Faith ~ 1 Samuel 30:8

And David inquired oF the Lord, 

         “Shall I pursue After this band? 

                         Shall I overtake 

                         Them?” 

He answered him, 

“Pursue; for you shall surely overtake 

and shall surely rescue.”

His word was with authority and power

When you listen to the word of God in Scripture how do you respond to it? Do you hear it with indifference, selective submission, or with the full assent of faith and obedience? When Jesus taught he spoke with authority. He spoke the word of God as no one had spoken it before. When the Rabbis taught they supported their statements with quotes from other authorities. The prophets spoke with delegated authority - Thus says the Lord. When Jesus spoke he needed no authorities to back his statements. He was authority incarnate - the Word of God made flesh. When he spoke, God spoke. When he commanded even the demons obeyed.

God's Word is alive and active

Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD), in his commentary on this passage from the Gospel of Luke, tells us that Jesus had all power and authority to heal every sickness and expel every demonic power because he was the living and active Word of God the Father (John 1:14 and Hebrews 4:12):

The bystanders, witnesses of such great deeds, were astonished at the power of his word. He performed his miracles, without offering up a prayer, asking no one else at all for the power to accomplish them. Since he is the living and active Word of God the Father, by whom all things exist, and in whom all things are, in his own person he crushed Satan and closed the profane mouth of impure demons. [Commentary on Luke, Homily 12].

God's Word has power to set us free

God's living and abiding Word is truth and life and it has power to set us free from every sin and oppression and bring us healing of body, mind, and spirit. If the demons, the fallen angels, were able to recognize the power and authority of Jesus, the Son of God, how much more should we recognize and believe in the power and authority of the Gospel - the good news of Jesus Christ, and entrust our lives to the Lord Jesus? 

God's Word produces life and freedom for us

The Lord Jesus speaks his life-giving Word to us each and every day so that we may walk in the freedom of his love and truth. If we approach the Word of God with meekness and humility, and with an eagerness to do everything the Lord desires, we are in a much better position to learn what God wants to teach us through his word. Are you ready to follow the Lord Jesus and to conform your life according to his word?

"Lord Jesus, you have the words of everlasting life. May I never doubt your saving love and mercy, and the power of your word to bring healing, restoration, and freedom from every sin and oppression."

source: Kairos-EME, Don's Daily Email

Saint Philomena ~ Prayer for Purity

O glorious St. Philomena, animated by a burning love for Jesus our Savior, didst shine in Holy Church by the splendor of perfect virginity and the practice of the most heroic virtues, obtain for us of thy Divine Spouse the grace to keep ever unsullied the precious treasure of chastity and to practice with generosity the virtues of our state, that having, after thy example, walked in His footsteps during our life on earth, we may, with thee, rejoice in His glory through all eternity. St. Philomena, happy virgin, adorned with all the charm of innocence and beautified, with the purple of martyrdom, obtain for us the grace to know how to suffer all, and to sacrifice all in order to be faithful to God 'til death and possess Him eternally in paradise.

I consecrate you to the Saint Philomena, virgin and martyr. Who gave herself for Christ. Through her powerful intercession. Amen. 

81st Feast Day and Novena 2016 - Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Butterworth, Penang, Malaysia

Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1935) 

3972 Jalan New Ferry, 12100 Butterworth, 

Penang, Malaysia.

Tel : +604-3249635

Fax : +604-3243067

Email: nbvmpg@yahoo.com

Parish Priest: Fr. Victor Louis

** ML - Multi-Lingual (English. Tamil, Mandarin and Bahasa Malaysia)

Why read the Holy Scripture ~ The Holy Bible

The Bible is the world’s best bestseller. Not only is it God’s inspired Word, it’s a great work of literature. It’s a collection of books composed over many centuries, with many literary forms, including history, historical novels, parables, allegories, and poems. It tells a tale that stretches back to the creation of the world and forward to the end of time. It speaks of faith, hope, love and forgiveness, describes every human emotion, depicts the heights and depths of human courage and depravity, and above all God’s unconditional love for humanity and his salvific plan.

There are numerous reasons to read the Scriptures.

