SEPTEMBER 2021 - Give Us This Day
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SEPTEMBER 2021
®Sunday Monday Tuesday
September 2021
5 Twenty-Third Week G 6G 7G
in Ordinary Time
Richard Gaillardetz ✛ St. Teresa of Calcutta ✛ Bd. Thomas Tsuji
Loretta Ross Christina Leaño
Within the Word: A Pauline Puzzlement
Fr. Ronald Witherup
12 Twenty-Fourth Week G 13W 14R
in Ordinary Time St. John Chrysostom Exaltation of
the Holy Cross
James H. Cone ✛ St. John Chrysostom ✛ St. Notburga
Nick Wagner Jessica Coblentz
Within the Word: Our Station Keeping
Mary Stommes
19 Twenty-Fifth Week G 20R 21R
in Ordinary Time Sts. Andrew Kim and St. Matthew
the Korean martyrs
Sr. Melannie Svoboda ✛ St. Andrew Kim and ✛ Henri Nouwen
the Korean Martyrs Sebastian Gomes
Within the Word: To Envision the Mechthild of
Impossible Mahri Leonard-Fleckman Magdeburg
26 Twenty-Sixth Week G 27W 28G
in Ordinary Time St. Vincent de Paul [St. Wenceslaus;
St. Lawrence Ruiz and
Marilyn McEntyre Companions]
✛ St. Vincent de Paul
Eric Clayton ✛ Margery Kempe
Within the Word: On God’s Side? Sr. Maria Boulding
Fr. George Smiga
Key The calendar and
✛ Blessed Among Us by Robert Ellsberg
Reflection / Within the Word Author
key are your guide
[ ] Optional Memorial to the complete
Vestment colors: month of content.
G Green R Red W WhiteWednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1G 2G 3W 4G
St. Gregory the Great
✛ François Mauriac ✛ French Martyrs of ✛ St. Phoebe ✛ Albert Schweitzer
Fr. Daniel Groody September Dorothee Soelle Sr. Julia Upton
Thomas Merton
8W 9W 10G 11G
Nativity of the St. Peter Claver
Blessed Virgin Mary
✛ St. Bega ✛ St. Peter Claver ✛ Ven. Ignacia del ✛ St. John Gabriel
Fr. Michael Peterson Pope Francis Espíritu Santo Perboyre
Sr. Anita Louise St. Bede the Venerable
Lowe
15W 16R 17G 18G
Our Lady of Sorrows Sts. Cornelius and [St. Robert Bellarmine;
Cyprian St. Hildegard of Bingen]
✛ Martyrs of ✛ St. Cyprian ✛ Mother Frances ✛ Bd. Pino Puglisi
Birmingham Melissa Musick Warde David Farina
Fr. Timothy Radcliffe Nussbaum E. Jane Rutter Turnbloom
22G 23W 24G 25G
St. Pius of
Pietrelcina
✛ St. Thecla ✛ St. Pio of Pietrelcina ✛ Raoul Wallenberg ✛ St. Therese Couderc
Kathy McGovern St. Gertrude Carl McColman Carolyn Woo
the Great
29W 30W
Sts. Michael, Gabriel, St. Jerome
and Raphael
✛ Shusaku Endo ✛ Sr. Ardeth Platte
St. Gregory the Great Judith Valente53
Sunday, September 5
Morning
O Lord, open my lips.
And my mouth will proclaim your praise.
(opt. hymn, pp. 334–39)
Psalm 150
Alleluia!
Praise God in the holy temple;
praise the Lord in the mighty firmament.
Praise God for powerful deeds;
for boundless grandeur, praise God.
O praise the Lord with sound of trumpet;
give praise with lute and harp.
Praise God with timbrel and dance;
give praise with strings and pipes.
O praise God with resounding cymbals;
give praise with clashing of cymbals.
Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Alleluia!
Glory to the Father . . .
