Saturday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
October 9, 2021
Saturday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 466
Reading I
Thus says the LORD:
Let the nations bestir themselves and come up
to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
For there will I sit in judgment
upon all the neighboring nations.
Apply the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe;
Come and tread,
for the wine press is full;
The vats overflow,
for great is their malice.
Crowd upon crowd
in the valley of decision;
For near is the day of the LORD
in the valley of decision.
Sun and moon are darkened,
and the stars withhold their brightness.
The LORD roars from Zion,
and from Jerusalem raises his voice;
The heavens and the earth quake,
but the LORD is a refuge to his people,
a stronghold to the children of Israel.
Then shall you know that I, the LORD, am your God,
dwelling on Zion, my holy mountain;
Jerusalem shall be holy,
and strangers shall pass through her no more.
And then, on that day,
the mountains shall drip new wine,
and the hills shall flow with milk;
And the channels of Judah
shall flow with water:
A fountain shall issue from the house of the LORD,
to water the Valley of Shittim.
Egypt shall be a waste,
and Edom a desert waste,
Because of violence done to the people of Judah,
because they shed innocent blood in their land.
But Judah shall abide forever,
and Jerusalem for all generations.
I will avenge their blood,
and not leave it unpunished.
The LORD dwells in Zion.
Responsorial Psalm
- (12a) Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
Clouds and darkness are round about him,
justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the LORD of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
and give thanks to his holy name.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
Alleluia
- Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are those who hear the word of God
and observe it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
While Jesus was speaking,
a woman from the crowd called out and said to him,
“Blessed is the womb that carried you
and the breasts at which you nursed.”
He replied, “Rather, blessed are those
who hear the word of God and observe it.”
Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint John Leonardi, priest
Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint Denis, bishop and martyr, and his companions, martyrs
Reflection: TRUE BLESSEDNESS
Prophet Joel continues on the 'Day of Yahweh'. All the people of the world will march into the valley of Jehoshaphat. It expresses just the fact that God judges all and everyone. He says that it will be a day of horror for the wicked. Bu the just will find Jerusalem a refuge and a stronghold. They will have peace and security. Once again Jerusalem will be holy, a city of peace, a place of prosperity and joy, because God dwells there. God will then be known and accepted by all. A woman in the crowd was so captivated by the personality and the words of Jesus that she bursts spontaneously into praise for the mother of Jesus. Jesus replied that Mary, his mother, was that great disciple who listened to the word of God and lived it as the handmaid of the Lord. That is Mary's true greatness. Luke's Gospel illustrates this by different incidents in her life. Mary is the model for the Church. Mary teaches us how to accept the Word of God (Annunciation), how to incarnate it (Nativity), live it (Visitation), deepen it (Magnificat), make it be born and grow, and allow it to shape us, even when we do not understand it (presentation), or when it makes us suffer (Simeon, Anna). That is Mary's true greatness/ blessedness that she listened to God's word, let it sink into her heart, treasured it and lived it all throughout her life. She is our model of discipline and discipleship today.