Daily Readings Thursday 31st December 2020

Thursday 31 December 2020 7th day within the octave of Christmas (optional commemoration of Saint Silvester I, Pope) Liturgical Colour: White.

Entrance Antiphon:
Is 9: 5

A child is born for us, and a son is given to us; his sceptre of power rests upon his shoulder, and his name will be called Messenger of great counsel.

Collect:

Almighty ever-living God, who in the Nativity of your Son established the beginning and fulfilment of all religion, grant, we pray, that we may be numbered among those who belong to him, in whom is the fullness of human salvation. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

First Reading:
1 John 2:18-21

You have been anointed by the Holy One

Children, these are the last days; you were told that an Antichrist must come, and now several antichrists have already appeared; we know from this that these are the last days. Those rivals of Christ came out of our own number, but they had never really belonged; if they had belonged, they would have stayed with us; but they left us, to prove that not one of them ever belonged to us. But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and have all received the knowledge. It is not because you do not know the truth that I am writing to you but rather because you know it already and know that no lie can come from the truth.

Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 95(96):1-2,11-13

Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad.

O sing a new song to the Lord,
sing to the Lord all the earth.
O sing to the Lord, bless his name.
Proclaim his help day by day,

Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad.

Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad.
let the sea and all within it thunder praise,
let the land and all it bears rejoice,
all the trees of the wood shout for joy
at the presence of the Lord for he comes,
he comes to rule the earth.

Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad.

With justice he will rule the world,
he will judge the peoples with his truth.

Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad.

Gospel Acclamation:

Alleluia, alleluia!
A hallowed day has dawned upon us.
Come, you nations, worship the Lord,
for today a great light has shone down upon the earth.
Alleluia!

Or:
John 1:14,12

Alleluia, alleluia!
The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. To all who received him he gave power to become children of God.
Alleluia!

Gospel:
John 1:1-18

The Word was made flesh, and lived among us

In the beginning was the Word: and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things came to be, not one thing had its being but through him. All that came to be had life in him and that life was the light of men, a light that shines in the dark, a light that darkness could not overpower. A man came, sent by God. His name was John. He came as a witness, as a witness to speak for the light, so that everyone might believe through him. He was not the light, only a witness to speak for the light. The Word was the true light that enlightens all men; and he was coming into the world. He was in the world that had its being through him, and the world did not know him.

He came to his own domain and his own people did not accept him. But to all who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to all who believe in the name of him who was born not out of human stock or urge of the flesh or will of man but of God himself. The Word was made flesh, he lived among us, and we saw his glory, the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. John appears as his witness. He proclaims: ‘This is the one of whom I said: He who comes after me ranks before me because he existed before me.’ Indeed, from his fullness we have, all of us, received – yes, grace in return for grace, since, though the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; it is the only Son, who is nearest to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

Prayer over the Offerings:

O God, who give us the gift of true prayer and of peace, graciously grant that, through this offering, we may do fitting homage to your divine majesty and, by partaking of the sacred mystery, we may be faithfully united in mind and heart. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon:
1 John 4: 9

God sent his Only Begotten Son into the world, so that we might have life through him.

Prayer after Communion:

May your people, O Lord, whom you guide and sustain in many ways, experience, both now and in the future, the remedies which you bestow, that, with the needed solace of things that pass away, they may strive with ever deepened trust for things eternal. Through Christ our Lord.

Copyright © 1996-2019 Universalis Publishing Limited: see www.universalis.com. Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible are published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc, and used by permission of the publishers. Text of the Psalms: Copyright © 1963, The Grail (England). Used with permission of A.P. Watt Ltd. All rights reserved.

