Second reading
From a sermon on the Song of Songs by Saint Bernard, abbot
Where sin abounded grace has overflowed

Where can the weak find a place of firm security and peace, except in the wounds of the Savior? Indeed, the more secure is my place there, the more he can do to help me. The world rages, the flesh is heavy, and the devil lays his snares, but I do not fall, for my feet are planted on firm rock. I may have sinned gravely. My conscience would be distressed, but it would not be in turmoil, for I would recall the wounds of the Lord: he was wounded for our iniquities. What sin is there so deadly that it cannot be pardoned by the death of Christ? And so if I bear in mind this strong, effective remedy, I can never again be terrified by the malignancy of sin.

Surely the man who said: My sin is too great to merit pardon, was wrong. He was speaking as though he were not a member of Christ and had no share in his merits, so that he could claim them as his own, as a member of the body can claim what belongs to the head. As for me, what can I appropriate that I lack from the heart of the Lord who abounds in mercy? They pierced his hands and feet and opened his side with a spear. Through the openings of these wounds I may drink honey from the rock and oil from the hardest stone: that is, I may taste and see that the Lord is sweet.

He was thinking thoughts of peace, and I did not know it, for who knows the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? But the piercing nail has become a key to unlock the door, that I may see the good will of the Lord. And what can I see as I look through the hole? Both the nail and the wound cry out that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. The sword pierced his soul and came close to his heart, so that he might be able to feel compassion for me in my weaknesses.

Through these sacred wounds we can see the secret of his heart, the great mystery of love, the sincerity of his mercy with which he visited us from on high. Where have your love, your mercy, your compassion shone out more luminously than in your wounds, sweet, gentle Lord of mercy? More mercy than this no one has than that he lay down his life for those who are doomed to death.

My merit comes from his mercy; for I do not lack merit so long as he does not lack pity. And if the Lord’s mercies are many, then I am rich in merits. For even if I am aware of many sins, what does it matter? Where sin abounded grace has overflowed. And if the Lord’s mercies are from all ages for ever, I too will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever. Will I not sing of my own righteousness? No, Lord, I shall be mindful only of your justice. Yet that too is my own; for God has made you my righteousness.

RESPONSORY Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24

He was pierced through for our offenses,
he was crushed for our sins; upon him lies the chastisement that gives us peace;
— by his wounds we are healed.

Christ took our sins upon his own body,
and was nailed to the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for holiness.
— By his wounds we are healed.

Second reading
From a sermon on the Song of Songs by Saint Bernard, abbot
Where sin abounded grace has overflowed

Where can the weak find a place of firm security and peace, except in the wounds of the Savior? Indeed, the more secure is my place there, the more he can do to help me. The world rages, the flesh is heavy, and the devil lays his snares, but I do not fall, for my feet are planted on firm rock. I may have sinned gravely. My conscience would be distressed, but it would not be in turmoil, for I would recall the wounds of the Lord: he was wounded for our iniquities. What sin is there so deadly that it cannot be pardoned by the death of Christ? And so if I bear in mind this strong, effective remedy, I can never again be terrified by the malignancy of sin.

Surely the man who said: My sin is too great to merit pardon, was wrong. He was speaking as though he were not a member of Christ and had no share in his merits, so that he could claim them as his own, as a member of the body can claim what belongs to the head. As for me, what can I appropriate that I lack from the heart of the Lord who abounds in mercy? They pierced his hands and feet and opened his side with a spear. Through the openings of these wounds I may drink honey from the rock and oil from the hardest stone: that is, I may taste and see that the Lord is sweet.

He was thinking thoughts of peace, and I did not know it, for who knows the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? But the piercing nail has become a key to unlock the door, that I may see the good will of the Lord. And what can I see as I look through the hole? Both the nail and the wound cry out that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. The sword pierced his soul and came close to his heart, so that he might be able to feel compassion for me in my weaknesses.

Through these sacred wounds we can see the secret of his heart, the great mystery of love, the sincerity of his mercy with which he visited us from on high. Where have your love, your mercy, your compassion shone out more luminously than in your wounds, sweet, gentle Lord of mercy? More mercy than this no one has than that he lay down his life for those who are doomed to death.

