Saint Pelagia
Green
Pelagia, more often called Margaret, was an actress of Antioch who was converted by a sermon of Bishop Nonnus of Edessa. She gave her wealth to Nonnus to aid the poor. She subsequently became a hermitess in a cave on Mount of Olivette. Her feast day is October 8th.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Est 4: 17
Within your will, O Lord, all things are established, and there is none that can resist your will. For you have made all things, the heaven and the earth, and all that is held within the circle of heaven; you are the Lord of all.
Collect
Almighty ever-living God, who in the abundance of your kindness surpass the merits and the desires of those who entreat you, pour out your mercy upon us to pardon what conscience dreads
and to give what prayer does not dare to ask. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
First reading : Galatians 1:13-24
You must have heard of my career as a practising Jew, how merciless I was in persecuting the Church of God, how much damage I did to it, how I stood out among other Jews of my generation, and how enthusiastic I was for the traditions of my ancestors. Then God, who had specially chosen me while I was still in my mother’s womb, called me through his grace and chose to reveal his Son in me, so that I might preach the Good News about him to the pagans. I did not stop to discuss this with any human being, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were already apostles before me, but I went off to Arabia at once and later went straight back from there to Damascus. Even when after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him for fifteen days, I did not see any of the other apostles; I only saw James, the brother of the Lord, and I swear before God that what I have just written is the literal truth. After that I went to Syria and Cilicia, and was still not known by sight to the churches of Christ in Judaea, who had heard nothing except that their one-time persecutor was now preaching the faith he had previously tried to destroy; and they gave glory to God for me.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 138:1-3,13-15
R/ Lead me, O Lord, in the path of life eternal.
O Lord, you search me and you know me, you know my resting and my rising, you discern my purpose from afar. You mark when I walk or lie down, all my ways lie open to you..
For it was you who created my being, knit me together in my mother’s womb. I thank you for the wonder of my being, for the wonders of all your creation.
Already you knew my soul, my body held no secret from you when I was being fashioned in secret and moulded in the depths of the earth.
Gospel Acclamation : Jn15:15
Alleluia, alleluia! I call you friends, says the Lord, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father. Alleluia!
Gospel : Luke 10:38-42
Jesus came to a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. She had a sister called Mary, who sat down at the Lord’s feet and listened to him speaking. Now Martha who was distracted with all the serving said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me.’ But the Lord answered: ‘Martha, Martha,’ he said ‘you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part; it is not to be taken from her.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Accept, O Lord, we pray, the sacrifices instituted by your commands and, through the sacred mysteries, which we celebrate with dutiful service, graciously complete the sanctifying work by which you are pleased to redeem us. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Lam 3: 25
The Lord is good to those who hope in him, to the soul that seeks him.
Prayer after Communion
Grant us, almighty God, that we may be refreshed and nourished by the Sacrament which we have received, so as to be transformed into what we consume. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Today we find Jesus in the home of Mary and Martha. Martha is busy, a thing any host would do, and she is “distracted with all the serving”. Serving is something that Jesus himself constantly did, as he said that the son of man did not come to be served but to serve. Martha is overwhelmed by the service while Mary takes the position of a disciple sitting at the master’s feet, so Martha complains about her sister. Listening to his message is something Jesus tells his disciples and the crowd they need to do all the time. Listening involves understanding, accepting and assimilating that message so that it becomes part of our very selves. Following the parable of the Good Samaritan, which we had yesterday, Jesus blends the two personalities of Martha and Mary: he spent long hours bringing healing to people’s lives, being a real neighbour, but also retired to quiet places to be alone in communion with his Father. Also, unlike the others, these sisters were ready to offer Jesus their love and hospitality. They never asked for anything in return; they did not even ask Jesus to raise their brother Lazarus from the dead. Jesus did it out of his own divine will.