• It is part of the inspired Word of God. The Old and New Testament together form the inspired Word of God in human language. The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation from the Second Vatican Council states clearly that “the books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching solidly, faithfully and without error that truth which God wanted put into the sacred writings for the sake of our salvation.”
• It chronicles for us God’s loving plan of salvation for all.
• Because the New Testament is hidden in the Old, and the Old is made manifest in the New.
• Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ. 
• Scripture is a deep font for the Church’s worship and prayer life. Since the Second Vatican Council, the Church has provided for an expanded use of Sacred Scriptures in the Liturgy of the Word at Mass, in the celebration of the other sacraments and the devotional life of the Church, and in its urgings to the laity to celebrate Morning and Evening Prayer which incorporates recitation of the Psalms.
• It continues to instruct the faithful and call them to faithfulness in their covenant with God.

source: Excerpted from Michael Steier, D.Min. is Associate Director Secretariat of Evangelization and Catechesis of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Pray that peace will prevail in Jerusalem ~ Trust in the faithfulness of God

Why we need to pray for peace in Jerusalem?

Jerusalem is the only place in the universe where God inclined His heart to the heart of man in such a unique way as He did with Abraham. 

O house of Israel, bless the Lord!

O house of Aaron, bless the Lord!

O house of Levi, bless the Lord!

You that fear the Lord, bless the Lord!

Blessed be the Lord from Zion,

he who dwells in Jerusalem!

Praise the Lord!

(Psalm 135:19-21)

"Our prayers can help bring greater harmony and for Jerusalem, or wherever there is conflict, when we see that the source of everyone’s true nature is divine Love, because seeing others as they truly are illuminates the possibility of peace." (from 'A Christian Science Perspective')

God said to Abraham, "I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you" (Genesis 12:3)

God said, "In Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put My name forever" (2 Kings 21:7). 

God said, "Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country, and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.” (Zechariah 8:7-8)

God said, "these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer;

their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples" (Isaiah 56:7)

God said, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee" (Psalm 122:6). 

I belief in the Word and promises of God, there I call out to all who believe and trust in His promises for His beloved nation and fervently pray to hasten for the day when He brings fulfillment to His word. 

For God the Almighty Father has said, "so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11)

Therefore let us pray, together with millions of Christians and believers around the world as we cry to Heaven praying for the Peace of Jerusalem, especially on the first Sunday of every October.

The Lord bless you and keep you:

The Lord make his face to shine upon you, 

and be gracious to you:

The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, 

and give you peace.

(Numbers 6:24-26)

Do not close the door to God's kingdom

When the Lord Jesus knocks on the door of your heart are you ready to answer and receive him (Revelations 3:20)? The Lord offers each one of us an open door to the kingdom of God, but we can shut ourselves out if we ignore or reject his offer. What is the door to the kingdom of heaven? When Jacob fled from his brother Essau, who wanted to kill him for stealing his birthright (Genesis 27:41), Jacob sought refuge in the wilderness. There God pursued him and gave him a vision that both changed his life and the life of his people. As Jacob slept on a star-lit hillside God showed him a great ladder or stairway that extended from earth to heaven. This stairway was filled with a multitude of angels ascending and descending before the throne of God. 

An open door to the throne of God

God opened heaven to Jacob, not only to give him a place of refuge and peace, but to offer him the blessing of dwelling in intimate friendship with the living God. God spoke to Jacob and renewed the promises which he had made to his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac, and now to Jacob and his descendants. God promised not only to bless and protect Jacob, but to make him and his descendants a blessing to all the nations as well. When Jacob awoke he exclaimed: "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God and this is the gate of heaven" (Genesis 28:17). God opened a door for Jacob that brought him and his people into a new relationship with the living God.

Jesus is the door to God's kingdom

Jesus proclaimed to his disciples that he came to fulfill the prophetic dream of Jacob in his very own person: "You will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man" (John 1:51). Jesus proclaimed that he is the door (John 10:8-9) and the way (John 14:6) that makes it possible for us to access heaven and God's very throne. But Jesus woefully warned the religious leaders and successors of Jacob that they were shutting the door of God's kingdom not only on themselves but on others as well. The word woe expresses sorrowful pity as well as grief and sadness.Why did Jesus lament and issue such a stern rebuke? 