My merit comes from his mercy; for I do not lack merit so long as he does not lack pity. And if the Lord’s mercies are many, then I am rich in merits. For even if I am aware of many sins, what does it matter? Where sin abounded grace has overflowed. And if the Lord’s mercies are from all ages for ever, I too will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever. Will I not sing of my own righteousness? No, Lord, I shall be mindful only of your justice. Yet that too is my own; for God has made you my righteousness.

RESPONSORY Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24

He was pierced through for our offenses,
he was crushed for our sins; upon him lies the chastisement that gives us peace;
— by his wounds we are healed.

Christ took our sins upon his own body,
and was nailed to the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for holiness.
— By his wounds we are healed.

1 Corinthians 1:23 proclaim Christ crucified

1 Corinthians 1:23 proclaim Christ crucified

When one is thirsty one quenches one’s thirst by drinking, not by reading books which treat of this condition. 

The desire to know does but increase this thirst. 

Therefore when one thirsts after sanctity, the desire to know about it only drives it further away. 

Speculation must be laid aside, and everything arranged by God as regards actions and sufferings must be accepted with simplicity, for those things that happen at each moment by the divine command or permission are always the most holy, the best and the most divine for us.

When one is thirsty one quenches one’s thirst by drinking, not by reading books which treat of this condition. 

The desire to know does but increase this thirst. 

Therefore when one thirsts after sanctity, the desire to know about it only drives it further away. 

Speculation must be laid aside, and everything arranged by God as regards actions and sufferings must be accepted with simplicity, for those things that happen at each moment by the divine command or permission are always the most holy, the best and the most divine for us.

Jesus works interiorly

He is the only teacher capable of acting directly on the souls, the minds, and the wills of his pupils.

Jesus moves our souls interiorly to accept his teachings and to put them into practice. 

The truths Jesus teaches are divine mysteries; therefore, we cannot master them by the art of human reasoning. 

To accept them, our minds must be equipped with a new supernatural light and power, the light and power of faith. 

Faith comes to us through Jesus as a fruit of his redemptive work: he is the “author and perfecter of faith” (Heb 12:2), and since he has merited it, he therefore infuses it in us.

Jesus has no need of books or teachers to instruct souls; he teaches without the noise of words.

Jesus interiorly teaches souls who know how to listen to him, and he teaches them above all by his Holy Spirit, according to what he had promised. 

Jesus and the Father are always sending the Holy Spirit from heaven into our souls; this divine Spirit makes us understand the profound meaning of our Lord’s teaching and suggests practical applications for our daily life. 

Jesus teaches us through the authority of the Church, to which he has entrusted the task of preserving his doctrine and transmitting it unchanged to all the faithful. 

When we accept Jesus as our Teacher, we must also accept all his teachings: the written words of the Gospel, the living word of the Church, and the mysterious, secret word by which he teaches our souls individually. 

If his word is to be truly a treasure, it is not enough for us merely to hear it; we must in humility obey the word of Jesus to its depths.

The disciple is bound by a grave obligation toward Christ his Master ever more adequately to understand the truth received from him; an understanding that is acquired by study, but which is deepened through prayer and meditation. 

Jesus works interiorly

He is the only teacher capable of acting directly on the souls, the minds, and the wills of his pupils.

Jesus moves our souls interiorly to accept his teachings and to put them into practice. 

The truths Jesus teaches are divine mysteries; therefore, we cannot master them by the art of human reasoning. 

To accept them, our minds must be equipped with a new supernatural light and power, the light and power of faith. 

Faith comes to us through Jesus as a fruit of his redemptive work: he is the “author and perfecter of faith” (Heb 12:2), and since he has merited it, he therefore infuses it in us.

Jesus has no need of books or teachers to instruct souls; he teaches without the noise of words.

Jesus interiorly teaches souls who know how to listen to him, and he teaches them above all by his Holy Spirit, according to what he had promised. 

