First Martyrs of the Church of Rome 30/06/20

 

 

 

The First Martyrs of the Church of Rome were Christians martyred in the city of Rome during Nero’s persecution in 64. The event is recorded by both Tacitus and Pope Clement I, among others. They are celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church as an optional memorial on 30 June.

 

 

Rome had a large Jewish population. The couple, Priscilla and Aquila, were tent makers from Pontus, whom Paul met in Corinth. They had lived in Rome until the emperor Claudius ordered all the Jews to leave the city. Suetonius mentions this as due to disturbances in the city between the Jews and the followers of “Christus”. Claudius died in 54 AD.

 

There were early Christians in Rome within a dozen or so years after the death of Jesus, though they were not the converts of Paul. He had not yet visited them at the time he wrote his Epistle to the Romans in 57-58 AD. Paul wrote to a community of both Jews and Gentiles.

 

 

 

In July of 64 AD, Rome was devastated by fire. Largely made up of wooden tenements, fire was a frequent occurrence in the city. Rumor blamed the tragedy on the unpopular emperor Nero, who wanted to enlarge his palace. He accused the Christians. According to the historian Tacitus, many Christians were put to death “not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind.”

 

Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired. Nero offered his gardens for the spectacle, and was exhibiting a show in the circus, while he mingled with the people in the dress of a charioteer or stood aloft on a car. Hence, even for criminals who deserved extreme and exemplary punishment, there arose a feeling of compassion; for it was not, as it seemed, for the public good, but to glut one man’s cruelty, that they were being destroyed.

 

Peter and Paul were probably among the victims.

 

This feast first came into the General Roman Calendar in the 1969 calendar reforms. The intention of the feast is to give a general celebration of early Roman martyrs. Prior to the calendar reforms, there were dozens of relatively minor Roman martyrs celebrated or commemorated in the calendar. Several of these had scant historical evidence, but did benefit from immemorial tradition. This feast is a replacement for the many Roman martyr feasts, whose absence allowed for a less cluttered and more “dies natale” based sanctoral calendar of more major saints. It also permitted the greater celebration of ferias, partially enacting the Second Vatican Council’s call for the Proper of Time to take a greater precedence. All of the early Roman martyrs retain their place in the Martyrology and can be celebrated in local calendars or privately unless impeded by a greater observance.

 

The placement of the feast is directly after the Solemnity of SS Peter and Paul, who are the principal patron saints of Rome. The subsequent martyrs are associated with this patronage. The feast day was formerly occupied with a Commemoration of St. Paul, and fell in the Octave of SS Peter and Paul.

 

READ MORE 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Martyrs_of_the_Church_of_Rome

 

 

 

 

Mass for First Martyrs of the Church of Rome – St Mary’s Catholic Church, Hexham 30/06/20

St Mary’s Hexham

Masses live-streamed daily from St. Mary’s Catholic Church Hexham http://www.stmaryshexham.org.uk

 

 

Catholic Mass Online Monday 29th June 2020 | Live daily Mass | Feast day of Sts Peter & Paul

Fr Roni George VC

 

29 JUNE 2020 SAINTS PETER AND PAUL APOSTLES HOLY MASS READINGS

 

 

1st Reading: Acts 2:1-11

Peter is imprisoned, but an angel sets him free to continue leading the church

About that time King Herod laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword. After he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. (This was during the festival of Unleavened Bread.) When he had seized him, he put him in prison and handed him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover.

While Peter was kept in prison, the church prayed fervently to God for him. The very night before Herod was going to bring him out, Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while guards in front of the door were keeping watch over the prison. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his wrists. The angel said to him, “Fasten your belt and put on your sandals.” He did so. Then he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” Peter went out and followed him; he did not realize that what was happening with the angel’s help was real; he thought he was seeing a vision.

After they had passed the first and the second guard, they came before the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went outside and walked along a lane, when suddenly the angel left him. Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hands of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”

Responsorial Psalm (from Ps 34)

Response: The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him

I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall be always in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the Lord;
the lowly will hear me and be glad. (R./)

Glorify the Lord with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears. (R./)

Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the Lord heard,
and from all his distress he saved him. (R./)

The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the Lord is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him. (R./)

2nd Reading: 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18

In his prison cell, Paul he looks forward to the crown promised to all who serve God faithfully

As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Gospel: Matthew 16:13-19

Peter proclaims Jesus as the Son of the living God. For this he is given the keys of the Kingdom

