| Week | Note | Epistle | Note | Gospel | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Third Sunday after Epiphany:
Adoráte
Deum
|
Jesus, our Redeemer, is God; He works wonders; the Angels of heaven adore Him; Jews and Gentiles will be obliged to recognize His royal Divinity. | Rom 12:16-21 | Let us make acts of faith in the divinity of Jesus that we may enter His kingdom. Let us by our charity help all men. | Mt 8:1-13 | Two miracles of Jesus: A word from our Lord will cleanse the leper, whose cure will be officially verified by the priests to serve for testimony of the Divinity of Jesus; an heathen centurion, whose humble words we echo daily at Mass, obtains by his confidence a great miracle. | |
| Fourth Sunday after Epiphany.
The Mass is
Adoráte
Deum
of Third Sunday after Epiphany except Collect, Epistle, Gospel, Secret and Postcommunion.
|
Jesus our Lord commands the uncontrolled forces in nature: the fury of the sea and the violence of the winds, and thus manifests His Divinity. | Rom 13:8-10 | Love is the fulfilling of the Law. The Law and love are in fact but one, for if the first three Commandments of the Decalogue enjoin the love of God, the seven others oblige us to love our neighbor, for God is in him. We are, by grace, in some measure an extension of the humanity of Jesus. | Mt 8:23-27 | The Evangelist tells us of a great miracle of Jesus: the agitated waves and the violence of the winds obey Him. The boat, according to St. Augustine, represents the Church, which throughout the centuries makes manifest the Divinity of Christ. | |
| Fifth Sunday after Epiphany.
The Mass is
Adoráte
Deum
of Third Sunday after Epiphany except Collect, Epistle, Gospel, Secret and Postcommunion.
|
The Divinity of Jesus is established by His doctrine. The Church of Christ is the opposite of the devil and his works. The doctrine of Christ dwells abundantly in the Church which teaches and admonishes the faithful. | Col 3:12-17 | Do all in the name of the Lord giving thanks to God. | Mt 13:24-30 | The evil sower is the devil and he sows the dark cockle or darnel, which is violent poison. It is not possible to separate good and evil until the end of the world. | |
| Sixth Sunday after Epiphany.
The Mass is
Adoráte
Deum
of Third Sunday after Epiphany except Collect, Epistle, Gospel, Secret and Postcommunion.
|
Our mother the Church is permeated with the word of Christ, and is admirably represented by the three measures of meal, which the energy of fermentation wholly leavened; and by the mustard tree, which is very large, where the birds of heaven are glad to find shelter. | 1 Thess 1:2-10 | The word of God produces in the hearts of Christians the wonders of faith, hope and charity. | Mt 13:31-35 | Jesus reveals to us "things hidden from the foundation of the world." Parables of the three measures of meal and of the mustard plant. | |
Septuagesima
Sunday
|
Man, victim of the sin of Adam and of his own sins, is justly afflicted. The
Glória
in
excélsis
is omitted until Easter.
