Monday in the Third Week of Easter

We pray Monday of the Third Week of Easter and let Saint Bede the Venerable press one clear truth into our hearts: we are a chosen race and a royal priesthood in Christ. We connect baptism to the Exodus story and ask for the grace to put off the old self and live as Christ did. 
• opening prayers and morning offering through the Immaculate Heart of Mary 
• Saint Bede on “chosen race” as faith in Christ the cornerstone 
• “royal priesthood” as union with Christ the king and true priest 
• hope for an everlasting kingdom and offering the sacrifice of a blameless life 
• the Church purchased by Christ’s blood and claimed by God as his own 
• baptism as a new Exodus that destroys sin and leads toward the promised light 
• proclaiming God’s marvelous works as gratitude and witness 
If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith, consider joining the Cristeros and purchasing our publications, now available on Amazon.com. The Cristeros app is available on the Apple app and Google Play Store. More information on the Cristeros can be found at the Cristeros.org.

Transcript

Saint Bede On Chosen People

Royal Priesthood And Blameless Life

Baptism As New Exodus

Proclaiming Marvelous Works In Light

Closing Collect And Devotions

Join The Cristeros Invitation

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Monday in the third week of Easter. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. World without end. Amen. O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the remission of my sins, for the intentions of my family and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen. From the commentary on the first letter of Peter by Saint Bede the Venerable, priest. You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood. This praise was given long ago by Moses to the ancient people of God, and now the Apostle Peter rightly gives it to the Gentiles, since they have come to believe in Christ, who, as the cornerstone, has brought the nations together in the salvation that belonged to Israel. Peter calls them a chosen race because of their faith, to distinguish them from those who, by refusing to accept the living stone, have themselves been rejected. They are a royal priesthood, because they are united to the body of Christ, the supreme king and true priest. As sovereign, he grants them his kingdom, and as high priest, he washes away their sins by the offering of his blood. Peter says they are a royal priesthood. They must always remember to hope for an everlasting kingdom, and to offer to God the sacrifice of a blameless life. They are also called a consecrated nation, a people claimed by God as his own, in accordance with the Apostle Paul's explanation of the prophet's teaching. But we, he says, are not the sort of people who will draw back and are lost. We are those who remain faithful until we are saved. In the Acts of the Apostles we read, The Holy Spirit has made you overseers to take care for the Church of God, which he bought with his own blood. Thus, through the blood of our Redeemer, we have become a people claimed by God as his own, as in ancient times the people of Israel were ransomed from Egypt by the blood of a lamb. In the next verse, Peter also makes a veiled allusion to the ancient story and explains that this story is to be spiritually fulfilled by the new people of God, so that, he says, they may declare his wonderful deeds. Those who were freed by Moses from slavery in Egypt sang a song of triumph to the Lord after they had crossed the Red Sea, and Pharaoh's army had been overwhelmed. In the same way, now that our sins have been washed away in baptism, we too should express fitting gratitude for the gifts of heaven. The Egyptians who oppressed the people of God and who can also stand for darkness or trials are an apt symbol of the sins that once oppressed us, but have now been destroyed in baptism. The deliverance of the children of Israel and their journey to the long-promised land correspond with the mystery of our redemption. We are making our way toward the light of our heavenly home, with the grace of Christ leading us and showing us the way. The light of His grace was also symbolized by the cloud and the pillar of fire, which protected the Israelites from darkness throughout their journey, and brought them by a wonderful path to their promised homeland. You are a chosen race, a holy nation, a people God has claimed as his own. Proclaim the marvelous works of him who has called us out of darkness into his own wonderful light. The Lord chose you and freed you from the land of slavery. Proclaim the marvelous works of him who has called us out of darkness into his own wonderful light. Grant we pray, Almighty God, that putting off our old self with all its ways, we may live as Christ did. For through the healing paschal remedies, you have conformed us to his nature, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen. Let us praise the Lord and give him thanks. All that I have and all that I am, I give to your hands, Jesus, through the heart of Mary, your blessed mother. Amen. Sacred heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith, consider joining the Cristeros and purchasing our publications, now available on Amazon.com. The Cristeros app is available on the Apple app and Google Play Store. More information on the Cristeros can be found at the Christeros.org.