Scripture Exodus 4:10-14a, 16
M oses, however, said to the Lord, “If you please, my
Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past
nor now that you have spoken to your servant; but I am slow
of speech and tongue.” The Lord said to him: Who gives one
person speech? Who makes another mute or deaf, seeing or
Healing of a Man Unable to Speak or Hear by Julia Stankova.54 September 5 blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go, I will assist you in speak- ing and teach you what you are to say. But he said, “If you please, my Lord, send someone else!” Then the Lord became angry with Moses and said: I know there is your brother, Aaron the Levite, who is a good speaker; even now he is on his way to meet you. He will speak to the people for you: he will be your spokesman, and you will be as God to him. Read, Ponder, Pray on a word or phrase from these readings or another of today’s Scriptures (Lectio Divina, p. 340) Antiphon The ears of the deaf will be cleared and the mute tongue will sing. Canticle of Zechariah (inside front cover) Intercessions All-loving God, you show no partiality in your care and concern. Secure in your love we pray: r. Lead us by the light of the Gospel, O God. Embolden your Church to recognize, nurture, and receive the gifts of women and young people. r. Still the cries for war, and help us to stop the production and storage of war weapons. r. Show us how we can better care for the homebound, the sick, and those who suffer physical infirmity. r. Our Father . . . May God, giver of all good things, lead us to share our gifts for the good of the Church, through Jesus our Savior. Amen.
Sunday 55
Mass
Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Entrance Antiphon Psalm 119 (118):137, 124
You are just, O Lord, and your judgment is right; / treat
your servant in accord with your merciful love.
Gloria (p. 308)
Collect
O God, by whom we are redeemed and receive adoption,
look graciously upon your beloved sons and daughters,
that those who believe in Christ
may receive true freedom
and an everlasting inheritance.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 35:4-7a
The ears of those who are deaf will be cleared;
and the tongue of those who are mute will sing.
T hus says the Lord: / Say to those whose hearts are
frightened: / Be strong, fear not! / Here is your God, /
he comes with vindication; / with divine recompense / he
comes to save you. / Then will the eyes of the blind be
opened, / the ears of the deaf be cleared; / then will the lame
leap like a stag, / then the tongue of the mute will sing. /
Streams will burst forth in the desert, / and rivers in the
steppe. / The burning sands will become pools, / and the
thirsty ground, springs of water.
The word of the Lord.56 September 5
Responsorial Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10
r. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul!
or: r. Alleluia.
The God of Jacob keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets captives free. r.
The Lord gives sight to the blind;
the Lord raises up those who were bowed down.
The Lord loves the just;
the Lord protects strangers. r.
The fatherless and the widow the Lord sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The Lord shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia. r.
A reading from the Letter of Saint James 2:1-5
Did not God choose the poor to be heirs of the kingdom?
M y brothers and sisters, show no partiality as you adhere
to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if a
man with gold rings and fine clothes comes into your as-
sembly, and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in,
and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and
say, “Sit here, please,” while you say to the poor one, “Stand
there,” or “Sit at my feet,” have you not made distinctions
among yourselves and become judges with evil designs?
Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Did not God
choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith
and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who
love him?
The word of the Lord.Sunday 57
Gospel Acclamation Cf. Matthew 4:23
Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 7:31-37
He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.
A gain Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of
Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the
Decapolis. And people brought to him a deaf man who had
a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on
him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He
put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his
tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said
to him, “Ephphatha!”—that is, “Be opened!”—And imme-
diately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment
was removed, and he spoke plainly. He ordered them not
to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the
more they proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished
and they said, “He has done all things well. He makes the
deaf hear and the mute speak.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Creed (p. 309)
Prayer over the Offerings
O God, who give us the gift of true prayer and of peace,
graciously grant that, through this offering,
we may do fitting homage to your divine majesty
and, by partaking of the sacred mystery,
we may be faithfully united in mind and heart.
Through Christ our Lord.58 September 5
Communion Antiphon Cf. Psalm 42 (41):2-3
Like the deer that yearns for running streams, / so my
soul is yearning for you, my God; / my soul is thirsting
for God, the living God.
Or: John 8:12
I am the light of the world, says the Lord; / whoever
follows me will not walk in darkness, / but will have the
light of life.
