by | Aug 30, 2022 | Evangelium

Wednesday 31 th august 2022

 

St. Aidan

(651)

 

He was born in Ireland and became a monk of Iona. He preached the Gospel, founded churches and monasteries, and freed slaves throughout the kingdom. He died at Bamburgh in Northumberland in 651.

 

 

Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Ps 85: 3, 5

Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I cry to you all the day long. O Lord, you are good and forgiving, full of mercy to all who call to you.

 

Collect

God of might, giver of every good gift, put into our hearts the love of your name, so that, by deepening our sense of reverence, you may nurture in us what is good and, by your watchful care, keep safe what you have nurtured. 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 : 1 Corinthians 3:1-9

Brothers, I myself was unable to speak to you as people of the Spirit: I treated you as sensual men, still infants in Christ. What I fed you with was milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it; and indeed, you are still not ready for it since you are still unspiritual. Isn’t that obvious from all the jealousy and wrangling that there is among you, from the way that you go on behaving like ordinary people? What could be more unspiritual than your slogans, ‘I am for Paul’ and ‘I am for Apollos’? After all, what is Apollos and what is Paul? They are servants who brought the faith to you. Even the different ways in which they brought it were assigned to them by the Lord. I did the planting, Apollos did the watering, but God made things grow. Neither the planter nor the waterer matters: only God, who makes things grow. It is all one who does the planting and who does the watering, and each will duly be paid according to his share in the work. We are fellow workers with God; you are God’s farm, God’s building.

 

Psalm 32:12-15,20-21

R/ Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.

 

  1. They are happy, whose God is the Lord, the people he has chosen as his own. From the heavens the Lord looks forth, he sees all the children of men.
  2. From the place where he dwells he gazes on all the dwellers on the earth; he who shapes the hearts of them all; and considers all their deeds.
  3. Our soul is waiting for the Lord. The Lord is our help and our shield. In him do our hearts find joy. We trust in his holy name.

 

Gospel Acclamation : 1P1:25

Alleluia, alleluia! The word of the Lord remains for ever: What is this word? It is the Good News that has been brought to you. Alleluia!

 

Gospel : Luke 4:38-44

Leaving the synagogue Jesus went to Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever and they asked him to do something for her. Leaning over her he rebuked the fever and it left her. And she immediately got up and began to wait on them. At sunset all those who had friends suffering from diseases of one kind or another brought them to him, and laying his hands on each he cured them. Devils too came out of many people, howling, ‘You are the Son of God.’ But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Christ. When daylight came he left the house and made his way to a lonely place. The crowds went to look for him, and when they had caught up with him they wanted to prevent him leaving them, but he answered, ‘I must proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of God to the other towns too, because that is what I was sent to do.’ And he continued his preaching in the synagogues of Judaea.

 

Prayer over the Offerings

May this sacred offering, O Lord, confer on us always the blessing of salvation, that what it celebrates in mystery it may accomplish in power. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon : Ps 30: 20

How great is the goodness, Lord that you keep for those who fear you.

 

Prayer after Communion

Renewed by this bread from the heavenly table, we beseech you, Lord, that, being the food of charity, it may confirm our hearts and stir us to serve you in our neighbour. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Meditation

The crowds wanted to hold Jesus back. They had recognised in Him a source of life, and did not want to lose it. They wanted to hold Jesus back, to monopolise him in order to benefit from his goodness! But Jesus does not play this game. He says to them: ‘I must proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of God to the other towns too, because that is what I was sent to do”. For Jesus did not come for a few, but for all, and no one can take him for himself. No one can use him for his own benefit. Jesus is a source of life for all. This is important for us, because every Christian must follow him and carry the message of the good news around. This is not the prerogative of the religious, but a duty of every Christian, of every person who has met Jesus and benefited from his forgiveness, his healing, his life. Thus Peter’s mother-in-law who is healed and who stands up can serve.

by | Aug 29, 2022 | Evangelium

Tuesday 30 th august 2022

 

St. Margaret Clitherow,

née Middleton

(1556 – 1586)

 

She was born in York. At the age of 15 she married a butcher, John Clitherow, and three years later became a Catholic. She was crushed to death with a heavy stone, on 25 March 1586 for being a catholic and hiding catholic priests in her house.

