More Lenten Reflections

Here is a short video about Lent. It is by Father Thomas Rosica C.S.B. Those of you up here in Canada will recognize him from Salt & Light Television.
Actually I really like listening to Father Thomas as he speaks because e has always provided me with simple and concise information when I watch him on Salt and Light.
So please watch, enjoy and learn from this short video. God Bless!

The Sunday Reading

First Reading - Gen 15:5-12,17-18

5. And he brought him outside, and he said to him, “Take in the heavens, and number the stars, if you can.” And he said to him, “So also will your offspring be.”
6. Abram believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice.
7. And he said to him, “I am the Lord who led you away from Ur of the Chaldeans, so as to give you this land, and so that you would possess it.”
8. But he said, “Lord God, in what way may I be able to know that I will possess it?”
9. And the Lord responded by saying: “Take for me a cow of three years, and a she-goat of three years, and a ram of three years, also a turtle-dove and a pigeon.”
10. Taking all these, he divided them through the middle, and placed both parts opposite one another. But the birds he did not divide.
11. And birds descended upon the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.
12. And when the sun was setting, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a dread, great and dark, invaded him.
17. Then, when the sun had set, there came a dark mist, and there appeared a smoking furnace and a lamp of fire passing between those divisions.
18. On that day, God formed a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your offspring I will give this land, from the river of Egypt, even to the great river Euphrates:

Psalm - Ps 27:1,7-9,13-14

1. The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the protector of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?
7. Hear my voice, O Lord, with which I have cried out to you. Have mercy on me, and hear me.
8. My heart has spoken to you; my face has sought you. I yearn for your face, O Lord.
9. Do not turn your face away from me. In your wrath, do not turn aside from your servant. Be my helper. Do not abandon me, and do not despise me, O God, my Saviour.
13. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
14. Wait for the Lord, act manfully; and let your heart be strengthened, and remain with the Lord.

Second Reading - Phil 3:17-4:1

17. Brothers and Sisters: Be imitators of me, brothers, and observe those who are walking similarly, just as you have seen by our example.
18. For many persons, about whom I have often told you (and now tell you, weeping,) are walking as enemies of the cross of Christ.
19. Their end is destruction; their god is their belly; and their glory is in their shame: for they are immersed in earthly things.
20. But our way of life is in heaven. And from heaven, too, we await the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ,
21. who will transform the body of our lowliness, according to the form of the body of his glory, by means of that power by which he is even able to subject all things to himself.
1. And so, my most beloved and most desired brothers, my joy and my crown: stand firm in this way, in the Lord, most beloved.

Gospel - Lk 9:28b-36

28b.he took Peter and James and John, and he ascended onto a mountain, so that he might pray.
29. And while he was praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his vestment became white and shining.
30. And behold, two men were talking with him. And these were Moses and Elijah, appearing in majesty.
31. And they spoke of his departure, which he would accomplish at Jerusalem.
32. Yet truly, Peter and those who were with him were weighed down by sleep. And becoming alert, they saw his majesty and the two men who were standing with him.
33. And it happened that, as these were departing from him, Peter said to Jesus: “Teacher, it is good for us to be here. And so, let us make three tabernacles: one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what he was saying.
34. Then, as he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them. And as these were entering into the cloud, they were afraid.
35. And a voice came from the cloud, saying: “This is my beloved son. Listen to him.”
36. And while the voice was being uttered, Jesus was found to be alone. And they were silent and told no one, in those days, any of these things, which they had seen.

Well Said!

Edinburgh, United Kingdom, Feb 25, 2010 / 03:29 am (CNA).- Responding to remarks by the Secretary of State of Scotland that encouraged openness to religion in public life, Cardinal Keith O’Brien welcomed the sentiment. However, he said the British Government has shown no evidence of openness but has instead has “taken no note whatsoever of the concerns of people of faith.”

The cardinal also accused the Government of conducting a “systematic and unrelenting attack on family values.”

Jim Murphy, the Scottish Secretary, delivered a speech at the House of Commons which advocated outreach to religious voters ahead of the general election. He told a think tank meeting that the Labour Party must accommodate the concerns of religious voters if the party is to win another term in power, the Daily Telegraph reports.

The BBC says he discussed the role of faith in U.S. politics and claimed that faith values have always been “at the very foundations of the Labour Party.”

Murphy, who is Catholic, said people of all faiths listen when Cardinal O’Brien speaks.

To this, Cardinal O’Brien on Tuesday responded that any recognition of the social role of faith and religion is “to be welcomed.”

“However, a tangible example by the Government over the last decade that it acknowledged or endorsed religious values would also have been welcomed. Instead we have witnessed this Government undertake a systematic and unrelenting attack on family values.”

The cardinal also said that he had personally voiced this charge to Prime Minister Gordon Brown in a 2008 meeting.

“I have seen no evidence since then to suggest anything has changed," the Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh continued.

He said the objections of the Church and other faiths were ignored in legislation to permit experimentation on and destruction of human embryos and also when civil partnerships and adoption by same-sex couples were permitted. The refusal to tackle the “soaring toll” of abortions also ignored religious concerns, he stated.

In a reference to the controversy over proposed restrictive provisions of the Equality Bill, his remarks concluded:

“Most recently in advancing legislation which would completely and permanently undermine religious freedom this Government has taken no note whatsoever of the concerns of people of faith.”

Tips On Alms Giving!

Found this and decided it was something great to share during Lent! Enjoy

First Week of Lent

So how was your first week of Lent? I guess I am batting about 500 so to speak. It was a rewarding week though in many ways. A couple of things that I decided to do during Lent have really paid off one immensely the second while I have been able to keep it up so far and the third item surprisingly was just going back to what I had been doing for a long time but let fall by the wayside thinking I can pick up anytime.
Really simple things and God just gave me a nice little reminder about how to do these things after praying about them our Lord showed me how the answers were in me through him and on Friday it hit me like a ton of bricks on the simplicity of the relationship that was involved. Yes a simple relationship my love for God and his love for me!
But wait I am not totally naive, out of the starting blocks starting fast, no I know the test will be the endurance and that is the test for all of us. Lent isn't about the 40 days in my estimation it is about shaping oneself in these 40 days for a better life and continuing on after the 40 days of Lent. Simple and wonderful!
Now off to mass which we will celebrate the First Sunday of Lent but also due to the fact that our parish does not have a full time parish Priest we also get the ashes today. Yes I should have gone Wednesday to my local parish but I just couldn't bring myself to go back to my former parish. I just can't handle what goes on there and how all of sudden people show up who never attend mass and those who do attend mass don't show up for this. Not sure if you follow but I am as I get deeper into my faith having a disdain for those who don't attend mass but expect to be considered good Catholics and "Faithful Catholics". I go every week and if I could I would go daily but I can't due to varying circumstances but no way do I even hold myself among the faithful.
No I have a long journey still ahead of me and I don't even know if I can ever find the true road and stay on it but I won't pretend either that by showing up every week that I am a " Faithful catholic"! Okay my rant for the week. Take care and God Bless!

The Sunday Readings

Here are the readings and Gospel for the Fisrt Sunday of Lent,

First Reading - Deut 26:4-10

4. And the priest, taking up the basket from your hand, shall place it before the altar of the Lord your God.
5. And you shall say, in the sight of the Lord your God: ‘The Syrian pursued my father, who descended into Egypt, and he sojourned there in a very small number, and he increased into a great and strong nation and into an innumerable multitude.
6. And the Egyptians afflicted us, and they persecuted us, imposing upon us the most grievous burdens.
7. And we cried out to the Lord, the God of our fathers. He heard us, and he looked with favor upon our humiliation, and hardship, and distress.
8. And he led us away from Egypt, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, with a mighty terror, with signs and wonders.
9. And he led us into this place, and he delivered to us the land flowing with milk and honey.
10. And because of this, I now offer the first fruits of the land which the Lord has given to me.’ And you shall leave them in the sight of the Lord your God, and you shall adore the Lord your God.

Psalm - Ps 91:1-2,10-15

1. The Praise of a Canticle, of David. Whoever dwells with the assistance of the Most High will abide in the protection of the God of heaven.
2. He will say to the Lord, “You are my supporter and my refuge.” My God, I will hope in him.
10. Disaster will not draw near to you, and the scourge will not approach your tabernacle.
11. For he has given his Angels charge over you, so as to preserve you in all your ways.
12. With their hands, they will carry you, lest you hurt your foot against a stone.
13. You will walk over the asp and the king serpent, and you will trample the lion and the dragon.
14. Because he has hoped in me, I will free him. I will protect him because he has known my name.
15. He will cry out to me, and I will heed him. I am with him in tribulation. I will rescue him, and I will glorify him.

