Homily for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homily is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday. This week, The Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, is our thirteenth homily to be posted. This week, the homily is given by Monsignor J. Robert Romero.

So, take a listen and let us know what you think. Click here to download the Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time homily from St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, Louisiana.

Readings and Themes for the Week of August 30, 2009

Readings for Faith Sharing
Week of August 30, 2009,
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading I Deuteronomy 4: 1-2, 6-8

Keep the commands of the Lord.

Psalm 15

“The one who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.”

Reading II James 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27

Be doers of the word, not hearers only.

Gospel: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

You ignore God’s commandment and cling to human tradition.

THEME:
Your heart must be full of faith

Today’s scriptures call us to conversion of heart. Echoing the words of Isaiah, the Lord Jesus summons us to avoid honoring God solely with our lips. We need to honor God with our hearts as well. Saint James tells us precisely how to do that in today’s second reading. We are to become, in his word, doers of the word. As the sacred word is proclaimed, let us ask for strength to honor God with our whole hearts by becoming doers of the word.

Question for Children:

What steps can you take to more humbly welcome Christ into your heart?

Question for Youth:

Jesus warns about the things that will lead us away from God.

What tempts you away from being the person that God created you to be?

Question for Adults:

Based on this reading from James, what is the sign in one’s life that faith is present?

Bulletin for the weekend of August 30, 2009

The bulletin for the weekend of August 30, 2009 has been posted. Click here to see it.

The calendar on the website has been updated with all events for the coming week along with prayer intention information and information on the second collection for all of the masses. Take some time to look at our calendar here.

Updates are also being made to our St. Landry Catholic Church blog. You can get to the blog from the church home page under the Bulletins and News section or you can just click here to go to it.

Don't forget, we're also sending out live updates via Twitter. Our Twitter name is StLandryCath. You can see updates by clicking here.

Year for Priests - What we can receive and what we can do

YEAR FOR PRIESTS

What we can receive and do

During this “Year for Priest”, our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has declared that the faithful may receive an indulgence on the following day:

1st Thursdays of the month until 19 June 2010.

What We Can Do

1) Attend Mass faithfully.
2) Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession)
3) Pray for all priests.
4) Do not talk disparagingly about your priests, (especially behind their backs). Bring your problems to him and work it out in charity and peace.
5) Pray for the Intentions of the Holy Father.
6) Build parishes, DO NOT tear them down.
7) Be patient.
8) Make visits to church
9) Respect your pastor and understand that they have a life outside of the parish.

Rosary today at the Father Lafleur Monument

We'll be having our weekly rosary at the Father Lafleur Monument in front of St. Landry Catholic Church. We begin at 6 PM. The weather should be very nice.

We use the Father Verbis Lafleur Rosary Meditations as part of our prayer. These brochures can be found at the church office in Valentin Hall or you can get there on our parish website.

Click here for the one side of the brochure.

Click here for the opposite side.

Below is the meditation we'll use today, Monday, the Joyful Mysteries. If you cannot attend, use them to pray at home.

Father Verbis Lafleur Rosary Meditations
The Joyful Mysteries

The Annunciation of Our Lord

The Angel said to Mary, "You shall conceive and bear a Son and give him the name Jesus, and he will be called 'Son of the Most High'" (Luke 1:32-32).

Like Mary, Father Lafleur answered God's call to become a priest and a chaplain in the U.S. Army Air Corps. May we also respond to God's call for us.

The Visitation

"Blessed are you among women and blessed is she who trusted in the Lord's words." (Luke 1:42-45)

Father Lafleur had a great trust in the Lord; may we trust as well.

The Nativity of Jesus

"While Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem, she gave birth to her first born son and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger." (Luke 2:6-7)

Father Lafleur cherished 'his boys' with love and took them under his care. Like Father Lafleur, may we love all people.

The Presentation in the Temple

"When the day came to purify them according to the law of Moses, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus up to Jerusalem so that He could be presented to the Lord." (Luke 2:22)

Like Mary and Joseph, Father Lafleur presented 'his boys' to the Lord in the sinking ship. May we have an attitude of presenting the Lord to each person we meet.

The Finding in the Temple

"They came upon Him in the temple sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. All who heard Him were amazed." (Luke 2:46-47)

Father Lafleur amazed many people with his teaching and compassionate love, and many conversions occurred. May our lives rest in God's teaching. May others respond to God's presence in us.

Year for Priests - Thoughts for the Week

YEAR FOR PRIESTS

Loving the Priesthood

To love the priesthood is to love one of the sacraments that Christ instituted for our sanctification and salvation. It is to love a most necessary sacrament, for without the priesthood, there would be no Eucharist, no sacramental forgiveness of sins.

Priests must love and reverence the priesthood that is theirs. The priest cannot give in to self-loathing, apologetically lamenting the fact that he is set apart and is positioned as teacher, sanctifier, and leader of those entrusted to his care.

As he loves the good work that Christ has begun in him, the priest must see that good work through to its completion. The consummation of Christ’s priesthood is His self-oblation on the cross, where He willingly laid down His life that we might have new life through His death.

By conforming himself to Christ the Victim, the priest has a spiritual remedy against any temptation to lord it over the others. By freely dying to himself, the priest stirs up in his soul the sacramental grace of his ordination, which then frees him to love and to live as one who has come to serve and not be served.

While no priest is perfect, while the man may be lacking in some respect, the sacred office - -the sacramental dignity that is his - - is always there. It is precisely this that we venerate in the priest, that he has been marked by Christ for all eternity.

To love the priesthood we must respect the priest. And if we are to love the priest, we must venerate his priesthood.

Fr. Joshua Guillory

The Eucharist and the Compendium

Today, during his homily, Monsignor Romero referenced the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Compendium is a wonderful reference to Catholic teaching that, in turn, references back into the more detailed Catechism of the Catholic Church. Both books are wonderful reference texts to have.

