Saint Oswald (-992)
Psalter: Week III
Green
In 972 he became Archbishop of York. He had a special love of the poor; in Lent he would wash the feet of twelve poor men every day. He died at Worcester on 28 February 992.
Entrance Antiphon: Ps 12: 6
O Lord, I trust in your merciful love. My heart will rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord who has been bountiful with me.
Collect
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, always pondering spiritual things, we may carry out in both word and deed that which is pleasing to you. 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: Ecclesiasticus 6:5-17
A kindly turn of speech multiplies a man’s friends, and a courteous way of speaking invites many a friendly reply. Let your acquaintances be many, but your advisers one in a thousand. If you want to make a friend, take him on trial, and be in no hurry to trust him;
for one kind of friend is only so when it suits him but will not stand by you in your day of trouble. Another kind of friend will fall out with you and to your dismay make the quarrel public, and a third kind of friend will share your table, but not stand by you in your day of trouble: when you are doing well he will be your second self, ordering your servants about; but if ever you are brought low he will turn against you and will hide himself from you. Keep well clear of your enemies, and be wary of your friends. A faithful friend is a sure shelter, whoever finds one has found a rare treasure. A faithful friend is something beyond price, there is no measuring his worth. A faithful friend is the elixir of life, and those who fear the Lord will find one. Whoever fears the Lord makes true friends, for as a man is, so is his friend.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 118(119):12,16,18,27,34-35
R/ Guide me, Lord, in the path of your commands.
Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes. I take delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.
Open my eyes that I may see the wonders of your law. Make me grasp the way of your precepts and I will muse on your wonders.
Train me to observe your law, to keep it with my heart. Guide me in the path of your commands; for there is my delight.
Gospel Acclamation: Ps110:7,8
Alleluia, alleluia! Your precepts, O Lord, are all of them sure; they stand firm for ever and ever. Alleluia!
Gospel: Mark 10:1-12
Jesus came to the district of Judaea and the far side of the Jordan. And again crowds gathered round him, and again he taught them, as his custom was. Some Pharisees approached him and asked, ‘Is it against the law for a man to divorce his wife?’ They were testing him. He answered them, ‘What did Moses command you?’ ‘Moses allowed us’ they said ‘to draw up a writ of dismissal and so to divorce.’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘It was because you were so unteachable that he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female. This is why a man must leave father and mother, and the two become one body. They are no longer two, therefore, but one body. So then, what God has united, man must not divide.’ Back in the house the disciples questioned him again about this, and he said to them, ‘The man who divorces his wife and marries another is guilty of adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another she is guilty of adultery too.’
Prayer over the Offerings
As we celebrate your mysteries, O Lord, with the observance that is your due, we humbly ask you, that what we offer to the honour of your majesty may profit us for salvation. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Ps 9: 2-3
I will recount all your wonders, I will rejoice in you and be glad, and sing psalms to your name, O Most High.
Prayer after Communion
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that we may experience the effects of the salvation which is pledged to us by these mysteries. Through Christ our Lord
Meditation
The rampant multiplication of divorce cases in our societies cannot be overlooked. It has become more of an appealing lifestyle than an appalling taboo to many. Today, more than ever, there is a tendency for individuals to normalise what was once considered scandalous. This shift in perspective contributes to the sharp rise in evil and crime waves, involving slander, theft, blackmail, murder, corruption, infidelity, to name just a few. Bad company plays a significant role in influencing these behaviours, as highlighted in the first reading, which cautions against the poison of bad friends. It encourages us to fear God, emphasising the importance of finding the rare treasure of a good friend. The Gospel further underscores the irresponsibility that has led to the decline in morality, contributing to the societal ills we face. Our deafness to God’s laws has led people to legalise practices that go against the very nature of humanity. Let us fervently pray for fidelity to God’s ways, and act rightly to defend the dignity of every person.