by L'équipe de publication | Oct 3, 2024 | Evangelium
Saint Francis of Assisi
(1181 – 1226)
White
He was the son of a wealthy 12th-century Italian merchant, and early in his life was devoted to partying and his enjoying his social status. After an illness his life changed: He began a life of evangelical poverty, living by begging. His followers are called the Franciscans. Francis died in 1226, having started a revolution. The Franciscans endure to this day.
Entrance Antiphon
Francis, the man of God, left his home behind, abandoned his inheritance and became poor and penniless, but the Lord raised him up.
Collect
O God, by whose gift Saint Francis was conformed to Christ in poverty and humility, grant that, by walking in Francis’ footsteps, we may follow your Son, and, through joyful charity,
come to be united with you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
First reading : Job 38:1,12-21,40:3-5
From the heart of the tempest the Lord gave Job his answer. He said: Have you ever in your life given orders to the morning or sent the dawn to its post, telling it to grasp the earth by its edges and shake the wicked out of it, when it changes the earth to sealing clay and dyes it as a man dyes clothes; stealing the light from wicked men and breaking the arm raised to strike? Have you journeyed all the way to the sources of the sea, or walked where the Abyss is deepest? Have you been shown the gates of Death or met the janitors of Shadowland? Have you an inkling of the extent of the earth? Tell me all about it if you have! Which is the way to the home of the light, and where does darkness live? You could then show them the way to their proper places, or put them on the path to where they live! If you know all this, you must have been born with them, you must be very old by now! Job replied to the Lord: My words have been frivolous: what can I reply? I had better lay my finger on my lips. I have spoken once… I will not speak again; more than once… I will add nothing.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 138:1-3,7-10,13-14
R/ Lead me, O Lord, in the path of life eternal.
O Lord, you search me and you know me, you know my resting and my rising, you discern my purpose from afar. You mark when I walk or lie down, all my ways lie open to you.
O where can I go from your spirit, or where can I flee from your face? If I climb the heavens, you are there. If I lie in the grave, you are there.
If I take the wings of the dawn and dwell at the sea’s furthest end, even there your hand would lead me, your right hand would hold me fast.
For it was you who created my being, knit me together in my mother’s womb. I thank you for the wonder of my being, for the wonders of all your creation.
Gospel Acclamation : Ps144:13
Alleluia, alleluia! The Lord is faithful in all his words and loving in all his deeds. Alleluia!
Gospel : Luke 10:13-16
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘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, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. And still, it will not go as hard with Tyre and Sidon at the Judgement as with you. And as for you, Capernaum, did you want to be exalted high as heaven? You shall be thrown down to hell. ‘Anyone who listens to you listens to me; anyone who rejects you rejects me, and those who reject me reject the one who sent me.’
Prayer over the Offerings
As we bring you these offerings, O Lord, we pray that we may be rightly disposed for the celebration of the mystery of the Cross, which Saint Francis so ardently embraced. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon; Mt 5: 3
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Prayer after Communion
Grant us, we pray, O Lord, through these holy gifts which we have received, that, imitating the charity and apostolic zeal of Saint Francis, we may experience the effects of your love and spread them everywhere for the salvation of all. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation The area Jesus covered during his public ministry is relatively small geographically. Jesus worked most of his miracles and precisely presented his discourses in this small space. He uses strong words today as he preaches against the towns where he had worked extensively. Capernaum appears frequently in the Gospel narratives and was the centre from which Jesus did much missionary work. Jesus affirms that if the gentile cities had witnessed all he taught and did, they would have repented long ago, just as the people of Nineveh had repented at the preaching of Jonah. To listen to the messengers of Jesus is equivalent to listening to him personally; to reject those messengers is to reject Jesus and God. These messengers are not necessarily priests and bishops. This is the mission of every baptised person.
by L'équipe de publication | Oct 2, 2024 | Evangelium
Psalter: Week 2
Saint Thomas Cantilupe
(1218-1282)
Green
Originally from a rich Anglo-Norman family, he was ordained priest in 1245 while taking part in the First Council of Lyons. In 1275 he became Bishop of Hereford, where his austerity and his zeal as a reforming bishop became well known. He died while on a journey to the papal court, and was canonised in 1320.
Entrance Antiphon: Dn 3: 31, 29, 30, 43, 42
All that you have done to us, O Lord, you have done with true judgement, for we have sinned against you and not obeyed your commandments. But give glory to your name and deal with us according to the bounty of your mercy.
