Thursday, March 10 : Book of Esther C,12.14-16.23-25.
Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team
Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar
Wednesday, March 9 : Saint Peter Chrysologus
The whole history of Jonah shows him to us as the perfect prefiguration of our Savior (…) Jonah went down to Joppa to board a ship for Tarsis (…); Our Lord came down from heaven to earth, divinity came down to humanity, majestic power to our lowliness (…), to board the ship of his Church (…) It was Jonah himself who made the decision to have himself thrown into the sea: “Pick me up and throw me into the sea”; thus he announced the Lord’s freely willed Passion. When the salvation of a great many depends on the death of one then that death is in the hands of that man who can freely withhold or, alternatively, hasten it to forestall the danger. The whole mystery of the Lord is prefigured here. Death is no necessity for him; it results from his free choice. Hear him: «I have power to lay down my life and I have power to take it up again: no one takes it from me» (Jn 10:18) (…) See the great fish, a horrible and cruel image of hell. As it devours the prophet it feels the strength of the Creator (…) and fearfully offers the resting place of its belly to this traveller from on high (…) And after three days (…) it returns him to the light to give him to the pagans (…) Such is the sign, the only sign, Christ consented to give the scribes and Pharisees (Mt 12:39) so as to make them understand that the glory they themselves hoped for from Christ would also be turned towards the gentiles: the Ninevites are the symbol of the nations who believed in him (…) O my brethren, what happiness this is for us ! What was foretold and promised in symbol we venerate, see and possess face to face in all truth.
Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team
Wednesday, March 9 : Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 11,29-32.
While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah.
Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here.
At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.”
Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team
Wednesday, March 9 : Psalms 51(50),3-4.12-13.18-19.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me. For you are not pleased with sacrifices; should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team
Wednesday, March 9 : Book of Jonah 3,1-10.
The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: “Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and announce to it the message that I will tell you.”
So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh, according to the LORD’S bidding. Now Nineveh was an enormously large city; it took three days to go through it.
Jonah began his journey through the city, and had gone but a single day’s walk announcing, “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,”
when the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth.
When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes.
Then he had this proclaimed throughout Nineveh, by decree of the king and his nobles: “Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep, shall taste anything; they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water.
Man and beast shall be covered with sackcloth and call loudly to God; every man shall turn from his evil way and from the violence he has in hand.
Who knows, God may relent and forgive, and withhold his blazing wrath, so that we shall not perish.”
When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out.
Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team
Monday, March 7 : Saint Caesarius of Arles
Reflect, my brethren, and regard the example of our Lord, who has made travelers of us and commanded us to come to the heavenly city by running along the road of charity (…) Though he is seated in heaven, out of compassion for its striving members (since he is the head of both members and body throughout the world (Col 2:19)), he has said: “What you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me” (…) When he transformed Paul the persecutor into Paul the preacher he said to him from heaven on high: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4) (…) Saul was persecuting christians: was he persecuting Christ who was seated in heaven? But Christ was himself within the christians, suffering with all his members, that in him this saying might be true: “If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it” (1 Cor 12:26) (…) Let us then bear each others’ burdens (Gal 6:2); where the head has gone before, the members are destined to follow (…) If our Lord and Savior, who is without sin, condescends to love us sinners with so great a love that he declares he is suffering what we are suffering, how is that we, who are not without sin and who can redeem our sins through charity, how is that we do not love each other with a love so perfect that we feel for all the evil endured by one amongst us with a feeling of charity? (…) A hand or other member cut off from the body no longer feels anything. Such is the christian who does not suffer from the misfortune, distress, or even the death of the other person.
Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team
Tuesday, March 8 : Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 6,7-15.
Jesus said to his disciples: “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
This is how you are to pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread;
and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;
and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one.
If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”
Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team
Tuesday, March 8 : Psalms 34(33),4-5.6-7.16-17.18-19.
Glorify the LORD with me, let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him. The LORD has eyes for the just, And ears for their cry.
The LORD confronts the evildoers, to destroy remembrance of them from the earth. When the just cry out, the LORD hears them, and from all their distress he rescues them.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team
Tuesday, March 8 : Book of Isaiah 55,10-11.
Thus says the LORD: Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats,
So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.
Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team
Monday, March 7 : Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 25,31-46.
Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’
He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’
And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team