me

      against them that afflict me.

      Thou hast anointed my head with oil;

      and my chalice which inebriateth me, how goodly is it!

V.   And thy mercy will follow me

      all the days of my life.

      And that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

      unto length of days.

Gospel Reading:  Matthew 15:29-37

And when Jesus had passed away from thence, he came nigh the sea of Galilee. And going up into a mountain, he sat there. And there came to him great multitudes, having with them the dumb, the blind, the lame, the maimed, and many others: and they cast them down at his feet, and he healed them:  So that the multitudes marvelled seeing the dumb speak, the lame walk, and the blind see: and they glorified the God of Israel. And Jesus called together his disciples, and said: I have compassion on the multitudes, because they continue with me now three days, and have not what to eat, and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. And the disciples say unto him: Whence then should we have so many loaves in the desert, as to fill so great a multitude? And Jesus said to them: How many loaves have you? But they said: Seven, and a few little fishes. And he commanded the multitude to sit down upon the ground. And taking the seven loaves and the fishes, and giving thanks, he brake, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the people. And they did all eat, and had their fill. And they took up seven baskets full, of what remained of the fragments.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

Meditation For Advent

Hail and blessed be the hour and the moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.

To be recited 15 times a day from the Feast of St. Andrew's (November 30) until Christmas.

(Fedora Doff to Drew at the Shrine of the Holy Whapping.)

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Originally posted 12/1/2005.
Re-posted 11/29/2008.
Re-posted 11/28/2009.

Re-posted 11/27/2010.
Re-posted 11/26/2011.
Re-posted 12/2/2012.
Re-posted 11/30/2013.
Re-posted 11/29/2014.
Re-posted 11/28/2015.
Re-posted 11/30/2016.
Re-posted 11/30/2017.
Re-posted 11/30/2018.

Re-posted 11/30/2019.

Re-posted 11/30/2020.

Re-posted 11/30/2021.

Re-posted 11/30/2022.

Re-posted 11/30/2023.

Re-posted 11/30/2024.

DR Squared: Tuesday Of The First Week Of Advent (Year II)

First Reading:  Isaiah 11:1-10

And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root. And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom, and of understanding, the spirit of counsel, and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge, and of godliness. And he shall be filled with the spirit of the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge according to the sight of the eyes, nor reprove according to the hearing of the ears. But he shall judge the poor with justice, and shall reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. And justice shall be the girdle of his loins: and faith the girdle of his reins. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb: and the leopard shall lie down with the kid: the calf and the lion, and the sheep shall abide together, and a little child shall lead them. The calf and the bear shall feed: their young ones shall rest together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp: and the weaned child shall thrust his hand into the den of the basilisk. They shall not hurt, nor shall they kill in all my holy mountain, for the earth is filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the covering waters of the sea. In that day the root of Jesse, who standeth for an ensign of the people, him the Gentiles shall beseech, and his sepulchre shall be glorious.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 72 (71):7; V. 1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17

R.  In his days shall justice spring up, and abundance of peace, till the moon be taken away.

V.  Give to the king thy judgment, O God:

     and to the king's son thy justice:

     To judge thy people with justice,

     and thy poor with judgment.

V.  In his days shall justice spring up,

     and abundance of peace, till the moon be taken away.

     And he shall rule from sea to sea,

     and from the river unto the ends of the earth.

V.  For he shall deliver the poor from the mighty:

     and the needy that had no helper.

     He shall spare the poor and needy:

     and he shall save the souls of the poor.

V.  Let his name be blessed for evermore:

     his name continueth before the sun.

     And in him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed:

     all nations shall magnify him.

Gospel Reading:  Luke 10:21-24

In that same hour, he rejoiced in the Holy Ghost, and said: I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to little ones. Yea, Father, for so it hath seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered to me by my Father; and no one knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and to whom the Son will reveal him. And turning to his disciples, he said: Blessed are the eyes that see the things which you see. For I say to you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see the things that you see, and have not seen them; and to hear the things that you hear, and have not heard them.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

December 2024 Morning Offering Prayer Intention

Here is the intention for this month when praying the Morning Offering:

For Christians In Areas Of Conflict. Let us pray that Christians living in areas of war or conflict, especially in the Middle East, might be seeds of peace, reconciliation and hope.

A reflection for this intention will be coming later.

DR Squared: Monday Of The First Week Of Advent (Year II)

First Reading:  Isaiah 4:2-6

In that day the bud of the Lord shall be in magnificence and glory, and the fruit of the earth shall be high, and a great joy to them that shall have escaped of Israel. And it shall come to pass, that every one that shall be left in Sion, and that shall remain in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, every one that is written in life in Jerusalem. If the Lord shall wash away the filth of the daughters of Sion, and shall wash away the blood of Jerusalem out of the midst thereof, by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. And the Lord will create upon every place of mount Sion, and where he is called upon, a cloud by day, and a smoke and the brightness of a flaming fire in the night: for over all the glory shall be a protection. And there shall be a tabernacle for a shade in the daytime from the heat, and for a security and covert from the whirlwind, and from rain.