Collect
O God, who manifest your almighty power above all by pardoning and showing mercy, bestow, we pray, your grace abundantly upon us and make those hastening to attain your promises heirs to the treasures of heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
First reading: Job 19:21-27
Job said: Pity me, pity me, you, my friends, for the hand of God has struck me. Why do you hound me down like God, will you never have enough of my flesh? Ah, would that these words of mine were written down, inScribed on some monument with iron chisel and engraving tool, cut into the rock for ever. This I know: that my Avenger lives, and he, the Last, will take his stand on earth. After my awaking, he will set me close to him, and from my flesh I shall look on God. He whom I shall see will take my part: these eyes will gaze on him and find him not aloof.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 26:7-9,13-14
R/ I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
O Lord, hear my voice when I call; have mercy and answer. Of you my heart has spoken: ‘Seek his face.’
It is your face, O Lord, that I seek; hide not your face. Dismiss not your servant in anger; you have been my help.
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. Hope in him, hold firm and take heart. Hope in the Lord!
Gospel Acclamation: Mt4:4
Alleluia, alleluia! Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Alleluia!
Gospel: Luke 10:1-12
The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit. He said to them, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road. Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, “Peace to this house!” And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house. Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, “The kingdom of God is very near to you.” But whenever you enter a town and they do not make you welcome, go out into its streets and say, “We wipe off the very dust of your town that clings to our feet, and leave it with you. Yet be sure of this: the kingdom of God is very near.” I tell you, on that day it will not go as hard with Sodom as with that town.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Grant us, O merciful God, that this our offering may find acceptance with you and that through it the wellspring of all blessing may be laid open before us. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 118: 49-50
Remember your word to your servant, O Lord, by which you have given me hope. This is my comfort when I am brought low.
Prayer after Communion
May this heavenly mystery, O Lord, restore us in mind and body, that we may be coheirs in glory with Christ, to whose suffering we are united whenever we proclaim his Death. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Meditation
The Gospel presents Jesus sending his disciples out to do his work. He instructs them and gives them clear directions. First of all, we note that he sent them out in pairs. He called each one individually. While he called each one personally, he never sent an apostle out alone. However, we have just two instances in the Gospels when an apostle went out alone: one was to betray him, and the other ended up denying him. Community support is essential to living the Gospel values. Even a hermit has to be commissioned by a Christian Community and must continue to be in touch with that community. In a like manner, in our families, we cannot live in isolation from the rest and remain attached only to our phones and screens. All these cut one off from the community/family support. Secondly, Jesus empowers and assures us that our names are already registered in heaven.
by L'équipe de publication | Oct 1, 2024 | Evangelium
Psalter: Proper
The Holy Guardian Angels
White
The doctrine that every individual soul has a guardian angel is not an article of faith, but it is present in both the Old and New Testaments. As Jesus says, “see that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven always gaze on the face of my Father in heaven” Matthew 18:10-14. This feast reminds us that God cares for each of us, individually.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Dn 3: 58
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all for ever.
Collect
O God, who in your unfathomable providence are pleased to send your holy Angels to guard us, hear our supplication as we cry to you, that we may always be defended by their protection and rejoice eternally in their company. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
First reading Job 9:1-13,14-16
Job spoke to his friends: Indeed, I know it is as you say: how can man be in the right against God? If any were so rash as to challenge him for reasons, one in a thousand would be more than they could answer. His heart is wise, and his strength is great: who then can successfully defy him? He moves the mountains, though they do not know it; he throws them down when he is angry. He shakes the earth, and moves it from its place, making all its pillars tremble. The sun, at his command, forbears to rise, and on the stars he sets a seal. He and no other stretched out the skies, and trampled the Sea’s tall waves. The Bear, Orion too, are of his making, the Pleiades and the Mansions of the South. His works are great, beyond all reckoning, his marvels, past all counting. Were he to pass me, I should not see him, nor detect his stealthy movement. Were he to snatch a prize, who could prevent him, or dare to say, ‘What are you doing?’ God never goes back on his anger, Rahab’s minions still lie at his feet. How dare I plead my cause, then, or choose arguments against him? Suppose I am in the right, what use is my defence? For he whom I must sue is judge as well. If he deigned to answer my citation, could I be sure that he would listen to my voice?
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 87:10-15
R/ Let my prayer come into your presence, O Lord.
I call to you, Lord, all the day long; to you I stretch out my hands. Will you work your wonders for the dead? Will the shades stand and praise you?
Will your love be told in the grave or your faithfulness among the dead? Will your wonders be known in the dark or your justice in the land of oblivion?
As for me, Lord, I call to you for help: in the morning my prayer comes before you. Lord, why do you reject me? Why do you hide your face?
