by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Feb 13, 2023 | Evangelium

TUESDAY 14  febRuary

SAINT Cyril, Monk, and

SAINT Methodius, Bishop

Methodius was born in Thessalonica. With his brother Cyril he went to Moravia to preach the faith. They translated liturgical texts and invented the Glagolithic and the Cyrillic alphabet. He died in 885.

Entrance Antiphon          

These are holy men who became friends of God, glorious heralds of divine truth.

Collect         

O God, who enlightened the Slavic peoples through the brothers Saints Cyril and Methodius, grant that our hearts may grasp the words of your teaching, and perfect us as a people of one accord in true faith and right confession. 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 6: 5-8, 7: 1-5, 10

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that the thoughts in his heart fashioned nothing but wickedness all day long. The Lord regretted having made man on the earth, and his heart grieved. “I will rid the earth’s face of man, my own creation,” the Lord said, “and of animals also, reptiles too, and the birds of heaven; for I regret having made them.” But Noah had found favour with the Lord. The Lord said to Noah, “Go aboard the ark, you and all your household, for you alone among this generation do I see as a good man in my judgement. Of all the clean animals you must take seven of each kind, both male and female; of the unclean animals you must take two, a male and its female (and of the birds of heaven also, seven of each kind, both male and female), to propagate their kind over the whole earth. For in seven days’ time I mean to make it rain on the earth for forty days and nights, and I will rid the earth of every living thing that I made.” Noah did all that the Lord ordered.  Seven days later the waters of the flood appeared on the earth.

Psalm 28(29): 1-4, 9-10

R/ The Lord will bless his people with peace.

O give the Lord, you sons of God, give the Lord glory and power; give the Lord the glory of his name. Adore the Lord in his holy court.

The Lord’s voice resounding on the waters, the Lord on the immensity of waters; the voice of the Lord, full of power, the voice of the Lord, full of splendour.

The God of glory thunders.  In his temple they all cry: ‘Glory!’ The Lord sat enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits as king for ever.

Gospel Acclamation: cf. Ac 16: 14    

Alleluia, alleluia! Open our heart, O Lord, to accept the words of your Son. Alleluia!

Gospel: Mark 8: 14-21    

The disciples had forgotten to take any food and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. Then he gave them this warning, “Keep your eyes open; be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.” And they said to one another, “It is because we have no bread.” And Jesus knew it, and he said to them, “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you not yet understand? Have you no perception? Are your minds closed? Have you eyes that do not see, ears that do not hear? Or do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves among the five thousand, how many baskets full of scraps did you collect?” They answered, “Twelve.” “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full of scraps did you collect?” And they answered, “Seven.” Then he said to them, “Are you still without perception?”

Prayer over the Offerings          

Look, O Lord, upon the offerings which we bring before your majesty in commemoration of Saints Cyril and Methodius, and grant that these gifts may become the sign of a new humanity, reconciled to you in loving charity. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon: Cf. Mk 16: 20

The disciples went forth and preached the Gospel, while the Lord worked with them, confirming the word through accompanying signs.

Prayer after Communion           

O God, Father of all nations, who make us sharers in the one Bread and the one Spirit and heirs of the eternal banquet, grant in your kindness on this feast day of Saints Cyril and Methodius, that the multitude of your children, persevering in the same faith, may be united in building up the Kingdom of justice and peace. Through Christ our Lord.

Meditation

It hurts the Lord to see our unbelieving and hardened hearts. The hearts of Jesus’ disciples were still so unbelieving that they were troubled by the lack of bread. Yet the Lord had many times multiplied bread before their eyes. Oh, how many times the Lord has done great things for us, wonders! And yet, if we are tested by ‘hunger’, we forget all that and allow ourselves to be troubled. The hearts of Noah’s contemporaries were so comfortable with their complacence that they did not repent even though the Lord was patient and merciful to them. Let us not abuse the Lord’s mercy as they did, choosing to persist in doing evil instead of being converted. Closing our hearts to the Lord, that is, refusing to believe and to repent of our sins, can only lead to our ruin. We must be on guard against.

by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Feb 12, 2023 | Evangelium

MONDAY 13  febRuary

Blessed Jordan of Saxony, OP

Born at Burgberg, Westphalia, around the year 1185. While studying in Paris he was attracted to the Dominican Order by Blessed Reginald and received the habit from him in 1220. For fifteen years he ministered to his brothers and sisters by his preaching, his letters, his edition of the Constitutions, his frequent visitations and the example of his life.. His love for Mary, the Mother of God, expressed itself by his decree that the Salve Regina was to be sung after compline. Blessed Jordan was shipwrecked and drowned on February 13, 1237.

Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 30: 3-4  

Be my protector, O God, a mighty stronghold to save me. For you are my rock, my stronghold! Lead me, guide me, for the sake of your name.

Collect        

O God, who teach us that you abide in hearts that are just and true, grant that we may be so fashioned by your grace as to become a dwelling pleasing to you. 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 4: 1-15, 25

The man had intercourse with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. “I have acquired a man with the help of the Lord”, she said. She gave birth to a second child, Abel, the brother of Cain. Now Abel became a shepherd and kept flocks, while Cain tilled the soil. Time passed and Cain brought some of the produce of the soil as an offering for the Lord, while Abel for his part brought the first-born of his flock and some of their fat as well. The Lord looked with favour on Abel and his offering. But he did not look with favour on Cain and his offering, and Cain was very angry and downcast. The Lord asked Cain, “Why are you angry and downcast? If you are well disposed, ought you not to lift up your head? But if you are ill disposed, is not sin at the door like a crouching beast hungering for you, which you must master?” Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out”. and while they were in the open country, Cain set on his brother Abel and killed him.  The Lord asked Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I do not know”, he replied. “Am I my brother’s guardian?” “What have you done?” the Lord asked. “Listen to the sound of your brother’s blood, crying out to me from the ground. Now be accursed and driven from the ground that has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood at your hands. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield you any of its produce. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer over the earth.” Then Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. See! Today you drive me from this ground. I must hide from you, and be a fugitive and a wanderer over the earth. Why, whoever comes across me will kill me!” “Very well, then,” the Lord replied. “If anyone kills Cain, sevenfold vengeance shall be taken for him.” So the Lord put a mark on Cain, to prevent whoever might come across him from striking him down. Adam had intercourse with his wife, and she gave birth to a son whom she named Seth, “because God has granted me other offspring”, she said, “in place of Abel, since Cain has killed him.”

Psalm 49(50): 1, 8, 16-17, 20-21

R/ Pay your sacrifice of thanksgiving to God.

The God of gods, the Lord, has spoken and summoned the earth, from the rising of the sun to its setting. ‘I find no fault with your sacrifices; your offerings are always before me.’

‘But how can you recite my commandments and take my covenant on your lips, you who despise my law and throw my words to the winds?

‘You who sit and malign your brother and slander your own mother’s son. You do this, and should I keep silence?  Do you think that I am like you?’

Gospel Acclamation: Ps 94: 8      

Alleluia, alleluia! Harden not your hearts today, but listen to the voice of the Lord. Alleluia!

Gospel: Mark 8: 11-13         

The Pharisees came up and started a discussion with Jesus; they demanded of him a sign from heaven, to test him. And with a sigh that came straight from the heart he said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? I tell you solemnly, no sign shall be given to this generation.” And leaving them again and re-embarking, he went away to the opposite shore.

Prayer over the Offerings    

May this oblation, O Lord, we pray, cleanse and renew us and may it become for those who do your will the source of eternal reward. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 77: 29-30

They ate and had their fill, and what they craved the Lord gave them; they were not disappointed in what they craved.

Prayer after Communion    

Having fed upon these heavenly delights, we pray, O Lord, so that we may always long for that food by which we truly live. Through Christ our Lord.