Second Reading - Rom 10:8-13

8. But what does Scripture say? “The word is near, in your mouth and in your heart.” This is the word of faith, which we are preaching.
9. For if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and if you believe in your heart that God has raised him up from the dead, you shall be saved.
10. For with the heart, we believe unto justice; but with the mouth, confession is unto salvation.
11. For Scripture says: “All those who believe in him shall not be confounded.”
12. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. For the same Lord is over all, richly in all who call upon him.
13. For all those who have called upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Gospel - Lk 4:1-13

1. And Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan. And he was urged by the Spirit into the wilderness
2. for forty days, and he was tested by the devil. And he ate nothing in those days. And when they were completed, he was hungry.
3. Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, speak to this stone, so that it may be made into bread.”
4. And Jesus answered him, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ”
5. And the devil led him onto a high mountain, and he showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time,
6. and he said to him: “To you, I will give all this power, and its glory. For they have been handed over to me, and I give them to whomever I wish.
7. Therefore, if you will worship before me, all will be yours.”
8. And in response, Jesus said to him: “It is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him alone.’ ”
9. And he brought him to Jerusalem, and he set him on the parapet of the temple, and he said to him: “If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down from here.
10. For it is written that he has given his Angels charge over you, so that they may guard you,
11. and so that they may take you into their hands, lest perhaps you may hurt your foot against a stone.”
12. And in response, Jesus said to him, “It is said: ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”
13. And when all the temptation was completed, the devil withdrew from him, until a time.

A Short Prayer

Good Morning today in my morning emails I received this prayer and it really hit a spot with me so I decided to share with you,

Lord, you know how much I need you and depend on you for everything. You know my weakness and my faults. I put all my confidence in your love and mercy. I wish to trust in your power, your promise, and your grace everyday. Today I intend, with your help, to follow you along the way of the cross with love and generosity so as to draw close to you.

I receive the daily reading from Regnum Christi http://www.regnumchristi.org/
Please take a look and join in for the daily reading and meditation.
God Bless!

A New Site For Me To Share

Yes I do surf the net and sometimes aimlessly but this Lent I am looking to do more and connect more and deeper with m Catholic faith. In that regard I have found a site which I have skipped over numerous times but now on closer look it definitely will be a place where I will spend more time.
Probably most of you have seen it but no matter here it is;

Catholics Come Home

Take a look around at the site. The blog seems informative and educational.

Thanks and God Bless!

Words to Live By

The start of Lent, and today's gospel when read through is a simple building block to live by during Lent and all the other days in our lives.

Gospel - Mt 6:1-6,16-18

1. “Pay attention, lest you perform your justice before men, in order to be seen by them; otherwise you shall not have a reward with your Father, who is in heaven.
2. Therefore, when you give alms, do not choose to sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the towns, so that they may be honored by men. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward.
3. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4. so that your almsgiving may be in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will repay you.
5. And when you pray, you should not be like the hypocrites, who love standing in the synagogues and at the corners of the streets to pray, so that they may be seen by men. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward.
6. But you, when you pray, enter into your room, and having shut the door, pray to your Father in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will repay you.
16. And when you fast, do not choose to become gloomy, like the hypocrites. For they alter their faces, so that their fasting may be apparent to men. Amen I say to you, that they have received their reward.
17. But as for you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
18. so that your fasting will not be apparent to men, but to your Father, who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will repay you.

Fat Tuesday

Happy Fat Tuesday, tomorrow is the start of Lent. Ash Wenesday so enjoy today and prepare for the next 40 days!

Roman Missal Change

Change? What change? Apparently the English or US version of the Roman Missal is changing after final approval. These are to come into effect during Advent 2011. My question to you is what is new?
I mean I am not totally out to lunch on this and yes when I attended English Mass the current Roman Missal is what was used. When I switched parishes and started attending Hungarian Mass I noticed a difference in what was being said during mass. What the rest of you will now have to learn and get used to we have done in the Hungarian Mass all the time. Strange is it not? Is there different forms of mass in different languages or was it just a different translation for Americans? No idea but the form I know now and you will learn to me is much more profound and stronger for our faith. At least me thinks.
Here is a link to read about the changes,

USCCB- Roman Missal

Read through and take to heart the changes. Take care and God Bless!

The Pope's Lenten Message

I saw this at CNA and decided to share with all of you. The Lenten message for 2010 from the Holy Father. Quite good and makes you really think about where and who you are. Please read and enjoy!
Pope Benedict XVI's 2010 Lenten Message

By Pope Benedict XVI

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Each year, on the occasion of Lent, the Church invites us to a sincere review of our life in light of the teachings of the Gospel. This year, I would like to offer you some reflections on the great theme of justice, beginning from the Pauline affirmation: “The justice of God has been manifested through faith in Jesus Christ” (cf. Rm 3, 21-22).

Justice: “dare cuique suum”

First of all, I want to consider the meaning of the term “justice,” which in common usage implies “to render to every man his due,” according to the famous expression of Ulpian, a Roman jurist of the third century. In reality, however, this classical definition does not specify what “due” is to be rendered to each person. What man needs most cannot be guaranteed to him by law. In order to live life to the full, something more intimate is necessary that can be granted only as a gift: we could say that man lives by that love which only God can communicate since He created the human person in His image and likeness. Material goods are certainly useful and required – indeed Jesus Himself was concerned to heal the sick, feed the crowds that followed Him and surely condemns the indifference that even today forces hundreds of millions into death through lack of food, water and medicine – yet “distributive” justice does not render to the human being the totality of his “due.” Just as man needs bread, so does man have even more need of God. Saint Augustine notes: if “justice is that virtue which gives every one his due ... where, then, is the justice of man, when he deserts the true God?” (De civitate Dei, XIX, 21).

What is the Cause of Injustice?

The Evangelist Mark reports the following words of Jesus, which are inserted within the debate at that time regarding what is pure and impure: “There is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him … What comes out of a man is what defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts” (Mk 7, 14-15, 20-21). Beyond the immediate question concerning food, we can detect in the reaction of the Pharisees a permanent temptation within man: to situate the origin of evil in an exterior cause. Many modern ideologies deep down have this presupposition: since injustice comes “from outside,” in order for justice to reign, it is sufficient to remove the exterior causes that prevent it being achieved. This way of thinking – Jesus warns – is ingenuous and shortsighted. Injustice, the fruit of evil, does not have exclusively external roots; its origin lies in the human heart, where the seeds are found of a mysterious cooperation with evil. With bitterness the Psalmist recognises this: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Ps 51,7). Indeed, man is weakened by an intense influence, which wounds his capacity to enter into communion with the other. By nature, he is open to sharing freely, but he finds in his being a strange force of gravity that makes him turn in and affirm himself above and against others: this is egoism, the result of original sin. Adam and Eve, seduced by Satan’s lie, snatching the mysterious fruit against the divine command, replaced the logic of trusting in Love with that of suspicion and competition; the logic of receiving and trustfully expecting from the Other with anxiously seizing and doing on one’s own (cf. Gn 3, 1-6), experiencing, as a consequence, a sense of disquiet and uncertainty. How can man free himself from this selfish influence and open himself to love?

Justice and Sedaqah

At the heart of the wisdom of Israel, we find a profound link between faith in God who “lifts the needy from the ash heap” (Ps 113,7) and justice towards one’s neighbor. The Hebrew word itself that indicates the virtue of justice, sedaqah, expresses this well. Sedaqah, in fact, signifies on the one hand full acceptance of the will of the God of Israel; on the other hand, equity in relation to one’s neighbour (cf. Ex 20, 12-17), especially the poor, the stranger, the orphan and the widow (cf. Dt 10, 18-19). But the two meanings are linked because giving to the poor for the Israelite is none other than restoring what is owed to God, who had pity on the misery of His people. It was not by chance that the gift to Moses of the tablets of the Law on Mount Sinai took place after the crossing of the Red Sea. Listening to the Law presupposes faith in God who first “heard the cry” of His people and “came down to deliver them out of hand of the Egyptians” (cf. Ex 3,8). God is attentive to the cry of the poor and in return asks to be listened to: He asks for justice towards the poor (cf. Sir 4,4-5, 8-9), the stranger (cf. Ex 22,20), the slave (cf. Dt 15, 12-18). In order to enter into justice, it is thus necessary to leave that illusion of self-sufficiency, the profound state of closure, which is the very origin of injustice. In other words, what is needed is an even deeper “exodus” than that accomplished by God with Moses, a liberation of the heart, which the Law on its own is powerless to realize. Does man have any hope of justice then?

Christ, the Justice of God

The Christian Good News responds positively to man’s thirst for justice, as Saint Paul affirms in the Letter to the Romans: “But now the justice of God has been manifested apart from law … the justice of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction; since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by faith” (3, 21-25). What then is the justice of Christ? Above all, it is the justice that comes from grace, where it is not man who makes amends, heals himself and others. The fact that “expiation” flows from the “blood” of Christ signifies that it is not man’s sacrifices that free him from the weight of his faults, but the loving act of God who opens Himself in the extreme, even to the point of bearing in Himself the “curse” due to man so as to give in return the “blessing” due to God (cf. Gal 3, 13-14). But this raises an immediate objection: what kind of justice is this where the just man dies for the guilty and the guilty receives in return the blessing due to the just one? Would this not mean that each one receives the contrary of his “due”? In reality, here we discover divine justice, which is so profoundly different from its human counterpart. God has paid for us the price of the exchange in His Son, a price that is truly exorbitant. Before the justice of the Cross, man may rebel for this reveals how man is not a self-sufficient being, but in need of Another in order to realize himself fully. Conversion to Christ, believing in the Gospel, ultimately means this: to exit the illusion of self-sufficiency in order to discover and accept one’s own need – the need of others and God, the need of His forgiveness and His friendship. So we understand how faith is altogether different from a natural, good-feeling, obvious fact: humility is required to accept that I need Another to free me from “what is mine,” to give me gratuitously “what is His.” This happens especially in the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. Thanks to Christ’s action, we may enter into the “greatest” justice, which is that of love (cf. Rm 13, 8-10), the justice that recognises itself in every case more a debtor than a creditor, because it has received more than could ever have been expected. Strengthened by this very experience, the Christian is moved to contribute to creating just societies, where all receive what is necessary to live according to the dignity proper to the human person and where justice is enlivened by love.

Dear brothers and sisters, Lent culminates in the Paschal Triduum, in which this year, too, we shall celebrate divine justice – the fullness of charity, gift, salvation. May this penitential season be for every Christian a time of authentic conversion and intense knowledge of the mystery of Christ, who came to fulfill every justice. With these sentiments, I cordially impart to all of you my Apostolic Blessing.

From the Vatican, October 30, 2009

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

The Sunday Reading

First Reading - Jer 17:5-8

5. Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is a man who trusts in man, and who establishes what is flesh as his right arm, and whose heart withdraws from the Lord.
6. For he will be like a saltcedar tree in the desert. And he will not perceive it, when what is good has arrived. Instead, he will live in dryness, in a desert, in a land of salt, which is uninhabitable.
7. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, for the Lord will be his confidence.
8. And he will be like a tree planted beside waters, which sends out its roots to moist soil. And it will not fear when the heat arrives. And its leaves will be green. And in the time of drought, it will not be anxious, nor will it cease at any time to bear fruit.

Psalm - Ps 1:1-4,6

1. Blessed is the man who has not followed the counsel of the impious, and has not remained in the way of sinners, and has not sat in the chair of pestilence.
2. But his will is with the law of the Lord, and he will meditate on his law, day and night.
3. And he will be like a tree that has been planted beside running waters, which will provide its fruit in its time, and its leaf will not fall away, and all things whatsoever that he does will prosper.
4. Not so the impious, not so. For they are like the dust that the wind casts along the face of the earth.
6. For the Lord knows the way of the just. And the path of the impious will pass away.

Second Reading - 1 Cor 15:12,16-20

12. Now if Christ is preached, that he rose again from the dead, how is it that some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
16. For if the dead do not rise again, then neither has Christ risen again.
17. But if Christ has not risen, then your faith is vain; for you would still be in your sins.
18. Then, too, those who have fallen asleep in Christ would have perished.
19. If we have hope in Christ for this life only, then we are more miserable than all men.
20. But now Christ has risen again from the dead, as the first-fruits of those who sleep.

