by | Jun 28, 2022 | Evangelium

Wednesday 29 TH June 2022

 

sts. Peter

and

Paul, apostles

 

Two pillars of our faith: Peter’s original name was Simon. Christ Himself gave him the name Cephas or Peter (rock) when they first met and later confirmed it. The first Pope, Peter is the Prince of the Apostles.

Converted from Judaism, Paul did much to advance Christianity among the gentiles, and is considered one of the primary sources of early Church doctrine.

 

Entrance Antiphon

These are the ones who, living in the flesh, planted the Church with their blood; they drank the chalice of the Lord and became the friends of God.

 

Collect

O God, who on the Solemnity of the Apostles Peter and Paul, give us the noble and holy joy of this day, grant, we pray, that your Church may, in all things, follow the teaching of those through whom she received the beginnings of right religion. 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 : Acts 12:1-11

King Herod started persecuting certain members of the Church. He beheaded James the brother of John, and when he saw that this pleased the Jews he decided to arrest Peter as well. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread, and he put Peter in prison, assigning four squads of four soldiers each to guard him in turns. Herod meant to try Peter in public after the end of Passover week. All the time Peter was under guard the Church prayed to God for him unremittingly. On the night before Herod was to try him, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, fastened with double chains, while guards kept watch at the main entrance to the prison. Then suddenly the angel of the Lord stood there, and the cell was filled with light. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him. ‘Get up!’ he said ‘Hurry!’ – and the chains fell from his hands. The angel then said, ‘Put on your belt and sandals.’ After he had done this, the angel next said, ‘Wrap your cloak round you and follow me.’ Peter followed him, but had no idea that what the angel did was all happening in reality; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed through two guard posts one after the other, and reached the iron gate leading to the city. This opened of its own accord; they went through it and had walked the whole length of one street when suddenly the angel left him. It was only then that Peter came to himself. ‘Now I know it is all true’ he said. ‘The Lord really did send his angel and has saved me from Herod and from all that the Jewish people were so certain would happen to me.’

 

Psalm 33:2-9

R/  From all my terrors the Lord set me free.

 

  1. I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise always on my lips; in the Lord my soul shall make its boast. The humble shall hear and be glad.
  2. Glorify the Lord with me. Together let us praise his name. I sought the Lord and he answered me; from all my terrors he set me free.
  3. Look towards him and be radiant; let your faces not be abashed. This poor man called, the Lord heard him and rescued him from all his distress.
  4. The angel of the Lord is encamped around those who revere him, to rescue them. Taste and see that the Lord is good. He is happy who seeks refuge in him.

 

Second reading: 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18

My life is already being poured away as a libation, and the time has come for me to be gone. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his appearing. The Lord stood by me and gave me power, so that through me the whole message might be proclaimed for all the pagans to hear; and so I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from all evil attempts on me, and bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

 

Gospel Acclamation : Mt16:18

Alleluia, alleluia! You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church. And the gates of the  underworld can never hold out against it. Alleluia!

 

Gospel : Matthew 16:13-19

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ,’ he said ‘the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.’

 

Prayer over the Offerings

May the prayer of the Apostles, O Lord, accompany the sacrificial gift that we present to your name for consecration, and may their intercession make us devoted to you in celebration of the sacrifice. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon : Cf. Mt 16: 16, 18

Peter said to Jesus: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus replied: You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.

 

Prayer after Communion

Grant us, O Lord, who have been renewed by this Sacrament, so to live in the Church, that, persevering in the breaking of the Bread and in the teaching of the Apostles, we may be one heart and one soul, made steadfast in your love. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Meditation

To celebrate the two pillars of the church, the apostles peter and paul, is to reaffirm our faith in jesus christ, the faith of which the apostles are the guarantors of the deposit. Above all, it is also to take as a model two men who, as disciples of christ, experienced the weakness of the body that marred their following of christ through infidelity. Finally, it is to celebrate vigorous witnesses who carried their testimony to the supreme sacrifice, that of martyrdom. We must recognise that god has chosen us for his mission, but first of all so that we may be his disciples, who know how to follow him. We remain weak beings even in following him, but by the grace of his spirit we can have the courage and strength to bear witness to him.

by | Jun 27, 2022 | Evangelium

Tuesday 28 th June 2022

 

St. Irenaeus

(130 – 202)

 

Irenaeus was born in Smyrna, (now Izmir in Turkey) and emigrated to Lyons, in France, where he eventually became the bishop. Irenaeus fought against  many heresies especially  the Gnostics and  Valentinians.

 

Entrance Antiphon : Mal 2: 6

The law of truth was in his mouth; no dishonesty was found on his lips. He walked with me in integrity and peace, and turned many away from evil.

