Friday of the Twenty-sixth week in Ordinary Time
Friday, 04 October 2013
St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) - Memorial
http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/st-francis-of-assisi-90.php
Baruch 1:15-22.
During the Babylonian captivity, the exiles prayed: “Justice is with the Lord, our God; and we today are flushed with shame, we men of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem,
that we, with our kings and rulers and priests and prophets, and with our fathers,
have sinned in the LORD'S sight
and disobeyed him. We have neither heeded the voice of the LORD, our God, nor followed the precepts which the LORD set before us.
From the time the LORD led our fathers out of the land of Egypt until the present day, we have been disobedient to the LORD, our God, and only too ready to disregard his voice.
And the evils and the curse which the LORD enjoined upon Moses, his servant, at the time he led our fathers forth from the land of Egypt to give us the land flowing with milk and honey, cling to us even today.
For we did not heed the voice of the LORD, our God, in all the words of the prophets whom he sent us,
but each one of us went off after the devices of our own wicked hearts, served other gods, and did evil in the sight of the LORD, our God.
that we, with our kings and rulers and priests and prophets, and with our fathers,
have sinned in the LORD'S sight
and disobeyed him. We have neither heeded the voice of the LORD, our God, nor followed the precepts which the LORD set before us.
From the time the LORD led our fathers out of the land of Egypt until the present day, we have been disobedient to the LORD, our God, and only too ready to disregard his voice.
And the evils and the curse which the LORD enjoined upon Moses, his servant, at the time he led our fathers forth from the land of Egypt to give us the land flowing with milk and honey, cling to us even today.
For we did not heed the voice of the LORD, our God, in all the words of the prophets whom he sent us,
but each one of us went off after the devices of our own wicked hearts, served other gods, and did evil in the sight of the LORD, our God.
Ps 79(78):1-2.3-5.8.9.
O God, the nations have come into your inheritance;
They have defiled your holy temple,
They have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
They have given the corpses of your servants
As food to the birds of heaven,
The flesh of your faithful ones to the beasts of the earth.
They have poured out their blood like water
Round about Jerusalem,
And there is no one to bury them.
We have become the reproach of our neighbors,
The scorn and derision of those around us.
O LORD, how long? Will you be angry forever?
Will your jealousy burn like fire?
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
May your compassion quickly come to us,
For we are brought very low.
Help us, O God our savior,
Because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
For your name's sake.
They have defiled your holy temple,
They have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
They have given the corpses of your servants
As food to the birds of heaven,
The flesh of your faithful ones to the beasts of the earth.
They have poured out their blood like water
Round about Jerusalem,
And there is no one to bury them.
We have become the reproach of our neighbors,
The scorn and derision of those around us.
O LORD, how long? Will you be angry forever?
Will your jealousy burn like fire?
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
May your compassion quickly come to us,
For we are brought very low.
Help us, O God our savior,
Because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
For your name's sake.
Lk 10:13-16.
Jesus said to them, “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.
And as for you, Capernaum, 'Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld.'"
Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me."
But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.
And as for you, Capernaum, 'Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld.'"
Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me."
Commentary of the day :
Blessed John-Paul II, Pope from 1978 to 2005
Encyclical « Redemptoris missio », § 38-39 (trans. © Libreria Editrice Vaticana)
Our times are both momentous and fascinating. While on the one hand people seem to be pursuing material prosperity and to be sinking ever deeper into consumerism and materialism, on the other hand we are witnessing a desperate search for meaning, the need for an inner life, and a desire to learn new forms and methods of meditation and prayer. Not only in cultures with strong religious elements, but also in secularized societies, the spiritual dimension of life is being sought after as an antidote to dehumanization... The Church has an immense spiritual patrimony to offer humankind, a heritage in Christ, who called himself "the way, and the truth, and the life" (Jn 14,6)...
The Church must be faithful to Christ, whose body she is, and whose mission she continues. She must necessarily "go the same road that Christ went-namely a road of poverty, obedience, service and self-sacrifice even unto death, from which he emerged a victor through his resurrection" (Vatican II, AG5). The Church is thus obliged to do everything possible to carry out her mission in the world and to reach all peoples. And she has the right to do this, a right given her by God for the accomplishment of his plan. Religious freedom, which is still at times limited or restricted, remains the premise and guarantee of all the freedoms that ensure the common good of individuals and peoples. It is to be hoped that authentic religious freedom will be granted to all people everywhere... It is an inalienable right of each and every human person.
On her part. the Church addresses people with full respect for their freedom. Her mission does not restrict freedom but rather promotes it. The Church proposes; she imposes nothing. She respects individuals and cultures, and she honors the sanctuary of conscience. To those who for various reasons oppose missionary activity, the Church repeats: Open the doors to Christ!
The Church must be faithful to Christ, whose body she is, and whose mission she continues. She must necessarily "go the same road that Christ went-namely a road of poverty, obedience, service and self-sacrifice even unto death, from which he emerged a victor through his resurrection" (Vatican II, AG5). The Church is thus obliged to do everything possible to carry out her mission in the world and to reach all peoples. And she has the right to do this, a right given her by God for the accomplishment of his plan. Religious freedom, which is still at times limited or restricted, remains the premise and guarantee of all the freedoms that ensure the common good of individuals and peoples. It is to be hoped that authentic religious freedom will be granted to all people everywhere... It is an inalienable right of each and every human person.
On her part. the Church addresses people with full respect for their freedom. Her mission does not restrict freedom but rather promotes it. The Church proposes; she imposes nothing. She respects individuals and cultures, and she honors the sanctuary of conscience. To those who for various reasons oppose missionary activity, the Church repeats: Open the doors to Christ!
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