January 2

STS. BASIL THE GREAT AND GREGORY NAZIANZEN, Doctors           

Introduction

Today’s liturgy unites in one celebration two close friends, called the Cappadocians (as both came from the region of Cappadocia in Turkey), both monks before becoming bishops. Basil reorganized monastic life. As bishop of Caesarea, he asserted the Church’s independence from civil power, vigorously fought the Arian heresy, and did much to aid the poor; a great theologian, he wrote on the Holy Spirit and also reformed the liturgy; he gave the Oriental Church one of its two greatest eucharistic prayers.

Gregory became bishop first of Nazianzen, later of Constantinople. He could not face the troubles of his times and resigned his office to dedicate himself to theological writing. Notwithstanding his momentary lack of courage, he too became a saint.

Opening Prayer

Lord God,
Saint Gregory wrote
that the Holy Spirit was his intimate friend
who prompted him to dedicate his life
to make people worship the Blessed Trinity.
We pray that he and his great friend Basil
may inspire all leaders of your Church
and be examples for all of us
by their dedication to the service of the gospel
and to the people entrusted to them.
 Grant this through Christ our Lord.

*Prayer over the Gifts

God, our Father,
we have prepared the table
to celebrate the memory of your Son.
Let Saints Basil and Gregory inspire us
to be friends with one another
and to share in the table of your Son
as communities who are one heart and soul,
and which live for you and for one another,
by the Spirit of Jesus Christ our Lord.

*Prayer after Communion

Our loving God,
as we have eaten from the table of your Son,
may we put into practice the words of Saint Basil
that the food we set aside
belongs to the hungry,
our reserve set of shoes to the barefoot
and the money hidden safely away to the needy.
Make us generous and prayerful people,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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January 17

ST. ANTHONY, Abbot

Introduction

“If you want to be perfect, go and sell what you own… and come, follow me.” Saint Anthony (251-356) heard these words, gave away what he had and withdrew into the desert, as he thought that this was the place where the evangelical way could be practiced in all its purity. Later Anthony organized monastic life for the “fathers of the desert” who had followed him and for whom he wrote a rule. For a while he left the desert to defend his faith against Arianism and to strengthen those suffering for the faith. Then he retired again to the desert.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
though he was a rich young man,
Saint Anthony did not refuse the invitation of Jesus
to renounce his material riches
and to follow your Son radically.
Through the prayers of St. Anthony,
may we too put our riches
not in what we have
but in what you give us and make us
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
Let these offerings of bread and wine express
that we welcome your Son in our midst.
As he places himself into our hands,
entirely and without holding anything back,
may he give us the wisdom and strength
to go all the way with him,
without becoming sad,
without looking back
and without counting the cost,
for he is our riches and Lord for ever.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
you have satisfied our hunger
for food that lasts.
Let it be a hunger that cannot be stilled
for you, for people, for life in its fullness.
Give us the courage to put Jesus and his gospel
above everything else and to give you
not only the best of what we have
but our very selves,
by the power of Jesus Christ our Lord.

From January 18 to 25: CHURCH UNITY WEEK

In the section for special pastoral celebrations there is a special celebration for Unity in each of the books of for the Sundays of the years A, B, and C.

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January 21

ST. AGNES, Virgin and Martyr 

Introduction

Few saints have been as popular in Rome as the twelve or thirteen-year old girl martyr St. Agnes. At a time of massive defections from the faith, in 305 she endured torture with idealism and patient faithfulness. Even the young can make hard decisions. As her name comes either from Gr. agnos (pure) or from L. agnus (lamb), she is celebrated  today by the pope blessing unblemished lambs from whose wool the pallium (liturgical vestment of archbishops) will be woven.

Opening Prayer

God our Father,
youth and innocence are no obstacle
to understand the message of your Son
and to follow him with courage.
Let the quiet strength of St. Agnes inspire us
not to be ashamed of your Son
and of his message of life and freedom
even in the face of contradiction.
As we bear the name of your Son,
help us to be ever faithful to him,
for he is our Lord for ever.