 

Collect

O God, who called the Bishop Saint Irenaeus to confirm true doctrine and the peace of the Church, grant, we pray, through his intercession, that, being renewed in faith and charity, we may always be intent on fostering unity and concord. 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 : Amos 3:1-8,4:11-12

Listen, sons of Israel, to this oracle the Lord speaks against you, against the whole family I brought out of the land of Egypt: You alone, of all the families of earth, have I acknowledged, therefore it is for all your sins that I mean to punish you. Do two men take the road together if they have not planned to do so? Does the lion roar in the jungle if no prey has been found? Does the young lion growl in his lair if he has captured nothing? Does the bird fall to the ground if no trap has been set? Does the snare spring up from the ground if nothing has been caught? Does the trumpet sound in the city without the populace becoming alarmed? Does misfortune come to a city if the Lord has not sent it? No more does the Lord do anything without revealing his plans to his servants the prophets. The lion roars: who can help feeling afraid? The Lord speaks: who can refuse to prophesy? I overthrew you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a brand snatched from the blaze; and yet you never came back to me. It is the Lord who speaks. This therefore, Israel, is what I plan to do to you, and because I am going to do this to you, Israel, prepare to meet your God!

 

Psalm 5:5-8

R/  Lead me, O Lord, in your justice.

 

  1. You are no God who loves evil; no sinner is your guest. The boastful shall not stand their ground before your face.
  2. You hate all who do evil; you destroy all who lie. The deceitful and bloodthirsty man the Lord detests.
  3. But I through the greatness of your love have access to your house. I bow down before your holy temple, filled with awe.

 

Gospel Acclamation : Ps147:12,15

Alleluia, alleluia! O praise the Lord, Jerusalem! He sends out his word to the earth. Alleluia!

 

Gospel : Matthew 8:23-27

Jesus got into the boat followed by his disciples. Without warning a storm broke over the lake, so violent that the waves were breaking right over the boat. But he was asleep. So they went to him and woke him saying, ‘Save us, Lord, we are going down!’ And he said to them, ‘Why are you so frightened, you men of little faith?’ And with that he stood up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and all was calm again. The men were astounded and said, ‘Whatever kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him.’

 

Prayer over the Offerings

May the sacrifice we offer you with joy on the heavenly birthday of Saint Irenaeus bring you glory, O Lord, and instill in us a love of the truth, so that we may keep the Church’s faith inviolate and her unity secure. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon : Jn 15: 4-5

Remain in me, as I remain in you, says the Lord. Whoever remains in me, and I in him, bears fruit in plenty.

 

Prayer after Communion

Through these sacred mysteries, we pray, O Lord, give us in your compassion an increase of that faith which brought glory to the Bishop Saint Irenaeus as he maintained it even until death, and may the same faith bring to us, who truly follow it, justification in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Meditation

The disciples of christ face dangerdespite being in his presence. They are in a boat on the sea and the waves are stirring the sea. Jesus is present but asleep. The disciples choose to wake him up to help them get out of the danger. He threatens the storm and it calms down. The question is, when we as christians experience storms in our lives, when we face waves that make our futures uncertain, who do we turn to? Who do we wake up to? Do we turn to witch doctors? Do we count on our strengths or on those we trust? Jesus is the only one who can truly calm our storms and save us from shipwreck.

by | Jun 26, 2022 | Evangelium

Monday 27 th June 2022

 

St. Cyril of Alexandria

(370 – 444)

 

He Bishop and Doctor of the Church was born at Alexandria, Egypt. He was nephew of the patriarch of that city, Theophilus. Cyril wrote treatises that clarified the doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation from heretical interpretations.

 

Entrance Antiphon : Ps 46: 2

All peoples, clap your hands. Cry to God with shouts of joy!

 

Collect

O God, who through the grace of adoption, chose us to be children of light; grant, we pray, that we may not be wrapped in the darkness of error but always be seen to stand in the bright light of truth. 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 : Amos 2:6-10,13-16

The Lord says this: For the three crimes, the four crimes, of Israel I have made my decree and will not relent: because they have sold the virtuous man for silver and the poor man for a pair of sandals, because they trample on the heads of ordinary people and push the poor out of their path, because father and son have both resorted to the same girl, profaning my holy name, because they stretch themselves out by the side of every altar on clothes acquired as pledges, and drink the wine of the people they have fined in the house of their god… Yet it was I who overthrew the Amorites when they attacked, men tall as cedars and strong as oaks, I who destroyed them, both fruit above ground and root below. It was I who brought you out of the land of Egypt and for forty years led you through the wilderness to take possession of the Amorite’s country. See then how I am going to crush you into the ground as the threshing-sledge crushes when clogged by straw; flight will not save even the swift, the strong man will find his strength useless, the mighty man will be powerless to save himself. The bowman will not stand his ground, the fast runner will not escape, the horseman will not save himself, the bravest warriors will run away naked that day. It is the Lord who speaks.