Meditation

Jesus responds to the Pharisees’ quest for a sign from heaven with a sigh straight from the heart. Religious people sometimes look for signs, seeking the extraordinary and unusual. Jesus invites us to see signs of God’s presence in ordinary things: this sower goes out to sow his field, the woman with her lost coin, the care given to a stranger on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, the man who finds the unexpected treasure, and so on. Do we need extraordinary signs of Christ’s omnipotence and goodness towards us before we can believe in him? He gives them to us in abundance, according to his goodwill. But unfortunately, we often lack the heart’s eyes to discern them. The signs or miracles of the Lord can and must arouse our faith, that is, our trust and adherence to him. But they must not be the condition sine qua non for faith! Let not our faith be satisfied with miracles or signs, at the risk of falling into miracle seeking and magic. Jesus Christ is the sign of God’s presence and action among us. Believe in him!

by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Feb 11, 2023 | Evangelium

SUNDAY 12  febRuary

6^th Sunday in Ordinary Time,

psalter week II

Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 30: 3-4     

Be my protector, O God, a mighty stronghold to save me. For you are my rock, my stronghold! Lead me, guide me, for the sake of your name.

Collect         

O God, who teach us that you abide in hearts that are just and true, grant that we may be so fashioned by your grace as to become a dwelling pleasing to you. 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: Ecclesiasticus 15: 16-21

If you wish, you can keep the commandments, to behave faithfully is within your power. He has set fire and water before you; put out your hand to whichever you prefer. Man has life and death before him; whichever a man likes better will be given him. For vast is the wisdom of the Lord; he is almighty and all-seeing. His eyes are on those who fear him, he notes every action of man. He never commanded anyone to be godless, he has given no one permission to sin.

Psalm 118(119):1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34

R/ They are happy who follow God’s law!

They are happy whose life is blameless, who follow God’s law! They are happy who do his will, seeking him with all their hearts.

You have laid down your precepts to be obeyed with care. May my footsteps be firm   to obey your statutes.

Bless your servant and I shall live and obey your word. Open my eyes that I may see the wonders of your law.

Teach me the demands of your statutes and I will keep them to the end. Train me to observe your law, to keep it with my heart.

Second reading: 1 Corinthians 2: 6-10

We have a wisdom to offer those who have reached maturity: not a philosophy of our age, it is true, still less of the masters of our age, which are coming to their end. The hidden wisdom of God which we teach in our mysteries is the wisdom that God predestined to be for our glory before the ages began. It is a wisdom that none of the masters of this age have ever known, or they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory; we teach what scripture calls: the things that no eye has seen and no ear has heard, things beyond the mind of man, all that God has prepared for those who love him.  These are the very things that God has revealed to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit reaches the depths of everything, even the depths of God.

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 5: 17-37     

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. I tell you solemnly, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, shall disappear from the Law until its purpose is achieved. Therefore, the man who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven; but the man who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, if your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven. You have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not kill; and if anyone does kill, he must answer for it before the court. But I say this to you: anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it before the court; if a man calls his brother ‘Fool’ he will answer for it before the Sanhedrin; and if a man calls him ‘Renegade’ he will answer for it in hell fire. So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering. Come to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on the way to the court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. I tell you solemnly, you will not get out till you have paid the last penny. You have learnt how it was said: You must not commit adultery. But I say this to you: if a man looks at a woman lustfully, he has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye should cause you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; for it will do you less harm to lose one part of you than to have your whole body thrown into hell. And if your right hand should cause you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; for it will do you less harm to lose one part of you than to have your whole body go to hell. It has also been said: Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a writ of dismissal. But I say this to you: everyone who divorces his wife, except for the case of fornication, makes her an adulteress; and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Again, you have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not break your oath, but must fulfil your oaths to the Lord. But I say this to you: do not swear at all, either by heaven, since that is God’s throne; or by the earth, since that is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, since that is the city of the great king. Do not swear by your own head either, since you cannot turn a single hair white or black. All you need say is “Yes” if you mean yes, “No” if you mean no; anything more than this comes from the evil one.”

Prayer over the Offerings       

May this oblation, O Lord, we pray, cleanse and renew us and may it become for those who do your will the source of eternal reward. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 77: 29-30

They ate and had their fill, and what they craved the Lord gave them; they were not disappointed in what they craved.

Prayer after Communion       

Having fed upon these heavenly delights, we pray, O Lord, so that we may always long for that food by which we truly live. Through Christ our Lord.