Responsorial Psalm:

R. I rejoiced at the things that were said to me:  We shall go into the house of the Lord.

V. I rejoiced at the things that were said to me: 

We shall go into the house of the Lord.

Our feet were standing in thy courts,

O Jerusalem.

V. Jerusalem, which is built as a city,

which is compact together.

For thither did the tribes go up,

the tribes of the Lord:

V. (T)he testimony of Israel,

to praise the name of the Lord.

Because their seats have sat in judgment,

seats upon the house of David.

V. Pray ye for the thing that are the peace of Jerusalem: 

and abundance for those who love thee.

Let peace be in thy strength: 

and abundance in thy towers.

V. For the sake of my brethren, and of my neighbours,

I spoke peace of thee.

Because of the house of the Lord our God,

I have sought good things for thee.

Gospel Reading:  Matthew 8:5-11

And when he had entered into Capharnaum, there came to him a centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, and is grieviously tormented. And Jesus saith to him: I will come and heal him. And the centurion making answer, said: Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my roof: but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man subject to authority, having under me soldiers; and I say to this, Go, and he goeth, and to another, Come, and he cometh, and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. And Jesus hearing this, marvelled; and said to them that followed him: Amen I say to you, I have not found so great faith in Israel. And I say to you that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven:

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

DR Squared: First Sunday of Advent (Year A)

First Reading:  Isaiah 2:1-5

The word that Isaias the son of Amos saw, concerning Juda and Jerusalem. And in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared on the top of mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go, and say: Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall come forth from Sion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge the Gentiles, and rebuke many people: and they shall turn their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into sickles: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they be exercised any more to war. O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 122: 1-2, 3-4ab, 4cd-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. I rejoiced at the things that were said to me:  We shall go into the house of the Lord.

V. I rejoiced at the things that were said to me: 

We shall go into the house of the Lord.

Our feet were standing in thy courts,

O Jerusalem.

V. Jerusalem, which is built as a city,

which is compact together.

For thither did the tribes go up,

the tribes of the Lord:

V. (T)he testimony of Israel,

to praise the name of the Lord.

Because their seats have sat in judgment,

seats upon the house of David.

V. Pray ye for the thing that are the peace of Jerusalem: 

and abundance for those who love thee.

Let peace be in thy strength: 

and abundance in thy towers.

V. For the sake of my brethren, and of my neighbours,

I spoke peace of thee.

Because of the house of the Lord our God,

I have sought good things for thee.  

Second Reading:  Romans 13:11-14

And that knowing the season; that it is now the hour for us to rise from sleep. For now our salvation is nearer than when we believed. The night is passed, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day: not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and impurities, not in contention and envy: But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh in its concupiscences.

Gospel Reading:  Matthew 24:37-44

And as in the days of Noe, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, even till that day in which Noe entered into the ark, And they knew not till the flood came, and took them all away; so also shall the coming of the Son of man be. Then two shall be in the field: one shall be taken, and one shall be left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill: one shall be taken, and one shall be left. Watch ye therefore, because ye know not what hour your Lord will come. But know this ye, that if the goodman of the house knew at what hour the thief would come, he would certainly watch, and would not suffer his house to be broken open. Wherefore be you also ready, because at what hour you know not the Son of man will come.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

Advent Prayer

O Lovely Infant Jesus, You will abide with me once more.

O that I might prepare for You an agreeable dwelling place in my heart.

Jesus, Almighty Savior, come to my aid!
Bless me, hands of my infant Savior!
May Your love remain in my heart, dear Jesus!
Be born again in me.
Bless me and give me simplicity of heart, humility, and obedience.

St. John Neumann (1811-1860)

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Originally posted 11/26/2005.
Re-posted 11/29/2008.
Re-posted 11/28/2009.
Re-posted 11/27/2010.
Re-posted 11/26/2011.
Re-posted 12/2/2012.
Re-posted 11/30/2013.
Re-posted 11/29/2014.
Re-posted 11/28/2015.
Re-posted 11/29/2016.
Re-posted 12/2/2017.

Re-posted 11/30/2019.

Re-posted 11/29/2020.

Re-posted 11/28/2021.

Re-posted 11/27/2022.

Re-posted 12/3/2023.

Re-posted 12/1/2024.

Advent Wreath--First Week Of Advent

 

Seasonal Prep Work

We are here.

The last month of the secular calendar year; the first of the liturgical year.

The secular gets an early start (how many light displays were illuminated Thanksgiving night or earlier in your neighborhood?). The hustle and bustle of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday dominates this weekend. Non-stop secular holiday songs. Organized chaos at its finest.

Yet, we are here.

The eve of November 30, which falls on a Sunday this year (sorry, St. Andrew).

The sacred eases into it. The lighting of the candles on the Advent wreath, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the nativity set, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Gaudete Sunday, the "O" Antiphons at Vespers/Evening Prayer, the lighting of the Christmas tree. Organized beauty at its finest.

Yes, we are here.

We begin the season of Advent.

"Four weeks" preparing for the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Prayer and mediation. Perhaps a form of fasting and/or almsgiving. Preparing His true manger--our very being--for His coming.

Now, we are here.

Make straight the path.

Make room at the inn.

Make yourself ready.