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A Message From the Pastor

Dear Parish Family,
​
Lent begins on Wednesday, February 26.

Please join us for Ash Wednesday as we will begin again the 40 day journey of Lent.

Part of Lenten Devotions is walking the Way of the Cross.

We have the original Stations now placed in the main Church.

This will serve the parish well. It is especially important for our children to see this devotion and learn of its meaning.

It is now possible to actually walk the Way of the Cross in devotion individually and as a group.

These works of art that are wonderfully carved depict the Sacrifice of Our Lord on Good Friday.

May we all have good Lent.
Bishop Coyle 

Save the Date!
Parish Lenten Mission
Good Shepherd Parish Lenten Mission March 2nd - 5th (Mon-Thur) 9 AM Mass and 7:30-8:30 PM each night.
Father Jerry Fitzsimmons of the Monfort Fathers will lead the Mission!
See you there! 

 

Lenten Message From Bishop Barres

Dear Friends: 
The season of Lent offers us a sacred time for contemplating what it means to accompany Our Lord as he carries the Cross. 

During his Passion, we see Christ laboring under the burden of our sufferings and of those whom we love. As the prophet Isaiah says, "He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows" (cf. Is 53:4), and he still carries them today. Perhaps this year we might pray for the grace to accompany more closely our neighbors and loved ones who are suffering, and so participate in Christ's own sacrificial love as he shoulders their burdens. 

Throughout our Diocese there are many who are suffering. We know this. Every parish has its stories of families experiencing hardship and loss. Our hospitals and shelters have their stories. Our nursing homes and schools have theirs. Indeed, we find the Cross in our own homes. Our parents and grandparents know heartache, and our children have burdens as well. Our Lord carries them all. 

Perhaps you know a person who is sick or grieving the loss of a loved one. Maybe you know someone who is suffering from addiction or depression and is tempted to despair. Perhaps you know of someone who is lonely or has been altogether abandoned. It is good to remember that Our Lord is carrying each of them already with great love, placing his sheep on his shoulders (cf. Lk 15:5). And this Good Shepherd invites us to accompany him in holiness that we might share more fully in his mission. 

Consider the figure of Simon of Cyrene. We know him from the Fifth Station of the Cross and from the Synoptic Gospels. He was compelled to carry the Cross of Christ (cf. Mt 27:32; Mk 15:21; 1,k 23:26). We recognize his initial fear; it is the same as our own. We do not fault Simon for his resistance. Helping Jesus could not have been easy. And yet with God's grace what began as servitude was transformed into a gesture of compassion, even a sublime privilege. 

To be sure, we may have cause to be fearful of accompanying Christ under the Cross. Social stigmas associated with some sufferings may cause us to stay away. We might fear our own inadequacies; weaknesses and wounds can cause self-doubt. We may even feel some degree of responsibility for the person's suffering: "1 could have done more". Simon would have experienced these fears as Christ was passing by. Indeed, he needed to he driven by the Roman soldiers to accompany Jesus (cf. Mk 15:21). But the gaze of Christ prevailed on Simon and moved him beyond his fear. Christ himself prayed in the garden before taking up the Cross, "Father if it be possible, let this cup pass", but he saw the Father's love for humanity and was moved to pray, "yet not as I will, but as you will" (cf. Mt 26:39). Love bends the will to the other. It was Christ's love that changed Simon's servitude into sacrifice. And it is Christ's love that can transform our fear into accompaniment. 

As your bishop. I have the privilege of seeing that so many of you are already living as Simon, already accompanying Christ who carries the burdens of your neighbors and loved ones. I visit your homes and pray with you in your parishes. I witness your dedication to the people of your ministries and organizations. And I see that many of you, like Simon, allow the gaze of Christ to draw you underneath the weight of the Cross, where your own servitude becomes a privileged encounter with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and an encouragement to us all. 

In light of this witness, I wish to bring particular attention to the newly formed Morning Star Initiative, designed to revitalize Catholic elementary school education on Long Island. I ask all of you to pray for our parishes and schools, our administrators and teachers, our students and their families, and all who are promoting a bold new era of Catholic education and evangelization on Long Island. 

This way of sharing in the life of Christ moves us beyond imitation into a real participation with him in his relationship with the Father. The Cross is not a punishment to be endured; it is a decision to love. "lie was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities" (cf. Is 53:5). And when we move in this way toward others in their need, our experience of their suffering is transformed from a burden into an encounter with love. We find, with Simon, that our servitude becomes a mysterious privilege of accompaniment. Underneath the weight of a cross carried with love, we see Jesus. 

