Monday 10 th october 2022
St. Daniel Comboni
(1831 – 1881)
Daniel Comboni was born in Italy in 1831. He felt the call to evangelize the peoples of Central Africa. He set off to Africa and established several missions. Faithful to his motto “Africa or death” and his plan for the salvation of Africa, he lived and worked for the success of the mission until he died in Khartoum (Sudan) on 10 October 1881, at the age of fifty.
Entrance Antiphon : Ps 129: 3-4
If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But with you is found forgiveness, O God of Israel.
Collect
May your grace, O Lord, we pray, at all times go before us and follow after and make us always determined to carry out good works. 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 : Gal 4:22-24,26-27,31-5:1
The Law says, if you remember, that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave-girl, and one by his free-born wife. The child of the slave-girl was born in the ordinary way; the child of the free woman was born as the result of a promise. This can be regarded as an allegory: the women stand for the two covenants. The first who comes from Mount Sinai, and whose children are slaves, is Hagar – The Jerusalem above, however, is free and is our mother, since Scripture says: Shout for joy, you barren women who bore no children! Break into shouts of joy and gladness, you who were never in labour. For there are more sons of the forsaken one than sons of the wedded wife. So, my brothers, we are the children, not of the slave-girl, but of the free-born wife. When Christ freed us, he meant us to remain free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.
Psalm 112:1-7
R/ May the name of the Lord be blessed for evermore!
- Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord! May the name of the Lord be blessed both now and for evermore!
- From the rising of the sun to its setting praised be the name of the Lord! High above all nations is the Lord, above the heavens his glory.
- Who is like the Lord, our God, who has risen on high to his throne yet stoops from the heights to look down, to look down upon heaven and earth? From the dust he lifts up the lowly, from the dungheap he raises the poor
Gospel Acclamation : Ps118:88
Alleluia, alleluia! Because of your love give me life, and I will do your will. Alleluia!
Gospel : Luke 11:29-32
The crowds got even bigger and Jesus addressed them, ‘This is a wicked generation; it is asking for a sign The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. On Judgement day the Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here. On Judgement day the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Accept, O Lord, the prayers of your faithful with the sacrificial offerings, that, through these acts of devotedness, we may pass over to the glory of heaven. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon : Cf. Ps 33: 11
The rich suffer want and go hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no blessing.
Prayer after Communion
We entreat your majesty most humbly, O Lord, that, as you feed us with the nourishment which comes from the most holy Body and Blood of your Son, so you may make us sharers of his divine nature. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Meditation
It is common in the Gospel for the Jews to ask for signs from Jesus. The Ninevites recognised God’s warning when Jonah preached to them and repented. Unfortunately, the religious leaders and people of Jesus’ generation do not recognise the signs that they have before them. They have rejected John’s, and next, Jesus’ message as well. But Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, offers us freedom from sin if we heed His Word. We are a generation of signs and we need assurances that God has approved our decisions. Jesus tells us today that we have a greater sign among us than Jonah- Jesus Himself. All we need do is listen to Him; but do we?