by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Aug 23, 2021 | Evangelium

TUESDAY

24

August

St. Bartholomew, Apostle

Red

Known as Nathanael,  he was born at Cana and brought by the Apostle Philip to meet Jesus. Nothing further is known for certain. Eusebius speaks of him in India, but the Roman Martyrology has him martyred in Armenia, skinned alive according to the Persian custom. He is a patron saint of the sick.

Entrance Antiphon:  Ps 95: 2-3

Proclaim the salvation of God day by day; tell among the nations his glory.

Collect

Strengthen in us, O Lord, the faith, by which the blessed Apostle Bartholomew clung wholeheartedly to your Son, and grant that through the help of his prayers your Church may become for all the nations the sacrament of salvation. 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: Apocalypse 21:9-14

The angel came to speak to me, and said, ‘Come here and I will show you the bride that the Lamb has married.’ In the spirit, he took me to the top of an enormous high mountain and showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven. It had all the radiant glory of God and glittered like some precious jewel of crystal-clear diamond. The walls of it were of a great height, and had twelve gates; at each of the twelve gates there was an angel, and over the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; on the east there were three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. The city walls stood on twelve foundation stones, each one of which bore the name of one of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Psalm 144(145):10-13a, 17-18

R/     Your friends, O Lord, make known the glorious splendour of your reign.

1. 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.

2.     They make known to men your mighty deeds and the glorious splendour of your reign. Yours is an everlasting kingdom; your rule lasts from age to age.

3.     The Lord is just in all his ways and loving in all his deeds. He is close to all who call him, who call on him from their hearts.

Gospel Acclamation : Jn 1:49

Alleluia, alleluia! Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel. Alleluia!

Gospel: John 1:45-51

Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, the one about whom the prophets wrote: he is Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.’ ‘From Nazareth?’ said Nathanael. ‘Can anything good come from that place?’ ‘Come and see,’ replied Philip. When Jesus saw Nathanael coming he said of him, ‘There is an Israelite who deserves the name, incapable of deceit.’ ‘How do you know me?’ said Nathanael. ‘Before Philip came to call you,’ said Jesus, ‘I saw you under the fig tree.’ Nathanael answered, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel.’ Jesus replied, ‘You believe that just because I said: I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.’ And then he added, ‘I tell you most solemnly, you will see heaven laid open and, above the Son of Man, the angels of God ascending and descending.’

Prayer over the Offerings

As we celebrate anew the feast day of Saint Bartholomew, O Lord, we pray that we may obtain your help through the intercession of the Apostle, in whose honour we bring you this sacrifice of praise. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon: Lk 22: 29-30

I confer a kingdom on you, just as my Father has conferred one on me, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, says the Lord.

Prayer after Communion

As we celebrate the feast day of the blessed Apostle Bartholomew, we have received the pledge of eternal salvation, O Lord, and we pray that it may be of help to us, both now and for the life to come. Through Christ our Lord.

Meditation

When Philip brings Nathanael to Jesus, Jesus opens Nathanael’s heart and innermost thoughts and desires to God’s revelation.  Nathanael is an earnest seeker of God – seeking to grow in understanding of God’s Word and cultivating an intimate personal relationship with God as well. However, he is not perfect and is very sceptical because he does not think it is possible for the Messiah to come from Nazareth. Because he is receptive to God’s word and when he sees Jesus’ love in action, the Lord Himself, through the power of the Holy Spirit, touches his heart and opens his mind to recognise that He truly is the Son of God. Like Nathanael, we have the Holy Spirit living in us, revealing Jesus to us, making it possible for us to live as part of the “bride of that the Lamb has married.”

MONDAY

by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Aug 22, 2021 | Evangelium

23

August

St. Rose of Lima

(1586 – 1617)

Green / White

She was born in Lima, in Peru. She lived a life of selflessness and devotion from an early age. She refused to marry, and became a Dominican tertiary at the age of 20. Her asceticism and her intense spiritual experiences excited the criticism of her friends and family and the suspicion of the Church authorities.

Entrance Antiphon: 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 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 8-10

From Paul, Silvanus and Timothy, to the Church in Thessalonika which is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ; wishing you grace and peace. We always mention you in our prayers and thank God for you all, and constantly remember before God our Father how you have shown your faith in action, worked for love and persevered through hope, in our Lord Jesus Christ. We know, brothers, that God loves you and that you have been chosen, because when we brought the Good News to you, it came to you not only as words, but as power and as the Holy Spirit and as utter conviction. And you observed the sort of life we lived when we were with you, which was for your instruction, since it was from you that the word of the Lord started to spread – and not only throughout Macedonia and Achaia, for the news of your faith in God has spread everywhere. We do not need to tell other people about it: other people tell us how we started the work among you, how you broke with idolatry when you were converted to God and became servants of the real, living God; and how you are now waiting for Jesus, his Son, whom he raised from the dead, to come from heaven to save us from the retribution which is coming.

