October 23
Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
First Reading
Ephesians 4:1-6
Brothers and sisters:
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the spirit
through the bond of peace;
one Body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your call;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.
Responsorial Psalm
**Psalms 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
R. (see 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it. For he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD? or who may stand in his holy place? He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD, a reward from God his savior. Such is the race that seeks for him, that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Alleluia
See Mt 11:25
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
LK 12:54-59
Jesus said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west you say immediately that it is going to rain–and so it does; and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south you say that it is going to be hot–and so it is. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
“Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate, make an effort to settle the matter on the way; otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the constable, and the constable throw you into prison. I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”
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.
“Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.”
Readings & Reflection
St Paul reminds us that we are to live in a manner worthy to our call. What does this mean? He continues by saying that we are to live with humility, gentleness, and patience. What do these three attributes mean to you? These three attributes should allow us to look at our lives and recall if there is any times we have needed to work on them. When we look at humility, is there any times that we have been prideful? It is a good feeling to feel a sense of pride, but it should not become sinful. We are called to be gentle in our reactions towards others as well as in our faith. Maybe we are helping someone who is not as well versed in the faith. Maybe we are trying to explain something to someone. When we do these things, are we being gentle in our thoughts and actions? Lastly, this is the one many of us at times need to work on, myself included. How often do we get ahead of ourselves to the point where we say something before we think? I know I have, and I often regret it. All three of these attributes allow us to reflect on how we have been acting and remind us to think through something before we say it or act upon a feeling. Take some time today and reflect on these attributes St Paul speaks about to the Ephesians and discern how you can better implement these in your lives.
Fr Matt Rawson
Would you like to receive Readings & Reflections, and a link to join us for Mass? Subscribe to The Daily Bread newsletter.