August 1
ST. ALPHONSUS LIGUORI, Bishop, Doctor     

Introduction

A brilliant lawyer at 17, St. Alphonsus decided to become a priest after losing a court case and to devote himself to the evangelization of the poor. For this purpose he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) to preach “parish missions” to them. He is rightly famous for his balanced moral theology, which was the standard work for a whole era and helped to attenuate the rigorism of Jansenism. His sanctity grew in the trials of his work and of his difficulties with his own congregation, which even expelled him. But nothing could separate him from the love of God.

Opening Prayer

Loving God,
St Alphonsus Liguori was a shepherd
who did all he could to lead God’s people to you,
especially the poor and the simple.
Give us shepherds like him
who show the human face of Christ
and who can therefore attract people
with gentleness and concern
to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
you give taste to our lives
with the bread and wine of your Son,
for they steep us in his love and faithfulness.
Do not allow us to lose our savor
but make us use it to preserve in this world
the goodness and dedicated love
which you have shown us in your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

God our Father,
the words spoken by your Son
have been a light on our path of life
and his body our source of renewal.
Do not allow us to hide the light
of his self-forgetting, faithful love,
but let it shine in us
that people may see in us
the reflection of his goodness
and give praise to you,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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August 4

ST. JOHN MARY VIANNEY, Priest    

Introduction

Here we have a priest, a humble country man, with very limited abilities for book learning, yet a contemplative, open to the Spirit and things supernatural, a real man of God. He was made the parish priest in a God-forgotten little town, where he could do little wrong. And no wrong he did. After a few years everyone knew where the little town of Ars was, and the learned and the great as well as the poor and the little one came to seek his counsel, absolution and help. When his ordination was discussed, he said: “If Samson could defeat and kill a thousand Philistines with a donkeys’ jawbone, who knows what the Lord could do with a whole donkey like me?”

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
thank you for giving us
St. John Mary Vianney
as the patron saint of parish priests.
Give to all priests the zeal,
the wisdom and the compassionate heart
of this humble, self-forgetting man.
Let them be great in goodness
and give them open arms for sinners.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

*Prayer over the Gifts

Tender and compassionate God,
your give us Jesus’ food and drink
to sustain us on the road of life.
See how many people today
are needy and rudderless.
Give them shepherds to guide them in life
and to nourish them with your living word
and with the food of everlasting life.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

*Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
your son Jesus still goes around today
to our cities and towns far and near.
Let his word be to all of us
Good News of liberation
from the diseases of our hearts and bodies
and make us pass on this message
to the people around us,
at least by the way we live it.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

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August 6

TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD (C)       

An Advance Glimpse of Glory

Greeting

Today God our Father tells us:
This is my beloved Son.
Listen to him.
May the Word of our Lord Jesus Christ
resound in your hearts and in your lives.
May the Lord be with you always. R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

According to St. Luke, when Jesus is about to depart for Jerusalem to make his “exodus” for his passion and death, the light of his resurrection is already projected on him at his transfiguration. It comes as an encouraging foretaste of his glory to strengthen him on the road to suffering. Shortly before the Passion, when the faith of the apostles will be sorely tested, Jesus shows them his true face transfigured by God’s light. Moses and Elijah, the Law and the Prophets, also bear witness to him. This is God’s beloved Son: listen to him, look beyond appearances. This vision and message is also given to us in the eucharist of today.

Penitential Act

Do we too try to understand Jesus better
and see his presence in our life as real and strong?
Do we listen to him? Let us examine ourselves.
               (pause)
Lord, you showed your glorious face
to strengthen the faith of the apostles.
Show yourself to us:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, you were strengthened
on your way to suffering and death.
Be with us when we suffer,
and inspire us to stand by the side of those who suffer:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, your Father told us to listen to you.
Open our ears and hearts to your message:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Have mercy on us, Lord,
and forgive us all our sins.
Make us more aware of your nearness
and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer

Let us pray to God
who has made us his sons and daughters
in Jesus, his beloved Son
               (pause)
Lord our God,
at the transfiguration of Jesus
you gave eyes of faith to the apostles
to see beyond appearances,
and to recognize Jesus as your beloved Son.
Strengthen our faith, too,
in the person and message of your Son.
Help us to recognize something of his face
in our brothers and sisters
and to encounter him in one another,
that we may journey with him
and share in his glory for ever. R/ Amen.