 

Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Ps 85: 3, 5

Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I cry to you all the day long. O Lord, you are good and forgiving, full of mercy to all who call to you.

 

Collect

God of might, giver of every good gift, put into our hearts the love of your name, so that, by deepening our sense of reverence, you may nurture in us what is good and, by your watchful care, keep safe what you have nurtured. 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 : 1 Corinthians 2:10-16

The Spirit reaches the depths of everything, even the depths of God. After all, the depths of a man can only be known by his own spirit, not by any other man, and in the same way the depths of God can only be known by the Spirit of God. Now instead of the spirit of the world, we have received the Spirit that comes from God, to teach us to understand the gifts that he has given us. Therefore we teach, not in the way in which philosophy is taught, but in the way that the Spirit teaches us: we teach spiritual things spiritually. An unspiritual person is one who does not accept anything of the Spirit of God: he sees it all as nonsense; it is beyond his understanding because it can only be understood by means of the Spirit. A spiritual man, on the other hand, is able to judge the value of everything, and his own value is not to be judged by other men. As Scripture says: Who can know the mind of the Lord, so who can teach him? But we are those who have the mind of Christ.

 

Psalm 144:8-14

R/ The Lord is just in all his ways.

 

  1. The Lord is kind and full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in love. How good is the Lord to all, compassionate to all his creatures.
  2. All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord, and your friends shall repeat their blessing. They shall speak of the glory of your reign and declare your might, O God, to make known to men your mighty deeds and the glorious splendour of your reign.
  3. Yours is an everlasting kingdom; your rule lasts from age to age. The Lord is faithful in all his words and loving in all his deeds. The Lord supports all who fall and raises all who are bowed down.

 

Gospel Acclamation : Heb4:12

Alleluia, alleluia! The word of God is something alive and active: it can judge secret emotions and thoughts. Alleluia!

 

Gospel : Luke 4:31-37

Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath. And his teaching made a deep impression on them because he spoke with authority. In the synagogue there was a man who was possessed by the spirit of an unclean devil, and it shouted at the top of its voice, ‘Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus said sharply, ‘Be quiet! Come out of him!’ And the devil, throwing the man down in front of everyone, went out of him without hurting him at all. Astonishment seized them and they were all saying to one another, ‘What teaching! He gives orders to unclean spirits with authority and power and they come out.’ And reports of him went all through the surrounding countryside.

 

Prayer over the Offerings

May this sacred offering, O Lord, confer on us always the blessing of salvation, that what it celebrates in mystery it may accomplish in power. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon : Ps 30: 20

How great is the goodness, Lord that you keep for those who fear you.

 

Prayer after Communion

Renewed by this bread from the heavenly table, we beseech you, Lord, that, being the food of charity, it may confirm our hearts and stir us to serve you in our neighbour. Through Christ our Lord.

 

 

Meditation

One of the most remarkable things about the teaching of Jesus was that he reconciled divine authority with the most incredible human simplicity. Both authority and simplicity were possible for Jesus because of his knowledge of the Father and his loving and obedient relationship with Him (cf. Mt 11:25-27). It is precisely this relationship with the Father that explains the unique harmony between his greatness and his humility. The authority of His language did not fit human parameters at all. It was an authority that was manifested both in the sublimity of his words and actions and in his humility and simplicity. From his mouth came neither personal praise, nor arrogance, nor shouting. Compassion, gentleness, understanding, peace, serenity, mercy, truth, light, justice; these were the fragrances that the authority of his teaching exuded.