The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is available by clicking here for the Vatican website.

And the Catechism of the Catholic Church is available by clicking here for the Vatican website.

Both are also available in printed form locally at:

The Catholic Bookshoppe
2364 Larkspur Lane
Opelousas, Louisiana 70570
(337) 948-8050

During the homily, Monsignor Romero referenced paragraph 276 in the Compendium.

276. Where does the Eucharist fit in the divine plan of salvation?

1333-1344

The Eucharist was foreshadowed in the Old Covenant above all in the annual Passover meal celebrated every year by the Jews with unleavened bread to commemorate their hasty, liberating departure from Egypt. Jesus foretold it in his teaching and he instituted it when he celebrated the Last Supper with his apostles in a Passover meal. The Church, faithful to the command of her Lord, “Do this in memory of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24), has always celebrated the Eucharist, especially on Sunday, the day of the Resurrection of Jesus.

The Compendium references paragraphs 1333 thru 1344 in the Catechism:

III. The Eucharist in the Economy of Salvation

The signs of bread and wine

1333 At the heart of the Eucharistic celebration are the bread and wine that, by the words of Christ and the invocation of the Holy Spirit, become Christ's Body and Blood. Faithful to the Lord's command the Church continues to do, in his memory and until his glorious return, what he did on the eve of his Passion: "He took bread...." "He took the cup filled with wine...." the signs of bread and wine become, in a way surpassing understanding, the Body and Blood of Christ; they continue also to signify the goodness of creation. Thus in the Offertory we give thanks to the Creator for bread and wine,152 fruit of the "work of human hands," but above all as "fruit of the earth" and "of the vine" - gifts of the Creator. the Church sees in the gesture of the king-priest Melchizedek, who "brought out bread and wine," a prefiguring of her own offering.153

1334 In the Old Covenant bread and wine were offered in sacrifice among the first fruits of the earth as a sign of grateful acknowledgment to the Creator. But they also received a new significance in the context of the Exodus: the unleavened bread that Israel eats every year at Passover commemorates the haste of the departure that liberated them from Egypt; the remembrance of the manna in the desert will always recall to Israel that it lives by the bread of the Word of God;154 their daily bread is the fruit of the promised land, the pledge of God's faithfulness to his promises.
The "cup of blessing"155 at the end of the Jewish Passover meal adds to the festive joy of wine an eschatological dimension: the messianic expectation of the rebuilding of Jerusalem. When Jesus instituted the Eucharist, he gave a new and definitive meaning to the blessing of the bread and the cup.

1335 The miracles of the multiplication of the loaves, when the Lord says the blessing, breaks and distributes the loaves through his disciples to feed the multitude, prefigure the superabundance of this unique bread of his Eucharist.156 The sign of water turned into wine at Cana already announces the Hour of Jesus' glorification. It makes manifest the fulfillment of the wedding feast in the Father's kingdom, where the faithful will drink the new wine that has become the Blood of Christ.157

1336 The first announcement of the Eucharist divided the disciples, just as the announcement of the Passion scandalized them: "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?"158 The Eucharist and the Cross are stumbling blocks. It is the same mystery and it never ceases to be an occasion of division. "Will you also go away?":159 The Lord's question echoes through the ages, as a loving invitation to discover that only he has "the words of eternal life"160 and that to receive in faith the gift of his Eucharist is to receive the Lord himself.

The institution of the Eucharist
1337 The Lord, having loved those who were his own, loved them to the end. Knowing that the hour had come to leave this world and return to the Father, in the course of a meal he washed their feet and gave them the commandment of love.161 In order to leave them a pledge of this love, in order never to depart from his own and to make them sharers in his Passover, he instituted the Eucharist as the memorial of his death and Resurrection, and commanded his apostles to celebrate it until his return; "thereby he constituted them priests of the New Testament."162

1338 The three synoptic Gospels and St. Paul have handed on to us the account of the institution of the Eucharist; St. John, for his part, reports the words of Jesus in the synagogue of Capernaum that prepare for the institution of the Eucharist: Christ calls himself the bread of life, come down from heaven.163

1339 Jesus chose the time of Passover to fulfill what he had announced at Capernaum: giving his disciples his Body and his Blood:

Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the passover meal for us, that we may eat it...." They went ... and prepared the passover. and when the hour came, he sat at table, and the apostles with him. and he said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you I shall not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.".... and he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." and likewise the cup after supper, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my blood."164

1340 By celebrating the Last Supper with his apostles in the course of the Passover meal, Jesus gave the Jewish Passover its definitive meaning. Jesus' passing over to his father by his death and Resurrection, the new Passover, is anticipated in the Supper and celebrated in the Eucharist, which fulfills the Jewish Passover and anticipates the final Passover of the Church in the glory of the kingdom.

"Do this in memory of me"
1341 The command of Jesus to repeat his actions and words "until he comes" does not only ask us to remember Jesus and what he did. It is directed at the liturgical celebration, by the apostles and their successors, of the memorial of Christ, of his life, of his death, of his Resurrection, and of his intercession in the presence of the Father.165

1342 From the beginning the Church has been faithful to the Lord's command. of the Church of Jerusalem it is written:

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.... Day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts.166

1343 It was above all on "the first day of the week," Sunday, the day of Jesus' resurrection, that the Christians met "to break bread."167 From that time on down to our own day the celebration of the Eucharist has been continued so that today we encounter it everywhere in the Church with the same fundamental structure. It remains the center of the Church's life.

1344 Thus from celebration to celebration, as they proclaim the Paschal mystery of Jesus "until he comes," the pilgrim People of God advances, "following the narrow way of the cross,"168 toward the heavenly banquet, when all the elect will be seated at the table of the kingdom.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
152 Cf. ⇒ Ps 104:13-15.