Too often we feel regret for not drawing near to those who arc suffering. Let us pray during this holy season, this season of conversion, for the grace to recognize the gaze of Christ in those who are suffering and to respond to his invitation to share in his Cross. In this way, the Church on Long Island will grow together with Our Lord in grace. 

Sincerely in Christ,
Most Reverend John O. Barres
​Diocese of Rockville Centre

Ash Wednesday Schedule

Ash Wednesday is February 26th a Day of Fast and Abstinence

Ashes are a sign of our desire to repent and to strive to be more faithful to the gospel.

9:00am Mass and Distribution of Ashes
12Noon Mass and Distribution of Ashes
3:00pm Prayer Service and Distribution of Ashes 4:30pm Prayer Service and Distribution of Ashes 6:00pm Prayer Service and Distribution of Ashes 8:00pm Mass and Distribution of Ashes

Ashes will be distributed during Mass and at services. Ashes are to be received in the context of some form of Lenten prayer and preaching.

Fast and Abstinence are traditional practices of the Lenten Season and remind us of our dependence on God and the place of sacrifice in our lives. All Catholics 14 years of age or older are bound to abstain entirely from meat on Ash Wednesday and all the Fridays of Lent. All Catholics ages 18-59 are bound to observe the law of fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, i.e. limiting oneself to one full meal,
avoiding food between meals, and taking two other light meals.

The ashes used in the ceremony are obtained by burning last year’s Palm Sunday branches. The symbolism is stark and real, as nothing reminds us of a break with the past like ashes. These ashes say to us that it is time to leave behind all that is past and begin a whole new life.

Any of our parishioners who would like to bring in old Palm, to be burned for Ash Wednesday, are welcomed to do so. Please deposit the Palm in the basket in the Narthex. Thank you! 

 

Offerings

Mass Intentions

Sunday - February 23
​​7:00 a.m.  People of Good Shepherd Parish  8:30 a.m. Joseph Lupo 10:00 a.m. Mass Guild Members 12 Noon Gerard Benedict ​​5:00 p.m. John Kiely

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Monday - February 24
​​​​​​​​​​9:00 a.m. Bill Reynolds

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Tuesday - February 25
​​​​9:00 a.m. Roseanne Stancanelli

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Wednesday - February 26
​​​​9:00 a.m.  Dottie Priest     12 noon James Wrangler     3:00 p.m. Prayer Service     4:30 p.m. Prayer Service     6:00 p.m. Prayer Service     8:00 p.m. People of Good Shepherd Parish

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Thursday - February 27
​​​9:00 a.m. Dottie Priest

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Friday -  February 28
​​​​9:00 a.m. Marianne Ripel

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Saturday - February 29
​​​​9:00 a.m. John & Carol Malinowski   5:00 p.m. Guillermos Rios

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Mass Guild Members
February 23, 2020

Michael Frustaci      Alexis Lamb     Aleyamma Pappy      Guillermo Rios     Alice Dennington      Annette Corradino      Arcely Alvarez      Kevin Hughes      Ann Stasheff      William Polito
Giuseppe, Isabella, Bertuccio & Francesco Stellato ​

Gifts of Treasure

February 16, 2020: $12,488.00
Envelopes: 459

February 17, 2018: $12,718.50
Envelopes: 462
​
Thank you for your continued generosity 

Gifts of Bread and Wine

In Memory of:
Dottie Priest
Donated by:
Good Shepherd Senior Group
If you would like to make a Gift of Bread and Wine, please contact the parish office at (631)588-7689

Sanctuary Lamp

The Sanctuary Lamp, which burns near the Tabernacle in our Daily Chapel, is the reminder of the Lord's Presence in the Most Holy Eucharist.

The Lamp will burn this week In Memory of:
Dottie Priest

Requested by:
Rosemarie & George Vilim 

Church in Need

On March 1st, 2020 a collection will be taken for “The Church in Need.” The monies collected at this time will be shared among three areas of the world where there is a particular need for help:

• Church in Central and Eastern Europe - this collection supports the Church in more than 20 countries that still struggle to recover from Communist rule. Funds from this collection support pastoral care, catechesis, building renovations, and seminary formation.


• The Church in Latin America - for many in Latin America and the Caribbean, a rising secular culture, difficult rural terrain, and a shortage of ministers all present obstacles to practicing the faith. Your support for the collection provides lay leadership training, catechesis, priestly and religious formation, and other programs to share our Catholic faith with those who long to hear the Good News of Christ.


