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Today, 27th of September, we celebrate
Saint Vincent of Paul
First Reading: Job 19:21-27
Job said:
Pity me, pity me, O you my friends,
for the hand of God has struck me!
Why do you hound me as though you were divine,
and insatiably prey upon me?
Oh, would that my words were written down!
Would that they were inscribed in a record:
That with an iron chisel and with lead
they were cut in the rock forever!
But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives,
and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust;
Whom I myself shall see:
my own eyes, not another's, shall behold him,
And from my flesh I shall see God;
my inmost being is consumed with longing."
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 27:7-8a, 8b-9abc, 13-14
R./ I believe that I shall see the good things
of the Lord in the land of the living.
Hear, O Lord, the sound of my call;
have pity on me, and answer me.
Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.
R./ I believe that I shall see the good things
of the Lord in the land of the living.
Your presence, O Lord, I seek.
Hide not your face from me;
do not in anger repel your servant.
You are my helper: cast me not off.
R./ I believe that I shall see the good things
of the Lord in the land of the living.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord.
R./ I believe that I shall see the good things
of the Lord in the land of the living.
Gospel Reading: 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."
Saint Francis Borgia
Today we remember Saint Francis Borgia; in the Collect prayer, it says: […] as we celebrate the feast […] teach us to understand that there is nothing in the world comparable to the joy of spending our lives in your service. And the reading from the Gospel of Luke is the account of the mission of the 72.
It may be that parishes, ordinary faithful, and institutes and various Catholic associations sometimes feel overwhelmed by the numerous documents (Vatican, diocesan, parish, etc.) with pastoral plans, strategies for evangelization, programs… We dedicate so much effort to all these “preliminaries” that we have no energy left to put them into practice. The most critical might even say that it would be better to forget about “so much paper” and get to work once and for all.
But let’s not consider these “papers” useless, we need them to a great extent, and the more complex and difficult the social situation, the more so. Jesus, we read in Luke, did not send the seventy-two without more: he provided them with a “guide” with instructions for the case. A guide that provides some clues… First of all, he sends them out two by two, which means that the center of the proclamation is Christ himself, not the leadership ability, eloquence, or persuasion of the one who proclaims. And that it is Christ who moves the community, the incipient Church: the two represent it.
You have to travel light, lest we carry so many things, material or otherwise, that hinder and delay the journey.
A surprising warning that even seems a bit rude: do not greet anyone along the way. But in that historical, geographical, and cultural context, it has an explanation. The greeting did not consist merely of a “good morning” but in a prolonged stop of up to several days.
Stay where you are received and adapt to what is there. That is, accept and embrace their culture, their customs, their unwritten rules… even if the faith in Jesus Christ that you preach leads them to change in certain aspects…
Wherever you are received, heal the sick. That is, the proclamation of salvation must be accompanied by kindness and dedication. If we say that God has given us the mandate to love, we must be consistent.
And be firm and tenacious in the proclamation. If they reject you, perhaps because of the suspicion that you want to take advantage of them, show that you are not going to take even the dust clinging to your feet and make clear the proclamation of the Kingdom that has come for all in Jesus Christ.
Virginia Fernández
St. Francis of Assisi, Memorial
Introduction
We speak much today of poverty and or returning to the true values of the Gospel. What St. Francis of Assisi (1181?82–1226) undertook in the 13th century might very well inspire our times. Today's society threatens to destroy itself in many parts of the world by its own philosophy and prosperity; even in developing countries, artificial needs are forced on people, to the loss of the deeper values of God and people. What we need is not only talk about poverty and evangelical living, but responsible Christian living according to the values of the Gospel.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
it is a pleasure for us to celebrate today
your gentle and loveable saint,
Francis of Assisi.
Let us go through life like him
one with you, one with nature,
one with all that is good and kind-hearted.
Make us humble and peaceful like him.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
Prayer over the Gifts
Our mighty God,
you are partial to the poor.
From your own gifts,
we bring before you bread and wine.
Make us as genuine and simple
as these offerings,
that we may understand readily
the simple story of your forgiveness and love,
which you tell us through your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord of heaven and earth,
we thank you in the poverty of our hearts,
that you have let us eat from Jesus' table
notwithstanding our inadequate faith
and our lukewarm love.
Keep accepting us in our weakness as we are,
help us to be and to do better
and to render wholehearted service
to our brothers and sisters in need.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