When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

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Singled out for service

What singled Peter out from the other disciples was his God-given insight into the identity of Jesus. It was because of his unique insight that Jesus gives Peter a unique role among his followers. He is to be the rock, the firm foundation, on which Jesus will build his church. It is an extraordinarily significant role for Jesus to give to any of his disciples. Peter’s role is further spelt out by Jesus giving him the keys of the kingdom of heaven. The image of the keys suggests authority. The nature of that authority is expressed in terms of binding and loosing. This is probably a reference to a teaching authority. Peter is being entrusted with the task of authoritatively interpreting the teaching of Jesus for other members of the church. Yet, this same Peter would try to deflect Jesus from taking the way of the cross, and when Jesus did take that way, Peter would deny any association with him. Jesus is portrayed by Matthew’s gospel as giving a significant role to someone who remains very flawed.

If the gospel associates teaching with Peter, the 2nd Reading associates preaching with Paul. In that reading Paul refers to the Lord who “gave me power, so that through me the whole message might be preached for all the pagans to hear.” Paul was the great preacher of the gospel to the pagans throughout the Roman Empire. He preached it for the last time further west, in the city of Rome, where, like Peter, he was martyred for his faith in Christ. The extract from his second letter to Timothy that is our 2nd Reading today may well have been written from his Roman imprisonment. It is a very stirring text, “I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith.” The image of the fight and the race suggest that “keeping the faith” was a struggle for Paul; it did not come easy to him, just as keeping the faith did not come easy to Peter either.

Keeping the faith does not always come easy to any of us. Paul’s letters show that he was very aware that keeping the faith was not due primarily to his own efforts; it was the Lord who enabled him to keep the faith. As he says in today’s 2nd Reading, “the Lord stood by me and gave me power.” It is the Lord who empowers all of us to keep the faith; his faithfulness to us enables us to be faithful to him; his faithful love encourages us to keep returning to him even after failure. The faithful witness of Peter and Paul speak to us ultimately of the Lord’s faithfulness to us all.

READ MORE

https://www.associationofcatholicpriests.ie/2020/06/29-june-2020-saints-peter-and-paul-apostles/

24 JUNE 2020 BIRTH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST HOLY MASS READINGS

 

 

24 June, 2020  Birth of Saint John the Baptist

 

1st Reading: Isaiah (49:1-6)

The Lord called me before I was born; in my mother’s womb he named me

Listen to me, O coastlands, pay attention, you peoples from far away! The Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother’s womb he named me. He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away. And he said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” But I said, “I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my cause is with the Lord, and my reward with my God.” And now the Lord says, who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honoured in the sight of the Lord, and my God has become my strength– he says, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Responsorial Psalm (from Ps 139)

Response: I praise you, for I am wonderfully made

O Lord, you search me and you know me,
you know my resting and my rising,
you discern my purpose from afar.
You mark when I walk or lie down,
all my ways lie open to you. (R./)

For it was you who created my being,
knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I thank you for the wonder of my being,
for the wonders of all your creation. (R./)

Already you knew my soul,
my body held no secret from you,
when I was being fashioned in secret
and moulded in the depths of the earth. (R./)

2nd Reading: Acts (13:22-26)

As background to the Gospel, Paul mentions the Baptist as herald of Christ

In those days, Paul said: God made David king of our ancestors.. In his testimony about him he said, “I have found David, son of Jesse, to be a man after my heart, who will carry out all my wishes.” Of this man’s posterity God has brought to Israel a Saviour, Jesus, as he promised; before his coming John had already proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John was finishing his work, he said, “What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but one is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of the sandals on his feet.” “My brothers, you descendants of Abraham’s family, and others who fear God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent.

Gospel Luke (1:57-66, 80)

Celebration and joy at the birth of John the Baptist

The time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. Her neighbours and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, “No; he is to be called John.” They said to her, “None of your relatives has this name.” Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And all of them were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came over all their neighbours, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. All who heard them pondered them and said, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him. The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.

READ MORE

https://www.associationofcatholicpriests.ie/2020/06/24-june-2020-birth-of-saint-john-the-baptist/

 

The Nativity of St. John the Baptist Solemnity

 

 

 

Saturday, 24 June 2020

The Nativity of St. John the Baptist
Solemnity

The birth of St. John was foretold by an angel of the Lord to his father, Zachary, who was offering incense in the Temple. It was the office of St. John to prepare the way for Christ, and before he was born into the world he began to live for the Incarnate God. Even in the womb he knew the presence of Jesus and of Mary, and he leaped with joy at the glad coming of the son of man. In his youth he remained hidden, because he for whom he waited was hidden also.

