by L'équipe de publication | Jul 19, 2023 | Evangelium
SAINT Apollinaris,
Bishop, Martyr
He was bishop of Ravenna, probably in the late second century, and was probably martyred there. Devotion to him was already common in the seventh century.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 16:15
As for me, in justice I shall behold your face; I shall be filled with the vision of your glory.
Collect
O God, who show the light of your truth to those who go astray, so that they may return to the right path, give all who for the faith they profess are accounted Christians the grace to reject whatever is contrary to the name of Christ and to strive after all that does it honour. 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: Exodus 3:13-20
Moses, hearing the voice of God coming from the middle of the bush, said to him, “I am to go, then, to the sons of Israel and say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you.” But if they ask me what his name is, what am I to tell them?” And God said to Moses, “I Am who I Am. This,” he added, “is what you must say to the sons of Israel: “I Am has sent me to you.”” And God also said to Moses, “You are to say to the sons of Israel: “The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.” This is my name for all time; by this name I shall be invoked for all generations to come. Go and gather the elders of Israel together and tell them, “The Lord, the God of your fathers, has appeared to me, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob; and he has said to me: I have visited you and seen all that the Egyptians are doing to you. And so I have resolved to bring you up out of Egypt where you are oppressed, into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land where milk and honey flow.” They will listen to your words, and with the elders of Israel you are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, “The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has come to meet us. Give us leave, then, to make a three days’ journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifice to the Lord our God.” For myself, knowing that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless he is forced by a mighty hand, I shall show my power and strike Egypt with all the wonders I am going to work there. After this he will let you go.”
Psalm 104(105):1,5,8-9,24-27
R/ The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
Give thanks to the Lord, tell his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, the judgements he spoke.
He remembers his covenant for ever, his promise for a thousand generations, the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac.
He gave his people increase; he made them stronger than their foes, whose hearts he turned to hate his people and to deal deceitfully with his servants.
Then he sent Moses his servant and Aaron the man he had chosen. Through them he showed his marvels and his wonders in the country of Ham.
Gospel Acclamation: cf.Ps129:5
Alleluia, alleluia! My soul is waiting for the Lord, I count on his word. Alleluia!
Gospel: Matthew 11:28-30
Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.”
Prayer over the Offerings
Look upon the offerings of the Church, O Lord, as she makes her prayer to you, and grant that, when consumed by those who believe, they may bring ever greater holiness. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 83: 4-5
The sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for her young: by your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, for ever singing your praise.
Prayer after Communion
Having consumed these gifts, we pray, O Lord, that, by our participation in this mystery, its saving effects upon us may grow. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Our readings today speak of freedom. The only yoke we must bear is that of the love of God and of neighbour. The chains of physical slavery as born by the Hebrews do not please the Lord, hence the mission of Moses. Similarly, the chains of spiritual slavery that prevent us from praising the Lord must be broken in favour of the mantle of love. Lord, enable us to identify the chains of slavery that keep us from You and to break free of them. May we help our neighbours to do the same.
by L'équipe de publication | Jul 18, 2023 | Evangelium
SAINT John Plessington
Originally English, he was ordained in Segovia on 25 March 1662. He returned to England in 1663 ministering to Catholics in the areas of Holywell and Cheshire, often in hiding. He was arrested, imprisoned for two months, and then hanged, drawn and quartered for the crime of being a Catholic priest.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 16:15
As for me, in justice I shall behold your face; I shall be filled with the vision of your glory.
Collect
O God, who show the light of your truth to those who go astray, so that they may return to the right path, give all who for the faith they profess are accounted Christians the grace to reject whatever is contrary to the name of Christ and to strive after all that does it honour. 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: Exodus 3:1-6,9-12
Moses was looking after the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, priest of Midian. He led his flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in the shape of a flame of fire, coming from the middle of a bush. Moses looked; there was the bush blazing but it was not being burnt up. “I must go and look at this strange sight,” Moses said, “and see why the bush is not burnt.” Now the Lord saw him go forward to look, and God called to him from the middle of the bush. “Moses, Moses!” he said. “Here I am,” Moses answered. “Come no nearer,” he said. “Take off your shoes, for the place on which you stand is holy ground. I am the God of your fathers,” he said, “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this Moses covered his face, afraid to look at God. And the Lord said, “The cry of the sons of Israel has come to me, and I have witnessed the way in which the Egyptians oppress them, so come, I send you to Pharaoh to bring the sons of Israel, my people, out of Egypt.” Moses said to God, “Who am I to go to Pharaoh and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” “I shall be with you,” was the answer “and this is the sign by which you shall know that it is I who have sent you… After you have led the people out of Egypt, you are to offer worship to God on this mountain.”