Gospel - Lk 6:17,20-26

17. And descending with them, he stood in a level place with a multitude of his disciples, and a copious multitude of people from all of Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast, and Tyre and Sidon,
20. And lifting up his eyes to his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
21. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who are weeping now, for you shall laugh.
22. Blessed shall you be when men will have hated you, and when they will have separated you and reproached you, and thrown out your name as if evil, because of the Son of man.
23. Be glad in that day and exult. For behold, your reward is great in heaven. For these same things their fathers did to the prophets.
24. Yet truly, woe to you who are wealthy, for you have your consolation.
25. Woe to you who are satisfied, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.
26. Woe to you when men will have blessed you. For these same things their fathers did to the false prophets.

The Sunday Reading

First Reading - Is 6:1-2a,3-8

1. In the year in which king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, sublime and exalted, and the things that were under him filled the temple.
2a. The Seraphims were standing above the throne.
3. And they were crying out to one another, and saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts! All the earth is filled with his glory!”
4. And the lintels above the hinges were shaken at the voice of the one crying out. And the house was filled with smoke.
5. And I said: “Woe to me! For I have remained silent. For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live in the midst of a people having unclean lips, and I have seen with my eyes the King, the Lord of hosts!”
6. And one of the Seraphims flew to me, and in his hand was a burning coal, which he had taken with tongs from the altar.
7. And he touched my mouth, and he said, “Behold, this has touched your lips, and so your iniquities will be taken away, and your sin will be cleansed.”
8. And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send?” and, “Who will go for us?” And I said: “Here I am. Send me.”

Psalm - Ps 138:1-5,7-8

1. Of David himself. O Lord, I will confess to you with my whole heart, for you have heard the words of my mouth. I will sing psalms to you in the sight of the Angels.
2. I will adore before your holy temple, and I will confess your name: it is above your mercy and your truth. For you have magnified your holy name above all.
3. On whatever day that I will call upon you: hear me. You will multiply virtue in my soul.
4. May all the kings of the earth confess to you, O Lord. For they have heard all the words of your mouth.
5. And let them sing in accordance with the ways of the Lord. For great is the glory of the Lord.
7. If I wander into the midst of tribulation, you will revive me. For you extended your hand against the wrath of my enemies. And your right hand has accomplished my salvation.
8. The Lord will provide retribution on my behalf. O Lord, your mercy is forever. Do not disdain the works of your hands.

Second Reading - 1 Cor 15:1-11

1. Brothers and Sisters: And so I make known to you, brothers, the Gospel that I preached to you, which you also received, and on which you stand.
2. By the Gospel, too, you are being saved, if you hold to the understanding that I preached to you, lest you believe in vain.
3. For I handed on to you, first of all, what I also received: that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures;
4. and that he was buried; and that he rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures;
5. and that he was seen by Cephas, and after that by the eleven.
6. Next he was seen by more than five hundred brothers at one time, many of whom remain, even to the present time, although some have fallen asleep.
7. Next, he was seen by James, then by all the Apostles.
8. And last of all, he was seen also by me, as if I were someone born at the wrong time.
9. For I am the least of the Apostles. I am not worthy to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God.
10. But, by the grace of God, I am what I am. And his grace in me has not been empty, since I have labored more abundantly than all of them. Yet it is not I, but the grace of God within me.
11. For whether it is I or they: so we preach, and so you have believed.

Gospel - Lk 5:1-11

1. Now it happened that, when the crowds pressed toward him, so that they might hear the word of God, he was standing beside the lake of Genesaret.
2. And he saw two boats standing beside the lake. But the fishermen had climbed down, and they were washing their nets.
3. And so, climbing into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, he asked him to draw back a little from the land. And sitting down, he taught the crowds from the boat.
4. Then, when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, “Lead us into deep water, and release your nets for a catch.”
5. And in response, Simon said to him: “Teacher, working throughout the night, we caught nothing. But on your word, I will release the net.”
6. And when they had done this, they enclosed such a copious multitude of fish that their net was rupturing.
7. And they signaled to their associates, who were in the other boat, so that they would come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they were nearly submerged.
8. But when Simon Peter had seen this, he fell down at the knees of Jesus, saying, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
9. For astonishment had enveloped him, and all who were with him, at the catch of fish that they had taken.
10. Now the same was true of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were associates of Simon. And Jesus said to Simon: “Do not be afraid. From now on, you will be catching men.”
11. And having led their boats to land, leaving behind everything, they followed him.