• The Church in Africa - although the Church in Africa is growing, many still lack access to basic resources and pastoral care. Many suffer due to high rates of poverty and unemployment, illiteracy, and poor education. The Solidarity Fund supports pastoral projects that foster lasting peace and reconciliation in a continent often marked by division and tension.

 

Reading and Saints of the Week

Monday

Blessed Luke Belludi





Listen to Monday's Reading

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Reading 1
James 3:13-18
Beloved:
Who among you is wise and understanding?
Let him show his works by a good life
in the humility that comes from wisdom.
But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts,
do not boast and be false to the truth.
Wisdom of this kind does not come down from above
but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist,
there is disorder and every foul practice.
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure,
then peaceable, gentle, compliant,
full of mercy and good fruits,
without inconstancy or insincerity.
And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace
for those who cultivate peace.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 19:8, 9, 10, 15
R. (9a) The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart
find favor before you,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.

Alleluia
2 Timothy 1:10
R.Alleluia, alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. R.Alleluia, alleluia

Gospel
Mark 9:14-29
As Jesus came down from the mountain with Peter, James, John
and approached the other disciples,
they saw a large crowd around them and scribes arguing with them.
Immediately on seeing him,
the whole crowd was utterly amazed.
They ran up to him and greeted him.
He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?”
Someone from the crowd answered him,
“Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a mute spirit.
Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down;
he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid.
I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so.”
He said to them in reply,
“O faithless generation, how long will I be with you?
How long will I endure you? Bring him to me.”
They brought the boy to him.
And when he saw him,
the spirit immediately threw the boy into convulsions.
As he fell to the ground, he began to roll around
and foam at the mouth.
Then he questioned his father,
“How long has this been happening to him?”
He replied, “Since childhood.
It has often thrown him into fire and into water to kill him.
But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
Jesus said to him,
“‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.”
Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”
Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering,
rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it,
“Mute and deaf spirit, I command you:
come out of him and never enter him again!”
Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out.
He became like a corpse, which caused many to say, “He is dead!”
But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up.
When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private,
“Why could we not drive the spirit out?”
He said to them, “This kind can only come out through prayer.”

Tuesday

Blessed Sebastian of Aparicio





Listen to Tuesday's Reading

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Reading 1
James 4:1-10
Beloved:
Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from?
Is it not from your passions that make war within your members?
You covet but do not possess.
You kill and envy but you cannot obtain;
you fight and wage war.
You do not possess because you do not ask.
You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly,
to spend it on your passions.
Adulterers!
Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God?
Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world
makes himself an enemy of God.
Or do you suppose that the Scripture speaks without meaning when it says,
The spirit that he has made to dwell in us tends toward jealousy?
But he bestows a greater grace; therefore, it says:
God resists the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.

So submit yourselves to God.
Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, you sinners,
and purify your hearts, you of two minds.
Begin to lament, to mourn, to weep.
Let your laughter be turned into mourning
and your joy into dejection.
Humble yourselves before the Lord
and he will exalt you.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 55:7-8, 9-10A, 10B-11A, 23
R. (23a) Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
And I say, “Had I but wings like a dove,
I would fly away and be at rest.
Far away I would flee;
I would lodge in the wilderness.”
R. Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
“I would wait for him who saves me
from the violent storm and the tempest.”
Engulf them, O Lord; divide their counsels.
R. Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
In the city I see violence and strife,
day and night they prowl about upon its walls.
R. Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
Cast your care upon the LORD,
and he will support you;
never will he permit the just man to be disturbed.
R. Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.

Alleluia
Galatians 6:14
R.Alleluia, alleluia
May I never boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.
R.Alleluia, alleluia

Gospel
Mark 9:30-37
Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee,
but he did not wish anyone to know about it.
He was teaching his disciples and telling them,
“The Son of Man is to be handed over to men
and they will kill him,
and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.”
But they did not understand the saying,
and they were afraid to question him.

They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house,
he began to ask them,
“What were you arguing about on the way?”
But they remained silent.
For they had been discussing among themselves on the way
who was the greatest.
Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them,
“If anyone wishes to be first,
he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”
Taking a child, he placed it in their midst,
and putting his arms around it, he said to them,
“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me;
and whoever receives me,
receives not me but the One who sent me.”

