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
Greeting The word of God is alive and active: it is the living person of Jesus our Lord. May he continue speaking his Word to you, May you open your hearts to it, and may the Lord Jesus be always with you. R/ And also with you. Introduction by the Celebrant 1. The Seed of
Today, the Church celebrates the memorial of the 120 martyr saints of China. SAINT AUGUSTINE ZHAO RONG and other 119 martyrs who were killed in China for their faith in Jesus between the years 1648 and 1930. The martyrs include 87 native Chinese and 33 foreign missionaries. The 120 martyrs were canonised on 1 October
Year II. Isaiah (Yahweh is salvation) experienced the holiness of God and was so haunted by it that it was the central message of his prophecies – the most vigorous and beautiful of all the prophetic writings. In the name of God’s holiness, he demanded conversion, especially to end the social injustice rampant in his
