MONDAY WITHIN THE NINTH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME
MARY, MOTHER OF THE CHURCH
MEMORIAL
Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.Examen
Before listening to the Word of God take a moment to reflect. For what am I grateful to God for today? Where did I stray from God: through words, actions or things I did not do. How might I do better tomorrow? What grace do I ask from God in order to live more closely in his love? You may wish to conclude by saying: Lord Jesus, you have revealed yourself as the way to the Father: Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. You have poured out on your people the Spirit of truth: Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. You are the Good Shepherd, leading us to eternal life: Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.Collect
O God, whose providence never fails in its design, keep from us, we humbly beseech you, all that might harm us and grant all that works for our good. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.First Reading
A reading from the book of Tobit 1:3; 2: 1-8
Tobit feared God more than he feared the king.
I, Tobit, have walked in paths of truth and in good works all the days of my life. I have given much in alms to my brothers and fellow countrymen, exiled like me in Nineveh in the country of Assyria. At our feast of Pentecost (the feast of Weeks) there was a good dinner. I took my place for the meal; the table was brought to me and various dishes were brought. Then I said to my son Tobias, ‘Go, my child, and seek out some poor, loyal-hearted man among our brothers exiled in Nineveh, and bring him to share my meal. I will wait until you come back, my child.’ So Tobias went out to look for some poor man among our brothers, but he came back again and said, ‘Father!’ I answered, ‘What is it, my child?’ He went on, ‘Father, one of our nation has just been murdered; he has been strangled and then thrown down in the market place; he is there still.’ I sprang up at once, left my meal untouched, took the man from the market place and laid him in one of my rooms, waiting until sunset to bury him. I came in again and washed myself and ate my bread in sorrow, remembering the words of the prophet Amos concerning Bethel: Your feast will be turned to mourning, and all your songs to lamentation. And I wept. When the sun was down, I went and dub a grave and buried him. My neighbours laughed and said, ‘See! he is not afraid any more.’ (You must remember that a price had been set on my head earlier for this very thing.) ‘The time before this he had to flee, yet here he is, beginning to bury the dead again.’ The word of the Lord.Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 111:1-6. R. v.1
Happy the man who fears the Lord. Happy the man who fears the Lord, who takes delight in all his commands. His sons will be powerful on earth; the children of the upright are blessed. R. Riches and wealth are in his house; his justice stand firm for ever. He is a light in the darkness for the upright: he is generous, merciful and just. R. The good man takes pity and lends, he conducts his affairs with honour. The just man will never waiver: he will be remembered for ever. R.Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, Alleluia! Let the message of Christ, in all its richness, find a home with you; through him give thanks to God the Father. Alleluia!Gospel
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 12: 1-12
They seized the beloved son, killed him, and threw him our of the vineyard.
Jesus began to speak to the chief priests, the scribes and the elders in parables, ‘A man planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug out a trough for the winepress and built a tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad. When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce from the vineyard. But they seized the man, thrashed him and sent him away empty-handed. Next he sent another servant to them; him they beat about the head and treated shamefully. And he sent another and him they killed; then a number of others, and they thrashed some and killed the rest. He had still someone left; his beloved son. He sent him to them last of all. ‘They will respect my son’ he said. But those tenants said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they seized him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. Now what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and make an end of the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this text of scripture: It was the stone rejected by the builders that became the keystone. This was the Lord’s doing and it is wonderful to see?’ And they would have liked to arrest him, because they realised that the parable was aimed at them, but they were afraid of the crowds. So they left him alone and went away. The Gospel of the Lord.Profession of Faith
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen,