by Norbert Doulanni | Jul 20, 2024 | Evangelium
16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Psalter: Week 4
Saint Laurence of Brindisi
Green
Entrance Antiphon: Ps 53: 6, 8
See, I have God for my help. The Lord sustains my soul. I will sacrifice to you with willing heart, and praise your name, O Lord, for it is good.
Collect
Show favour, O Lord, to your servants and mercifully increase the gifts of your grace, that, made fervent in hope, faith and charity, they may be ever watchful in keeping your commands. 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: Jeremiah 23:1-6
‘Doom for the shepherds who allow the flock of my pasture to be destroyed and scattered – it is the Lord who speaks! This, therefore, is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the shepherds in charge of my people: You have let my flock be scattered and go wandering and have not taken care of them. Right, I will take care of you for your misdeeds – it is the Lord who speaks! But the remnant of my flock I myself will gather from all the countries where I have dispersed them, and will bring them back to their pastures: they shall be fruitful and increase in numbers. I will raise up shepherds to look after them and pasture them; no fear, no terror for them any more; not one shall be lost – it is the Lord who speaks! ‘See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks – when I will raise a virtuous Branch for David, who will reign as true king and be wise, practising honesty and integrity in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel dwell in confidence. And this is the name he will be called: The-Lord-our-integrity.’
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 22(23)
R/ The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose. Near restful waters he leads me, to revive my drooping spirit.
He guides me along the right path; he is true to his name. If I should walk in the valley of darkness no evil would I fear. You are there with your crook and your staff; with these you give me comfort.
You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes. My head you have anointed with oil; my cup is overflowing.
Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life. In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
Second reading: Ephesians 2:13-18
In Christ Jesus, you that used to be so far apart from us have been brought very close, by the blood of Christ. For he is the peace between us, and has made the two into one and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart, actually destroying in his own person the hostility caused by the rules and decrees of the Law. This was to create one single New Man in himself out of the two of them and by restoring peace through the cross, to unite them both in a single Body and reconcile them with God: in his own person he killed the hostility. Later he came to bring the good news of peace, peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near at hand. Through him, both of us have in the one Spirit our way to come to the Father.
Gospel Acclamation: Jn10:27
Alleluia, alleluia! The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice, says the Lord, I know them and they follow me. Alleluia!
Gospel: Mark 6:30-34
The apostles rejoined Jesus and told him all they had done and taught. Then he said to them, ‘You must come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while’; for there were so many coming and going that the apostles had no time even to eat. So they went off in a boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. But people saw them going, and many could guess where; and from every town they all hurried to the place on foot and reached it before them. So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length.
Prayer over the Offerings
O God, who in the one perfect sacrifice brought to completion varied offerings of the law, accept, we pray, this sacrifice from your faithful servants and make it holy, as you blessed the gifts of Abel, so that what each has offered to the honour of your majesty may benefit the salvation of all. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Ps 110: 4-5
The Lord, the gracious, the merciful, has made a memorial of his wonders; he gives food to those who fear him.
Prayer after Communion
Graciously be present to your people, we pray, O Lord, and lead those you have imbued with heavenly mysteries to pass from former ways to newness of life. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
In today’s world, so many “workaholics” refuse to rest. Jesus teaches us today the importance of taking some time to rest. When we rest, our mind is at peace. Our soul can have no rest until it rests in Christ and God becomes our peace. How does God become our peace? Prayer is certainly one way because prayer unites us with the Blessed Trinity. In prayer, we go to the Father through Jesus and speak to the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit. This intense and powerful union with the Holy Trinity is achieved through the action of the Holy Spirit each time we pray and disposes us to receive an abundance of the divine grace. Which in turn enriches everything we do. The dynamic is this: Prayer keeps our soul in frequent contact and union with God and allows God to fill us with His peace and fruits of His Spirit. When we are with God and when we pray and rest, we are refuelling our “spiritual tanks” to care for the crowd described by the evangelist as “sheep without a shepherd”.
by Norbert Doulanni | Jul 19, 2024 | Evangelium
Saint Apollinaris,
Bishop, Martyr
Green/Red
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 : Micah 2:1-5
Woe to those who plot evil, who lie in bed planning mischief! No sooner is it dawn than they do it – their hands have the strength for it. Seizing the fields that they covet, they take over houses as well, owner and house they confiscate together, taking both man and inheritance. So the Lord says this: Now it is I who plot such mischief against this breed as your necks will not escape; nor will you be able to walk proudly, so evil will the time be. On that day they will make a satire on you, sing a dirge and say, ‘We are stripped of everything; my people’s portion is measured out and shared, no one will give it back to them, our fields are awarded to our despoiler.’ Therefore you will have no one to measure out a share in the community of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 9B:1-4,7-8,14
R/ Lord, do not forget the poor.