Don't be misled by wrong-headed teachers

Jesus was angry with the religious leaders because they failed to listen to God's word and they misled the people they were supposed to teach and lead in the ways of God. They were blindly leading people to "pharisaism"- to their own ideas, rules, and practices which God did not intend or require - rather than to God's intention and way of life for his people. Jesus also chastised them for their hypocrisy - a hypocrite is an actor or impostor who says one thing but does the opposite. Jesus gave some examples to show how misguided they were in their thinking and practices. 

In their zeal to win converts, the religious leaders required unnecessary and burdensome rules and practices which obscured the more important matters of religion, such as love of God and love of neighbor. And at the same time they made exceptions for themselves by devising clever ways to evade binding oaths and solemn promises which they had made to God. The Jews treated an oath made to God as a binding obligation that must not be broken under any circumstance, but the Pharisees found clever ways to evade their obligations when inconvenience got in the way. They forgot that God hears every word we utter (especially our oaths and promises) and he sees the intentions of our heart even before we speak or act.

God's ways and thoughts are different from ours

The scribes and Pharisees preferred their idea of religion to God's idea. They failed to lead others to God because they listened to their own ideas of what is true religion and they failed to understand the true meaning and intention of God's word. Through their own pride and prejudice they blindly shut the door of their own hearts and minds to the truth of God's kingdom.

The prophets of the Old Testament had repeatedly warned God's people to seek the Lord and to put aside their own thoughts and ideas of religion in order to hear and understand God's mind and intentions for his people. The prophet Isaiah wrote,

"Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts... For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:6-9).

Seek God's kingdom first

How can we shut the door of God's kingdom in our own personal lives? We close it through stubborn pride, disobedience, and ignorance. Do you submit your mind to God's word or do you cling to your own thoughts and ideas of what is right, true, and good for you? Do you allow the world's way of thinking to form the way you think, act, and speak - or do you allow God's word of truth to form the way you think, act, and speak? Do you ignore God's word through indifference or lack of reflection on his word? 

The Lord Jesus wants to speak to us each and every day - to help us grow in our knowledge and understanding of his love and truth. The Lord is knocking at the door of your heart - are you receptive and ready to listen to his voice as he speaks through his life-giving Word? God's kingdom is always present to those who seek him with a humble mind and a willing heart. The Lord invites us to pray daily, "May your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10).

"Lord Jesus, your word is life for me. May I never shut the door to your heavenly kingdom through my stubborn pride or disbelief. Help me to listen to your voice attentively and to conform my life more fully to your word."

source: Kairos-EME, Don's Daily Email

Please pray for me and all those in similar situation as me, I beg your powerful, speedy and miraculous intercessions, Out Lady of Conception Aparecida, St.Rita of Cassia, St.Jude, St.Expedite, and St.Edwiges

Oh! Dear Mother of God, Our Lady of Conception Aparecida!
Oh! Saint Rita of Cassia and Saint Jude worker of miracles
and helper of impossible causes pray for me.
Saint Expedite, Saint of urgent causes.

Saint Edwiges, the Saint of the needy,

you know how desperate I feel, 
please ask JESUS to help me.

I am currently going through storms in my life, I need your power intercession and prayer in overcoming the difficulties that I have been facing for several months which have become beyond my means and require urgent help. I have been diagnosed to be suffering from severe OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) whereby my sleep at night is disrupted over 600 times/8hours caused by obstruction of the upper airway (windpipe) when the throat muscles intermittently relax (repetitive pauses) and block my airway during sleep, despite the effort to breathe, and is usually associated with a reduction in blood oxygen saturation. And now I need to buy CPAP machine (continuous positive airway pressure) which cost RM5600~RM5800 to use every night to ensure my airways is always open for breathing. I am also have financial difficulties where I have backlogs with the banks and some people,and also bills unpaid for foe almost 3 months which I unable solve due to the sum is huge and these people are chasing me each and every day, sending legal notices making me even more worried as things are beyond me. I have tried my very best to pay but I can pay for all as my resource is not sufficient. . Therefore, I put all my trust, hope and believe in the hands of God and Jesus, I know I am a sinner and may they show their mercy upon me. Only miracle from Jesus by the will of the Father in Heaven can heal and provide for my solution to the above mess that I have caused in my life. I want and vow to change my ways and character for the better, by the help from Jesus and the Father through your intercession and prayer, my Lady of Aparecida, St.Rita of Cassia, St.Jude, St.Expedite and St.Edwiges. I feel so hopeless, impossible, desperate and worried, I urgently need your miraculous intercession and prayer, which I truly believe will be answered, and the help needed soon come from Jesus with the will of Father.

