Menu
First Reading: 1 Mac 2:15-29
The officers of the king in charge of enforcing the apostasy
came to the city of Modein to organize the sacrifices.
Many of Israel joined them,
but Mattathias and his sons gathered in a group apart.
Then the officers of the king addressed Mattathias:
"You are a leader, an honorable and great man in this city,
supported by sons and kin.
Come now, be the first to obey the king's command,
as all the Gentiles and the men of Judah
and those who are left in Jerusalem have done.
Then you and your sons shall be numbered among the King's Friends,
and shall be enriched with silver and gold and many gifts."
But Mattathias answered in a loud voice:
"Although all the Gentiles in the king's realm obey him,
so that each forsakes the religion of his fathers
and consents to the king's orders,
yet I and my sons and my kin
will keep to the covenant of our fathers.
God forbid that we should forsake the law and the commandments.
We will not obey the words of the king
nor depart from our religion in the slightest degree."
As he finished saying these words,
a certain Jew came forward in the sight of all
to offer sacrifice on the altar in Modein
according to the king's order.
When Mattathias saw him, he was filled with zeal;
his heart was moved and his just fury was aroused;
he sprang forward and killed him upon the altar.
At the same time, he also killed the messenger of the king
who was forcing them to sacrifice,
and he tore down the altar.
Thus he showed his zeal for the law,
just as Phinehas did with Zimri, son of Salu.
Then Mattathias went through the city shouting,
"Let everyone who is zealous for the law
and who stands by the covenant follow after me!"
Thereupon he fled to the mountains with his sons,
leaving behind in the city all their possessions.
Many who sought to live according to righteousness and religious custom
went out into the desert to settle there.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 50:1b-2, 5-6, 14-15
R./ To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
God the LORD has spoken and summoned the earth,
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
From Zion, perfect in beauty,
God shines forth.
R./ To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"Gather my faithful ones before me,
those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice."
And the heavens proclaim his justice;
for God himself is the judge.
R./ To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"Offer to God praise as your sacrifice
and fulfill your vows to the Most High;
Then call upon me in time of distress;
I will rescue you, and you shall glorify me."
R./ To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
Gospel Reading: Lk 19:41-44
When Jesus had come in sight of the city, he wept over it and said, "If only today you knew the ways of peace! But now your eyes are held from seeing. Yet days will come upon you when your enemies will surround you with barricades and shut you in and press on you from every side. And they will dash you to the ground and your children with you, and leave not a stone within you, for you did not recognize the time and the visitation of your God."
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
we seek the road to peace
of Jesus Christ your Son.
Let us be your chosen people
recognizing day after day
the time of your visitation.
Let this very day be the time
when we are open to your coming
in the words you speak to us,
in the people we meet,
in those who cry out for compassion
and a bit of warmth.
We ask you this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading Introduction
The priest and leader Matthatias turns down the honors and power promised him if he renounces his faith and offers sacrifice in honor of King Antiochus IV Epiphanes of Syria. He starts the open revolt of the Jewish people, a revolt that is both religious and political.
Gospel Introduction
Luke wrote his gospel when the Temple had already been destroyed. How come that the Jewish people, God’s own, who had been so zealous to fight for loyalty to the God of the covenant, did not recognize Christ, the expected one? It is not up to us to condemn, as Christians have often done in the past. With Jesus we weep over the city and its people and pray and work that Jews too may find their Messiah. And in the meantime, let us too know the paths of peace of God’s people, and recognize the time the Lord visits us.
General Intercessions
– Lord, we regret and ask pardon that at times we have been negligent and cold to your love; forgive us, we pray:
– Lord Jesus, that those who have heard your call to follow you and refused to respond may again be ready to journey with you, we pray:
– Lord Jesus, that our communities may again heed your call to be one of heart and mind, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father,
as a pledge of our faithfulness
to the bonds of the covenant
we bring bread and wine before you.
Accept us with your Son,
and keep us united in him
as the people you love.
This we ask in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Prayer after Communion
God our Father,
your Son wept over the people
from which he was born
and which he loved with all his heart.
Let him not weep over us
but by the strength of this eucharist
make us seek what brings us your peace:
you and your kingdom
of integrity and goodness.
Grant us this through your faithful servant,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
We are asked to recognize the coming of the Lord not in a long ago past but now, today, in our lives and our communities. May God give you this grace and bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