Meditation

Taking from Sirach’s words, God presents to us two options in our First Reading, “life and death.” In other words, God gives us the freedom to choose. God created us out of his love, and whatever choice we make has its consequences. As Christians, we should choose to have a good relationship with God and our brothers and sisters, as expressed in the Gospel; “Love God and Love Your Neighbour.” Jesus teaches about our relationship to the Torah and its demand for love. Many believe that “becoming great” in God’s kingdom means attending Church regularly; however, more is required. The Neighbour whom Jesus talks about is anybody around us; the people in our street, Neighbourhood, city, village, county, municipality, or parish… Show them some love.

by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Feb 10, 2023 | Evangelium

SATURday 11  febRuary

Our Lady of Lourdes

In 1858 the Immaculate Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubirous, near Lourdes in France, in the cavern called “de Massabielle.” Through her, Mary calls on sinners to change their lives.

Entrance Antiphon: Ps 94: 6-7

O come, let us worship God and bow low before the God who made us, for he is the Lord our God.

Collect

Keep your family safe, O Lord, with unfailing care, that, relying solely on the hope of heavenly grace, they may be defended always by your protection. 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 3:9-24

The Lord God called to the man. “Where are you?” he asked. “I heard the sound of you in the garden,” he replied. “I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” “Who told you that you were naked?” he asked. “Have you been eating of the tree I forbade you to eat?” The man replied, “It was the woman you put with me; she gave me the fruit, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman replied, “The serpent tempted me and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, be accursed beyond all cattle, all wild beasts. You shall crawl on your belly and eat dust every day of your life. I will make you enemies of each other: you and the woman, your offspring and her offspring. It will crush your head and you will strike its heel. To the woman he said: “I will multiply your pains in childbearing, you shall give birth to your children in pain. Your yearning shall be for your husband, yet he will lord it over you.” To the man he said, “Because you listened to the voice of your wife and ate from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat, accursed be the soil because of you. With suffering shall you get your food from it every day of your life. It shall yield you brambles and thistles, and you shall eat wild plants. With sweat on your brow shall you eat your bread, until you return to the soil, as you were taken from it. For dust you are and to dust you shall return.” The man named his wife “Eve” because she was the mother of all those who live. The Lord God made clothes out of skins for the man and his wife, and they put them on. Then the Lord God said, “See, the man has become like one of us, with his knowledge of good and evil. He must not be allowed to stretch his hand out next and pick from the tree of life also, and eat some and live forever.” So the Lord God expelled him from the garden of Eden, to till the soil from which he had been taken. He banished the man, and in front of the garden of Eden he posted the cherubs, and the flame of a flashing sword, to guard the way to the tree of life.

Psalm 89:2-6,12-13

R/ O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.

Before the mountains were born or the earth or the world brought forth, you are God, without beginning or end.

You turn men back to dust and say: ‘Go back, sons of men.’ To your eyes a thousand years

are like yesterday, come and gone, no more than a watch in the night.

You sweep men away like a dream, like the grass which springs up in the morning. In the morning it springs up and flowers: by evening it withers and fades.

 Make us know the shortness of our life that we may gain wisdom of heart. Lord, relent! Is your anger forever? Show pity to your servants.

Gospel Acclamation: Mt 4: 4

Alleluia, alleluia! Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Alleluia!

Gospel: Mark 8: 1-10

A great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat. So Jesus called his disciples to him and said to them, “I feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days now and have nothing to eat. If I send them off home hungry, they will collapse on the way; some have come a great distance.” His disciples replied, “Where could anyone get bread to feed these people in a deserted place like this?” He asked them, “How many loaves have you?” “Seven”, they said. Then he instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks he broke them and handed them to his disciples to distribute; and they distributed them among the crowd. They had a few small fish as well, and over these he said a blessing and ordered them to be distributed also. They ate as much as they wanted, and they collected seven basketfuls of the scraps left over. Now there had been about four thousand people. He sent them away and immediately, getting into the boat with his disciples, went to the region of Dalmanutha.