May the Sacred Heart of Jesus 

be Adored and Glorified forever.

Amen.

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.

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.

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.

THIS IS NOT A SCAM, 

I am really going through hard times.

If you have the Heart and Willing to Help, 

you may send me a email at

stanx4christ@gmail.com

and I will provide you with details

or

directly make your help available

through my PAYPAL link page.

Thank You and God Bless
Your Help will Help me,
in turn when I am heal from my distress
I will Help others in turn.
As for now I can only help by
sharing my Christian related 
articles and prayers
on my blog.

Matthew 25:35-40

for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing?  And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’

Proverbs 19:17

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,

and will be repaid in full.

Luke 6:38 

give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”

Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Butterworth, temporary Mass celebration venue changes

NBVM parish Priest, Father Victor Louis has announced that starting the 19 July 2016 till a date to be decided that all the Masses celebration at the NVBM parish in Butterworth for Saturday Sunset Novena and Mass, and Sunday morning English Mass and Sunday evening Mass venue has been changed as follows:

This temporary arrangement is due to the lack of classroom facility in NBVM and will reverted back as usual once the newly proposed building of parish house, office, classroom and hall which is about to kick off is completed fully. 

Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1935)
3972 Jalan New Ferry, 12100 Butterworth, Penang
Tel : +604-3249635
Fax : +604-3243067
Email: nbvmpg@yahoo.com
Parish Priest: Fr. Victor Louis

Saturday Sunset Mass @ 6:30 pm
Sunday 7:00 am (Mass in Tamil)
Catechism for Tamil is held at NBVM.

(Cp) Chapel of Sts Jacques Chastan & Laurent Imbert (1995)
106A Jalan Kurau, Taman Chai Leng,
13700 Perai
T: 04-3249635

8:30 am (Mass in English/Bahasa Malaysia)

8:30 am (Bahasa 3rd Sunday )

5:00 pm (2nd, 3rd & 4th Sundays Mass in Mandarin)

All catechism classes for English and Mandarin is held at the classes building in the chapel.

Saint Jude pray for me at this desperate and urgent time and all those who invoke you aid

Dearest St.Jude, you are the patron saint for the desperate and hopeless cause like me. You are known of your miraculous intercession and prayer to Jesus, I and many have felt and received your miraculous power through Jesus having our petitions answered. Therefore, I who is currently going through storms in my life, and in need of your power intercession and prayer in overcoming the difficulties that I have been facing for several months which have become beyond my means and require urgent help. I have been diagnosed to be suffering from severe OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) whereby my sleep at night is disrupted over 600 times/8hours caused by obstruction of the upper airway (windpipe) when the throat muscles intermittently relax (repetitive pauses) and block my airway during sleep, despite the effort to breathe, and is usually associated with a reduction in blood oxygen saturation. And now I need to buy CPAP machine (continuous positive airway pressure) which cost RM5600~RM5800 to use every night to ensure my airways is always open for breathing. I am also have financial difficulties where I have backlogs with the banks and some people, and also bills unpaid for foe almost 3 months which I unable solve by myself due to the sum is huge and these people are chasing me each and every day, sending legal notices making me even more worried as things are beyond me. I have tried my very best to pay but I can pay for all as my resource is not sufficient. Therefore, I put all my trust, hope and believe in the hands of God and Jesus, I know I am a sinner and may they show their mercy upon me, and do not left me be put to shame or disgrace but saved and restore me. Only miracle from Jesus by the will of the Father in Heaven can heal and provide for my solution to the above mess that I have caused in my life. I want and vow to change my ways and character for the better, by the help from Jesus and the Father through your intercession and prayer, dearest St.Jude. I feel so hopeless, impossible, desperate and worried, I urgently need your miraculous intercession and prayer, which I truly believe will be answered, and the help needed soon come from Jesus with the will of Father.

Dearest St Jude, please pray and intercede for all others who are also invoking your aid. Dearest St.Jude, I promise to make the devotion to you known, and I will always visit your shrine whenever I near one. Dearest St.Jude, pray and intercede for me and all others who are in desperate and hopeless situations. Amen.