*Prayer over the Gifts

God our Father,
with bread and wine we remember
how your Son laid down his life
for us, his friends.
Let him fill us with fresh courage
to go his way and to be close to him
in life and in death,
for he is our Lord for ever.

*Prayer after Communion

Lord, almighty God,

by what is young and frail
you put to shame those who think
they are experienced and strong.
By the word and the body of Jesus Christ
give us the courage to live up
to the demands of the gospel.
Like to St. Agnes,
may your Son mean so much to us
that he is our life even in death
and that with him we rise
above pain and sorrow,
for he is our Lord for ever.

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January 24

ST. FRANCIS OF SALES

Introduction

Brilliant, spirited, humorous, and very kind, St. Francis was bishop of Geneva during the Reformation. Both through his eloquence and his personal contact with people, he convinced many not to become Protestants and won many back to Catholicism.

He wanted to lead the simple life of everyone. Wearing ordinary clothes, he mixed with the people in the street, in the café around the corner, in restaurants. In his writings, especially in his Introduction to the Devout Life, he showed how everyone can become a saint in one’s own environment and everyday work. With St. Frances de Chantal he founded the Order of the Visitation.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
we thank you for St. Francis de Sales,
who showed in his amiability to people
how good you are
and how close you want to be to us.
Make us open and gentle with everyone
the way he was,
uncomplicated and understanding
and devoted to you, our living God.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord, our gentle God,
in these signs of bread and wine
we sit at table with your Son.
Let us feel how much you love us
as he calls us his friends.
Keep us in your love
and make us spread it to others
by our disarming friendship for one another
that attracts to you as well as to us
even people hard to deal with.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
we have listened to the words of your Son
that we are called his friends and yours
if we live the life of the gospel.
Let the bread of the eucharist
make us gentle, understanding
and unassuming men and women
who grow together in the joy
of the good news of Jesus Christ our Lord.

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January 25

CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL, Feast

Introduction

Paul’s conversion must have been a tremendous change of mentality for him, a real conversion. Not only did a Jew who became a Christian at the same time become an outcast to his people, as he was considered a renegade, a traitor, but Paul had also been a rabbi, a Pharisee, a rabid persecutor of Christians.

And now he follows Jesus. Christ has become his life. Like his Lord, he sits at table with sinners and tax collectors and pagans. From now on his life is given to Christ and his kingdom, a community in which there is no more distinction between Greek and barbarian, between slaves and free citizens, between men and women, and especially between Jew and non-Jew.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God, Father of all
let our celebration today
of the conversion of Saint Paul
become for us too, a deep experience
of conversion and encounter with you.
Let this feast make us more aware
that whatever evil we do to others,
we do to you
and the good we do, the love we show,
we give also to you.
Like St. Paul,  make us love everyone.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Intentions

For unity in the Church and in our world, that people from all races, cultures and social classes may fully accept one another as children of the same heavenly Father, we pray:

–   For those who persecute people because of their religion, that the prayers and death of the martyrs may change their hearts, we pray:

–   For those who are persecuted because of their faith, that they may remain steadfast believers, we pray:

–   For all of us, that Christ may be and remain our life and the meaning of what we are and do, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Father of all,
may the day come that all of humankind,
wherever they live, whoever they are,
in all their variety and gifts,
may know your Son Jesus Christ,
listen to his word and eat from his table.
Let your whole Church today
continue the work of St. Paul
with great zeal and conviction.
This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

God of all people and nations,
may everyone deeply encounter your Son Jesus
and may he become the life of all.
May he indeed live in us,
in our joys and sorrows,
in our hopes and aspirations,
in our loves and  friendships.
Let him be the light and the meaning
of what we are and do.
In this way let us attract everyone
to Jesus Christ our Lord.

