Saint John Kemble (1599-1679)
Psalter: Week IV
Green
John Kemble was one of the oldest of the martyrs, being 80 when executed. In 1678 he was caught up in the aftermath of the “Popish Plot”. He was cleared of all involvement of this and was eventually condemned for being a “seminary priest. He was hanged, drawn and when dead quartered at Widemarsh Common on 22 August 1679.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 44: 10
At your right stands the queen in robes of gold, finely arrayed.
Collect
O God, who made the Mother of your Son to be our Mother and our Queen, graciously grant that, sustained by her intercession, we may attain in the heavenly Kingdom the glory promised to your children. 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: Ruth 1:1, 3-6, 14-16, 22
In the days of the Judges famine came to the land and a certain man from Bethlehem of Judah went – he, his wife and his two sons – to live in the country of Moab. Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died, and she and her two sons were left. These married Moabite women: one was named Orpah and the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years. Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died and the woman was bereft of her two sons and her husband. So she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law and went back to her people. But Ruth clung to her. Naomi said to her, ‘Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her god. You must return too; follow your sister-in-law.’ But Ruth said, ‘Do not press me to leave you and to turn back from your company, for wherever you go, I will go, wherever you live, I will live. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.’ This was how Naomi, she who returned from the country of Moab, came back with Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 145 (146):5-10
R/ My soul, give praise to the Lord.
He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who alone made heaven and earth, the seas and all they contain.
It is he who keeps faith for ever, who is just to those who are oppressed. It is he who gives bread to the hungry, the Lord, who sets prisoners free,!
the Lord who gives sight to the blind, who raises up those who are bowed down, the Lord, who protects the stranger and upholds the widow and orphan.
It is the Lord who loves the just but thwarts the path of the wicked. The Lord will reign for ever,Zion’s God, from age to age.
Gospel Acclamation: Ps 118:18
Alleluia, alleluia! Open my eyes, O Lord, that I may consider the wonders of your law. Alleluia!
Gospel: Matthew 22:34-40
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees they got together and, to disconcert him, one of them put a question, ‘Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?’ Jesus said, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets also.’
Prayer over the Offerings
As we observe this Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we bring you our offerings, O Lord, praying to be given strength by the humanity of Christ, who offered himself to you on the Cross as the unblemished oblation. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Lk 1: 45
Blessed are you who have believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord will be fulfilled.
Prayer after Communion
Having received this heavenly Sacrament, we humbly pray, O Lord, that we, who reverently celebrate the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, may merit to be partakers at your eternal banquet. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Today’s Gospel highlights the greatest commandment, which is closely tied to the principle of the Cross. The specific action we are called to do is a dual one, that is, love God by surrendering every aspect of our lives to Him, and extending that love to others. This commandment aligns with the foundational teaching of Christianity. This parable condemns the contempt that Israel, as a whole, and individuals, in general, have for God’s gracious invitation through Jesus the Messiah. The central theme of the parable revolves around the wedding banquet of the Son, symbolising the Messianic banquet, which all will enjoy at the end of the age. This will represent a moment where all God’s people will partake in as they celebrate their transition from this life to the life to come.