Psalm 102(103):1-4,6-7
R/ The Lord is compassion and love.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord all my being, bless his holy name. My soul, give thanks to the Lord and never forget all his blessings.
It is he who forgives all your guilt, who heals every one of your ills, who redeems your life from the grave, who crowns you with love and compassion.
The Lord does deeds of justice, gives judgement for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses and his deeds to Israel’s sons.
Gospel Acclamation: Mt11:25
Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom to mere children. Alleluia!
Gospel: Matthew 11:25-27
Jesus exclaimed, “I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
Prayer over the Offerings
Look upon the offerings of the Church, O Lord, as she makes her prayer to you, and grant that, when consumed by those who believe, they may bring ever greater holiness. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 83: 4-5
The sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for her young: by your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, for ever singing your praise.
Prayer after Communion
Having consumed these gifts, we pray, O Lord, that, by our participation in this mystery, its saving effects upon us may grow. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Our meditation of today invites us to rejoice with Christ. The reason is simple: our Creator and Saviour has voluntarily decided to reveal himself to us. This breaks with the conception of a distant God whom no one could contemplate, as Moses and Elijah will experience. He allows himself to be known and becomes closer to us in the person of Jesus, so that to know him is to look at Christ with a heart that recognizes our lowliness before him. Lord, help us to know you more through your Son Jesus our Saviour, so that we may love and serve you better.
by L'équipe de publication | Jul 17, 2023 | Evangelium
SAINT Frederick
He was Bishop of Utrecht between 816 and 838. Frederick was born around 780 in Friesland and was a grandson of the Frisian King Radboud. He preached at Walcheren and together with St. Odulfus in Stavoren and its surroundings.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 16:15
As for me, in justice I shall behold your face; I shall be filled with the vision of your glory.
Collect
O God, who show the light of your truth to those who go astray, so that they may return to the right path, give all who for the faith they profess are accounted Christians the grace to reject whatever is contrary to the name of Christ and to strive after all that does it honour. 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: Exodus 2:1-15
There was a man of the tribe of Levi who had taken a woman of Levi as his wife. She conceived and gave birth to a son and, seeing what a fine child he was, she kept him hidden for three months. When she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him; coating it with bitumen and pitch, she put the child inside and laid it among the reeds at the river’s edge. His sister stood some distance away to see what would happen to him. Now Pharaoh’s daughter went down to bathe in the river, and the girls attending her were walking along by the riverside. Among the reeds she noticed the basket, and she sent her maid to fetch it. She opened it and looked, and saw a baby boy, crying; and she was sorry for him. “This is a child of one of the Hebrews” she said. Then the child’s sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and find you a nurse among the Hebrew women to suckle the child for you?” “Yes, go,” Pharaoh’s daughter said to her; and the girl went off to find the baby’s own mother. To her the daughter of Pharaoh said, “Take this child away and suckle it for me. I will see you are paid.” So the woman took the child and suckled it. When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter who treated him like a son; she named him Moses because, she said, “I drew him out of the water.” Moses, a man by now, set out at this time to visit his countrymen, and he saw what a hard life they were having; and he saw an Egyptian strike a Hebrew, one of his countrymen. Looking round he could see no one in sight, so he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. On the following day he came back, and there were two Hebrews, fighting. He said to the man who was in the wrong, “What do you mean by hitting your fellow countryman?” “And who appointed you” the man retorted, “to be prince over us, and judge? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Moses was frightened. “Clearly that business has come to light” he thought. When Pharaoh heard of the matter he would have killed Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and made for the land of Midian.
Psalm 68(69):3,14,30-31,33-34
R/ Seek the Lord, you who are poor, and your hearts will revive.
I have sunk into the mud of the deep and there is no foothold. I have entered the waters of the deep and the waves overwhelm me.
This is my prayer to you, my prayer for your favour. In your great love, answer me, O God, with your help that never fails.
As for me in my poverty and pain let your help, O God, lift me up. I will praise God’s name with a song; I will glorify him with thanksgiving.
The poor when they see it will be glad and God-seeking hearts will revive; for the Lord listens to the needy and does not spurn his servants in their chains.
Gospel Acclamation: Ps118:24
Alleluia, alleluia! Train me, Lord, to observe your law, to keep it with my heart. Alleluia!
