Blessed is the virgin who, by renouncing herself and taking up her cross, imitated the Lord, the spouse of virgins and prince of martyrs.

 

Blessed is the virgin who, by renouncing herself and taking up her cross, imitated the Lord, the spouse of virgins and prince of martyrs.

Cecilia, virgin and martyr, considered the patron saint of music, lived in Italy in the 3rd century. From a noble Roman family, educated in the Christian life from birth, she carried the Gospel of Christ in her heart day and night, especially in her service to the excluded. During her martyrdom, she appealed to Christians not to deny their faith. Let us celebrate her memory with enthusiasm, asking for the grace to profess our faith, especially through service to those in need.

First Reading: Revelation 10:8-11

A reading from the Book of Revelation by Saint John – 8The same voice from heaven that I, John, had heard spoke to me again: “Go, take the little book that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 9I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little book. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will be bitter in your stomach, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.” 10I took the little book from the angel’s hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I swallowed it, my stomach turned bitter. 11Then he said to me, “You must prophesy again against other peoples and nations, languages ​​and kings.” – The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm: 118(119)

How sweet is your word to the palate, O Lord!

1. I find joy in your law / more than in all riches. – R.

2. Your covenant is my delight, / your commands are my counselors. – R.

3. The law from your mouth is worth more to me / than thousands of gold and silver. – R.

4. How sweet is your word to my taste, / sweeter than honey to my mouth. – R.

5. Your word is my inheritance forever, / for it makes my heart glad. – R.

6. I open my mouth and breathe deeply, / for I long for your commandments. – R.

Gospel: Luke 19,45-48

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me (Jn 10,27). – R.

Proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ according to Luke – At that time, 45Jesus entered the temple and began to drive out the sellers. 46And he said, “It is written: ‘My house will be a house of prayer.’ But you have made it a den of thieves.” 47Every day Jesus taught in the temple. The chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the leading men of the people were looking for a way to kill him. 48But they did not know what to do, because all the people were fascinated when they heard Jesus speak. – Word of salvation.

Reflection:

The evangelist Luke uses few words to describe the expulsion of the merchants who had set up shop in the temple. However, it is an act full of meaning: the temple was no longer a place for sincere praise of God and the cultivation of good human relations. It had become a “den of thieves,” a place for exploiting the people. It had lost its purpose. There was no longer any reason for it to remain. Jesus, with his prophetic gesture, provokes the authorities, because he is shaking a structure that, for centuries, had constituted the center of religious, social, economic, and political power of the people of Israel. In fact, the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders of the people quickly began to plot Jesus’ death. Despite the imminent danger, Jesus “taught daily in the temple.”