Psalm 149:1-6, 9

R/     The Lord takes delight in his people.

1.     Sing a new song to the Lord, his praise in the assembly of the faithful. Let Israel rejoice in its Maker, let Zion’s sons exult in their king.

2.     Let them praise his name with dancing and make music with timbrel and harp. For the Lord takes delight in his people. He crowns the poor with salvation.

3.     Let the faithful rejoice in their glory, shout for joy and take their rest. Let the praise of God be on their lips: this honour is for all his faithful.

Gospel Acclamation: Jn 17:17

Alleluia, alleluia! Your word is truth, O Lord: consecrate us in the truth. Alleluia!

Gospel: Matthew 23:13-22

Jesus said: ‘Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who shut up the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces, neither going in yourselves nor allowing others to go in who want to. Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who travel over sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when you have him you make him twice as fit for hell as you are. Alas for you, blind guides! You who say, “If a man swears by the Temple, it has no force; but if a man swears by the gold of the Temple, he is bound.” Fools and blind! For which is of greater worth, the gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred? Or else, “If a man swears by the altar it has no force; but if a man swears by the offering that is on the altar, he is bound.” You blind men! For which is of greater worth, the offering or the altar that makes the offering sacred? Therefore, when a man swears by the altar he is swearing by that and by everything on it. And when a man swears by the Temple he is swearing by that and by the One who dwells in it. And when a man swears by heaven he is swearing by the throne of God and by the One who is seated there.’

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:  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

In their zeal to win converts, the religious leaders require unnecessary and burdensome rules and practices which obscure the more important matters of religion, such as love of God and love of neighbour. Through their own pride and prejudice they blindly shut the door of their own hearts and minds to the truth of God’s kingdom. The Lord offers each one of us an open door to the kingdom of God, but we can shut ourselves out if we ignore or reject His offer. We shut the door of God’s Kingdom in our own personal live through stubborn pride, disobedience, and ignorance. Jesus tries to strip away all the disguises and facades that we employ. It is easy to apportion hypocrisy only to scribes and Pharisees, but how genuine are you in your spiritual life?

Sunday

by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Aug 21, 2021 | Evangelium

22

August

Twenty – First Sunday in Ordinary Time

Psalter I

Queen-ship of the Blessed Vergin Mary. St. John Kemble (1599-1679

Green

Entrance Antiphon: 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: Joshua 24:1-2,15-18

Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel together at Shechem; then he called the elders, leaders, judges and scribes of Israel, and they presented themselves before God. Then Joshua said to all the people, ‘If you will not serve the Lord, choose today whom you wish to serve, whether the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are now living. As for me and my House, we will serve the Lord.’ The people answered, ‘We have no intention of deserting the Lord and serving other gods! Was it not the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors out of the land of Egypt, the house of slavery, who worked those great wonders before our eyes and preserved us all along the way we travelled and among all the peoples through whom we journeyed? What is more, the Lord drove all those peoples out before us, as well as the Amorites who used to live in this country. We too will serve the Lord, for he is our God.’

Psalm 33(34):2-3,16-23

R/     Taste and see that the Lord is good.

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.     The Lord turns his face against the wicked to destroy their remembrance from the earth. The Lord turns his eyes to the just and his ears to their appeal.

3.     They call and the Lord hears and rescues them in all their distress. The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; those whose spirit is crushed he will save.

4.   Many are the trials of the just man but from them all the Lord will rescue him. He will keep guard over all his bones, not one of his bones shall be broken.

5.  Evil brings death to the wicked; those who hate the good are doomed. The Lord ransoms the souls of his servants. Those who hide in him shall not be condemned.

Second reading: Ephesians 5:21-32

Give way to one another in obedience to Christ. Wives should regard their husbands as they regard the Lord, since as Christ is head of the Church and saves the whole body, so is a husband the head of his wife; and as the Church submits to Christ, so should wives to their husbands, in everything. Husbands should love their wives just as Christ loved the Church and sacrificed himself for her to make her holy. He made her clean by washing her in water with a form of words, so that when he took her to himself she would be glorious, with no speck or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and faultless. In the same way, husbands must love their wives as they love their own bodies; for a man to love his wife is for him to love himself. A man never hates his own body, but he feeds it and looks after it; and that is the way Christ treats the Church, because it is his body – and we are its living parts. For this reason, a man must leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one body. This mystery has many implications; but I am saying it applies to Christ and the Church.

