SAinT ILDEPHONSUS
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St. Ildephonsus is highly regarded in Spain and closely associated with devotion to the Blessed Virgin which he fostered by his famous work concerning her perpetual virginity.
Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Ps 95: 1, 6 O sing a new song to the Lord; sing to the Lord, all the earth. In his presence are majesty and splendour, strength and honour in his holy place.
Collect
Almighty ever-living God, direct our actions according to your good pleasure, that in the name of your beloved Son we may abound in 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: 2 Samuel 6:12-15,17-19
David went and brought the ark of God up from Obed-edom’s house to the Citadel of David with great rejoicing. When the bearers of the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fat sheep. And David danced whirling round before the Lord with all his might, wearing a linen loincloth round him. Thus David and all the House of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with acclaim and the sound of the horn. They brought the ark of the Lord in and put it in position inside the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered holocausts before the Lord, and communion sacrifices. And when David had finished offering holocausts and communion sacrifices, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of Hosts. He then distributed among all the people, among the whole multitude of Israelites, men and women, a roll of bread to each, a portion of dates, and a raisin cake. Then they all went away, each to his own house.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 23(24):7-10
R/ Who is the king of glory? He, the Lord, he is the king of glory.
- O gates, lift high your heads; grow higher, ancient doors. Let him enter, the king of glory!
- Who is the king of glory? The Lord, the mighty, the valiant, the Lord, the valiant in war.
- O gates, lift high your heads; grow higher, ancient doors. Let him enter, the king of glory!
- Who is he, the king of glory? He, the Lord of armies, he is the king of glory.
- Who is the king of glory? He, the Lord, he is the king of glory.
Gospel Acclamation: Ps118:135
Alleluia, alleluia! Let your face shine on your servant, and teach me your decrees. Alleluia!
Gospel: Mark 3:31-35
The mother and brothers of Jesus arrived and, standing outside, sent in a
message asking for him. A crowd was sitting round him at the time the message was passed to him, ‘Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside asking for you.’ He replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking round at those sitting in a circle about him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and mother.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Accept our offerings, O Lord, we pray, and in sanctifying them grant that they may profit us for salvation. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon : Cf. Ps 33: 6
Look toward the Lord and be radiant; let your faces not be abashed.
Prayer after Communion
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, receiving the grace by which you bring us to new life, we may always glory in your gift. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Some people erroneously consider Jesus not caring so much for his mother and extended family. However, he demonstrates here that he has not come to set up a kingdom built on blood and lineage but on truth and the spirit. Studies have shown that we naturally gravitate to the familiar – our race, our ethnic group, and our family members. However, therein lies our Achilles heel, as that is where, unguarded, racism, tribalism and nepotism breed. When Jesus was interrupted somehow embarrassingly from his preaching to attend to his family, he used the opportunity to let his listeners know the kind of faith family he had come to establish: those who do the will of God. Humanity’s only sustainable pathway is building a society where merit counts. There is no peace without justice.