 

by | Aug 28, 2022 | Evangelium

Monday 29 th august 2022

 

The Beheading

of St. John the Baptist

 

John the Baptist is the only saint in the calendar (apart from St Joseph) who has two feasts to himself. One, in August, celebrates his death, and one, in June, celebrates his birth. And this is as it should be, for as Christ himself said, John was the greatest of the sons of men.

Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Ps 118: 46-47

I spoke, O Lord, of your decrees before kings, and was not confounded; I pondered your commands and loved them greatly.

 

Collect

O God, who willed that Saint John the Baptist should go ahead of your Son both in his birth and in his death, grant that, as he died a Martyr for truth and justice, we too may fight hard for the confession of what you teach. 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 : 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

When I came to you, brothers, it was not with any show of oratory or philosophy, but simply to tell you what God had guaranteed. During my stay with you, the only knowledge I claimed to have was about Jesus, and only about him as the crucified Christ. Far from relying on any power of my own, I came among you in great ‘fear and trembling’ and in my speeches and the sermons that I gave, there were none of the arguments that belong to philosophy; only a demonstration of the power of the Spirit. And I did this so that your faith should not depend on human philosophy but on the power of God.

 

Psalm 118(119):97-102

R/  Lord, how I love your law!

 

  1. Lord, how I love your law! It is ever in my mind. Your command makes me wiser than my foes; for it is mine forever.
  2. I have more insight than all who teach me for I ponder your will. I have more understanding than the old for I keep your precepts.
  3. I turn my feet from evil paths to obey your word. I have not turned from your decrees; you yourself have taught me.

 

Gospel Acclamation : Mt5:10

Alleluia, alleluia! Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Alleluia!

 

Gospel : Mark 6:17-29

Herod sent to have John arrested, and had him chained up in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife whom he had married. For John had told Herod, ‘It is against the law for you to have your brother’s wife.’ As for Herodias, she was furious with him and wanted to kill him; but she was not able to, because Herod was afraid of John, knowing him to be a good and holy man, and gave him his protection. When he had heard him speak he was greatly perplexed, and yet he liked to listen to him. An opportunity came on Herod’s birthday when he gave a banquet for the nobles of his court, for his army officers and for the leading figures in Galilee. When the daughter of this same Herodias came in and danced, she delighted Herod and his guests; so the king said to the girl, ‘Ask me anything you like and I will give it you.’ And he swore her an oath, ‘I will give you anything you ask, even half my kingdom.’ She went out and said to her mother, ‘What shall I ask for?’ She replied, ‘The head of John the Baptist.’ The girl hurried straight back to the king and made her request, ‘I want you to give me John the Baptist’s head, here and now, on a dish.’ The king was deeply distressed but, thinking of the oaths he had sworn and of his guests, he was reluctant to break his word to her. So the king at once sent one of the bodyguard with orders to bring John’s head. The man went off and beheaded him in prison; then he brought the head on a dish and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. When John’s disciples heard about this, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

 

Prayer over the Offerings

Through these offerings which we bring you, O Lord, grant that we may make straight your paths, as taught by that voice crying in the desert, Saint John the Baptist, who powerfully sealed his teaching by the shedding of his blood. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon : Jn 3:27,30

John answered and said: He must increase; but I must decrease.

 

Prayer after Communion

Grant, O Lord, as we celebrate the heavenly birth of Saint John the Baptist, that we may revere, for what it signifies, the saving Sacrament we have received and, even more, may rejoice at its clear effects in us. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Meditation

John the Baptist was truthful to Herod, Herodias’ hatred may have influenced his decision, but it was Herod who gave the order to kill him. John’s greatness was his respect for a job well done and a life well lived. Herod also respected him for this and he knew that John was accusing him with reason. The death of the Baptist is the practical consequence of living the beatitudes: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of justice”. Let us ask God every day to grant us this courage of John the Baptist.

 

by | Aug 27, 2022 | Evangelium

Sunday 28 th august 2022

 

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Psalter II

 

Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Ps 85: 3, 5

Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I cry to you all the day long. O Lord, you are good and forgiving, full of mercy to all who call to you.

