MASS READINGS & SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY - Friday - October 01, 2021

                                                 Friday - October 01, 2021

“When people love and recite the Rosary 

they find it makes them better.”

– St. Anthony Mary Claret

TODAY'S READINGS

October 1, 2021

Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 459

 

Reading 1                                                     BAR 1:15-22

During the Babylonian captivity, the exiles prayed:

“Justice is with the Lord, our God;

and we today are flushed with shame,

we men of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem,

that we, with our kings and rulers

and priests and prophets, and with our ancestors,

have sinned in the Lord’s sight and disobeyed him.

We have neither heeded the voice of the Lord, our God,

nor followed the precepts which the Lord set before us.

From the time the Lord led our ancestors out of the land of Egypt

until the present day,

we have been disobedient to the Lord, our God,

and only too ready to disregard his voice.

And the evils and the curse that the Lord enjoined upon Moses, his servant,

at the time he led our ancestors forth from the land of Egypt

to give us the land flowing with milk and honey,

cling to us even today.

For we did not heed the voice of the Lord, our God,

in all the words of the prophets whom he sent us,

but each one of us went off

after the devices of his own wicked heart,

served other gods,

and did evil in the sight of the Lord, our God.”

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              79:1B-2, 3-5, 8, 9

 

R.    (9) For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

 

O God, the nations have come into your inheritance;

    they have defiled your holy temple,

    they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.

They have given the corpses of your servants

    as food to the birds of heaven,

    the flesh of your faithful ones to the beasts of the earth.

R.    For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

They have poured out their blood like water

    round about Jerusalem,

    and there is no one to bury them.

We have become the reproach of our neighbors,

    the scorn and derision of those around us.

O LORD, how long? Will you be angry forever?

    Will your jealousy burn like fire?

R.    For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;

    may your compassion quickly come to us,

    for we are brought very low.

R.    For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

Help us, O God our savior,

    because of the glory of your name;

Deliver us and pardon our sins

    for your name’s sake.

R.    For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

 

Alleluia                                                                      PS 95:8

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

If today you hear his voice,

harden not your hearts.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel                                                                       LK 10:13-16

 

Jesus said to them,

“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!

For if the mighty deeds done in your midst

had been done in Tyre and Sidon,

they would long ago have repented,

sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon

at the judgment than for you.

And as for you, Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to heaven?

You will go down to the netherworld.’

Whoever listens to you listens to me.

Whoever rejects you rejects me.

And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

 

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As God's Prophet, You are not Alone

Every time we open our mouths to speak, we need to remember that we have a ministry of words. Always. Nothing that is vocalized can be deleted from the air before penetrating the minds of those who hear us. Even our tone of voice conveys a message. So, too, the silent words of emails and blogs.

 

Are our words always holy? Is there any valid reason why our words shouldn't always be holy?

 

Jesus is our example of words and tones that reflect the kingdom of God.

 

He says to us in our Gospel reading today, "Anyone who listens to you is listening to me, and anyone who rejects you is rejecting both me and the Father who sent me." See how important our words are? Do others hear Jesus every time we open our mouths? Well, shouldn't they be able to? Did Jesus ever take a break from speaking the words of his Father?

 

As Christians, we serve as God's prophets. When we were baptized, we were joined to the ministry of Christ's priesthood, kingship, and mouth. We are Christ in the flesh for our contemporary world. Anyone who knows that we claim to be Christian gets either a good idea or a wrong idea about who Jesus is and what he is really like, based on what they hear from us.

 

Being a prophet is often a very sad ministry, because too many people fail to see Jesus in us. Sometimes it's our fault, but sometimes, no matter how holy our words and no matter how purely we speak with love, the people who hear us have the same problem as the Israelites did in today's first reading; they are "only too ready to disregard God's voice."

 

For many varied reasons, ranging from a faulty upbringing to freely made choices, they refuse to "heed the voice of the Lord in the words of the prophets he sends." However, Jesus isn't finished talking to them yet.

 

It's been said that a person has to hear the truth from seven different people before it begins to change them. That number won't always be literally accurate, but it is true that multiple prophets are needed. When it's our turn, we don't know if we're the first, in the middle, or the last prophet whom God puts in their path.

 

When they refuse to listen to us, it's important that we forgive them so that we convert our frustration into sadness instead of resentment. Then we can use our sorrow for prayer power. With yearning, ask God to soften their hearts through the circumstances and people who come their way. Remember, it is not you who's being rejected; it's Jesus, so don't take it personally. Let the rejection go through you to him where it belongs. He's the one who will figure out what to do next, not us.

 

We are not alone in this. God will indeed send other prophets. In him, there is always reason to hope. We are in partnership with Jesus and with the entire earthly Body of Christ.

 

Today's Prayer

 

Dear Lord Jesus, Your Word is like a fire that I must receive and spread. Give me the grace of humility, so that I may produce abundant fruit for the glory of God the Father. Amen.

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God Bless You.....

The Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”

SAINT QUOTE & READINGS OF THE DAY : Thursday - September 30, 2021

Thursday - September 30, 2021

"Virtues are formed by prayer.

Prayer preserves temperance.

Prayer suppresses anger.

Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy.

Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit, and raises man to Heaven."

-- St Ephraem

September 30, 2021

Memorial of Saint Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 458

 

Reading 1                                                     Neh 8:1-4a, 5-6, 7b-12

The whole people gathered as one in the open space before the Water Gate,

and they called upon Ezra the scribe

to bring forth the book of the law of Moses

which the LORD prescribed for Israel.

On the first day of the seventh month, therefore,

Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly,

which consisted of men, women,

and those children old enough to understand.

Standing at one end of the open place that was before the Water Gate,

he read out of the book from daybreak until midday,

in the presence of the men, the women,

and those children old enough to understand;

and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law.

Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform

that had been made for the occasion.

He opened the scroll

so that all the people might see it

(for he was standing higher up than any of the people);

and, as he opened it, all the people rose.

Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God,

and all the people, their hands raised high, answered,

“Amen, amen!”

Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the LORD,

their faces to the ground.

As the people remained in their places,

Ezra read plainly from the book of the law of God,

interpreting it so that all could understand what was read.

Then Nehemiah, that is, His Excellency, and Ezra the priest-scribe

and the Levites who were instructing the people

said to all the people:

“Today is holy to the LORD your God.

Do not be sad, and do not weep”–

for all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law.

He said further:  “Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks,

and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared;

for today is holy to our LORD.

Do not be saddened this day,

for rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!”

And the Levites quieted all the people, saying,

“Hush, for today is holy, and you must not be saddened.”

Then all the people went to eat and drink,

to distribute portions, and to celebrate with great joy,

for they understood the words that had been expounded to them.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              19:8, 9, 10, 11

 

R.    (9ab) The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.

 

The law of the LORD is perfect,

    refreshing the soul;

The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,

    giving wisdom to the simple.

R.    The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.

The precepts of the LORD are right,

    rejoicing the heart;

The command of the LORD is clear,

    enlightening the eye;

R.    The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.

The fear of the LORD is pure,

    enduring forever;

The ordinances of the LORD are true,

    all of them just.

R.    The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.

They are more precious than gold,

    than a heap of purest gold;

Sweeter also than syrup

    or honey from the comb.

R.    The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.

 

Alleluia                                                                      Mk 1:15

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The Kingdom of God is at hand;

repent and believe in the Gospel.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel                                                                       Lk 10:1-12

 

Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples

whom he sent ahead of him in pairs

to every town and place he intended to visit.

He said to them,

“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;

so ask the master of the harvest

to send out laborers for his harvest.

Go on your way;

behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.

Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;

and greet no one along the way.

Into whatever house you enter, first say,

‘Peace to this household.’

If a peaceful person lives there,

your peace will rest on him;

but if not, it will return to you.

Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,

for the laborer deserves his payment.

Do not move about from one house to another.

Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,

eat what is set before you,

cure the sick in it and say to them,

‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’

Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you,

go out into the streets and say,

‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet,

even that we shake off against you.’

Yet know this: the Kingdom of God is at hand.

I tell you,

it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town.”

 

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Evangelizing as Lambs of God

Jesus wants us all to be workers in the Lord's harvest. In today's Gospel reading, he's commissioning 72 disciples and sending them forth on evangelization missions. Notice that he's not limiting this important work to just the Top Twelve Disciples. He sent forth a large contingent of followers, and then he went on to say that there weren't enough of them.

 

Today he's still doing this at the end of every Mass. When the priest gives us the final blessing to send us forth, it's not really him doing it -- it's Jesus himself!

 

Is he still saying that there aren't enough of us working this harvest?

 

Our lives -- how we respond to crises, how we treat others, how we rely on faith when there are reasons to doubt, how we deal with suffering, how much we care about the future of our planet and protecting God's creations, and what we do about injustices within and outside our churches -- are the harvesting tools that evangelize.

 

We are all commissioned for this mission by virtue of our baptisms. Our everyday lives either witness or fail to witness about God's true nature.

 

Furthermore, Jesus emphasized that we should evangelize as lambs among wolves. What is a lamb? Remember that in Christian symbolism, Jesus is the Lamb that was slain for our sins, and yes, sometimes we too have to make difficult sacrifices in order to convey God's love. But not all of the time! Jesus was the Lamb of God before he went to the cross. He was the Lamb throughout his ministry, and he is still the Lamb.

 

Being a lamb means being like Jesus in every moment of every day in ordinary ways. The opposite is to be a wolf, one who devours the weak. We become wolves if we attack others for their weak or non-existent faith. We are wolves disguised as lambs if we try to guilt people into going to Mass or force them to obey Church laws or beat the love of God into them by nagging and harping on what is wrong about them.

 

Wolves tear others down. Lambs inspire faith, and faith inspires a personal relationship with Jesus, and this relationship inspires a desire to spread God's love, and this desire inspires the straying sheep to return to Mass and become active in the faith community.

 

Jesus also explained that when we reach out to others, we should evangelize them without carrying our personal baggage into the encounter. The baggage that we might be tempted to bring into a conversation about faith includes feelings of inferiority ("God cannot use me, I can't make a difference") and feelings of superiority ("They're bigger sinners than I am").

 

Before going out into the world, we need to ask: "What do I tend to bring to others that is not Christ-like?" Ask Jesus to help you unload this baggage at the door.

 

Today's Prayer

 

Lord Jesus, You fill me with Your love and send me to share it. Preserve me from every temptation and distraction so that I do not lose this goal. May those who know me learn to believe in You through me. Amen.

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God Bless You.....

Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”