Parish Devotion for Thursday 31st December 2020 – Month of The Immaculate Conception – Thursdays

Month of the Immaculate Conception

Download Daily Devotions for December 2020 – Month of the Immaculate Conception

December is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of Our Blessed Lady

December is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception The greatest privilege possessed by Our Blessed Lady, next to the Divine Maternity itself, is that of the Immaculate Conception. And it is only because of the Divine Maternity that Mary was immaculately conceived. For many years many of the greatest saints in the Church denied that she had been given this privilege. They did this not because they wanted to deprive her of any honor that might properly be given to her, but because it seemed to them to deny that Christ was the universal Redeemer, the Redeemer even of His own … Read more here

Parish Devotions this month

Pope Francis Prayer Intentions December 2020 – For a life of prayer

For a life of prayer We pray that our personal relationship with Jesus Christ be nourished by the Word of God and a life of prayer. Prayer WHAT IS THE POPE’S WORLDWIDE PRAYER NETWORK? The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer) addresses the challenges facing humanity and assists the mission of the Church. We pray and work to meet the challenges of the world identified by the Pope in his monthly intentions, while walking a spiritual path called the “Way of the Heart.” What is the process in the preparation of the prepared prayer intentions? The faithful from around … Read more here

The month of December is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception

SOD-1208-SolemnityoftheImmaculateConception

The month of December is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, which is celebrated on December 8. From all eternity God chose with infinite wisdom the woman who would be the Mother of His divine Son. To prepare for the Word Incarnate a spotless and holy tabernacle, God created Mary in grace and endowed her from the moment of her conception with all the perfections suited to her exalted dignity. St. Thomas teaches that through her intimacy with Christ, the principle of grace, she possessed beyond all creatures a fullness of divine life.

In 1854, Pope Pius IX’s solemn declaration, Ineffabilis Deus, clarified with finality the long-held belief of the Church that Mary was conceived free from original sin. In proclaiming the Immaculate Conception of Mary, as a dogma of the Church, the pope expressed precisely and clearly that Mary was conceived free from the stain of original sin. This privilege of Mary’s, derives from God’s having chosen her as Mother of the Saviour, thus she received the benefits of salvation in Christ, from the very moment of her conception. This great gift to Mary, an ordinary human being just like us, was fitting because she was destined to be Mother of God. The purity and holiness of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a model for all Christians.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says of the Immaculate Conception of Mary:

490. To become the mother of the Saviour, Mary “was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role”. The angel Gabriel at the moment of the annunciation salutes her as “full of grace”. In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God’s grace.

491. Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, “full of grace” through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception . That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1844: “The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.” (Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus, 1854.)

492. The “splendour of an entirely unique holiness” by which Mary is “enriched from the first instant of her conception” comes wholly from Christ – she is “redeemed, in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son.” The Father blessed Mary more than any other created person “in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” and chose her “in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love.”

493. The Fathers of the Eastern tradition call the Mother of God “the All-Holy” (Panagia) and celebrate her as “free from any stain of sin, as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature”. By the grace of God

Other Comments – The month of December is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “From all eternity God chose with infinite wisdom the woman who would be the Mother of His divine Son. To prepare for the Word Incarnate a spotless and holy tabernacle, God created Mary in grace and endowed her from the moment of her conception with all the perfections suited to her exalted dignity. St. Thomas teaches that through her intimacy with Christ, the principle of grace, she possessed beyond all creatures a fullness of divine life.” — Liturgical Meditations, The Sisters of St. Dominic

This feast invites us to meditate on the virtue of purity. “Mary alone — ‘our tainted nature’s solitary boast’— never saw her soul’s purity darkened with the dust of any stain, nor did she see in any part of her triumphal course toward heaven any sin or trace of worldliness. By a unique and singular privilege from God she was preserved from original sin from the first moment of her Immaculate Conception; by another privilege derived from the first, the Lord did not permit her ever to be stained even with those unavoidable failings of human weakness.” — Luis M. Martinez

Fr. Mike Schmitz The Immaculate Conception Explained

Did you know that Mary actually did know her child would save the world? In fact, she was saved around forty-seven years before Jesus died. Fr. Mike Schmitz simplifies the complex theology behind the Immaculate Conception in this video. Using a clever analogy or two, he demonstrates how Scripture alludes to the fact that Mary was immaculately conceived, and he explains why this solemnity is so important to the Church.

