22nd Week in Ordinary Time

Entrance Antiphon

Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I cry to you all the day long.
O Lord, you are good and forgiving,
full of mercy to all who call to you. Cf. Ps 86 (85):3, 5

Collect

God of might, giver of every good gift,
put into our hearts the love of your name,
so that, by deepening our sense of reverence,
you may nurture in us what is good
and, by your watchful care,
keep safe what you have nurtured.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, proclaiming the mystery of God, I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.

Psalm 119

R. Lord, I love your commands.
How I love your law, O Lord!
It is my meditation all the day. R.
Your command has made me wiser than my enemies,
for it is ever with me. R.
I have more understanding than all my teachers
when your decrees are my meditation. R.
I have more discernment than the elders,
because I observe your precepts. R.
From every evil way I withhold my feet,
that I may keep your words. R.
From your ordinances I turn not away,
for you have instructed me. R.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me;
he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor. Lk 4:18
Alleluia, alleluia.

Luke 4:16-30

Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.

Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, “Is this not the son of Joseph?” He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb, ‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’” And he said, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

Prayer over the Offerings

May this sacred offering, O Lord,
confer on us always the blessing of salvation,
that what it celebrates in mystery
it may accomplish in power.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Communion Antiphon

How great is the goodness, Lord,
that you keep for those who fear you. Ps 31 (30):20
OR
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Mt 5:9-10

Prayer after Communion

Renewed by this bread from the heavenly table,
we beseech you, Lord,
that, being the food of charity,
it may confirm our hearts
and stir us to serve you in our neighbor.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Daily Meditation: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

Not with persuasive words of wisdom . . . (1 Corinthians 2:4)

“Out of the mouths of babes oft times come gems.” So goes the old proverb. The pure-hearted perspective of children, along with their lack of inhibition, can often bring rare clarity to complicated situations. Children don’t “know” very much by worldly standards, and that can be a blessing, for their simplicity can lead us sophisticated adults to God.

Think about the heartfelt “I love you” coming from a young toddler. Or think about how easy it is for young children to become friends and show affection to each other. Such simple innocence has a way of boiling things down to their most important elements—and softening our hearts in the process.

This might help us understand St. Paul’s words to the Christians in Corinth. The Corinthians were so taken with the brilliant words of different apostles—including Paul himself—that they began to split into factions based on whomever they favored. But Paul never wanted to gain a following for himself. All he wanted to do was preach the simple gospel message of a humble man who turned out to be the Lord of all creation. No matter how much theology or philosophy Paul knew, it didn’t mean much if it didn’t lead people to “Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).

This is exactly how Jesus himself lived. He made it a point to call simple, unsophisticated people to be his disciples, not just the wealthy and influential. He honored the widow who placed her last two coins in the Temple collection box (Luke 21:1-4). And he warned his followers, “Unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). Jesus identified not with the worldly wise but with the “least ones” (25:45).

Today, try to take a step in the direction of simplicity. Think of someone you know who manifests a humble, childlike faith. What is it about that person that attracts you? Their sense of trust? Their quickness to forgive? Their ability to listen patiently? Let whatever it is inspire you—and tell the Lord it’s something you want too.

“Jesus, teach me how to be simple like you.”

Psalm 119:97-102
Luke 4:16-30