ST Patrick Cath. Parish Logara, NgorOkpala, Owerri Archdiocese

25/11/2024

2024
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10/12/2023

09/12/2023

Sunday December 10, 2023
Second Sunday of Advent Year B
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FIRST READING
“Prepare the way of the Lord.”
A reading from the Book of Isaiah (Isaiah 40: 1-5.9-11)

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ps85:9aband10.11-12.13-14(R.8)
R/. Let us see, O Lord, your mercy and grant us your salvation.

I will hear what the Lord God speaks;
He speaks of peace for his people and his faithful,
His salvation is near for those who fear him,
And his glory will dwell in our land. R/.

Merciful love and faithfulness have met;
justice and peace have kissed.
Faithfulness shall spring from the earth,
and justice look down from heaven. R/.

R/. Let us see, O Lord, your mercy and grant us your salvation.

Also the LORD will bestow his bounty,
and our earth shall yield its increase.
Justice will march before him,
And guide his steps on the way. R/.

SECOND READING
“We wait for new heavens and a new earth.”
A reading from the second Letter of Saint Peter (2 Peter 3:8-14)

Do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is for bearing towards you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burnt up. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of persons ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be kindled and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire! But according to his promise we wait. For new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you wait for these, be zealous to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.

The word of the Lord.

ALLELUIA Luke 3:4.6
Alleluia. Prepare the way for the Lord, make his paths straight; all flesh shall see the salvation of God. Alleluia.

GOSPEL
“Make straight the paths of the Lord.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mark 1:1-8)

The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who shall prepare your way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And there went out to him all the country of Judea, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, and had a leather belt around his waist, and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

08/12/2023

Friday December 8, 2023
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE B.V.M (SOLEMNITY)
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FIRST READING
“I will put enmity between your seed and her seed.”
A reading from the Book of Genesis (Genesis 3:9-15.20)

[After Adam had eaten of the tree,] the Lord God called to him and said, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent beguiled me, and I ate.” The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all cattle, and above all wild animals; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm98:1.2-3ab.3cd-4 (R. 1ab)
R/. O sing a new song to the Lord, for he has worked wonders.

O sing a new song to the Lord,
For he has worked wonders.
His right hand and his holy arm
have brought salvation. R/.

The Lord has made known his salvation,
has shown his deliverance to the nations.
He has remembered his merciful love
and his truth for the house of Israel. R/.

R/. O sing a new song to the Lord, for he has worked wonders.

All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
Shout to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song,
and sing out your praise. R/.

SECOND READING
”God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.”
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians (Ephesians 1:3-6.11-12)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him, according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will, we who first hoped in Christ have been destined and appointed to live for the praise of his glory.

The word of the Lord.

ALLELUIA Cf. Luke 1:28
Alleluia. Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women. Alleluia.

GOSPEL
“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Luke1:26b-38)

At that time: The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I know not man?” And the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

The Gospel of the Lord.

08/12/2023

08/12/2023

SOLEMNITY OF
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

03/12/2023

Advent is the season that begins the Liturgical Year.
It originated in the early Church as a short period of intense preparation for the celebration of the nativity of the Lord on December 25. Advent slowly came to be structured into four Sundays with proper readings and prayers. This season is marked by devout and joyful expectation as we recall the first humble coming of the Lord at Bethlehem. At the same time, we are invited to direct our mind and heart towards Christ’s final coming in glory at the end of time. This is well expressed both in the Scripture readings, in the prayers as well as in the two parts into which Advent is divided. During the first part of Advent, from the beginning until 16 December, the focus of the liturgy is on the second coming of the Lord, while during the second part, from 17 to 24 December, the emphasis is on the immediate preparation for Christmas.

03/12/2023

Season of ADVENT.

02/12/2023

Sunday December 3, 2023
First Sunday of Advent Year B
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FIRST READING
“O that you would rend the heavens and come down.”
A reading from the Book of Isaiah (Isaiah 63:16d-17; 64:1, 3b-8)

You, O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemed from old is your name. O Lord, why do you make us err from your ways and harden our heart, so that we do not fear you? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage. O that you would tear the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence! You came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who works for those who wait for him. You meet him that joyfully works righteousness, those that remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved? We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one that calls upon your name, that bestirs himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquities. Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ps 80:2ac and 3b. 15-16a.18-19 (R. 4)
R/. O God, bring us back; Let your face shine on us, and we shall be saved.

O shepherd of Israel, hear us,
enthroned on the cherubim, shine forth.
Rouse up your might and come to save us. R/.

God of hosts, turn again, we implore;
look down from heaven and see.
Visit this vine and protect it,
The vine your right hand has planted. /R.

May your hand be on the man at your right hand,
the son of man you have confirmed as your own.
And we shall never forsake you again;
Give us life that we may call upon your name. R/.

SECONDREADING
We wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1:3-9)

Brethren: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to God always for you because of the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him with all speech and all knowledge—even as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you—so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ; who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

The word of the Lord.