But before Christ’s public life began, a divine impulse led St. John into the desert; there, with locusts for his food and haircloth on his skin, in silence and in prayer, he chastened his own soul. Then, as crowds broke in upon his solitude, he warned them to flee from the wrath to come, and gave them the baptism of penance, while they confessed their sins. At last there stood in the crowd One whom St. John did not know, till a voice within told him that it was his Lord. With the baptism of St. John, Christ began his penance for the sins of his people, and St. John saw the Holy Spirit descend in bodily form upon Him. Then the Saint’s work was done. He had but to point his own disciples to the Lamb, he had but to decrease as Christ increased. He saw all men leave him and go after Christ. “I told you,” he said, “that I am not the Christ. The friend of the Bridegroom rejoiceth because of the Bridegroom’s voice. This my joy therefore is fulfilled.”

St. John had been cast into the fortress of Machærus by a worthless tyrant whose crimes be had rebuked, and he was to remain there till he was beheaded, at the will of a girl who danced before this wretched king. In this time of despair, if St. John could have known despair, some of his old disciples visited him. St. John did not speak to them of himself, but he sent them to Christ, that they might see the proofs of his mission.

Then the Eternal Truth pronounced the panegyric of the Saint who had lived and breathed for Him alone: “Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist”

Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]

 

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https://sites.google.com/site/thesaintsofthechristianity/home/the-nativity-of-st-john-the-baptist-solemnity

Holy Mass – Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist – June 24, 2020

Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh

Join live as Bishop Zubik celebrates Catholic Mass on this Wednesday of the Twelfth Week of Ordinary Time. Reading – Isaiah 49:1-6 Responsory – I praise you, for I am wonderfully made. Psalm – 193:1B-3, 13-14AB, 14C-15 Reading 2 – Acts 13:22-26 Alleluia – Luke 1:76 Gospel – Luke 1:57-66, 80 Livestream from The Chapel at Boyle Hall – part of Saint Paul Seminary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

 

THE IMMACULATE HEART OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY HOLY MASS READINGS 20 JUNE 2020

 

 

Entrance Antiphon

My heart will rejoice in your salvation.

I will sing to the Lord, who has been bountiful with me. Ps 13 (12):6

 

Collect

O God, who prepared a fit dwelling place for the Holy Spirit

in the Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary,

graciously grant that through her intercession

we may be a worthy temple of your glory.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 

2 Chronicles 24:17-25

After the death of Jehoiada, the princes of Judah came and paid homage to King Joash, and the king then listened to them. They forsook the temple of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and began to serve the sacred poles and the idols; and because of this crime of theirs, wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem. Although prophets were sent to them to convert them to the Lord, the people would not listen to their warnings. Then the Spirit of God possessed Zechariah, son of Jehoiada the priest. He took his stand above the people and said to them: “God says, ‘Why are you transgressing the Lord’s commands, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have abandoned the Lord, he has abandoned you.’” But they conspired against him, and at the king’s order they stoned him to death in the court of the Lord’s temple. Thus King Joash was unmindful of the devotion shown him by Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father, and slew his son. And as Zechariah was dying, he said, “May the Lord see and avenge.”

 

At the turn of the year a force of Arameans came up against Joash. They invaded Judah and Jerusalem, did away with all the princes of the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus. Though the Aramean force came with few men, the Lord surrendered a very large force into their power, because Judah had abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers. So punishment was meted out to Joash. After the Arameans had departed from him, leaving him in grievous suffering, his servants conspired against him because of the murder of the son of Jehoiada the priest. 

 

He was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

 

Psalm 89

R. For ever I will maintain my love for my servant.

“I have made a covenant with my chosen one,

I have sworn to David my servant:

Forever will I confirm your posterity

and establish your throne for all generations.” R.

“Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,

and my covenant with him stands firm.

I will make his posterity endure forever

and his throne as the days of heaven.” R.

“If his sons forsake my law

and walk not according to my ordinances,

If they violate my statutes

and keep not my commands.” R.

“I will punish their crime with a rod

and their guilt with stripes.

Yet my mercy I will not take from him,

nor will I belie my faithfulness.” R.

 

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed is the Virgin Mary who kept the word of God

and pondered it in her heart. Cf. Lk 2:19

Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Luke 2:41-51

Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.

