Tuesday 16 th august 2022
St. Stephen
of Hungary
(969 – 1038)
He was the son of a pagan father and a Christian mother. He worked hard for the conversion of his country to Christianity, setting up both episcopal sees and monasteries. He was crowned the first King of Hungary in 1001.
Entrance Antiphon : Ps 83: 10-11
Turn your eyes, O God, our shield; and look on the face of your anointed one; one day within your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.
Collect
O God, who have prepared for those who love you, good things which no eye can see; fill our hearts, we pray, with the warmth of your love, so that, loving you in all things and above all things, we may attain your promises which surpass every human desire. 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 : Ezekiel 28:1-10
The word of the Lord was addressed to me as follows, ‘Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre, “The Lord says this: Being swollen with pride, you have said: I am a god; I am sitting on the throne of God, surrounded by the seas. Though you are a man and not a god, you consider yourself the equal of God. You are wiser now than Danel; there is no sage as wise as you. By your wisdom and your intelligence you have amassed great wealth; you have piles of gold and silver inside your treasure-houses. Such is your skill in trading, your wealth has continued to increase, and with this your heart has grown more arrogant. And so, the Lord says this: Since you consider yourself the equal of God, very well, I am going to bring foreigners against you, the most barbarous of the nations. They will draw sword against your fine wisdom, they will defile your glory; they will throw you down into the pit and you will die a violent death surrounded by the seas. Are you still going to say: I am a god, when your murderers confront you? No, you are a man and not a god in the clutches of your murderers! You will die like the uncircumcised at the hand of foreigners. For I have spoken–it is the Lord who speaks.”’
Canticle: Deuteronomy 32:26-28,30, 35-36
R/ It is the Lord who deals death and life.
- I should crush them to dust, said the Lord. I should wipe out their memory among men, did I not fear the boasting of the enemy. But let not their foes be mistaken!
- Let them not say: Our own power wins the victory, the Lord plays no part in this. What a nation of short sight it is; in them there is no understanding.
- How else could one man rout a thousand, how could two put ten thousand to flight, were it not that their Rock has sold them, that the Lord has delivered them up?
- For it is close, the day of their ruin; their doom comes at speed. For the Lord will see his people righted, he will take pity on his servants.
Gospel Acclamation : Ps24:4,5
Alleluia, alleluia! Teach me your paths, my God, make me walk in your truth. Alleluia!
Gospel : Matthew 19:13-15
Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you solemnly, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yes, I tell you again, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.’ When the disciples heard this they were astonished. ‘Who can be saved, then?’ they said. Jesus gazed at them. ‘For men’ he told them ‘this is impossible; for God everything is possible.’ Then Peter spoke. ‘What about us?’ he said to him ‘We have left everything and followed you. What are we to have, then?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I tell you solemnly, when all is made new and the Son of Man sits on his throne of glory, you will yourselves sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children or land for the sake of my name will be repaid a hundred times over, and also inherit eternal life. ‘Many who are first will be last, and the last, first.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Receive our oblation, O Lord, by which is brought about a glorious exchange, that, by offering what you have given, we may merit to receive your very self. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon : Ps 129: 7
With the Lord there is mercy; in him is plentiful redemption.
Prayer after Communion
Made partakers of Christ through these Sacraments, we humbly implore your mercy, Lord, that, conformed to his image on earth, we may merit also to be his coheirs in heaven. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Meditation
Perhaps someone will say to himself or herself: “To obey the Lord’s call, what did these two fishermen, who had almost nothing, give up? But in this matter, we must consider the disposition of the heart rather than fortune. He who has left everything, even if it is little, and kept nothing for himself, has left much. What we have, we keep with passion, and what we do not have, we pursue with all our desire. Yes, Peter and Andrew left a lot, because both of them gave up even the desire to possess. They gave up a lot, because in giving up their possessions they also gave up their lusts. In following the Lord, they gave up everything they might have desired if they had not followed him.