Thursday 28 th July 2022
St. Victor
(d. 198)
Victor, an African by birth, was elected pope in 189. During his pontificate, which lasted until 198, he settled the controversy over the date of Easter. After much consultation and discussion, the decision was taken to celebrate it on Sunday throughout the Church. He was the first pope from Africa.
Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Ps 67: 6-7, 36
God is in his holy place, God who unites those who dwell in his house; he himself gives might and strength to his people.
Collect
O God, protector of those who hope in you, without whom nothing has firm foundation, nothing is holy, bestow in abundance your mercy upon us and grant that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may use the good things that pass in such a way as to hold fast even now to those that ever endure. 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 : Jeremiah 18:1-6
The word that was addressed to Jeremiah by the Lord, ‘Get up and make your way down to the potter’s house; there I shall let you hear what I have to say.’ So I went down to the potter’s house; and there he was, working at the wheel. And whenever the vessel he was making came out wrong, as happens with the clay handled by potters, he would start afresh and work it into another vessel, as potters do. Then this word of the Lord was addressed to me, ‘House of Israel, can not I do to you what this potter does? – it is the Lord who speaks. Yes, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so you are in mine, House of Israel.’
Psalm 145:2-6
R/ He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God.
- My soul, give praise to the Lord. I will praise the Lord all my days, make music to my God while I live.
- Put no trust in princes, In mortal men in whom there is no help. Take their breath, they return to clay and their plans that day come to nothing.
- He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who alone made heaven and earth, the seas and all they contain.
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 : Matthew 13:47-53
Jesus said to the crowds, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea that brings in a haul of all kinds. When it is full, the fishermen haul it ashore; then, sitting down, they collect the good ones in a basket and throw away those that are no use. This is how it will be at the end of time: the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the just to throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. ‘Have you understood all this?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ And he said to them, ‘Well then, every Scribe who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out from his storeroom things both new and old.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Accept, O Lord, we pray, the offerings which we bring from the abundance of your gifts, that through the powerful working of your grace, these most sacred mysteries may sanctify our present way of life and lead us to eternal gladness. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon : Ps 102: 2
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget all his benefits..
Prayer after Communion
We have consumed, O Lord, this divine Sacrament, the perpetual memorial of the Passion of your Son; grant, we pray, that this gift, which he himself gave us with love beyond all telling, may profit us for salvation. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
When Jesus sent out the seventy, He gave them the mission to make disciples of all nations. The mission of the Church is to gather the good and the bad. The image of the net is that of the Church which gathers everyone. Even though the Church has a mission to gather, there will be judgement at the end through which many will be selected. Those who had refused to repent will be thrown into the blazing furnace. The same Church with the mission to safe her members, adopted purgatory as a place of purification for those who still take their time to repent. Let us join the Church to continue praying especially for the souls undergoing purification in purgatory.