thursday 04 June 2020
St. Clotilde
(475-545)
She was the second wife of the Frankish King Clovis I, and a princess of the kingdom of Burgundy. She converted her husband to the Catholic faith. She was known for almsgiving and penitential works of mercy.
Green
Entrance Antiphon: Ps 24: 16, 18
Turn to me and have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am alone and poor. See my lowliness and suffering and take away all my sins, my God.
Collect
O God, whose providence never fails in its design, keep from us, we humbly beseech you, all that might harm us and grant all that works for our good. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: 2 Timothy 2:8-15
Remember the Good News that I carry, ‘Jesus Christ risen from the dead, sprung from the race of David’; it is on account of this that I have my own hardships to bear, even to being chained like a criminal – but they cannot chain up God’s news. So I bear it all for the sake of those who are chosen, so that in the end they may have the salvation that is in Christ Jesus and the eternal glory that comes with it. Here is a saying that you can rely on: If we have died with him, then we shall live with him. If we hold firm, then we shall reign with him. If we disown him, then he will disown us. We may be unfaithful, but he is always faithful, for he cannot disown his own self. Remind them of this; and tell them in the name of God that there is to be no wrangling about words: all that this ever achieves is the destruction of those who are listening. Do all you can to present yourself in front of God as a man who has come through his trials, and a man who has no cause to be ashamed of his life’s work and has kept a straight course with the message of the truth.
Psalm 24(25):4-5, 8-10, 14
R/ Lord, make me know your ways.
- Lord, make me know your ways. Lord, teach me your paths. Make me walk in your truth, and teach me: for you are God my saviour.
- In you I hope all day long The Lord is good and upright. He shows the path to those who stray, He guides the humble in the right path, He teaches his way to the poor.
- His ways are faithfulness and love for those who keep his covenant and law. The Lord’s friendship is for those who revere him; to them he reveals his covenant.
Gospel Acclamation: Jn 6:63, 68
Alleluia, alleluia! Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life; you have the message of eternal life. Alleluia!
Gospel: Mark 12:28-34
One of the scribes came up to Jesus and put a question to him, ‘Which is the first of all the commandments?’ Jesus replied, ‘This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.’ The scribe said to him, ‘Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true: that he is one and there is no other. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any holocaust or sacrifice.’ Jesus, seeing how wisely he had spoken, said, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And after that no one dared to question him anymore.
Prayer over the Offerings
Trusting in your compassion, O Lord, we come eagerly with our offerings to your sacred altar, that, through the purifying action of your grace, we may be cleansed by the very mysteries we serve. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Ps 16: 6
To you I call, for you will surely heed me, O God; turn your ear to me; hear my words.
Prayer after Communion
Govern by your Spirit, we pray, O Lord, those you feed with the Body and Blood of your Son, that, professing you not just in word or in speech, but also in works and in truth, we may merit to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
After the different encounters between Jesus and the authorities who were often full of hypocrisy and bad will, the Gospel today presents a scribe who seems to be more honest in his approach. Actually, not all the Pharisees and Scribes were hostile to Jesus. As we can recall, Nicodemus in the Gospel according to John serves as a good example. The scribe had seen how well Jesus had dealt with the challenges put to him by various groups. His comes up with a question which was highly debated among the scholars. Apart from the Ten Commandments, the Jewish authorities had come up with 613 laws and the debate was determining which ones were more important. Jesus sums them up in two: Love of God from Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Love of neighbour from Leviticus 19:18. The two are inseparable for we cannot say we love God if we do not love our neighbour. In the Gospel according to Luke 10:30-37 Jesus would extend the meaning of neighbour to include every human person from every tribe, race and religion. Jesus exemplified that love by dying for our sins. He affirms that the scribe is not far from the kingdom of God.