1ST READING
Jonah
is a very reluctant prophet because he knows that a prophet’s life is
always going to be difficult — from both the point of view of the One
who sends (God)
and the people to whom he will be sent to; in this case, the Ninevites.
Jonah knows that God will spare them if they repent and then the
disasters he prophesies will not come to pass. He should rejoice in the
way he has helped people avoid death and judgment, but instead, he is
more worried about his reputation. What a pity this is!
Jonah 1:1-2:2, 11
1 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jonah, son of Amittai: 2 “Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and preach against it; their wickedness has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah made ready to flee to Tarshish away from
the Lord. He went down to Joppa, found a ship going to Tarshish, paid
the fare, and went aboard to journey with them to Tarshish, away from
the Lord. 4 The Lord, however, hurled a violent wind upon the sea,
and in the furious tempest that arose the ship was on the point of
breaking up. 5 Then
the mariners became frightened and each one cried to his god. To
lighten the ship for themselves, they threw its cargo into the sea.
Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down into the hold of the ship, and lay there
fast asleep. 6 The
captain came to him and said, “What are you doing asleep? Rise up, call
upon your God! Perhaps God will be mindful of us so that we may not
perish.” 7 Then they said to one another,
“Come, let us cast lots to find out on whose account we have met with this misfortune.” So they cast lots, and thus singled out Jonah. 8 “Tell us,” they said, “what is your business? Where do you come from? What is your country, and to what people do you belong?” 9 Jonah answered them, “I am a Hebrew, I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” 10 Now the men were seized with great fear and said to him, “How could you do such a thing!”
They knew that he was fleeing from the Lord, because he had told them 11 They asked, “What shall we do with you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea was growing more and more turbulent. 12 Jonah
said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea, that it may quiet
down for you; since I know it is because of me that this violent storm
has come upon you.” 13 Still the men rowed hard to regain the land, but they could not, for the sea grew ever more turbulent. 14 Then
they cried to the Lord: “We beseech you, O Lord, let us not perish for
taking this man’s life; do not charge us with shedding innocent blood,
for you, Lord, have done as you saw fit.” 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea’s raging abated. 16 Struck with great fear of the Lord, the men offered sacrifice and made vows to him. 2: 1 But the Lord sent a large fish, that swallowed Jonah; and he remained in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. 2 From the belly of the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord, his God. 11 Then the Lord commanded the fish to spew Jonah upon the shore.
P S A L M
Jonah 2:3, 4, 5, 8
R: You will rescue my life from the pit, O Lord.
3 Out
of my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me; from the midst
of the nether world I cried for help, and you heard my voice. (R) 4 For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the sea, and the flood enveloped me; all your breakers and your billows passed over me. (R) 5 Then I said, “I am banished from
your sight! yet would I again look upon your holy temple.” (R) 8 When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; my prayer reached you in your holy temple. (R)
GOSPEL
We
celebrate today the Feast of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary.
Originally instituted to celebrate the victory of the Christians over
the Turks at Lepanto in Greece, it serves as a reminder that
intercessory prayer, particularly that of Mary, is powerful and can
change the course of world events. Let us resolve to never give up, no
matter how hopeless our good cause may seem to be.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
I give you a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you.
Luke 10:25-37
25 There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” 27 He
said in reply, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart,
with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 He
replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” 29 But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus
replied, “A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem
to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him
half-dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. 32 Likewise a Levite came to the place,
and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. 33 But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. 34 He
approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged
them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn and
cared for him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you
on my way back.’ 36 “Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” 37 He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
think: Intercessory prayer, particularly that of Mary, is powerful and can change the course of world events.
T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST
Thank You Lord for: __________________
____________________________________
God’s special verse/thought for me today_
_____________________________________
READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Hosea 11-14
No comments:
Post a Comment