MONday  06 MARCH

SAINT COLLETTE

Born on January 13, she was orphaned at seventeen. She distributed her inheritance to the poor and became a Franciscan sister. She was renowned for her sanctity, ecstasies, and visions of the Passion.

Entrance Antiphon: Ps 25: 11-12

Redeem me, O Lord, and have mercy on me. My foot stands on level ground; I will bless the Lord in the assembly.

Collect

O God, who have taught us to chasten our bodies for the healing of our souls, enable us, we pray, to abstain from all sins, and strengthen our hearts to carry out your loving commands. 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:  Daniel 9: 4-10

O Lord, God great and to be feared, you keep the covenant and have kindness for those who love you and keep your commandments: we have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly, we have betrayed your commandments and your ordinances and turned away from them. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, our ancestors, and to all the people of the land. Integrity, Lord, is yours; ours the look of shame we wear today, we, the people of Judah, the citizens of Jerusalem, the whole of Israel, near and far away, in every country to which you have dispersed us because of the treason we have committed against you. To us, Lord, the look of shame belongs, to our kings, our princes, our ancestors, because we have sinned against you. To the Lord our God mercy and pardon belong, because we have betrayed him, and have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God nor followed the laws he has given us through his servants the prophets.

Psalm: 78(79): 8-9, 11, 13

R/ Do not treat us according to our sins, O Lord.

Do not hold the guilt of our fathers against us. Let your compassion hasten to meet us; we are left in the depths of distress.

O God our saviour, come to our help. Come for the sake of the glory of your name. O Lord our God, forgive us our sins; rescue us for the sake of your name.

Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; let your strong-arm reprieve those condemned to die. But we, your people, the flock of your pasture, will give you thanks for ever and ever. We will tell your praise from age to age.

Gospel Acclamation

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus! The seed is the word of God, Christ the sower; whoever finds this seed will remain for ever. Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

Gospel: Luke 6: 36-38

Jesus said to his disciples: “Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.”

Prayer over the Offerings

Accept in your goodness these our prayers, O Lord, and set free from worldly attractions those you allow to serve the heavenly mysteries. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon:  Lk 6: 36

Be merciful, as your Father is merciful, says the Lord.

Prayer after Communion

May this Communion, O Lord, cleanse us of wrongdoing and make us heirs to the joy of heaven. Through Christ our Lord.

Prayer over the People

Confirm the hearts of your faithful, O Lord, we pray, and strengthen them by the power of your grace, that they may be constant in making supplication to you and sincere in love for one another. Through Christ our Lord.

Meditation

On this day, Christ Jesus, our Lord, invites us to be merciful and compassionate Having a good heart is not an easy thing these days. We are often very hard on others in our judgement; we are very unforgiving and forget that we are subject to the same acts, the same mistakes, the same sins. We demand and expect others to treat us differently than we treat them. So the Lord warns us about the way we treat others. We cannot mistreat others and expect them to throw flowers at us. In inviting us to be merciful on this day, the Lord expects us to know how to look at others as God looks at us despite our shortcomings and sins.