Daily Readings for October 10, 2017

1ST READING

Jonah goes to Nineveh and proclaims judgment on the city, telling them that destruction is near. The king and the inhabitants heed the word of Jonah and repent. The Lord then relents from destroying the city. The power of repentance is illustrated in this story. God will always listen to the cry of the repentant sinner. He has a predilection to hear words of repentance as they are signs of someone’s return to the fold, to His gift of eternal life.

Jonah 3:1-10

1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and announce to it the message that I will tell you.” 3 So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh, according to the Lord’s bidding. Now Nineveh was an enormously large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began his journey through the city, and had gone but a single day’s walk announcing, “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,” 5 when the people of Nineveh believed God they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth. 6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes. 7 Then he had this proclaimed throughout Nineveh, by decree of the king and his nobles: “Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep, shall taste anything; they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water. 8 Man and beast shall be covered with sackcloth and call loudly to God; every man shall turn from his evil way and from the violence he has in hand. 9 Who knows, God may relent and forgive, and withhold his blazing wrath, so that we shall not perish.” 10 When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out.

P S A L M

Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 7-8

R: If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice! 2 Let your ears be attentive to my voice in supplication. (R) 3 If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand? 4 But with you is forgiveness, that you may be revered. (R) 7 Let Israel wait for the Lord, for with the Lord is kindness and with him is plenteous redemption; 8 and he will redeem Israel from all their iniquities. (R)

GOSPEL

We need to find the right balance between our prayer and work. The Benedictine spirituality divides the day into three portions of eight hours each and assigns one to sleep, one to prayer, and the last to work. It is hard to argue against the wisdom of such a distribution for the life of a monk. However, perhaps a family man or woman may have to divide their day a bit differently. Nonetheless, all of us must make sure that we have the right balance between the things that preoccupy us.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.

Luke 10:38-42

38 Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. 39 She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. 40 Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” 41 The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. 42 There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”