by L'équipe de publication | Aug 2, 2024 | Evangelium
Saint Germanus of Auxerre
(c.378 – 448)
Green/White
After pursuing a legal career and being governor of a province, he was consecrated bishop of Auxerre in Gaul. He strongly fought the heresy of Pelagianism. His mission was successful, and he also led the native Britons to a victory against the invading pagan Picts and Saxons. He died at Ravenna in the late 440s.
Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Ps 67: 6-7, 36
God is in his holy place, God who unites those who dwell in his house; he himself gives might and strength to his people.
Collect
O God, protector of those who hope in you, without whom nothing has firm foundation, nothing is holy, bestow in abundance your mercy upon us and grant that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may use the good things that pass in such a way as to hold fast even now to those that ever endure. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading : Jeremiah 26:11-16,24
The priests and prophets addressed the officials and all the people, ‘This man deserves to die, since he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears.’ Jeremiah, however, replied to the people as follows: ‘The Lord himself sent me to say all the things you have heard against this Temple and this city. So now amend your behaviour and actions, listen to the voice of the Lord your God: if you do, he will relent and not bring down on you the disaster he has pronounced against you. For myself, I am as you see in your hands. Do whatever you please or think right with me. But be sure of this, that if you put me to death, you will be bringing innocent blood on yourselves, on this city and on its citizens, since the Lord has truly sent me to you to say all these words in your hearing.’ The officials and all the people then said to the priests and prophets, ‘This man does not deserve to die: he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.’ Jeremiah had a protector in Ahikam son of Shaphan, so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 68:15-16,30-31,33-34
R/ In your great love, answer me, O God.
Rescue me from sinking in the mud; save me from my foes. Save me from the waters of the deep lest the waves overwhelm me. Do not let the deep engulf me nor death close its mouth on me.
As for me in my poverty and pain let your help, O God, lift me up. I will praise God’s name with a song; I will glorify him with thanksgiving.
The poor when they see it will be glad and God-seeking hearts will revive; for the Lord listens to the needy and does not spurn his servants in their chains.
Gospel Acclamation : cf.Lk8:15
Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed are those who, with a noble and generous heart, take the word of God to themselves and yield a harvest through their perseverance. Alleluia!
Gospel : Matthew 14:1-12
Herod the tetrarch heard about the reputation of Jesus, and said to his court, ‘This is John the Baptist himself; he has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.’ Now it was Herod who had arrested John, chained him up and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. For John had told him, ‘It is against the Law for you to have her.’ He had wanted to kill him but was afraid of the people, who regarded John as a prophet. Then, during the celebrations for Herod’s birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company, and so delighted Herod that he promised on oath to give her anything she asked. Prompted by her mother she said, ‘Give me John the Baptist’s head, here, on a dish.’ The king was distressed but, thinking of the oaths he had sworn and of his guests, he ordered it to be given her, and sent and had John beheaded in the prison. The head was brought in on a dish and given to the girl who took it to her mother. John’s disciples came and took the body and buried it; then they went off to tell Jesus.
Prayer over the Offerings
Accept, O Lord, we pray, the offerings which we bring from the abundance of your gifts, that through the powerful working of your grace, these most sacred mysteries may sanctify our present way of life and lead us to eternal gladness. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon : Ps 102: 2
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget all his benefits.
Prayer after Communion
We have consumed, O Lord, this divine Sacrament, the perpetual memorial of the Passion of your Son; grant, we pray, that this gift, which he himself gave us with love beyond all telling, may profit us for salvation. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
“Give me John the Baptist’s head, here, on a dish.” Herod had deeply internalised a life of immoral values. These immoral values had eventually formed an integral part of his character and identity as a father and an authority. He therefore interpreted the prophetic pronouncements from John the Baptist as a real threat to his person and authority. Just like Herod and Herodias, the natural defensive strategy would be an attempt to eliminate the sources of threat. What Herod failed to understand is that decapitation of a prophet doesn’t mean decapitation of the Truth. John the Baptism was only illuminating an already existing truth. Because, moral truths are deeply engrained in each person’s heart. As such, they can be momentarily obscured or silenced but never eliminated. Herodias had manipulated her daughter to influence the office which Herod represented. Internalised immoral values can easily find their transmission into the family and governance structures. How do we respond when we are told truths that we don’t appreciate? How do we stand for the Gospel truth in the midst of threats?
by L'équipe de publication | Aug 1, 2024 | Evangelium
Saint Eusebius of Vercelli
(283 – 371)
Green
He was born in Sardinia around 340 and was made the first bishop of Vercelli in Piedmont. He was a strong supporter of orthodoxy, and in 355 was sent into exile by the Emperor for refusing to sign the condemnation of St Athanasius that had been passed by the Council of Milan.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 67: 6-7, 36
God is in his holy place, God who unites those who dwell in his house; he himself gives might and strength to his people.