153 ⇒ Gen 14:18; cf. Roman Missal, EP I (Roman Canon) 95.


154 Cf. ⇒ Deut 8:3.


155 ⇒ 1 Cor 10:16.


156 Cf. ⇒ Mt 14:13-21; ⇒ 15:32-39.


157 Cf. ⇒ Jn 2:11; ⇒ Mk 14:25.


158 ⇒ Jn 6:60.


159 ⇒ Jn 6:67.


160 In 6:68.


161 Cf. ⇒ Jn 13:1-17; ⇒ 34-35.


162 Council of Trent (1562): DS 1740.


163 Cf. ⇒ Jn 6.


164 ⇒ Lk 22:7-20; Cf. ⇒ Mt 26:17-29; ⇒ Mk 14:12-25; ⇒ 1 Cor 11:23-26.


165 Cf. ⇒ 2 Cor 11:26.


166 ⇒ Acts 2:42, ⇒ 46.


167 ⇒ Acts 20:7.


168 AG 1; cf. ⇒ 1 Cor 11:26.

Homily for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 23, 2009

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homily is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday. This week, The Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time, is our twelfth homily to be posted. This week, the homily is given by Monsignor J. Robert Romero.

So, take a listen and let us know what you think. Click here to download the Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time homily from St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, Louisiana.

The Queenship of Mary

The photo above is a window inside of St. Landry Catholic Church in Opelousas, Louisiana.

Today is the Feast of the Queenship of Mary. Pope Pius XII's encyclical Ad Caeli Reginam, To the Queenship of Heaven, released in 1954 established this feast. In that document, the Holy Father wrote:

As We have already mentioned, Venerable Brothers, according to ancient tradition and the sacred liturgy the main principle on which the royal dignity of Mary rests is without doubt her Divine Motherhood. In Holy Writ, concerning the Son whom Mary will conceive, We read this sentence: "He shall be called the Son of the most High, and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father, and he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end," and in addition Mary is called "Mother of the Lord"; from this it is easily concluded that she is a Queen, since she bore a son who, at the very moment of His conception, because of the hypostatic union of the human nature with the Word, was also as man King and Lord of all things. So with complete justice St. John Damascene could write: "When she became Mother of the Creator, she truly became Queen of every creature." Likewise, it can be said that the heavenly voice of the Archangel Gabriel was the first to proclaim Mary's royal office.

To read Pope Pius XII's encyclical Ad Caeli Reginam, click here for the Vatican website.

Father Verbis Lafleur Memorial Mass

The Friends of Lt. Fr. Lafleur
request your presence to
commemorate the 65th Anniversary
of the death of
Lt. Father Joseph Verbis Lafleur
Chaplain – United States Army Air Corps
on Monday, September 7, 2009
at six-thirty o’clock pm Mass
Saint Landry Catholic Church

Celebrant will be Rev. Richard Vidrine, CHC, USNR

Readings and Themes for the Week of August 23, 2009

Readings for Faith Sharing
Week of August 23, 2009,
Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading I Joshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b

We will serve the Lord, for he is our God.

Psalm 34

“Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”

Reading II Ephesians 5:21-32

This is a great mystery, regarding Christ and the Church.

Gospel: John 6:60-69

The Lord Jesus has the words of eternal life.

THEME:
Jesus - the Bread of Life Eternal

No one ever said that the Christian life would be easy. Sometimes we find the teachings of Jesus hard to follow. Just when we think we are following the ways of the Lord, he asks us to do more. We might be tempted to turn away from him. May the word of God today prompt us to respond to Jesus as Peter did. May Peter’s words become our own: “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

Question for Children:

How does receiving communion help you grow in your faith?

Question for Youth:

Jesus promises us eternal life if we follow him and believe.

What makes it hard for you to believe?

Question for Adults:

How does your faith in Jesus nourish your own life?

How does the Eucharist nourish you?

Archbishop Aymond's Installation Mass - Archdiocese of New Orleans

Archbishop Aymond's Installation Mass to be broadcast live on TV and online

WLAE, ABC 26, WDSU and EWTN all to televise Archbishop Aymond's Installation Mass live at 2 pm TODAY Thursday, August 20; TheDailyMass.com to stream the Mass online.

WLAE Channel 32 will broadcast Archbishop Gregory Aymond's Installation Mass LIVE at 2 pm TODAY Thursday, August 20. Coverage will begin at 1:30 pm with a special in-depth interview with Archbishop Aymond and Jason Angelette, host of WLAE's Issues & Faith.

ABC 26 will also broadcast live with coverage beginning at 1:30 pm. WDSU News Channel 6 and EWTN will televise the Mass live at 2 pm.

The Mass will also be webcast online at www.TheDailyMass.com. A link to the website will be made available on the archdiocesan homepage on August 20.

Attendance at the Mass is by invitation only. Over 60 cardinals and bishops from around the country are expected in New Orleans for the celebration along with many local leaders.

For more information please refer back to www.archdiocese-no.org.

EWTN will rebroadcast the mass at 11 PM tonight as well.

EWTN is Channel 35 on the Opelousas Charter Cable system.

Bulletin for the Weekend of August 23, 2009 now posted

The bulletin for the weekend of August 23, 2009 has been posted. Click here to see it.

The calendar on the website has been updated with all events for the coming week along with prayer intention information and information on the second collection for all of the masses. Take some time to look at our calendar here.

Updates are also being made to our St. Landry Catholic Church blog. You can get to the blog from the church home page under the Bulletins and News section or you can just click here to go to it.

Don't forget, we're also sending out live updates via Twitter. Our Twitter name is StLandryCath. You can see updates by clicking here.