Blessing

After the conversion of Paul, Ananias told him: “You are to be the witness before all humankind of the Just One, Christ, testifying to what you have seen and heard.” We have to testify to the one we have met, Christ, with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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January 26

STS. TIMOTHY AND TITUS

Note: The first reading is proper.

Introduction

Today we celebrate two close associates of the apostle Paul. Paul put them in charge of Christian communities and wrote letters to them to tell them what is expected of leaders of Christian communities, especially how they should be servants and models of the people entrusted to them.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
Saints Timothy and Titus, assistants of St. Paul,
passed on the mighty word of your Son
and tried to live by them.
Give to your Church credible leaders
who lead in living by the word and life of Jesus
Let their words stir our hearts
and bring us the new life
of Jesus Christ our Lord.

*Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
people entrusted themselves to your Son
because they saw that he was genuine.
Make the ministers of your word
close and available to their people.
May they learn from your Son
to give themselves without regrets
as a piece of bread broken and shared
and a cup of gladdening wine

passed from hand to hand,
together with Christ Jesus our Lord.

*Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
your Son Jesus has spoken to us here
and broken to us the bread of himself.
Send us leaders who keep reminding us
of his word of life and hope
and of his deeds of saving love.
Let these bring us together
as a community of service
in which your Son is alive
as our Lord for ever and ever.

Do not let us hide our faith
but make it shine in each of us
and in all our communities
as a bright light shining on all.
Let it not be us
but the love and the goodness of your Son
that brightens our world.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

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January 28

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS, Church doctor

Introduction

We honor today St. Thomas Aquinas, who was one of the greatest theologians in the Church's history, yet his life was marked by simplicity. He succeeded in making a harmonious synthesis between the philosophy of Aristotle and the theological thought of the Bible and of St. Augustine. Prayer and contemplation were the sources of his theology. In his time he was considered by many a dangerous innovator and suffered much contradiction. Let us ask today for his understanding of the faith, his wisdom and his spirit of prayer.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
we thank you for St. Thomas,
a great saint and a wise thinker.
Grant us the wisdom
to reflect on the word of the good news,
that it may deepen our insight in our faith
and make our love for you grow.
Give also to the Church of our time
great prophets and theologians
who make us see what the faith means
to the people of our day.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

*Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
you give taste to our lives
through 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 to be people who try 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,
thank you for letting us share
in the life of your Son.
Do not let us hide our faith
but make it shine in each of us
and in all our communities
as a bright light shining on all.
Let it not be us
but the love and the goodness of your Son
that brightens our world.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

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January 31

DON BOSCO: MAN OF HIS TIME

Introduction

In the beginning of the 19^th Century, social concern was almost inexistent and poverty considered an insoluble problem, with children as the great victims. Especially in cities they grew up in alleys and slums and roamed the streets. Turin had thousands of them. Don Bosco took the initiative to care for these neglected children and youth. His sensitive heart and his firm guidance could bring them together to give them shelter and an education. He understood them and made himself accepted by them. He had a hard time to change the mentality of politicians and Church leaders and to spur them to do something about the problem, but he succeeded little by little. In all his difficulties he kept his good cheer.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
with you and with your Son Jesus
Don Bosco loved the young
and dedicated his life and that of his Congregation
to their education and care.

Dispose your Church and its leaders
and also all parents,
to pay very much attention
to the formation and development of the young,
who are our hope for the future.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

*Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God, ever young,
with bread and wine we celebrate
how Jesus became one of us
and how he made himself little
to be close to us.
May we also learn from him
to become little and humble
to make ourselves available to children,
to understand and to love them,
and to help them grow up
to the full adulthood of Jesus Christ our Lord.

*Prayer after Communion

Lord our God, we tend to come before you
with our human wisdom:
self-assured, sophisticated, world wise,
but Jesus made children the privileged symbol
of the truly adult disciple.
Let him give us the openness and receptivity
of children: humble, authentic,
and open to your love and gifts.
Let him make us mature in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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