Gospel Acclamation: cf.Jn6:63,68

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

Gospel: John 6:60-69

After hearing his doctrine many of the followers of Jesus said, ‘This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept it?’ Jesus was aware that his followers were complaining about it and said, ‘Does this upset you? What if you should see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh has nothing to offer. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the outset those who did not believe, and who it was that would betray him. He went on, ‘This is why I told you that no one could come to me unless the Father allows him.’ After this, many of his disciples left him and stopped going with him. Then Jesus said to the Twelve, ‘What about you, do you want to go away too?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘Lord, who shall we go to? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we know that you are the Holy One of God.’

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:  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

In the Letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul says those who choose to serve the Lord God should be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven us. Love is also manifested in the matrimonial relationship. Wives are to be subject to their husbands and husbands are to love their wives just as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her. As the Church is subject to Christ, the husband is subject to the Church. In the Gospel Jesus says He is the Living Bread and unless we receive it, we have no life in us. Who have you chosen to serve? Whatever you have chosen, you better make sure you do it with a sincerity of heart for you cannot serve two masters.

by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Aug 20, 2021 | Evangelium

SATURday

21

August

Pope St. Pius X

(1835 – 1914)

White

He was ordained to the priesthood at the age of 23. He was successively bishop of Mantua and of Venice, and was elected Pope, against his wishes, in 1903. He lived in great poverty even when he was Pope, and preached sermons every Sunday. The clamour for his canonization started immediately after his death.

Entrance Antiphon

The Lord chose him for himself as high priest, and, opening his treasure house, made him rich in all good things.

Collect

O God, who to safeguard the Catholic faith and to restore all things in Christ, filled Pope Saint Pius the Tenth with heavenly wisdom and apostolic fortitude, graciously grant that, following his teaching and example, we may gain an eternal prize. 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: Ruth 2:1-3,8-11,4:13-17

Naomi had a kinsman on her husband’s side, well-to-do and of Elimelech’s clan. His name was Boaz. Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, ‘Let me go into the fields and glean among the ears of corn in the footsteps of some man who will look on me with favour.’ And she said to her, ‘Go, my daughter.’ So she set out and went to glean in the fields after the reapers. And it chanced that she came to that part of the fields which belonged to Boaz of Elimelech’s clan. Boaz said to Ruth, ‘Listen, my daughter, and understand this. You are not to glean in any other field, do not leave here but stay with my servants. Keep your eyes on whatever part of the field they are reaping and follow behind. I have ordered my servants not to molest you. And if you are thirsty, go to the pitchers and drink what the servants have drawn.’ Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground. And she said to him, ‘How have I so earned your favour that you take notice of me, even though I am a foreigner?’ And Boaz answered her, I have been told all you have done for your mother-in-law since your husband’s death, and how you left your own father and mother and the land where you were born to come among a people whom you knew nothing about before you came here.’ So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. And when they came together, the Lord made her conceive and she bore a son. And the women said to Naomi, ‘Blessed be the Lord who has not left the dead man without next of kin this day to perpetuate his name in Israel. The child will be a comfort to you and the prop of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you and is more to you than seven sons has given him birth.’ And Naomi took the child to her own bosom and she became his nurse. And the women of the neighbourhood gave him a name. ‘A son has been born for Naomi’ they said; and they named him Obed. This was the father of David’s father, Jesse.

Psalm 127(128):1-5

R/     Indeed thus shall be blessed the man who fears the Lord.

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

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

3.     Indeed thus shall be blessed the man who fears the Lord. May the Lord bless you from Zion all the days of your life!

Gospel Acclamation: Ps118:36,29

Alleluia, alleluia! Bend my heart to your will, O Lord, and teach me your law. Alleluia!

Gospel: Matthew 23:1-12

Addressing the people and his disciples Jesus said, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair of Moses. You must therefore do what they tell you and listen to what they say; but do not be guided by what they do: since they do not practise what they preach. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but will they lift a finger to move them? Not they! Everything they do is done to attract attention, like wearing broader phylacteries and longer tassels, like wanting to take the place of honour at banquets and the front seats in the synagogues, being greeted obsequiously in the market squares and having people call them Rabbi. ‘You, however, must not allow yourselves to be called Rabbi, since you have only one master, and you are all brothers. You must call no one on earth your father, since you have only one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor must you allow yourselves to be called teachers, for you have only one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.’

