St. Antony, Abbot
(251 – 356)
St Antony is the originator of the monastic life. He was born in Egypt: when his parents died, he listened to the words of the Gospel and gave all his belongings to the poor. He lived to be over a hundred years old, and died in 356.
Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Ps 91: 13-14
The just will flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a Lebanon cedar, planted in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God.
Collect
O God, who brought the Abbot Saint Anthony to serve you by a wondrous way of life in the desert, grant, through his intercession, that, denying ourselves, we may always love you above all things. 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 : 1 Samuel 15:16-23
Samuel said to Saul, ‘Stop! Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.’ Saul said, ‘Tell me.’ Samuel continued, ‘Small as you may be in your own eyes, are you not head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord has anointed you king over Israel. The Lord sent you on a mission and said to you, “Go, put these sinners, the Amalekites, under the ban and make war on them until they are exterminated.” Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you fall on the booty and do what is displeasing to the Lord?’ Saul replied to Samuel, ‘But I did obey the voice of the Lord. I went on the mission which the Lord gave me; I brought back Agag king of the Amalekites; I put the Amalekites under the ban. From the booty the people took the best sheep and oxen of what was under the ban to sacrifice them to the Lord your God in Gilgal.’ But Samuel replied: ‘Is the pleasure of the Lord in holocausts and sacrifices or in obedience to the voice of the Lord? Yes, obedience is better than sacrifice, submissiveness better than the fat of rams. Rebellion is a sin of sorcery, presumption a crime of teraphim. ‘Since you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.’
Psalm 49(50): 8-9, 16-17, 21, 23
R/ I will show God’s salvation to the upright.
1. ‘I find no fault with your sacrifices, your offerings are always before me. I do not ask more bullocks from your farms, nor goats from among your herds.
2. ‘But how can you recite my commandments and take my covenant on your lips, you who despise my law and throw my words to the winds,
3. ‘You do this, and should I keep silence? Do you think that I am like you? A sacrifice of thanksgiving honours me and I will show God’s salvation to the upright.’
Gospel Acclamation : cf.1Th2:13
Alleluia, alleluia! Accept God’s message for what it really is: God’s message, and not some human thinking. Alleluia!
Gospel : Mark 2:18-22
One day when John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, some people came to Jesus and said to him, ‘Why is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?’ Jesus replied, ‘Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of fasting while the bridegroom is still with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they could not think of fasting. But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then, on that day, they will fast. No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak; if he does, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and the tear gets worse. And nobody puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins too. No! New wine, fresh skins!’
Prayer over the Offerings
May these offerings of our service, placed on your altar in commemoration of Saint Anthony, be acceptable to you, O Lord, we pray, and grant that, released from earthly attachments, we may have our riches in you alone. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon : Cf. Mt 19: 21
If you would be perfect, go, sell what you have, give to the poor, and follow me, says the Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Nourished for our healing by your Sacraments, O Lord, may we escape every snare of the enemy unharmed, just as by your grace Saint Anthony won glorious victories over the powers of darkness. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
While John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, the disciples of Jesus are accused of not fasting. Bothered about the situation, some people bring it to Jesus. Using the imagery of the wedding feast, Jesus defends the conduct of His disciples. While these remain two different ways of practicing religion, the motive for fasting or not fasting remains a key question. The time would come when His disciples, too, will fast. At times we can be quick to evaluate others and make allusions regarding their conducts. It is important to hear them and make an effort to see reality from their standpoint as well.