04
October
St. Francis of Assisi
(1181 – 1226)
White
Francis was the son of a prosperous cloth merchant in Assisi. When his father objected to having his goods sold without his consent to pay for the restoration of a church, the bishop commanded Francis to repay the money. He did. He also renounced his father and gave back everything he had ever been given, even his garments.
Entrance Antiphon
Francis, the man of God, left his home behind, abandoned his inheritance and became poor and penniless, but the Lord raised him up.
Collect
O God, by whose gift Saint Francis was conformed to Christ in poverty and humility, grant that, by walking in Francis’ footsteps, we may follow your Son, and, through joyful charity, come to be united with you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
First reading: Jonah 1:1-2:1,11
The word of the Lord was addressed to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Up!’ he said ‘Go to Nineveh, the great city, and inform them that their wickedness has become known to me.’ Jonah decided to run away from the Lord, and to go to Tarshish. He went down to Joppa and found a ship bound for Tarshish; he paid his fare and went aboard, to go with them to Tarshish, to get away from the Lord. But the Lord unleashed a violent wind on the sea, and there was such a great storm at sea that the ship threatened to break up. The sailors took fright, and each of them called on his own god, and to lighten the ship they threw the cargo overboard. Jonah, however, had gone below and lain down in the hold and fallen fast asleep. The boatswain came upon him and said, ‘What do you mean by sleeping? Get up! Call on your god! Perhaps he will spare us a thought, and not leave us to die.’ Then they said to each other, ‘Come on, let us draw lots to find out who is responsible for bringing this evil on us.’ So they cast lots, and the lot fell to Jonah. Then they said to him, ‘Tell us, what is your business? Where do you come from? What is your country? What is your nationality?’ He replied, ‘I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.’ The sailors were seized with terror at this and said, ‘What have you done?’ They knew that he was trying to escape from the Lord, because he had told them so. They then said, ‘What are we to do with you, to make the sea grow calm for us?’ For the sea was growing rougher and rougher. He replied, ‘Take me and throw me into the sea, and then it will grow calm for you. For I can see it is my fault this violent storm has happened to you.’ The sailors rowed hard in an effort to reach the shore, but in vain, since the sea grew still rougher for them. They then called on the Lord and said, ‘O Lord, do not let us perish for taking this man’s life; do not hold us guilty of innocent blood; for you, the Lord, have acted as you have thought right.’ And taking hold of Jonah they threw him into the sea; and the sea grew calm again. At this the men were seized with dread of the Lord; they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. The Lord had arranged that a great fish should be there to swallow Jonah; and Jonah remained in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. The Lord spoke to the fish, which then vomited Jonah on to the shore.
Jonah 2:3-5,8
R/ You lifted my life from the pit, O Lord.
1. Out of my distress I cried to the Lord and he answered me; from the belly of Sheol I cried, and you have heard my voice.
2. You cast me into the abyss, into the heart of the sea, and the flood surrounded me. All your waves, your billows, washed over me.
3. And I said: I am cast out from your sight. How shall I ever look again on your holy Temple?
4. While my soul was fainting within me, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came before you
into your holy Temple.
Gospel Acclamation: cf.Jn6:63,68
Alleluia, alleluia! Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life; you have the message of eternal life. Alleluia!
Gospel: Luke 10:25-37
There was a lawyer who, to disconcert Jesus, stood up and said to him, ‘Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? What do you read there?’ He replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.’ ‘You have answered right,’ said Jesus ‘do this and life is yours.’ But the man was anxious to justify himself and said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of brigands; they took all he had, beat him and then made off, leaving him half dead. Now a priest happened to be travelling down the same road, but when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite who came to the place saw him, and passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan traveller who came upon him was moved with compassion when he saw him. He went up and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He then lifted him on to his own mount, carried him to the inn and looked after him. Next day, he took out two denarii and handed them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said, “and on my way back I will make good any extra expense you have.” Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbour to the man who fell into the brigands‘ hands?’ ‘The one who took pity on him,’ he replied. Jesus said to him, ‘Go, and do the same yourself.’
Prayer over the Offerings
As we bring you these offerings, O Lord, we pray that we may be rightly disposed for the celebration of the mystery of the Cross, which Saint Francis so ardently embraced. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Mt 5: 3
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Prayer after Communion
Grant us, we pray, O Lord, through these holy gifts which we have received, that, imitating the charity and apostolic zeal of Saint Francis, we may experience the effects of your love and spread them everywhere for the salvation of all. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
The readings invite us to be selfless in our actions. Christ uses the story of the Good Samaritan who went out of himself and chose mercy and compassion over societial norms, prejudices, opinion, time, and money, to teach us that love for God is expressed in kindness to enemies and strangers. May we respond faithfully to this call for mercy and compassion towards those suffering in our world.