Wednesday

St. Maria Bertilla Boscardin





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Reading 1
Joel 2:12-18
Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;
Rend your hearts, not your garments,
and return to the LORD, your God.
For gracious and merciful is he,
slow to anger, rich in kindness,
and relenting in punishment.
Perhaps he will again relent
and leave behind him a blessing,
Offerings and libations
for the LORD, your God.

Blow the trumpet in Zion!
proclaim a fast,
call an assembly;
Gather the people,
notify the congregation;
Assemble the elders,
gather the children
and the infants at the breast;
Let the bridegroom quit his room
and the bride her chamber.
Between the porch and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep,
And say, “Spare, O LORD, your people,
and make not your heritage a reproach,
with the nations ruling over them!
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”

Then the LORD was stirred to concern for his land
and took pity on his people.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6AB, 12-13, 14 AND 17
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
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.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
"Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight."
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
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.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Reading 2
2 Corinthians 5:20 - 6:2
Brothers and sisters:
We are ambassadors for Christ,
as if God were appealing through us.
We implore you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.
For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin,
so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

Working together, then,
we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
For he says:

In an acceptable time I heard you,
and on the day of salvation I helped you.

Behold, now is a very acceptable time;
behold, now is the day of salvation.

Alleluia
See Psalms 95:8
R.Alleluia, alleluia
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
R.Alleluia, alleluia

Gospel
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms,
do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

"When you pray,
do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room,
close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

"When you fast,
do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you."

Thursday

St. Gabriel Our Lady of Sorrows





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Reading 1
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Moses said to the people:
"Today I have set before you
life and prosperity, death and doom.
If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God,
which I enjoin on you today,
loving him, and walking in his ways,
and keeping his commandments, statutes and decrees,
you will live and grow numerous,
and the LORD, your God,
will bless you in the land you are entering to occupy.
If, however, you turn away your hearts and will not listen,
but are led astray and adore and serve other gods,
I tell you now that you will certainly perish;
you will not have a long life
on the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and occupy.
I call heaven and earth today to witness against you:
I have set before you life and death,
the blessing and the curse.
Choose life, then,
that you and your descendants may live, by loving the LORD, your God,
heeding his voice, and holding fast to him.
For that will mean life for you,
a long life for you to live on the land that the LORD swore
he would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."

Responsorial Psalm
Pslams 1:1-2, 3, 4 AND 6
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

Alleluia
Matthew 4:17
R.Alleluia, alleluia
Repent, says the Lord;
the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.
R.Alleluia, alleluia

Gospel
Luke 9:22-25
Jesus said to his disciples:
"The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected
by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised."

Then he said to all,
"If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself
and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
What profit is there for one to gain the whole world
yet lose or forfeit himself?"

Friday

Blessed Daneil Brottier





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Reading 1
Isaiah 58:1-9A
Thus says the Lord GOD:
Cry out full-throated and unsparingly,
lift up your voice like a trumpet blast;
Tell my people their wickedness,
and the house of Jacob their sins.
They seek me day after day,
and desire to know my ways,
Like a nation that has done what is just
and not abandoned the law of their God;
They ask me to declare what is due them,
pleased to gain access to God.
"Why do we fast, and you do not see it?
afflict ourselves, and you take no note of it?"

Lo, on your fast day you carry out your own pursuits,
and drive all your laborers.
Yes, your fast ends in quarreling and fighting,
striking with wicked claw.
Would that today you might fast
so as to make your voice heard on high!
Is this the manner of fasting I wish,
of keeping a day of penance:
That a man bow his head like a reed
and lie in sackcloth and ashes?
Do you call this a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD?
This, rather, is the fasting that I wish:
releasing those bound unjustly,
untying the thongs of the yoke;
Setting free the oppressed,
breaking every yoke;
Sharing your bread with the hungry,
sheltering the oppressed and the homeless;
Clothing the naked when you see them,
and not turning your back on your own.
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your wound shall quickly be healed;
Your vindication shall go before you,
and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer,
you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!

Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 51:3-4, 5-6AB, 18-19
R. A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
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.
R. A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
"Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight."
R. A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
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.
R. A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

Alleluia
See Amos 5:14
R.Alleluia, alleluia
Seek good and not evil so that you may live,
and the Lord will be with you.
R.Alleluia, alleluia

Gospel
Matthew 9:14-15
The disciples of John approached Jesus and said,
"Why do we and the Pharisees fast much,
but your disciples do not fast?"
Jesus answered them, "Can the wedding guests mourn
as long as the bridegroom is with them?
The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast."