|
1 Cor 9:24-10:5 | St. Paul compares our life to an arena where we must fight and mortify ourselves if we wish to obtain the victory. | Mt 20:1-16 | The parable of the vineyard shows that we must all work to obtain the reward of eternal life. | |
Sexagesima
Sunday
|
Jesus is our Redeemer and by His saving doctrine gives life to souls. | 2 Cor 11:19-12:9 | St. Paul tells of his shipwrecks and perils in the sea, and of all the torments he endured for the name of Christ. | Lk 8:4-15 | Jesus, in the boat, on the shores of the lake of Galilee, preaches the parable of the sower. | |
Quinquagesima
Sunday or
Esto
mihi
|
It is Jesus Who, by the merits of His Passion, is to open the eyes of man as He did those of the blind man of Jericho, and deliver him alike from the bondage of sin and error. | 1 Cor 13:1-13 | The faith of which St. Paul speaks is as naught without charity. The merits of our works, as well as the light which illuminates our souls, are in proportion to our charity. | Lk 18:31-43 | Pope St. Gregory the Great says: "The man born blind of whom the Gospel tells is surely the human race." | |
| Ash Wednesday | The blessing of the ashes is one of the great liturgical rites of the year. Remember, man, that thou are dust, and unto dust thou shalt return. | Joel 2:12-19 | Almighty God is rich in mercy to those who are converted to Him in their hearts. | Mt 6:16-21 | ||
| First Sunday in Lent
(Quadragesima)
|
Our Lord Jesus Christ, directly after His baptism, prepared Himself for His public life and mission by a fast of forty days in the desert between Jericho and the mountains of Judæa. | 2 Cor 6:1-10 | Lent, with its fastdays and prayers, is the acceptable time, the time of salvation. St. Paul exhorts us that we receive not the grace of God in vain. | Mt 4:1-11 | The devil tempts Jesus and us by the lustful desire of the flesh, by the pride of life, and by the lustful desire of the eyes, or avarice. | |
| Second Sunday in Lent | Let the sight of the grandeur of Jesus transfigured prepare us for a brief contemplation of the humiliation of His Passion. | 1 Thess 4:1-7 | God our Creator and our Lord "hath called us not unto uncleanness, but unto sanctification, in Christ Jesus our Lord." | Mt 17:1-9 | Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ on Mount Thabor: manifestation of the divinity of Jesus. | |
| Third Sunday in Lent | We see Jesus today in open conflict with Satan and his works. | Eph 5:1-9 | Let us live as children of the light, preforming actions good, just and true. | Lk 11:14-28 | Our Lord is in open conflict with Satan. | |
| Fourth Sunday in Lent: Lætare Sunday |
Lætare
Sunday provides a break in the midst of Lenten observance.
We are soon to rise again with Jesus through confession and Easter Communion. |
Gal 4:22-31 | Through the sacraments of Baptism and Confession we are restored to Christian liberty. | Jn 6:1-15 | The miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fishes, symbols of Holy Communion. | |
| Passion Sunday | The Mass of Passion Sunday is full of thought of the Passion of Jesus and the infidelity of the Jews. May God have mercy on them and us.
From this day until Maundy Thursday the Psalm
Judica
me
is omitted. |
Heb 9:11-15 | As the High Priest once entered the Holy of Holies by the blood of victims, so Christ enters into heaven after having shed His own Blood which He offers to God His Father. | Jn 8:46-59 | St. John shows us the growing hatred of the Sanhedrin, who would stone Jesus for blasphemy. | |
| Palm Sunday | The faithful take part in the Procession of Palms, thus rendering Christ the King public witness of their love and gratitude. The Celebrant, vested in the red of royal triumph, blesses the palms and reads Mt 21:1-9. | Phil 2:5-11 | The triumph of the Redeemer of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ, must be preceded by His humiliation unto death, even the death of the cross. | Mt 26:36-27:60 | The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew. | |
| Maundy Thursday: Mass of the Last Supper | Let the faithful be taught about the love with which Christ our Lord on the day before He suffered instituted the sacred and holy Eucharist, Sacrifice and Sacrament, the perpetual memorial of His Passion, to be offered day by day through the ministry of His priests. | 1 Cor 11:20-32 | St. Paul relates the institution of the Holy Eucharist. | Jn 13:1-15 | Washing of the feet. Humility of our Lord Jesus Christ. | |
| Good Friday | Today's special liturgical act: the Passion of our Lord is solemnly chanted; and the holy Cross, monument of our Redemption, is adored most devoutly. | Hos 6:1-6; Ex 12:1-11 | The infinite mercies of God are about to be poured down; The Paschal Lamb will be put to death on the cross; | Jn 18:1-19:42 | The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John. | |
| Holy Saturday, Easter Vigil | The Solemn Easter Vigil service, the Mass of the Resurrection, for which Pope Pius XII gave permission in 1951,
shows liturgically how life and grace flow to us from the death of our Lord: the Paschal Candle shows the Light
of the World; the
Exultet
is the Easter Proclamation; lessons from the Old Testament are read; and the
waters for Baptism are blessed. |
Gen 1:1-2:2; Ex 14:24-15:1; Is 4:2-6; Deut 31:22-30; Col 3:1-4 | Creation and
Deus ,
qui
humánæ
substántiæ
from offertory prayers;
Exodus and the Canticle of Moses;
Isaias' prophecy of a new, spiritual people;
the Song of Moses from Deuteronomy;
St. Paul: if you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are above.
