Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle ~ 30 November 2015

Andrew was the brother of Peter and he was a follower of Saint John the Baptist. Andrew immediately followed Jesus after John the Baptist revealed that Jesus was Son of God and later said �Behold, the Lamb of God!� as Jesus walked by him. (John 1:34-40). Therefore, Andrew became the first disciple of Jesus and he then finds his brother Simon and brings him to Jesus. Andrew was known for bring people to Jesus, It was Andrew who brought the boy with five barley loaves and two fish to Jesus which Jesus miraculously multiplies into enough food to feed everyone (John 6:8) and again during the Passover Feast brought a group of Greeks to meet Jesus when Jesus said �The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified....when I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all men to myself.� (John 12:20-33)

After the death, resurrection and the ascension of Jesus Christ, Andrew travelled around the Black Sea as far as Ukraine and Russia (he is the patron saint of Russia and Ukraine) to evangelise and spread the teaching of Jesus Christ. Andrew is also the Patron Saint of Scotland. Andrew also went to Byzantium (Istanbul in Turkey) and then to Greece. Andrew was martyred by crucifixion at Patras in Achaea in Greece. Andrew was crucified on a saltire cross which is a cross in the shape of an X and that he was tied (instead of nailed)Andrew remained tied to the cross with thick tight ropes for three days and his last words were: "Accept me, O Christ Jesus, whom I saw, whom I love, and in whom I am; accept my spirit in peace in your eternal realm."

Reading 1

Romans 10:9-18
Brothers and sisters:
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
For one believes with the heart and so is justified,
and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.
The Scripture says,
No one who believes in him will be put to shame.
There is no distinction between Jew and Greek;
the same Lord is Lord of all,
enriching all who call upon him.
For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed?
And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
And how can they hear without someone to preach?
And how can people preach unless they are sent?
As it is written,
How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!
But not everyone has heeded the good news;
for Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed what was heard from us?
Thus faith comes from what is heard,
and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.
But I ask, did they not hear?
Certainly they did; for

Their voice has gone forth to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.


Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 11
R. The judgements of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. The judgements of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. The judgements of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. The judgements of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
Sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
R. The judgements of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come after me, says the Lord,
and I will make you fishers of men.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.


Gospel

Matthew 4:18-22
As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew,
casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
He said to them,
�Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.�
At once they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers,
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.
He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father
and followed him.

Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle ~ 24 August 2015

Saint Bartholomew, is one of the least known of the 12 apostles of Jesus. Bartholomew in the first three gospels is the same as the one referred to as Nathaniel who is portrayed as Philip�s friend in John gospel. Bartholomew was a man �in whom there was no guile,� his mind was open to the truth. He went willingly with Philip to see Christ, and recognized the Savior immediately as the Son of God. After the Resurrection, he is believed to have preached in India and with his fellow apostle Jude Thaddeus preached to Armenia. Bartholomew martyred in Albanopolis in Armenia by popular tradition holds that he was flayed alive and crucified, head downward. Therefore, Bartholomew is portrayed as flayed and holding in his hand his own skin.

Strengthen in us, O Lord, the faith, by which the blessed Apostle Bartholomew clung wholeheartedly to your Son, and grant that through the help of his prayers your Church may become for all the nations the sacrament of salvation. 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

Revelation 21:9b-14
The angel spoke to me, saying,
�Come here.
I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.�
He took me in spirit to a great, high mountain
and showed me the holy city Jerusalem
coming down out of heaven from God.
It gleamed with the splendour of God.
Its radiance was like that of a precious stone,
like jasper, clear as crystal.
It had a massive, high wall,
with twelve gates where twelve angels were stationed
and on which names were inscribed,
the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.
There were three gates facing east,
three north, three south, and three west.
The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation,
on which were inscribed the twelve names
of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendour of your Kingdom.

Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, 

the glorious splendour of your Kingdom.
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendour of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, 

the glorious splendour of your Kingdom.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, 

the glorious splendour of your Kingdom.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Rabbi, you are the Son of God;
you are the King of Israel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

John 1:45-51
Philip found Nathanael and told him,
�We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law,
and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.�
But Nathanael said to him,
�Can anything good come from Nazareth?�
Philip said to him, �Come and see.�
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him,
�Here is a true child of Israel.
There is no duplicity in him.�
Nathanael said to him, �How do you know me?�
Jesus answered and said to him,
�Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.�
Nathanael answered him,
�Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.�
Jesus answered and said to him,
�Do you believe
because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?
You will see greater things than this.�
And he said to him, �Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will see heaven opened and the angels of God
ascending and descending on the Son of Man.�

Feast of Saint James the Greater, Apostle ~ 25 July 2015

The feast is celebrated in honouring and as a memorial to the Apostle St. James the Greater.

James is the older brother of John, who are the sons of Zebedee. They were called by Jesus to be His disciples. James and his brother John were given the name Boanerges which means �Sons of thunder� (Mark 3:17) this is because in Luke 9:54 that they wished to call down fire from heaven on the Samaritans when they did not make Jesus welcome. James together with Peter and John were the only apostles present in three special events with Jesus, the raising of Jairus� daughter (Mark 5:37; Luke 8:51), Jesus� Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-2; Luke 9:28-29), and they were with Jesus during his agony in Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-37). 