 

Psalm 49:16-23

R/ Mark this, you who never think of God.

 

  1. ‘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?
  2. ‘You who see a thief and go with him; who throw in your lot with adulterers, who unbridle your mouth for evil and whose tongue is plotting crime.
  3. ‘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?
  4. ‘Mark this, you who never think of God, lest I seize you and you cannot escape; a sacrifice of thanksgiving honours me and I will show God’s salvation to the upright.’

 

Gospel Acclamation : Jn8:12

Alleluia, alleluia! I am the light of the world, says the Lord; anyone who follows me will have the light of life.Alleluia!

 

Gospel : Matthew 8:18-22

When Jesus saw the great crowds all about him he gave orders to leave for the other side. One of the Scribes then came up and said to him, ‘Master, I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ Another man, one of his disciples, said to him, ‘Sir, let me go and bury my father first.’ But Jesus replied, ‘Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their dead.’

 

Prayer over the Offerings

O God, who graciously accomplish the effects of your mysteries, grant, we pray, that the deeds by which we serve you may be worthy of these sacred gifts. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon : Cf. Ps 102: 1

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all within me, his holy name.

 

Prayer after Communion

May this divine sacrifice we have offered and received fill us with life, O Lord, we pray, so that, bound to you in lasting charity, we may bear fruit that lasts for ever. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Meditation

Can the mission of proclaiming the gospel respect geographical or cultural boundaries? The answer to this question is no. Jesus shows us that the one who embraces the gospel it needs to go everywhere and always. But the scribe does not say to jesus that he is going with him on the mission; he says, ‘i will follow you wherever you go’, that is, i will be your disciple from now on. The scribe is converted, so we must ask ourselves why he makes such a commitment. He was seduced by the word of god and it pushed him to commit himself to the adventure. Do we commit ourselves to christ to follow him and to look for solutions to our problems?

by | Jun 25, 2022 | Evangelium

Sunday 26 th June 2022

 

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Psalter I

 

 

Entrance Antiphon : Ps 46: 2

All peoples, clap your hands. Cry to God with shouts of joy!

 

Collect

O God, who through the grace of adoption, chose us to be children of light; grant, we pray, that we may not be wrapped in the darkness of error but always be seen to stand in the bright light of truth. 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 Kings 19:16,19-21

The Lord said to Elijah, ‘Go, you are to anoint Elisha son of Shaphat, of Abel Meholah, as prophet to succeed you.’ Leaving there, Elijah came on Elisha son of Shaphat as he was ploughing behind twelve yoke of oxen, he himself being with the twelfth. Elijah passed near to him and threw his cloak over him. Elisha left his oxen and ran after Elijah. ‘Let me kiss my father and mother, then I will follow you’ he said. Elijah answered, ‘Go, go back; for have I done anything to you?’ Elisha turned away, took the pair of oxen and slaughtered them. He used the plough for cooking the oxen, then gave to his men, who ate. He then rose, and followed Elijah and became his servant.

 

Psalm 15(16):1-2,5,7-11

R/   O Lord, it is you who are my portion.

 

  1. Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you. I say to the Lord: ‘You are my God. O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup; it is you yourself who are my prize.’
  2. I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel, who even at night directs my heart. I keep the Lord ever in my sight: since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm.
  3. And so my heart rejoices, my soul is glad; even my body shall rest in safety. For you will not leave my soul among the dead, nor let your beloved know decay.
  4. You will show me the path of life, the fullness of joy in your presence at your right hand happiness for ever.

 

Second reading : Galatians 5:1,13-18

When Christ freed us, he meant us to remain free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. My brothers, you were called, as you know, to liberty; but be careful, or this liberty will provide an opening for self-indulgence. Serve one another, rather, in works of love, since the whole of the Law is summarised in a single command: Love your neighbour as yourself. If you go snapping at each other and tearing each other to pieces, you had better watch or you will destroy the whole community.  Let me put it like this: if you are guided by the Spirit you will be in no danger of yielding to self-indulgence, since self-indulgence is the opposite of the Spirit, the Spirit is totally against such a thing, and it is precisely because the two are so opposed that you do not always carry out your good intentions. If you are led by the Spirit, no law can touch you.

 

Gospel Acclamation : 1S3:9,Jn6:68

Alleluia, alleluia! Speak, Lord, your servant is listening: you have the message of eternal life. Alleluia!

