October 6
Tuesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
First Reading
GAL 1:13-24
Brothers and sisters: You heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I persecuted the Church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it, and progressed in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my race, since I was even more a zealot for my ancestral traditions. But when he, who from my mother’s womb had set me apart and called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him to the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were Apostles before me; rather, I went into Arabia and then returned to Damascus.
Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas and remained with him for fifteen days. But I did not see any other of the Apostles, only James the brother of the Lord. (As to what I am writing to you, behold, before God, I am not lying.) Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. And I was unknown personally to the churches of Judea that are in Christ; they only kept hearing that “the one who once was persecuting us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” So they glorified God because of me.
Responsorial Psalm
PS 139:1B-3, 13-14AB, 14C-15
R. (24b) 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.
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.
My soul also you knew full well; nor was my frame unknown to you When I was made in secret, when I was fashioned in the depths of the earth.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Gospel
LK 10:38-42
Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”
Give a Mass Offering
Prayer for Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
“Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.”
Readings & Reflection
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To say there is much anxiety in our world today would be an understatement. Among the constant worry about coronavirus, as well as other tensions like politics, or family and personal problems, we can be plagued with a perpetual state of anxiety. Jesus’s response to Martha and Mary in the gospel today reminds us that our anxieties can steal our focus and our peace. His response to Martha is simply, “…you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing.”
We can all get trapped by the countless reasons to be anxious and eventually let them run our life. We get worried about things that are out of our control and try to control them. Knowing that things are out of our control is the first step in allowing God to be the one in control. Placing our trust in Him to see them through is the final step. How often do we see God in control? Do we ever interfere with His plan or will? Let’s face it, we desire things to go our way and in our time. But we know very well that God transcends our time and will grant us things in His time. Let’s try our best not to get caught in the anxieties that steal our focus and peace and center ourselves on the task at hand remembering God’s boundless grace in our lives.
Fr Matt Rawson
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