Jesus and the Father are always sending the Holy Spirit from heaven into our souls; this divine Spirit makes us understand the profound meaning of our Lord’s teaching and suggests practical applications for our daily life. 

Jesus teaches us through the authority of the Church, to which he has entrusted the task of preserving his doctrine and transmitting it unchanged to all the faithful. 

When we accept Jesus as our Teacher, we must also accept all his teachings: the written words of the Gospel, the living word of the Church, and the mysterious, secret word by which he teaches our souls individually. 

If his word is to be truly a treasure, it is not enough for us merely to hear it; we must in humility obey the word of Jesus to its depths.

The disciple is bound by a grave obligation toward Christ his Master ever more adequately to understand the truth received from him; an understanding that is acquired by study, but which is deepened through prayer and meditation. 

From the treatise On Spiritual Perfection by Diadochus of Photice, bishop

All our love must be for God

No one who is in love with himself is capable of loving God. The man who loves God is the one who mortifies his self-love for the sake of the immeasurable blessings of divine love. Such a man never seeks his own glory but only the glory of God. If a person loves himself he seeks his own glory, but the man who loves God loves the glory of his Creator. Anyone alive to the love of God can be recognized from the way he constantly strives to glorify him by fulfilling all his commandments and by delighting in his own abasement. Because of his great majesty it is fitting that God should receive glory, but if he hopes to win God’s favor it becomes man to be humble. If we possess this love for God, we too will rejoice in his glory as Saint John the Baptist did, and we shall never stop repeating: His fame must increase, but mine must diminish.

I know a man who, though lamenting his failure to love God as much as he desires, yet loves him so much that his soul burns with ceaseless longing for God to be glorified, and for his own complete effacement. This man has no feeling of self importance even when he receives praise. So deep is his desire to humble himself that he never even thinks of his own dignity. He fulfills his priestly duty by celebrating the Liturgy, but his intense love for God is an abyss that swallows up all consciousness of his high office. His humility makes him oblivious of any honor it might bring him, so that in his own estimation he is never anything but a useless servant. Because of his desire for self abasement, he regards himself as though degraded from his office. His example is one that we ourselves should follow by fleeing from all honor and glory for the sake of the immeasurable blessings of God’s love, for he has loved us so much!

Anyone who loves God in the depths of his heart has already been loved by God. In fact, the measure of a man’s love for God depends upon how deeply aware he is of God’s love for him. When this awareness is keen it makes whoever possesses it long to be enlightened by the divine light, and this longing is so intense that it seems to penetrate his very bones. He loses all consciousness of himself and is entirely transformed by the love of God.

Such a man lives in this life and at the same time does not live in it, for although he still inhabits his body, he is constantly leaving it in spirit because of the love that draws him toward God. Once the love of God has released him from self-love, the flame of divine love never ceases to burn in his heart and he remains united to God by an irresistible longing. As the Apostle says: If we are taken out of ourselves it is for the love of God; if we are brought back to our senses it is for your sake.

From the treatise On Spiritual Perfection by Diadochus of Photice, bishop

All our love must be for God

No one who is in love with himself is capable of loving God. The man who loves God is the one who mortifies his self-love for the sake of the immeasurable blessings of divine love. Such a man never seeks his own glory but only the glory of God. If a person loves himself he seeks his own glory, but the man who loves God loves the glory of his Creator. Anyone alive to the love of God can be recognized from the way he constantly strives to glorify him by fulfilling all his commandments and by delighting in his own abasement. Because of his great majesty it is fitting that God should receive glory, but if he hopes to win God’s favor it becomes man to be humble. If we possess this love for God, we too will rejoice in his glory as Saint John the Baptist did, and we shall never stop repeating: His fame must increase, but mine must diminish.