Prayer after Communion
Grant that your faithful, O Lord,
whom you nourish and endow with life
through the food of your Word and heavenly Sacrament,
may so benefit from your beloved Son’s great gifts
that we may merit an eternal share in his life.
Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Reflection
Sheltered and Shaken
When I hear of the “kingdom of God” it is easy to just imag-
ine a much better, kinder version of the world that surrounds
me; I imagine the world as I would have it be. In that world
everyone would navigate the roadways with courtesy, volun-
teer for local charities, and give spare change to panhandlers.
We would all treat others with respect and look for respect
to be returned in kind.
So, the words of the prophet hit hard. Isaiah pronounces
not a significantly improved version of my world, but a radi-
cally transformed creation wherein the lame walk, the blind
see, the deaf hear, and creation itself bursts forth with ex-Sunday 59
travagant fecundity. The psalmist chimes in, singing of a
world in which God liberates the oppressed, feeds the hungry,
and protects strangers.
The prophet’s transformed world was no utopian fantasy.
It was already breaking into human history centuries ago in
ancient Palestine. There, moved by the infirmity of another,
a Galilean Jew groaned to heaven and offered a healing touch
that, like everything he did, announced the dramatic coming
of God’s shalom—the world as God would have it be.
Yet, just a few decades later, the Letter of James tells us, a
more comfortable, less unsettling world prevailed among
Jesus’ followers. Gathered for worship, the well-coiffed were
seated prominently, as surely was their due. It’s understand-
able; I too have earned a certain deference appropriate to my
education and social standing. But the question I can’t shake
is this: Could it be that in my yearning for respect and re-
spectability I am missing the great reversal? Could it really
be the ones deprived of all privilege and deference who will
inherit the kingdom “promised to those who love him”?
Richard R. Gaillardetz
Richard R. Gaillardetz is the Joseph Professor of Catholic Systematic
Theology at Boston College and the author of By What Authority?
Foundations for Understanding Authority in the Church.60 September 5
Evening
God, come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.
(opt. hymn, pp. 334–39)
Psalm 123
To you have I lifted up my eyes,
you who dwell in the heavens.
Behold, like the eyes of slaves
on the hand of their lords,
like the eyes of a servant
on the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes are on the Lord our God,
till mercy be shown us.
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.
We are filled with contempt.
Indeed, all too full is our soul
with the scorn of the arrogant,
the disdain of the proud.
Glory to the Father . . .
Scripture 1 Corinthians 2:6-10a
W ]e do speak a wisdom to those who are mature, but
not a wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age
who are passing away. Rather, we speak God’s wisdom, mys-
terious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages
for our glory, and which none of the rulers of this age knew;
for if they had known it, they would not have crucified theSunday 61 Lord of glory. But as it is written: / “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, / and what has not entered the human heart, / what God has prepared for those who love him,” / this God has revealed to us through the Spirit. Read, Ponder, Pray on a word or phrase from these readings or another of today’s Scriptures (Lectio Divina, p. 340) Antiphon Christ has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak. Canticle of Mary (inside back cover) Intercessions Merciful God, you reveal to us your promise of unending life in Jesus. In hope we pray: r. Teach us your wisdom, O God. Increase your Church’s love and respect for the dignity and well-being of the poor and of every person. r. Open our eyes to the beauty of creation, and help us to address climate change. r. Help us to live our days in gratitude and love. r. Our Father . . . May we prefer nothing to the love of Christ, and may he bring us together to everlasting life. Amen.
September 5–11
Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time
Short meditations
Within the Word on a topic that
appears in the
A Pauline Puzzlement week’s readings.
Anyone who reads St. Paul’s letters knows they contain some
perplexing passages. We should not be surprised. Even the
earliest Christians recognized that Paul could be difficult to
understand. The Second Letter of Peter, for example, comments
on Paul’s letters: “There are some things in them hard to under-
stand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own de-
struction . . .” (3:16). A bold judgment, for sure. Alas, there
is no universal solution to all the puzzles one finds in Paul’s
letters. Each troubling passage has to be examined on its own.