First Reading (Dn 7:9-10, 13-14): The Son of Man
      At a time of persecution, the prophet sees a vision of a transfigured world. The son of man – symbolizing God’s people, perhaps the Messiah – will no longer suffer but be honored and will share in God’s glory.

or (2 P 1:16-19): Like A Lamp Lighting the Way
     The apostles present at the transfiguration did not fully realize what was going on. Later they understood and testified that Jesus is not a myth but the foundation of faith and life.

Gospel Introduction: The True Face of Jesus
     After Jesus had spoken to his apostles about his coming suffering, Jesus and the apostles - and we - are given a vision of the glory and resurrection that will come.

General Intercessions

Let us pray to God in all confidence, for he has accepted us as his sons and daughters in his beloved Son Jesus Christ. Let us say to him: R/ Lord, let us live  in the light of Christ.

–    That the face of the Church may always reflect the light of the glorious Christ; that the Church's glory may not be wealth or power but the quiet glow of the living gospel, let us pray: : R/ Lord, let us live  in the light of Christ.

–    That the spirituality of the Orthodox Churches, which is marked by  the Transfiguration, may also inspire the Catholic Church more and bring us all closer to unity, let us pray: : R/ Lord, let us live  in the light of Christ.

–    That artists may keep revealing to us the splendors of God’s creation; that scientists may discover the secrets of the universe and use them                  to develop people and their world, let us pray: : R/ Lord, let us live  in the light of Christ.

–    That we may brighten with words of encouragement and hope the faces of those who suffer; that we may learn from Christ to encounter one        another without masks or screens and that we may seek together the light of truth and love, let us pray: : R/ Lord, let us live  in the light of Christ.

–    That we may be men and women liberated in Christ, committed to  transfigure this world with justice and freedom for all, and learning to love one another the way God loves us in Christ, let us pray: : R/ Lord, let us live  in the light of Christ.

God, your glory brightened the face of Jesus, your Son. Let his light dawn on us like a new sunrise full of promise. Create us and the world anew in                     Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
all we see before us
is a piece of bread and a cup with wine.
Yet we believe that soon these will be
your Son living among us.
Let him come alive in us
and guide us by his Holy Spirit,
that with him we may hear your call,
and go through the hardships and joys of life
with faces brightened by hope
and by the certainty
that you have prepared for us
a glory and a happiness
that will last for ever. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

With Jesus our Lord, God’s own beloved Son, we now give thanks and praise to the Father, sure that the Father will accept our offering.

Invitation to the Lord’s Prayer

Let us pray to our Father in heaven
who told us to listen to his beloved Son.
We have listened, and with Jesus
we pray the prayer of the children of God: R/ Our Father...

Deliver Us

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil
and grant us peace in our day.
Keep us from indifference and anxiety
and help us see, beyond the events of life,
the deeper reality of things and persons.
Help us to see your guiding hand and your love,
and to hear your call,
as we wait in joyful hope
for the coming in glory
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...

Invitation to Communion

This is the body of Jesus Christ,
the beloved Son of the Father in heaven.
His glory is hidden from us,
yet he is light in our darkness
and the transfiguration of our lives.
Happy are we who have not seen his glory,
yet believe that he is our Lord. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
by the power of Jesus, our transfigured Lord,
you call us to transform this world
into the image of Jesus, your Son.
Rip off our masks,
that we may meet and accept one another as we are
and that together we may try to be
what you have called us to be.
Commit us to justice and love,
that we may change this harsh and cold world
into a sign and token
that you are with us
through Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Blessing

In his transfiguration
Jesus revealed his deepest self.
May we believe in him
as the source of all transfiguration
of ourselves, of our mentality, of this earth.
And may Christ be our strength
to work toward this transfiguration,
with the blessing of almighty God,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

Go in peace and let your face be bright
with the radiance of Christ’s light. R/ Thanks be to God.

