The Daily Mass Readings of the Catholic Church Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi 1st Reading 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 PS 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 saviour, 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. 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.” Reflection: Whoever listens to you listens to me… and… the one who sent me. Whatever we do has a lateral effect. The boss berates his employee. The disgusted employee goes home and scolds his wife. The wife gets angry with the kids. The kids fight with one another. This irritates the father who returns to the office angry at his boss. A positive action causes a similar chain reaction. For every action, our science teacher used to tell us, is a corresponding reaction. So it is with God’s grace. It is passed on to us and we pass it on. It should not stop with us. If something negative is thrown at us, we should pass on positive vibes to break the cycle and receive grace in return. Pass on a good story/joke/ act to everyone you meet this weekend. GOD BLESS YOU.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Oct 2013 02:58:10 +0000