Gospel: Matthew 11:20-24
Jesus began to reproach the towns in which most of his miracles had been worked, because they refused to repent. “Alas for you, Chorazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. And still, I tell you that it will not go as hard on Judgement day with Tyre and Sidon as with you. And as for you, Capernaum, did you want to be exalted as high as heaven? You shall be thrown down to hell. For if the miracles done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have been standing yet. And still, I tell you that it will not go as hard with the land of Sodom on Judgement day as with you.”
Prayer over the Offerings
Look upon the offerings of the Church, O Lord, as she makes her prayer to you, and grant that, when consumed by those who believe, they may bring ever greater holiness. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 83: 4-5
The sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for her young: by your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, for ever singing your praise.
Prayer after Communion
Having consumed these gifts, we pray, O Lord, that, by our participation in this mystery, its saving effects upon us may grow. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Brothers and sisters, our Lord is in pain despite the blessings he never ceases to shower upon us. Indeed, our heart easily becomes impenetrable and blind to His calls. He therefore warns us this day about the result of such behaviour. Pharaoh’s daughter did not need to be a Hebrew to save the little child who will be the liberator of God’s people. She had no idea of the promise made to Abraham, but she only applied the commandment of love long before it was ever pronounced. We who have been taught the signs of grace should strive to live as righteous men and women, so that at the judgment we may be exalted to the eternal life.
by L'équipe de publication | Jul 16, 2023 | Evangelium
SAINT Kenelm
Saint Kenelm was the son of Kenwulf, who was King of Mercia from 796 to 821. He is remembered by the people of the West Midlands as a faithful follower of Christ in particularly difficult circumstances.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 16:15
As for me, in justice I shall behold your face; I shall be filled with the vision of your glory.
Collect
O God, who show the light of your truth to those who go astray, so that they may return to the right path, give all who for the faith they profess are accounted Christians the grace to reject whatever is contrary to the name of Christ and to strive after all that does it honour. 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: Exodus 1:8-14,22
There came to power in Egypt a new king who knew nothing of Joseph. “Look,” he said to his subjects “these people, the sons of Israel, have become so numerous and strong that they are a threat to us. We must be prudent and take steps against their increasing any further, or if war should break out, they might add to the number of our enemies. They might take arms against us and so escape out of the country.” Accordingly they put slave-drivers over the Israelites to wear them down under heavy loads. In this way they built the store-cities of Pithom and Rameses for Pharaoh. But the more they were crushed, the more they increased and spread, and men came to dread the sons of Israel. The Egyptians forced the sons of Israel into slavery, and made their lives unbearable with hard labour, work with clay and with brick, all kinds of work in the fields; they forced on them every kind of labour. Pharaoh then gave his subjects this command: “Throw all the boys born to the Hebrews into the river, but let all the girls live.”
Psalm 123(124)
R/ Our help is in the name of the Lord.
“If the Lord had not been on our side,” this is Israel’s song. “If the Lord had not been on our side when men rose up against us, then would they have swallowed us alive when their anger was kindled.
Then would the waters have engulfed us, the torrent gone over us; over our head would have swept the raging waters. Blessed be the Lord who did not give us a prey to their teeth!
Our life, like a bird, has escaped from the snare of the fowler. Indeed the snare has been broken and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”
Gospel Acclamation: cf.Ac16:14
Alleluia, alleluia! Open our heart, O Lord, to accept the words of your Son. Alleluia!
Gospel: Matthew 10:34-11:1
Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth: it is not peace I have come to bring, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s enemies will be those of his own household. “Anyone who prefers father or mother to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who prefers son or daughter to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me. Anyone who finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it. “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me; and those who welcome me welcome the one who sent me. “Anyone who welcomes a prophet will have a prophet’s reward; and anyone who welcomes a holy man will have a holy man’s reward. ”If anyone gives so much as a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple, then I tell you solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward.” When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples he moved on from there to teach and preach in their towns.
Prayer over the Offerings
Look upon the offerings of the Church, O Lord, as she makes her prayer to you, and grant that, when consumed by those who believe, they may bring ever greater holiness. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 83: 4-5
The sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for her young: by your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, for ever singing your praise.
