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.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Aug 17, 2021 | Agenda Biblique
18
Aout
Sainte Hélène
Vert
Impératrice et mère de l’empereur Constantin, elle lance la construction de trois basiliques pour protéger les lieux saints et les « grottes mystiques » chères aux chrétiens de Palestine : celle de Bethléem où le Christ fut déposé en attendant la Résurrection et celle des enseignements. En 329, elle meurt à Nicomédie en Bythinie après son voyage en Terre Sainte.
Antienne d’ouverture : Ps 83, 10-11
Dieu, notre bouclier, regarde: vois le visage de ton Christ. Un jour passé dans ta maison en vaut pour moi plus que mille.
Prière d’ouverture
Pour ceux qui t’aiment, Seigneur, tu as préparé des biens que l’œil ne peut voir. Répands en nos cœurs la ferveur de ta charité, afin que t’aimant en toute chose et par-dessus tout, nous obtenions de toi l’héritage promis qui surpasse tout désir. Par Jésus Christ.
Première lecture : Jg 9, 6-15
En ces jours-là, tous les notables de Sichem et ceux de la maison du Terre-Plein se réunirent et vinrent proclamer roi Abimélek, près du chêne de la Pierre-Dressée qui est à Sichem. On l’annonça à Yotam. Celui-ci vint se poster sur le sommet du mont Garizim et il cria de toutes ses forces : « Écoutez-moi, notables de Sichem, et Dieu vous écoutera ! Un jour, les arbres se mirent en campagne pour se donner un roi et le consacrer par l’onction. Ils dirent à l’olivier : “Sois notre roi !” L’olivier leur répondit : “Faudra-t-il que je renonce à mon huile, qui sert à honorer Dieu et les hommes, pour aller me balancer au-dessus des autres arbres ? ” Alors les arbres dirent au figuier : “Viens, toi, sois notre roi !” Le figuier leur répondit : “Faudra-t-il que je renonce à la douceur et à la saveur de mes fruits, pour aller me balancer au-dessus des autres arbres ?” Les arbres dirent alors à la vigne : “Viens, toi, sois notre roi!” La vigne leur répondit: “Faudra-t-il que je renonce à mon vin, qui réjouit Dieu et les hommes, pour aller me balancer au-dessus des autres arbres ?” Alors tous les arbres dirent au buisson d’épines : “Viens, toi, sois notre roi !” Et le buisson d’épines répondit aux arbres: “Si c’est de bonne foi que vous me consacrez par l’onction pour être votre roi, venez-vous abriter sous mon ombre; sinon, qu’un feu sorte du buisson d’épines et dévore jusqu’aux cèdres du Liban !” »
Psaume : 20 (21), 2-3, 4-5, 6-7
R/ Seigneur, le roi se réjouit de ta force. 20, 2a
1. Seigneur, le roi se réjouit de ta force ; quelle allégresse lui donne ta victoire! Tu as répondu au désir de son cœur, tu n’as pas rejeté le souhait de ses lèvres.
2. Tu lui destines bénédictions et bienfaits, tu mets sur sa tête une couronne d’or. La vie qu’il t’a demandée, tu la lui donnes, de longs jours, des années sans fin.
3. Par ta victoire, grandit son éclat : tu le revêts de splendeur et de gloire. Tu mets en lui ta bénédiction pour toujours : ta présence l’emplit de joie !