I know a man who, though lamenting his failure to love God as much as he desires, yet loves him so much that his soul burns with ceaseless longing for God to be glorified, and for his own complete effacement. This man has no feeling of self importance even when he receives praise. So deep is his desire to humble himself that he never even thinks of his own dignity. He fulfills his priestly duty by celebrating the Liturgy, but his intense love for God is an abyss that swallows up all consciousness of his high office. His humility makes him oblivious of any honor it might bring him, so that in his own estimation he is never anything but a useless servant. Because of his desire for self abasement, he regards himself as though degraded from his office. His example is one that we ourselves should follow by fleeing from all honor and glory for the sake of the immeasurable blessings of God’s love, for he has loved us so much!

Anyone who loves God in the depths of his heart has already been loved by God. In fact, the measure of a man’s love for God depends upon how deeply aware he is of God’s love for him. When this awareness is keen it makes whoever possesses it long to be enlightened by the divine light, and this longing is so intense that it seems to penetrate his very bones. He loses all consciousness of himself and is entirely transformed by the love of God.

Such a man lives in this life and at the same time does not live in it, for although he still inhabits his body, he is constantly leaving it in spirit because of the love that draws him toward God. Once the love of God has released him from self-love, the flame of divine love never ceases to burn in his heart and he remains united to God by an irresistible longing. As the Apostle says: If we are taken out of ourselves it is for the love of God; if we are brought back to our senses it is for your sake.

The HIGH PRIEST: Jesus Christ 

The Ministerial Priest: The Priest

The Common Priest: Religious and Laity

Although the ancient Jewish priesthood is the foundation for the Christian priesthood, we no longer have high priests, because Jesus is the High Priest. And we all become priests.

In our baptisms, we all died to our earthly human nature and were resurrected as priests, prophets and kings joined to these important service-oriented functions of Christ. When we gather to worship God as a community, we, the common priests (the laity and consecrated religious) together with the ministerial priests (the ordained clergy), offer him our sacrifices and prayers.

Christ comes to earth today in the Sacraments through the ministerial priests. In Catholicism, because their ordinations connect all the way back directly to St. Peter's, they become "in persona Christi", i.e., they are simultaneously sinful man and the holy presence of Christ. Two thousand years ago, Jesus gave his holy orders to the Apostles (the meaning of ordination), who gave Christ's holy orders to the next priests, who ordained the next, and so on to this very day; this is called the "apostolic succession of priests".

Thus, Jesus our High Priest is fully present with us at every Catholic Mass in the Word of God, in the Eucharist, and in the priest (regardless of how sinful he is) through whom Jesus preaches the Word and through whom Jesus changes the bread and wine into the Eucharist.

When we -- the common priests and the ministerial priests -- eat his body and drink his blood, we are united to Christ's sacrifice and the salvation that it gives us. Thus united to Jesus, we all become Christ's body on earth for the continuation of his ministry.

The HIGH PRIEST: Jesus Christ 

The Ministerial Priest: The Priest

The Common Priest: Religious and Laity

Although the ancient Jewish priesthood is the foundation for the Christian priesthood, we no longer have high priests, because Jesus is the High Priest. And we all become priests.

In our baptisms, we all died to our earthly human nature and were resurrected as priests, prophets and kings joined to these important service-oriented functions of Christ. When we gather to worship God as a community, we, the common priests (the laity and consecrated religious) together with the ministerial priests (the ordained clergy), offer him our sacrifices and prayers.

Christ comes to earth today in the Sacraments through the ministerial priests. In Catholicism, because their ordinations connect all the way back directly to St. Peter's, they become "in persona Christi", i.e., they are simultaneously sinful man and the holy presence of Christ. Two thousand years ago, Jesus gave his holy orders to the Apostles (the meaning of ordination), who gave Christ's holy orders to the next priests, who ordained the next, and so on to this very day; this is called the "apostolic succession of priests".

Thus, Jesus our High Priest is fully present with us at every Catholic Mass in the Word of God, in the Eucharist, and in the priest (regardless of how sinful he is) through whom Jesus preaches the Word and through whom Jesus changes the bread and wine into the Eucharist.

When we -- the common priests and the ministerial priests -- eat his body and drink his blood, we are united to Christ's sacrifice and the salvation that it gives us. Thus united to Jesus, we all become Christ's body on earth for the continuation of his ministry.