01
October
St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus
(1873 – 1897)
White
She was born in France on 2nd January, 1873 and entered the Carmel of Lisieux in 1888. Though her faith was seriously tested by sickness she grew in sanctity. She died at the age of 24 in 1897 with the following words: “I am not dying, I am entering life”. Her example of holiness has been received with great enthusiasm by all the faithful and even outside Christianity.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Deut 32: 10-12
The Lord led her and taught her, and kept her as the apple of his eye. Like an eagle spreading its wings he took her up and bore her on his shoulders. The Lord alone was her guide.
Collect
O God, who open your Kingdom to those who are humble and to little ones, lead us to follow trustingly in the little way of Saint Thérèse, so that through her intercession, we may see your eternal glory revealed. 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: Baruch 1:15-22
Integrity belongs to the Lord our God; to us the look of shame we wear today, to us, the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem, to our kings and princes, our priests, our prophets, as to our ancestors, because we have sinned in the sight of the Lord, have disobeyed him, and have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God telling us to follow the commandments which the Lord had ordained for us. From the day when the Lord brought our ancestors out of the land of Egypt until today we have been disobedient to the Lord our God, we have been disloyal, refusing to listen to his voice. And so the disasters, and the curse which the Lord pronounced through his servant Moses the day he brought our fathers out of Egypt to give us a land where milk and honey flow, have seized on us, disasters we experience today. Despite all the words of those prophets whom he sent us, we have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God, but, each following the dictates of his evil heart, we have taken to serving alien gods, and doing what is displeasing to the Lord our God.
Psalm 78(79):1-5,8-9
R/ Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.
1. O God, the nations have invaded your land, they have profaned your holy temple. They have made Jerusalem a heap of ruins. They have handed over the bodies of your servants as food to feed the birds of heaven and the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the earth.
2. They have poured out blood like water in Jerusalem; no one is left to bury the dead. We have become the taunt of our neighbours, the mockery and scorn of those who surround us. How long, O Lord? Will you be angry for ever; how long will your anger burn like fire?
3. Do not hold the guilt of our fathers against us. Let your compassion hasten to meet us; we are left in the depths of distress.
4. O God our saviour, come to our help. Come for the sake of the glory of your name. O Lord our God, forgive us our sins; rescue us for the sake of your name.
Gospel Acclamation : Ps144:13
Alleluia, alleluia! The Lord is faithful in all his words and loving in all his deeds. Alleluia!
Gospel: Luke 10:13-16
Jesus said to his disciples:‘Alas for you, Chorazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. And still, it will not go as hard with Tyre and Sidon at the Judgement as with you. And as for you, Capernaum, did you want to be exalted high as heaven? You shall be thrown down to hell. Anyone who listens to you listens to me; anyone who rejects you rejects me, and those who reject me reject the one who sent me.’
Prayer over the Offerings
As we proclaim your wonders in Saint Thérèse, O Lord, we humbly implore your majesty, that, as her merits were pleasing to you, so, too, our dutiful service may find favour in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Mt 18: 3
Thus says the Lord: Unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Prayer after Communion
May the Sacrament we have received, O Lord, kindle in us the force of that love with which Saint Thérèse dedicated herself to you and longed to obtain your mercy for all. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Now, we have the chance to turn away from our evil path. Faith and conversion come not only from hearing but also putting into practice the words of the Gospel. And this gospel presents us with a choice, to seek for Life or death. He who rejects any of those placed before us to announce the Good News is rejecting Jesus himself. We are called today to conversion, to a total change of life and to be listeners and doers of the Word of God.