 

Collect

God of might, giver of every good gift, put into our hearts the love of your name, so that, by deepening our sense of reverence, you may nurture in us what is good and, by your watchful care, keep safe what you have nurtured. 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 3:19-21,30-31

My son, be gentle in carrying out your business, and you will be better loved than a lavish giver. The greater you are, the more you should behave humbly, and then you will find favour with the Lord; for great though the power of the Lord is, he accepts the homage of the humble. There is no cure for the proud man’s malady, since an evil growth has taken root in him. The heart of a sensible man will reflect on parables, an attentive ear is the sage’s dream.

 

Psalm 67(68):4-7,10-11

R/ In your goodness, O God, you prepared a home for the poor.

 

  1. The just shall rejoice at the presence of God, they shall exult and dance for joy. O sing to the Lord, make music to his name; rejoice in the Lord, exult at his presence.
  2. Father of the orphan, defender of the widow, such is God in his holy place. God gives the lonely a home to live in; he leads the prisoners forth into freedom:
  3. You poured down, O God, a generous rain: when your people were starved you gave them new life. It was there that your people found a home, prepared in your goodness, O God, for the poor.

 

Second reading : Hebrews 12:18-19,22-24

What you have come to is nothing known to the senses: not a blazing fire, or a gloom turning to total darkness, or a storm; or trumpeting thunder or the great voice speaking which made everyone that heard it beg that no more should be said to them. But what you have come to is Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem where the millions of angels have gathered for the festival, with the whole Church in which everyone is a ‘first-born son’ and a citizen of heaven. You have come to God himself, the supreme Judge, and been placed with spirits of the saints who have been made perfect; and to Jesus, the mediator who brings a new covenant and a blood for purification which pleads more insistently than Abel’s.

 

Gospel Acclamation : Jn14:23

Alleluia, alleluia! If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him. Alleluia!

 

Gospel : Luke 14:1,7-14

On a sabbath day Jesus had gone for a meal to the house of one of the leading Pharisees; and they watched him closely. He then told the guests a parable, because he had noticed how they picked the places of honour. He said this, ‘When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take your seat in the place of honour. A more distinguished person than you may have been invited, and the person who invited you both may come and say, “Give up your place to this man.” And then, to your embarrassment, you would have to go and take the lowest place. No; when you are a guest, make your way to the lowest place and sit there, so that, when your host comes, he may say, “My friend, move up higher.” In that way, everyone with you at the table will see you honoured. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’ Then he said to his host, ‘When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not ask your friends, brothers, relations or rich neighbours, for fear they repay your courtesy by inviting you in return. No; when you have a party, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; that they cannot pay you back means that you are fortunate, because repayment will be made to you when the virtuous rise again.’

 

Prayer over the Offerings

May this sacred offering, O Lord, confer on us always the blessing of salvation, that what it celebrates in mystery it may accomplish in power. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon : Ps 30: 20

How great is the goodness, Lord, that you keep for those who fear you.

 

Prayer after Communion

Renewed by this bread from the heavenly table, we beseech you, Lord, that, being the food of charity, it may confirm our hearts and stir us to serve you in our neighbour. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Meditation

Our readings today invite us to cultivate the virtue of humility. In our First Reading from the Book of Ecclesiasticus, Sirach teaches us that if we perform our tasks with humility, we will be loved by those whom God accepts. The greater you are, the humbler you should be. (Ecclesiasticus 3:19-21,30-31). Jesus in the Gospel (Luke 14:1,7-14) gives us some practical rules of humility, especially during celebrations. We have the “high table syndrome” in many of our cultures. We live in a stratified society in which some privileged few represent the multitude on a special table get the best of benefits. We are afraid to lose face or status. We connive with an unjust status quo, while pretending to be Christians. Jesus condemns this and teaches us that everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted. In many instances in the Bible, Jesus asks us to imitate Children: “Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greater in the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Mt. 18:2-4).

by | Aug 26, 2022 | Evangelium

Saturday 27 th august 2022

 

St. Monica

(331 – 387)

 

She was born at Thagaste in Africa of a Christian family. She was the mother of St. Augustine of Hippo, who when young was intelligent but weak in morals. With many tears she prayed unceasingly to God for his conversion and her prayers were answered shortly before she died.

