SAINT Otteran
He was abbot of Meath and later came to Iona. He died in 548 and his grave on Iona was greatly revered. As a result the Vikings chose Otteran, the titular guardian of their ancestors’ ashes, as patron of the city of Waterford in 1096. He is now patron saint of the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore..
Entrance Antiphon: Ps 16: 6, 8
To you I call; for you will surely heed me, O God; turn your ear to me; hear my words. Guard me as the apple of your eye; in the shadow of your wings protect me.
Collect
Almighty ever-living God, grant that we may always conform our will to yours and serve your majesty in sincerity of heart. 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: Romans 7:18-25
I know of nothing good living in me – living, that is, in my unspiritual self – for though the will to do what is good is in me, the performance is not, with the result that instead of doing the good things I want to do, I carry out the sinful things I do not want. When I act against my will, then, it is not my true self doing it, but sin which lives in me. In fact, this seems to be the rule, that every single time I want to do good it is something evil that comes to hand. In my inmost self I dearly love God’s Law, but I can see that my body follows a different law that battles against the law which my reason dictates. This is what makes me a prisoner of that law of sin which lives inside my body. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body doomed to death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Psalm 118 (119): 66, 68, 76-77, 93-94
R/ Lord, teach me your statutes.
Teach me discernment and knowledge for I trust in your commands. You are good and your deeds are good; teach me your statutes.
Let your love be ready to console me by your promise to your servant. Let your love come and I shall live for your law is my delight.
I will never forget your precepts for with them you give me life. Save me, for I am yours since I seek your precepts.
Gospel Acclamation: Ps94:8
Alleluia, alleluia! Harden not your hearts today, but listen to the voice of the Lord. Alleluia!
Gospel: Luke 12:54-59
Jesus said to the crowds: “When you see a cloud looming up in the west you say at once that rain is coming, and so it does. And when the wind is from the south you say it will be hot, and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the face of the earth and the sky. How is it you do not know how to interpret these times? Why not judge for yourselves what is right? For example: when you go to court with your opponent, try to settle with him on the way, or he may drag you before the judge and the judge hand you over to the bailiff and the bailiff have you thrown into prison. I tell you, you will not get out till you have paid the very last penny.”
Prayer over the Offerings
Grant us, Lord, we pray, a sincere respect for your gifts, that, through the purifying action of your grace, we may be cleansed by the very mysteries we serve. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Ps 32: 18-19
Behold, the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, who hope in his merciful love, to rescue their souls from death, to keep them alive in famine.
Prayer after Communion
Grant, O Lord, we pray, that, benefiting from participation in heavenly things, we may be helped by what you give in this present age and prepared for the gifts that are eternal. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
We can be sure that men were already talking about time and the weather in Jesus’ time, just as in all ages! But the flaw in this subject remains the same: instead of welcoming what is offered, the present time, we are interested in what will happen, the future time. Jesus calls us to be aware that God is with us in the present, and that it is urgent not to postpone reconciliation to an uncertain and improbable time. Jesus’ point is more relevant than ever. Indeed, while we have an unprecedented ability to understand the economic and social realities of a country, we often have great difficulty in understanding what God wants to tell us. Yet, today as much as yesterday, the Lord speaks to us. The more we are open and available to what he wants to tell us, the better we will be able to discern the signs of the times.