Dearest St.Jude, please make use of  the privilege given to you by the Lord, to urgently help those in desperateness, 

hopelessness and in despair. Please pray and intercede that all their storms be rebuke and the calmness in their life is restored, and they are saved. 

THIS IS NOT A SCAM, 

I am really going through hard times.

If you have the Heart and Willing to Help, 

you may send me a email at

stanx4christ@gmail.com

and I will provide you with details

or

directly make your help available

HELP through...

Malaysian Bank

Hong Leong Bank, 

Stanley

AC#-158-50-09065-0

through my PAYPAL link page.

Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist - 29 August 2016

The Church commemorates the martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist somewhere during A.D. 30. In the gospel we read the circumstances leading to Saint John the Baptist martyrdom by being beheaded.

“Dear brothers and sisters, celebrating the martyrdom of St John the Baptist reminds us too, Christians of this time, that with love for Christ, for his words and for the Truth, we cannot stoop to compromises. The Truth is Truth; there are no compromises. Christian life demands, so to speak, the “martyrdom” of daily fidelity to the Gospel, the courage, that is, to let Christ grow within us and let him be the One who guides our thought and our actions.” ~ Pope Benedict XVI, 2012 General Audience address on the memorial of the Saint John the Baptist passion.

O God, who willed that Saint John the Baptist should go ahead of your Son both in his birth and in his death, grant that, as he died a Martyr for truth and justice, we, too, may fight hard for the confession of what you teach. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Reading 1

1 Corinthians 2:1-5
When I came to you, brothers and sisters,
proclaiming the mystery of God,
I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom.
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you
except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling,
and my message and my proclamation
were not with persuasive words of wisdom,
but with a demonstration of spirit and power,
so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom
but on the power of God.


Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 119:97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102
R. Lord, I love your commands.
How I love your law, O LORD!
It is my meditation all the day.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
Your command has made me wiser than my enemies,
for it is ever with me.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
I have more understanding than all my teachers
when your decrees are my meditation.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
I have more discernment than the elders,
because I observe your precepts.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
From every evil way I withhold my feet,
that I may keep your words.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
From your ordinances I turn not away,
for you have instructed me.
R. Lord, I love your commands.


Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.


Gospel
Mark 6:17-29
Herod was the one who had John the Baptist arrested and bound in prison
on account of Herodias,
the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married.
John had said to Herod,
“It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
Herodias harbored a grudge against him
and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.
Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man,
and kept him in custody.
When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,
yet he liked to listen to him.
She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday,
gave a banquet for his courtiers,
his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee.
Herodias’ own daughter came in
and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests.
The king said to the girl,
“Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.”
He even swore many things to her,
“I will grant you whatever you ask of me,
even to half of my kingdom.”
She went out and said to her mother,
“What shall I ask for?”
She replied, “The head of John the Baptist.”
The girl hurried back to the king’s presence and made her request,
“I want you to give me at once
on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”
The king was deeply distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests
he did not wish to break his word to her.
So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders
to bring back his head.
He went off and beheaded him in the prison.
He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl.
The girl in turn gave it to her mother.
When his disciples heard about it,
they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary ~ 22 August 2016

Mary, Our Queen, Our Mother

Salve Regina, Mater misericordiae!

On 22 August, we celebrate her Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary (or Also known as the Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary), which is the crowning of her as the Queen of Heaven upon her Assumption into Heaven which we celebrated eight days ago on 15 August.

Pope Pius XII established the Feast of the Queenship of Mary on the 11 October 1954 to be celebrated throughout the world, and commanded that the world should renew its consecration to her on this particular day each year through his Encyclical Letter “Ad Caeli Reginam.”. Currently the feast is celebrated on 22 August following the post-conciliar reform of the liturgical calendar, it has been placed eight days after the Solemnity of the Assumption, in order to emphasize the close bond between Mary's queenship and her glorification in body and soul next to her Son. In the Second Vatican Council's Constitution on the Church, we read: "Mary was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen of the universe, that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son" (Lumen Gentium, 59). 

"Jesus was a descendant of the House of David in which it was the practice of the mother of the king to sit at the right hand of the king as the Queen mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, being the mother of Jesus, is entitled by tradition to sit at the right hand of the Lord Jesus in His eternal Kingdom, she rightfully having inherited the honour and title of Queen Mother as the mother of Jesus who is the King of kings and Lord of lords." ~ from www.catholicdoors.com

Therefore, when the Virgin of virgins was led forth by God and her Son, the King of kings. amid the company of exulting angels and rejoicing archangels, with the heavens ringing with praise, the prophecy of the psalmist of psalm 45 was fulfilled, in which he said to the Lord: At your right hand stands the queen, clothed in gold of Ophir (Psalm 45).

