Mass during the Day Greeting (See the First Reading of the Vigil) Do not be afraid to speak, says the Lord, for I am with you to protect you. I am putting my words into your mouth. Say whatever I command you. May the Lord speak through us and always be with you. R/
Year II. Hezekiah and Jeremiah chose to trust in God despite all odds. Gospel. The moralising theme of the two ways, familiar to Jewish thought and also to Christian thinking from the early Church to the present – for example, Ignatian spirituality – underlies the readings today. Jesus says there is an easy, spacious road
Year II. The Northern kingdom of Israel is punished for deserting God through the destruction of the country and the exile of its people. Gospel. For people who walk side-by-side with the Lord, there is no room for superiority complexes that look down on the people around us to condemn them. We have all the
Greeting (See Second Reading) It is certain that the grace of God came to us through one man, Jesus Christ, and it came to us as a free gift. May Jesus pour out his grace on you and may he always be with you. R/ And also with you. Introduction by the Celebrant No Room
Year II. It is dangerous to be a prophet who dares to speak out, particularly against the mighty. It cost the prophet Zechariah his life. Gospel. Too often, we worry much more than we should and about things that, after all, don’t matter much. Are not our fears and worries mostly about things and events
Year II. The reading from Kings narrates the punishment that befalls the family of Ahab and how the royal house of David is restored, along with the religion of the God of Israel. Gospel: What are the things that preoccupy us, that are constantly on our minds? The answer to this question will indicate what
Year II. The reading from Sirach is a hymn of praise in honour of the fiery prophet Elijah. Gospel. In the words of Jesus, Matthew gives us today a catechesis on prayer. The reason and basis of our prayer should not only be merely that we need something and we should not think that our
Year II: What a bold question of the prophet Elisha to ask that he be given a double share of the prophetic spirit that was in the prophet Elijah! May the Lord give us the Holy Spirit to a great measure. Opening Prayer Lord our God, You let your Holy Spirit fill us spontaneously with
Year II: It is the ungrateful and risky task of the prophet to speak out against injustice, even when committed by the mighty of this earth. Gospel: Jesus concludes part of his Sermon on the Mount with the words “Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.” A goal not easy to attain! Our
Year II: It is the continuous temptation of people to get what we want, if necessary by unjust means and by exploiting others, like Ahab expropriating the vineyard of Naboth. Gospel: Jesus tells us not to repay the unjust with revenge. “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” is not Christian.