Prayer over the Offerings

O Lord, our God, who once established these created things to sustain us in our frailty, grant, we pray, that they may become for us now the Sacrament of eternal life. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 106: 8-9

Let them thank the Lord for his mercy, his wonders for the children of men, for he satisfies the thirsty soul, and the hungry he fills with good things.

Prayer after Communion

O God, who have willed that we be partakers in the one Bread and the one Chalice, grant us, we pray, so to live that, made one in Christ, we may joyfully bear fruit for the salvation of the world. Through Christ our Lord.

Meditation

The words of Jesus: “I feel sorry for all these people”, is a reminder that God is a God of Love who wants our health and wholeness. God wants the best for us. In Jesus is revealed a loving God who has pity on us and desires us to be nourished and cared for. Jesus provides bread in abundance for the hungry crowd who seek him. He does not care where they come from. He portrays a fatherly and shepherding heart for the harassed and dejected sheep without a shepherd. In effect, God gives us more abundantly than we deserve, than we can ask for or even imagine.

by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Feb 9, 2023 | Evangelium

FRIday 10  febRuary

SAINT Scholastica

She was born in Nursia in about 480, the twin sister of St Benedict. She was dedicated to God from an early age and followed her brother to Cassino, where she died in about 547.

Entrance Antiphon

Here is a wise virgin, from among the number of the prudent, who went forth with lighted lamp to meet Christ.

Collect

As we celebrate anew the Memorial of the Virgin St. Scholastica, we pray, O Lord, that, following her example, we may serve you with pure love and happily receive what comes from loving you. 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 3: 1-8

The serpent was the most subtle of all the wild beasts that the Lord God had made. It asked the woman, “Did God really say you were not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?” The woman answered the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees in the garden. But of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it, nor touch it, under pain of death.’” Then the serpent said to the woman, “No! You will not die! God knows in fact that on the day you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.” The woman saw that the tree was good to eat and pleasing to the eye, and that it was desirable for the knowledge that it could give. So she took some of its fruit and ate it. She gave some also to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they realised that they were naked. So they sewed fig-leaves together to make themselves loin-cloths. The man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

Psalm 31: 1-2, 5-7

R/ Happy the man whose offence is forgiven.

Happy the man whose offence is forgiven, whose sin is remitted. O happy the man to whom the Lord imputes no guilt, in whose spirit is no guile.

But now I have acknowledged my sins; my guilt I did not hide. I said: ‘I will confess

my offence to the Lord.’ And you, Lord, have forgiven the guilt of my sin.

So let every good man pray to you in the time of need. The floods of water may reach high

but him they shall not reach.

You are my hiding place, O Lord; you save me from distress. You surround me with cries of deliverance.

Gospel Acclamation: cf. Jn 6: 63, 68

Alleluia, alleluia! Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life; you have the message of eternal life. Alleluia!

Gospel: Mark 7: 31-37

Returning from the district of Tyre, Jesus went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, right through the Decapolis region. And they brought him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they asked him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, put his fingers into the man’s ears and touched his tongue with spittle. Then looking up to heaven he sighed; and he said to him, “Ephphatha”, that is, “Be opened.” And his ears were opened, and the ligament of his tongue was loosened and he spoke clearly. And Jesus ordered them to tell no one about it, but the more he insisted, the more widely they published it. Their admiration was unbounded. “He has done all things well,” they said. “He makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.”

Prayer over the Offerings

As we proclaim your wonders, O Lord, in the Virgin, Blessed Scholastica, we humbly implore your majesty, that, as her merits are pleasing to you, so, too, our dutiful service may find favour in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon: Cf. Mt 25: 6

Behold, the Bridegroom is coming; come out to meet Christ the Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Renewed by partaking of this divine gift, we pray, O Lord our God, that by the example of the Blessed Scholastica, bearing in our body the Death of Jesus, we may strive to hold fast to you alone. Through Christ our Lord.

