21st Sunday of the Year (c)
This Week’s Liturgy Calendar.
Ordinary Season of the Year. (c)
Weekdays – Year 1
Sunday 25th August: 21st Sunday of the Year. (c)
The first reading is from the Prophet Jeremiah. The vision is of the people of Israel returning from all over the world to the heart of their faith and belief – Jerusalem. It is a sign of salvation for all since it is people of every language and nation will witness God’s glory.
The second reading is from the Letter to the Hebrews and is the author’s attempt to tackle the age old question of suffering. He sees it as part of the human condition. He sees it as part of the way in which God moulds us into the people he wants us to be.
St. Luke, in the Gospel, reminds us that salvation cannot be taken for granted.It is a gift from God to those who respond and embark on the struggle to follow in his ways.
Monday 26th August: Monday of the 21st week of the year.
We leave the Old Testament behind for a few weeks and move to St. Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians. It was an important city with a sizeable Jewish community to whom Paul had spoken on three occasions. He was persecuted and had to to flee and his letters were written to comfort and inspire the Christians he left behind. He begins in traditional style by praising fthem for their faith and thanking God for their example.
One of the areas which Jesus dealt with most harshly was hypocrisy and in the Gospel he does so again rounding on the Scribes and Pharisees for making it so difficult for the ordinary people to follow the law.
Tuesday 27th August: Memorial of St. Monica.
St. Monica was born in Northern Africa about the year 331. What we know of her is drawn from the writings of her son, St. Augustine. She prayed constantly for the conversion of her son from the unholy life he was leading and a few months before she died, he was baptised. Her commitment and perseverance are models for us all in the life of prayer. She is regarded as the Patron Saint of Mothers.
Wednesday 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.
Thursday 29th August: Memorial of the Passion of St. 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.
Friday 30th August: Friday of the 21st week of the year.
St. 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 31st August: Saturday of the 21st week of the year.
In this section Paul gives tow messages to the Thessalonians. They are to be holy and live the life that God wants them to He reminds tem that they are not to live immoral lives.
The Gospel has a parable from Jesus to remind us and stress the fact that we must always be ready for the call of the Lord.
Lord our God
You have called Leo your servant
as bishop and pastor of your Church
in St Andrews and Edinburgh.
May he keep watch over the whole flock
to which the Holy Spirit has appointed him as shepherd,
preaching the word of God with unfailing patience and sound teaching
so that with faith and love he protects the bride of God, his holy Church.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
