Weekly Mass Discussion Thread #62

!catholics !christians happy 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time!

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First Reading

In those days, Elijah the prophet went to Zarephath.

As he arrived at the entrance of the city,

a widow was gathering sticks there; he called out to her,

"Please bring me a small cupful of water to drink."

She left to get it, and he called out after her,

"Please bring along a bit of bread."

She answered, "As the LORD, your God, lives,

I have nothing baked; there is only a handful of flour in my jar

and a little oil in my jug.

Just now I was collecting a couple of sticks,

to go in and prepare something for myself and my son;

when we have eaten it, we shall die."

Elijah said to her, "Do not be afraid.

Go and do as you propose.

But first make me a little cake and bring it to me.

Then you can prepare something for yourself and your son.

For the LORD, the God of Israel, says,

'The jar of flour shall not go empty,

nor the jug of oil run dry,

until the day when the LORD sends rain upon the earth.'"

She left and did as Elijah had said.

She was able to eat for a year, and he and her son as well;

the jar of flour did not go empty,

nor the jug of oil run dry,

as the LORD had foretold through Elijah.

-1 Kings 17:10:-16

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Responsorial Psalm

R. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul!

or:

R. Alleluia.

The LORD keeps faith forever,

secures justice for the oppressed,

gives food to the hungry.

The LORD sets captives free.

R. Praise the Lord, my soul!

or:

R. Alleluia.

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. Praise the Lord, my soul!

or:

R. Alleluia.

The fatherless and the widow he sustains,

but the way of the wicked he thwarts.

The LORD shall reign forever;

your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.

R. Praise the Lord, my soul!

or:

R. Alleluia.

-Psalms 146:7, 8-9, 9-10

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Second Reading

Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands,

a copy of the true one, but heaven itself,

that he might now appear before God on our behalf.

Not that he might offer himself repeatedly,

as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary

with blood that is not his own;

if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly

from the foundation of the world.

But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages

to take away sin by his sacrifice.

Just as it is appointed that human beings die once,

and after this the judgment, so also Christ,

offered once to take away the sins of many,

will appear a second time, not to take away sin

but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.

-Hebrews 9:24-28

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Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

-Matthew 5:3

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Gospel

In the course of his teaching Jesus said to the crowds,

"Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes

and accept greetings in the marketplaces,

seats of honor in synagogues,

and places of honor at banquets.

They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext

recite lengthy prayers.

They will receive a very severe condemnation."

He sat down opposite the treasury

and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury.

Many rich people put in large sums.

A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents.

Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them,

"Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more

than all the other contributors to the treasury.

For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth,

but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had,

her whole livelihood."

-Mark 12:38-44

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The widow in the Old Testament, after the events of the passage, has her son die, who is brought back to life when Elijah prays for him. We never learn what becomes of the widow in the Gospel today, but for her to be an example for even the Apostles, surely her ultimate reward in Heaven is great. The message today is to trust in God. God created the whole universe; to feed you is trivial. The homily at my church today was by our deacon, who is currently a seminarian, and he talked about how from at least his time in undergrad he felt some degree of calling to the priesthood, but didn't answer it until later in life because he feared it would be a worse life for him than the lay life. But when he ultimately placed his trust in God and became a seminarian, he became happier than he ever was as a layperson. God's call is not always easy to answer, but doing so will always be the best for you.