Year II. God calls the Hebrew people before his court and asks them to justify their conduct. How have they answered his love? The prophet uses a style which the Reproaches (Improperia) of Good Friday imitate. Gospel. In the gospel, the scribes and the Pharisees demand signs. The Hebrews had failed to see the sign
Greeting The patience of God our Father, the love of our Lord Jesus Christ and the strength of the Holy Spirit be always with you. R/ And also with you. Introduction by the Celebrant 1. There Must Be Time to Heal We all wish to see a world without evil, a Church without faults. To
Year II. The prophet Micah, a contemporary of Isaiah, scolds those who have exploited the poor. God will punish them by having their possessions divided among the pagan invaders. Gospel. Jesus is presented today as the servant of God who brings healing to people without drawing attention to himself: He brings God’s tender care. He
Year II. In response to the insistent prayer of King Hezekiah God heals the king and postpones his death so that he can finish what he intended to do in the service of his people. Gospel. Laws are not above serving people; the service of God does not contradict the love and mercy to be
Year II. Isaiah voices a prayer of longing for God, asks for peace and hopes for a rebirth for his people. It represents the prayer of the just among his people. Our selection omits the parts that refer to the fate of the unjust. Gospel. The weak and the poor are open to the love
The glories of Mount Carmel are sung in the Bible, as the prophet Elijah stood there for the purity of Israel’s faith. In the twelfth century, hermits withdrew to this mountain and later founded the Carmelite order, which is devoted to the contemplative life under the patronage of Mary, the holy Mother of God. The
Year II. God uses Assyria as an instrument to punish God’s people for their infidelity. Isaiah scolds the king of Assyria, a mere instrument, for acting and thinking as if he were God himself; he will be punished for this presumption. Gospel. To see God, to know that he is with us, to hear the
St. Bonaventure, a Franciscan, was a peacemaker and unifier within his order and among the political leaders of his time. A learned man, he trusted more in God’s love, which permeates all his writings, than in his science. Opening Prayer Lord God, As we celebrate Saint Bonaventure, a man of peace and love, we ask
Year II. God had assured the house of David that he would protect it. We hear Isaiah scold the king and the people, saying they do not have enough trust in him and do not see the signs of God’s nearness; even in the face of a great threat from the powerful nation of Assyria,
Year II. One of the themes that is strong and dear to Isaiah is that outward religious practices are of no value to the individual or the community unless their everyday lives conform to the commandments of God, which are the people’s response to God. Gospel. Christ could bring us life and grace because he