Prayer over the Offerings

Receive with kindness our oblations and grant, O Lord, we pray, that, following the teachings of Pope Saint Pius, we may celebrate these divine mysteries with sincere reverence and receive them in a spirit of faith. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon:  Jn 10: 11

The Good Shepherd has laid down his life for his sheep.

Prayer after Communion

Celebrating the Memorial of Pope Saint Pius, we pray, O Lord our God, that by the power of this heavenly table we may be made constant in the faith and be of one accord in your love. Through Christ our Lord.

Meditation

God has called the scribes and Pharisees to be servants, but they consider the call as a privilege rather than to vocation, as an honour rather than a service. They conceive of themselves as responsible to God for enforcing high standards rather than helping people to attain these standards. Jesus, however, offers an easy yoke and a light burden. Those called to humble service are often seduced and eventually derailed by titles and honorifics. But the Kingdom of God is one where the rules are the opposite of the world’s rules. It is a place where the humble are exalted, just like God exalts Ruth in the First Reading for her humble and selfless service to Naomi. Jesus calls us not to be like the Scribes and Pharisees, but to be humble servants to be exalted in Heaven.

by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Aug 19, 2021 | Evangelium

FRIDAY

20

August

St. Bernard of Clairvaux

(1090 – 1153)

White

He was born in France. In 1112 he joined the new monastery at Cîteaux. Within three years he had been sent out to found a new monastery at Clairvaux, in Champagne, where he remained abbot for the rest of his life. By the time of his death, the Cistercian Order had grown from one house to 343, of which 68 were daughter houses of Clairvaux itself.

Entrance Antiphon

Filled by the Lord with a spirit of understanding, blessed Bernard ministered streams of clear teaching to the people of God.

Collect

O God, who made of the Abbot Saint Bernard a man consumed with zeal for your house and a light shining and burning in your Church, grant, through his intercession, that we may be on fire with the same spirit and walk always as children of light. 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: Ruth 1:1, 3-6, 14-16, 22

In the days of the Judges famine came to the land and a certain man from Bethlehem of Judah went – he, his wife and his two sons – to live in the country of Moab. Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died, and she and her two sons were left. These married Moabite women: one was named Orpah and the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years. Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died and the woman was bereft of her two sons and her husband. So she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law and went back to her people. But Ruth clung to her. Naomi said to her, ‘Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her god. You must return too; follow your sister-in-law.’ But Ruth said, ‘Do not press me to leave you and to turn back from your company, for wherever you go, I will go, wherever you live, I will live. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.’ This was how Naomi, she who returned from the country of Moab, came back with Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

Psalm 145 (146):5-10

R/     My soul, give praise to the Lord.

1.     He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who alone made heaven and earth, the seas and all they contain.

2.     It is he who keeps faith for ever, who is just to those who are oppressed. It is he who gives bread to the hungry, the Lord, who sets prisoners free!

3.     the Lord who gives sight to the blind, who raises up those who are bowed down, the Lord, who protects the stranger and upholds the widow and orphan.

4.   It is the Lord who loves the just but thwarts the path of the wicked. The Lord will reign for ever,Zion’s God, from age to age.

Gospel Acclamation: Ps 118:18

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

Gospel: Matthew 22:34-40

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees they got together and, to disconcert him, one of them put a question, ‘Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?’ Jesus said, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets also.’

Prayer over the Offerings

We offer to your majesty, O Lord, the Sacrament of unity and peace, as we celebrate the Memorial of the Abbot Saint Bernard, a man outstanding in word and deed, who strove to bring order and concord to your Church. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon: Jn 15: 9

As the Father loves me, so I also love you; remain in my love, says the Lord.

Prayer after Communion

May the food we have received, O Lord, as we honour Saint Bernard, work its effect in us, so that, strengthened by his example and instructed by his teaching, we may be caught up in love of your incarnate Word. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

Meditation

In the Gospel, Jesus summarises the whole of the law into two great commandments found in Deuteronomy, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might”, and in Leviticus, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself”. Love directs all that God does. This is why He commands us to love God above all else and obey His commandments and love our neighbour as ourselves. “God’s love must be poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit—” as St. Paul says in Romans 5:5.

by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Aug 18, 2021 | Evangelium

THURSday

19

August

St. John Eudes

(1601 – 1680)

Green / White

He was born and died in Normandy. He was ordained a priest and spent many years preaching parish missions. He organized a congregation of nuns that grew into the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity, dedicated to the care of women rescued from a disorderly life, and a congregation of priests dedicated to the running of seminaries.

