TUESDAY 06 OCTOBER 2020

by | Oct 5, 2020 | Evangelium

tuesday 06 October 2020

 

St Bruno (c.1033 – 1101)

He was born at Cologne and educated partly at Reims. He was head of the episcopal school there for almost 20 years. In 1075 he was appointed chancellor of the church of Reims and had to devote himself to the administration of the diocese. The bishop at that time, Manasses de Gournai, was impious, corrupt, and violent. Through the intervention of Bruno and others, the Council of Autun suspended Manasses, who retaliated by demolishing the houses of their accusers and confiscating their goods. In 1080 a final decision of the Pope, together with a popular uprising, deposed Manasses.

 

 

Green/White

 

Entrance Antiphon:  Est 4: 17

Within your will, O Lord, all things are established, and there is none that can resist your will. For you have made all things, the heaven and the earth, and all that is held within the circle of heaven; you are the Lord of all.

 

Collect

Almighty ever-living God, who in the abundance of your kindness surpass the merits and the desires of those who entreat you, pour out your mercy upon us to pardon what conscience dreads and to give what prayer does not dare to ask. 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 : Galatians 1:13-24

You must have heard of my career as a practising Jew, how merciless I was in persecuting the Church of God, how much damage I did to it, how I stood out among other Jews of my generation, and how enthusiastic I was for the traditions of my ancestors. Then God, who had specially chosen me while I was still in my mother’s womb, called me through his grace and chose to reveal his Son in me, so that I might preach the Good News about him to the pagans. I did not stop to discuss this with any human being, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were already apostles before me, but I went off to Arabia at once and later went straight back from there to Damascus. Even when after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him for fifteen days, I did not see any of the other apostles; I only saw James, the brother of the Lord, and I swear before God that what I have just written is the literal truth. After that I went to Syria and Cilicia, and was still not known by sight to the churches of Christ in Judaea, who had heard nothing except that their one-time persecutor was now preaching the faith he had previously tried to destroy; and they gave glory to God for me.

 

Psalm 138(139):1-3, 13-15

R/  Lead me, O Lord, in the path of life eternal.

 

  1. O Lord, you search me and you know me, you know my resting and my rising, you discern my purpose from afar. You mark when I walk or lie down, all my ways lie open to you.
  2. For it was you who created my being, knit me together in my mother’s womb. I thank you for the wonder of my being, for the wonders of all your creation.
  3. Already you knew my soul, my body held no secret from you when I was being fashioned in secret and moulded in the depths of the earth.

 

Gospel Acclamation : Jn 15:15

Alleluia, alleluia! I call you friends, says the Lord, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father. Alleluia!

 

Gospel : Luke 10:38-42

Jesus came to a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. She had a sister called Mary, who sat down at the Lord’s feet and listened to him speaking. Now Martha who was distracted with all the serving said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me.’ But the Lord answered: ‘Martha, Martha,’ he said ‘you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part; it is not to be taken from her.’

 

Prayer over the Offerings

Accept, O Lord, we pray, the sacrifices instituted by your commands and, through the sacred mysteries, which we celebrate with dutiful service, graciously complete the sanctifying work by which you are pleased to redeem us. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon: Lam 3: 25

The Lord is good to those who hope in him, to the soul that seeks him.

 

Prayer after Communion

Grant us, almighty God, that we may be refreshed and nourished by the Sacrament which we have received, so as to be transformed into what we consume. Through Christ our Lord.

 

 

Meditation

In our readings today, God is calling us to listen and to learn from him. The story of Mary and Martha is a favourite of many people. What comes to one’s mind especially is how hard our mothers work to prepare for the coming of visitors.  It is very clear that conventional wisdom today would sympathise very much with Martha and her words to Jesus.  If such thing were to happen in our context, then Mary will be seen as lazy and worthy of rebuke. However, what the Gospel highlights is the fact that Mary is not just sitting to avoid work. God values work. We also value work and sharing of work, but when work interferes with hearing the words of Jesus, he wants us to listen rather than work. Jesus is telling Martha that listening to him is far more important than the busy work of preparation.