Acclamation
Alléluia. Alléluia. Elle est vivante, la parole de Dieu ;elle juge des intentions et des pensées du cœur. Alléluia. (cf. He 4,12)
Évangile : Mt 20, 1-16
En ce temps-là, Jésus disait à ses disciples cette parabole : « Le royaume des Cieux est comparable au maître d’un domaine qui sortit dès le matin afin d’embaucher des ouvriers pour sa vigne. Il se mit d’accord avec eux sur le salaire de la journée : un denier, c’est-à-dire une pièce d’argent, et il les envoya à sa vigne. Sorti vers neuf heures, il en vit d’autres qui étaient là, sur la place, sans rien faire et à ceux-là, il dit : “Allez à ma vigne, vous aussi, et je vous donnerai ce qui est juste.” Ils y allèrent. Il sortit de nouveau vers midi, puis vers trois heures, et fit de même. Vers cinq heures, il sortit encore, en trouva d’autres qui étaient là et leur dit : “Pourquoi êtes-vous restés là, toute la journée, sans rien faire ?” Ils lui répondirent : “Parce que personne ne nous a embauchés. Il leur dit : “Allez à ma vigne, vous aussi.” Le soir venu, le maître de la vigne dit à son intendant : “Appelle les ouvriers et distribue le salaire, en commençant par les derniers pour finir par les premiers.” Ceux qui avaient commencé à cinq heures s’avancèrent et reçurent chacun une pièce d’un denier. Quand vint le tour des premiers, ils pensaient recevoir davantage, mais ils reçurent, eux aussi, chacun une pièce d’un denier. En la recevant, ils récriminaient contre le maître du domaine : “Ceux-là, les derniers venus, n’ont fait qu’une heure, et tu les traites à l’égal de nous, qui avons enduré le poids du jour et de la chaleur !” Mais le maître répondit à l’un d’entre eux : “Mon ami, je ne suis pas injuste envers toi. N’as-tu pas été d’accord avec moi pour un denier? Prends ce qui te revient, et va-t’en. Je veux donner au dernier venu autant qu’à toi : n’ai-je pas le droit de faire ce que je veux de mes biens ? Ou alors ton regard est-il mauvais parce que moi, je suis bon ?” C’est ainsi que les derniers seront premiers, et les premiers seront derniers. »
Prière sur les offrandes
Accepte, Seigneur notre Dieu, ce que nous présentons pour cette eucharistie où s’accomplit un admirable échange. En offrant ce que tu nous as donné, puissions-nous te recevoir toi-même. Par Jésus.
Antienne de communion : Ps 129, 7
Auprès du Seigneur est la grâce, l’abondance du rachat.
Prière après la communion
Par cette eucharistie, Seigneur, tu nous as unis davantage au Christ, et nous te supplions encore. Accorde-nous de lui ressembler sur la terre et de partager sa gloire dans le ciel. Lui qui.
Méditation
L’extrait de l’Evangile qui nous est proposé ce jour laisse croire que le propriétaire de la vigne est injuste envers certains. Il n’en est rien car notre Dieu n’a qu’un seul désir celui de voir tous les hommes sauvés, aucun de perdu. La volonté de Dieu c’est que nous ayons la vie car l’homme n’est pas fait pour la mort. Il se trouve qu’à un moment donné le péché est venu obstruer les œuvres que Dieu attend de nous, des œuvres conformes à sa volonté. Notre vie pour cela doit être un processus permanent de conversion. Certains font des efforts considérables dans leur cheminement avec Dieu ! Dieu les aime en même temps que ceux qui jusqu’ici pactisent avec la mondanité. Ils sont aussi conviés à travailler à sa vigne. Lui qui nous aime tous rémunère avec bonté tous ceux qui se convertissent. Puissions-nous rentrer dans ce processus de transformation qui donne la vie en Dieu.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Aug 17, 2021 | Evangelium
WEDNESday
18
August
St. Helena
Blessed Victoria Rasoamanarivo (1848 – 1894)
Green
Helena was a native of Bithynia, who married the then Roman general Constantius I. She converted to Christianity and performed many acts of charity, including building churches in Rome and in the Holy Land.
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 9:6-15
All the leading men of Shechem and all Beth-millo gathered, and proclaimed Abimelech king by the terebinth of the pillar at Shechem. News of this was brought to Jotham. He came and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted aloud for them to hear: ‘Hear me, leaders of Shechem, that God may also hear you! One day the trees went out to anoint a king to rule over them. They said to the olive tree, “Be our king!” The olive tree answered them, “Must I forego my oil which gives honour to gods and men, to stand swaying above the trees?” Then the trees said to the fitree, “Come now, you be our king!” The fig tree answered them, “Must I forego my sweetness, forego my excellent fruit, to stand swaying above the trees?” Then the trees said to the vine, “Come now, you be our king!” The vine answered them, “Must I forego my wine which cheers the heart of gods and men, to stand swaying above the trees?” ‘Then all the trees said to the thorn bush, “Come now, you be our king!” And the thorn bush answered the trees, “If in all good faith you anoint me king to reign over you, then come and shelter in my shade. If not, fire will come from the thorn bush and devour the cedars of Lebanon.”’
Psalm 20 (21):2-7
R/ O Lord, your strength gives joy to the king.
1. Lord, your strength gives joy to the king; how your saving help makes him glad! You have granted him his heart’s desire; you have not refused the prayer of his lips.
