Fragmenda

Scripture

Psalms 106–109

Psalms 106

Confitemini Domino. All are invited to give thanks to God for his perpetual providence over men. Alleluia.

1 

Give glory to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

2 

Let them say so that have been redeemed by the Lord, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy: and gathered out of the countries.

3 

From the rising and from the setting of the sun, from the north and from the sea.

4 

They wandered in a wilderness, in a place without water: they found not the way of a city for their habitation.

5 

They were hungry and thirsty: their soul fainted in them.

6 

And they cried to the Lord in their tribulation: and he delivered them out of their distresses.

7 

And he led them into the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.

8 

Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him: and his wonderful works to the children of men.

9 

For he hath satisfied the empty soul, and hath filled the hungry soul with good things.

10 

Such as sat in darkness and in the shadow of death: bound in want and in iron.

11 

Because they had exasperated the words of God: and provoked the counsel of the most High:

12 

And their heart was humbled with labours: they were weakened, and there was none to help them.

13 

Then they cried to the Lord in their affliction: and he delivered them out of their distresses.

14 

And he brought them out of darkness, and the shadow of death; and broke their bonds in sunder.

15 

Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him, and his wonderful works to the children of men.

16 

Because he hath broken gates of brass, and burst iron bars.

17 

He took them out of the way of their iniquity: for they were brought low for their injustices.

18 

Their soul abhorred all manner of meat: and they drew nigh even to the gates of death.

19 

And they cried to the Lord in their affliction: and he delivered them out of their distresses.

20 

He sent his word, and healed them: and delivered them from their destructions.

21 

Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him: and his wonderful works to the children of men.

22 

And let them sacrifice the sacrifice of praise: and declare his works with joy.

23 

They that go down to the sea in ships, doing business in the great waters:

24 

These have seen the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.

25 

He said the word, and there arose a storm of wind: and the waves thereof were lifted up.

26 

They mount up to the heavens, and they go down to the depths: their soul pined away with evils.

27 

They were troubled, and reeled like a drunken man; and all their wisdom was swallowed up.

28 

And they cried to the Lord in their affliction: and he brought them out of their distresses.

29 

And he turned the storm into a breeze: and its waves were still.

30 

And they rejoiced because they were still: and he brought them to the haven which they wished for.

31 

Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him, and his wonderful works to the children of men.

32 

And let them exalt him in the church of the people: and praise him in the chair of the ancients.

33 

He hath turned rivers into a wilderness: and the sources of waters into dry ground:

34 

A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein.

35 

He hath turned a wilderness into pools of waters, and a dry land into water springs.

36 

And hath placed there the hungry; and they made a city for their habitation.

37 

And they sowed fields, and planted vineyards: and they yielded fruit of birth.

38 

And he blessed them, and they were multiplied exceedingly: and their cattle he suffered not to decrease.

39 

Then they were brought to be few: and they were afflicted through the trouble of evils and sorrow.

40 

Contempt was poured forth upon their princes: and he caused them to wander where there was no passing, and out of the way.

41 

And he helped the poor out of poverty: and made him families like a flock of sheep.

42 

The just shall see, and shall rejoice, and all iniquity shall stop her mouth.

43 

Who is wise, and will keep these things; and will understand the mercies of the Lord?


Psalms 107

Paratum cor meum. The prophet praiseth God for benefits received.

1 

A canticle of a psalm for David himself.

2 

My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready: I will sing, and will give praise, with my glory.

3 

Arise, my glory; arise, psaltery and harp: I will arise in the morning early.

4 

I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: and I will sing unto thee among the nations.

5 

For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth even unto the clouds.

6 

Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens, and thy glory over all the earth:

7 

That thy beloved may be delivered. Save with thy right hand and hear me.

8 

God hath spoken in his holiness. I will rejoice, and I will divide Sichem and I will mete out the vale of tabernacles.

9 

Galaad is mine: and Manasses is mine and Ephraim the protection of my head. Juda is my king:

10 

Moab the pot of my hope. Over Edom I will stretch out my shoe: the aliens are become my friends.

11 

Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?

12 

Wilt not thou, O God, who hast cast us off? and wilt not thou, O God, go forth with our armies?

13 

O grant us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.

14 

Through God we shall do mightily: and he will bring our enemies to nothing.


Psalms 108

Deus, laudem meam. David in the person of Christ, prayeth against his persecutors; more especially the traitor Judas: foretelling and approving his just punishment for his obstinacy in sin and final impenitence.

1 

Unto the end, a psalm for David.

2 

O God, be not thou silent in my praise: for the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful man is opened against me.

3 

They have spoken against me with deceitful tongues; and they have compassed me about with words of hatred; and have fought against me without cause.

4 

Instead of making me a return of love, they detracted me: but I gave myself to prayer.

5 

And they repaid me evil for good: and hatred for my love.

6 

Set thou the sinner over him: and may the devil stand at his right hand.

7 

When he is judged, may he go out condemned; and may his prayer be turned to sin.