Lord, why do you stand afar off and hide yourself in times of distress? The poor man is devoured by the pride of the wicked: he is caught in the schemes that others have made.
For the wicked man boasts of his heart’s desires; the covetous blasphemes and spurns the Lord. In his pride the wicked says: ‘He will not punish. There is no God.’ Such are his thoughts.
His mouth is full of cursing, guile, oppression, mischief and deceit under his tongue. He lies in wait among the reeds; the innocent he murders in secret.
His eyes are on the watch for the helpless man. But you have seen the trouble and sorrow, you note it, you take it in hand. The helpless trusts himself to you; for you are the helper of the orphan.
Gospel Acclamation : Ps118:27
Alleluia, alleluia! Make me grasp the way of your precepts, and I will muse on your wonders. Alleluia!
Gospel : Matthew 12:14-21
The Pharisees went out and began to plot against him, discussing how to destroy him. Jesus knew this and withdrew from the district. Many followed him and he cured them all, but warned them not to make him known. This was to fulfil the prophecy of Isaiah: Here is my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved, the favourite of my soul. I will endow him with my spirit, and he will proclaim the true faith to the nations. He will not brawl or shout, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. He will not break the crushed reed, nor put out the smouldering wick till he has led the truth to victory: in his name the nations will put their hope.
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
Jesus, the all-powerful Son of God, withdraws from the district because of the Pharisees who, instead of accepting him and being saved, are plotting to kill him. He goes around, preaching and healing the sick and driving out devils. Here, we see that unlike the Pharisees, the outcasts – the so-called sinners – who knew that they needed Jesus accept him and listen to him and so they receive graces and fovours. Jesus withdraws because he came, not to destroy but to save. He came, not to dominate but to be a humble, “suffering servant” as Isaiah spoke of him. Through suffering and death, he would save fallen humankind. He will only strengthen the weak and will never discourage them. He will lift up the fallen ones. Yes, Jesus came for you and me who are weary and brokenhearted; in him we shall always have hope and strength.
by Norbert Doulanni | Jul 18, 2024 | Evangelium
Saint John Plessington
(c.1637-1679)
Green
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 : Isaiah 38:1-6,21-22,7-8
Hezekiah fell ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came and said to him, ‘The Lord says this, “Put your affairs in order, for you are going to die, you will not live.”’ Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and addressed this prayer to the Lord, ‘Ah, Lord, remember, I beg you, how I have behaved faithfully and with sincerity of heart in your presence and done what is right in your eyes.’ And Hezekiah shed many tears. Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, ‘Go and say to Hezekiah, “The Lord, the God of David your ancestor, says this: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will cure you: in three days’ time you shall go up to the Temple of the Lord.” I will add fifteen years to your life. I will save you from the hands of the king of Assyria, I will protect this city.”’ ‘Bring a fig poultice,’ Isaiah said, ‘apply it to the ulcer and he will recover.’ Hezekiah said, ‘What is the sign to tell me that I shall be going up to the Temple of the Lord?’ ‘Here’ Isaiah replied’’ ‘is the sign from the Lord that he will do what he has said. Look, I shall make the shadow cast by the declining sun go back ten steps on the steps of Ahaz.’ And the sun went back the ten steps by which it had declined.
Canticle: Isaiah 38:10-12,16
R/ You have held back my life, O Lord, from the pit of doom.
I said, ‘So I must go away, my life half spent, assigned to the world below for the rest of my years. ’
I said, ‘No more shall I see the Lord in the land of the living, no more shall I look upon men within this world.
‘My home is pulled up and removed like a shepherd’s tent. Like a weaver you have rolled up my life, you cut it from the loom.