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August 8

ST. DOMINIC, Priest

Introduction

A Spanish canon, Dominic de Guzman discovered his vocation as a missionary to the common people. Pope Innocent III sent him to counteract the Albigensian heresy in Southern France, caused by the people’s ignorance, the clergy’s complicity in politics and money, and the inquisition. He founded an order of friars not compromised like the seculars with the powers of his day, to share the poor life of the masses and to win them back to Christ by prayer and catechesis.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
we thank you today
for the example of St. Dominic,
who studied and prayed
that he might read the signs of the times
and understand your plans
so as to serve the poor better.
Help us to understand your plan of salvation
and to draw the strength for carrying it out
from encountering you in prayer.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
we bring before you bread and wine,
the fruit of human toil,
and you change them through your Spirit
into the body and blood of Christ.
Make our human efforts always fruitful
by the strength of your grace,
that you may do great things in us
for the salvation of the world
and for the glory of your name.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
the good news of your Son
can change the whole world.
We pray you today
for that deep faith in the gospel
which Saint Dominic had.
With this faith and with your grace
we can make the gospel believable
to the people of our time.
Let us be humble messengers
of Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord.

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August 10

ST. LAWRENCE, Deacon, Martyr, Feast

Introduction

As a deacon, Lawrence was placed in charge of the poor of Rome. When he was ordered to surrender the goods of the Church to the persecutors, he distributed them to the poor. When asked where the treasures of the Church were, heshowed the poor… He was broiled alive. Rome venerates him as one of the greatest saints and co-patron of Rome with Peter and Paul. May we learn loyal service from him.

Opening Prayer

Our generous God,
You want us to be to everyone
ministers of your joy and generosity.
Help us to express our gratitude to you
and to reveal your goodness
by sharing what we are and have
with joy and in all sincerity
like the deacon St. Lawrence,
who imitated the self-giving
of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Intentions

–  That we may be discreet and unobtrusive in helping people in need, we pray:

–  That we may learn to see the unspoken needs of timid, simple and humble people, we pray:

–  That the Lord make us joyful and generous of hearts and hands, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord God, our life and joy,
you  give us not only what we need
but you give us the best of yourself
in your Son Jesus Christ.
Accept from our hands
these humble gifts of bread and wine,
which we have received from you,
and through them let Christ come among us.
May they express that we too
are willing to share with others
without demanding favors or recompense.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
your gifts to us are humble and veiled,
like the giving himself to us of your Son,
in the signs of bread and wine.
God, who look into the depths of our heart,
teach us to share without display,
that our left hand may not know
what our right hand is giving.
Let it be our joy to know that you know.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.

Blessing

”The more you sow, the more you reap.” Let us learn from God to be generous, for he is not stingy with his gifts to us. God loves the joyful giver. May God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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August 11

ST. CLARE, Virgin

Introduction

Though of noble birth and well-educated, Clare was attracted by the ideals of poverty of St. Francis of Assisi. Against the pressure of her family, she distributed her possessions to the poor and founded the second Franciscan Order of Poor Clares, who dedicate themselves to a life of poverty and prayer. Claire understood that poverty makes a person free for love: to love God undividedly and to be available to our people. Her motto was: “God, I am happy that you created me.” Isn’t that true riches?

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
we thank you today
for the example of St. Clare.
She understood that to possess you,
one has to be free
from things that distract from you.
Grant us too the riches
of retaining our inner freedom
as regards possessions and attachments
and open us to all the riches
of giving ourselves to you and to people.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

*Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
we bring this bread and wine before you
as tokens that all is yours
and that we belong to you.
Fill our empty hands
with the gift of Jesus, your Son.
Make us generous like him,
that we may be one
in Jesus Christ our Lord.

*Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
we admire those who are voluntarily poor
in fact and in spirit,
but often we cannot bring up the courage
to be detached from things that control us.
Help us in the poverty of our hearts
to place ourselves into your hands,
that we may commune with you in love and prayer
and become available to those poor by necessity.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

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August 14

ST. MAXIMILIAN KOLBE, Priest, Martyr

Introduction

Maximilian Mary Kolbe became a Franciscan Conventual. He was a great devotee of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He was interned in the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz. When the father of a large family was hand-picked for extermination, Fr. Maximilian offered himself to the commander to die in the man’s place. He was starved to death. Pope John Paul II proclaimed him the Patron of our Suffering Century.

Opening Prayer

God our Father,
St. Maximilian Kolbe practiced
what your Son Jesus called
the greatest love that disposes a person
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Through Jesus, who calls us his friends,
and with the help of the prayers of St Maximilian
make our love as strong as life and death.
Let it always have the last word in us
and be given for free, like yours.
Make us love one another as Jesus has loved us,
he who is our Lord for ever.

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God, loving Father,
your love appeared with a human face
in your Son Jesus Christ.
He showed all the depth of your love and his
by laying down his life for us, his friends.
May he be our food
on the road of life and of love
not only when it is easy to love
but also when it is hard to be faithful
and when love demands self-forgetting sacrifice.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Our loving God,
in this eucharistic celebration
you have given us new proof of your love
by giving us your Son and his Spirit.
Jesus has strengthened our love.
Accept our thanks and bring out the best in us,
that we may bear rich fruit of faithful, reliable love.
Let your Spirit unite us
to build community with one another
and to live in your love and joy
now and for ever.

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August 15

OUR LADY’S ASSUMPTION

Mary’s Song Is Also Ours

Greetings

Glory and honor to our risen Lord,
whose victory over death
was shared first by her
who was closest to him,
his Mother, the Virgin Mary.
May her Son, the Lord Jesus, be always with you.
R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

Today we rejoice for one of us who has reached her destination. It is Mary’s great feast, the feast of her Easter, Our Lady’s Assumption. On earth she went the way of Jesus, she lived the beatitudes wholeheartedly, and now she shares in Jesus’ glory. The Assumption is for us a sign of hope. It reminds us that we too are called to share with her in Jesus’ victory if we are willing to share with her in the humble faith and service of the poor and the lowly in the kingdom of God. Let us celebrate!

Penitential Act

Let us ask the Lord to forgive us our sins
that we may one day share with Mary
in the resurrection of her Son.
               (pause)
Lord Jesus, your mother, God's humble servant,
was kept free from all sin:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, great things were done to Mary
when she was taken up into heaven:
Christ. Have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, your Mother served you
with her whole heart and person
and she lives now forever in your joy:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord,
liberate us from all sin
and lead us in faith and hope
to the joys of everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer

Let us thank God with Mary
and ask him for the strength of her faith
          (pause)
Lord our God,
you took Mary up into heaven
with her body as well as with her soul,
to share in the definitive triumph over death
of Jesus, your Son,
because on earth she humbly served your plans
as the first of those who believe.
Grant us her attitude
of trusting openness to your will,
that you may overcome evil and death in us,
and lead us safely, with Mary,
into your everlasting joy.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

First Reading Introduction: Mary Sums Up the Church
     Christ is victorious over evil and is taken up into heaven. The woman of our text is the Church, but as Mary was eminently all that the Church is called to be, the liturgy applies the text to her. She is victorious with her Son.

First Reading: Rev 11:19; 12:1-6, 10

Second Reading Introduction: Christ, Cause and Firstfruits of the Resurrection
      Christ overcame death by his resurrection. He was the first to rise from the dead, but we shall follow him and rise because of him. This is why Mary, who shared in his life, his mission and suffering, could follow him in heaven, even bodily.