ALLELUIA Psalm 85:7
Alleluia. Let us see, O Lord, your mercy and grant us your salvation. Alleluia.

GOSPEL
“Watch therefore—for you do not know when the master of the house will come.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mark 13:33-37)

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples: “Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the door keeper to be on the watch. Watch therefore — for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning—lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Watch.”

The Gospel of the Lord

25/11/2023

Sunday November 26, 2023
THE SOLEMNITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, KING OF THE UNIVERSE
Thirty-Fourth Sunday of the Year.
Last Sunday of the Year
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FIRST READING
You, my flock, I judge between sheep and sheep, rams and he-goats.
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 34: 11-12.15-17)

Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when some of his sheep have been scattered abroad, so will I seek out my sheep; and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord GOD. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the crippled, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will watch over; I will feed them in justice. As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, rams and he-goats.

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM psalm 23:1.2a.2b.3.5.6(R.1)
R/. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

The Lord is my shepherd;
There is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
Where he gives me repose. R/.

Near restful waters he leads me;
He revives my soul.
He guides me along the right path,
For the sake of his name. R/.

You have prepared a table before me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
My cup is over flowing. R/.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell
for length of days unending. R/.

SECOND READING
He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, so that God may be ever thing to every one.
A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 15:20-26.28)

Brethren: Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For a sin Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things under him, that God may be everything to everyone.

The word of the Lord.

ALLELUIA Mark 11:9b.10a
Alleluia. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming! Alleluia.

GOSPEL
He will sit on his glorious throne and he will separate them one from another.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Matthew 25:31—46)

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, “When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. “Then the King will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared’ for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

The Gospel of the Lord

18/11/2023

Sunday November 19, 2023
Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
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FIRST READING
A good wife works with willing hands.
A reading from the Book of Proverbs (Proverbs 31:10-13. 19-20.30-31)

Who can find a good wife? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. She opens her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hands to the needy. Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM psalm128:1-2.3.4-5(R. 1a)
R/. Blessed are all who fear the Lord.

Blessed are all who fear the Lord,
and walk in his ways!
By the labour of your hands you shall eat.
You will be blessed and prosper. R/.

Your wife like a fruitful vine
in the heart of your house;
your children like shoots of the
olive around your table. R/.

R/. Blessed are all who fear the Lord.

Indeed thus shall be blessed
the man who fears the Lord.
May the Lord bless you from Sion.
May you see Jerusalem prosper
all the days of your life! R/.

SECOND READING
Let not the day of the Lord surprise you like a thief.
A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians (1Thessalonians5:1-6)

As to the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When people say, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labour pains come upon a woman with child, and there will be no escape. But you are not in darkness, brethren, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all sons of light and sons of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.

The word of the Lord.

ALLELUIA John15:4a.5b
Alleluia. Abide in me, and I in you, says the Lord; he who abides in me bears much fruit. Alleluia.

Gospel
You have been faithful over a little, enter into the joy of your master.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Matthew 25:14-30)

At that time: Jesus told his disciples this parable: “A man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted to them his property; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents more. So also, he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. “Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.’ “And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.’ “He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ “But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed, and gather where I have not winnowed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and quashing of teeth.”’

The Gospel of the Lord.

12/11/2023

Sunday November 12, 2023
Thirty- Second Sunday of the Year
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FIRST READING
Wisdom is found by those who seek her.
A reading from the Book of Wisdom (Wisdom 6: 12-16)

Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her, and is found by those who seek her. She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her. He who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty, for he will find her sitting at his gates. To fix one’s thought on her is perfect understanding, and he who is vigilant on her account will soon be free from care, because she goes about seeking those worthy of her, and she graciously appears to them in their paths, and meets them in every thought.

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 63:2.3-4.5-6.7-8(R.cf.2b)
R/. For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord, my God.

O God, you are my God; at dawn I seek you;
for you my soul is thirsting.
For you my flesh is pining,
Like a dry, weary land without water. R/.

I have come before you in the sanctuary,
To behold your strength and your glory.
Your loving mercy is better than life:
My lips will speak your praise. R/.

R/. For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord, my God.

I will bless you all my life:
in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul shall be filled as with a banquet:
With joyful lips, my mouth shall praise you. R/.

When I remember you upon my bed,
I muse on you through the watches of the night.
For you have been my strength:
In the shadow of your wings I rejoice. R/.

SECOND READING
God will bring with him through Jesus those who have fallen asleep.
A reading from the first letter of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians (1Thessalonians 4:13-18)

We would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

The word of the Lord.

ALLELUIA MATTHEW 24:42a.44
Alleluia. Watch, therefore, and be ready; the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Alleluia.

GOSPEL
Behold, the bridegroom. Come out to meet him.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Matthew 25:1 -13)

At that time: Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The kingdom of heaven shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ “Then all those maidens rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ “But the wise replied, ‘Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you; go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ “And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut. Afterward the other maidens came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he replied, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

The Gospel of the Lord