Gospel Acclamation: Ps118:105
Alleluia, alleluia! Your word is a lamp for my steps and a light for my path. Alleluia!
Gospel: Luke 9:57-62
As Jesus and his disciples 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
Receive, O Lord, the offerings we bring before you as we venerate your holy Angels, and graciously grant that under their constant protection we may be delivered from present dangers
and brought happily to life eternal. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 137: 1
In the presence of the Angels I will praise you, my God.
Prayer after Communion
As you are pleased to nourish us for eternal lif with so great a Sacrament, O Lord, direct us by the ministry of Angels into the way of salvation and peace. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Jesus’ invitation to follow him requires total commitment and complete freedom. Following Jesus is a long-term commitment. Jesus made the journey to Jerusalem, where he would freely respond to God’s will, “Let thy will be done.” “Now it happened that as the time drew near for him to be taken up, he resolutely turned his face towards Jerusalem.” So many followers had witnessed the miracles of Jesus, felt his healing touch and shared God’s love; they had not fully understood what it meant to follow him. “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head”. He was simply trying to tell his disciples that although they had shared so many beautiful moments, there would definitely be rough parts to carrying out the Father’s will. The other two are convenient followers and would follow him when their schedule permits them. There are priorities in discipleship, and if one means to follow Jesus, then Jesus must come first place. We must notice our tendencies to get distracted and be determined in our hearts to follow Him.
by L'équipe de publication | Sep 30, 2024 | Evangelium
Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin,
Doctor – Feast (1873 – 1897)
White
She was born in France on 2 January 1873 and entered the Carmel of Lisieux in 1888. Though her faith was seriously tested by sickness she grew in sanctity. She died at the age of 24 in 1897 with the following words: “I am not dying, I am entering life”. Her example of holiness has been received with great enthusiasm by all the faithful and even outside Christianity.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Deut 32:10-12
The Lord nurtured her and taught her; he guarded her as the apple of his eye. As the eagle spreads its wings to carry its young, he bore her on his shoulders. The Lord alone was her leader.
Collect
God of love, you have promised your kingdom to those who are willing to become like little children. Help us to follow the way of Saint Thérèse with confidence so that by her prayers we may come to know your eternal glory. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
First reading: Job 3:1-3,11-17,20-23
Job broke the silence and cursed the day of his birth. This is what he said: May the day perish when I was born, and the night that told of a boy conceived. Why did I not die new-born, not perish as I left the womb? Why were there two knees to receive me, two breasts for me to suck? Had there not been, I should now be lying in peace, wrapped in a restful slumber, with the kings and high viziers of earth who build themselves vast vaults, or with princes who have gold and to spare and houses crammed with silver. Or put away like a still-born child that never came to be, like unborn babes that never see the light. Down there, bad men bustle no more, there the weary rest. Why give light to a man of grief? Why give life to those bitter of heart, who long for a death that never comes, and hunt for it more than for a buried treasure? They would be glad to see the grave-mound and shout with joy if they reached the tomb. Why make this gift of light to a man who does not see his way, whom God baulks on every side?
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 87:2-8
Let my prayer come into your presence, O Lord.
Lord my God, I call for help by day; I cry at night before you. Let my prayer come into your presence. O turn your ear to my cry..
For my soul is filled with evils; my life is on the brink of the grave. I am reckoned as one in the tomb: I have reached the end of my strength.
Like one alone among the dead; like the slain lying in their graves; like those you remember no more, cut off, as they are, from your hand.
You have laid me in the depths of the tomb, in places that are dark, in the depths. Your anger weighs down upon me: I am drowned beneath your waves.
Gospel Acclamation: Ps118:36,29
Alleluia, alleluia! Bend my heart to your will, O Lord, and teach me your law.Alleluia!
Gospel: Luke 9:51-56
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.
Prayer over the Offerings
Lord, we praise the wonder of your grace in Saint Thérèse. As you were pleased with the witness she offered, be pleased also to accept this service of ours. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Mt 18:3
Unless you change and become like little children, says the Lord, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Prayer after Communion
Lord, by the power of your love Saint Thérèse offered herself completely to you and prayer for the salvation of all. May the sacraments we have received fill us with love and bring us forgiveness. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
The Samaritans would not welcome Jesus and his disciples because they are destined for Jerusalem. The attitude of the Samaritans suggests that they have an axe to grind with Jerusalem. According to James and John, they should get what their attitude merits – fire from heaven to consume them all. Jesus rebukes James and John. By so doing, Jesus teaches that violence in response to violence, hatred in response to hatred, rejection in response to rejection, can never be a solution to any problem. What is your attitude to those who disagree with you? How do we relate with those who have a different opinion from ours? Jesus invites us today to offer peace in return for war, love in return for hatred, acceptance in return for rejection.
by L'équipe de publication | Sep 29, 2024 | Evangelium
Saint Jerome,
Priest, Doctor (340 – 420)
White
He was born in Dalmatia. He founded a monastery, a hospice, and a school, and settled down to the most important work of his life, the translation of the Bible into Latin, a translation which, with some revisions, is still in use today. He died at Bethlehem.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 1: 2-3
Blessed indeed is he who ponders the law of the Lord day and night: he will yield his fruit in due season.
