It is not that I have already taken hold of it or have already attained perfect maturity, but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it, since I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ Jesus.  Brothers, I for my part do not consider myself to have taken possession. Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God's upward calling, in Christ Jesus.


PSALM RESPONSE      Psalm 40:5a or 1:2a or 92:13-14
R./ Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.      or

R./ Blessed are they who delight in the law of the Lord.      or

R./ The just will flourish like the palm tree in the garden of the Lord.


A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke          Luke 9:57-62
As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus answered him, "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head." And to another he said, "Follow me." But he replied, "Lord, let me go first and bury my father." But he answered him, "Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." And another said, "I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home." To him Jesus said, "No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God."


PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS
Father of mercy,
we have these gifts to offer in honor of your saints
who bore witness to your mighty power.
May the power of the Eucharist
bring us your salvation.
Grant this through Christ the Lord.


COMMUNION ANTIPHON          Mat 19:27-29
I solemnly tell you: those who have left everything and followed me will be repaid a hundredfold and will gain eternal life.


PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Lord,
Lord,
may the mysteries we receive
prepare us for the eternal joys
Saint Bruno won by his faithful ministry.
We ask this in the name of Jesus our Lord.

From the frequent and pleasant reports of our most blessed brother, I know of your reasoned and truly praise-worthy discipline, carried out with unwavering rigor.Since I have heard of your holy love and constant pursuit of honesty and virtue, my spirit rejoices in the Lord.I rejoice and am drawn to praise and give thanks to God, and still I long to love him. I rejoice, as I should, in the growing fruits of your strength, and yet I grieve and grow ashamed that I lie idle and senseless in the mire of my sins.

Therefore rejoice my dearest brothers, because you are so blessed and because of the bountiful hand of God's grace upon you. Rejoice, because you have escaped the various dangers and shipwrecks of the stormy world. Rejoice, because you have reached the quiet and safe anchorage of a secret harbor. Many wish to come into this port, and many make great efforts to do so, yet do not achieve it. Indeed many, after reaching it, have been thrust out, since it was not granted them from above.

Therefore, my brothers, you should consider it certain and well-established that whoever partakes of this desireable good, should he in any way lose it, will grieve to his death, if he has any regard or concern for the salvation of his soul.

My dearest lay brothers, of you I say: "My soul magnifies the Lord." For I have learned of the generosity of his mercy toward you from the report of your prior and dearest father; he rejoices and takes great pride in you. And let us rejoice that since you are unacquainted with the knowledge of letters, almighty God will inscribe in your hearts with his finger not only his love but also the knowledge of his holy law. By your work you show what you love and what you know. When you observe true obedience with prudence and enthusiasm, it is clear that you wisely pick the most delightful and nourishing fruit of divine Scripture.