Parable Of The Good Samaritan

OCTOBER 03, 2022, MONDAY

Monday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time (Green)

CYCLE C - YEAR II

Lectionary: 461

Reading 1

GAL 1:6-12

Brothers and sisters:

I am amazed that you are so quickly forsaking

the one who called you by the grace of Christ

for a different gospel (not that there is another).

But there are some who are disturbing you

and wish to pervert the Gospel of Christ.

But even if we or an angel from heaven

should preach to you a gospel 

other than the one that we preached to you,

let that one be accursed!

As we have said before, and now I say again,

if anyone preaches to you a gospel

other than the one that you received,

let that one be accursed!

Am I now currying favor with human beings or God?

Or am I seeking to please people?

If I were still trying to please people,

I would not be a slave of Christ.

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters,

that the Gospel preached by me is not of human origin.

For I did not receive it from a human being, nor was I taught it,

but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 111:1B-2, 7-8, 9 AND 10C

R. (5) The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.

or:    

R. Alleluia.

I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart

in the company and assembly of the just.

Great are the works of the LORD,

exquisite in all their delights.

R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.

or:    

R. Alleluia.

The works of his hands are faithful and just;

sure are all his precepts,

Reliable forever and ever,

wrought in truth and equity.

R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.

or:    

R. Alleluia.

He has sent deliverance to his people;

he has ratified his covenant forever;

holy and awesome is his name.

His praise endures forever.

R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.

or:    

R. Alleluia.

 

 

Alleluia

JN 13:34

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

I give you a new commandment:

love one another as I have loved you.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

LK 10:25-37

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said,

“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law?

How do you read it?”

He said in reply,

“You shall love the Lord, your God,

with all your heart,

with all your being,

with all your strength,

and with all your mind,

and your neighbor as yourself.”

He replied to him, “You have answered correctly;

do this and you will live.”

But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, 

“And who is my neighbor?”

Jesus replied, 

“A man fell victim to robbers

as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.

They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.

A priest happened to be going down that road,

but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.

Likewise a Levite came to the place,

and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.

But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him

was moved with compassion at the sight.

He approached the victim,

poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.

Then he lifted him up on his own animal,

took him to an inn, and cared for him.

The next day he took out two silver coins

and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,

‘Take care of him.

If you spend more than what I have given you,

I shall repay you on my way back.’

Which of these three, in your opinion,

was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”

He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.”

Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

The religious officials in the story - the priest and the Levite - fail the test (probably the fear of ritual impurity prevents them from responding as neighbors to the stricken man). Meanwhile, the Samaritan, an ethnic and religious outsider, is the hero.

This parable challenges my deep-seated presumptions and prejudices. The Samaritan showed himself to be Christ-like . He is moved with pity and shows mercy. How Christ-like am I in my thoughts and attitudes, words and deeds?

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, you remind me here that I often seek to justify my own selfishness. But the knowledge of the lawyer is not what you seek. It is my heart that you seek, and the acts of love and mercy that should flow freely out of my heart. Forgive me, and let your flame of love and mercy flare up afresh in my heart and consume my selfish tendencies. I pray this as your disciple. AMEN.

We Are Unprofitable Servants (27TH SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME - C)

OCTOBER 02, 2022, SUNDAY

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)

CYCLE C - YEAR II

Lectionary: 141

Reading 1

Hab 1:2-3; 2:2-4

How long, O LORD?  I cry for help

 but you do not listen!

 I cry out to you, "Violence!"

 but you do not intervene.

 Why do you let me see ruin;

 why must I look at misery?

 Destruction and violence are before me;

 there is strife, and clamorous discord.

 Then the LORD answered me and said:

 Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets,

 so that one can read it readily.

 For the vision still has its time,

 presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint;

 if it delays, wait for it,

 it will surely come, it will not be late.

 The rash one has no integrity;

 but the just one, because of his faith, shall live.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

R. (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;

 let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

 let us joyfully sing psalms to him.

R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Come, let us bow down in worship;

 let us kneel before the LORD who made us.

For he is our God,

 and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.

R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Oh, that today you would hear his voice:

 "Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,

 as in the day of Massah in the desert,

Where your fathers tempted me;

 they tested me though they had seen my works."

R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Reading 2

2 Tm 1:6-8, 13-14

Beloved:

I remind you, to stir into flame

the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.