8 

May his days be few: and his bishopric let another take.

9 

May his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.

10 

Let his children be carried about vagabonds, and beg; and let them be cast out of their dwellings.

11 

May the usurer search all his substance: and let strangers plunder his labours.

12 

May there be none to help him: nor none to pity his fatherless offspring.

13 

May his posterity be cut off; in one generation may his name be blotted out.

14 

May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered in the sight of the Lord: and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.

15 

May they be before the Lord continually, and let the memory of them perish from the earth:

16 

because he remembered not to shew mercy,

17 

But persecuted the poor man and the beggar; and the broken in heart, to put him to death.

18 

And he loved cursing, and it shall come unto him: and he would not have blessing, and it shall be far from him. And he put on cursing, like a garment: and it went in like water into his entrails, and like oil in his bones.

19 

May it be unto him like a garment which covereth him; and like a girdle with which he is girded continually.

20 

This is the work of them who detract me before the Lord; and who speak evils against my soul.

21 

But thou, O Lord, do with me for thy name’s sake: because thy mercy is sweet. Do thou deliver me,

22 

For I am poor and needy, and my heart is troubled within me.

23 

I am taken away like the shadow when it declineth: and I am shaken off as locusts.

24 

My knees are weakened through fasting: and my flesh is changed for oil.

25 

And I am become a reproach to them: they saw me and they shaked their heads.

26 

Help me, O Lord my God; save me; according to thy mercy.

27 

And let them know that this is thy hand: and that thou, O Lord, hast done it.

28 

They will curse and thou wilt bless: let them that rise up against me be confounded: but thy servant shall rejoice.

29 

Let them that detract me be clothed with shame: and let them be covered with their confusion as with a double cloak.

30 

I will give great thanks to the Lord with my mouth: and in the midst of many I will praise him.

31 

Because he hath stood at the right hand of the poor, to save my soul from persecutors.


Psalms 109

Dixit Dominus. Christ’s exaltation and everlasting priesthood.

1 

A psalm for David. The Lord said to my Lord: Sit thou at my right hand: Until I make thy enemies thy footstool.

2 

The Lord will send forth the sceptre of thy power out of Sion: rule thou in the midst of thy enemies.

3 

With thee is the principality in the day of thy strength: in the brightness of the saints: from the womb before the day star I begot thee.

4 

The Lord hath sworn, and he will not repent: Thou art a priest for ever according to the order of Melchisedech.

5 

The Lord at thy right hand hath broken kings in the day of his wrath.

6 

He shall judge among nations, he shall fill ruins: he shall crush the heads in the land of many.

7 

He shall drink of the torrent in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.

Catechism

An Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism of Christian Doctrine, Lesson 24, Question 270

270 Q. Which is the best manner of hearing Mass?

A. The best manner of hearing Mass is to offer it to God with the priest for the same purpose for which it is said, to meditate on Christ's sufferings and death, and to go to Holy Communion.

That is, to offer it up for whatever intention the priest is offering it—for the dead, for the conversion of sinners, for the good of others, etc.; but especially for the four ends of which I have already spoken—to worship God, thank Him, etc. "Christ's death," of which it reminds us. "Holy Communion," if we are in a state of grace, and have prepared to receive Communion.

You should go to Holy Communion as often as possible, and you should try every day to make yourself more worthy of that great Sacrament. Think of it! To receive your God and Saviour into your soul, and to be united with Him, as the word communion means! The early Christians used to go to Communion very frequently. The Church requires us to go to Holy Communion at least once a year, but we should not be satisfied with doing merely what is necessary to avoid mortal sin. Do we try to keep away from persons we love? Then if we really love Our Lord should we not desire to receive Him? All good Catholics should go to Holy Communion at least once a week, on Sunday. Persons wishing to lead truly holy lives should go to Communion more often, or even every day.

When we cannot go really to Communion we can merit God's grace by making a spiritual Communion. What is a spiritual Communion? It is an earnest desire to receive Communion. You prepare yourself as if you were really going to Communion; you try to imagine yourself going up, receiving the Blessed Sacrament, and returning to your place. Then you thank God for all His blessings to you as you would have done had you received. This is an act of devotion, and one very pleasing to God, as many holy writers tell us.

I cannot leave this lesson on the Holy Eucharist without telling you something of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, now so universally practiced and so closely connected with the devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. The Church grants many indulgences, and Our Lord Himself promises many rewards to those who honor the Sacred Heart. But what do we mean by the Sacred Heart? We mean the real natural heart of Our Lord, to which His divinity is united as it is to His whole body. But why do we adore this real, natural heart of Our Lord? We adore it because love is said to be in the heart, and we wish to return Our Lord love, and gratitude for the great love He has shown to us in dying for us, and in instituting the Sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist, by which He can remain with us in His sacred humanity. When Our Lord appeared to Saint Margaret Mary He said: "Behold this Heart, that has loved men so ardently, and is so little loved in return." The first Friday of every month and the whole month of June are dedicated to the Sacred Heart.