Meditation

Adam and Eve allowed themselves to be lured by the half-truths of Satan, to gain knowledge that exposed their nakedness and made them afraid of God. They try to hide from God, losing paradise with the certainty of dying. But Jesus brings a paradise gained. The man cured of deafness and dumbness tosses embarrassment to the wind. He goes dancing, singing, leaping, shouting and proclaiming the Good News. In Adam and Eve, we lose paradise and our will, but here comes someone who does all things right and makes us hopefully re-enter the paradise once lost. So while we are encouraged to have a sense of gratitude to God, the source of all our good, we are also reminded that the word of Jesus and the action of his grace can free us from sin and its harmful effects. Ephphata! Open up! Let us open ourselves to his word and his grace.

by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Feb 8, 2023 | Evangelium

Thursday 09  febRuary

SAINT TEILO

Teilo lived in the sixth century as a monk, with St David at Mynyw. He founded his own monastery at Llandeilo Fawr where he died. At Llandaff he is venerated as founder of the See.

Entrance Antiphon: Ps 94: 6-7

O come, let us worship God and bow low before the God who made us, for he is the Lord our God.

Collect

Keep your family safe, O Lord, with unfailing care, that, relying solely on the hope of heavenly grace, they may be defended always by your protection. 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 2:18-25

The Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him a helpmate.” So from the soil the Lord God fashioned all the wild beasts and all the birds of heaven. These he brought to the man to see what he would call them; each one was to bear the name the man would give it. The man gave names to all the cattle, all the birds of heaven and all the wild beasts. But no helpmate suitable for man was found for him. So the Lord God made the man fall into a deep sleep. And while he slept, he took one of his ribs and enclosed it in flesh. The Lord God built the rib he had taken from the man into a woman, and brought her to the man. The man exclaimed: “This at last is bone from my bones, and flesh from my flesh! This is to be called woman, for this was taken from man.” This is why a man leaves his father and mother and joins himself to his wife, and they become one body. Now both of them were naked, the man and his wife, but they felt no shame in front of each other.

Psalm 127:1-5

R/ O blessed are those who fear the Lord.

O blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways! By the labour of your hands you shall eat. You will be happy and prosper.

Your wife like a fruitful vine in the heart of your house; your children like shoots of the olive, around your table.

Indeed thus shall be blessed the man who fears the Lord. May the Lord bless you from Zion

all the days of your life!

Gospel Acclamation: Ps144:13

Alleluia, alleluia! The Lord is faithful in all his words and loving in all his deeds. Alleluia!

Gospel: Mark 7: 24-30

Jesus left Gennesaret and set out for the territory of Tyre. There he went into a house and did not want anyone to know he was there, but he could not pass unrecognised. A woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him straightaway and came and fell at his feet. Now the woman was a pagan, by birth a Syrophoenician, and she begged him to cast the devil out of her daughter. And he said to her, ‘The children should be fed first, because it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the house-dogs.’ But she spoke up: ‘Ah yes, sir,’ she replied ‘but the house-dogs under the table can eat the children’s scraps.’ And he said to her, ‘For saying this, you may go home happy: the devil has gone out of your daughter.’ So she went off to her home and found the child lying on the bed and the devil gone.

Prayer over the Offerings

O Lord, our God, who once established these created things to sustain us in our frailty, grant, we pray, that they may become for us now the Sacrament of eternal life. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 106: 8-9

Let them thank the Lord for his mercy, his wonders for the children of men, for he satisfies the thirsty soul, and the hungry he fills with good things.

Prayer after Communion

O God, who have willed that we be partakers in the one Bread and the one Chalice, grant us, we pray, so to live that, made one in Christ, we may joyfully bear fruit for the salvation of the world. Through Christ our Lord.

Meditation

See the mother pleading with Jesus! Great faith of a Greek woman – a total pagan and stranger to the ways and customs of those around her. But because of her faith, Jesus paid heed to her needs. The demons depart from her daughter, and the latter is well again… Faith! Yes, faith! Convincing and unwavering, unintimidated and unashamed. She is belittled, but she knows in whom she has put her trust. Jesus praises the woman for her persistent faith and affectionate love. No one whoever sought Jesus with confidence, whether Jew or Gentile, was denied his help. Your story will not be different, so come to Him and be satisfied.