CATHOLIC MASS READINGS: Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time 8.20.17 – USCCB/NABRV
“… Jesus said to her in reply,
‘O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish.’
And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour.”
Month: August 2017
CATHOLIC MASS READINGS: Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Mass During the Day 8.15.17 – USCCB/NABRV
“… And Mary said:
‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me
and holy is his Name. …”
CATHOLIC FAITHLINK: “Canon 1246, §2 – Holy Days of Obligation”- USCCB
“… In addition to Sunday, the days to be observed as holy days of obligation in the Latin Rite dioceses of the United States of America, in conformity with canon 1246, are as follows:
January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter, the solemnity of the Ascension
August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
November 1, the solemnity of All Saints
December 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
December 25, the solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Whenever January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, or August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption, or November 1, the solemnity of All Saints, falls on a Saturday or on a Monday, the precept to attend Mass is abrogated. …”
CATHOLIC MASS READINGS: Solemnity Of The Assumption Of The Blessed Virgin Mary – Vigil Mass 8.15.17 – USCCB/NABRV
“While Jesus was speaking,
a woman from the crowd called out and said to Him,
‘Blessed is the womb that carried you
and the breasts at which you nursed.’
He replied,
‘Rather, blessed are those
who hear the word of God and observe it.'”
The Solemnity of the Assumption on Tuesday, Aug. 15, is a Holy Day of Obligation, and It Starts With Vigil Masses on Monday Evening
On Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017, the Catholic Church marks the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a Holy Day of Obligation. Catholics are required to participate in Mass (or Eastern Rite Catholic Divine Liturgy) on Tuesday, or on Monday evening at a Vigil Mass.
The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary honors the Blessed Mother, with a special focus on the dogma that, with her entry into Eternal Life, she was Assumed Body and Soul into Heaven.
To miss Mass on Sunday or a Holy Day of Obligation is a grave sin, absent a sufficient, valid excuse. In addition to the threat of eternal damnation, a grave sin bars a Catholic from receiving Holy Communion unless and until going to Confession to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
In the United States there has been a slight modification of the guidelines for Holy Days, by which U.S. Catholic Bishops have indicated that the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is not, currently, a Holy Day of Obligation if it falls on a Saturday or Monday. This year, of course, it falls on a Tuesday, and it is the Vigil Mass for Tuesday that takes place on Monday evening, so the Obligation is in force.
With regard to the Dogma of the Assumption, Venerable Pope Pius XII held, in his Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus Defining The Dogma Of The Assumption:
“… 44. For which reason, after we have poured forth prayers of supplication again and again to God, and have invoked the light of the Spirit of Truth, for the glory of Almighty God who has lavished his special affection upon the Virgin Mary, for the honor of her Son, the immortal King of the Ages and the Victor over sin and death, for the increase of the glory of that same august Mother, and for the joy and exultation of the entire Church; by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory. …”
Additional Reading & Resources:
- Mass Readings: Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Vigil Mass
- Mass Readings: Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Mass During the Day
- Canon 1246, §2 – Holy Days of Obligation – USCCB
- Apostolic Constitution of Pope Pius XII Munificentissimus Deus Defining The Dogma Of The Assumption – Vatican.va
VIDEO: CATHOLIC MASS READINGS & HOMILY: Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr, Monday 8.14.17 – EWTN
Catholic TV Mass Readings and Homily for the Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr, Monday, Aug. 14, 2017, from EWTN in Alabama. [Click here for Mass Readings]
[featured image is file photo from different location]
CATHOLIC FAITHLINK: “Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe; Saint of the Day for August 14” – Franciscan Media
“… Father Kolbe’s death was not a sudden, last-minute act of heroism. His whole life had been a preparation. His holiness was a limitless, passionate desire to convert the whole world to God. And his beloved Immaculata was his inspiration. …”
CATHOLIC MASS READINGS: Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr, Monday 8.14.17 – USCCB/NABRV
“As Jesus and His Disciples were gathering in Galilee,
Jesus said to them,
‘The Son of Man is to be handed over to men,
and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.’
And they were overwhelmed with grief. …”
CATHOLIC FAITHLINK: “[Jesus walks on water;] BENEDICT XVI ANGELUS, Sunday, 7 August 2011” – VaticanVa
“… Nonetheless Jesus reassured them: ‘Take heart, it is I; have no fear’ (v. 27). This is an episode from which the Fathers of the Church drew a great wealth of meaning. The sea symbolizes this life and the instability of the visible world; the storm points to every kind of trial or difficulty that oppresses human beings. The boat, instead, represents the Church, built by Christ and steered by the Apostles.
Jesus wanted to teach the disciples to bear life’s adversities courageously, trusting in God, in the One who revealed himself to the Prophet Elijah on Mount Horeb “in a still small voice” [the whispering of a gentle breeze] (1 Kings 19:12). …”
CATHOLIC FAITHLINK: “Fix Your Focus – A Homily for the 19th Sunday of the Year” – Archdiocese of Washington/ Msgr. Charles Pope
“The Gospel today is about faith and about focus. It teaches that although storms and struggles inevitably arise, we have a choice as to whether we focus on them or on Jesus. The message is clear: “Keep your eyes on the prize. Hold on!”
Let’s look at this Gospel in three stages: Perceived Distance, Produced Distress, and Point of Decision. I have also included a fourth section for more in-depth study: Process of Development. …”