 

Gospel : Luke 9:51-62

As the time drew near for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely took the road for Jerusalem and sent messengers ahead of him. These set out, and they went into a Samaritan village to make preparations for him, but the people would not receive him because he was making for Jerusalem. Seeing this, the disciples James and John said, ‘Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to burn them up?’ But he turned and rebuked them, and they went off to another village. As they travelled along they met a man on the road who said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus answered, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ Another to whom he said, ‘Follow me’, replied, ‘Let me go and bury my father first.’ But he answered, ‘Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.’ Another said, ‘I will follow you, sir, but first let me go and say goodbye to my people at home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’

 

Prayer over the Offerings

O God, who graciously accomplish the effects of your mysteries, grant, we pray, that the deeds by which we serve you may be worthy of these sacred gifts. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon : Cf. Ps 102: 1

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all within me, his holy name.

 

Prayer after Communion

May this divine sacrifice we have offered and received fill us with life, O Lord, we pray, so that, bound to you in lasting charity, we may bear fruit that lasts for ever. Through Christ our Lord. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Meditation

Every christian is called to proclaim the gospel. This mission is entrusted to us by christ himself at the right time and in the way he considers best. Our lives, our problems, our convictions, our parents can be obstacles to our being able to carry out the evangelising mission entrusted to us in a prompt and faithful manner. Accepting this mission leads us to a series of sacrifices that can reach the supreme sacrifice, the gift of life. We may well ask ourselves if we are not capable of making small sacrifices such as going without meals, detaching ourselves from those we love, accepting to serve and help others, would we be able to give our life, our blood for christ? Do we really love god?

by | Jun 22, 2022 | Evangelium

Thursday 23 rd June 2022

 

  1. Etheldreda

(679)

 

She was born in Suffolk. She was the most venerated of the women saints of Anglo-Saxon England, renowned for her dedication to a life of chastity and for the austerity of the regime she imposed on herself in her later years.

 

Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Ps 27: 8-9

The Lord is the strength of his people, a saving refuge for the one he has anointed. Save your people, Lord, and bless your heritage, and govern them for ever.

 

Collect

Grant, O Lord, that we may always revere and love your holy name, for you never deprive of your guidance those you set firm on the foundation of your love. 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 : 2 Kings 24:8-17

Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he came to the throne, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Nehushta, daughter of Elnathan, from Jerusalem. He did what is displeasing to the Lord, just as his father had done. At that time the troops of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched on Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon himself came to attack the city while his troops were besieging it. Then Jehoiachin king of Judah surrendered to the king of Babylon, he, his mother, his officers, his nobles and his eunuchs, and the king of Babylon took them prisoner. This was in the eighth year of King Nebuchadnezzar. The latter carried off all the treasures of the Temple of the Lord and the treasures of the royal palace, and broke up all the golden furnishings that Solomon king of Israel had made for the sanctuary of the Lord, as the Lord had foretold. He carried off all Jerusalem into exile, all the nobles and all the notables, ten thousand of these were exiled, with all the blacksmiths and metalworkers; only the poorest people in the country were left behind. He deported Jehoiachin to Babylon, as also the king’s mother, his eunuchs and the nobility of the country; he made them all leave Jerusalem for exile in Babylon. All the men of distinction, seven thousand of them, the blacksmiths and metalworkers, one thousand of them, all of them men capable of bearing arms, were led into exile in Babylon by the king of Babylon. The king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in succession to him, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

 

Psalm 78:1-5,8-9

R/ Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.

 

  1. O God, the nations have invaded your land, they have profaned your holy temple. They have made Jerusalem a heap of ruins. They have handed over the bodies of your servants as food to feed the birds of heaven and the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the earth.
  2. They have poured out blood like water in Jerusalem; no one is left to bury the dead. We have become the taunt of our neighbours, the mockery and scorn of those who surround us. How long, O Lord? Will you be angry for ever; how long will your anger burn like fire?
  3. Do not hold the guilt of our fathers against us. Let your compassion hasten to meet us; we are left in the depths of distress.
  4. O God our saviour, come to our help. Come for the sake of the glory of your name. O Lord our God, forgive us our sins; rescue us for the sake of your name.

 

Gospel Acclamation : Heb4:12

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

 

Gospel : Matthew 7:21-29

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘It is not those who say to me, “Lord, Lord,” who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven. When the day comes many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, work many miracles in your name?” Then I shall tell them to their faces: I have never known you; away from me, you evil men! ‘Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: it was founded on rock. But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell; and what a fall it had!’ Jesus had now finished what he wanted to say, and his teaching made a deep impression on the people because he taught them with authority, and not like their own Scribes.