Opelousas Catholic School news

OC CORNER

On Wednesday, Opelousas Catholic will hold Open House for parents of students in grades K-5 from 5:15 to 6:00 pm followed by an important PTO meeting at 6 pm in the school cafeteria. There will be early dismissal on Wednesday at 1:30 pm.

Parents of OC alumni (graduates of more than 5 yrs. ago) are encouraged to send their children’s current mailing address information to the OC Development Office in order for them to receive Homecoming details to be mailed over the next few weeks.

Post Adoption Counseling

Catholic Social Services, an adoption and counseling agency, is now offering post-adoption counseling to the community, regardless of whether the adoption was through an attorney or an agency. This service is available to birth parents, adoptive parents or adult adoptive persons who want to improve their relationships, expand their understanding of adoption and its impact and build on their strengths.

For more information or to make an appointment, please call Catholic Social Services at 261-5654.

Rainy but good evening

Our rosary for hurricane season was a little rainy and so we moved inside the church to finish. We prayed the rosary using the joyful mysteries along with the Lt. Father Verbis Lafleur meditations.

Printed copies are available at Valentin Hall.

You can also download and print them. Click here for part 1. And click here for part 2.

Prayers for Hurricane Season

Hurricane season is now in full swing with multiple storms in the Gulf and Atlantic.

Join us at St. Landry Catholic Church in Opelousas, Louisiana for a rosary at 6 PM this evening. We will meet at the monument of Lt. Father Verbis Lafleur. Bring a lawn chair for comfort.

We will continue to pray the rosary at 6 PM each Monday during Hurricane Season.

A Prayer for the Hurricane Season
by Maurice Schexnayder, Second Bishop of Lafayette, Louisiana

O God, Master of this passing world, hear the humble voices of your children. The sea of Galilee obeyed your order and returned to its former quietude; You are still the Master of land and sea. We live in the shadow of danger over which we have no control; the Gulf, like a provoked and angry giant, can awake from its seeming lethargy, overstep its conventional boundaries, invade our land and spread chaos and disaster.

During this hurricane season we turn to You, O loving Father. Spare us from past tragedies whose memories are still so vivid and whose wound seem to refuse to heal with passing time. O Virgin Mary, Star of the Sea, Our Beloved Mother, we ask you to plead with your Son in our behalf, so that spared from the calamities common to this area and animated with a true spirit of gratitude, we will walk in the footsteps of your Divine Son to reach the heavenly Jerusalem where a stormless eternity awaits us. Amen.

Year for Priests - Thoughts for the week

YEAR FOR PRIESTS

Who is the Priest?

The priest is, to use the old Latin phrase, an alter Christus, meaning “another Christ.” Upon receiving Holy Orders, the soul of the priest is imprinted for all eternity with a mark, a character; his soul is forever changed – as happens at baptism and confirmation - - but now his being is reconfigured in the image of Christ Jesus the High Priest.

The priest is a man consecrated, set apart. This not his own doing, but the work of God, who has called him to be a special sign, a presence of Christ, among His people.

In the ordination rite, the new priest’s hands are anointed with the Sacred Chrism. The anointing of sacred things - - a ritual inherited from ancient Jewish religious custom - - means that they, in this case, the hands of the priest, must be used solely in service of the divine. As the priest is consecrated in his being through the sacrament, his hands become a sign and symbol of his office: to sanctify by means of the sacraments, most especially to consecrate the Body and Blood of Christ and to forgive sins in confession.

The priest is the sacramental presence of Christ Jesus. As he strives to conform his life to the life of the Lord, his prayer is that of John the Baptist: “He must increase, while I must decrease.” The more Christ increases in the soul of the priest, the more Christ like he becomes in his actions, thoughts, and words, the more an alter Christus he becomes, the more a sacramental presence of the Lord in the world and in the Church.

Fr. Joshua Guillory

Homily for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 16, 2009

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homily is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday. This week, The Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, is our eleventh homily to be posted. This week, the homily is given by Monsignor J. Robert Romero.

So, take a listen and let us know what you think. Click here to download the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time homily.

August 15, Our Lady of the Assumption

Today is the Feast of the Assumption of Mary. It is a significant day for people of Acadian heritage in that Our Lady of the Assumption is our patroness. You'll find a gold star in a white background on the Acadiana flag representing her. And in New Brunswick today, large celebrations of National Acadian Day are occurring. At 5:55 PM this afternoon, 17:55 on the military clock, everyone goes out to make a lot of noise. This is in remembrance of the year of the Acadian deportation.

For more information on events there, click here.

Mary, Star of the Sea is also dear to folks who live in the Maritime provinces of Canada and people of Acadian descent. Here are the words to that ancient hymn that dates back to at least the 9th century. First, in English then in Latin.

Ave Maris Stella

Hail, Star of the sea! Blessed Mother of God, yet ever a virgin! O happy gate of heaven!

Thou that didst receive the Ave from Gabriel's lips, confirm us in peace, and so let Eva be changed into an Ave of blessing for us.

Loose the sinner's chains, bring light to the blind, drive from us our evils, and ask all good things for us.

Show thyself a mother, and offer our prayers to him, who would be born of thee, when born for us.

O incomparable Virgin, and meekest Or the meek, obtain us the forgiveness of our sins, and make us meek and chaste.

Obtain us purity of life, and a safe pilgrimage; that we may be united with thee in the blissful vision of Jesus.

Praise be to God the Father and to the Lord Jesus, and to the Holy Ghost: to the Three one self-same praise.

Ave, maris stella,
Dei Mater alma,
Atque semper virgo,
Felix coeli porta.

Sumens illud Ave Gabrielis ore,
Funda nos in pace,
Mutans Evae nomen.

Solve vinyl reis,
Profer lumen caecis,
Mala nostra pelle,
Bona cuncta posce.

