September 22
Wednesday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Give a Mass Offering
Mass Intention
7:45 AM – Theresa DeSantis / Kathy Kotz
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 9:5-9
At the time of the evening sacrifice, I, Ezra, rose in my wretchedness, and with cloak and mantle torn I fell on my knees, stretching out my hands to the LORD, my God.
I said: “My God, I am too ashamed and confounded to raise my face to you, O my God, for our wicked deeds are heaped up above our heads and our guilt reaches up to heaven. From the time of our fathers even to this day great has been our guilt, and for our wicked deeds we have been delivered up, we and our kings and our priests, to the will of the kings of foreign lands, to the sword, to captivity, to pillage, and to disgrace, as is the case today.
“And now, but a short time ago, mercy came to us from the LORD, our God, who left us a remnant and gave us a stake in his holy place; thus our God has brightened our eyes and given us relief in our servitude. For slaves we are, but in our servitude our God has not abandoned us; rather, he has turned the good will of the kings of Persia toward us. Thus he has given us new life to raise again the house of our God and restore its ruins, and has granted us a fence in Judah and Jerusalem.”
Responsorial Psalm
Tobit 13:2, 3-4a, 4befghn, 7-8
R. (1b) Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
He scourges and then has mercy;
he casts down to the depths of the nether world,
and he brings up from the great abyss.
No one can escape his hand.
R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
Praise him, you children of Israel, before the Gentiles,
for though he has scattered you among them,
he has shown you his greatness even there.
R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
So now consider what he has done for you,
and praise him with full voice.
Bless the Lord of righteousness,
and exalt the King of ages.
R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
In the land of my exile I praise him
and show his power and majesty to a sinful nation.
R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
Bless the Lord, all you his chosen ones,
and may all of you praise his majesty.
Celebrate days of gladness, and give him praise.
R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
Gospel Acclamation
Mark 1:15
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand;
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Luke 9:1-6
Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there. And as for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.” Then they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere.
“Blessed be God, who lives for ever.”
Reflection
Sometimes we look forward to going on a trip or journey of some sort with great anticipation. We pack our clothes, we arrange our transportation, and when we are ready to depart, we feel a sense of anticipation and excitement. In our readings today, there are two such journeys being prepared for. These journeys were not for pleasure; they were for the building up of the kingdom of God.
In the reading from Ezra, there is a departure from the exile that the Israelites have experienced for generations back to their homeland of Jerusalem. Ezra speaks about how his people have endured shame and wretchedness as slaves of the Babylonians and looks forward to a new life rebuilding the temple and restoring his people to closeness with their God. With the rebuilding of the temple, the separation that was brought on by the arrogance of the Israelite kings will be over for the people of God.
The gospel tells us about the preparations that Jesus made in order to send out his disciples to preach the kingdom of God and to cure diseases. He gives them very specific directions as to what they will be doing and how they will be responding to the acceptance or rejection they experience. This same sense of acceptance or rejection comes to us this day. Are our hearts open to the message that Jesus offers, or are they closed? We know that the disciples were to stay with the people who accepted them and to shake the dust from their feet in testimony against those who reject them. Christ will either live in our hearts or leave us in protest. Which do we want to be?
Keep the faith,
Deacon Dare
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