Collect
O God, protector of those who hope in you, without whom nothing has firm foundation, nothing is holy, bestow in abundance your mercy upon us and grant that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may use the good things that pass in such a way as to hold fast even now to those that ever endure. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: Jeremiah 26:1-9
At the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word was addressed to Jeremiah by the Lord, ‘The Lord says this: Stand in the court of the Temple of the Lord. To all the people of the towns of Judah who come to worship in the Temple of the Lord you must speak all the words I have commanded you to tell them; do not omit one syllable. Perhaps they will listen and each turn from his evil way: if so, I shall relent and not bring the disaster on them which I intended for their misdeeds. Say to them, “The Lord says this: If you will not listen to me by following my Law which I put before you, by paying attention to the words of my servants the prophets whom I send so persistently to you, without your ever listening to them, I will treat this Temple as I treated Shiloh, and make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth.”’ The priests and prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah say these words in the Temple of the Lord. When Jeremiah had finished saying everything that the Lord had ordered him to say to all the people, the priests and prophets seized hold of him and said, ‘You shall die! Why have you made this prophecy in the name of the Lord, “This Temple will be like Shiloh, and this city will be desolate, and uninhabited”?’ And the people were all crowding round Jeremiah in the Temple of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm
68(69):5,8-10,14
R/ In your great love, answer me, O God.
More numerous than the hairs on my head are those who hate me without cause. Those who attack me with lies are too much for my strength.
How can I restore what I have never stolen?
It is for you that I suffer taunts, that shame covers my face, that I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my own mother’s sons. I burn with zeal for your house and taunts against you fall on me.
This is my prayer to you, my prayer for your favour. In your great love, answer me, O God, with your help that never fails.
Gospel Acclamation: cf.1Th2:13
Alleluia, alleluia! Accept God’s message for what it really is: God’s message, and not some human thinking. Alleluia!
Gospel: Matthew 13:54-58
Coming to his home town, Jesus taught the people in their synagogue in such a way that they were astonished and said, ‘Where did the man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? This is the carpenter’s son, surely? Is not his mother the woman called Mary, and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Jude? His sisters, too, are they not all here with us? So where did the man get it all?’ And they would not accept him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country and in his own house’, and he did not work many miracles there because of their lack of faith.
Prayer over the Offerings
Accept, O Lord, we pray, the offerings which we bring from the abundance of your gifts, that through the powerful working of your grace these most sacred mysteries may sanctify our present way of life and lead us to eternal gladness. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Ps 102: 2
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget all his benefits.
Prayer after Communion
We have consumed, O Lord, this divine Sacrament, the perpetual memorial of the Passion of your Son; grant, we pray, that this gift, which he himself gave us with love beyond all telling, may profit us for salvation. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation This is the carpenter’s son, surely? Jesus is definitely the carpenter’s son. But there is much more about him than His carpentry ancestry. He is the second person of the Triune God. He is also the Word through whom all creation came into being. God’s ingenuity to constantly re-emerge from the ordinary and familiar often destabilises our long-held perceptions of God’s presence. This explains why both Jesus son of Mary and Jeremiah son of Hilkiah were dismissed by their very own people. The people were so familiar with Jesus’ earthly nativity, his father’s trade and his everyday voice to understand the novelty of his divine nativity and Prophetic voice. Quite often, we are so fixated on familiar narratives and recurring life events to notice the prophetic messages and moments. We therefore continue to silence the moral voices and ignore revelatory messaging from events and people around us. We cannot limit the unlimited God on how, where and through whom he should manifest Himself.
by L'équipe de publication | Jul 31, 2024 | Evangelium
Psalter: Week 1
Saint Alphonsus Mary de Liguori,
Bishop, Doctor (1696 – 1787)
White
He was a Neapolitan lawyer who became a priest. He preached in the rural districts around Naples. His bishop asked him to establish an order of missionaries to work in the countryside, and the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (the Redemptorists) was formally established in 1749. Alphonsus lived an exceptionally holy life.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Sir 15: 5
In the midst of the Church he opened his mouth, and the Lord filled him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding and clothed him in a robe of glory.
