tuesday 20 October 2020
Bl Daudi Okelo (1902 – 1918)
Jildo Irwa (1906 – 1918)
These two catechists died for their faith on 20 October 1918 at Paimol in Northern Uganda. They were still very young – Daudi was 16, while Jildo was only 12. During the persecutions of Christians, they were dragged outside their hut and killed for the sole reason of teaching the Christian faith.
Green/Red
Entrance Antiphon: Ps 16: 6, 8
To you I call; for you will surely heed me, O God; turn your ear to me; hear my words. Guard me as the apple of your eye; in the shadow of your wings protect me.
Collect
Almighty ever-living God, grant that we may always conform our will to yours and serve your majesty in sincerity of heart. 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 : Ephesians 2:12-22
Do not forget that you had no Christ and were excluded from membership of Israel, aliens with no part in the covenants with their Promise; you were immersed in this world, without hope and without God. But now in Christ Jesus, you that used to be so far apart from us have been brought very close, by the blood of Christ. For he is the peace between us, and has made the two into one and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart, actually destroying in his own person the hostility caused by the rules and decrees of the Law. This was to create one single New Man in himself out of the two of them and by restoring peace through the cross, to unite them both in a single Body and reconcile them with God: in his own person he killed the hostility. Later he came to bring the good news of peace, peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near at hand. Through him, both of us have in the one Spirit our way to come to the Father. So you are no longer aliens or foreign visitors: you are citizens like all the saints, and part of God’s household. You are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets for its foundations, and Christ Jesus himself for its main cornerstone. As every structure is aligned on him, all grow into one holy temple in the Lord; and you too, in him, are being built into a house where God lives, in the Spirit.
Psalm 84(85):9-14
R/ The Lord speaks peace to his people.
- I will hear what the Lord God has to say, a voice that speaks of peace. His help is near for those who fear him and his glory will dwell in our land.
- Mercy and faithfulness have met; justice and peace have embraced. Faithfulness shall spring from the earth and justice look down from heaven.
- The Lord will make us prosper and our earth shall yield its fruit. Justice shall march before him and peace shall follow his steps.
Gospel Acclamation: Lk8:15
Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed are those who, with a noble and generous heart, take the word of God to themselves and yield a harvest through their perseverance. Alleluia!
Gospel: Luke 12:36-38
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘See that you are dressed for action and have your lamps lit. Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. Happy those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. I tell you solemnly, he will put on an apron, sit them down at table and wait on them. It may be in the second watch he comes, or in the third, but happy those servants if he finds them ready.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Grant us, Lord, we pray, a sincere respect for your gifts, 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 32: 18-19
Behold, the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, who hope in his merciful love, to rescue their souls from death, to keep them alive in famine.
Prayer after Communion
Grant, O Lord, we pray, that, benefiting from participation in heavenly things, we may be helped by what you give in this present age and prepared for the gifts that are eternal. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
“I tell you solemnly, he will put on an apron, sit them down at table and wait on them.” This verse from the gospel is quite striking. We have an incredible image of a master returning home tired from a trip who takes it upon himself to set a table and wait on the servants instead of having the vigilant servants take care of his needs. This would be the kind of master that one would want to serve. How incredible it is that this is the kind of master that Jesus is. This story reminds us of the visible symbol of Jesus as servant during the washing of the feet before the passion. This reminds us too of the kenosis in Philippians 2: 5-11. The First reading from the Letter to the Ephesians reminds us of just how far Jesus was willing to go in his service to us. Far beyond the master who serves his servants a meal out of gratitude, Jesus makes us citizens and joint heirs and offers each of us the gift of peace with God. Knowing that we have this peace, the psalm takes on a deeper meaning. We can reflect on the promises of peace knowing that we have access to salvation and peace and that we “all grow into one holy temple in the Lord” and “are being built into a house where God lives, in the Spirit”, where surely we shall see kindness and truth meet and justice and peace kiss. Today we can reflect on the awesome privileges we have through the incredible love that Jesus has for us and express our gratitude.