26
October
St. Chad
(d. 672)
Green
He became abbot of Lastingham and was chosen to be bishop of Northumbria, but St. Wilfrid contested his appointment, and Chad obediently withdrew. He was then sent as bishop to Mercia. He died at Lichfield on 2 March 672 and was immediately revered as a saint because of the holiness of his life, his outstanding humility, and his dedication to preaching of the Gospel.
Entrance Antiphon: Ps 104: 3-4
Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice; turn to the Lord and his strength; constantly seek his face.
Collect
Almighty ever-living God, increase our faith, hope and charity, and make us love what you command, so that we may merit what you promise. 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: Romans 8:18-25
I think that what we suffer in this life can never be compared to the glory, as yet unrevealed, which is waiting for us. The whole creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal his sons. It was not for any fault on the part of creation that it was made unable to attain its purpose, it was made so by God; but creation still retains the hope of being freed, like us, from its slavery to decadence, to enjoy the same freedom and glory as the children of God. From the beginning till now the entire creation, as we know, has been groaning in one great act of giving birth; and not only creation, but all of us who possess the first-fruits of the Spirit, we too groan inwardly as we wait for our bodies to be set free. For we must be content to hope that we shall be saved – our salvation is not in sight, we should not have to be hoping for it if it were – but, as I say, we must hope to be saved since we are not saved yet – it is something we must wait for with patience.
Psalm 125(126)
R/ What marvels the Lord worked for us.
1. When the Lord delivered Zion from bondage, it seemed like a dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, on our lips there were songs.
2. The heathens themselves said: ‘What marvels the Lord worked for them!’ What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad. and all that he does shall prosper.
3. Deliver us, O Lord, from our bondage as streams in dry land. Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap. What marvels the Lord worked for us.
4. They go out, they go out, full of tears, carrying seed for the sowing: they come back, they come back, full of song, carrying their sheaves.
Gospel Acclamation : Jn15:15
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 13:18-21
Jesus said, ‘What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it with? It is like a mustard seed which a man took and threw into his garden: it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air sheltered in its branches.’ Another thing he said, ‘What shall I compare the kingdom of God with? It is like the yeast a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour till it was leavened all through.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Look, we pray, O Lord, on the offerings we make to your majesty, that whatever is done by us in your service may be directed above all to your glory. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Ps 19: 6
We will ring out our joy at your saving help and exult in the name of our God.
Prayer after Communion
May your Sacraments, O Lord, we pray, perfect in us what lies within them, that what we now celebrate in signs we may one day possess in truth. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation Faith grows. It always starts little. This is a major characteristic of faith. It is usually small at the start because our experience of God is an ever-growing encounter, one that cannot be fully grasped at the very start. Faith goes through stages: DYING, as with the seed: we die to ourselves. INFUSION, as with the seed, infusion with the nutrients of the soil. We are fed by the effects of the encounter with God. SPROUTING, as with the seed, bringing forth new life. The person gets transformed to someone new.