Monstra te esse matrem, Sumat per te preces,
Qui pro nobis natus,
Tulit esse tuus.

Virgo singularis,
Inter omnes mitis,
Nos culpis solutos
Mites fac et castos.

Vitam praesta puram,
Iter pare tutum;
Ut videntes Jesum, Semper collaetemur.

Sit laus Deo Patri,
Summo Christo decus, Spiritui Sancto,
Tribus honor unus.

Who has your heart?

Christians are made, not born. Committing one’s self to gospel values on every level of life requires a change of heart and attitude that cannot be accomplished by an educational program alone. Conversion takes time- -for some many years. While doctrinal instruction is part of the process, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and Children (RCIA) aims at changing the heart and transforming the spirit, not just supplying a bank of knowledge.

For further information, contact Deacon John W. Miller at (337) 942-2911.

Classes will start on September 1 @ 6:30 pm in Valentin Hall.

Pastoral Council update

Louis Fay was elected Pastoral Council Chairman when the Council met Aug. 3. Elected to serve with him are Dwayne Joubert, Vice Chairman and Kathryn Cosgrove-Richard, Secretary/Treasury.

For a list with contact information of the entire Pastoral Council, click here to be taken to our website.

Readings and Themes for the week of August 16, 2009

Readings for Faith Sharing
Week of August 16, 2009,
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading I Proverbs 9:1-6

"Come, eat of my food and drink of the wine I have mixed."

Psalm 34

“Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”

Reading II Ephesians 5:15-20

Understand what is the will of the Lord.

Gospel: John 6:51-58

The bread that Jesus gives is his flesh for the life of the world.

THEME:
Eternal Life

The figure of Holy Wisdom issues an invitation to us in today’s first reading from the book of Proverbs. She invites us to eat and drink at her table. We now feast at the table of Wisdom, eating of the very stuff of salvation: the sacred word of God.

Question for Children:

How does receiving communion help you grow in your faith?

Question for Youth:

Jesus promises us eternal life if we follow him and believe.

What makes it hard for you to believe?

Question for Adults:

How does your faith in Jesus nourish your own life?

How does the Eucharist nourish you?

Bulletin for the weekend of August 16, 2009 now posted

The bulletin for the weekend of August 16, 2009 has been posted. Click here to see it.

The calendar on the website has been updated with all events for the coming week along with prayer intention information and information on the second collection for all of the masses. Take some time to look at our calendar here.

Updates are also being made to our St. Landry Catholic Church blog. You can get to the blog from the church home page under the Bulletins and News section or you can just click here to go to it.

Don't forget, we're also sending out live updates via Twitter. Our Twitter name is StLandryCath. You can see updates by clicking here.

Saturday, August 15, is the Feast of the Assumption

Although the Feast of the Assumption is not a holy day of obligation this year, there will be an 8:00 am Mass in church, on Saturday, August 15.

Please join us at St. Landry Catholic Church.

Learning more about your faith

Are you un-baptized or baptized in another Christian faith and want to explore entry into the Catholic Faith?

Are you married to a Catholic and want to learn more about your spouse’s faith?

Are you a baptized Catholic, but never celebrated the sacraments of Holy Eucharist or Confirmation?

If any of the above applies to you, or if you are merely curious, contact Deacon John W. Miller at (337) 942-2911.

Classes will start on September 1 @ 6:30 pm in Valentin Hall.

Year for Priests - Thoughts for the week

YEAR FOR PRIESTS

Faithfulness of Christ, faithfulness of priests

“In many parts of the Church today it is still the scarcity of priests, which creates the most serious problem. The faithful are often left to themselves for long periods, without sufficient pastoral support. As a result their growth as Christians suffers, not to mention their capacity to become better promoters of evangelization.”

(#7) PASTORES DABO VOBIS by Pope John-Paul II

Prayer for Priests

Dear Lord,

We pray that the Blessed Mother wrap her mantle around your priests, and through her intercession strengthen them for their ministry.

We pray that Mary will guide your priests to follow her own words, “Do whatever He tells you” (Jn 2:5).

May your priests have the heart of St. Joseph, Mary’s most chaste spouse.

May the Blessed Mother’s own pierced heart inspire them to embrace all who suffer at the foot of the cross. May your priests be holy, filled with the fire of your love seeking nothing but your greater glory and the salvation of souls.

AMEN

St. John Vianney, pray for all your brother priests and us.

Opelousas Catholic School News

OC CORNER

Orientation Day is set for this Wednesday (Aug. 12), while the first day of school will be on Thursday, Aug. 13.

Congratulations to the varsity cheerleaders who attended the UCA cheer camp in Hammond this summer. They placed first in home dance competition, received a superior squad trophy, and were recognized with the special Leadership Award. Emily Labbe and Nicole Barry were named UCA All-American cheerleaders and Nicole was invited to try out for the UCA staff.

Let us pray for another wonderful grace-filled school year.

Dwayne Joubert becomes a candidate for Diaconate ordination

We congratulate Mr. Dwayne Joubert who has been called by Bishop Jarrell to participate in the Ceremony of Admission to Candidacy for Ordination to the Diaconate for the Diocese of Lafayette. The ceremony took place on Saturday, August 8, 2009 at 10:00 am in Lafayette,at St. Genevieve Church. All parishioners are asked to keep Dwayne in their prayers as he advances toward his Diaconate Ordination.

The Tears of St. Lawrence

Yesterday, August 10, was the Feast of St. Lawrence. He was a deacon. St. Lawrence was martyred in the year 258 by Valerian. He is often pictured as being roasted over a fire.

More details on what we know about him can be found at the Catholic Encyclopedia ... click here.

Some popular stories/legends told of him ...