Prayer after Communion
Having consumed these gifts, we pray, O Lord, that, by our participation in this mystery, its saving effects upon us may grow. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Today, the readings give us a concrete warning of what lies ahead for us Christians. We have a cross to bear valiantly in order to be worthy of the one we have chosen as our guide. Indeed, by his life and teaching, he kindles a fire of justice, truth and salvation, the acceptance and application of which can likely lead to a fission with those of us who hold the opposite doctrine. But this lost life is nothing compared to the one that will be gained by perseverance in what is good. Lord, we pray that you will hide our lives in you so that our affection for those around us will not lead us astray from your way of truth and life.
by L'équipe de publication | Jul 15, 2023 | Evangelium
15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Psalter week III
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 16:15
As for me, in justice I shall behold your face; I shall be filled with the vision of your glory.
Collect
O God, who show the light of your truth to those who go astray, so that they may return to the right path, give all who for the faith they profess are accounted Christians the grace to reject whatever is contrary to the name of Christ and to strive after all that does it honour. 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: Isaiah 55:10-11
Thus says the Lord: “As the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return without watering the earth, making it yield and giving growth to provide seed for the sower and bread for the eating, so the word that goes from my mouth does not return to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was sent to do.”
Psalm 64(65):10-14
R/ Some seed fell into rich soil and produced its crop.
You care for the earth, give it water, you fill it with riches. Your river in heaven brims over to provide its grain.
And thus you provide for the earth; you drench its furrows; you level it, soften it with showers; you bless its growth.
You crown the year with your goodness. Abundance flows in your steps, in the pastures of the wilderness it flows.
The hills are girded with joy, the meadows covered with flocks, the valleys are decked with wheat. They shout for joy, yes, they sing.
Second reading: Romans 8:18-23
I think that what we suffer in this life can never be compared to the glory, as yet unrevealed, which is waiting for us. The whole creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal his sons. It was not for any fault on the part of creation that it was made unable to attain its purpose, it was made so by God; but creation still retains the hope of being freed, like us, from its slavery to decadence, to enjoy the same freedom and glory as the children of God. From the beginning till now the entire creation, as we know, has been groaning in one great act of giving birth; and not only creation, but all of us who possess the first-fruits of the Spirit, we too groan inwardly as we wait for our bodies to be set free.
Gospel Acclamation: 1S 3: 9, Jn 6:68
Alleluia, alleluia! Speak, Lord, your servant is listening: you have the message of eternal life. Alleluia!
Gospel: Matthew 13:1-23
Jesus left the house and sat by the lakeside, but such large crowds gathered round him that he got into a boat and sat there. The people all stood on the beach, and he told them many things in parables. He said, “Imagine a sower going out to sow. As he sowed, some seeds fell on the edge of the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on patches of rock where they found little soil and sprang up straight away, because there was no depth of earth; but as soon as the sun came up they were scorched and, not having any roots, they withered away. Others fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Others fell on rich soil and produced their crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Listen, anyone who has ears!” Then the disciples went up to him and asked, “Why do you talk to them in parables?” “Because” he replied, “the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are revealed to you, but they are not revealed to them. For anyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. The reason I talk to them in parables is that they look without seeing and listen without hearing or understanding. So in their case this prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled: You will listen and listen again, but not understand, see and see again, but not perceive. For the heart of this nation has grown coarse, their ears are dull of hearing, and they have shut their eyes, for fear they should see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and be converted and be healed by me. “But happy are your eyes because they see, your ears because they hear! I tell you solemnly, many prophets and holy men longed to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it. “You, therefore, are to hear the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom without understanding, the evil one comes and carries off what was sown in his heart: this is the man who received the seed on the edge of the path. The one who received it on patches of rock is the man who hears the word and welcomes it at once with joy. But he has no root in him, he does not last; let some trial come, or some persecution on account of the word, and he falls away at once. The one who received the seed in thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this world and the lure of riches choke the word and so he produces nothing. And the one who received the seed in rich soil is the man who hears the word and understands it; he is the one who yields a harvest and produces now a hundredfold, now sixty, now thirty.”
Prayer over the Offerings
Look upon the offerings of the Church, O Lord, as she makes her prayer to you, and grant that, when consumed by those who believe, they may bring ever greater holiness. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 83: 4-5
The sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for her young: by your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, for ever singing your praise.
