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Today, 27th of September, we celebrate
Saint Vincent of Paul
First Reading: Job 38:1, 12-21; 40:3-5
The Lord addressed Job out of the storm and said:
Have you ever in your lifetime commanded the morning
and shown the dawn its place
For taking hold of the ends of the earth,
till the wicked are shaken from its surface?
The earth is changed as is clay by the seal,
and dyed as though it were a garment;
But from the wicked the light is withheld,
and the arm of pride is shattered.
Have you entered into the sources of the sea,
or walked about in the depths of the abyss?
Have the gates of death been shown to you,
or have you seen the gates of darkness?
Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth?
Tell me, if you know all:
Which is the way to the dwelling place of light,
and where is the abode of darkness,
That you may take them to their boundaries
and set them on their homeward paths?
You know, because you were born before them,
and the number of your years is great!
Then Job answered the Lord and said:
Behold, I am of little account; what can I answer you?
I put my hand over my mouth.
Though I have spoken once, I will not do so again;
though twice, I will do so no more.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 139:1-3, 7-8, 9-10, 13-14ab
R./ Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
O Lord, you have probed me and you know me;
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,
with all my ways you are familiar.
R./ Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Where can I go from your spirit?
From your presence where can I flee?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I sink to the nether world, you are present there.
R./ Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
If I take the wings of the dawn,
if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
Even there your hand shall guide me,
and your right hand hold me fast.
R./ Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Truly you have formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother's womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works.
R./ Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Gospel Reading: Lk 10:13-16
Jesus said, "Alas for you Chorazin! Alas for you Bethsaida! So many miracles have been worked in you! If the same miracles had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would already be sitting in ashes and wearing the sackcloth of repentance. Surely for Tyre and Sidon it will be better than for you on the Judgment Day. And what of you, city of Capernaum? Will you be lifted up to heaven? You will be thrown down to the place of the dead.
"Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me; and he who rejects me, rejects the one who sent me."
St. Francis of Assisi
It’s so lovely that today’s readings seem especially linked to the one from Assisi! Let’s turn to Galatians: “I bear in my body the marks of Jesus” – isn’t that a beautiful thought? It’s also in the responsorial psalm: “There is no good for me apart from you.” And in the Gospel: “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to the little ones”.
He has always been loved and admired by the Church. I think it’s so lovely that the popularity of the saint of Assisi has been increasing in our time! He’s not just the patron saint of Italy, but also the patron saint of ecology! Pope John Paul II made that official. His Canticle of the Creatures shows us a beautiful harmony between heaven and earth, between life and death, between the universe and God.
His story is really well known and has been told lots of times, even in movies! Of all the books I’ve read, I find the writing of G. K. Chesterton absolutely fascinating. I’d love to share a few of my favourite bits from his original and profound biography of St. Francis of Assisi with you.
The saints live in eternity and in time, and they take part in God and in history. But the timelessness of St. Francis is more obvious because his language, which is all about love and the heart, reaches the very depths of the human soul. Holiness is all about being full of love. When you’re in union with love, you find your place to live. We believe that Francis found the closest dwelling to love. “There’s no contradiction between the poet who gathers flowers in the sun and endures a freezing vigil in the snow, between one who praises every earthly and bodily beauty and refuses to take a morsel. He was a complex man, that’s for sure!” He loved and reverenced ordinary men and everyday things. In fact, we could even say that he sent uncommon and extraordinary men into the world, not to be different, but to encourage everyone to be kind and good, and to embrace their ordinary, everyday lives. “The difference between Christ and St. Francis is like that between the Creator and the creature. St. Francis was certainly the most aware creature that has ever existed of this colossal contrast! But, if we accept this, it’s really important to say that Christ was the perfect example that Francis wanted to copy. […] And, above all, when we compare Francis with us, we can see that he was at least a very good representation of his Master. He was like a bridge between us and Christ, showing us what it looks like to live as Christ would have us live.
Let’s ask for the grace to want to imitate Jesus Christ with the same fervour and joy that Francis did, while being ordinary human beings.
Virginia FernándezOpening Prayer
Lord our God, merciful Father,
it is easy for us to condemn wars, civil strife,
corruption, exploitation, slavery of any kind.
But we ask you, Lord God, though very timidly,
to open our eyes to the evil in us.
Make us see, Lord, that we are doing
on a small scale, in our own little worlds,
the evil for which we blame the big world.
Make us see that we too are sinners in need of forgiveness
brought us by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading Introduction
Now that he has heard God explain to him that his righteousness does not entitle him to special treatment, Job humbly says that he entrusts himself to God.
Gospel Introduction
Modern means of communications have brought the world more closely together and shown us more clearly too the presence of sin and evil in the world; more than half of the world is hungry and exploited, the world economy has gone out of hand notwithstanding dole-outs for development aid and whole nations are not free from inside or from outside. And in our own little worlds there is repeated selfishness, pride at the expense of others, suspicion... While condemning the sins of society, let us not lose our personal sense of sin in the process; let us not forget our solidarity of sin and at the same time live better our solidarity with love and life on account of Christ. Sin is a rejection of Christ and his message.
General Intercessions
- That the world of today may not lose its sense of sin and "legalize" things that are wrong, we pray:
- That all those hardened in sin may be touched by the Spirit of the Lord to repent and change their ways, we pray:
- That the many who bear a heavy burden of sin and guilt and those who suffer from the sins of others may keep trusting in God's liberating and forgiving goodness, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God, merciful Father,
in these signs of bread and wine
your Son comes among us with his cross
to put an end to all pride of sin
and to be the starting point of our new existence.
In him you showed us the new person.
Give us his strength to repent and to be converted,
to rise above our petty selfishness
and like him, to love and serve
without counting the cost.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God, merciful Father,
you respect and educate our freedom.
You do not give us guarantees against failure
but you call us to choose and decide.
God, forgive us and help us
when in our clumsy, awkward efforts
to see your Son's freedom become real and alive,
we take risks and make mistakes.
We want to remain faithful to you
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
We regret it, and in our best moments we don't really want it, but sin always returns. May God have mercy on us and help us. May God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