Collect
O God, who constantly raise up in your Church new examples of virtue, grant that we may follow so closely in the footsteps of the Bishop Saint Alphonsus in his zeal for souls
as to attain the same rewards that are his in heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading : Jeremiah 18:1-6
The word that was addressed to Jeremiah by the Lord, ‘Get up and make your way down to the potter’s house; there I shall let you hear what I have to say.’ So I went down to the potter’s house; and there he was, working at the wheel. And whenever the vessel he was making came out wrong, as happens with the clay handled by potters, he would start afresh and work it into another vessel, as potters do. Then this word of the Lord was addressed to me, ‘House of Israel, can not I do to you what this potter does? – it is the Lord who speaks. Yes, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so you are in mine, House of Israel.’
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 145:2-6
R/ He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God.
My soul, give praise to the Lord. I will praise the Lord all my days, make music to my God while I live.
Put no trust in princes, In mortal men in whom there is no help. Take their breath, they return to clay and their plans that day come to nothing.
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.
Gospel Acclamation : Jn15:15
Alleluia, alleluia! I call you friends, says the Lord, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father. Alleluia!
Gospel : Matthew 13:47-53
Jesus said to the crowds, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea that brings in a haul of all kinds. When it is full, the fishermen haul it ashore; then, sitting down, they collect the good ones in a basket and throw away those that are no use. This is how it will be at the end of time: the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the just to throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. ‘Have you understood all this?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ And he said to them, ‘Well then, every Scribe who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out from his storeroom things both new and old.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Be pleased, O Lord, to enkindle our hearts with the celestial fire of your Spirit, just as you granted that Saint Alphonsus should celebrate these mysteries and by them offer himself to you as a holy sacrifice. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Lk 12: 42
Behold a faithful and prudent steward to give them their allowance of food at the proper time.
Prayer after Communion
O God, who gave us Saint Alphonsus to be a faithful steward and preacher of this great mystery, grant that your faithful may receive it often and, receiving it, praise you without end. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
A fishermen’s net is designed to take advantage of fish’s unawareness of the trap. However, God’s net is not designed to trap. It is rather, a gratuitous Divine support system gracefully lowered into the stormy sea of life in order to save us. It is meant to help His children to hold on to in order to reach back to Him. What is not guaranteed is whether we as God’s children can consciously and consistently choose to receive and hold on to His net of Grace. As God’s people, we have been intentionally casted by the Divine Potter into the sea of life. Being divinely casted, we are as well intentionally endowed with the gratuitous gifts of knowledge, discernment and volition. These gifts help us in choosing to hold on to the straps of the values of the Kingdom of God. Yet, we are also free to choose that which is morally bad. The gracious gift of free-choice is not free from the responsibility of being accountable. The choices we make today will reveal the underlying foundation of our value system. May we be able to separate the good from the bad and choose that which is good for our very selves, for others and for God.
by L'équipe de publication | Jul 30, 2024 | Evangelium
Saint Ignatius Loyola, Priest
(1491 – 1556)
White
Ignatius was born in Loyola in the Spanish Basque country. Initially a soldier, he was wounded in the battle of Pamplona. With his companions, in 1540, they formed the Society of Jesus. Ignatius wrote the Spiritual Exercises, a systematic step-by-step retreat that can be followed by anyone – and has been followed by many, not all of them Catholics, ever since.
.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Phil 2: 10-11
At the name of Jesus, every knee should bend of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Collect
O God, who raised up Saint Ignatius of Loyola in your Church to further the greater glory of your name, grant that by his help we may imitate him in fighting the good fight on earth and merit to receive with him a crown in heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading : Jeremiah 15:10,16-21
‘Woe is me, my mother, for you have borne me to be a man of strife and of dissension for all the land. I neither lend nor borrow, yet all of them curse me. ‘When your words came, I devoured them: your word was my delight and the joy of my heart; for I was called by your name, the Lord, God of Hosts. I never took pleasure in sitting in scoffers’ company; with your hand on me I held myself aloof, since you had filled me with indignation. Why is my suffering continual, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Do you mean to be for me a deceptive stream with inconstant waters?’ To which the Lord replied, ‘If you come back, I will take you back into my service; and if you utter noble, not despicable, thoughts, you shall be as my own mouth. They will come back to you, but you must not go back to them. I will make you a bronze wall fortified against this people. They will fight against you but they will not overcome you, because I am with you to save you and to deliver you – it is the Lord who speaks. I mean to deliver you from the hands of the wicked and redeem you from the clutches of the violent. ’
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 58:2-5,10-11,17-18
R/ O God, you have been a refuge in the day of my distress.
Rescue me, God, from my foes; protect me from those who attack me. O rescue me from those who do evil and save me from blood-thirsty men.
