FIRST READING             

A reading from the book of Wisdom       13:1-9
If they are capable of acquiring enough knowledge to be able to investigate the world, how have they been so slow to find its Master?

Naturally stupid are all men who have not known God
and who, from the good things that are seen, have not been able to discover Him-who-is,
or, by studying the works, have failed to recognise the Artificer.
Fire however, or wind, or the swift air,
the sphere of the stars, impetuous water, heaven's lamps,
are what they have held to be the gods who govern the world.
If, charmed by their beauty, they have taken things for gods,
let them know how much the Lord of these excels them,
since the very Author of beauty has created them.
And if they have been impressed by their power and energy,
let them deduce from these how much mightier is he that has formed them,
since through the grandeur and beauty of the creatures
we may, by analogy, contemplate their Author.

Small blame, however, attaches to these men,
for perhaps they only go astray
in their search for God and their eagerness to find him;
living among his works, they strive to comprehend them
and fall victim to appearances, seeing so much beauty.

Even so, they are not to be excused:
if they are capable of acquiring enough knowledge
to be able to investigate the world,
how have they been so slow to find its Master?

The Word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm         Ps 18: 2-5
Response                             The heavens proclaim the glory of God.

1. The heavens proclaim the glory of God
and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands.
Day unto day takes up the story
and night unto night makes known the message.  Response

2. No speech, no word, no voice is heard
yet their span extends through all the earth,
their words to the utmost bounds of the world.     Response

Gospel  Acclamation              Heb 4: 12
Alleluia, alleluia!
The word of God is something alive and active:
it can judge the secret emotions and thoughts.
Alleluia!

Or                                                    Mk 21: 28       
Alleluia, alleluia!
Stand erect, hold your heads high,
because your liberation is near at hand.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL                             

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke       17:26-37
When the day comes for the Son of Man to be revealed.

Jesus said to his disciples: 'As it was in Noah's day, so will it also be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating and drinking, marrying wives and husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. It will be the same as it was in Lot's day: people were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but the day Lot left Sodom, God rained fire and brimstone from heaven and it destroyed them all. It will be the same when the day comes for the Son of Man to be revealed.

'When that day comes, anyone on the housetop, with his possessions in the house, must not come down to collect them, nor must anyone in the fields turn back either. Remember Lot's wife. Anyone who tries to preserve his life will lose it; and anyone who loses it will keep it safe. I tell you, on that night two will be in one bed: one will be taken, the other left; two women will be grinding corn together: one will be taken, the other left.' The disciples interrupted. 'Where, Lord?' they asked. He said, 'Where the body is, there too will the vultures gather.'

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Gospel Reflection      Friday,         Thirty Second Week in Ordinary Time          Luke 17:26-37

Today’s first reading speaks about ‘the good things that are seen’. It celebrates ‘the grandeur and beauty’ of our world. However, the author criticises those who fail to recognise the One who stands behind all this goodness, grandeur and beauty, the Creator or Author. The world points beyond itself to the God who made it. Yet the author recognises that it is easy to become absorbed in God’s world and never acknowledge God. In the gospel reading, Jesus speaks about the ordinary and good human activities of eating and drinking, marrying, buying and selling, planting and building. Yet he also acknowledges that these good, wholesome human activities can so hold our attention that we never look beyond them to what he calls ‘the days of the Son of Man’. We already live in those days. The Son of Man, the risen Lord, stands among us. He calls out to us every day. God calls out to us through his risen Son. We can fail to notice the presence of the Lord at the heart of all our day-to-day activities. We can fail to hear God’s call amid the attractiveness and the busyness of God’s world. The readings today encourage us to be alert to the Lord’s presence in both the natural world and our own personal world. There is a sense in which the ground on which we stand, wherever it is, is always holy ground.
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The scripture readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd and used with the permission of the publishers. The Gospel reflection comes from WEEKDAY REFLECTIONS 2018-19: To know the love of Christ by Martin Hogan published by  The Messenger c/f www.messenger.ie/bookshop/
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FIRST READING

A reading from the Book of Malachi        3:19-20
For you the sun of righteousness will shine out.

The day is coming now, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and the evil-doers will be like stubble. The day that is coming is going to burn them up, says the Lord, leaving them neither root nor stalk. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will shine out with healing in its rays.

The Word of the Lord

Responsorial Psalm       Ps 97
Response                            The Lord comes to rule the peoples with fairness.

1. Sing psalms to the Lord with the harp
    with the sound of music.
    With trumpets and the sound of the horn
    acclaim the King, the Lord.                 Response

2. Let the sea and all within it, thunder;
    the world, and all its peoples.
    Let the rivers clap their hands
    and the hills ring out their joy
    at the presence of the Lord.                 Response

3. For the Lord comes,
    he comes to rule the earth.
    He will rule the world with justice
    and the peoples with fairness.             Response

SECOND READING       

A reading from the second letter of St Paul to the Thessalonians       3:7-12
Do not let anyone have any food if he refused to do any work.

You know how you are supposed to imitate us: now we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we ever have our meals at anyone's table without paying for them; no, we worked night and day, slaving and straining, so as not to be a burden on any of you. This was not because we had no right to be, but in order to make ourselves an example for you to follow.

We gave you a rule when we were with you: not to let anyone have any food if he refused to do any work. Now we hear that there are some of you who are living in idleness, doing no work themselves but interfering with everyone else's. In the Lord Jesus Christ, we order and call on people of this kind to go on quietly working and earning the food that they eat.

The Word of the Lord

Gospel  Acclamation       Lk 21: 36
Alleluia, alleluia!
Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to stand with confidence
before the Son of Man.
Alleluia!

Or                                             Lk 21: 28
Alleluia, alleluia!
Stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand'.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL

A reading from the Gospel according to Luke       21:5-19
Your endurance will win you your lives.

When some were talking about the Temple, remarking how it was adorned with fine stonework and votive offerings, Jesus said, 'All these things you are staring at now-the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another: everything will be destroyed'. And they put to him this question: 'Master,' they said 'when will this happen, then, and what sign will there be that this is about to take place?'

'Take care not to be deceived,' he said 'because many will come using my name and saying, "I am he" and, "The time is near at hand". Refuse to join them. And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened, for this is something that must happen but the end is not so soon.' Then he said to them, 'Nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes and plagues and famines here and there; there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.

'But before all this happens, men will seize you and persecute you; they will hand you over to the synagogues and to imprisonment, and bring you before kings and governors because of my name - and that will be your opportunity to bear witness. Keep this carefully in mind: you are not to prepare your defence, because I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relations and friends; and some of you will be put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name, but not a hair of your head will be lost. Your endurance will win you your lives.

The Gospel of the Lord




Taken from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, published and copyright 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House Inc, and used by permission of the publishers.