 

Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Prov 31: 30, 28

The woman who fears the Lord will herself be praised. Her children have called her most blessed, her husband has sung her praises.

 

Collect

O God, who console the sorrowful and who mercifully accepted the motherly tears of Saint Monica for the conversion of her son Augustine, grant us, through the intercession of them both, that we may bitterly regret our sins and find the grace of your pardon. 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: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

Take yourselves for instance, brothers, at the time when you were called: how many of you were wise in the ordinary sense of the word, how many were influential people, or came from noble families? No, it was to shame the wise that God chose what is foolish by human reckoning, and to shame what is strong that he chose what is weak by human reckoning; those whom the world thinks common and contemptible are the ones that God has chosen – those who are nothing at all to show up those who are everything. The human race has nothing to boast about to God, but you, God has made members of Christ Jesus and by God’s doing he has become our wisdom, and our virtue, and our holiness, and our freedom. As Scripture says: if anyone wants to boast, let him boast about the Lord.

 

Psalm 32:12-13,18-21

R/  Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.

 

  1. They are happy, whose God is the Lord, the people he has chosen as his own. From the heavens the Lord looks forth, he sees all the children of men.
  2. The Lord looks on those who revere him, on those who hope in his love, to rescue their souls from death, to keep them alive in famine.
  3. Our soul is waiting for the Lord. The Lord is our help and our shield. In him do our hearts find joy. We trust in his holy name.

 

Gospel Acclamation : Ph2:15-16

Alleluia, alleluia! You will shine in the world like bright stars because you are offering it the word of life.Alleluia!

 

Gospel : Matthew 25:14-30

Jesus spoke this parable to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of Heaven is like a man on his way abroad who summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to a third one; each in proportion to his ability. Then he set out. ‘The man who had received the five talents promptly went and traded with them and made five more. The man who had received two made two more in the same way. But the man who had received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. ‘Now a long time after, the master of those servants came back and went through his accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents came forward bringing five more. “Sir,” he said “you entrusted me with five talents; here are five more that I have made.” ‘His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness.” ‘Next the man with the two talents came forward. “Sir,” he said “you entrusted me with two talents; here are two more that I have made.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness.” ‘Last came forward the man who had the one talent. “Sir,” said he “I had heard you were a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered; so I was afraid, and I went off and hid your talent in the ground. Here it is; it was yours, you have it back.” But his master answered him, “You wicked and lazy servant! So you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered? Well then, you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have recovered my capital with interest. So now, take the talent from him and give it to the man who has the five talents. For to everyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away. As for this good-for-nothing servant, throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.”’

 

Prayer over the Offerings

We bring you these sacrificial gifts, O Lord, to commemorate St. Monica, humbly entreating that they may bestow on us both pardon and salvation. Through Christ our Lord.

 

 

Communion Antiphon : Cf. Mt 13: 45-46

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant who travels in search of fine pearls and who, on finding one of great price, sold everything and bought it.

 

Prayer after Communion

May the working of this divine Sacrament enlighten and inflame us, almighty God, on this feast day of St. Monica, that we may be ever fervent with holy desires and abound in good works. Through Christ our Lord.

 

 

Meditation

St Matthew instructs us that there are different ways of keeping the memory of the Lord at heart, one that paralyses (fear and dread), and another that releases energies (confidence). The call to vigilance, to keep the memory of the Lord in mind as we await his glorious return, is not an invitation to torture our minds about a probable date, let alone to allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by the insecurity of the time or the threats. For none of this will produce any good fruit. The parable of the talents shows us that each of the servants acts according to the image of God that he carries in his heart, and the fruit of his work corresponds to the positive or negative image that he has of his God.

by | Aug 25, 2022 | Evangelium

Friday 26 th  august 2022

 

Blessed Dominic Barberi

(1792 – 1849)

 

He was born near Viterbo, Italy, in 1792 and joined the Passionist Order. He worked as a missionary in England. Blessed Dominic was noted for the personal warmth of his approach to non-Catholics and for his zeal in preaching; he drew crowds in spite of his strong Italian accent. Blessed Dominic died at Reading in 1849.