James was martyred with a sword (Acts 12:1-2) in Jerusalem by the order of Herod. James was buried within the Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Just as James did with his brother John, therefore we too need to be obedient and without delay answer to the invitation of Jesus and follow Him.

Gospel

Matthew 20:20-28
The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons
and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.
He said to her,
�What do you wish?�
She answered him,
�Command that these two sons of mine sit,
one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom.�
Jesus said in reply,
�You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?�
They said to him, �We can.�
He replied,
�My chalice you will indeed drink,
but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.�
When the ten heard this,
they became indignant at the two brothers.
But Jesus summoned them and said,
�You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and the great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served
but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.�

Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle ~ 3 July 2015

St.Thomas was on of the twelve disciples of Jesus, He earn the name "Doubting Thomas" due his disbelief about the resurrection of Jesus as in today's Gospel of John below. St.Thomas preached and founded early churches in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Ethiopia and finally India. Preaching the Gospel earned Thomas a martyr�s death in 72AD at the Indian city of Meliapur (Mylapore), where he was stab by a spear (lance). Jesus� spear wounds were the evidence Thomas needed to believe, but Thomas� spear wounds are the evidence of his faith. 

Grant, almighty God, that we may glory in the Feast of the blessed Apostle Thomas, so that we may always be sustained by his intercession and, believing, may have life in the name of Jesus Christ your Son, whom Thomas acknowledged as the Lord. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Gospel

John 20:24-29
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, �We have seen the Lord.�
But Thomas said to them,
�Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.�
Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, �Peace be with you.�
Then he said to Thomas, �Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.�
Thomas answered and said to him, �My Lord and my God!�
Jesus said to him, �Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.�

Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle ~ 2013

Andrew, son of Zebedee and the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the first called by Jesus to follow him as his disciple. St. Andrew was known for starting the Eastern Catholic Churches. Andrew is patron of Russia.

Andrew in tradition is believed to have died by crucifixion at Patras, Achaia in southern Greece where he was bound, not nailed, to an X-shaped cross, which came to be known as the Cross of St Andrew. It was done at his own request as he felt not worthy to be crucified on a cross like Jesus.

Novena to St. Andrew

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.

(It is piously believed that whoever recites the above prayer fifteen times a day from the feast of St. Andrew (30 November) until Christmas will obtain what is asked.)

Saturday, 30 November, 2013
St. Andrew, Apostle (Feast)

Reading

Romans 10: 9 - 18
9	because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10	For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved.
11	The scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame."
12	For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and bestows his riches upon all who call upon him.
13	For, "every one who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved."
14	But how are men to call upon him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?
15	And how can men preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news!"
16	But they have not all obeyed the gospel; for Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?"
17	So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ.
18	But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have; for "Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world."

Psalm

Psalms 19: 8 - 11
8	the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
9	the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever; the ordinances of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.
10	More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
11	Moreover by them is thy servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

Gospel

Matthew 4: 18 - 22
18	As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
19	And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
20	Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
21	And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zeb'edee and John his brother, in the boat with Zeb'edee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.
22	Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

The Chair of St. Peter, Apostle (Feast)

St. Peter the Apostle, to whom the Lord said, 

�You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church.�

The feast of the Chair of Saint Peter is where the Church celebrates the papacy and St. Peter as the first bishop of Rome. St. Peter's original name was Simon, the teaching authority - the Magesterium of the Vicar of Christ who occupies the throne of Saint Peter. The Catechism teaches that "it is the Magesterium's task to preserve God's people from deviations and defections and to guarantee them the objective possibility of possibility of professing the true faith without error" so that "the People of God abides in the truth that liberates. (CCC 890). Saint Peter first established Christianity in Antioch, then to Rome.

The chair of Saint Peter, literally, is the fixed seat of the supreme pontiff and the bishops, which is permanently placed in the mother church of the diocese (hence its name of �cathedral� after �cathedra� the chair) and is the symbol of the bishop and his ordinary magisterium in the local church. The chair of St. Peter indicates his position in the apostolic college, established by the will of Jesus, who assigned the task of �feeding� the flock, that is to lead the new People of God, the Church.

The Chair is about four feet seven inches high, 3 feet wide with the seat at one foot ten inches above the ground.

Friday, February 22, 2013
The Chair of St. Peter, Apostle (Feast)

First Reading

1 Peter 5: 1 - 4

1	So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker in the glory that is to be revealed.
2	Tend the flock of God that is your charge, not by constraint but willingly, not for shameful gain but eagerly,
3	not as domineering over those in your charge but being examples to the flock.
4	And when the chief Shepherd is manifested you will obtain the unfading crown of glory.

 

Psalm

Psalms 23: 1 - 6 

1	The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want;
2	he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters;
3	he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4	Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
5	Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows.
6	Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Gospel

Matthew 16: 13 - 19

13	Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesare'a Philip'pi, he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that the Son of man is?"
14	And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli'jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
15	He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
16	Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
17	And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
18	And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.
19	I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."