October 1, 2021

Readings for the Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, virgin and doctor of the Church

Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

Lectionary: 459

Reading I

Bar 1:15-22

During the Babylonian captivity, the exiles prayed:
“Justice is with the Lord, our God;
and we today are flushed with shame,
we men of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem,
that we, with our kings and rulers
and priests and prophets, and with our ancestors,
have sinned in the Lord’s sight and disobeyed him.
We have neither heeded the voice of the Lord, our God,
nor followed the precepts which the Lord set before us.
From the time the Lord led our ancestors out of the land of Egypt
until the present day,
we have been disobedient to the Lord, our God,
and only too ready to disregard his voice.
And the evils and the curse that the Lord enjoined upon Moses, his servant,
at the time he led our ancestors forth from the land of Egypt
to give us the land flowing with milk and honey,
cling to us even today.
For we did not heed the voice of the Lord, our God,
in all the words of the prophets whom he sent us,
but each one of us went off
after the devices of his own wicked heart,
served other gods,
and did evil in the sight of the Lord, our God.”

Responsorial Psalm

79:1b-2, 3-5, 8, 9

1.  (9) For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
   O God, the nations have come into your inheritance;
       they have defiled your holy temple,
       they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
   They have given the corpses of your servants
       as food to the birds of heaven,
       the flesh of your faithful ones to the beasts of the earth.
   R.    For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
   They have poured out their blood like water
       round about Jerusalem,
       and there is no one to bury them.
   We have become the reproach of our neighbors,
       the scorn and derision of those around us.
   O LORD, how long? Will you be angry forever?
       Will your jealousy burn like fire?
   R.   For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
   Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
       may your compassion quickly come to us,
       for we are brought very low.
   R.    For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
   Help us, O God our savior,
       because of the glory of your name;
   Deliver us and pardon our sins
       for your name’s sake.
   R.    For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

Alleluia

Ps 95:8

1. Alleluia, alleluia.
   If today you hear his voice,
   harden not your hearts.
   R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Lk 10:13-16

Jesus said to them,
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst
had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
they would long ago have repented,
sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon
at the judgment than for you.
And as for you, Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to heaven?
You will go down to the netherworld.’
Whoever listens to you listens to me.
Whoever rejects you rejects me. 
And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

Reflection: THE LITTLE WAY

St. Therese of the Child Jesus is a young saint, of simplicity and love; of trusting abandonment to God's will. A holy young woman so present in our times is a model for the young today. In the school of the Gospel, she shows us the path of Christian maturity. She loved flowers and saw herself as the "little flower of Jesus." Prophet Baruch reminds us that we too have sinned and disobeyed God." The Gospel shows how many in his day refused to receive the Good News of Jesus. Jesus ministered in a very small space along the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum, Bethsaida, and Corazin. Precisely in this very small space Jesus works the majority of His miracles and presented His discourses. He has come to save the whole of humanity, yet He remained in the limited space of His land. Tragically, Jesus saw that many did not accept His message and refused to change their way of life. St Therese's "little way," shows the way of loving obedience to God in the details of daily life. Five loaves and two fish given in total love feed more people than would thousands of loaves and fish given without love. The "little way" is probably one of the most emphasized messages from God in our present day. If we love and be faithful in little things we will truly see God's glory. Roses have been Saint Therese's signature. Millions have been touched by her intercession and imitate her "little way" today.