21st Sunday of the Year (a)
Ordinary Season of the Year. (a)
Weekdays – Year 1
Sunday 27th August: Twenty-First Sunday of the Year. (a)
The first reading is from the Prophet Isaiah. It tells how Shebna, the master of the palace, has feathered his own nest, looking for fame and comfort rather than serving the Lord. Now he is to be dismissed from high office and replaced by Eliakim who will be a true servant.
In the second reading St. Paul, writing to the Romans, warns us not to presume that we can understand the mystery of God. He is beyond our abilities.
The Gospel contains St. Peter’s declaration of faith in Jesus and Jesus’ promise to make him the rock on which he will build his Church.
Monday 28th August: Memorial of St. Augustine.
St. Augustine was a great philosopher, theologian, orator, pastor and man of God. We know a great deal about him from his own writing especially from his ‘Confessions.’ He talks about his search for meaning to life and all the difficulties he encountered before his final conversion and total commitment to Jesus. He was born in 354 and died in 430 and is regarded as one of the greatest fathers of the Church.
Tuesday 29th August: Memorial of the Passion of John the Baptist.
This feast has its origin in Samaria where the Baptist’s skull was venerated in the fourth century. It became part of the universal calendar in the seventh century. St. John is unique in that he is honoured with two feast days – his birth and his death.
Wednesday 30th August: Wednesday in the 21st week of the year.
The first readings come from the New Testament for a while now and we begin with first letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians.
Paul continues his account of the hard work he did for the Thessalonians and his efforts to get the Good News across to them. He treated everyone as a good father should in his efforts to get them to live a life worthy of God. They accepted his message and he thanks God for that.
Again, in the Gospel, we have Jesus hitting out at the hypocrisy of the scribes and the Pharisees – comparing them to whitewashed tombs.
Thursday 31st August: Thursday in the21st week of the year.
Paul again thanks God for faith of the Thessalonians. He would like to visit them again but in the meantime, he prays that they grow in love of God, each other and the whole human race.
Today we are reminded by Jesus to be ready at all times for the call of the Lord. We should be working hard at being faithful followers when the Lord comes to greet us.
Friday 1st September: Friday in 21st week of the year.
Paul tells the Thessalonians they are to live lives filled with holiness, the kind of life that God wants as opposed to the life the world suggests. We have all been called to be holy, not immoral.
Jesus uses another parable to stress again the fact that we must always be ready for the call of the Lord – we do not know the day or the hour.
Saturday 2nd September: Saturday in the 21st week of the year.
St. Paul reminda the Thessalonians that they should keep on loving one another and quietly continue earning their living. Some of them thought that the second coming of Christ was imminent so they though they had just to wait until it happened. Paul refutes this way of thinking.
Today we hear another famous parable, the last passage from St. Matthew for a while. We are reminded that we are all given talents in life. They are to be used for the greater glory of God.
Lord our God,
In response to your love,
We have chosen you at baptism
As the God of our lives.
In the strength of this Eucharist
Help us renew,
Day after day,
This commitment to you and your kingdom.
Let your Son build up with us
A community of peace and service
And when it is slow in coming
Reassure us that, in your own good time,
The seeds will bear fruit that lasts
Forever and ever.
Amen.