‘For you, Lord, my heart will live, you gave me back my spirit; you cured me, kept me alive, changed my sickness into health.’
Gospel Acclamation : cf.Ps26:11
Alleluia, alleluia! Instruct me, Lord, in your way; on an even path lead me. Alleluia!
Gospel : Matthew 12:1-8
Jesus took a walk one sabbath day through the cornfields. His disciples were hungry and began to pick ears of corn and eat them. The Pharisees noticed it and said to him, ‘Look, your disciples are doing something that is forbidden on the sabbath.’ But he said to them, ‘Have you not read what David did when he and his followers were hungry – how he went into the house of God and how they ate the loaves of offering which neither he nor his followers were allowed to eat, but which were for the priests alone? Or again, have you not read in the Law that on the sabbath day the Temple priests break the sabbath without being blamed for it? Now here, I tell you, is something greater than the Temple. And if you had understood the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the blameless. For the Son of Man is master of the sabbath.’
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 The Sabbath was one of the main identity markers for the Jews that set them apart from the Gentiles. Sabbath observance was considered as an expression of covenant loyalty to the God of Israel. The Pharisees considered the picking the heads of grain and eating them by the disciples of Jesus as violation of the Sabbath. Jesus disagrees with them and he calls the disciples as “innocent men.” In defending the action of the disciples he gives two examples: David and his men eating the consecrated bread that could be eaten only by priests and the priests serving in the temple on the Sabbath day. In both cases their actions were considered as innocent. Sabbath is a divine institution (Gen 2:3) and as God’s Son he has authority over how the Sabbath law is to be observed. He is the Lord of the Sabbath.
by Norbert Doulanni | Jul 17, 2024 | Evangelium
Saint Frederick
Green
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 : Isaiah 26:7-9,12,16-19
The path of the upright man is straight, you smooth the way of the upright Following the path of your judgements, we hoped in you, O Lord. Your name, your memory are all my soul desires. At night my soul longs for you and my spirit in me seeks for you; when your judgements appear on earth the inhabitants of the world learn the meaning of integrity. O Lord, you are giving us peace, since you treat us as our deeds deserve. Distressed, we search for you, O Lord; the misery of oppression was your punishment for us. As a woman with child near her time writhes and cries out in her pangs, so are we, O Lord, in your presence: we have conceived, we writhe as if we were giving birth; we have not given the spirit of salvation to the earth, no more inhabitants of the world are born. Your dead will come to life, their corpses will rise; awake, exult, all you who lie in the dust, for your dew is a radiant dew and the land of ghosts will give birth.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 101:13-21
R/ The Lord looked down from heaven to the earth.
You, O Lord, will endure for ever and your name from age to age. You will arise and have mercy on Zion: for this is the time to have mercy, for your servants love her very stones, are moved with pity even for her dust.
The nations shall fear the name of the Lord and all the earth’s kings your glory, when the Lord shall build up Zion again and appear in all his glory. Then he will turn to the prayers of the helpless; he will not despise their prayers.
Let this be written for ages to come that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord; for the Lord leaned down from his sanctuary on high. He looked down from heaven to the earth that he might hear the groans of the prisoners and free those condemned to die.
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 exclaimed, ‘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
We have a wonderful God who understands us and comes to lighten our burden in moments of our sorrows and difficulties! He knows we are weak and are often overburdened. That’s why he invites us to come to him: “Come to me … and I will give you rest.” But how often his people forget this and go after other people and things, hoping to get some help. Experience teaches them, however, and us too, that others are of no help. Only Jesus can help us. Even Mr. Gorbachev, one of the former Presidents of Russia, confessed: “Only in Jesus Christ we have solution to our problems.” Yes, only in Jesus and not in any other or in anything else. Whatever may be your burdens—sins or any problems—do not worry; turn to Jesus, trust in him and repent; he is full of mercy and compassion and he will forgive you; he will help you and strengthen you. He is the all-powerful One who loves you unconditionally.