St. Lawrence was told he must give all of the riches of the Church to the Roman authorities. He asked for a few days time. When he returned, he had orphans, the sick, and widows with them and said, "Here are the riches of the Church."

Another story says that as he was being roasted, he said, "Turn me over. I'm done on this side."

For many years, Catholics have looked to the skies around the Feast of St. Lawrence to see the Fiery Tears of St. Lawrence. Most modern folks know this phenomena as the Perseid Meteor Shower which should peak tonight between midnight and 4 AM.

Click here for more information about the Tears.

Readings and Themes for the Week of August 9, 2009

Readings for Faith Sharing
Week of August 09, 2009,
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading I 1 Kings 19:4-8

An angel brings the exhausted Elijah food and water to sustain him...

Psalm 34

“Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”

Reading II Ephesians 4:30-5:2

We must forgive one another as God has forgiven us in Christ.

Gospel: John 6:41-51

Whoever eats the bread of life will live forever.

THEME:
Jesus, The Living Bread

In today’s first reading an angel of the Lord comes to the aid of Elijah, providing him with bread and water. Elijah is strengthened for his continuing journey. The Lord Jesus, in today’s Gospel, refers to himself as the bread of life. As we open our hearts to hear God’s word, let us pray that, through the word and the Eucharist, we will be strengthened for our own journey of faith.

Question for Children:

How does your faith nourish you? How does it help your life?

Question for Youth:

Bread nourishes us physically, and Jesus as the living bread nourishes us spiritually.

How can you be more open to Jesus and the ways that he can feed you?

Question for Adults:

What nourishes your life?

What does the phrase “living bread” mean for you?

Bulletin for the Weekend of August 09, 2009 now posted

The bulletin for the weekend of August 09, 2009 has been posted. Click here to see it.

The calendar on the website has been updated with all events for the coming week along with prayer intention information and information on the second collection for all of the masses. Take some time to look at our calendar here.

Updates are also being made to our St. Landry Catholic Church blog. You can get to the blog from the church home page under the Bulletins and News section or you can just click here to go to it.

Don't forget, we're also sending out live updates via Twitter. Our Twitter name is StLandryCath. You can see updates by clicking here.

Anniversary of the death of St. John Vianney, Cure of Ars

It's the 150th anniversary of the death of St. John Vianney. He was born near Lyons France in 1786 and died August 4, 1859.

He found the academic studies at the seminary to be very difficult. With the help of friends and his own hard work, he eventually became a priest.

As a parish priest, he became known as a wonderful confessor. People began to come to him from neighboring parishes, from across the country of France, and soon from around the world. He heard confessions for as long as 18 hours a day during the last decade of his life.

As part of the Year for Priests, Pope Benedict XVI has declared St. John Vianney the Universal Patron for all priests.

August 3 - Memorial of St. Lydia Purpuraria

Today we remember St. Lydia Purpuraria. She was St. Paul's first known convert when he was at Philippi.

Purpuraria means purple seller and she was a seller of purple dye. Many thousands of tiny shells were crushed in order to make a single drop of dye. Purple dye was very expensive and reserved for people of great honor.

The recent studies of the tomb of St. Paul have found the presence of purple cloth wrapping his remains which is fitting.

St. Paul baptized her and her entire household. This is one of the first instances showing the tradition of the early Christians baptizing all, young and old.

One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyati'ra, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to give heed to what was said by Paul. And when she was baptized, with her household, she besought us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." And she prevailed upon us.

~Acts 16:14-15

All Night Prayer Vigil for Priests - Our Lady of Fatima Parish

Our Lady of Fatima Parish will host an all-night prayer vigil for priests to commence the Year of the Priesthood. The vigil will begin Monday, August 3rd, immediately following the 6:15 AM Mass and will conclude on Tuesday, August 4th, at 5:00 PM. Adoration will take place in the Chapel of the Little Shepherds in Knight Hall. To close the vigil, the Rosary will be prayed followed by Mass and veneration of the Relic of St. John Vianney at 5:30 PM. All are invited to spend time before the Blessed Sacrament praying for the sanctification and renewal of the priesthood.

Our Lady of Fatima Parish is located at 2319 Johnston Street, Lafayette, Louisiana. The phone number is (337) 232-8945.

Below is a map to the church.


View Larger Map

Homily for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 02, 2009

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homily is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday. This week, The Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, is our tenth homily to be posted. This week, the homily is given by Father Rey Tejico of the Missionaries of Jesus. Their website can be found by clicking here.

So, take a listen and let us know what you think. Click here to download the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time homily.

Feast of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Founder of the Redemptorists

Today is the Feast Day for St. Alphonsus Liguori, the founder of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, better known as the Redemptorists. A brilliant man, he was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius IX.

There is a long detailed biography of him in the Catholic Encyclopedia. Click here for that.

The beautiful writings of St. Alphonsus Liguori touch each of us during Lent. His prayers and reflections on the Way of the Cross are the most popular for Way of the Cross processions.

St. Alphonsus Liguori's
Stations of the Cross

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Preparatory Prayer
(to be said kneeling before the altar)

ALL: My Lord, Jesus Christ, / You have made this journey to die for me with unspeakable love; / and I have so many times ungratefully abandoned You. / But now I love You with all my heart; / and, because I love You, I am sincerely sorry for ever having offended You. / Pardon me, my God, and permit me to accompany You on this journey. / You go to die for love of me; / I want, my beloved Redeemer, to die for love of You. / My Jesus, I will live and die always united to You.

At the cross her station keeping
Stood the mournful Mother weeping
Close to Jesus to the last
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The First Station:
Pilate Condemns Jesus to Die

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: Consider how Jesus Christ, after being scourged and crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned by Pilate to die on the cross. (Kneel)

R: My adorable Jesus, / it was not Pilate; / no, it was my sins that condemned You to die. / I beseech You, by the merits of this sorrowful journey, / to assist my soul on its journey to eternity./ I love You, beloved Jesus; / I love You more than I love myself. / With all my heart I repent of ever having offended You. / Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.

