Today, 13th of January, we celebrate
Saint Hilary
First Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
You recall, brothers and sisters, our toil and drudgery.
Working night and day in order not to burden any of you,
we proclaimed to you the Gospel of God.
You are witnesses, and so is God,
how devoutly and justly and blamelessly
we behaved toward you believers.
As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his children,
exhorting and encouraging you and insisting
that you walk in a manner worthy of the God
who calls you into his Kingdom and glory.
And for this reason we too give thanks to God unceasingly,
that, in receiving the word of God from hearing us,
you received it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God,
which is now at work in you who believe.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 139:7-8, 9-10, 11-12ab
R./ You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
Where can I go from your spirit?
From your presence where can I flee?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I sink to the nether world, you are present there.
R./ You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
If I take the wings of the dawn,
if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
Even there your hand shall guide me,
and your right hand hold me fast.
R./ You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
If I say, "Surely the darkness shall hide me,
and night shall be my light"–
For you darkness itself is not dark,
and night shines as the day.
R./ You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 23:23-26
Jesus said:
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin,
and have neglected the weightier things of the law:
judgment and mercy and fidelity.
But these you should have done, without neglecting the others.
Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You cleanse the outside of cup and dish,
but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.
Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup,
so that the outside also may be clean."
Living as God Deserves
Today’s weekday readings encourage us to live “as God deserves.” God does not need to earn our honor or our upright lives—He is always worthy of all glory and praise. Giving glory to God in practice means living a life that is upright, joyful, hopeful, loving, and just. It is only right and fitting.
At the same time, today we remember St. Monica—the woman whose tears won her son for Christ. Her tears and prayers brought Augustine to live “as God deserves.” When Augustine seemed far from redemption, Monica kept crying and praying because she believed her son was “dead” to real life. And what a life Augustine had later! Monica’s tears gave life not only to Augustine, but to the Church for centuries.
That is why today’s Gospel reading recalls the widow of Nain. Her son was truly dead. Yet she was told: “Do not weep.” Save your tears, because God is the God of life. Monica’s tears brought life to Augustine. The widow’s tears brought life to her son. Even today, many mothers and grandmothers cry because they see their children or grandchildren walking paths of death—bad choices, addictions, indifference to faith, extreme materialism, selfishness. To them the message is the same: “Do not weep. Your prayers are heard.” Or perhaps: keep crying, but cry before God with trust, knowing He can bring life out of death. Cry with the faith of Sarah, Hannah, and Elizabeth, knowing that what seems impossible is always possible for God.
Pray and cry so that your loved ones may live “as God deserves”: upright, joyful, peaceful, hopeful, loving, and just. And this is not only for their personal life, but also for the life of the Church. May all Christians live “as God deserves.” To Him be all glory and praise.
ST. MONICA
Introduction
A convinced Christian, Monica (332—387) was married to a short-tempered, philandering husband. She succeeded in converting both him and her motherinlaw. Her son, Augustine, belonged to the Manichean sect and his moral conduct caused her much anxiety and shame. Yet Monica could finally win him to the faith by her prayers and penance—and what a man and Christian Augustine became! His mother's tears had brought him to life in Christ (hence the Gospel). Thus, she was twice his mother. Her life was that of a lot of women—trials in marriage, worries about difficult children. But she knew that faith in Christ makes everything possible.
Opening Prayer
Almighty eternal God, to give a human life to their children is the great task you entrust to mothers. We thank you today for St. Monica, who prayed to you for her son, Augustine, that he might find Jesus.
Grant to all parents that they may help their children live and grow in the life and the future of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God, let this bread and wine be the signs, that•with your Son, Jesus Christ, we care about your kingdom among people. Help us through your Son to lead one another forward on the way to you. May he live in all of us, for he is our Lord for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God, we thank you for Jesus Christ and for the many men and women to whom he meant enough to dedicate themselves to their neighbor for his sake.
Let them inspire us today to care for those around us. Help us to believe firmly enough in the mystery of your Son's resurrection, to rise above our petty selves and to help others overcome their fears and their servitudes through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
