| THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION |
| THE CATHEDRAL: Currently by appointment only |
| NAZARETH HOUSE: Thursdays before the First Friday of each month 09h15 – 10h00 or anytime on request.
|
COMMUNION TO THE SICK IN THE PARISH – Is there someone in your family who is sick at home or in hospital, kindly contact any of the parish clergy will arrange for the Sacraments of the Anointing of the Sick and Holy Communion.
THE THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR A
The First Reading
Exodus 22: 20 – 26
The Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 17 (18): 2 – 4, 47, 51
R/ I love you, Lord, my strength.
I love you, LORD, my strength,
my rock, my fortress, my saviour. My God is the rock where I take
refuge;
my shield, my mighty help, my
stronghold.
The LORD is worthy of all praise, when I call I am saved from my
foes. R/.
Long life to the LORD, my rock! Praise d be the God who saves me, He has given great victories to his
king and shown his love for his anointed.
R/.
The Second Reading
1 Thessalonians 1: 5 – 10
The Gospel Reading
Matthew 22: 34 – 40
Thought for the day
Jesus does not pluck his summary teaching from the air – he quotes from the Shema Yisrael, the great daily prayer of Judaism found in Deuteronomy 6. The second part about the love of neighbour is taken from Leviticus 18. This mission statement stands as a resounding appeal to us today. We are asked not just to believe that there is a God, but to love God. We are asked not just to respect our neighbour, but to love our neighbour. Love is not only the truth about human beings but also the truth about God, who is love itself.
Prayer
Great and loving God, your love for us is beyond what we can grasp with our minds and hearts. Let such great love for all awaken in us a true love of you and lead to authentic service of our neighbour.
THE PAROCHIAL NOTICES
- LAST WEEKEND’S FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS
Collection R 770, 00 Planned Giving R 5 999, 99
Mission Sunday R 460, 00
- LITURGICAL CALENDARS FOR 2021 are on sale now for R20 each.
- PLEASE NOTE: That for the next two months Fr Rohan will be supplying in the Parish of Vredenburg. Since the parish consists of five churches in five areas, he will assist Bishop Emeritus Francisco de Gouveia, who is resident in Langebaan, with the celebration of their weekend masses.
The Chancery wish to thank the Cathedral parishioners for their sacrifice during this time of transition until a new Parish Priest is appointed to the Vredenburg Parish.
- Fr Luigi Benigni will be away on his annual leave and Retreat from 20th October to 26th
- BAPTISMS – Those who wish to have their children baptised, please contact the Cathedral Office so that arrangements can be made for instructions and the celebration of the Sacrament. Current Covid rules decree that no group baptisms will take place but only one child per celebration.
Please note that if it is your intention to get married in the Catholic Church, you need to give the Church at least SIX MONTHS notice of your intention to do so. Please contact the Cathedral office to set up an appointment with one of the Cathedral clergy to complete the Pre-Nuptial Enquiry and to arrange the required Marriage Preparation Classes.
Acknowledgement – Picture taken from www.ocarm.org
Monday 26 October
Ephesians 4:32-5:8 The writer wants us to live lives consistent with the faith we profess. To bring it all down to the level of real life, he illustrates with specific example of expected standards.
Luke 13:10-17 Today we have a rare story of the healing of a woman—found only in Luke’s gospel. Her complaint is serious and not unknown today: she is bent double and can see only the ground. There is room here for a reading at another level: there is more to her healing than the welcome physical recovery. Jesus’ argument is especially noteworthy.
Tuesday 27 October
Ephesians 5:21-33 This reading – if read at all – calls for very careful handling. Within the patriarchal context of the time, the roles of husbands and wives are differentiated. We may note that challenges are laid before both the wife and the husband here. The non-Pauline Ephesians is somewhat different to the totally equal treatment in 1 Corinthians 7:1-7 (which also calls for careful handling).
Luke 13:18-21 The mustard seed was proverbially the smallest of seeds and so serves for a comparison. It is intriguing to notice that the mustard seed comes up again, this time in relation to the size of faith of the apostles!
Wednesday 28 October
Sts Simon and Jude, Apostles
Ephesians 2:19-22 Our reading opens up a fundamental question: what or who are we as Christian believers? Using a building metaphor, the identikit is rich, to say the least!
Luke 6:12-16 Luke makes it plain that Jesus prayed before the choice and appointment of the Twelve. It is important to note that the Twelve function, in the ministry of Jesus, as a prophetic action, underscoring Jesus’ programme which was the restoration of Israel. Cf. “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matthew 15:24 NRSV) By the time Luke is writing the restriction to the Jewish people of Jesus’ ministry was already in the distant past.
Thursday 29 October
Ephesians 6:10-20 The writer is aware that being a Christian is a struggle, even a battle at times. Using the imagery of warfare and armour, he builds up a dynamic picture of what it means to be a Christian.
Luke 13:31-35 The Herod in this Gospel is not Herod the Great but his son Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee during the ministry of Jesus. He was well capable of cruelty as his killing of John the Baptism does (in Mark and in Mathew, but not in Luke). The second paragraph express the desolation of Jesus as he contemplates the fate of the prophets and, indeed, his own.
Friday 30 October
Philippians 1:1-11 With one exception, Paul opens his letters with a great prayer for the recipients, a prayer of thanksgiving and petition. This is a fine example, perhaps because St Paul was so fond of the Philippians.
Luke 14:1-6 It is a curiosity of Luke’s Gospel that Jesus eats just as frequently with Pharisees as with sinners. In today’s Gospel, the question of healing on the Sabbath comes to the fore. Jesus’ illustration powerful…if it is okay to rescue an animal, all the more so…!
Saturday 31 October
Philippians 1:18-26 Today’s reading from Philippians gives us a window on the spiritual life of Paul himself. As a Christ-believer, he is happy and full of confidence. So deep is his faith that he faces dilemma: the desire to be with Christ and the desire to be of service now.
Luke 14:1, 7-11 Meals and hospitality are “huge,” as they say, in Luke’s Gospel. This is a classic story of the reversal of social customs and expectations.
