Today, 23rd of March, we celebrate
Saint Turibius of Mongrovejo
First Reading: Col 1:1-8
Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the holy ones and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae: grace to you and peace from God our Father.
We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the holy ones because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. Of this you have already heard through the word of truth, the Gospel, that has come to you. Just as in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing, so also among you, from the day you heard it and came to know the grace of God in truth, as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow slave, who is a trustworthy minister of Christ on your behalf
and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 52:10, 11
R (10) I trust in the mercy of God for ever.
I, like a green olive tree
in the house of God,
Trust in the mercy of God
forever and ever.
R I trust in the mercy of God for ever.
I will thank you always for what you have done,
and proclaim the goodness of your name
before your faithful ones.
R I trust in the mercy of God for ever.
Gospel Reading: Lk 4:38-44
Leaving the synagogue, Jesus went to the house of Simon. His mother-in-law was suffering from high fever and they asked him to do something for her. Bending over her, he rebuked the fever, and it left her. Immediately she got up and waited on them.
At sunset, people suffering from many kinds of sickness were brought to Jesus. Laying his hands on each one, he healed them. Demons were driven out, howling as they departed from their victims, "You are the Son of God!" He rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, for they knew he was the Messiah.
Jesus left at daybreak and looked for a solitary place. People went out in search of him and, finding him, they tried to dissuade him from leaving.
But he said, "I have to go to other towns to announce the good news of the kingdom of God. That is what I was sent to do." So Jesus continued to preach in the synagogues of the Jewish country.
ST. GREGORY THE GREAT
Pope and Church Doctor
September 3
Introduction
Gregory the Great (540–604) was civil prefect (governor) of Rome; he became a Benedictine monk, later papal envoy to Constantinople. Elected Pope, he reluctantly accepted, as he preferred the monastic life. He was a very capable administrator, looking upon his task as service. His incumbency during difficult times was marked by his efforts to care for the socially deprived, to reconcile factions within the Church, to create cordial relations with the Church in Spain and France and to evangelize England. He reformed the Roman liturgy, though his relation to "Gregorian chant" is mere fantasy, for the "old Roman" music he promoted disappeared in the 14th century. Let us honor him today especially as a reformer of the Church and "servant of the servants" as he called himself.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
St. Gregory followed Jesus, your Son,
in his commitment to you
and his service to the people entrusted to him.
May the Spirit of Jesus be alive in us
and dispose us to become, like your Son,
powerless and vulnerable,
so that we can serve one another,
especially the weakest of our brothers and sisters.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
Prayer over the Gifts
God of all people,
as Jesus serves us himself at table
in the signs of bread and wine,
let him fill us with that love,
which alone can understand
that to be great is to serve others
and to use up our lives
to give people a chance to live and be free.
May we seek no other reward
than to share the destiny of Jesus,
our Lord and Savior for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Loving God,
your Son, Jesus, has been with us
in this Eucharistic celebration
as the servant of us all.
Let him dispose our hearts
and fill it with the courage
to understand and accept others,
to accompany them on the road of life
to suffer their pains
and to rejoice with their joys,
that we may serve them with Jesus,
our Savior and Lord for ever.