|
Mt 28:1-7 | Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Glory of the risen Lord. | |
| Easter Sunday | In many modern languages the name given to this feast comes from a Hebraic word Pasch or Passover, including the Passage through the Red Sea. The Mass is full of allusions to the Resurrection of our Lord and to Baptism, which is a spiritual resurrection. | 1 Cor 5:7-8 | Let us too partake of the Lamb of God with the azyme or unleavened bread of a pure and holy life. | Mk 16:1-7 | The Gospel relates the coming of the holy women to anoint our Lord, and they find the tomb empty; an Angel reveals to them the mystery of the Resurrection. | |
| Low Sunday: The Octave Day of Easter or Dominica in Albis | Low Sunday is in contrast with Easter or High Sunday. Let us proclaim our faith in the risen Lord, and in His divine Presence in the Holy Eucharist. | 1 Jn 5:4-10 | The faith of those who are born of God overcomes the world. | Jn 20:19-31 | The Evangelist shows us how our Lord Jesus Christ, twice appearing in the Cenacle, dispelled the doubts of the Apostle Thomas, and praised those who, without having seen Him, believed in Him. | |
| Second Sunday after Easter or Good Shepherd Sunday | The Gospel tells us of the Good Shepherd. Jesus is indeed the Good Shepherd of our souls. He came to give His Life for us. | 1 Peter 2:21-25 | St. Peter, Head and Pastor of the Church of Christ, tells us in his Epistle that Jesus is the Shepherd of our souls, which were as sheep going astray. | Jn 10:11-16 | Parable of the Good Shepherd: Jesus is the Good Shepherd, Who protects His sheep from the attacks of the wolf and gives His life for them. | |
| Third Sunday after Easter | "Let us shout with joy to God; let us sing a psalm to His name," because our Lord Jesus Christ is risen again and has given His life for us. | 1 Peter 2:11-19 | We are here only as strangers and pilgrims; Christians should reject those things which are hostile to the name they bear, and follow those which are becoming to it. | Jn 16:16-22 | The Church sees Jesus in His triumphant entry into heaven. | |
| Fourth Sunday after Easter | Our Lord Jesus Christ is risen from the dead; the power of God is made manifest and is exalted. | Jas 1:17:21 | Let us receive with meekness the word of truth which is able to save our souls. | Jn 16:5-14 | Our Lord will send from heaven to His Church the Spirit of truth. The Holy Ghost will unite all hearts, will teach them all truth. | |
| Fifth Sunday after Easter | The Church continues to exalt the risen Christ and exhorts us to unite with her in prayer. | Jas 1:22-27 | Let us follow the perfect law of liberty, the precepts of God and the Church: and God will bless us in our deeds. | Jn 16:23-30 | Let us ask of God, from Whom all good things come, by the merits of Jesus our Redeemer, spiritual and temporal graces. | |
| Ascension of Our Lord | Forty days after the Resurrection, our Lord Jesus Christ, attended by Angels, ascended into heaven, in the sight of His most holy Mother, His Apostles, and disciples, to the great wonder of them all. He entered into possession of the Kingdom of Heaven, which He had gained by His sufferings. | Acts 1:1-11 | Our Lord's instructions to His disciples. His Ascension into Heaven. | Mk 16:14-20 | Instructions of our Lord Jesus Christ to His Disciples: He sends them into the whole world to preach the Gospel. His Ascension. | |
| Sunday after the Ascension | Let us, like the Apostles gathered together, prepare in prayer for the holy Day of Pentecost; let us pray, as the Church prescribes, for the return of heretics to unity. | 1 Peter 4:7-11 | Let us watch and pray in faith and charity, awaiting the descent of the Holy Ghost. | Jn 15:26-27; 16:1-4 | Our Lord Jesus Christ promised that He would send the Holy Ghost. | |
