November 4
Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo, Bishop
Give a Mass Offering
Mass Intention
7:45 AM – David & Pat Bean / Family
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 14:7-12
Brothers and sisters: None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For this is why Christ died and came to life, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. Why then do you judge your brother or sister? Or you, why do you look down on your brother or sister? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written:
As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bend before me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.
So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 27:1bcde, 4, 13-14
R. ( 13) I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
Gospel Acclamation
Matthew 11:28
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Luke 15:1-10
The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So Jesus addressed this parable to them. “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.
“Or what woman having ten coins and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it? And when she does find it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’ In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
“I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.”
Reflection
There is something that happens to me every so often; I misplace my wallet. For about 10 to 15 minutes, I frantically search my house thinking that I will have to cancel my credit cards, replace whatever cash I have in there and send for a new driver’s license. After a while, I usually find it (or my wife does) and I can calm down a little. When it is over, I always marvel at how much I panic when these things happen. It is just a plain fact; losing things is always a stressful event. We see in our gospel today that I am not the only person who can lose something and search for it in a panic.
The woman who loses one of her ten coins kind of reminds me of me. Except for one thing, I don’t tend to hold a party when I find my wallet, but it might be something to think about in the event of future wallet losings.
But the lost coins, sheep or wallet are only symbols of what is the most important thing that God can have in His possession; us. He wants all of us to be part of His Kingdom, and when one of us falls away from faith, he can be as panic stricken as any of us. This is something we really need to keep uppermost in our mind. We are important to God, and He will search high and low for us in order to get us back into the fold. That is the love of God. That is why He came to earth as the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.
Keep the faith,
Deacon Dare
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