Saint Clotilde
(475 – 545)
Green
She was the second wife of the Frankish King Clovis I, and a princess of the kingdom of Burgundy. She converted her husband to the catholic faith. She was known for almsgiving and penitential works of mercy.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 24: 16, 18
Turn to me and have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am alone and poor. See my lowliness and suffering and take away all my sins, my God.
Collect
O God, whose providence never fails in its design, keep from us, we humbly beseech you, all that might harm us and grant all that works for our good. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: 2 Peter 3:11-15,17-18
You should be living holy and saintly lives while you wait and long for the Day of God to come, when the sky will dissolve in flames and the elements melt in the heat. What we are waiting for is what he promised: the new heavens and new earth, the place where righteousness will be at home. So then, my friends, while you are waiting, do your best to live lives without spot or stain so that he will find you at peace. Think of our Lord’s patience as your opportunity to be saved. You have been warned about this, my friends; be careful not to get carried away by the errors of unprincipled people, from the firm ground that you are standing on. Instead, go on growing in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory, in time and in eternity. Amen.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 89(90):2-4,10,14,16
R/ O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
Before the mountains were born or the earth or the world brought forth, you are God, without beginning or end.
You turn men back to dust and say: ‘Go back, sons of men.’ To your eyes a thousand years are like yesterday, come and gone, no more than a watch in the night.
Our span is seventy years, or eighty for those who are strong. And most of these are emptiness and pain. They pass swiftly and we are gone.
In the morning, fill us with your love; we shall exult and rejoice all our days. Show forth your work to your servants; let your glory shine on their children.
Gospel Acclamation: Heb4:12
Alleluia, alleluia! The word of God is something alive and active: it can judge secret emotions and thoughts. Alleluia!
Gospel: Mark 12:13-17
The chief priests and the scribes and the elders sent to Jesus some Pharisees and some Herodians to catch him out in what he said. These came and said to him, ‘Master, we know you are an honest man, that you are not afraid of anyone, because a man’s rank means nothing to you, and that you teach the way of God in all honesty. Is it permissible to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay, yes or no?’ Seeing through their hypocrisy he said to them, ‘Why do you set this trap for me? Hand me a denarius and let me see it.’ They handed him one and he said, ‘Whose head is this? Whose name?’ ‘Caesar’s’ they told him. Jesus said to them, ‘Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar – and to God what belongs to God.’ This reply took them completely by surprise.
Prayer over the Offerings
Trusting in your compassion, O Lord, we come eagerly with our offerings to your sacred altar, that, through the purifying action of your grace, we may be cleansed by the very mysteries we serve. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Ps 16: 6
To you I call, for you will surely heed me, O God; turn your ear to me; hear my words.
Prayer after Communion
Govern by your Spirit, we pray, O Lord, those you feed with the Body and Blood of your Son, that, professing you not just in word or in speech, but also in works and in truth, we may merit to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
In Jesus’ time, the religious leaders, and politicians, were strange bedfellows. While they disagree on many things, they are united in their perception that Jesus is their common enemy. In today’s gospel reading, they put their differences aside and collude to trap Jesus by asking him a tricky question they thought had no correct answer. Whatever answer Jesus gives would be wrong by them and would be used against him. Jesus’ wisdom is demonstrated again as he gives them a surprising answer. Sometimes we face similar traps and tricky questions put to us by teams of people with opposing ideologies but who see our expressions of faith as inimical to their agenda. Like Jesus, let us use the opportunity to remind them that all things (including things that they revere) are subservient and belong to God.