The month of September is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

“On the last day, when the general examination takes place, there will be no question at all on the texts of Aristotle, the aphorisms of Hippocrates, or the paragraphs of Justinian. Charity will be the whole syllabus.” +SAINT ROBERT BELLARMINE

The Twenty-fourth Week
in Ordinary Time

Monday, September 16 | St. Cornelius

Holy Gospel: Luke 7:1-10 

Prayer: O God, in Saints Cornelius and Cyprian you have given your people an inspiring example of dedication to the pastoral ministry and constant witness to Christ in their suffering. May their prayers and faith give us courage to work for the unity of your Church. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Contemplation: The centurion who approached Jesus was not only courageous, but faith-filled as well. He risked the ridicule of his cronies by seeking help from an itinerant preacher from Galilee, and well as mockery from the Jews. Nonetheless, he approached Jesus with confidence and humility. Augustine note that the centurion regarded himself as unworthy to receive the Lord into his house: “Humility was the door through which the Lord entered to take full possession of one whom he already possessed.” Jesus commends him for his faith and immediately grants him his request. Are you willing to suffer ridicule in the practice of your faith? When you need help, do you approach the Lord Jesus with expectant faith?

Tuesday, September 17| St. Robert Bellarmine

Holy Gospel: Luke 7:11-17

Prayer: O God, who adorned the Bishop Saint Robert Bellarmine with wonderful learning and virtue to vindicate the faith of your Church, grant, through his intercession, that in the integrity of that same faith your people may always find joy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Contemplation: How do you respond to the misfortunes of others? In a number of places the gospel records that Jesus was “moved to the depths of his heart” when he met with individuals and with groups of people. Our English word “compassion” doesn’t fully convey the deeper meaning of the original Hebrew word which expresses heart-felt “sympathy” and personal identification with the suffering person’s grief and physical condition. Why was Jesus so moved on this occasion when he met a widow and a crowded funeral procession on their way to the cemetery? Jesus not only grieved the untimely death of a young man, but he showed the depth of his concern for the woman who lost not only her husband, but here only child as well. When a member of the parish dies, how do you respond to the death of a member of the parish? What about the deceased’s family members? Perhaps you may not know them well, but as a member of the parish community, should we not pray for the repose of the soul of the deceased, and extend heartfelt compassion and sympathy for the family? Of course we should. For this is an important aspect of community, of belonging to a parish, and what being a member of Christ body is all about.

Wednesday, September 18

Holy Gospel: Luke 7:31-35

Prayer: Look upon us, O God, Creator and ruler of all things, and, that we may feel the working of your mercy, grant that we may serve you with all our heart. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Contemplation: Have you ever sat back and thought about those things that can make us spiritually dull and slow to hear God’s voice? Like the generation of Jesus’ time, our age is marked by indifference and contempt, especially in regards to the things of God’s kingdom. Indifference dulls our ears to God’s voice and to the good news of the gospel. Only the humble of heart can find joy in God’s grace and favor. Do you listen to God’s word with faith and obedience?

Thursday, September 19 

Holy Gospel: Luke 7:36-50

Prayer: O God, who grant us to venerate the memory of the Martyr Saint Januarius, give us, we pray, the joy of his company in blessed happiness for all eternity. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Contemplation: No one who met Jesus could do so with indifference. They were either attracted to him or repelled by him. Why did a rabbi invite him to a nice dinner and then treat him discourteously by neglecting to give him the customary signs of respect and honor? Simon was very likely a collector of celebrities. He patronized Jesus because of his popularity with the crowds. Why did he criticize Jesus’ compassionate treatment of a “sinful woman” — most likely a prostitute? The Pharisees shunned the company of “public sinners” and in so doing they neglected to give them the help they needed to find healing and wholeness. Jesus makes clear that great love springs from a heart forgiven and cleansed. “Love covers a multitude of sins” (ref. 1 Peter 4:8), “for love is of God” (ref. 1 John 4:7). The woman’s lavish expression of love was proof that she had found favor with God. The stark contrast of attitudes between Simon and the woman of ill-repute, demonstrate how we can either accept or reject God’s mercy.

Friday, September 20 | Sts. Andrew Kim, Paul Chong, and companions

Holy Gospel: Luke 8:1-3

Prayer: O God, who have been pleased to increase your adopted children in all the world, and who made the blood of the Martyrs Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon and his companions a most fruitful seed of Christians, grant that we may be defended by their help and profit always from their example. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Contemplation: Our privilege as children of God and disciples of Jesus is to serve as Jesus served with humility, selfless love, generosity, joy, and a willingness to do whatever God asks of us. God, in his turn, gives us every good gift and grace we need to carry out our task and mission. God in his infinite power needs no one, but in his wisdom and love, he chooses to entrust his work through each one of us. His Holy Spirit equips us with all that we need to love and serve others. No one is unimportant or unnecessary in God’s economy. The least in his kingdom find a home and a mission at Jesus’ side. Do you know the joy of serving Jesus in company with others who love and serve him willingly?

About St. Andrew Kim, St. Paul Chong, and Companions: This first native Korean priest was the son of Korean converts. His father, Ignatius Kim, was martyred during the persecution of 1839 and was beatified in 1925. Paul Chong Hasang was a lay apostle and a married man, age 45. Christianity came to Korea during the Japanese invasion in 1592 when some Koreans were baptized, probably by Christian Japanese soldiers. Evangelization was difficult because Korea refused all contact with the outside world except for an annual journey to Beijing to pay taxes. When Pope John Paul II visited Korea in 1984, he canonized Andrew, Paul, ninety-eight Koreans and three French missionaries who had been martyred between 1839 and 1867. Among them were bishops and priests, but for the most part they were laypersons: 47 women, 45 men. Among the martyrs in 1839 was Columba Kim, an unmarried woman of twenty-six. She was put in prison, pierced with hot awls and seared with burning coals. She and her sister Agnes were disrobed and kept for two days in a cell with condemned criminals, but were not molested. After Columba complained about the indignity, no more women were subjected to it. The two were beheaded. A boy of thirteen, Peter Ryou, had his flesh so badly torn that he could pull off pieces and throw them at the judges. He was killed by strangulation. Protase Chong, a forty-one-year-old noble, apostatized under torture and was freed. Later he came back, confessed his faith and was tortured to death. Today there are approximately four million Catholics in Korea.

Scripture passages (NAB translation) courtesy of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; prayers are from The Roman Missal, Catholic Book Publishing, 2011; information about saints, solemnities, feasts and memorials courtesy of Catholic Culture.
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