One of these is found in Monday’s reading from Colossians.
In the first verse, we hear Paul make an astonishing claim:
“Brothers and sisters: I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake,
and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions
of Christ on behalf of his Body, which is the Church . . .”
(Col 1:24). Is Paul really saying that something was lacking
in Christ’s afflictions that he, Paul, is enhancing? How could
this be? Wasn’t Christ’s sacrifice on the cross complete?
To try to understand, we need first to say what the passage
does not mean. Most scholars, in fact, do not think Paul is
claiming that his sufferings somehow make up for something
lacking in Christ’s own. Such an assertion would contradict
Paul’s consistent testimony that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross
was perfect, definitive, and complete (see Rom 5:8-10; 1 Cor
1:13; 2 Cor 5:18-19). Paul is also not promoting an idea that
6263
can be found in some late Jewish writings: that a certain num-
ber of sufferings was needed to inaugurate the messianic end
times, to which he then adds his own. Christian teaching on
the end times does not concern the number of sacrifices
needed but the unknown length of time for the end to arrive
(see Mark 13:32-33; 1 Thess 5:1-2).
So is there a solution to this Pauline puzzle? Surprisingly,
one small shift in the placement of a phrase could clarify what
Paul means. Notice where the words “in my flesh” are posi-
tioned—before the expression “what is lacking in the afflic-
tions of Christ.” This translation makes it seem that Paul’s own
physical sufferings are making up for Christ’s. But the Greek
text literally reads, “I am filling up what is lacking in the af-
flictions of Christ in my flesh . . .” In this case, the lack is not
in Christ’s own sufferings but those in which Paul has shared,
which are for the sake of the Church, the Body of Christ!
Why would Paul say this? Because he emphasizes, as he
does elsewhere, that his apostolic ministry involves incredible
suffering with Christ for the sake of the Church (2 Cor 11:23-
28). We should also remember the context of Colossians; Paul
is writing from prison. He literally is suffering once more for
the sake of the Gospel. He is not being arrogant but simply
acknowledging that following Christ brings hardships (for
us, too!). He knows that more is coming. But he offers it all
up for the sake of the Colossians and all his communities.
In the end, Paul can certainly be puzzling, but a careful
reading can usually produce a more satisfying explanation.
—Fr. Ronald D. Witherup
Ronald D. Witherup, PSS, is Superior General of the Sulpicians. He
is author of numerous books, including Paul: Proclaiming Christ
Crucified in the Alive in the Word series and the recently released
Galatians: Life in the New Creation.64
Monday, September 6
Morning
O Lord, open my lips.
And my mouth will proclaim your praise.
(opt. hymn, pp. 334–39)
Psalm 20
May the Lord answer you in time of trial;
may the name of Jacob’s God protect you,
sending you help from the holy place,
and giving you support from Zion.
May God remember all your offerings,
receive your sacrifice with favor,
give you your heart’s desire,
and fulfill every one of your plans.
May we ring out our joy at your victory,
and raise banners in the name of our God.
May the Lord grant all your prayers.
Now I know the anointed one is saved by the Lord,
who answers from the holy heavens
with the right hand of victory and might.
Some put their trust in chariots or horses,
but we in the name of the Lord, our God.
They will collapse and fall,
but we shall rise up and hold firm.
Grant salvation to the king, O Lord,
give answer on the day we call.
Glory to the Father . . .Monday 65 Scripture Isaiah 58:13-14 I f you refrain from trampling the sabbath, / from following your own pursuits on my holy day; / If you call the sab- bath a delight, / the Lord’s holy day glorious; / If you glorify it by not following your ways, / seeking your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs— / Then you shall delight in the Lord, / and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth; / I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father, / for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Read, Ponder, Pray on a word or phrase from these readings or another of today’s Scriptures (Lectio Divina, p. 340) Antiphon Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil? Canticle of Zechariah (inside front cover) Intercessions Saving God, in your love you fashion the earth and make us partners in its flourishing. We humbly pray to you: r. God our Maker, lead us. Help us to secure safe working conditions and just wages for all laborers. r. Uphold the efforts of all who labor for justice, peace, and the healing of society. r. Increase support for small business owners and all who have suffered job loss due to the pandemic. r. Our Father . . . May God grant us to know the Shepherd’s voice and to fix our hearts upon that which lasts forever. Amen.
