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SUNDAY MASSENTRANCE ANTIPHON:Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice; turn to the Lord and his strength; constantly seek his face.

FIRST READING: Exodus 22:21-27.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM: Psalm 18.

RESPONSE:I love you, Lord, my strength.

1. I love you, Lord, my strength; O Lord, my rock, my fortress, my saviour. ℟2. My God, my rock where I take refuge; my shield, my saving strength, my stronghold. I cry out, ‘Praised be the Lord!’ and see, I am saved from my foes. ℟3. The Lord lives, and blest be my Rock! May the God of my salvation be exalted. The Lord gives great victories to his king, and shows merciful love for his anointed. ℟SECOND READING: 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION:

Alleluia, alleluia! If a man loves me, he will keep my words, says the Lord, and my father will love him, and we will come to him. Alleluia.

GOSPEL: Matthew 22:34-40.

COMMUNION ANTIPHON:We will ring out our joy at your saving help, and exult in the name of our God.

❈

❈CHURCH OF THE WORD

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A Divine Offi ce: Week II 25 October 2020

Reading, Studying and Praying the Bible 1Lectio Divina

St Dominic, detail from The Mocking of Christ fresco in Convento di San Marco, Florence by Fra Angelico

Our lives have been completely up-ended by Covid-19. Not being able to go to church and not sharing in Eucharist have only

served to heighten our sense of disruption. For this reason, Catholic Link has tried during the past weeks to introduce readers to the books of the Bible with the aim of falling back on that vital resource during these lean times. We want to end this series on Scripture with some suggestions on how to use the Bible, either privately or as families or groups.

Have you ever had a verse jump off a Bible page at you? Many people experience texts that somehow speak to them powerfully at a certain point in their lives. And rightly so. God’s word in the Bible is, as Hebrews says, “alive and active”. It penetrates to the core of our hearts.

St Benedict under-stood this well. As an aid to the experience, he devised a simple method of approaching the Bible, which he called Lectio Divina, or Divine Reading. The wonderful part of this method is that it encourages us to hear God’s word with the “ear of the heart” – at a deep level. Benedict suggests four steps, which we’ll fi rst reproduce in the original Latin because it is poetic: Lectio; Meditatio; Oratio; Contemplatio. Just add an “n” to each and they become English words. Today we use the more contemporary words of reading; refl ecting; praying; and (one that doesn’t change), contemplation.

Lectio is our reading of a passage. Whether

alone or in a group, read it through fi rst. Then more slowly, listening with the “ear of the heart” to any verse that pops out at you. Be open to how God wants to use these words to speak to

you personally. Pause a while in silence to let those words sink in.

Meditatio calls for refl ection on those words. It’s the part where you – or individuals in the group – start thinking about the relevance of these words at this juncture in life. Turn the words over in your mind. What message do they seem to bring you?

Oratio. Talk directly to God about what’s on your mind and how the words touched you. Tell God how you feel after hearing them: happy, challenged, confused, grateful … anything at all.

Contemplatio. This, in a sense, allows you to “digest” God’s message, letting it sink in, and then asking yourself what action or different attitude to life it calls for. How do those words apply to life and how is God

calling you to action in response to them? Think of Mary at the Annunciation. She pondered on the words of the angel, she asked herself what they could mean in her life. She then said: “Let it be done to me according to your Word.” Her example provides us with the perfect model of approaching the Word of God: Listen, question, ponder, action. What is “said” must now be “done”.

Saint John of the Cross loved the Lectio Divina and described it in this way: “Seek in reading and you will fi nd in meditation; knock in prayer and it will be opened to you in contemplation.”

Live the Word T H E W E E K A H E A D

(KEY: SOLEMNITY; FEAST; Memorial; (Optional Memorial)A=Apostle

Mon 26 Oct Liturgy of the Day

Ephesians 4:32–5:8; Psalm 1; Luke 13:10-17"Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths, or the turning inwards in prayer for fi ve short minutes." – Etty Hillesum

Sun 1 Nov ALL SAINTSRevelation 7:2-4.9-14; Psalm 24; Matthew 5:1-12Sainthood isn't for sissies. Rather it is for everyone who seeks to draw nearer to the Lord in love. Today we ask all who have gone before us to pray with and for us as we seek to answer the call to holiness.

Sat 31 Oct Liturgy of the DayPhilippians 1:18-26; Psalm 42; Luke 14:1.7-11It is our thirst to fi nd God that calls, sustains and en-ergises us throughout life. Desire less the excitement of the material world and yearn for union with God, which comes only through aloneness with God.

Fri 30 Oct Liturgy of the DayPhilippians 1:1-11; Psalm 111; Luke 14:1-6How do we become aware of God's presence? We need to desire it, and we need to be patient. It takes time to grow, and it does grow when we come to God often in silent, persistent and hopeful prayer.

Thu 29 Oct Liturgy of the Day Ephesians 6:10-20; Psalm 144; Luke 13:31-35Especially when things seem to be against you, al-ways focus on the truth that God is for you. Nothing can take Gods' love away from you. It is, however, essential that you practice believing this.