Saturday

St. Oswald





Listen to Saturday's Reading

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Reading 1
Isaiah 58:9B-14
Thus says the LORD:
If you remove from your midst oppression,
false accusation and malicious speech;
If you bestow your bread on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
Then light shall rise for you in the darkness,
and the gloom shall become for you like midday;
Then the LORD will guide you always
and give you plenty even on the parched land.
He will renew your strength,
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring whose water never fails.
The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake,
and the foundations from ages past you shall raise up;
"Repairer of the breach," they shall call you,
"Restorer of ruined homesteads."

If you hold back your foot on the sabbath
from following your own pursuits on my holy day;
If you call the sabbath a delight,
and the LORD's holy day honorable;
If you honor it by not following your ways,
seeking your own interests, or speaking with malice
Then you shall delight in the LORD,
and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;
I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father,
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Responsorial Psalm
Pslams 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
R. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
Incline your ear, O LORD; answer me,
for I am afflicted and poor.
Keep my life, for I am devoted to you;
save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God.
R. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
Have mercy on me, O Lord,
for to you I call all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
R. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.
Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my pleading.
R. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.

Alleluia
Ezekiel 33:11
R.Alleluia, alleluia
I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, says the Lord,
but rather in his conversion, that he may live.
R.Alleluia, alleluia

Gospel
Luke 5:27-32
Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, "Follow me."
And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.
Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house,
and a large crowd of tax collectors
and others were at table with them.
The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying,
"Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"
Jesus said to them in reply,
"Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do.
I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners."

Sunday

St. David of Wales





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Reading 1
Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7
The LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground
and blew into his nostrils the breath of life,
and so man became a living being.

Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east,
and placed there the man whom he had formed.
Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow
that were delightful to look at and good for food,
with the tree of life in the middle of the garden
and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals
that the LORD God had made.
The serpent asked the woman,
"Did God really tell you not to eat
from any of the trees in the garden?"
The woman answered the serpent:
"We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden;
it is only about the fruit of the tree
in the middle of the garden that God said,
'You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.'"
But the serpent said to the woman:
"You certainly will not die!
No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it
your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods
who know what is good and what is evil."
The woman saw that the tree was good for food,
pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom.
So she took some of its fruit and ate it;
and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her,
and he ate it.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened,
and they realized that they were naked;
so they sewed fig leaves together
and made loincloths for themselves.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
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.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
"Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight."
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
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.
R.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Reading 2
Romans 5:12-19
Brothers and sisters:
Through one man sin entered the world,
and through sin, death,
and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned--
for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world,
though sin is not accounted when there is no law.
But death reigned from Adam to Moses,
even over those who did not sin
after the pattern of the trespass of Adam,
who is the type of the one who was to come.
But the gift is not like the transgression.
For if by the transgression of the one, the many died,
how much more did the grace of God
and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ
overflow for the many.
And the gift is not like the result of the one who sinned.
For after one sin there was the judgment that brought condemnation;
but the gift, after many transgressions, brought acquittal.
For if, by the transgression of the one,
death came to reign through that one,
how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace
and of the gift of justification
come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ.
In conclusion, just as through one transgression
condemnation came upon all,
so, through one righteous act,
acquittal and life came to all.
For just as through the disobedience of the one man
the many were made sinners,
so, through the obedience of the one,
the many will be made righteous.

or
5:12, 17-19
Brothers and sisters:
Through one man sin entered the world,
and through sin, death,
and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned.

For if, by the transgression of the one,
death came to reign through that one,
how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace
and of the gift of justification
come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ.
In conclusion, just as through one transgression
condemnation came upon all,
so, through one righteous act,
acquittal and life came to all.
For just as through the disobedience of the one man
the many were made sinners,
so, through the obedience of the one,
the many will be made righteous.

Verse Before the Gospel
Matthew 4:4B
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.


Gospel
Matthew 4:1-11
At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert
to be tempted by the devil.
He fasted for forty days and forty nights,
and afterwards he was hungry.
The tempter approached and said to him,
"If you are the Son of God,
command that these stones become loaves of bread."
He said in reply,
"It is written:
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth
from the mouth of God."

Then the devil took him to the holy city,
and made him stand on the parapet of the temple,
and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.
For it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you
and with their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone."
Jesus answered him,
"Again it is written,
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test."
Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain,
and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence,
and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you,
if you will prostrate yourself and worship me."
At this, Jesus said to him,
"Get away, Satan!
It is written:
The Lord, your God, shall you worship
and him alone shall you serve."

Then the devil left him and, behold,
angels came and ministered to him.