Sister Faustina
Sister Faustina was a young, uneducated, nun in a convent of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Poland during the 1930’s. She received extraordinary revelations on God’s loving message of Divine Mercy. Saint Faustina’s revelations are a constant reminder of the message to trust in Jesus’ endless mercy, and to live life mercifully toward others.
Entrance Antiphon: Dn 3: 31, 29, 30, 43,
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: Nehemiah 8:1-12
When the seventh month came, all the people gathered as one man on the square before the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses which the Lord had prescribed for Israel. Accordingly Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, consisting of men, women, and children old enough to understand. This was the first day of the seventh month. On the square before the Water Gate, in the presence of the men and women, and children old enough to understand, he read from the book from early morning till noon; all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law. Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden dais erected for the purpose. In full view of all the people – since he stood higher than all the people – Ezra opened the book; and when he opened it all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people raised their hands and answered, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and, face to the ground, prostrated themselves before the Lord. And Ezra read from the Law of God, translating and giving the sense, so that the people understood what was read. Then Nehemiah – His Excellency – and Ezra, priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people, said to all the people, “This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not be mournful, do not weep.” For the people were all in tears as they listened to the words of the Law. He then said, “Go, eat the fat, drink the sweet wine, and send a portion to the man who has nothing prepared ready. For this day is sacred to our Lord. Do not be sad: the joy of the Lord is your stronghold.” And the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be at ease; this is a sacred day. Do not be sad.” And all the people went off to eat and drink and give shares away and begin to enjoy themselves since they had understood the meaning of what had been proclaimed to them.
Psalm 18(19):8-11
R/ The precepts of the Lord gladden the heart.
The law of the Lord is perfect, it revives the soul. The rule of the Lord is to be trusted, it gives wisdom to the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, they gladden the heart. The command of the Lord is clear, it gives light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is holy, abiding for ever. The decrees of the Lord are truth and all of them just.
They are more to be desired than gold, than the purest of gold and sweeter are they than honey, than honey from the comb.
Gospel Acclamation : Mt 4: 4
Alleluia, alleluia! Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Alleluia!
Gospel: Luke 10:1-12
The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road. Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house. Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, ‘The kingdom of God is very near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not make you welcome, go out into its streets and say, ‘We wipe off the very dust of your town that clings to our feet, and leave it with you. Yet be sure of this: the kingdom of God is very near.’ I tell you, on that day it will not go as hard with Sodom as with that town.”
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
“The labourers are few…” One would expect this to lead to: “Roll up your sleeves and go and help out a bit”. Not at all! It leads to: “Pray!” Yet it is really a matter of urgency: a ripe harvest cannot wait more than a few days. It would appear Jesus want to put this urgency into perspective. But above all, he wants the eyes of his envoys not to be hypnotized exclusively by the task and not to forget the master of the harvest. For it is indeed the master’s harvest, and we must never lose sight of the fact that it is up to him to send workers to it. They cannot integrate themselves to the work on their own initiative. Dialogue, even if it is only implied, must be constant between the sender and the sent. It is by being rooted in prayer that every mission becomes effective and fruitful. Prayer therefore remains one of the great prerequisites of all evangelization.