“‘Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.'” … “The Lord made us, we belong to Him.” … “God … Rich in Mercy, because of the great Love He had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to Life with Christ …”
MASS READINGS 10.17.16 – FIRST READING: Ephesians 2:1-10 – PSALM 100:1B-2, 3, 4AB, 4C-5 – GOSPEL: Luke 9:46-50 – FIND A MASS: MassTimes.org – FIND A MASS: TheCatholicDirectory.com
DAILY TV MASS: Catholic TV – Boston
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FIRST READING
FIRST READING: Ephesians 2:1-10
Saint Paul explains that, even though we were once dead in our sins, God, in His Mercy and Love, brings us to life with Christ, raising us up with Christ.
You were dead in your transgressions and sins
in which you once lived following the age of this world
* * *
… God, Who is Rich in Mercy,
because of the great Love He had for us,
… brought us to life with Christ (by Grace you have been saved),
raised us up with Him
* * *
For by Grace you have been saved through faith,
… the gift of God …
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
The Lord made us, we belong to Him.
GOSPEL
Christ exhorts us to guard against all greed, and to remember that one’s life does not consist of possessions. Instead, we should become rich in what matters to God.
‘There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.
… he said, ‘… I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.
… store all my grain and other goods … “rest, eat, drink, be merry!”‘
But God said to him,
“You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’
Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself
but is not rich in what matters to God.’
So Jesus calls us to focus on becoming “rich” in what matters to God.
That means showing we love God by keeping God’s Commands and serving Christ in our neighbor, especially Christ in distressing disguise in the person of the poor and those in greatest need.
On this Feast Day of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, we also are reminded that becoming rich in what matters to God includes remaining Faithful to God, even in the face of persecution and attack.
[Scripture passages excerpted or adapted from the NABRE, available online from the USCCB, which provides the following rights statement:
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.]