Second Reading: Rev 11:19; 12:1-6, 10

Gospel Introduction: God Exalts the Humble
        Mary fully responds in humility and service to the plans of God. She recognizes that her greatness comes from God. It is God who exalts her and who will    lift her up into heaven at her assumption. She sums up a humble and serving Church.

Gospel Reading: Lk 1:39-56

General Intercessions

With the help of Mary, our mother, let us pray together to our Father in heaven that he may look with favor upon us, his servants, and do great things in us. Let us say: R/ Lord, hear your people.

–  That the Lord may show his love to all those who try to serve him well, and that he may show his forgiving mercy to those who have failed him and one another, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear your people.

–  That the Lord may show his power and defend the humble people who are trampled upon, and dispose us all to respect and love them, let us pray:  R/ Lord, hear your people.

–  That the Lord may give us the will and the strength to accomplish his word in our life, day after day, single-mindedly and joyfully, let us pray:  R/ Lord, hear your people.

–  That the Lord, make us aware of the poverty of our heart, so that he can fill us with his gentleness, his acceptance of people, and his care for the poor, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear your people.

–  That the Lord may help us see to it that the hungry are fed, and dispose all people and the mighty of the world to give everyone a fair share in the earth’s goods, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear your people.

–  That the Lord may take up all our beloved dead into his home of everlasting joy, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear your people.

Lord our God, on the feast of Mary’s Assumption we pray: fill us with all  good things, that we may bless your holy name through Jesus Christ our Lord.   R/ Amen.

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
you let your Spirit come down on Mary
and made her the mother of Jesus, your Son,
yet you waited for her humble yes.
Let your Spirit come down with power
on our humble gifts of bread and wine
and let them become your Son.
Let your Spirit inspire us
to seek your will in all we do
and to make Jesus known to the world.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord. R / Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

With Mary, we thank the Father today for the great things he has done in her and which he keeps doing for us through Jesus our Lord.

Invitation to the Lord’s Prayer

In the words of Jesus
we pray to our Father
that his will may be done in us. R/ Our Father...

Deliver Us

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil,
and from the ultimate enemy, death.
Let your compassion and faithful love
reach from age to age,
and fill the hungry with good things,
as we wait in joyful hope for our resurrection
at the full coming of our Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...

Invitation to Communion

This is Jesus, the Lord, who said:
Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood
will live for ever,
and I will raise them up on the last day.
Happy are we to be invited
to eat the Lord’s body,
and to share in his victory. R/ Lord, I am not worthy....

Prayer after Communion

God, you lift up the humble;
in Mary you have given us a vision
of a Church that knows how to serve
and to hold on to you in life and in death.
With Mary, and in the strength of her Son,
may we be poor and humble enough
to listen to your word and to live by it,
to visit our neighbor in need,
and to be to the world the body of your Son,
until you let us share in your glory for ever. R/ Amen.

Blessing

What Mary was on earth,
we the Church are called to be:
believing in God’s ways and guidance
even without knowing what the future will bring,
open to one another’s needs,
serving with all that is in us.
May God give you this strength and bless you:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

Let us go in peace
to love and serve God in people. R/ Thanks be to God.

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August 20

ST. BERNARD, Abbot, Church doctor

Introduction

St. Bernard, the famous abbot of Clairvaux in the 12th century, reminded popes, kings and princes of what Christ expected of them, especially in the matter of unity and peace and a sense of responsibility for their people; he was called the conscience of his time. But he drew the strength for his determined boldness from a strict ascetic life, marked by prayer and contemplation. Christ was the center of his life: “My daily schedule is Christ’s life,” he wrote.

Opening Prayer

Lord God,
we celebrate today with gratitude
St Bernard, your prophet of unity and reconciliation.
Like him, let us find the strength
to speak out and act when needed
in prayer and contemplation,
that we may see the deeper realities
of life and of our world
with eyes of faith and love.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
at his invitation we gather
at the table of your Son
as we prepare to share in his meal.
As he has united us as his brothers and sisters,
may the Holy Spirit keep us united
in the life of every day.
Let him bind us together
in strong and dedicated communities
in which we accept one another
notwithstanding our differences.
Unite us in the love of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
the Psalmist rejoices
when even brothers and sisters
can live together in one love.
Let this be a reality among us
who believe in our one Lord Jesus Christ.
Let the deepest witnessing of our faith be
that we live for one another in the same unity
that united your Son Jesus with you,
our living and loving God, now and for ever.