Wed 28 Oct SS SIMON & JUDE, AEphesians 2:19-22; Psalm 19; Luke 6:12-19The Apostles that Jesus chose were far from per-fect. Yet their weaknesses were transformed by the grace of God through their encounter with Jesus. The same is possible for us too, if we allow it.

Tue 27 Oct Liturgy of the Day

Ephesians 5:21-33; Psalm 128; Luke 13:18-21The smallest amount of yeast expands dough and feeds the hungry. From Christ, we learn how to be signs of hope, how to give life to those in need by giving ourselves.

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Order from our website www.rpp.org.za or email orders@rpp.org.za. Enquiries: 082 667 3857.Order from our website www.rpp.org.za or email

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In Cry of Wonder, Gerard W Hughes encourages readers to explore their own human experience, the unique doorway opening each of us out into the mystery of our present existence. In our time, such attention to mystery is considered counter-cultural and subversive of law and order. The truth of this observation becomes very clear to us if we give attention to our own felt reactions to the events of our lives. The purpose of this book is to focus our attention on this inner conflict, because it can reveal to us a vision of the transformation into which we are all now being invited in all that we are experiencing in every moment of our existence.

Parish Priest: Fr David Evans Office Hours: Mon to Thurs 08h00 to 16h30 (Fri 16h00) Secretary: Judy Joseph 106 Woburn Avenue, Benoni, 1501 Email: office@stpatricksbenoni.co.za PO Box 12538, Benoryn, 1504 Bookkeeper: Tanya Charles Tel: 011 845 2118 / 060 327 2998 bookkeeper@stpatricksbenoni.co.za Website: wwwstpatricksbenoni.co.za

St Patrick’s Parish: Mass Times

Tues 09h30

Wed No mass

Thurs 18h00

Fri 08h00

Sat 08h00 17h30

Sun 07h30 10h00 18h00

Confessions Thurs 17h30 Sat 08h30

Baptism of children: Book with the parish secretary and collect the form. Attendance of one short instruction is required.

Carmel Monastery: 46 Dickinson Road, Benoni North. Weekday Mass at 07h30. Sunday Mass 08h00.

Please support your parish at this time: “St Patrick’s Catholic Church” Benoni, Standard Bank. Current Account number: 021 095 612 (Branch code: 013042). To join our monthly Dedicated Giving contact Tanya at 011 845 2118 or bookkeeper@stpatricksbenoni.co.za.

Our “Society of St Vincent de Paul” helps the poor – on our behalf – irrespective of race, colour or creed. Please support them: Society of St Vincent de Paul, Nedbank, Northmead, Account no. 1012534707 (Branch: 19484200).

November is the month when we pray for all the faithful departed at every mass.

Pious Lists are available at the doors of the church. Fill in the list, insert it into

the envelope provided, with your offering, and place it in the collection or hand in

at the parish office. The list will remain on the altar during November.

To join the parish WhatsApp Group for youtube mass and daily reflections –

WhatsApp your Name and number to the parish mobile 060 327 2998.

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary time

Sunday Missal p. 415 Weekday Missal p. 1393

“If he cries out to me, I will hear him; for I am compassionate (Exodus 22.26).

Do you have children? If you do, you’ve probably thought about what you would do

if one of them fell on hard times – say as a result of being redundant. Maybe you

have found yourself in this position already. You’d do everything you could to

help, wouldn’t you? Even if the hardship is your child’s own doing, you would still

want to bend over backwards to help them.

That’s the message behind today’s first reading, and the Gospel reading. They

tell us that every human being is a member of God’s family. We are all beloved of

our Father, and we are all brothers and sisters to each other. It doesn’t matter

whether we are all well behaved or badly behaved children of his family, he loves

us deeply and longs to care for us, simply because we are his. This is why he has a

special love for the poor. It breaks his heart to see these children of his go

without the bare necessities of food, clothing and shelter – especially if they’ve

worked hard to provide for themselves.

Jesus tells in that the two greatest commandments are to love God with all our

hearts and to love one another as ourselves. These are very challenging

commands, precisely because they are so encompassing. He didn’t say, “Love God

when it is convenient” or “Love only the people who agree with you.” No, we are

all one family: rich or poor, old or young, educated or illiterate, Christian, Muslim,

Jewish or atheist. Whoever we are, whatever we did or did not do, even

whether or not we believe in God, everyone deserves to be treated with equal

dignity. Everyone deserves to be cared for and lifted up out of any poverty or

distress that holds them bound.

Jesus did not discriminate in his offer of healing and restoration. Like the famer

who sowed his seeds on all types of soil, he wants us to do the same.

“Jesus, I praise you for your generosity. Give me the same concern for the poor

and needy around me. Lord, help me to open my heart and hands to them.”

A second Diocesan collection for the Pontifical Mission Society is taken at mass during October. This goes to the Holy Father so that he can help the needy of the world on our behalf.

Pray for all who are ill especially: Bruce Herholdt; Jenny; Rose Cramond; Barry

Hodgkinson; Steve Zackey; Bill Little; Cedric Spencer; Ken; Cynthia Hamer;

Tony; Paul van Niekerk.

The prayer of anointing is offered for all who are ill.

Pray for all those who have died: especially Stephany Bonarius. May she

rest in peace and rise in glory.

Please update the prayer list with Judy at the Parish Office 011 845 2118.