(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)

Through her heart, His sorrow sharing
All His bitter anguish bearing
Now at length the sword has passed
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Second Station:
Jesus Accepts His Cross

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: Consider Jesus as He walked this road with the cross on His shoulders, thinking of us, and offering to His Father in our behalf, the death He was about to suffer. (Kneel)

R: My most beloved Jesus, / I embrace all the sufferings You have destined for me until death. / I beg You, by all You suffered in carrying Your cross, / to help me carry mine with Your perfect peace and resignation. / I love You, Jesus, my love; / I repent of ever having offended You. / Never let me separate myself from You again. / Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.

(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)

O, how sad and sore depressed
Was that Mother highly blessed
Of the sole Begotten One
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Third Station:
Jesus Falls the First Time

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: Consider the first fall of Jesus. Loss of blood from the scourging and crowing with thorns had so weakened Him that He could hardly walk; and yet He had to carry that great load upon His shoulders. As the soldiers struck Him cruelly, He fell several times under the heavy cross. (Kneel)

R: My beloved Jesus, / it was not the weight of the cross / but the weight of my sins which made You suffer so much. / By the merits of this first fall, / save me from falling into mortal sin. / I love You, O my Jesus, with all my heart; / I am sorry that I have offended You. / May I never offend You again. / Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.

(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)

Christ above in torment hangs
She beneath beholds the pangs
Of her dying, glorious Son
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Fourth Station:
Jesus Meets His Afflicted Mother

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: Consider how the Son met his Mother on His way to Calvary. Jesus and Mary gazed at each other and their looks became as so many arrows to wound those hearts which loved each other so tenderly (Kneel)

R: My most loving Jesus, / by the pain You suffered in this meeting / grant me the grace of being truly devoted to Your most holy Mother. / And You, my Queen, who was overwhelmed with sorrow, / obtain for me by Your prayers / a tender and a lasting remembrance of the passion of Your divine Son. / I love You, Jesus, my Love, above all things. / I repent of ever having offended You. / Never allow me to offend You again. / Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.

(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)

Is there one who would not weep,
'whelmed in miseries so deep
Christ's dear Mother to behold.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Fifth Station:
Simon Helps Jesus Carry the Cross

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: Consider how weak and weary Jesus was. At each step He was at the point of expiring. Fearing that He would die on the way when they wished Him to die the infamous death of the cross, they forced Simon of Cyrene to help carry the cross after Our Lord. (Kneel)

R: My beloved Jesus / I will not refuse the cross as Simon did: / I accept it and embrace it. / I accept in particular the death that is destined for me / with all the pains that may accompany it. / I unite it to Your death / and I offer it to You. / You have died for love of me; / I will die for love of You and to please You. / Help me by Your grace. / I love You, Jesus, my Love; / I repent of ever having offended You. / Never let me offend You again. / Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.

(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)

Can the human heart refrain
From partaking in her pain
In that Mother's pain untold?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Sixth Station:
Veronica Offers Her Veil to Jesus

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: Consider the compassion of the holy woman, Veronica. Seeing Jesus in such distress, His face bathed in sweat and blood, she presented Him with her veil. Jesus wiped His face, and left upon the cloth the image of his sacred countenance. (Kneel)

R: My beloved Jesus, / Your face was beautiful before You began this journey; / but, now, it no longer appears beautiful / and is disfigured with wounds and blood. / Alas, my soul also was once beautiful / when it received Your grace in Baptism; / but I have since disfigured it with my sins. / You alone, my Redeemer, can restore it to its former beauty. / Do this by the merits of Your passion; and then do with me as You will.

(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)

Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled
She beheld her tender Child
All with bloody scourges rent.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Seventh Station:
Jesus Falls the Second Time

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: Consider how the second fall of Jesus under His cross renews the pain in all the wounds of the head and members of our afflicted Lord. (Kneel)

R: My most gentle Jesus, / how many times You have forgiven me; / and how many times I have fallen again and begun again to offend You! / By the merits of this second fall, / give me the grace to persevere in Your love until death. / Grant, that in all my temptations, I may always have recourse to You. / I love You, Jesus, my Love with all my heart; / I am sorry that I have offended You. / Never let me offend You again. / Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.

(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)

For the sins of His own nation
Saw Him hang in desolation
Till His spirit forth He sent.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Eighth Station:
Jesus Speaks to the Women

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: Consider how the women wept with compassion seeing Jesus so distressed and dripping with blood as he walked along. Jesus said to them, ``Weep not so much for me, but rather for Your children.'' (Kneel)

R: My Jesus, laden with sorrows, / I weep for the sins which I have committed against You / because of the punishment I deserve for them; / and, still more, because of the displeasure they have caused You / who have loved me with an infinite love. / It is Your love, more than the fear of hell, / which makes me weep for my sins. / My Jesus, I love You more than myself; / I am sorry that I have offended You. / Never allow me to offend You again. / Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.

(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)

O sweet Mother! Fount of Love,
Touch my spirit from above
Make my heart with yours accord.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Ninth Station:
Jesus Falls the Third Time

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: Consider how Jesus Christ fell for the third time. He was extremely weak and the cruelty of His executioners was excessive; they tried to hasten His steps though He hardly had strength to move. (Kneel)

R: My outraged Jesus, / by the weakness You suffered in going to Calvary, / give me enough strength to overcome all human respect / and all my evil passions which have led me to despise Your friendship. / I love You, Jesus my Love, with all my heart; / I am sorry for ever having offended You. / Never permit me to offend You again. / Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.