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August 21

ST. PIUS X, Pope

Introduction

Pope Pius X is memorable for initiating the liturgical reform, mainly making the eucharist more accessible with his decrees on early and frequent communion. Born from poor parents, he remained always, also as pope, the pastor he had been in all of his life as a priest. Close to the people, he was aware of their needs and opened the liturgy to them, to bring it closer to life and to build up the body of the Church through the Lord’s eucharistic body. In his testament he wrote: “I was born poor, I have lived poor, I want to die poor.”

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
we thank you for giving us popes
like St. Pius X
to lead your Church as true pastors.
Give us always shepherds close to the people,
attentive to their needs and aspirations,
and nourishing your Church
with the bread of life
of the plain message of the gospel
and of the body of your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
in the signs of this bread and wine
we remember how Jesus your Son
gave himself to us
to make us capable of giving ourselves.
Like St Pius X,
may we too draw from Jesus the strength
to serve one another and you
and to become every day more
the body of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
on the feast of St Pius X
you have gathered us
around the table of your Son
and nourished us with his body
that we may bear much fruit
of lasting unity, peace and love.
Help us to bear each other’s burdens
and to build up among us
the kingdom of Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord for ever.

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August 22

THE QUEENSHIP OF MARY     

Introduction

“From this day on, all generations will call me blessed,” sings Mary. What does it mean, to call Mary, the humble virgin, blessed? It means nothing else than to be  filled with admiration and to adore the marvel which God worked in her, to read from her that God looks to the humble one and lifts her up, that God’s coming into this world does not seek the heights but the depths, that God glory consists in making great what is small. To call Mary blessed means, together with her to ponder admiringly the ways of God, who lets his Spirit blow where he wants, to obey him and with Mary humbly to say: “As you have spoken, so be it.” (Bonhoeffer)

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
the unpretentious mother of your Son
wanted to be nothing more
than your humble servant.
Allow us to honor her as our model and queen
of  sincere, deep faith
and unassuming faithful service
of your plans with your Son and the world.
May her prayers imbue us with her spirit.
We ask this through her Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
in all simplicity we place before you
these signs of bread and wine.
May we learn from your Son and his mother
to accept any task you assign to us
and to say wholeheartedly
”Be it done to me as you say.”
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
with Mary we rejoice today
that you did great things in her and for her.
May our generation praise her and you
by living for your Son
and for our neighbor far and near
with a spirit of service and dedication
and with great and trusting faith.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

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August 24

ST. BARTHOLOMEW, Apostle 

Introduction

It is quite likely that Nathaniel of today’s gospel is the same person as the apostle Bartholomew. If so, he was an open and honest man, “in whom there was no deceit,” as Jesus said.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
would that it could be said of each of us:
”there goes and honest person
in whom their is no deceit,”
one who is worthy of the name Christian.
Make us into true disciples of Jesus
who live as we believe day after day,
and who cooperate in bringing people
to your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Intentions

–  For faith in the Church and for confidence in the future, because we are certain that Christ is present among us, we pray:

–  For the spirit of Christian love and of forgiveness for all people, for we are certain that all are invited in Christ to share in God’s unending happiness, we pray:

–  For all who are baptized in Christ’s name, that they may follow their Savior in his love and spirit of service, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
you have called us together,
saints and sinners alike,
at the table of your Son.
Accept the willingness we offer you
to carry out in everyday life
the task you entrust to us.
Let your Son make us your new people
always open to the prompting of your love.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God, loving Father,
in this eucharistic celebration
we have encountered your Son
as our Lord and Savior.
He has seen us and he loves us.
May we live as we believe,
that there be no deceit im us
but that we follow your Son
on the road of self-giving love,
for he is our Lord for ever.