We the faithful Catholics, set our eyes towards Mary, the Heavenly Queen, in the hope of her protection. By watching over us, her children: the children who turn to her in prayer, to thank her and to ask her maternal protection and her heavenly help, perhaps after having lost their way, or weighed down by suffering and anguish on account of the sad and troubled events of life. In times of serenity or in the darkness of life we turn to Mary, entrusting ourselves to her continual intercession, so that from her Son we may obtain every grace and mercy necessary for our pilgrimage along the paths of the world. To Him who rules the world and holds the destinies of the universe in His hands we turn with confidence, through the Virgin Mary. The title of Queen is therefore a title of trust, of joy and of love. And we know that what she holds in her hands for the fate of the world is good; she loves us, and she helps us in our difficulties.

The Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Queen but for our common consolation, be it known that she is a Queen so sweet, clement, and so ready to help us in our miseries, that the holy Church wills that we should also salute her under the title of Queen of Mercy.

Prayer

O, Mother of my God, and my Lady Mary; as a beggar, all wounded and sore, presents himself before a great queen, so do I present myself before thee, who art the Queen of heaven and earth. From the lofty throne on which thou sittest, disdain not, I implore thee, to cast thine eyes on me, a poor sinner. God has made thee so rich that thou mightest assist the poor, and has constituted thee Queen of Mercy in order that thou mightest relieve the miserable. Behold me then, and pity me: behold me and abandon me not, until thou seest me changed from a sinner into a saint. I know well that I merit nothing; nay more, that I deserve, on account of my ingratitude, to be deprived of the graces that, through thy means, I have already received from God. But thou, who art the Queen of Mercy, seekest not merits, but miseries, in order to help the needy. But who is more needy than I? 

O, exalted Virgin, well do I know that thou, who art Queen of the universe, art already my queen; yet am I determined to dedicate myself more especially to thy service, in order that thou mayest dispose of me as thou pleasest. Therefore do I address thee in the words of St. Bonaventur: "Do thou govern me, O my Queen, and leave me not to myself". Command me; employ me as thou wilt, and chastise me when I do not obey; for the chastisements that come from thy hands will be to me pledges of salvation. I would rather be thy servant than the ruler of the earth. I am thine; save me. Accept me, O Mary, for thine own, and as thine, take charge of my salvation. I will no longer be mine; to thee do I give myself. If, during the time past I have served thee ill, and lost so many occasions of honouring thee, for the future I will be one of thy most loving and faithful servants. I am determined that from this day forward no one shall surpass me in honouring and loving thee, my most amiable Queen. This I promise; and this, with thy help, I hope to execute. Amen.

O God, who made the Mother of your Son to be our Mother and our Queen, graciously grant that, sustained by her intercession, we may attain in the heavenly Kingdom the glory promised to your children. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Reading 1

2 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 11-12
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the Church of the Thessalonians
in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters,
as is fitting, because your faith flourishes ever more,
and the love of every one of you for one another grows ever greater.
Accordingly, we ourselves boast of you in the churches of God
regarding your endurance and faith in all your persecutions
and the afflictions you endure.

This is evidence of the just judgment of God,
so that you may be considered worthy of the Kingdom of God
for which you are suffering.

We always pray for you,
that our God may make you worthy of his calling
and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose
and every effort of faith,
that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you,
and you in him,
in accord with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ.


Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 4-5
R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name.
R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
For great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
awesome is he, beyond all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are things of nought,
but the LORD made the heavens.
R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.


Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.


Gospel

Matthew 23:13-22

Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men.
You do not enter yourselves,
nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You traverse sea and land to make one convert,
and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna
twice as much as yourselves.

“Woe to you, blind guides, who say,
‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing,
but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.’
Blind fools, which is greater, the gold,
or the temple that made the gold sacred?
And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing,
but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.’
You blind ones, which is greater, the gift,
or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it;
one who swears by the temple swears by it
and by him who dwells in it;
one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God
and by him who is seated on it.”