Daily Readings for October 28, 2017

Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles

1ST READING

We celebrate two of Jesus’ Apostles today. Jude is the patron saint of hopeless cases — he was often ignored because he had the same first name as Judas Iscariot. Somehow, this unfortunate reality morphed into his becoming a favorite saint, to “get on the job” of situations that were considered hopeless or impossible.

Ephesians 2:19-22

19 Brothers and sisters: You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, 20 built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. 21 Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; 22 in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

P S A L M

Psalm 19:2-3, 4-5

R: Their message goes out through all the earth.

1 [2] The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. 2 [3] Day pours out the word to day, and night to night imparts knowledge. (R) 3 [4] Not a word nor a discourse whose voice is not heard; 4 [5] through all the earth their voice resounds, and to the ends of the world, their message. (R)

GOSPEL

Even Jesus needed help. It was too big a job for Him to bring the Gospel to every corner of the globe. We need to take up our roles in the work of evangelization. We have to play our part and spread God’s Word to every man and woman on earth. It is a lot of work. Jesus is calling for our help. The question is, “Are we listening to His voice?” The Church lacks workers because we are not listening properly to God’s voice. We don’t hear His voice because we are too busy with other things.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

We praise you, O God, we acclaim you as Lord; the glorious company of Apostles praise you.

Luke 6:12-16

12 Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. 13 When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles: 14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, 16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.