Saint Rita of Cascia (1377 – 1447)
Psalter: Week I
White
She was born in Italy. She was married at the age of 12 but became a nun at the dead of her husband. She is widely honoured as a patron saint of impossible or lost causes.
Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Ex 15: 1-2
Let us sing to the Lord, for he has gloriously triumphed. The Lord is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation, alleluia.
Collect
O God, by whose grace, though sinners, we are made just and, though pitiable, made blessed, stand, we pray, by your works, stand by your gifts, that those justified by faith may not lack the courage of perseverance. 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 : Acts 15:7-21
After the discussion had gone on a long time, Peter stood up and addressed the apostles and the elders. ‘My brothers,’ he said ‘you know perfectly well that in the early days God made his choice among you: the pagans were to learn the Good News from me and so become believers. In fact God, who can read everyone’s heart, showed his approval of them by giving the Holy Spirit to them just as he had to us. God made no distinction between them and us, since he purified their hearts by faith. It would only provoke God’s anger now, surely, if you imposed on the disciples the very burden that neither we nor our ancestors were strong enough to support? Remember, we believe that we are saved in the same way as they are: through the grace of the Lord Jesus.’ This silenced the entire assembly, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul describing the signs and wonders God had worked through them among the pagans. When they had finished it was James who spoke. ‘My brothers,’ he said ‘listen to me. Simeon has described how God first arranged to enlist a people for his name out of the pagans. This is entirely in harmony with the words of the prophets, since the scriptures say: After that I shall return and rebuild the fallen House of David; I shall rebuild it from its ruins and restore it. Then the rest of mankind, all the pagans who are consecrated to my name, will look for the Lord, says the Lord who made this known so long ago. ‘I rule, then, that instead of making things more difficult for pagans who turn to God, we send them a letter telling them merely to abstain from anything polluted by idols, from fornication, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For Moses has always had his preachers in every town, and is read aloud in the synagogues every sabbath.’
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 95(96):1-3,10
R/ Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
or
Alleluia!
O sing a new song to the Lord, sing to the Lord all the earth. O sing to the Lord, bless his name.
Proclaim his help day by day, tell among the nations his glory and his wonders among all the peoples.
Proclaim to the nations: ‘God is king.’ The world he made firm in its place; he will judge the peoples in fairness.
Gospel Acclamation : Jn10:27
Alleluia, alleluia! The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice, says the Lord, I know them and they follow me. Alleluia!
Gospel : John 15:9-11
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you and your joy be complete.’
Prayer over the Offerings
O God, who by the wonderful exchange effected in this sacrifice have made us partakers of the one supreme Godhead, grant, we pray, that, as we have come to know your truth, we may make it ours by a worthy way of life. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon
Christ died for all, that those who live may live no longer for themselves, but for him who died for them and is risen, alleluia..
Prayer after Communion
Graciously be present to your people, we pray, O Lord, and lead those you have imbued with heavenly mysteries to pass from former ways to newness of life. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Joy is a universal desire, yet the ways people pursue it, or the places they search for it, vary from person to person. Some seek joy in alcohol, drugs, sex, luxury cars, houses, and more. Unfortunately, the “joy” derived from these pursuits is never sufficient to satiates the heart’s thirst. The more one seeks joy in alcohol, the more one drinks, leading to an alcohol dependency and a realisation that the emptiness that led to the alcohol abuse still persists. This pattern applies to all the other avenues mentioned above. Jesus stands as the only source of true joy. He is the only one in whom our joy can find fulfillment. The only path to complete and lasting joy is to seek the joy Christ bring us. That is why He says: “I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you and your joy be complete”. Let us earnestly seek the grace to be filled with the joy of Christ, transforming us into wholly joyful children of God.