October 16
Saturday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Give a Mass Offering
Mass Intention
9:00 AM – Gina Palladino / Patricia Perry (Living Intention)
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
Romans 4:13, 16-18
Brothers and sisters: It was not through the law that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants that he would inherit the world, but through the righteousness that comes from faith. For this reason, it depends on faith, so that it may be a gift, and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants, not to those who only adhere to the law but to those who follow the faith of Abraham, who is the father of all of us, as it is written, I have made you father of many nations. He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not exist. He believed, hoping against hope, that he would become the father of many nations, according to what was said, Thus shall your descendants be.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 105:6-7, 8-9, 42-43
R. (8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations –
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
For he remembered his holy word
to his servant Abraham.
And he led forth his people with joy;
with shouts of joy, his chosen ones.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
Gospel Acclamation
John 15:26b, 27a
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of truth will testify to me, says the Lord,
and you also will testify.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Luke 12:8-12
Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.
“Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.”
“The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.”
Reflection
If you can search the scriptures for days and days, you would still not find a man who was as faithful as Abraham was. Here he was, a very old man, and he believed that God would give him a son. I don’t know about you, but as I grow older, my capabilities seem to be diminishing. Some days, the greatest accomplishment of my day is simply being able to put on my socks. If someone told me that I would be a father to a great nation, I would abruptly turn around and go for a nap. But Abraham had great faith and sure enough, the promises of God were brought to fruition in him.
This theme of faith is continued in the Gospel as Jesus tells his disciples that everyone who shares his or her faith is going to be accepted into the kingdom of heaven. It takes faith to tell people that we are followers of the Lord. People might think of us as some type of “holy roller” or even a hypocrite when we share our faith with them. We live in a world of judgement and rejection of Christian values. Jesus even points to a time where we could be brought before rulers and authorities for our beliefs. We must bravely continue to share our faith.
God tells us that those who are faithful to the end will be the greatest in heaven. If we can continue to show our love for God and our neighbor, we will be children of the living God. If we need help in doing this, Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will be there to support us. What more could we ask for?
Keep the faith,
Deacon Dare
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