READINGS AND REFLECTIONS FOR THE WEEK (Sunday, October 06, 2013 - Saturday, October 12, 2013)

Sunday, October 06, 2013 (Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time)

REFLECTION
Cast thy care upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: He shall not suffer the just to waver for ever.
-- Psalm liv, 23

READINGS

First Reading: Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4
Habakkuk Complains of Injustice
2 O Lord, how long must I call for help before you listen, before you save us from violence? 
3 Why do you make me see such trouble? How can you stand to look on such wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are all around me, and there is fighting and quarreling everywhere.
Habakkuk 2:2-4
2 The Lord gave me this answer: “Write down clearly on tablets what I reveal to you, so that it can be read at a glance.  
3 Put it in writing, because it is not yet time for it to come true. But the time is coming quickly, and what I show you will come true. It may seem slow in coming, but wait for it; it will certainly take place, and it will not be delayed.   
4 And this is the message: ‘Those who are evil will not survive, but those who are righteous will live because they are faithful to God.’”

Psalm: Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9
Worship and Obey the Lord
1 Sing joyful songs to the Lord! Praise the mighty rock where we are safe.
2 Come to worship him with thankful hearts and songs of praise.
6 Bow down and worship the Lord our Creator!
7 The Lord is our God, and we are his people, the sheep he takes care of in his own pasture.
Listen to God's voice today!
8 Don't be stubborn and rebel as your ancestors did at Meribah and Massah out in the desert.
9 For forty years they tested God and saw the things he did.

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14
6 For this reason I remind you to keep alive the gift that God gave you when I laid my hands on you. 
7 For the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid; instead, his Spirit fills us with power, love, and self-control.
8 Do not be ashamed, then, of witnessing for our Lord; neither be ashamed of me, a prisoner for Christ's sake. Instead, take your part in suffering for the Good News, as God gives you the strength for it.
13 Hold firmly to the true words that I taught you, as the example for you to follow, and remain in the faith and love that are ours in union with Christ Jesus. 
14 Through the power of the Holy Spirit, who lives in us, keep the good things that have been entrusted to you.

Gospel: Luke 17:5-10
Faith
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Make our faith greater.”
6 The Lord answered, “If you had faith as big as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Pull yourself up by the roots and plant yourself in the sea!’ and it would obey you.
A Servant's Duty
7 “Suppose one of you has a servant who is plowing or looking after the sheep. When he comes in from the field, do you tell him to hurry along and eat his meal? 
8 Of course not! Instead, you say to him, ‘Get my supper ready, then put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may have your meal.’ 
9 The servant does not deserve thanks for obeying orders, does he? 
10 It is the same with you; when you have done all you have been told to do, say, ‘We are ordinary servants; we have only done our duty.’”


Monday, October 07, 2013 {Our Lady of the Rosary (Memorial)}

REFLECTION
He shall cry to me, and I will hear him: I am with him in tribulation, I will deliver him, and I will glorify him. I will fill him with length of days; and I will show him my salvation.
-- Psalm xc. 15, 16

READINGS
First Reading: Acts 1:12-14
Psalm: Luke 1:46-55
Gospel: Luke 1:26-38


Tuesday, October 08, 2013 (Weekday)

REFLECTION
Behold as the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters, as the eyes of the handmaid are on the hands of her mistress: so are our eyes unto the Lord our God, until He have mercy on us. Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us: for we are greatly filled with contempt.
-- Psalm cxx. 2,3

READINGS
First Reading: Jonah 3:1-10
Psalm: Psalm 130:1-4, 7-8
Gospel: Luke 10:38-42


Wednesday, October 09, 2013 (Weekday)

REFLECTION
Let my prayer be directed as incense in Thy sight; the lifting up of my hands, as evening sacrifice.
-- Psalm cxl. 2

READINGS
First Reading: Jonah 4:1-11
Psalm: Psalm 86:3-6, 9-10
Gospel: Luke 11:1-4


Thursday, October 10, 2013 (Weekday)
REFLECTION
It is not the actual physical exertion that counts toward a man's progress, nor the nature of the task, but the spirit of faith with which it is undertaken.
-- St Francis Xavier

READINGS
First Reading: Malachi 3:13-20
Psalm: Psalm 1:1-4, 6
Gospel: Luke 11:5-13


Friday, October 11, 2013 (Weekday)
REFLECTION
The troubles of my heart are multiplied: deliver me from my necessities. See my abjection and my labour; and forgive me all my sins.
-- Psalm xxiv. 17, 18

READINGS
First Reading: Joel 1:13-15; 2:1-2
Psalm: Psalm 9:2-3, 6, 16, 8-9
Gospel: Luke 11:15-26


Saturday, October 12, 2013 {St. Seraphin of Montegranaro, Religious (Memorial)}

REFLECTION
Many people would like to attain union with God but they cannot bear the contradictions he sends them. They hate the sickness which strikes them, or the poverty they suffer, or the insults they receive. Since they cannot be resigned, they never succeed in reaching total union with God.
-- St Alphonsus de Liguori

READINGS
First Reading: Joel 4:12-21
Psalm: Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12
Gospel: Luke 11:27-28