Sunday, October 31
Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
Roman Ordinary calendar
Book of Deuteronomy 6,2-6.
so that you and your son and your grandson may fear the LORD, your God, and keep, throughout the days of your lives, all his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you, and thus have long life.
Hear then, Israel, and be careful to observe them, that you may grow and prosper the more, in keeping with the promise of the LORD, the God of your fathers, to give you a land flowing with milk and honey.
“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!
Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.
Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today.
Psalms 18(17),2-3.4.47.51.
I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
My God, my rock of refuge,
My shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies.
The LORD lives! And blessed be my rock!
Extolled be God my savior.
You who gave great victories to your king
And showed kindness to your anointed;
to David and his posterity forever.
Letter to the Hebrews 7,23-28.
Those priests were many because they were prevented by death from remaining in office,
but he, because he remains forever, has a priesthood that does not pass away.
Therefore, he is always able to save those who approach God through him, since he lives forever to make intercession for them.
It was fitting that we should have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, higher than the heavens.
He has no need, as did the high priests, to offer sacrifice day after day, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did that once for all when he offered himself.
For the law appoints men subject to weakness to be high priests, but the word of the oath, which was taken after the law, appoints a son, who has been made perfect forever.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 12,28b-34.
One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?”
Jesus replied, “The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, ‘He is One and there is no other than he.’
And ‘to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself’ is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
And when Jesus saw that (he) answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)
Dominican tertiary, Doctor of the Church, co-patron of Europe
Letter 36, to Queen Giovanna of Naples (trans. Vida Scudder, London: J.M. Dent, 1927)
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul”
Dearest mother in Christ, sweet Jesus: I, Catherine, servant and slave of the servants of Jesus Christ write to you in his precious Blood with desire to see you grounded in the knowledge of the Truth, Christ, sweet Jesus. (…)
I beseech you in the name of Jesus Christ to dedicate your whole heart, your whole soul, all your strength, to loving and serving this sweet and dearest Father, this Spouse who is God, supreme Truth, eternal, who has loved us so much without being loved. Yes, let no one resist, no matter what his rank, greatness, power: are not all the glories of the world vain, do they not pass away like the wind? Let no creature distance himself from this true love which is the glory, life, and happiness of the soul, and then we shall show that we are faithful spouses. And then, when the soul only loves its Creator, it desires nothing except him. What she loves, what she does, is for him, and whatever she sees besides his will, such as vice, sins, injustice, she detests and the holy hatred she feels against sin is so strong that she would rather die than violate the faith she owes to her eternal Spouse.
O be faithful, be faithful, as you follow in the footsteps of Jesus crucified, detesting vice, embracing virtue, executing great things for him.
Traditional Latin Mass Readings for this Sunday
Click here for a live-streamed Traditional Latin Mass
Sunday, in the Church’s Vetus Ordo calendar, is the Feast of Christ the King, there fixed on the last Sunday of October.
It is customary on the Feast of Christ the King publicly to recite the Act of Consecration of the Human Race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This can bring a plenary indulgence.
It occurs to me that some of you may never have heard or read this Act of Consecration. You aren’t going to get out of this life without seeing it at least once!
Act of Consecration of the Human Race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Most Sweet Jesus, Redeemer of the human race, look down upon us humbly prostrate before Thine altar. We are Thine, and Thine we wish to be; but to be more surely united to Thee, behold each one of us freely consecrates ourselves today to Thy Most Sacred Heart.
Many indeed have never known Thee; Many too, despising Thy precepts, have rejected Thee. Have mercy on them all, most merciful Jesus, and draw them to Thy Sacred Heart. Be Thou King, O Lord, not only of the faithful children, who have never forsaken Thee, but also of the prodigal children, who have abandoned Thee; Grant that they may quickly return to their Father’s house lest they die of wretchedness and hunger.
Be Thou King of those who are deceived by erroneous opinions, or whom discord keeps aloof, and call them back to the harbor of truth and unity of faith, so that there may be but one flock and one Shepherd.
Be Thou King of all those who are still involved in the darkness of idolatry or of Islamism, and refuse not to draw them into the light and kingdom of God. Turn Thine eyes of mercy towards the children of the race, once Thy chosen people: of old they called down upon themselves the Blood of the Savior; may it now descend upon them a laver of redemption and of life.
Grant, O Lord, to Thy Church assurance of freedom and immunity from harm; give peace and order to all nations, and make the earth resound from pole to pole with one cry; praise to the Divine Heart that wrought our salvation; To it be glory and honor forever. Amen.
UPDATE
From the Vatican’s Apostolic Penitentiary, the concession of the plenary indulgence, in Latin, with the prayer, in Latin:
| Plenaria indulgentiaconceditur christifideli qui, in sollemnitate D.N. Iesu Christi Universorum Regis, actum dedicationis humani generis eidem Iesu Christo Regi (Iesu dulcissime, Redemptor) publice recitaverit; in aliis rerum adiunctis indulgentia erit partialis.5Iesu dulcissime, Redemptor humani generis, respice nos ante conspectum tuum humillime provolutos. Tui sumus, tui esse volumus; quo autem tibi coniuncti firmius esse possimus, en hodie sacratissimo Cordi tuo se quisque nostrum sponte dedicat. Te quidem multi novere nunquam; te, spretis mandatis tuis, multi repudiarunt. Miserere utrorumque, benignissime Iesu, atque ad sanctuum Cor tuum rape universos. Rex esto, Domine, nec fidelium tantum qui nullo tempore discessere a te, sed etiam prodigorum filiorum qui te reliquerunt: fac ut domum paternam cito repetant, ne miseria et fame pereant. Rex esto eorum, quos aut opinionum error deceptos habet, aut discordia separatos, eosque ad portum veritatis atque ad unitatem fidei revoca, ut brevi fiat unum ovile et unus pastor. Largire, Domine, Ecclesiae tuae securam cum incolumitate libertatem; largire cunctis gentibus tranquillitatem ordinis; perfice, ut ab utroque terrae vertice una resonet vox: Sit laus divino Cordi, per quod nobis parta salus: ipsi gloria et honor in saecula. Amen. |
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