by Norbert Doulanni | Jul 16, 2024 | Evangelium
Saint Kenelm
(821)
Green
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 : Isaiah 10:5-7,13-16
The Lord of hosts says this: Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger, the club brandished by me in my fury!I sent him against a godless nation; I gave him commission against a people that provokes me, to pillage and to plunder freely and to stamp down like the mud in the streets. But he did not intend this, his heart did not plan it so. No, in his heart was to destroy, to go on cutting nations to pieces without limit. For he has said: ‘By the strength of my own arm I have done this and by my own intelligence, for understanding is mine; I have pushed back the frontiers of peoples and plundered their treasures. I have brought their inhabitants down to the dust. As if they were a bird’s nest, my hand has seized the riches of the peoples. As people pick up deserted eggs I have picked up the whole earth, with not a wing fluttering, not a beak opening, not a chirp.’ Does the axe claim more credit than the man who wields it, or the saw more strength than the man who handles it? It would be like the cudgel controlling the man who raises it, or the club moving what is not made of wood! And so the Lord of Hosts is going to send a wasting sickness on his stout warriors; beneath his plenty, a burning will burn like a consuming fire.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 93:5-10,14-15
R/ The Lord will not abandon his people.
They crush your people, Lord, they afflict the ones you have chosen They kill the widow and the stranger and murder the fatherless child.
And they say: ‘The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed.’ Mark this, most senseless of people; fools, when will you understand?
Can he who made the ear, not hear? Can he who formed the eye, not see? Will he who trains nations not punish? Will he who teaches men, not have knowledge?
The Lord will not abandon his people nor forsake those who are his own; for judgement shall again be just and all true hearts shall uphold it.
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
In this short passage from the Gospel, Jesus sets before us a few very important truths. First of all, only little ones, that is, the simple, innocent and humble, can receive true wisdom and understanding which come from God. Second, the Father has given to Jesus who is the perfect revelation of God, all the power to preach and to work miracles. And third, no one knows the Father except Jesus, and those to whom Jesus chooses to reveal him. If we know these truths and live according to them, then we are truly blessed.
by Norbert Doulanni | Jul 15, 2024 | Evangelium
Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Green
Holy Scripture celebrates the beauty of Mount Carmel, where the prophet Elijah defended Israel’s pure faith in the living God. In the 12th century some hermits took up residence on this mountain and eventually set up the Carmelite Order, which is dedicated to living a contemplative life under the patronage of the Holy Mother of God.
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 7:1-9
In the reign of Ahaz son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Razon the king of Aram went up against Jerusalem with Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, to lay siege to it; but he was unable to capture it. The news was brought to the House of David. ‘Aram’ they said ‘has reached Ephraim.’ Then the heart of the king and the hearts of the people shuddered as the trees of the forest shudder in front of the wind. The Lord said to Isaiah, ‘Go with your son Shear-jashub, and meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the Fuller’s Field road, and say to him: ‘“Pay attention, keep calm, have no fear, do not let your heart sink because of these two smouldering stumps of firebrands, or because Aram, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah have plotted to ruin you, and have said: Let us invade Judah and terrorise it and seize it for ourselves, and set up a king there, the son of Tabeel. The Lord says this: It shall not come true; it shall not be. The capital of Aram is Damascus, the head of Damascus, Razon; the capital of Ephraim, Samaria, the head of Samaria, the son of Remaliah. Six or five years more and a shattered Ephraim shall no longer be a people. But if you do not stand by me, you will not stand at all.”’
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 47:2-8
R/ God upholds his city forever
The Lord is great and worthy to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain rises in beauty, the joy of all the earth.
Mount Zion, true pole of the earth, the Great King’s city! God, in the midst of its citadels, has shown himself its stronghold.
For the kings assembled together, together they advanced. They saw; at once they were astounded; dismayed, they fled in fear.
A trembling seized them there, like the pangs of birth. By the east wind you have destroyed the ships of Tarshish.
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
Jesus denounces three Galilean cities for their refusal to repent. These cities had the privilege of witnessing the words and deeds of the Christ but refused to take his message to heart. There may be exceptions but on the whole they refuse to commit themselves to the new way of life demanded by the Gospel. Jesus follows the ways of the prophets of Israel to announce judgment. Jesus’ comparison of the cities with the cities of Tyre and Sidon that were destroyed because of their corruptive way of life speak of the seriousness of the situation. Privileges always come with great responsibilities. The people in the three cities failed to recognise this truth and reap the consequences. We are a privilege lot. Are we aware of our responsibilities?