(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)

Make me feel as You have felt
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ, my Lord.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Tenth Station:
Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: Consider how Jesus was violently stripped of His clothes by His executioners. The inner garments adhered to his lacerated flesh and the soldiers tore them off so roughly that the skin came with them. Have pity for your Savior so cruelly treated and tell Him: (Kneel)

R: My innocent Jesus, / by the torment You suffered in being stripped of Your garments, / help me to strip myself of all attachment for the things of earth / that I may place all my love in You who are so worthy of my love. / I love You, O Jesus, with all my heart; / I am sorry for ever having offended You. / Never let me offend You again. / Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.

(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)

Holy Mother, pierce me through
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Savior crucified.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Eleventh Station:
Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: Consider Jesus, thrown down upon the cross, He stretched out His arms and offered to His eternal Father the sacrifice of His life for our salvation. They nailed His hands and feet, and then, raising the cross, left Him to die in anguish. (Kneel)

R: My despised Jesus, / nail my heart to the cross / that it may always remain there to love You and never leave You again. / I love You more than myself; / I am sorry for ever having offended You. / Never permit me to offend You again. / Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.

(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)

Let me share with you His pain,
Who for all our sins was slain,
Who for me in torments died.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Twelfth Station:
Jesus Dies Upon the Cross

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: Consider how Your Jesus, after three hours of agony on the cross, is finally overwhelmed with suffering and, abandoning Himself to the weight of His body, bows His head and dies. (Kneel)

R: My dying Jesus, / I devoutly kiss the cross on which You would die for love of me. / I deserve, because of my sins, to die a terrible death; / but Your death is my hope. / By the merits of Your death, / give me the grace to die embracing Your feet and burning with love of You. / I yield my soul into Your hands. / I love You with my whole heart. / I am sorry that I have offended You. / Never let me offend You again. / Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.

(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)

Let me mingle tears with thee
Mourning Him who mourned for me,
All the days that I may live.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Thirteenth Station:
Jesus Is Taken Down from the Cross

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: Consider how, after Our Lord had died, He was taken down from the cross by two of His disciples, Joseph and Nicodemus, and placed in the arms of His afflicted Mother. She received Him with unutterable tenderness and pressed Him close to her bosom. (Kneel)

R: O Mother of Sorrows, / for the love of Your Son, / accept me as Your servant and pray to Him for me, / And You, my Redeemer, since you have died for me, / allow me to love You, / for I desire only You and nothing more. / I love You, Jesus my Love, / and I am sorry that I have offended You. / Never let me offend You again. / Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.

(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)

By the cross with you to stay
There with you to weep and pray
Is all I ask of you to give.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Fourteenth Station:
Jesus Is Placed in the Sepulcher

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. (Rise)

V: Consider how the disciples carried the body of Jesus to its burial, while His holy Mother went with them and arranged it in the sepulcher with her own hands. They then closed the tomb and all departed. (Kneel)

R: Oh, my buried Jesus, / I kiss the stone that closes You in. / But You gloriously did rise again on the third day. / I beg You by Your resurrection that I may be raised gloriously on the last day, / to be united with You in heaven, to praise You and love You forever. / I love You, Jesus, and I repent of ever having offended You. / Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.

(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.)

Virgin of all virgins blest!
Listen to my fond request:
Let me share your grief divine.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prayer to Jesus Christ Crucified
My good and dear Jesus,
I kneel before You,
asking You most earnestly
to engrave upon my heart
a deep and lively faith, hope, and charity,
with true repentance for my sins,
and a firm resolve to make amends.
As I reflect upon Your five wounds,
and dwell upon them
with deep compassion and grief,
I recall, good Jesus,
the words the Prophet David spoke
long ago concerning Yourself:
``They pierced My hands and My feet;
they have numbered all My bones.''

The faithful who, after receiving Communion, recite this prayer before a picture of Christ Crucified may gain a plenary indulgence on any Friday in Lent and a partial indulgence on other days of the year, with the addition of prayers for the Holy Father's intention.

Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, no. 22

A Plenary indulgence is grated to the faithful who make the pious exercise of the Way of the Cross. Those who are impeded can gain the same indulgence if they spend at least one half an hour in pious reading and meditation on the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, no. 63

Prayer Intentions of the Holy Father for August, 2009

Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for August is: "That public opinion may be more aware of the problems of millions of displaced persons and refugees, and that concrete solutions may be found for their often tragic situation".

His mission intention is: "That those Christians who are discriminated against and persecuted in many countries because of the name of Christ may have their human rights, equality and religious freedom recognised, in order to be able to live and profess their own faith freely".

(Photo REUTERS/Max Rossi)

Readings and Themes for the Week of August 2, 2009

Readings for Faith Sharing
Week of August 02, 2009,
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading I 2 Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15

Manna rains down from the heavens

Psalm 78

“The Lord gave them bread from heavens.”

Reading II Ephesians 4:17,20-24

Put away your old self.

Gospel: John 6:24-35

Jesus is the bread of line.

THEME:
Recognize the Bread of Life in God’s holy word, in the Eucharist, and in each other who are all part of the Body of Christ.

The refrain of today’s responsorial psalm sums up the point of today’s readings: “The Lord gave them bread from heaven.” In their hunger, the Israelites grumbled against Moses, complaining that even in their enslavement, they had bread to eat. Those gathered around Jesus ask him to give them food that endures for eternal life. What he offers them is the gifts of himself, the very bread of life. The words proclaimed in Scripture can become food for eternal life for those who respond in faith. In our hunger for meaning and direction, let us be attentive to the saving word of God.

Question for Children:

We have to be very quiet to hear what God is saying to us. When do you spend quiet time with God?

Question for Youth:

Jesus is the bread that gives us life. How does believing in Jesus make your life different? How has your faith changed you?

Question for Adults:

How do you make time and space to listen for God’s voice?