Entrance Antiphon: Ps 83: 10-11

Turn your eyes, O God, our shield; and look on the face of your anointed one; one day within your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.

Collect

O God, who have prepared for those who love you good things which no eye can see, fill our hearts, we pray, with the warmth of your love, so that, loving you in all things and above all things, we may attain your promises, which surpass every human desire. 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: Judges 11:29-39

The spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah, who crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through to Mizpah in Gilead, and from Mizpah in Gilead made his way to the rear of the Ammonites. And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, ‘If you deliver the Ammonites into my hands, then the first person to meet me from the door of my house when I return in triumph from fighting the Ammonites shall belong to the Lord, and I will offer him up as a holocaust. Jephthah marched against the Ammonites to attack them, and the Lord delivered them into his power. He harassed them from Aroer almost to Minnith (twenty towns) and to Abel-keramim. It was a very severe defeat, and the Ammonites were humbled before the Israelites. As Jephthah returned to his house at Mizpah, his daughter came out from it to meet him; she was dancing to the sound of timbrels. This was his only child; apart from her he had neither son nor daughter. When he saw her, he tore his clothes and exclaimed, ‘Oh my daughter, what sorrow you are bringing me! Must it be you, the cause of my ill-fortune! I have given a promise to the Lord, and I cannot unsay what I have said.’ She answered him, ‘My father, you have given a promise to the Lord; treat me as the vow you took binds you to, since the Lord has given you vengeance on your enemies the Ammonites.’ Then she said to her father, ‘Grant me one request. Let me be free for two months. I shall go and wander in the mountains, and with my companions bewail my virginity.’ He answered, ‘Go’, and let her depart for two months. So she went away with her companions and bewailed her virginity in the mountains. When the two months were over, she returned to her father, and he treated her as the vow that he had uttered bound him. She had never known a man.

Psalm 39 (40):5, 7-10

R/     Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.

1.     Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord and has not gone over to the rebels who follow false gods.

2. You do not ask for sacrifice and offerings, but an open ear. You do not ask for holocaust and victim. Instead, here am I.

3.     In the scroll of the book it stands written that I should do your will. My God, I delight in your law in the depth of my heart.

4.     Your justice I have proclaimed in the great assembly. My lips I have not sealed; you know it, O Lord.

Gospel Acclamation: Ps118:27

Alleluia, alleluia! Make me grasp the way of your precepts, and I will muse on your wonders. Alleluia!

Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14

Jesus began to speak to the chief priests and elders of the people in parables: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a feast for his son’s wedding. He sent his servants to call those who had been invited, but they would not come. Next he sent some more servants. “Tell those who have been invited,” he said, “that I have my banquet all prepared, my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, everything is ready. Come to the wedding.” But they were not interested: one went off to his farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his servants, maltreated them and killed them. The king was furious. He despatched his troops, destroyed those murderers and burnt their town. Then he said to his servants, “The wedding is ready; but as those who were invited proved to be unworthy, go to the crossroads in the town and invite everyone you can find to the wedding.” So these servants went out on to the roads and collected together everyone they could find, bad and good alike; and the wedding hall was filled with guests. When the king came in to look at the guests he noticed one man who was not wearing a wedding garment, and said to him, “How did you get in here, my friend, without a wedding garment?” And the man was silent. Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot and throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.” For many are called, but few are chosen.’

Prayer over the Offerings

Receive our oblation, O Lord, by which is brought about a glorious exchange, that, by offering what you have given, we may merit to receive your very self. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon: Ps 129: 7

With the Lord there is mercy; in him is plentiful redemption.

Prayer after Communion

Made partakers of Christ through these Sacraments, we humbly implore your mercy, Lord, that, conformed to his image on earth, we may merit also to be his coheirs in heaven. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

Meditation

In the Parable of the Marriage Feast heaven is depicted as a wedding celebration and royal feast that a King gives for his newly-wed son and bride. It is the feast of all feasts because the Lord invites us to the most important banquet as members of Christ’s own body, His bride the Church. God wants us to share in the joy of His kingdom.  God’s free, unmerited and underserved invitation also has an awesome responsibility and the consequences of refusing His Son, our Messiah and Saviour are dire for those who approach the feast unworthily-damnation.