27th Sunday of the Year (b)
This Week’s Liturgy Calendar.
Ordinary Season of the Year. (b)
Weekdays – Year 1
Sunday 4th October: 27th Sunday of the Year. (B)
The first reading is from the Book of Genesis. In this book, there are two accounts of creation and it is the second we hear from today. We are taught that man and woman are meant to be together. Marriage is seen as meeting the human need for companionship and equality. Man and woman are no longer two but one.
The second reading is from the Letter to the Hebrews. This was written about 80 a.d. to show the people of the time that Jesus fulfilled the hopes and needs of Jew and Greek alike. He is a servant of all.
In the Gospel, Jesus instructs his followers about family life. He repeats the teaching given in Genesis. The marriage bond comes from God and is therefore indissoluble.
Monday 5th October: Monday of the 27th week of the year.
Today we move on to another book connected with the exile in Babylon. The Book of Jonah is regarded as a sermon in the form of a story. It teaches that the mercy of God extends to all nations and is not restricted to the Chosen People. Jonah, at first tried to avoid God and his call but eventually accepts God’s invitation to go and preach repentance to the people of Nineveh
The lawyers were always trying to trick Jesus. They interpreted ‘love your neighbour’ as being applied only to Jews. The parable of the Good Samaritan shows otherwise.
Tuesday 6th October: Tuesday of the 27th week of the year.
Today, we read that, when Jonah eventually got to the great city of Nineveh, he was successful in persuading the people to repent of their sinful ways. From the highest level, the king, down all applied themselves and as a result God relented and did not allow disaster to fall on them.
Jesus reminds us how important it is to take time to be in Christ’s presence so that our lives may be enriched and our faith deepened.
Wednesday 7th October: Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary.
This feast was instituted by Pope Saint Pius V, in thanksgiving, on the anniversary of the battle of Lepanto in 1571. It was claimed that the Christians were victorious over the Turks because they had prayed the Rosary on the eve of the battle and invoked Our Lady’s help.
The feast is reminder to each one of us to use the prayer of the rosary as a means of reflecting on the life of Jesus and of drawing closer to him and each other as a result.
Thursday 8th October: Thursday of the 27th week of the year.
Malachi, from whom the first reading comes, lived some years after the end of the exile. He assures the people who were doing evil and not seeming to be punished, would, in time, be called to judgement by God. The good deeds that people do would also be recorded for the final judgement before the throne of God.
In the Gospel, Jesus continues his lesson on prayer. To be real prayer it has to be trusting and persevering. If we have faith, we should not hesitate to ask.
Friday 9th October: Friday of the 27th week of the year.
Joel is the last of the books that deal with the period after the exile. In this passage there is a real sense of foreboding amongst the Israelites because they have again turned their back on God. The fear is stressed that the day of the Lord is coming when they will face judgement.
Jesus continues his teaching on the need for prayer. From prayer you will get the strength to fight the evil that is all around us. The power of God will be there to help us.
Saturday 10th October: Saturday of the 27th week of the year.
At the end of his book, Joel calls on all nations, especially those who have been responsible for the oppression of Israel, to face their judgement day. There will be great harmony in Israel but desolation and punishment in the land of their enemies. Jesus presents us with another special lesson. We will be truly blessed if we hear the word of God, keep it and put it into action.
God the source and strength of all love.
May he bless our families
With happiness and faithfulness.
Amen
May he bless our communities
With unity and peace
And make us one heart and one soul.
Amen.
May he give to all of us
A love that brings out the best
In each other.
Amen.
May God bless you all
And keep his love alive
in you.
Amen.