For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice

but rather of power and love and self-control.

So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,

nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;

but bear your share of hardship for the gospel

with the strength that comes from God.

Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me,

in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit

that dwells within us.

Alleluia

1 Pt 1:25

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The word of the Lord remains forever.

This is the word that has been proclaimed to you.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Lk 17:5-10

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."

The Lord replied,

"If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,

you would say to this mulberry tree,

'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.

"Who among you would say to your servant

who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field,

'Come here immediately and take your place at table'?

Would he not rather say to him,

'Prepare something for me to eat.

Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.

You may eat and drink when I am finished'?

Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?

So should it be with you.

When you have done all you have been commanded,

say, 'We are unprofitable servants;

we have done what we were obliged to do.'"

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

Jesus draws attention to the greatness hidden in something tiny. We too are tiny, but God empowers those who truly follow him to do great things. God can work through us, beyond all our hopes and dreams, when we do not get in the way.

I join the apostles and pray insistently, 'Increase my faith'. I listen with the same openness and wonder to Jesus' encouraging reply as I look at the quality of my faith: it's enough for my faith to be as small as a mustard seed!

PRAYER: 

Lord, you fill me with your unlimited love, and you invite me to share that love with a needy world. Let it be my joy to do that. That is my greatness, to serve in love. And the opportunities are endless.

Blessed Are The Eye's That See What You See (FEAST OF SAINT THERESE OF THE CHILD JESUS - C)

OCTOBER 01, 2022, SATURDAY

MEMORIAL OF SAINT THERESE OF THE CHILD JESUS, VIRGIN AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH (White)

CYCLE C - YEAR II

Lectionary: 460

Reading 1

JB 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17

Job answered the LORD and said:

I know that you can do all things,

and that no purpose of yours can be hindered.

I have dealt with great things that I do not understand;

things too wonderful for me, which I cannot know.

I had heard of you by word of mouth,

but now my eye has seen you.

Therefore I disown what I have said,

and repent in dust and ashes.

Thus the LORD blessed the latter days of Job

more than his earlier ones.

For he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels,

a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she-asses.

And he had seven sons and three daughters,

of whom he called the first Jemimah,

the second Keziah, and the third Kerenhappuch.

In all the land no other women were as beautiful

as the daughters of Job;

and their father gave them an inheritance

along with their brothers.

After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years;

and he saw his children, his grandchildren,

and even his great-grandchildren.

Then Job died, old and full of years.

 

Responsorial Psalm

PS 119:66, 71, 75, 91, 125, 130

R. (135) Lord, let your face shine on me.

Teach me wisdom and knowledge,

for in your commands I trust.

R. Lord, let your face shine on me.

It is good for me that I have been afflicted,

that I may learn your statutes.

R. Lord, let your face shine on me.

I know, O LORD, that your ordinances are just,

and in your faithfulness you have afflicted me.

R. Lord, let your face shine on me.

According to your ordinances they still stand firm:

all things serve you.

R. Lord, let your face shine on me.

I am your servant; give me discernment

that I may know your decrees.

R. Lord, let your face shine on me.

The revelation of your words sheds light,

giving understanding to the simple.

R. Lord, let your face shine on me.

 

 

Alleluia

See MT 11:25

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,

you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

LK 10:17-24

The seventy-two disciples returned rejoicing and said to Jesus,

“Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.”

Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.

Behold, I have given you the power

‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions

and upon the full force of the enemy

and nothing will harm you.

Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you,

but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.

”At that very moment he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,

“I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,

for although you have hidden these things

from the wise and the learned

you have revealed them to the childlike.

Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.

All things have been handed over to me by my Father.

No one knows who the Son is except the Father,

and who the Father is except the Son

and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”

Turning to the disciples in private he said,

“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.

For I say to you,

many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,

but did not see it,

and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

Like the Apostles, sometimes I am dazzled by the power that seems linked to my faith, whether through the position I hold or because of the strength of my beliefs. I may let myself be overly impressed by the power wielded by religious figures, by their popularity. Jesus warns us to be careful, and make sure our priorities and motivations are the right ones.

PRAYER:

Jesus, I am not particularly wise or smart! I am like a child before you. But I hand myself over to you. Remain with me always, especially in my times of doubt. Increase my insight to the needs of others and keep me tuned in your word.