December – History of the Dogma of The Immaculate Conception

Credit must be given to the Oriental Church for having been the first to institute the feast of Mary’s Conception. St. Andrew of Crete (660-740), in his canon In conceptionem Sanctae ac Dei aviae Annae, provides us with the first historical document bearing testimony to the existence of the present feast. It was only many years later that the West accepted it, and not without strong opposition. The very first testimony to the existence of the feast in the West is had from a celebrated marble kalendarium found in Naples dating as far back as the ninth century. It is England, in fact, that first introduced this Marian feast into the Latin liturgy.

In a precious document, Leofric’s kalendarium (eleventh century), in which is found the present feast, the collect states: “Deus qui beatae Mariae Virginis conceptionem angelico vaticinio parentibus praedixisti.” We note from this that in England, as in the Orient, traces remained of the Protoevangelium narrative establishing a parallel between Mary’s Conception and that of St. John the Baptist. Judging also from other kalendaria of that same period wherein no mention is made of this feast, it would seem that at the outset this feast was limited to Winchester, Worcester, Exeter, Canterbury, and the surrounding localities.

Shortly thereafter it passed into Normandy and the northern part of France. But, “in general, the introduction of this feast and the enthusiasm for its purport seem to have been lacking in theological guidance. Childlike piety, incited by accounts of miracles and revelations, had the upper hand. In favour of the doctrine and the feast these miracles were advanced together with the appreciation of its eminent appropriateness, but positive theological reasons were not stressed. Further, a clear exposition of the idea of the feast was also lacking.”

In the closing years of the twelfth century it had penetrated into many regions of Germany and Belgium, and also into Navarre, in Spain. In summing it up, Roschini states that, notwithstanding strong opposition on the part of such great men as St. Bernard and St. Thomas, it may be safely said that in the middle of the fourteenth century the feast of Mary’s Conception, in the sense of a preservation from original sin, had found its way into every single diocese of the world and in every monastery of some importance, with the exception of Cistercian and Dominican monasteries.

The attitude adopted by the Roman Pontiffs during the many years of controversy about the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, to which was intimately linked, in the West, the very existence of the feast itself, may best be described as that of tolerance first, of assent next, and finally of approbation. In 1477 Sixtus IV approved the Mass and Office and four years later gave his approval to another office for Mary’s feast. He also issued a papal bull, Grave nimis, forbidding censure of those who believed in the Immaculate Conception because of the attacks of the opposition. Years later, Alexander VII declared in his famous bull Sollicitudo omnium ecclesiarum (1661) : “The devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary is of long standing among the faithful followers of Christ who feel that her soul, from the very first instant of its creation and infusion into her body, was preserved immune from the stain of original sin by a special grace and privilege of God, through the merits of her Son Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the human race, and who in this sense esteem and solemnly celebrate the festivity of her conception.”

In 1693, Innocent XII proclaimed that the octave of the feast of Mary’s Conception be universally celebrated, elevating it at the same time to the rank of double of second class. Pius IX in 1863 (having defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854) promulgated a new Mass and Office. — Excerpted from Mariology by Juniper B. Carol, O.F.M.

December – Novena of the Immaculate Conception

Immaculate Conception

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception, which is profoundly influential among the faithful, is an occasion for many displays of popular piety and especially for the novena of the Immaculate Conception. There can be no doubt that the feast of the pure and sinless Conception of the Virgin Mary, which is a fundamental preparation for the Lord’s coming into the world, harmonises perfectly with many of the salient themes of Advent. This feast also makes reference to the long messianic waiting for the Saviour’s birth and recalls events and prophecies from the Old Testament, which are also used in the Liturgy of Advent.

