monday 22 June 2020
Sts Paulius of Nola,
John Fisher,
Thomas More
Thomas More (1477 – 1535) was born in London, the son of a judge, and himself became an eminent lawyer. He was tried on the charge of high treason for denying the King’s supreme headship of the Church, found guilty, and sentenced to death. He went to his execution, on July 6, 1535.
Green/White/Red
Entrance Antiphon: Ps 27: 8-9
The Lord is the strength of his people, a saving refuge for the one he has anointed. Save your people, Lord, and bless your heritage, and govern them forever.
Collect
Grant, O Lord, that we may always revere and love your holy name, for you never deprive of your guidance those you set firm on the foundation of your love. 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 Kings 17:5-8,13-15,18
The king of Assyria invaded the whole country and, coming to Samaria, laid siege to it for three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah on the Habor, a river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. This happened because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the grip of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshipped other gods, they followed the practices of the nations that the Lord had dispossessed for them. And yet through all the prophets and all the seers, the Lord had given Israel and Judah this warning, ‘Turn from your wicked ways and keep my commandments and my laws in accordance with the entire Law I laid down for your fathers and delivered to them through my servants the prophets.’ But they would not listen, they were more stubborn than their ancestors had been who had no faith in the Lord their God. They despised his laws and the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and the warnings he had given them. They pursued emptiness, and themselves became empty through copying the nations round them although the Lord had ordered them not to act as they did. For this, the Lord was enraged with Israel and thrust them away from him. There was none left but the tribe of Judah only.
Psalm 59(60):3-5, 12-13
R/ Hear us, O Lord, and help us.
- O God, you have rejected us and broken us. You have been angry; come back to us.
- You have made the earth quake, torn it open. Repair what is shattered for it sways. You have inflicted hardships on your people and made us drink a wine that dazed us.
- Will you utterly reject us, O God and no longer march with our armies? Give us help against the foe: for the help of man is vain.
Gospel Acclamation: Jn17:17
Alleluia, alleluia! Your word is truth, O Lord: consecrate us in the truth. Alleluia!
Gospel: Matthew 7:1-5
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; because the judgements you give are the judgements you will get, and the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given. Why do you observe the splinter in your brother’s eye and never notice the plank in your own? How dare you say to your brother, “Let me take the splinter out of your eye,” when all the time there is a plank in your own? Hypocrite! Take the plank out of your own eye first, and then you will see clearly enough to take the splinter out of your brother’s eye.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Receive, O Lord, the sacrifice of conciliation and praise and grant that, cleansed by its action, we may make offering of a heart pleasing to you. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Ps 144: 15
The eyes of all look to you, Lord, and you give them their food in due season.
Prayer after Communion
Renewed and nourished by the Sacred Body and Precious Blood of your Son, we ask of your mercy, O Lord, that what we celebrate with constant devotion may be our sure pledge of redemption. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
In the Gospel passage today, Jesus continues his teaching on the Sermon on the Mount and the central theme today is “Do not judge.” At this time, Jesus was building the community of disciples and one of the key requirements for community living is to avoid judgement. This condition helps to minimize misconceptions and prejudice. However, this topic can be a tricky one. How can we ever judge the behaviour of others? We judge every day by distinguishing between good and evil, day from night and teachers have to judge in other to evaluate their students. Understanding it literally can lead to passive behaviour. An uncaring attitude and indifference. We might fall into that temptation of saying “I will not judge you, for you are responsible for your own choices…” Jesus is simply asking us not to judge others more harshly than we judge ourselves by avoiding prejudice and arrogance and acting with compassion, especially towards those people whose opinions differ from ours. We need to be open to God’s guidance in order to have a healthy approach to every situation.