Liturgical Readings for : Friday, 11th October, 2024
Friday of the Twenty Seventh Week in Ordinary Time, Cycle B
Children’s Day of Prayer for the Poorest Young People of the the world
Optional memorials of St John XXIII, pope
and St Canice, abbot
FIRST READING
A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Galatians 3:7-14
Those therefore who rely on faith receive the same blessing as Abraham, the man of faith.
Don’t you see that it is those who rely on faith who are the sons of Abraham? Scripture foresaw that God was going to use faith to justify the pagans, and proclaimed the Good News long ago when Abraham was told:
In you all the pagans will be blessed.
Those therefore who rely on faith receive the same blessing as Abraham, the man of faith.
On the other hand, those who rely on the keeping of the Law are under a curse, since scripture says:
Cursed be everyone who does not persevere in observing everything prescribed in the book of the Law.
The Law will not justify anyone in the sight of God, because we are told:
‘the righteous man finds life through faith.’
The Law is not even based on faith, since we are told:
The man who practises these precepts finds life through practising them.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by being cursed for our sake, since scripture says:
Cursed be everyone who is hanged on a tree.
This was done so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might include the pagans, and so that through faith we might receive the promised Spirit.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 110
Response The Lord keeps his covenant ever in mind.
or Alleluia!
1. I will thank the Lord with all my heart in the meeting of the just and their assembly.
Great are the works of the Lord; to be pondered by all who love them. Response
2. Majestic and glorious his work, his justice stands firm for ever.
He makes us remember his wonders. The Lord is compassion and love. Response
3. He gives food to those who fear him; keeps his covenant ever in mind.
He has shown his might to his people . by giving them the lands of the nations. Response
Gospel Acclamation Jn 10: 27
Alleluia, alleluia!
The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice, says the lord,
I know them and they follow me.
Alleluia !
or Jn 12: 31-32
Alleluia, alleluia!
Now the prince of this world is to be overthrown, says the Lord;
And when I am lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all men to myself.’
Alleluia !
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you And with your spirit.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke 11:15-26 Glory to you, O Lord
If it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you.
When Jesus had cast out a devil, some of them said,
‘It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he casts out devils’.
Others asked him, as a test, for a sign from heaven; but, knowing what they were thinking,
he said to them,
‘Every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin, and a household divided against itself collapses. So too with Satan: if he is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? – Since you assert that it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils.
Now if it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils, through whom do your own experts cast them out? Let them be your judges then. But if it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you. So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own palace, his goods are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than he is attacks and defeats him, the stronger man takes away all the weapons he relied on and shares out his spoil.
‘He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters.
‘When an unclean spirit goes out of a man it wanders through waterless country looking for a place to rest, and not finding one it says, “I will go back to the home I came from“. But on arrival, finding it swept and tidied, it then goes off and brings seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and set up house there, so that the man ends up by being worse than he was before.’
The Gospel of the Lord Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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Gospel Reflection Friday Twenty Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Luke 11:15-26
According to today’s gospel reading, when some people looked at the healing ministry of Jesus, instead of seeing the finger of God, the reign of God at work, they saw the activity of Satan. The gospels suggest that Jesus was completely misunderstood by some. It is hard to imagine a greater misunderstanding that what we find in today’s gospel reading. Yet, he continued to reach out to those who misunderstood him; he worked to get them to see that it was the Holy Spirit and not some evil spirit that was at work in his ministry.
Even on the cross, according to Luke, Jesus prayed for those who were executing him as a common criminal or rebel. We can all experience misunderstanding, even if not on the scale that Jesus experienced it. It can sometimes be the price we pay for doing something worthwhile. Jesus remained faithful to his calling and his mission, in spite of the kind of misunderstanding of him that many showed. In similar circumstances, we too need to remain faithful and not lose our nerve. In doing this, the Lord’s Spirit will help us.
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The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd.