See, they lie in wait for my life; powerful men band together against me. For no offence, no sin of mine, Lord, for no guilt of mine they rush to take their stand.
O my Strength, it is you to whom I turn, for you, O God, are my stronghold, the God who shows me love.
As for me, I will sing of your strength and each morning acclaim your love for you have been my stronghold, a refuge in the day of my distress.
O my Strength, it is you to whom I turn, for you, O God, are my stronghold, the God who shows me love.
Gospel Acclamation : Ps118:105
Alleluia, alleluia! Your word is a lamp for my steps and a light for my path. Alleluia!
Gospel : Matthew 13:44-46
Jesus said to the crowds, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone has found; he hides it again, goes off happy, sells everything he owns and buys the field. ‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it.’
Prayer over the Offerings
May these offerings we make to you as we celebrate Saint Ignatius be pleasing, Lord God, and grant that the sacred mysteries, which you have made the fount of all holiness, may sanctify us, too, in the truth. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Lk 12: 49
Thus says the Lord: I have come to cast fire on the earth, and how I wish that it were kindled!
Prayer after Communion
May the sacrifice of praise that we have offered with thanksgiving in honour of Saint Ignatius, O Lord, bring us to exalt your majesty without end. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
The parable of the hidden treasure and the parable of the pearl speak of the same ideas. Firstly, the kingdom proclaimed by Jesus has great value. Only when someone becomes aware of the great value present in the kingdom he/she could give priority to the kingdom. Secondly, there is an urgency to respond to the kingdom’s good news. The persons in the parables make great sacrifices to obtain the hidden treasure and the pearl. They joyfully abandon everything they treasured in the past to obtain the field and the pearl, respectively. The kingdom of heaven completely alters one’s priorities in life. Many disciples who followed Jesus left everything, but now they should prioritize the kingdom above everything else. Are we ready to give up everything and give priority to the kingdom?
by L'équipe de publication | Jul 29, 2024 | Evangelium
Saint Peter Chrysologus, Bishop, Doctor (380 – 450)
Green/White
He was born and died in Imola in northern Italy. The name “Chrysologus” means “golden speech”, and was given to Peter because he was such a gifted preacher; unfortunately, most of his writings have perished, and only a collection of short sermons remains.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 67: 6-7, 36
God is in his holy place, God who unites those who dwell in his house; he himself gives might and strength to his people.
Collect
O God, protector of those who hope in you, without whom nothing has firm foundation, nothing is holy, bestow in abundance your mercy upon us and grant that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may use the good things that pass in such a way as to hold fast even now to those that ever endure. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading : Jeremiah 14:17-22
The Lord said to me: Say this word to the people: ‘Tears flood my eyes night and day, unceasingly, since a crushing blow falls on the daughter of my people, a most grievous injury. If I go into the countryside, there lie men killed by the sword; if I go into the city, I see people sick with hunger; even prophets and priests plough the land: they are at their wit’s end.’ ‘Have you rejected Judah altogether? Does your very soul revolt at Zion? Why have you struck us down without hope of cure? We were hoping for peace – no good came of it! For the moment of cure – nothing but terror! The Lord, we do confess our wickedness and our fathers’ guilt: we have indeed sinned against you. For your name’s sake do not reject us, do not dishonour the throne of your glory. Remember us; do not break your covenant with us. Can any of the pagan Nothings make it rain? Can the heavens produce showers? No, it is you, the Lord. O our God, you are our hope, since it is you who do all this.’
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 78:8-9,11,13
R/ Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.
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.
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.
Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; let your strong arm reprieve those condemned to die. But we, your people, the flock of your pasture, will give you thanks for ever and ever. We will tell your praise from age to age.
Gospel Acclamation : 1P1:25
Alleluia, alleluia! The word of the Lord remains for ever: What is this word? It is the Good News that has been brought to you. Alleluia!
Gospel : Matthew 13:36-43
Leaving the crowds, Jesus went to the house; and his disciples came to him and said, ‘Explain the parable about the darnel in the field to us.’ He said in reply, ‘The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed is the subjects of the kingdom; the darnel, the subjects of the evil one; the enemy who sowed them, the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels. Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that provoke offences and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the virtuous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Listen, anyone who has ears! ’
Prayer over the Offerings
Accept, O Lord, we pray, the offerings which we bring from the abundance of your gifts, that through the powerful working of your grace these most sacred mysteries may sanctify our present way of life and lead us to eternal gladness. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon; Ps 102: 2
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget all his benefits.
