wednesday 28th Septemb er 2022
St. Wenceslaus
(907 – 935)
He was born into the Bohemian royal family. As King, he worked hard to promote order in his kingdom and the free exercise of Christianity. He was murdered by those who opposed this. He is the patron saint of the Czech Republic.
Entrance Antiphon : Dn 3: 31, 29, 30, 43, 42
All that you have done to us, O Lord, you have done with true judgement, for we have sinned against you and not obeyed your commandments. But give glory to your name and deal with us according to the bounty of your mercy.
Collect
O God, who manifest your almighty power above all by pardoning and showing mercy, bestow, we pray, your grace abundantly upon us, and make those hastening to attain your promises heirs to the treasures of heaven. 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 : Job 9:1-13,14-16
Job spoke to his friends: Indeed, I know it is as you say: how can man be in the right against God? If any were so rash as to challenge him for reasons, one in a thousand would be more than they could answer. His heart is wise, and his strength is great: who then can successfully defy him? He moves the mountains, though they do not know it; he throws them down when he is angry. He shakes the earth, and moves it from its place, making all its pillars tremble. The sun, at his command, forbears to rise, and on the stars he sets a seal. He and no other stretched out the skies, and trampled the Sea’s tall waves. The Bear, Orion too, are of his making, the Pleiades and the Mansions of the South. His works are great, beyond all reckoning, his marvels, past all counting. Were he to pass me, I should not see him, nor detect his stealthy movement. Were he to snatch a prize, who could prevent him, or dare to say, ‘What are you doing?’ God never goes back on his anger, Rahab’s minions still lie at his feet. How dare I plead my cause, then, or choose arguments against him? Suppose I am in the right, what use is my defence? For he whom I must sue is judge as well. If he deigned to answer my citation, could I be sure that he would listen to my voice?
Psalm 87:10-15
R/ Let my prayer come into your presence, O Lord.
- I call to you, Lord, all the day long; to you I stretch out my hands. Will you work your wonders for the dead? Will the shades stand and praise you?
- Will your love be told in the grave or your faithfulness among the dead? Will your wonders be known in the dark or your justice in the land of oblivion?
- As for me, Lord, I call to you for help: in the morning my prayer comes before you. Lord, why do you reject me? Why do you hide your face?
Gospel Acclamation : Ps118:105
Alleluia, alleluia! Your word is a lamp for my steps and a light for my path. Alleluia!
Gospel : Luke 9:57-62
As Jesus and his disciples travelled along they met a man on the road who said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus answered, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ Another to whom he said, ‘Follow me’, replied, ‘Let me go and bury my father first.’ But he answered, ‘Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.’
Another said, ‘I will follow you, sir, but first let me go and say goodbye to my people at home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. ’
Prayer over the Offerings
Grant us, O merciful God, that this our offering may find acceptance with you and that through it, the wellspring of all blessing may be laid open before us. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon : Cf. Ps 118: 49-50
Remember your word to your servant, O Lord, by which you have given me hope. This is my comfort when I am brought low.
Prayer after Communion
May this heavenly mystery, O Lord, restore us in mind and body, that we may be coheirs in glory with Christ, to whose suffering we are united whenever we proclaim his Death. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Meditation
Anything that turns our hearts from a full commitment to follow Jesus should be avoided. Sometimes, we still have a yearning to stay at home (being comfortable and doing what pleases us and not what pleases Jesus), rather than to follow Jesus. Jesus did not reject theose would-be followers, but he showed them that true vocation is in giving primary importance to the love for the kingdom of God. This love is shown through service and sacrifice for the survival of others. The world we live in today, is what many call a ‘global village’, where we can have anything we want. It is easy to, seeking comfort and to forget about our duty to serve mankind, and thus to build the Kingdom of God.