Blessing

What a great honor if the Lord can call us a true person, someone in whom there is no deceit! May almighty God bless you all, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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August 27

ST. MONICA

Introduction

A convinced Christian, Monica was married to a short-tempered, philandering husband. She succeeded in converting both him and her mother in law. Her son, Augustine, belonged to the Manichean sect and his moral conduct caused her much anxiety and shame. Yet Monica could finally win him to the faith by her prayers and penance – and what a man and Christian Augustine became! His mother’s tears had brought him to life in Christ (hence the gospel). Thus she was twice his mother. Her life was that of a lot of women – trials in marriage, worries about difficult children. But she knew that faith in Christ makes everything possible.

Opening Prayer

Almighty, eternal God,
to give a human life to their children
is the great task you entrust to mothers.
We thank you today for St. Monica,
who prayed to you for her Son Augustine
that he might find Jesus.
Grant to all parents
that they may help their children live and grow
in the life and the future
of Jesus Christ our Lord.

*Prayer over the Gifts

Lord God,
let this bread and wine be the signs
that with your Son Jesus Christ
we care about your kingdom among people.
Help us through your Son
to lead one another forward
on the way to you.
May he live in all of us,
for he is our Lord for ever.

*Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
we thank you for Jesus Christ
and for the many men and women
to whom he meant enough
to dedicate themselves to their neighbor
for his sake.
Let them inspire us today
to care for those around us.
Help us to believe firmly enough
in the mystery of your Son’s resurrection
to rise above our petty selves
and to help others overcome
their fears and their servitudes
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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August 28

ST. AUGUSTINE, Bishop, Doctor

Introduction

Some need half of a lifetime to discover that they were wrong – or perhaps to have the courage to be honest enough with themselves and to face God and themselves. Like Augustine. His was a restless heart, he was a seeker. Once he had found this courage and his rest in God, he reflected deeply on his faith. He became a brilliant theologian, yet a simple man accessible to the simple people and a model of love to those around him.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
St. Augustine experienced
that he was not only trying to find you
but that you were looking for him.
Lord, make us see how much you love us
and how you want us to find happiness.
May the prayers of this great saint help us
to be clear-eyed to your love and care
and to respond to your search for us
with an unconditional answer of deep love.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
you come to satisfy our hunger
for your Son Jesus Christ and his good news
at the table of the eucharist.
Let Jesus quench our hunger and thirst
for all that is good and true and beautiful
with the gift of himself and his Spirit.
Let us become new in him
and love him deeply
as our Lord and Savior for ever.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
we ask you on this feast of St. Augustine
that you may become to us as to him
our light deeper and brighter
than any other light,
our truth that gives us some of your vision,
our strength that sustains us.
Make us capable of loving you
with all that is in us.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

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August 29

MARTYRDOM OF JOHN THE BAPTIST           

Introduction

As a witness to integrity and the honest truth, John the Baptist lost his life to cunning and violence. But he had to speak, whatever the consequences. God’s word cannot be muzzled. Does the Church – do we – have this courage today?

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
St. John the Baptist
prepared and went the way of your Son
both in his birth and in his death.
He died a martyr’s death
because he stood up for integrity and truth.
Give us the courage, we pray you,
to speak out when needed
in the name of the gospel
and to bear witness in word and action
to Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
on the feast of your martyr John the Baptist
we bring bread and wine before you
to celebrate the memory of your Son.
Give us John’s courage,
to prepare and to be
a straight road to your Son.
May the message of our Christian living
not be a voice in the wilderness
but a humble way to Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
in a world of violence
we are easily afraid of bearing witness
to the good news of your Son.
We prefer prudence to courage.
Stir us up and move us forward
in the strength of this eucharist
to speak your word of justice and truth
and to abide by it,
that we may win the whole kingdom
of Jesus Christ our Lord.

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