 

Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Ps 85: 1-3

Turn your ear, O Lord, and answer me; save the servant who trusts in you, my God. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I cry to you all the day long.

 

Collect

O God, who cause the minds of the faithful to unite in a single purpose, grant your people to love what you command and to desire what you promise, that, amid the uncertainties of this world, our hearts may be fixed on that place where true gladness is found. 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 : 1 Corinthians 1:17-25

Christ did not send me to baptise, but to preach the Good News, and not to preach that in the terms of philosophy in which the crucifixion of Christ cannot be expressed. The language of the cross may be illogical to those who are not on the way to salvation, but those of us who are on the way see it as God’s power to save. As Scripture says: I shall destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing all the learning of the learned. Where are the philosophers now? Where are the Scribes? Where are any of our thinkers today? Do you see now how God has shown up the foolishness of human wisdom? If it was God’s wisdom that human wisdom should not know God, it was because God wanted to save those who have faith through the foolishness of the message that we preach. And so, while the Jews demand miracles and the Greeks look for wisdom, here are we preaching a crucified Christ; to the Jews an obstacle that they cannot get over, to the pagans madness, but to those who have been called, whether they are Jews or Greeks, a Christ who is the power and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

 

Psalm 32:1-2,4-5,10-11

R/ The Lord fills the earth with his love.

 

  1. Ring out your joy to the Lord, O you just; for praise is fitting for loyal hearts. Give thanks to the Lord upon the harp, with a ten-stringed lute sing him songs.
  2. For the word of the Lord is faithful and all his works to be trusted. The Lord loves justice and right and fills the earth with his love.
  3. He frustrates the designs of the nations, he defeats the plans of the peoples. His own designs shall stand for ever, the plans of his heart from age to age.

 

 

Gospel Acclamation : cf.Ps129:5

Alleluia, alleluia! My soul is waiting for the Lord,I count on his word.  Alleluia!

 

Gospel : Matthew 25:1-13

Jesus told this parable to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven will be like this: Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were sensible: the foolish ones did take their lamps, but they brought no oil, whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps. The bridegroom was late, and they all grew drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry, “The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet him.” At this, all those bridesmaids woke up and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, “Give us some of your oil: our lamps are going out.” But they replied, “There may not be enough for us and for you; you had better go to those who sell it and buy some for yourselves.” They had gone off to buy it when the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed. The other bridesmaids arrived later. “Lord, Lord,” they said “open the door for us.” But he replied, “I tell you solemnly, I do not know you.” So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.’

 

Prayer over the Offerings

O Lord, who gained for yourself a people by adoption through the one sacrifice offered once for all, bestow graciously on us, we pray, the gifts of unity and peace in your Church. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon : Cf. Ps 103: 13-15

The earth is replete with the fruits of your work, O Lord; you bring forth bread from the earth  and wine to cheer the heart.

 

Prayer after Communion

Complete within us, O Lord, we pray, the healing work of your mercy and graciously perfect and sustain us, so that in all things we may please you. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Meditation

“ Stay awake “ does not directly concern prayer. We are not here in a strictly religious context, but in a concrete and practical situation that concerns everyone, believers and non-believers alike. It is vigilance that is at stake here, that permanent attention to reality, to which those who have a taste for living and serving well naturally devote themselves. The vigilance of the wise women is opposed here to the negligence of fools. It is not a question of a simple oversight on the part of the latter – which would then have to be excused – but of a voluntary act, a posture, a refusal to collaborate. They have nothing to expect, no one to serve.