Prayer over the Offerings

Receive, O Lord, the sacrifice of conciliation and praise and grant that, cleansed by its action, we may make offering of a heart pleasing to you. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon : Ps 144: 15

The eyes of all look to you, Lord, and you give them their food in due season.

 

Prayer after Communion

Renewed and nourished by the Sacred Body and Precious Blood of your Son, we ask of your mercy, O Lord, that what we celebrate with constant devotion may be our sure pledge of redemption. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Meditation

Entry into the kingdom of heaven depends on doing, not just saying. It is not by saying, ‘lord, lord’ but by doing the will of the father. Today it is easy to say what we do not do. Doing implies a commitment and effort; it entails adhesion to an ideology, a logic, a doctrine. God expects us to be men and women who profess their faith not just in word but above all in deed. When we listen to his word and act on it, we make him our stronhold and thus we can withstand all the storms and gales of life.

by | Jun 21, 2022 | Evangelium

Wednesday 22 nd June 2022

 

St. Thomas More

(1477 – 1535)

 

He was born in London, the son of a judge, and himself became an eminent lawyer. He was tried on the charge of high treason for denying the King’s supreme headship of the Church, found guilty, and sentenced to death. He went to his execution, on 6 July 1535.

 

Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Ps 27: 8-9

The Lord is the strength of his people, a saving refuge for the one he has anointed. Save your people, Lord, and bless your heritage, and govern them for ever.

 

Collect

Grant, O Lord, that we may always revere and love your holy name, for you never deprive of your guidance those you set firm on the foundation of your love. 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 : 2 Kings 22:8-13,23:1-3 

The high priest Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, ‘I have found the Book of the Law in the Temple of the Lord.’’’ And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, who read it. Shaphan the secretary went to the king and reported to him as follows, ‘Your servants’ he said ‘have melted down the silver which was in the Temple and have handed it over to the masters of works attached to the Temple of the Lord.’ Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, ‘Hilkiah the priest has given me a book’; and Shaphan read it aloud in the king’s presence.

On hearing the contents of the Book of the Law, the king tore his garments, and gave the following order to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Achbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s minister: ‘Go and consult the Lord, on behalf of me and the people, about the contents of this book that has been found. Great indeed must be the anger of the Lord blazing out against us because our ancestors did not obey what this book says by practising everything written in it.’The king then had all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem summoned to him, and the king went up to the Temple of the Lord with all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, priests, prophets and all the people, of high or low degree. In their hearing he read out everything that was said in the book of the covenant found in the Temple of the Lord. The king stood beside the pillar, and in the presence of the Lord he made a covenant to follow the Lord and keep his commandments and decrees and laws with all his heart and soul, in order to enforce the terms of the covenant as written in that book. All the people gave their allegiance to the covenant.

 

Psalm 118:33-37,40

R/ Lord, teach me your statutes.

 

  1. 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.
  2. Guide me in the path of your commands; for there is my delight. Bend my heart to your will and not to love of gain.
  3. Keep my eyes from what is false; by your word, give me life. See, I long for your precepts; then in your justice, give me life.

 

Gospel Acclamation : Ps118:18

Alleluia, alleluia! Open my eyes, O Lord, that I may consider  the wonders of your law.  Alleluia!

 

Gospel : Matthew 7:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Beware of false prophets who come to you disguised as sheep but underneath are ravenous wolves. You will be able to tell them by their fruits. Can people pick grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, a sound tree produces good fruit but a rotten tree bad fruit. A sound tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor a rotten tree bear good fruit. Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown on the fire. I repeat, you will be able to tell them by their fruits.’

 

Prayer over the Offerings

Receive, O Lord, the sacrifice of conciliation and praise and grant that, cleansed by its action, we may make offering of a heart pleasing to you. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon : Ps 144: 15

The eyes of all look to you, Lord, and you give them their food in due season.

 

Prayer after Communion

Renewed and nourished by the Sacred Body and Precious Blood of your Son, we ask of your mercy, O Lord, that what we celebrate with constant devotion may be our sure pledge of redemption. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Meditation

By his baptism, the christian is a priest, a prophet and a king. He therefore has the duty to fulfil a prophetic mission in the world and in the church. He has to make the word of god audible and visible; in other words, he has to be a living gospel. Jesus challenges us about this commitment when he affirms that it is by the fruits we bear that our prophecy is credible. It is the requirement of life witness that distinguishes the true prophet, the one who is rooted in the word of god, which is none other than christ himself. Do you subscribe to the commands of this word? Do you speak this word of god in your family and around you? Are you a true or false prophet?