2. You came to meet him with the blessings of success, you have set on his head a crown of pure gold. He asked you for life and this you have given, days that will last from age to age.
3. Your saving help has given him glory. You have laid upon him majesty and splendour, you have granted your blessings to him forever. You have made him rejoice with the joy of your presence.
Gospel Acclamation: Ps 118:135
Alleluia, alleluia! Let your face shine on your servant, and teach me your decrees. Alleluia!
Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner going out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard. He made an agreement with the workers for one denarius a day, and sent them to his vineyard. Going out at about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place and said to them, “You go to my vineyard too and I will give you a fair wage.” So they went. At about the sixth hour and again at about the ninth hour, he went out and did the same. Then at about the eleventh hour he went out and found more men standing round, and he said to them, “Why have you been standing here idle all day?” “Because no one has hired us” they answered. He said to them, “You go into my vineyard too.” In the evening, the owner of the vineyard said to his bailiff, “Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last arrivals and ending with the first.” So those who were hired at about the eleventh hour came forward and received one denarius each. When the first came, they expected to get more, but they too received one denarius each. They took it, but grumbled at the landowner. “The men who came last” they said “have done only one hour, and you have treated them the same as us, though we have done a heavy day’s work in all the heat.” He answered one of them and said, “My friend, I am not being unjust to you; did we not agree on one denarius? Take your earnings and go. I choose to pay the last comer as much as I pay you. Have I no right to do what I like with my own? Why be envious because I am generous?” Thus the last will be first, and the first, last.’
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
Defective coercive leadership is contrasted with God’s extraordinary generosity and compassion in today’s Gospel in the Parable of the Labourer in the Vineyard. God is generous in opening the doors of His kingdom to all who will enter, both those who have laboured a life-time for Him and those who come at the last hour. Though some work only for reward, others labour out of love and joy for the opportunity to work and serve others. However, Jesus calls each of us to serve God and His kingdom with joy and zeal and serve our neighbour with a generous spirit.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Aug 16, 2021 | Agenda Biblique
MARDI 17 AOUT
Saint Hyacinthe
Vert
Prêtre en Pologne à Cracovie, il entre dans l’Ordre des Dominicains après avoir rencontré saint Dominique à Rome. Canonisé en 1594, on lui doit beaucoup de couvents en Pologne, en Prusse, en Lituanie et en Russie.
Antienne d’ouverture : Ps 83, 10-11
Dieu, notre bouclier, regarde: vois le visage de ton Christ. Un jour passé dans ta maison en vaut pour moi plus que mille.
Prière d’ouverture
Pour ceux qui t’aiment, Seigneur, tu as préparé des biens que l’œil ne peut voir. Répands en nos cœurs la ferveur de ta charité, afin que t’aimant en toute chose et par-dessus tout, nous obtenions de toi l’héritage promis qui surpasse tout désir. Par Jésus Christ.
Première lecture : Juges 6, 11-24a
En ces jours-là, l’ange du Seigneur vint s’asseoir sous le térébinthe d’Ofra, qui appartenait à Joas, de la famille d’Abièzer. Gédéon, son fils, battait le blé dans le pressoir, pour le soustraire au pillage des Madianites. L’ange du Seigneur lui apparut et lui dit : « Le Seigneur est avec toi, vaillant guerrier!» Gédéon lui répondit : « Pardon, mon Seigneur ! Si le Seigneur est avec nous, pourquoi tout ceci nous est-il arrivé ? Que sont devenus tous ces prodiges que nous ont racontés nos pères ? Ils nous disaient : “Est-ce que le Seigneur ne nous a pas fait monter d’Égypte?” Mais aujourd’hui le Seigneur nous a abandonnés, en nous livrant au pouvoir de Madiane… » Alors le Seigneur regarda Gédéon et lui dit : « Avec la force qui est en toi, va sauver Israël du pouvoir de Madiane. N’est-ce pas moi qui t’envoie ? » Gédéon reprit: « Pardon, mon Seigneur ! Comment sauverais-je Israël ? Mon clan est le plus faible dans la tribu de Manassé, et moi je suis le plus petit dans la maison de mon père ! » Le Seigneur lui répondit: « Je serai avec toi, et tu battras les Madianites comme s’ils n’étaient qu’un seul homme. Gédéon lui dit : « Si j’ai trouvé grâce à tes yeux, donne-moi un signe que c’est bien toi qui me parles. Ne t’éloigne pas d’ici avant que je revienne vers toi. Je vais chercher mon offrande et je la placerai devant toi. » Le Seigneur répondit : « Je resterai jusqu’à ton retour. » Gédéon s’en alla, il prépara un chevreau, et avec une mesure de farine il fit des pains sans levain. Il mit la viande dans une corbeille, et le jus dans un pot, puis il apporta tout cela sous le térébinthe et le lui présenta. L’ange de Dieu lui dit : «Prends la viande et les pains sans levain, pose-les sur ce rocher et répands le jus.» Gédéon obéit. Alors l’ange du Seigneur étendit le bâton qu’il tenait à la main, et il toucha la viande et les pains sans levain. Le feu jaillit de la roche, consuma la viande et les pains sans levain et l’ange du Seigneur disparut. Alors Gédéon comprit que c’était l’ange du Seigneur, et il dit : « Malheur à moi, Seigneur mon Dieu !Pourquoi donc ai-je vu l’ange du Seigneur face à face ? » Le Seigneur lui répondit : « Que la paix soit avec toi ! Sois sans crainte ; tu ne mourras pas. » À cet endroit, Gédéon bâtit un autel au Seigneur sous le vocable de Seigneur-de-la-paix.
Psaume : Ps 84 (85), 9, 11-12, 13-14
R/ Ce que dit le Seigneur, c’est la paix pour son peuple. (cf. 84, 9b)
1. J’écoute : que dira le Seigneur Dieu? Ce qu’il dit, c’est la paix pour son peuple et ses fidèles ; qu’ils ne reviennent jamais à leur folie !
2. Amour et vérité se rencontrent, justice et paix s’embrassent ; la vérité germera de la terre et du ciel se penchera la justice.
3. Le Seigneur donnera ses bienfaits, et notre terre donnera son fruit. La justice marchera devant lui, et ses pas traceront le chemin.
Acclamation
Alléluia. Alléluia. Jésus Christ s’est fait pauvre, lui qui était riche, pour que vous deveniez riches par sa pauvreté. Alléluia. (cf. 2 Co 8, 9)
Évangile : Mt 19, 23-30
En ce temps-là, Jésus disait à ses disciples: « Amen, je vous le dis : un riche entrera difficilement dans le royaume des Cieux. Je vous le répète : il est plus facile à un chameau de passer par un trou d’aiguille qu’à un riche d’entrer dans le royaume des Cieux.» Entendant ces paroles, les disciples furent profondément déconcertés, et ils disaient : « Qui donc peut être sauvé?» Jésus posa sur eux son regard et dit : « Pour les hommes, c’est impossible, mais pour Dieu tout est possible. Alors Pierre prit la parole et dit à Jésus : « Voici que nous avons tout quitté pour te suivre : quelle sera donc notre part?» Jésus leur déclara : « Amen, je vous le dis : lors du renouvellement du monde, lorsque le Fils de l’homme siégera sur son trône de gloire, vous qui m’avez suivi, vous siégerez vous aussi sur douze trônes pour juger les douze tribus d’Israël. Et celui qui aura quitté, à cause de mon nom, des maisons, des frères, des sœurs, un père, une mère, des enfants, ou une terre, recevra le centuple, et il aura en héritage la vie éternelle. Beaucoup de premiers seront derniers, beaucoup de derniers seront premiers. »
Prière sur les offrandes
Accepte, Seigneur notre Dieu, ce que nous présentons pour cette eucharistie où s’accomplit un admirable échange. En offrant ce que tu nous as donné, puissions-nous te recevoir toi-même. Par Jésus.
Antienne de communion : Ps 129, 7
Auprès du Seigneur est la grâce, l’abondance du rachat.
Prière après la communion
Par cette eucharistie, Seigneur, tu nous as unis davantage au Christ, et nous te supplions encore. Accorde-nous de lui ressembler sur la terre et de partager sa gloire dans le ciel. Lui qui.