| Pentecost or Whitsunday | Our Lord Jesus Christ, being seated on the right hand of God, sent, as He had promised, the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles, who after His Ascension, continued in prayer at Jerusalem, in company with the Blessed Virgin, awaiting the fulfillment of His promise. | Acts 2:1-11 | St. Luke, in the Acts, shows us how the promise of our Lord Jesus Christ is fulfilled: "But if I go I will send Him to you...the Spirit of truth." | Jn 14:23-31 | St. John tells us that Jesus had foretold to His disciples the coming of the Holy Ghost: it was left for the Paraclete to complete the training of the Apostles and to endow them with strength and divine light. | |
| First Sunday after Pentecost: Feast of the Blessed Trinity or Trinity Sunday | As soon as we have celebrated the Advent of the Holy Ghost, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Trinity in the office of the following Sunday. The time is well chosen, for, immediately after the descent of this Divine Spirit, began the preaching and belief and Baptism and confession in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. | Rm 11:33-36 | The fundamental dogma of our Faith is that of the Holy Trinity. | Mt 28:18-20 | It is in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost that Christians are baptized. Mission of the Apostles. | |
| Thursday after Trinity Sunday: Feast of Corpus Christi | May our Lord Jesus Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament be praised, adored, and loved, with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time! O Sacrament most holy! O Sacrament divine! All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine! | 1 Cor 11:23-29 | The Blessed Sacrament remains the memorial of the Passion of the Lord and shows forth the death of Jesus (Holy Mass). | Jn 6:56-59 | The Eucharist is instituted in the form of food, so that we may receive in Holy Communion the Victim of the cross. | |
| Second Sunday after Pentecost | The Holy Eucharist, as a Sacrifice (the Holy Mass), is the perpetual manifestation of God's love for us.
The Holy Eucharist, as a Sacrament, shows also how much God loves us, since He invites us to His Table.
When the Feast of Corpus Christi is transferred to the following Sunday, the Mass:
Cibavit
is celebrated
as on the feast, with Commemoration of the Second Sunday. |
1 Jn 3:13-18 | Holy Mass is the continual manifestation of the love of God for us, since it reminds us that Jesus gave His life to save us. | Lk 14:16-24 | Avarice, pride, lust: on account of these the Jews have been put aside and God has chosen the Gentiles in their stead. | |
| Third Friday after Pentecost: Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus | The Feast of the Sacred Heart was established in order that the faithful might honor with more devotion and zeal, under the symbol of the Sacred Heart, the love of Jesus Christ, which induced Him not only to suffer and to die for the redemption of mankind, but also to institute the Sacrament of His Body and Blood in commemoration of His death. | Eph 3:8-12,14-19 | Jesus bestows upon us the boundless treasures of His love. | Jn 19:31-37 | The Sacred Heart of our Lord is opened on the cross by the soldier's lance to manifest to us His love. | |
| Third Sunday after Pentecost | The Liturgy celebrates today the mercy of God towards us poor sinners. Jesus has come not to call the just but sinners, and the Holy Ghost comes to establish the reign of God in our sinful, unclean hearts. | 1 Pet 5:6-11 | The devil, like a roaring lion, seeks to devour souls. St. Peter, head of the Apostles and of the Church, bids us watch. | Lk 15:1-10 | The human race--Jews and Gentiles--fallen into wickedness and sin, is represented by the lost sheep which the divine Shepherd bears on His shoulders, and by the lost drachma which the Church finds again. | |
