FIRST READING
The beginning of the Book of the Prophet Jonah (Jonah 1:1-17; 2: 1.10)
“Jonah rose to flee from the presence of the Lord.”
Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord. But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried to his god; and they threw the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down, and was fast asleep. So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call up on your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we do not perish.” And they said to one another, “Come, let its cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And from where do you come? What is your country? And of what people are you?” And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. He said to them, “Take me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you; for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring the ship back to land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. Therefore they cried to the Lord, “We beg you, O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood; for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” So they took up Jonah and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish. And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.
The word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Jonah 2:2.3.4.7 (R.6d)
R/. You brought up my life from the pit, O Lord.
“I called to the Lord, Out of my distress,
and he answered me;
out of the belly of Sheol cried,
and you heard my voice.” R/.
“For you cast me into the deep,
into the heart of the seas,
and the flood was round about me;
all your waves and your billows
passed over me.” R/.
“Then I said, ‘I am cast out
from your presence;
how shall I again look
upon your holy temple?’” R/.
“When my soul fainted within me,
I remembered the Lord;
And my prayer came to you,
into your holy temple.” R/.
ALLELUIA John13:34
Alleluia. A new commandment I give to you, says the Lord, that you love one another, even as I have loved you. Alleluia.
GOSPEL
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Luke 10:25-37)
“Who is my neighbour?”
At that time: Behold, a lawyer stood up to put Jesus to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered right; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the inn keeper, saying, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed mercy on him.” And Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Today’s Reflection
Among the many titles of our Blessed Mother Mary is that of our Lady of the Rosary. This title came about as a result of her maternal intercession and intervention in Cyprus. In 1571, Pope St Pius V organized a coalition of forces comprising soldiers from Spain, Christian knights and military orders to rescue the Christian outpost in Cyprus from a Muslim invasion. The Pope called on Christians in Europe to pray the Rosary for victory and he led a Rosary procession in Rome. After a fierce battle the Pope’s coalition was able to stop the invading Muslims and the victory was ascribed to Our Lady. Never was it said that anyone who sought her patronage or favour was left unanswered. Our spiritual was have to be fought in her company.