The novena of the Immaculate Conception, wherever it is celebrated, should highlight the prophetical texts which begin with Genesis 3, 15, and end in Gabriel’s salutation of the one who is “full of grace” (Luke 1, 31-33) — Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy

rosary Opening Prayers

Start by making the sign of the Cross:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” …

Then recite the Apostle’s Creed:

” I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into Hell; on the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from there He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.” …

Then say 1 Our Father:

Our Father, Who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.” …

Then say 3 Hail Marys (for the virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity):

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of death. Amen.” …

Then say 1 Glory Be:

GLORY BE to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.” …

After each decade the Fatima Prayer may also be said (Pope Pius XII):

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are in most need of Thy mercy.” …

Prayer to my Guardian Angel:

Angel of God’s light, whom God sends as a companion for me on earth, protect me from the snares of the devil, and help me to walk always as a child of God, my Creator. Angel of God’s truth, whose perfect knowledge serves what is true, protect me from deceits and temptations. Help me to know the truth, and always to live the truth. Angel of God’s love, who praises Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, who sacrificed His life for love of us, sustain me as I learn the ways of Divine love, of sacrificial generosity, of meekness and lowliness of heart. Thank You, my heavenly friend, for your watchful care. At the moment of my death, bring me to heaven, where the one true God, Who is light, Truth and Love, lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen. …

mysteries-of-the-rosary-header The Mysteries of the Rosary

The Joyful Mysteries


The Annunciation	The Visitation	The Nativity	The Presentation	The Finding of Jesus in the Temple

The Luminous Mysteries


The Baptism in the Jordan	The Wedding at Cana	Proclamation of the Kingdom	The Transfiguration	Institution of the Eucharist

The Sorrowful Mysteries


The Agony in the Garden	The Scourging at the Pillar	The Crowning with Thorns	The Carrying of the Cross	The Crucifixion

The Glorious Mysteries


The Resurrection	The Ascension	The Descent of the Holy Spirit	The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary	The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Concluding Prayers

Concluding Prayers

After the completion of five mysteries (5 decades), the following is customarily said:

Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!”

V: Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God
R: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

LET US PRAY (Closing Prayer):

O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal salvation. Grant, we beseech Thee, that while meditating on these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.

Additional Prayers by Day

THURSDAYS

Thursdays- Daily Devotion Prayers – Month of The Immaculate Conception

Revelation of the medal

Then a voice was heard, saying, “Have a medal struck after this model. Those who wear it, blessed, around their neck will receive great graces. The graces will be abundant for those who wear it with confidence.”

Let us pray: O Most Holy Virgin, O my Mother, obtain for me the graces that I ask of thee and inspire me, above all, to pray for the graces that thou most wants to grant me.

Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be…

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

The hearts of Jesus and Mary

After contemplating the picture on the medal, Saint Catherine saw it turn to display the back. There she saw an “M,” the monogram of Mary, surmounted by a small cross and, below it, the hearts of Jesus and Mary, the first surrounded with thorns and the latter pierced with a sword. Twelve stars surrounded the hearts and the monogram.

Let us pray: O Immaculate Heart of Mary, make my heart like unto thine. Obtain for me the graces I am asking of thee and, above all, inspire me to ask of thee the graces thou most wants to grant me.

Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be…

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Mary will be proclaimed

Queen of the Universe Confirming the predictions of Saint Louis Grignion de Montfort, Saint Catherine says that the Most Holy Virgin will be proclaimed Queen of the Universe: “Oh! how beautiful it will be to hear: Mary is the Queen of the Universe. The children and everyone will cry with joy and rapture. That will be a lasting era of peace and happiness. She will be displayed on standards and paraded all over the world.”

Let us pray: O Most Holy Virgin, O my Mother, obtain for me the graces I am asking of thee and inspire me, above all, to pray for the graces that thou most wants to grant me.

Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be…

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Miraculous Medal

Additional Prayers

Stained glass depicting the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary for England:

O Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our most gentle Queen and Mother, look down in mercy upon England thy “Dowry” and upon us all who greatly hope and trust in you. By you it was that Jesus our Saviour and our hope was given unto the world; and He has given you to us that we might hope still more. Plead for us your children, whom you did receive and accept at the foot of the Cross, O sorrowful Mother. Intercede for our separated brethren, that with us in the one true fold they may be united to the Chief Shepherd, the Vicar of thy Son. Pray for us all, dear Mother, that by faith fruitful in good works we may all deserve to see and praise God, together with thee, in our heavenly home. Amen.

Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel:

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly Hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits, who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.