Collect
O God, who gave the Priest Saint Jerome a living and tender love for Sacred Scripture, grant that your people may be ever more fruitfully nourished by your Word and find in it the fount of life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
First reading Job 1:6-22
One day the Sons of God came to attend on the Lord, and among them was Satan. So the Lord said to Satan, ‘Where have you been?’ ‘Round the earth,’ he answered ‘roaming about.’ So the Lord asked him, ‘Did you notice my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth: a sound and honest man who fears God and shuns evil.’ ‘Yes,’ Satan said ‘but Job is not God-fearing for nothing, is he? Have you not put a wall round him and his house and all his domain? You have blessed all he undertakes, and his flocks throng the countryside. But stretch out your hand and lay a finger on his possessions: I warrant you, he will curse you to your face.’ ‘Very well,’ the Lord said to Satan ‘all he has is in your power. But keep your hands off his person.’ So Satan left the presence of the Lord. On the day when Job’s sons and daughters were at their meal and drinking wine at their eldest brother’s house, a messenger came to Job. ‘Your oxen’ he said ‘were at the plough, with the donkeys grazing at their side, when the Sabaeans swept down on them and carried them off. Your servants they put to the sword: I alone escaped to tell you.’ He had not finished speaking when another messenger arrived. ‘The fire of God’ he said ‘has fallen from the heavens and burnt up all your sheep, and your shepherds too: I alone escaped to tell you.’ He had not finished speaking when another messenger arrived. ‘The Chaldaeans,’ he said ‘three bands of them, have raided your camels and made off with them. Your servants they put to the sword: I alone escaped to tell you.’ He had not finished speaking when another messenger arrived. ‘Your sons and daughters’ he said ‘were at their meal and drinking wine at their eldest brother’s house, when suddenly from the wilderness a gale sprang up, and it battered all four corners of the house which fell in on the young people. They are dead: I alone escaped to tell you.’ Job rose and tore his gown and shaved his head. Then falling to the ground he worshipped and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, naked I shall return. The Lord gave, the Lord has taken back. Blessed be the name of the Lord!’ In all this misfortune Job committed no sin nor offered any insult to God.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 16:1-3,6-7
R/Turn your ear to me, O Lord; hear my words.
Lord, hear a cause that is just, pay heed to my cry. Turn your ear to my prayer: no deceit is on my lips.
From you may my judgement come forth. Your eyes discern the truth. You search my heart, you visit me by night. You test me and you find in me no wrong.
I am here and I call, you will hear me, O God. Turn your ear to me; hear my words. Display your great love, you whose right hand saves your friends from those who rebel against them.
Gospel Acclamation: Jn14:6
Alleluia, alleluia! I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord; No one can come to the Father except through me. Alleluia!
Gospel: Luke 9:46-50
An argument started between the disciples about which of them was the greatest. Jesus knew what thoughts were going through their minds, and he took a little child and set him by his side and then said to them, ‘Anyone who welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For the least among you all, that is the one who is great.’ John spoke up. ‘Master,’ he said ‘we saw a man casting out devils in your name, and because he is not with us we tried to stop him.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘You must not stop him: anyone who is not against you is for you.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Grant us, O Lord, that, having meditated on your Word, following the example of Saint Jerome, we may more eagerly draw near to offer your majesty the sacrifice of salvation. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Jer 15: 16
Lord God, your words were found and I consumed them; your word became the joy and the happiness of my heart.