| Fourth Sunday after Pentecost | The Liturgy inspires us with confidence in God in the midst of the struggles, sufferings, and calamities of this life. | Rm 8:18-23 | St. Paul shows us the tribulations which overwhelm us and their result: the whole world shares the punishment for sin. But the Holy Ghost has sanctified us and is the pledge of the resurrection of our bodies. | Lk 5:1-11 | The Church is here represented by Peter's boat. In the ship of the Church of Jesus, beaten by the waves and tempest of this world, let us put our trust in God. | |
| Fifth Sunday after Pentecost | The Liturgy presents us today a great lesson in Christian charity. We must live in union with one another. We are children of God, and we must love Him in our neighbor, who participates as we do in the divine nature. | 1 Pet 3:8-15 | Let us "all be of one mind, having compassion one of another." | Mt 5:20-24 | Our prayer is of value, if we are all of one mind: otherwise it is vain. | |
| Sixth Sunday after Pentecost | Holy Church reminds us today of the effects of the two great Sacraments: Baptism and the Eucharist, which she has conferred at Easter and Pentecost. | Rm 6:3-11 | Dead through sin, we have been plunged and buried with Jesus in the baptismal water. Christ atoned for our sins by dying on the cross, and our old man (our evil nature) was crucified with Him. After the Resurrection Christ walks in a new life: we must also walk in newness of life. | Mk 8:1-9 | Jesus miraculously feeds 4000 men: He foreshows how He will feed the souls of men by means of the Holy Sacrament, the True Bread from heaven. | |
| Seventh Sunday after Pentecost | Almighty God, through His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is Wisdom itself, attracts all souls, for his divine Providence is unerring in the ordering of His divine plans. The words of Psalm 46 exhort all nations to come an praise their God. | Rm 6:19-23 | Shame and eternal death are the results of sin, says St. Paul, whilst by serving God we produce fruits of holiness and win eternal life. | Mt 7:15-21 | "Those who do the will of My Father will enter the Kingdom of heaven." | |
| Eighth Sunday after Pentecost | We have received the mercy of God and we are the children of God, since we may say in all truth, "our Father." God has given us life, therefore we must do His holy will. | Rm 8:12-17 | The Apostle of the Gentiles, St. Paul, reminds us of our divine sonship. | Lk 16:1-9 | Parable of the unjust steward, reminding us of our duties, for we are the children of light, who must not be outdone by the children of this world in zeal. | |
| Ninth Sunday after Pentecost | God is our Helper, and He will always come to our aid: He will open the ears of His mercy to our prayers, and will not allow us to be tempted beyond our strength. Let us obey therefore with joy the precepts of the Lord, let us worthily attend the mysteries of holy Mass, and partake of the Body of the Lord, the manna of our souls. | 1 Cor 10:6-13 | Terrible punishments incurred by the people of Israel on account of their idolatry, their lust, and their murmuring. | Lk 19:41-47 | Jesus wept over Jerusalem and its future destruction. The sellers were driven from the temple for having transformed the house of prayer into a den of thieves. | |
| Tenth Sunday after Pentecost | The Church gives us today a true notion of Christian humility. The Liturgy reminds us that the humble soul is pleased to recognize its nothingness; only on this condition, (and the soul knows it), will the virtue of our Lord Jesus Christ dwell in us. | 1 Cor 12:2-11 | Our acts are supernatural only if they proceed from the Holy Ghost: without His aid we are powerless and given to sin: we are not even able to pronounce the name of Jesus, affirming His divinity, save by His inspiration. | Lk 18:9-14 | Our Lord Jesus stigmatizes the pride of the Pharisee which makes him put his trust in himself and which always shows itself in his contempt for others. Humility of the publican. | |