66 September 6
Blessed Among Us
St. Teresa of Calcutta
Inspiring
Founder, Missionaries of Charity stories
(1910–1997)
of men and women
Mother Teresa, an Albanian-born nun, spent twenty years as
a Loreto Sister in her order’s schools who lived
in India. holy
One day, lives
in 1946,
or accomplished
she was traveling by train in Darjeeling in the Himalayas and
suddenly sensed that God “wantedholy me toworks,
be poor with the
poor, and love him in the distressingfrom
disguiseancient times
of the poorest of
the poor.” This “call within a call” toinspired her
the present.to leave her
convent and set out for the byways of Calcutta. Others joined
her in what became the Missionaries of Charity. While their
work spread around the globe, Mother Teresa remained most
identified with her original home for the dying in Calcutta.
There, destitute and dying men and women who had lived like
“animals in the gutter” were able to “die like angels”—knowing
they were valued and loved as children of God.
Long after Mother Teresa’s death, the publication of her
private diaries revealed that after her original call, she had
spent most of her life in a state of spiritual darkness—even
doubting the existence of God. While some were shocked to
discover that such a holy woman could suffer such spiritual
anguish, others were moved and inspired to consider how
faithfully she had pursued her vocation, despite the lack of
spiritual consolation. Evidently Mother Teresa came to see
this darkness as part of her vocation—an opportunity to share
“a very, very small part of Jesus’ darkness and pain on earth.”
Mother Teresa died on September 5, 1997. By that time
she had long been acclaimed as a living saint. She was canon-
ized by Pope Francis in 2016.
“If I ever become a saint—I will surely be one of ‘darkness.’ I
will continually be absent from heaven—to light the light of
those in darkness on earth.” —St. Teresa of CalcuttaMonday 67
Mass
Monday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time
Entrance Antiphon Psalm 119 (118):137, 124
You are just, O Lord, and your judgment is right; / treat
your servant in accord with your merciful love.
Collect
O God, by whom we are redeemed and receive adoption,
look graciously upon your beloved sons and daughters,
that those who believe in Christ
may receive true freedom
and an everlasting inheritance.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul
to the Colossians 1:24–2:3
I am a minister of the Church to bring to completion
the mystery hidden from ages past.
B rothers and sisters: I rejoice in my sufferings for your
sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in
the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his Body, which is the
Church, of which I am a minister in accordance with God’s
stewardship given to me to bring to completion for you the
word of God, the mystery hidden from ages and from gen-
erations past. But now it has been manifested to his holy
ones, to whom God chose to make known the riches of the
glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; it is Christ in you,
the hope for glory. It is he whom we proclaim, admonishing
everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we
may present everyone perfect in Christ. For this I labor and68 September 6
struggle, in accord with the exercise of his power working
within me.
For I want you to know how great a struggle I am having
for you and for those in Laodicea and all who have not seen
me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged as they
are brought together in love, to have all the richness of as-
sured understanding, for the knowledge of the mystery of
God, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wis-
dom and knowledge.
The word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm 62:6-7, 9
r. (8) In God is my safety and my glory.
Only in God be at rest, my soul,
for from him comes my hope.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my stronghold; I shall not be disturbed. r.
Trust in him at all times, O my people!
Pour out your hearts before him;
God is our refuge! r.
Gospel Acclamation John 10:27
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke 6:6-11
The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely
to see if he would cure on the sabbath.
