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First Reading: Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27, 31–5:1
Brothers and sisters:
It is written that Abraham had two sons,
one by the slave woman and the other by the freeborn woman.
The son of the slave woman was born naturally,
the son of the freeborn through a promise.
Now this is an allegory.
These women represent two covenants.
One was from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery;
this is Hagar.
But the Jerusalem above is freeborn, and she is our mother.
For it is written:
Rejoice, you barren one who bore no children;
break forth and shout, you who were not in labor;
for more numerous are the children of the deserted one
than of her who has a husband.
Therefore, brothers and sisters,
we are children not of the slave woman
but of the freeborn woman.
For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm
and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 113:1b-2, 3-4, 5a and 6-7
R./ Blessed be the name of the Lord forever. or: Alleluia.
Praise, you servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the name of the Lord
both now and forever.
R./ Blessed be the name of the Lord forever. or: Alleluia.
From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the Lord to be praised.
High above all nations is the Lord;
above the heavens is his glory.
R./ Blessed be the name of the Lord forever. or: Alleluia.
Who is like the Lord, our God,
who looks upon the heavens and the earth below?
He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor.
R./ Blessed be the name of the Lord forever. or: Alleluia.
Gospel Introduction
Jesus reprimands the Jews for not believing unless they see spectacular signs. But Christ proclaims that faith consists in trust in the word and in the person of the one who is sent. The early Christian community specified further: faith rests in confidence in the risen Christ. The preeminent sign is Jesus Christ himself. We believe not because of this or that wonder or proof but because Jesus makes God visible to us.
Gospel Reading: Lk 11:29-32
As the crowd increased, Jesus began to speak in this way, "People of the present time are evil people. They ask for a sign, but no sign will be given to them except the sign of Jonah. As Jonah became a sign for the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be a sign for this generation. The Queen of the South will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and here there is greater than Solomon. The people of Nineveh will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for Jonah's preaching made them turn from their sins, and here there is greater than Jonah."
ST. THERESA OF JESUS, Virgin and Church Doctor
Memorial
October 15
Introduction
St Teresa of Jesus (of Avila) (1515–1582) had to grow from a lukewarm Carmelite nun into a fervent one. In The Interior Castle, she describes her mystic experience of deep union with the Lord. God is felt with a quiet, mystic feeling as living in one's deepest castle. Notwithstanding much opposition, Teresa reformed her Carmel and much of the Carmelite order on the basis of a life of deep prayer and a profound sense of community. Because of her writings about mysticism, she became the first woman to be a doctor of the Church.
Opening Prayer
Our living and loving God,
St. Teresa of Jesus was deeply aware
how much you live in the deepest of ourselves.
May Teresa help us to live Jesus' life
as living branches attached to the vine,
who bear plenty of fruit
of justice, goodness, and love.
Let our union with Jesus become visible
in our openness to one another
and in a deep sense of prayer.
We ask this though Christ, our Lord.
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God, center of our lives,
you planted your Son among us
as the true, life-giving vine.
Let him give himself to us
as our bread of strength
and pour himself for us
as the vigorous, unifying vine,
that he may live in us and we in him
and that we can do all things in him,
for he is our Lord for ever.
Prayer after Communion
God, core of our life,
we thank you for filling us
with the sap of life of Jesus, our true vine.
May we go on living in deep union
with him and with one another,
that in the uncertainties of life
we may go on believing, hoping,
and building together a kingdom of love.
And when we go again our selfish ways,
use your pruning knife
to purify our faith and love.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