 

Prayer over the Offerings

Look, O Lord, upon the prayers and offerings of your faithful,

presented in commemoration of Blessed Mary, the Mother of God,

that they may be pleasing to you

and may confer on us your help and forgiveness.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Communion Antiphon

Mary treasured all these words,

reflecting on them in her heart. Lk 2:19

 

Prayer after Communion

Having been made partakers of eternal redemption,

we pray, O Lord,

that we, who commemorate the Mother of your Son,

may glory in the fullness of your grace

and experience its continued increase for our salvation.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

https://sites.google.com/site/maryofnazarethblessed/home/the-immaculate-heart-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary-holy-mass-readings

IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY NOVENA WITH LITANY

CHRISTelle27

#ImmaculateHeartOfMary #ImmaculateHeartOfMaryNovena #novena #ImmaculateHeart #LitanyOfImmaculateHeartOfMary Immaculate Heart of Mary, full of love for God and mankind, and of compassion for sinners, I consecrate myself entirely to you. I entrust to you the salvation of my soul. May my heart be ever united with yours, so that I may hate sin, love God and my neighbor, and reach eternal life together with those whom I love. Mediatrix of All Graces and Mother of Mercy, remember the infinite treasure which your Divine Son has merited by His suffering and which he has confided to you for us, your children. Filled with confidence in your motherly heart, and for the sake of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, obtain for me the favor I ask: [Mention your request here]. Dearest Mother, if what I ask for should not be according to God’s will, pray that I may receive that which will be of greater benefit to my soul. May I experience the kindness of your intercession with Jesus during life and at the hour of my death? Amen. Litany of the Immaculate Heart Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord have mercy on us. Christ hear us. Christ graciously hear us. God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us. God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, favorite Daughter of God the Father, pray for us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of God the Son, pray for us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, Spouse of the Holy Spirit, pray for us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, redeemed in a sublime manner by the merits of thy Son, pray for us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother and Model of the Church, pray for us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, excellent exemplar in faith and charity, pray for us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, who conceived the Word of God in Thy heart before thy did in thy womb, pray for us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, who gave precious Blood to the Son of God in His human nature, pray for us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, conceived free of Original Sin, pray for us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, who embraced God’s saving will with a full heart, impeded by no sin, pray for us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, whose sweet soul a sword pierced beneath the Cross, pray for us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, given to us as Mother by Jesus as He hung dying on the Cross, pray for us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, who accepted us as sons as thou stood beneath the Cross, pray for us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, all pure and holy, pray for us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, exalted by Divine grace above all Angels and men, pray for us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mediatrix of grace, pray for us. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God. R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us pray. O Immaculate Heart of Mary, bearing with love for all thy children upon earth, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Show to Our Heavenly Father the Wound in the Heart of Thy Son and at the same time offer again the sword that pierced thy Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart as thou suffered by compassion with Thy Divine Son for the redemption of the world. By thy intercession, through the merits of Jesus Christ, bring us to salvation. Amen.

IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY NOVENA

CHRISTelle27

#ImmaculateHeartOfMary #ImmaculateHeartOfMaryNovena #novena #ImmaculateHeart Immaculate Virgin, by the holy will of your Son my Lord Jesus Christ, you are my Mother in Heaven. Your Immaculate Heart is full of love, mercy and compassion for sinners like me. I ask that you intercede for me today for… (mention your prayer intentions) I trust in your intercession before the throne of God for my needs. Please pray also that if my requests are not in accordance with the will of God, that I may be, like you, conformed to His will and not my own. Hail Mary… Immaculate Heart of Mary. Pray for us! Amen. Act of Consecration – by Pope Pius XII Most Holy Virgin Mary, tender Mother of men, to fulfill the desires of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the request of the Vicar of Your Son on earth, we consecrate ourselves and our families to your Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart, O Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, and we recommend to You, all the people of our country and all the world. Please accept our consecration, dearest Mother, and use us as You wish to accomplish Your designs in the world. O Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, and Queen of the World, rule over us, together with the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, Our King. Save us from the spreading flood of modern paganism; kindle in our hearts and homes the love of purity, the practice of a virtuous life, an ardent zeal for souls, and a desire to pray the Rosary more faithfully. We come with confidence to You, O Throne of Grace and Mother of Fair Love. Inflame us with the same Divine Fire which has inflamed Your own Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. Make our hearts and homes Your shrine, and through us, make the Heart of Jesus, together with your rule, triumph in every heart and home. Amen. 💗🌹💗🌹💗🌹💗 CREDITS: Video Background: YT Channel Creator.King https://www.praymorenovenas.com/noven…