And it came to pass, as Jesus spoke these things, a certain woman from the crowd, lifting up her voice, said to him: Blessed is the womb that bore thee and the paps that gave thee suck.
But he said: Yea rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.
Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team
Filled with the Holy Spirit’s graces as he already was, blessed Francis foretold to his brothers what was going to happen to them. In the wood beside the chapel of Saint Mary of the Portioncula, where they were accustomed to meet for prayer, he called together those six brothers he already had and said: “Dearest brothers, let us have a good understanding of our vocation: in his mercy God has not called us just for our own benefit but for the service, and even for the salvation, of many others. So let us go out through the world; let us encourage and show men and women, by word and example, how to do penance for their sins and recall those commandments of God they have forgotten for so long.” Then he added: “Do not be afraid, little flock (Lk 12,32) but put your trust in the Lord. Don’t ask each other: ‘And how are we going to preach, we who are ignorant and without learning?’ Remember, rather, our Lord’s words to his disciples: ‘It is not you who will be speaking but the Spirit of your Father who will be speaking in you’ (Mt 10,20). Therefore it is the Lord himself who will transmit his Spirit and wisdom to you, to teach men and women the ways and practices of his commandments”.
Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team
And after these things, the Lord appointed also other seventy-two. And he sent them two and two before his face into every city and place whither he himself was to come.
And he said to them: The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he send labourers into his harvest.
Go: Behold I send you as lambs among wolves.
Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way.
Into whatever house you enter, first say: Peace be to this house.
And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon him: but if not, it shall return to you.
And in the same house, remain, eating and drinking such things as they have: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Remove not from house to house.
And into what city soever you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you.
And heal the sick that are therein and say to them: The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team
Let your prayer be entirely simple. One word was enough for the publican and for the prodigal son to obtain God’s forgiveness (cf. Lk 15,21)… No pretentiousness in the words of your prayers; how often it is that the simple and unadorned stammerings of children sway their father! So don’t launch into long discourses lest you weaken your spirit through verbal affectation. A single word from the publican moved the mercy of God; one word full of faith saved the good thief (Lk 23,42). Prolixity in prayer often fills up the spirit with images and dissipates it, whereas a single word often has the effect of recollecting it. Do you feel consolation, gripped by a word of prayer? Remain there, for it is then that our angel prays with us. Don’t be too sure of yourself, even if you have attained to purity; rather, have a great humility and you will then feel a greater confidence. Even if you have scaled the ladder of perfection, pray for forgiveness for your sins; pay heed to Saint Paul’s cry: “I am the foremost among sinners” (1Tim 1,15)… If you are clothed with gentleness and free of anger little else is required to free your soul from its bondage. So long as we have not attained to true prayer we are like people who teach their children to take their first steps. Try hard to lift up your thought or, rather, to contain it within the words of your prayer. If a childish weakness causes it to fall, raise it up. For our minds are naturally volatile but He who can strengthen all things can also stabilise the mind… Thus the first degree of prayer consists in dispelling the suggestions of the mind with a simple word as soon as they arise. The second is to keep our thought solely on what we are saying and thinking. The third is the soul’s fixation in the Lord.
Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team
To some who trusted in themselves as just and despised others, Jesus spoke this parable:
Two men went up into the temple to pray: the one a Pharisee and the other a publican.
The Pharisee standing, prayed thus with himself: O God, I give thee thanks that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, as also is this publican.
I fast twice in a week: I give tithes of all that I possess.
And the publican, standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes towards heaven; but struck his breast, saying: O God, be merciful to me a sinner.
I say to you, this man went down into his house justified rather than the other: because every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled: and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team
Brothers, I can hear someone murmuring against God today: “Lord, how hard these times are; what a difficult period this is to go through!”… O man who would not correct you? Aren’t you a thousand times harder than the times we are living through! You who sigh after luxury, for what is nothing other than vanity, whose cupidity is always insatiable. You who want to make bad use of the things you desire, you will gain nothing… Let us cure ourselves, brothers! Let us correct ourselves! The Lord is coming. Because he has not yet appeared we mock him, nevertheless he is not going to delay coming and then it will no longer be the time to ridicule him. Brothers let us correct ourselves! Better times are coming but not for those who live in a bad way. Already the world is aging, it is turning to decay, and are we ourselves going to become young again? What are we hoping for, then? Brothers, don’t let us hope any longer for times other than those of which gospel speaks. They are not bad at all since Christ is coming! If they seem hard to us, difficult to pass through, Christ is coming to comfort us… Brothers, it is necessary that times be hard. Why? So that we don’t look for happiness in this world. This is our remedy: this life needs to be troubled so that we attach ourselves to the other life. How? Listen… God sees people becoming miserably agitated under the grip of their desires and the worries of this world which bring death to their souls, then the Lord comes to them like a physician bearing the cure.
Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team
And after these things, the Lord appointed also other seventy-two. And he sent them two and two before his face into every city and place whither he himself was to come.
And he said to them: The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he send labourers into his harvest.
Go: Behold I send you as lambs among wolves.
Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way.
Into whatever house you enter, first say: Peace be to this house.
And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon him: but if not, it shall return to you.
And in the same house, remain, eating and drinking such things as they have: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Remove not from house to house.
And into what city soever you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you.
And heal the sick that are therein and say to them: The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team
Let those who pray have words and petitions governed by restraint and possessing a quiet modesty. Let us bear in mind that we stand in the sight of God. We must be pleasing in the sight of God both in posture and the measured tone of our voices and not break out into clamorous noise. It befits the modest to pray moderately. In his teaching the Lord bids us pray apart, in solitary and retired places (Mt 14,23; 6,6) and even in our bed-chambers, because it is more befitting our faith to realize that God is present everywhere , that he hears and sees all, and that by the plenitude of his majesty he penetrates hidden and secret places, too. As it is written: “I am a God near at hand and not a God far off. Can a man hide in secret without my seeing him? Do I not fill both heaven and earth?” (cf. Jer 23,23-24). Let the person who prays not ignore this: how the publican prayed with the Pharisee in the Temple. Not by impudently lifting his eyes to heaven nor by insolently raising his hands, but striking his breast and testifying to the sins hidden within him, he implored the help of divine mercy. And although the Pharisee was pleased with himself, it was this man, rather, who deserved to be accounted upright. For he placed the hope of salvation not in confidence in his own innocence, for no one is innocent, but he confessed his sins and prayed humbly. And he who forgives the humble, heard him as he prayed.
Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team
To some who trusted in themselves as just and despised others, Jesus spoke this parable:
Two men went up into the temple to pray: the one a Pharisee and the other a publican.
The Pharisee standing, prayed thus with himself: O God, I give thee thanks that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, as also is this publican.
I fast twice in a week: I give tithes of all that I possess.
And the publican, standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes towards heaven; but struck his breast, saying: O God, be merciful to me a sinner.
I say to you, this man went down into his house justified rather than the other: because every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled: and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team
Now it came to pass, as they went, that Jesus entered into a certain town: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
And she had a sister called Mary. who, sitting also at the Lord’s feet, heard his word.
But Martha was busy about much serving. Who stood and said: Lord, hast thou no care that my sister hath left me alone to serve? Speak to her therefore, that she help me.
And the Lord answering, said to her: Martha, Martha, thou art careful and art troubled about many things:
But one thing is necessary. Mary hath chosen the best part, which shall not be taken away from her.
Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team
