03
November
St. Martin de Porres
(1579 – 1639)
B.V.M
Green / White
He was born in Lima in Peru, the illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman and a black ex-slave. He entered the Dominican Order and spent his life working for the sick and the poor. He had a great devotion to the Holy Eucharist. He has been named as a patron saint of those of mixed race.
Entrance Antiphon : Ps 37: 22-23
Forsake me not, O Lord, my God; be not far from me! Make haste and come to my help, O Lord, my strong salvation!
Collect
Almighty and merciful God, by whose gift your faithful offer you right and praiseworthy service, grant, we pray, that we may hasten without stumbling to receive the things you have promised. 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 13:8-10
Avoid getting into debt, except the debt of mutual love. If you love your fellow men you have carried out your obligations. All the commandments: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and so on, are summed up in this single command: You must love your neighbour as yourself. Love is the one thing that cannot hurt your neighbour; that is why it is the answer to every one of the commandments.
Psalm 111(112):1-2,4-5,9
R/ Happy the man who takes pity and lends.
1. Happy the man who fears the Lord, who takes delight in all his commands. His sons will be powerful on earth; the children of the upright are blessed.
2. He is a light in the darkness for the upright: he is generous, merciful and just. The good man takes pity and lends, he conducts his affairs with honour.
3. Open-handed, he gives to the poor; his justice stands firm for ever. His head will be raised in glory.
Gospel Acclamation: Ps118:88
Alleluia, alleluia! Because of your love give me life, and I will do your will. Alleluia!
Gospel: Luke 14:25-33
Great crowds accompanied Jesus on his way and he turned and spoke to them. ‘If any man comes to me without hating his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple. Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. ‘And indeed, which of you here, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and work out the cost to see if he had enough to complete it? Otherwise, if he laid the foundation and then found himself unable to finish the work, the onlookers would all start making fun of him and saying, “Here is a man who started to build and was unable to finish.” Or again, what king marching to war against another king would not first sit down and consider whether with ten thousand men he could stand up to the other who advanced against him with twenty thousand? If not, then while the other king was still a long way off, he would send envoys to sue for peace. So in the same way, none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.’
Prayer over the Offerings
May these sacrificial offerings, O Lord, become for you a pure oblation, and for us a holy outpouring of your mercy. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Ps 15: 11
You will show me the path of life, the fullness of joy in your presence, O Lord.
Prayer after Communion
May the working of your power, O Lord, increase in us, we pray, so that, renewed by these heavenly Sacraments, we may be prepared by your gift for receiving what they promise. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Love is the fulfillment of the law. Love consists of preferring God more than everything else and treating our neighbour as ourselves. Love does nothing wrong to its neighbour but instead gives to and elevates the neighbour. Without self-denial and sacrifice, there is no love. Indeed, love rhymes with tenderness, generosity and simplicity. It is a form of self-denial and total self-giving. Saint Martin de Porrès is a very telling example of someone who understood what love is and lived it almost literally. Throughout his life, all he did was serve all those who needed his help. His heart was so close to God that he missed no opportunity to do good. May the Lord grant us the grace to detach ourselves from selfishness to cling to him and thus serve him through our brothers and sisters with a joyful face and a heart without division.