Méditation
Il est plus facile à un chameau de passer par le trou d’une aiguille qu’à un riche d’entrer dans le royaume des cieux. Cette sentence de Jésus à l’attention des disciples suscite des questions importantes. La richesse en elle-même constitue-t-elle un obstacle pour entrer dans le royaume des cieux ? Aussi, pourquoi Jésus doit-il le dire à ses disciples ? L’étonnement et la question qui s’en suivent prouvent qu’ils comprennent que le salut n’est pas qu’une œuvre humaine mais un don de Dieu. On doit le rechercher de toutes nos forces mais attendre de le recevoir de Dieu. Il n’est pas un mérite mais une grâce qui nous vient du ciel. Tout est possible à Dieu et ceux qui se mettent à sa suite obtiendront la vie éternelle non pas par le mérite de leurs bonnes œuvres, elles-mêmes dons et inspirations de Dieu, mais par sa grâce qui peut tout, pour qui croit et espère en sa miséricorde.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Aug 16, 2021 | Evangelium
TUESDAY 17 AUGUST
St. Clare of Montefalco
(1268 – 1308)
Green
Saint Clare of Montefalco, also called Saint Clare of the Cross, was an Augustinian nun and abbess. Before becoming a nun, St. Clare was a member of the Third Order of St. Francis (Secular).She was canonized by Pope Leo XIII on December 8, 1881.
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 6:11-24
The angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah which belonged to Joash of Abiezer. Gideon his son was threshing wheat inside the winepress to keep it hidden from Midian, when the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘The Lord is with you, valiant warrior!’ Gideon answered him, ‘Forgive me, my lord, but if the Lord is with us, then why is it that all this is happening to us now? And where are all the wonders our ancestors tell us of when they say, “Did not the Lord bring us out of Egypt?” But now the Lord has deserted us; he has abandoned us to Midian.’At this the Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in the strength now upholding you, and you will rescue Israel from the power of Midian. Do I not send you myself?’ Gideon answered him, ‘Forgive me, my lord, but how can I deliver Israel? My clan, you must know, is the weakest in Manasseh and I am the least important in my family.’ the Lord answered him, ‘I will be with you and you shall crush Midian as though it were a single man.’ Gideon said to him, ‘If I have found favour in your sight, give me a sign that it is you who speak to me. I beg you, do not go away until I come back. I will bring you my offering and set it down before you.’ And he answered, ‘I will stay until you return.’ Gideon went away and prepared a young goat and made unleavened cakes with an ephah of flour. He put the meat into a basket and the broth into a pot, then brought it all to him under the terebinth. As he came near, the angel of the Lord said to him, ‘Take the meat and unleavened cakes, put them on this rock and pour the broth over them.’ Gideon did so. Then the angel of the Lord reached out the tip of the staff in his hand and touched the meat and unleavened cakes. Fire sprang from the rock and consumed the meat and unleavened cakes, and the angel of the Lord vanished before his eyes. Then Gideon knew this was the angel of the Lord, and he said, ‘Alas, my Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!’ the Lord answered him, ‘Peace be with you; have no fear; you will not die.’ Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it The-Lord-is-Peace.
Psalm 84 (85):9, 11-14
R/ The Lord speaks peace to his people.
1. I will hear what the Lord God has to say, a voice that speaks of peace, peace for his people and his friends and those who turn to him in their hearts.
2. Mercy and faithfulness have met; justice and peace have embraced. Faithfulness shall spring from the earth and justice look down from heaven.
3. The Lord will make us prosper and our earth shall yield its fruit. Justice shall march before him and peace shall follow his steps.
Gospel Acclamation: Ps24:4,5
Alleluia, alleluia! Teach me your paths, my God, make me walk in your truth. Alleluia!
Gospel: Matthew 19:23-30
Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you solemnly, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yes, I tell you again, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.’ When the disciples heard this they were astonished. ‘Who can be saved, then?’ they said. Jesus gazed at them. ‘For men,’ he told them, ‘this is impossible; for God everything is possible.’ Then Peter spoke. ‘What about us?’ he said to him ‘We have left everything and followed you. What are we to have, then?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I tell you solemnly, when all is made new and the Son of Man sits on his throne of glory, you will yourselves sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children or land for the sake of my name will be repaid a hundred times over, and also inherit eternal life. Many who are first will be last, and the last, first.’
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
Today’s Gospel makes it succinctly clear that wealth is not the pathway to eternal life and that salvation is a gift. But is Jesus opposed to wealth, we may be tempted to ask. He is not per se, as He had rich friends Himself, but simply cautions against the false security that wealth may engender. Jesus offers an incomparable treasure which no money can buy and no thief can steal. We most set our heart our highest treasure in God and His kingdom of everlasting life and joy. Where is your treasure?