Prayer after Communion
May these holy gifts we have received, O Lord, as we rejoice in celebrating Saint Jerome, stir up the hearts of your faithful so that, attentive to sacred teachings, they may understand the path they are to follow and, by following it, obtain life everlasting. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
The period of Jesus’ public ministry served as schooling ground for the apostles as he prepared them to carry on what he started. We have a similar experience when seminarians are sent to do pastoral work at the direction of the parish priest. He does this in preparation for his own ordination. Jesus also gave his closest collaborators a sort of on-the-job training. The disciples had been arguing on the spots to the taken in Jesus’ kingdom. Many good and well-intentioned people too may easily fall into the temptation of pride and greed, it happens. Jesus gave a challenging lesson with these words: “whoever receives this child in my name receives me and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.” Jesus amplified this teaching on greatness during the Last Supper by his example. He is very patient with the apostles. Despite their human defects and ours, the Lord still loves us and never gives up on us.
by L'équipe de publication | Sep 28, 2024 | Evangelium
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Psalter: Week 2
Saints Michel, Gabriel et Raphael Archange
(on omet la fête)
Green
Entrance Antiphon: Dn 3: 31, 29, 30, 43, 42
All that you have done to us, O Lord, you have done with true judgement, for we have sinned against you and not obeyed your commandments. But give glory to your name and deal with us according to the bounty of your mercy.
Collect
O God, who manifest your almighty power above all by pardoning and showing mercy, bestow, we pray, your grace abundantly upon us and make those hastening to attain your promises heirs to the treasures of heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
First reading: Numbers 11:25–29
The Lord came down in the Cloud. He spoke with Moses, but took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. When the spirit came on them they prophesied, but not again. Two men had stayed back in the camp; one was called Eldad and the other Medad. The spirit came down on them; though they had not gone to the Tent, their names were enrolled among the rest. These began to prophesy in the camp. The young man ran to tell this to Moses, ‘Look,’ he said ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.’ Then said Joshua the son of Nun, who had served Moses from his youth, ‘My Lord Moses, stop them!’ Moses answered him, ‘Are you jealous on my account? If only the whole people of the Lord were prophets, and the Lord gave his Spirit to them all!’
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 18(19):8,10,12-14
R/ The precepts of the Lord gladden the heart.
The law of the Lord is perfect, it revives the soul. The rule of the Lord is to be trusted, it gives wisdom to the simple.
The fear of the Lord is holy, abiding for ever. The decrees of the Lord are truth and all of them just.
So in them your servant finds instruction; great reward is in their keeping. But who can detect all his errors? From hidden faults acquit me.
From presumption restrain your servant and let it not rule me. Then shall I be blameless, clean from grave sin.
Second reading: James 5:1-6
An answer for the rich. Start crying, weep for the miseries that are coming to you. Your wealth is all rotting, your clothes are all eaten up by moths. All your gold and your silver are corroding away, and the same corrosion will be your own sentence, and eat into your body. It was a burning fire that you stored up as your treasure for the last days. Labourers mowed your fields, and you cheated them – listen to the wages that you kept back, calling out; realise that the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. On earth you have had a life of comfort and luxury; in the time of slaughter you went on eating to your heart’s content. It was you who condemned the innocent and killed them; they offered you no resistance.
Gospel Acclamation: Jn17:17
Alleluia, alleluia! Your word is truth, O Lord: consecrate us in the truth. Alleluia!
Gospel Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48
John said to Jesus, ‘Master, we saw a man who is not one of us casting out devils in your name; and because he was not one of us we tried to stop him.’ But Jesus said, ‘You must not stop him: no one who works a miracle in my name is likely to speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us. ‘If anyone gives you a cup of water to drink just because you belong to Christ, then I tell you solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward. ‘But anyone who is an obstacle to bring down one of these little ones who have faith, would be better thrown into the sea with a great millstone round his neck. And if your hand should cause you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life crippled, than to have two hands and go to hell, into the fire that cannot be put out. And if your foot should cause you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life lame, than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye should cause you to sin, tear it out; it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell where their worm does not die nor their fire go out.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Grant us, O merciful God, that this our offering may find acceptance with you and that through it the wellspring of all blessing may be laid open before us. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 118: 49-50
Remember your word to your servant, O Lord, by which you have given me hope. This is my comfort when I am brought low.
Prayer after Communion
May this heavenly mystery, O Lord, restore us in mind and body, that we may be coheirs in glory with Christ, to whose suffering we are united whenever we proclaim his Death. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Meditation
The second reading from James bears the characteristics of the terrible prophetic message, more especially the message of prophet Amos when he says, “disaster for those so comfortable in Zion… lying on ivory beds and sprawling on their divans, they dine on lambs from the flock, and stall-fattened veal…” (Am 6:1.4). The rich, it seems, exploited the poor, but James gives hope to the exploited, that God is soon to console them because their prayers have reached Him. The Gospel on the other hand presents the ecumenical character of Jesus, Jesus who is accepting and welcoming all who do marvelous things by his name. This Gospel shows us that Jesus’ name is so powerful that someone outside of his circle can invoke it to good effect.