O n a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and
taught, and there was a man there whose right hand
was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him
closely to see if he would cure on the sabbath so that they
might discover a reason to accuse him. But he realized theirMonday 69 intentions and said to the man with the withered hand, “Come up and stand before us.” And he rose and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” Looking around at them all, he then said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so and his hand was restored. But they became enraged and discussed to- gether what they might do to Jesus. The Gospel of the Lord. Prayer over the Offerings O God, who give us the gift of true prayer and of peace, graciously grant that, through this offering, we may do fitting homage to your divine majesty and, by partaking of the sacred mystery, we may be faithfully united in mind and heart. Through Christ our Lord. Communion Antiphon Cf. Psalm 42 (41):2-3 Like the deer that yearns for running streams, / so my soul is yearning for you, my God; / my soul is thirsting for God, the living God. Or: John 8:12 I am the light of the world, says the Lord; / whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, / but will have the light of life. Prayer after Communion Grant that your faithful, O Lord, whom you nourish and endow with life through the food of your Word and heavenly Sacrament, may so benefit from your beloved Son’s great gifts that we may merit an eternal share in his life. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
70 September 6
Reflection
Apertures of Grace
We may think our pain means there is something wrong with
us, something we better get fixed or repaired or replaced. Or
we may think our pain means there is something wrong with
someone else—someone we need to impose our will on in
some way. But maybe there is nothing wrong with our pain.
Maybe there is something wrong with our minds and how
we think about our pain. Maybe our minds can be trans-
formed in such a way as to understand that the hardship of
the human condition is merely God poking holes in us for
the love to flow. . . .
Such an understanding does not diminish the suffering
we encounter or alleviate our sense of abandonment and
desolation, but it does have a vision of the future that includes
eternity. It knows that there is something more at stake here
than what I can see and hear and name or snatch, and it is
willing to live its life out of that reality on behalf of those who
do not recognize the shepherd.
For the world to change for the good, we need not so much
a new political direction as a willingness to wear our wounds
without shame and allow them to serve God and creation as
apertures of grace. . . .
In the face of evil, instead of blaming and attacking and
beating, Christians allow themselves to be pierced through
by evil, following the shepherd all the way to the cross and
becoming channels for the urgent love of God on behalf of
all people.
Loretta Ross, Letters from the Holy Ground
Loretta Ross, a retired Presbyterian clergywoman, directs The
Sanctuary Foundation for Prayer in Iowa City, Iowa.Monday 71
Evening
God, come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.
(opt. hymn, pp. 334–39)
Psalm 17:1-7
O Lord, hear a cause that is just,
pay heed to my cry.
Turn your ear to my prayer:
no deceit is on my lips.
From you may my justice come forth.
Your eyes discern what is upright.
Search my heart and visit me by night.
Test me by fire, and you will find no wrong in me.
My mouth does not transgress as others do;
on account of the words of your lips,
I have avoided the paths of the violent.
I kept my steps firmly in your paths.
My feet have never faltered.
To you I call; for you will surely heed me, O God.
Turn your ear to me; hear my words.
Display your faithful love,
you who deliver from their foes
those who trust in your right hand.
Glory to the Father . . .
Scripture Romans 12:17-21
D o not repay anyone evil for evil; be concerned for what
is noble in the sight of all. If possible, on your part, live
at peace with all. Beloved, do not look for revenge but leave
room for the wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine,72 September 6 I will repay, says the Lord.” Rather, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.” Do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good. Read, Ponder, Pray on a word or phrase from these readings or another of today’s Scriptures (Lectio Divina, p. 340) Antiphon Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath rather than to do evil? Canticle of Mary (inside back cover) Intercessions Just God, you deliver us from our foes and show us your faithful love. In trust we pray: r. O God, hear us. Unite people of faith in works of mercy toward those who are hungry, homeless, or without adequate finances. r. Heal those who suffer from bullying, slander, or unkind speech. r. Help us to reach out to those who suffer the effects of war, disaster, or tragedy. r. Our Father . . . May God make us firm in faith, unwavering in hope, and courageous in love, through Jesus, the Wisdom of God. Amen.
Every month, look forward to – • Feature essays • “Teach Us To Pray” • Seasonal prayers and blessings • Daily Mass readings • Order of the Mass • Liturgy of the Word • Guide to Lectio Divina • Hymns • “About the Cover”
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