Prayer after Communion
Having consumed these gifts, we pray, O Lord, that, by our participation in this mystery, its saving effects upon us may grow. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Brothers and sisters, in the second reading we are reminded of our longing to be saved with the whole of creation. The Lord, in his love for us, responds to this desire by sending us his word which is spirit and life. This word is effective in itself, but it encounters obstacles in us due to our lack of preparation or real desire for conversion; hence the loss of the seed sown. Lord, by your Spirit, give us the strength to be this fertile ground, free from all barriers to your word of life, so that we may look and see, hear and understand, and bear fruit that lasts.
by L'équipe de publication | Jul 14, 2023 | Evangelium
SAINT Bonaventure
He became a Franciscan in 1243 and studied philosophy and theology at the University of Paris. He became a famous teacher and philosopher, part of the extraordinary intellectual flowering of the 13th century. He was a friend and colleague of St Thomas Aquinas.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Sir 15: 5
In the midst of the Church he opened his mouth, and the Lord filled him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding and clothed him in a robe of glory.
Collect
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, just as we celebrate the heavenly birthday of the Bishop Saint Bonaventure, we may benefit from his great learning and constantly imitate the ardour of his charity. 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: Genesis 49:29-33,50:15-26
Jacob gave his sons these instructions, “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me near my fathers, in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the cave in the field at Machpelah, opposite Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a burial-plot. There Abraham was buried and his wife Sarah. There Isaac was buried and his wife Rebekah. There I buried Leah. I mean the field and the cave in it that were bought from the sons of Heth.” When Jacob had finished giving his instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, and breathing his last was gathered to his people. Seeing that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, “What if Joseph intends to treat us as enemies and repay us in full for all the wrong we did him?” So they sent this message to Joseph: “Before your father died he gave us this order: “You must say to Joseph: Oh forgive your brothers their crime and their sin and all the wrong they did you.” Now therefore, we beg you, forgive the crime of the servants of your father’s God.” Joseph wept at the message they sent to him. His brothers came themselves and fell down before him. “We present ourselves before you” they said “as your slaves.” But Joseph answered them, “Do not be afraid; is it for me to put myself in God’s place? The evil you planned to do me has by God’s design been turned to good, that he might bring about, as indeed he has, the deliverance of a numerous people. So you need not be afraid; I myself will provide for you and your dependants.” In this way he reassured them with words that touched their hearts. So Joseph stayed in Egypt with his father’s family; and Joseph lived a hundred and ten years. Joseph saw the third generation of Ephraim’s children, as also the children of Machir, Manasseh’s son, who were born on Joseph’s lap. At length Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die; but God will be sure to remember you kindly and take you back from this country to the land that he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” And Joseph made Israel’s sons swear an oath, “When God remembers you with kindness be sure to take my bones from here.” Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten; they embalmed him and laid him in his coffin in Egypt.
Psalm 104(105):1-4,6-7
R/ Seek the Lord, you who are poor, and your hearts will revive.
Give thanks to the Lord, tell his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. O sing to him, sing his praise; tell all his wonderful works!
Be proud of his holy name, let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice. Consider the Lord and his strength; constantly seek his face.
O children of Abraham, his servant, O sons of the Jacob he chose. He, the Lord, is our God: his judgements prevail in all the earth.
Gospel Acclamation: 1Jn2:5
Alleluia, alleluia! Whenever anyone obeys what Christ has said, God’s love comes to perfection in him. Alleluia!
Gospel: Matthew 10:24-33
Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: “The disciple is not superior to his teacher, nor the slave to his master. It is enough for the disciple that he should grow to be like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, what will they not say of his household? “Do not be afraid of them therefore. For everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the daylight; what you hear in whispers, proclaim from the housetops. “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell. Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. So there is no need to be afraid; you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows. “So if anyone declares himself for me in the presence of men, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven. But the one who disowns me in the presence of men, I will disown in the presence of my Father in heaven.”
Prayer over the Offerings
May the sacrifice which we gladly present on the feast day of blessed N., be pleasing to you, O God, for, taught by him, we, too, give ourselves entirely to you in praise. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Lk 12: 42
Behold a faithful and prudent steward to give them their allowance of food at the proper time.
Prayer after Communion
Through Christ the teacher, O Lord, instruct those you feed with Christ, the living Bread, that on the feast day of blessed N. they may learn your truth and express it in works of charity. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Jesus continues with his message of comfort and the promises of his recognition before the Father of those who have persevered without fear of the things that kill the body. “Whoever declares himself for me before men, I will also declare myself for him before my Father who is in heaven.” The proclamation is further reflected in the attitude of the Christian. So, are we consistent or do we deny Christ through our corrupt actions and choices? Let us not fear those who stir up social pressure and impose anti-values. Let us not fear those who kill the body without being able to reach the soul, but rather let us fear that which can make the soul as well as the body perish in Gehenna. Let us pray for perseverance on the right path.
