September 20
Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, Priest, and Paul Chŏng Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs
Give a Mass Offering
Mass Intention
7:45 AM – Margaret Celano / Pat & Elaine Ryan
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.
Readings
First Reading
Ezra 1:1-6 In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord inspired King Cyrus of Persia to issue this proclamation throughout his kingdom, both by word of mouth and in writing: “Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia: ‘All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord, the God of heaven, has given to me, and he has also charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Therefore, whoever among you belongs to any part of his people, let him go up, and may his God be with him! Let everyone who has survived, in whatever place he may have dwelt, be assisted by the people of that place with silver, gold, goods, and cattle, together with free-will offerings for the house of God in Jerusalem.’”
Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and Levites– everyone, that is, whom God had inspired to do so– prepared to go up to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. All their neighbors gave them help in every way, with silver, gold, goods, and cattle, and with many precious gifts besides all their free-will offerings.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 126:1b-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6
R. (3) The Lord has done marvels for us.
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Gospel Acclamation
Matthew 5:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let your light shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Luke 8:16-18
Jesus said to the crowd: “No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care, then, how you hear. To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away.”
“The Lord has done marvels for us.”
Reflection
Today’s readings show us a powerful lesson about how we can be moved by God’s plan for our lives. Here is Cyrus, one of the greatest kings in the history of mankind and what does he do upon first assuming the throne of Persia? He frees the Jewish expatriates who have spent generations under the rule of the corrupt Babylonian kings. Not only does he free them, but he provides them with the resources to go back to their home country and rebuild the temple that was destroyed by the Babylonians almost a century before. Talk about letting your light shine before men!
Letting your light shine is the theme of Jesus’ message this morning as well. Jesus tells us that it is not a good thing to light a lamp and conceal it. What people do with lights is to put it as high as we can so that everyone can see it and be guided through the darkness. This concept can be an important one across many different activities and thoughts. Light helps us in so many different ways. We are guided at night through dark streets to arrive safely at our destinations. Jesus tells us that in the end, God will bring to light all of the deeds of men. We should think about that when we make decisions about what we will do today. What kind of deeds do we want people to find out that we did in our lives?
Stay strong,
Deacon Dare
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