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Today, 27th of September, we celebrate
Saint Vincent of Paul
1 Corinthians 15:12-20
Brothers and sisters:
If Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then neither has Christ been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then empty too is our preaching; empty, too, your faith. Then we are also false witnesses to God, because we testified against God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of all. But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Psalms 17: 1BCD, 6-7, 8B AND 15
R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
Hear, O LORD, a just suit;
attend to my outcry;
hearken to my prayer from lips without deceit.
R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my word.
Show your wondrous mercies,
O savior of those who flee
from their foes to refuge at your right hand.
R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
Hide me in the shadow of your wings,
But I in justice shall behold your face;
on waking, I shall be content in your presence.
R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
Gospel Reading: Lk 8:1-3
Jesus walked through towns and countryside, preaching and giving the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve followed him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and diseases: Mary called Magdalene, who had been freed of seven demons; Joanna, wife of Chuza, Herod's steward; Suzanna and others who provided for them out of their own funds.
Dear friends,
Today, Luke presents us with a passage unique to his Gospel. It summarizes Jesus’ activity, where He traveled through towns and villages in Galilee, preaching the Gospel alongside the Twelve and “some women,” some healed and others who supported Him with their resources. We know the marginal role that Jewish (and Greek and Roman) society of Jesus’ time assigned to women. For Jesus, it was different. He dignified women, accepted them as His disciples, and allowed them to accompany Him on His journey. He granted them an important role in evangelization, as St. Paul would later do.
Jesus established a new way of treating women (to the scandal of His contemporaries), but not only that. His community of disciples, both men and women, who followed Him represented the Kingdom of God, where men and women, married and single, healthy and sick, rich and poor, were reconciled. In the community around Jesus, there was inclusion and diversity, and women played a unique role in His mission. Everyone is called to actively participate in evangelization, regardless of gender, past, or condition.
Women were by Jesus’ side from the beginning and witnessed the most important events of His life. They did not abandon Him even in the most difficult moments. They followed Jesus without making noise, but with eternal fidelity. St. John Paul II wrote: “The Church gives thanks to God for all women and for each one… The Church expresses her gratitude for all the manifestations of the feminine ‘genius’ that have appeared throughout history… she gives thanks for all the charisms bestowed on women… for all the victories due to their faith, hope, and charity; she expresses her gratitude for all the fruits of feminine holiness” (Mulieris Dignitatem, n. 31).
Accompanying Jesus means accepting His Word every day as a valid criterion for our lives, seeing in Him the authority to which we submit. Accompanying Jesus asks us to change and not close ourselves off, but to surrender to Him and live in service to truth and love, as He did. The disciple is the one called and chosen by Jesus to bear witness to Him. And as Paul says, “I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me.” The disciple represents Christ.
Your brother in faith,
José Luis Latorre, Claretian MissionaryIndeed, Christ is alive. He is risen. And if he is risen, we too will rise. The two go together. Without the resurrection of Christ and ours, we believe in vain.
Gospel. Luke is the evangelist who describes the contribution of women in the apostolate of Jesus. Christ has liberated them from the alienation of Jewish society. They accompanied Jesus since the beginning of his ministry and had a status not far remote from that of the Twelve; after the resurrection, they were the first to proclaim that Christ was risen. Together with the Twelve, they are companions of Jesus as he goes from town to town to bring the Good News. Companions are people who share the same table.
Lord our God,
men and women are responsible together
for the life of faith of our Christian communities.
As they were disciples of Jesus
and his companions on the road,
may they also accompany us today,
with their identity and potentials,
that the Church may grow
and its faith be alive and imbued with love.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.
– That the contribution of women to the building up of the community of the Church may be appreciated more, and as well as that of men, we pray:
– That women in the Church may continue to enrich us with the warmth of their gentleness, we pray:
– That women in the Church may inspire us by their sense of welcome, faith and fidelity, we pray:
Lord our God,
let us be companions of your Son
who share his table,
and become with him
one in mind and heart.
Let fathers and mothers in our families
make their gifts of mind and heart available
and nourish their children
with the food of faith
and the warmth of love and compassion.
Let them make their children
close to Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Lord our God,
we have been companions of your Son
as we have eaten from his table.
Make us also his companions
on the journey of life,
that we may we bring to the people we encounter
the Good News of forgiveness and life
that make our communities
signs of the kingdom of God.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
The women who accompanied Jesus “served him,” says the Gospel. Jesus was among us as the one who serves, and we, men and women, serve with him. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