Prayer after Communion
We have consumed, O Lord, this divine Sacrament, the perpetual memorial of the Passion of your Son; grant, we pray, that this gift, which he himself gave us with love beyond all telling, may profit us for salvation. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
The coexistence of the righteous and wicked is inevitable. It will be the norm of life until the final judgment. The parable encourages patience with the presence of wickedness in the world. One must resist the “temptation of impatience” and wait for God’s time. The wicked often camouflage and appear as the righteous, and it is possible to fail to identify the wicked. Moreover, hastiness in removing the wicked can damage or destroy the righteous. The parable assures the righteous that they will be vindicated and the wicked will face severe judgment. How do we look at the existence of evil in the world? We do believe in God, and so patiently wait for his time. Patience is beneficial and advantageous; Impatience is inimical and ill-disposed.
by L'équipe de publication | Jul 28, 2024 | Evangelium
Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus
White
Martha was the sister of Mary of Bethany and Lazarus. In the West, her feast day comes a week after that of St Mary Magdalene because of the old and probably erroneous tradition that Mary Magdalene was the same person as Martha’s sister. Modern scholarship having made matters clearer, Martha, Mary and Lazarus have since 2021 been celebrated together on this day, which was formerly assigned to Martha alone.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Lk 10: 38
Jesus entered a village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.
Collect
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that the example of your Saints may spur us on to a better life, so that we will celebrate the memory of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus may also, without ceasing, immitate their deeds. 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: Jeremiah 13:1-11
The Lord said this to me, ‘Go and buy a linen loincloth and put it round your waist. But do not dip it in water.’ And so, as the Lord had ordered, I bought a loincloth and put it round my waist. A second time the word of the Lord was spoken to me, ‘Take the loincloth that you have bought and are wearing round your waist; up! Go to the Euphrates and hide it in a hole in the rock.’ So I went and hid it near the Euphrates as the Lord had ordered me. Many days afterwards the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go to the Euphrates and fetch the loincloth I ordered you to hide there.’ So I went to the Euphrates, and I searched, and I took the loincloth from the place where I had hidden it. The loincloth was spoilt, good for nothing. Then the word of the Lord was addressed to me, Thus says the Lord: In the same way I will spoil the arrogance of Judah and Jerusalem. This evil people who refuse to listen to my words, who follow the dictates of their own hard hearts, who have followed alien gods, and served them and worshipped them, let them become like this loincloth, good for nothing. For just as a loincloth clings to a man’s waist, so I had intended the whole House of Judah to cling to me – it is the Lord who speaks – to be my people, my glory, my honour and my boast. But they have not listened.’
Responsorial Psalm: Deuteronomy 32:18-21
R/ You forget the God who fathered you.
You forget the Rock who begot you, unmindful now of the God who fathered you. The Lord has seen this, and in his anger cast off his sons and his daughters.
‘I shall hide my face from them,’ he says ‘and see what becomes of them. For they are a deceitful brood, children with no loyalty in them.
‘They have roused me to jealousy with what is no god, they have angered me with their beings of nothing; I, then, will rouse them to jealousy with what is no people, I will anger them with an empty-headed nation.’
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: John 11:19-27
Many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to sympathise with them over their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus had come she went to meet him. Mary remained sitting in the house. Martha said to Jesus, ‘If you had been here, my brother would not have died, but I know that, even now, whatever you ask of God, he will grant you.’ ‘Your brother’ said Jesus to her ‘will rise again.’ Martha said, ‘I know he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said: ‘I am the resurrection and the life.
If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ she said ‘I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world.’
Prayer over the Offerings
As we proclaim your wonders in Your Saints, O Lord, we humbly implore your majesty, that, as their homage of love was pleasing to you, so, too, our dutiful service may find favour in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Jn 11: 27
Martha said to Jesus: You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into this world.
Prayer after Communion
May the holy reception of the Body and Blood of your Only Begotten Son, O Lord, turn us away from the cares of this fallen world, so that, following the example of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus, we may grow in sincere love for you on earth and rejoice to behold you for eternity in heaven. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
We celebrate today a family of friends and benefactors of Jesus. Lazarus, Martha and Mary can teach us many things in following Jesus. We know little about Lazarus, but his friendship with Jesus is real. Jesus wept at his tomb and brought him alive from the tomb. He became a cause for many to believe in Jesus. Martha is busy with mundane activities but expresses great faith in Jesus. She believed that if Jesus had arrived earlier, her brother would not have died. She is also one of the few persons who confessed Jesus as the Messiah. Mary wished to be a disciple of Jesus. She sat at the feet of Jesus as disciples would do to listen to the teaching of their masters. All three relate themselves to Jesus in different ways. It is possible to be friends of Jesus in different ways. Let us be friends of Jesus.
