The Gospel 13.10.2024 – Keash Parish

Sunday, 13th October 2024

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Lord, open my lips — and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

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God, come to my assistance. Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Send the fire of your Holy Spirit deep within us.

Protect us, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in his peace.

May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.

Souls in purgatory, pray for us.

Angels and Saints, pray for us.

Lord, send peace to our own homes and to the whole world.

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_The Lord said to St. Paul: “Fear not. . . . I am with you” (Acts 18:9-10)._
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Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Alleluia, alleluia.

The Gospel
Mk 10:17-30 or 10:17-27

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him,
“Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good?
No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honour your father and your mother.”
He replied and said to him, “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
At that statement his face fell and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,
“How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves,
“Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said,
“For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.”
Peter began to say to him, “We have given up everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands,
with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.”
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REFLECTION

– The “eye of a needle” is a reference to one of the gates in the wall surrounding the city of Jerusalem.
– After dark, the gate would be closed and the only way to enter was through a small door in the centre of that gate.
– A person could pass through by ducking down, but a camel could not enter unless it got down on the ground and literally crawled through.
– This took much effort and direction from the master of that camel, but it was possible.

– The point of this story is to emphasise that we will not be able to easily stroll into Heaven.
– Jesus speaks about how easy it is for a person with money to become so attached to that money that they fail to obtain the riches of Heaven.
– Greed and an all-consuming attachment to material wealth clearly have the potential to destroy our souls.
– This teaching applies to every other form of attachment also.
– When we are attached to any sin, to a serious degree and refuse to separate ourselves from that sin, we will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

(From Catholic Daily reflections.com)

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Prayer based on todays Gospel

Most demanding Lord, Your invitation to discipleship is an invitation to surrender every sinful attachment over to You so as to be freed of those sins. You ask and demand of me everything, dear Lord. May I accept Your demands of holy love and respond generously, holding nothing back, so that I can share in the riches of the Kingdom. Jesus, I trust in You.

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*INTERCESSIONS*

Everyone who waits for the Lord finds joy. Now we pray to him: