St. Maria Goretti, virgin  & martyr 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊   

Hosea 10:1-3, 7-8, 12

Israel was a spreading vine,

Rich in fruit. The more his fruit increased, the more altars he built; the more his land prospered, the more he adorned his sacred stones.

Their heart is divided! They shall pay for it. Their altars will be thrown down and their sacred stones broken to pieces.

 Now they say, “We have no king (because we have no fear of God) and what good would a king do us?”   The time of punishment has come, the day of retribution is here. The Israelites will know it. The proph­ets will go out of their mind; the seers will become like mad men because your defeat will be as great as your sins have been.

 Ephraim watches before my God; his proph­­­ets try to stop the enemy on every path to protect the house of their gods.   Had they brought out children, I would take them off before they were adults, for woe to them when I abandon them!

 

Ps 105:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

Seek always the face of the Lord.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊   

Matthew 10:1-7

 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority over the unclean spirits to drive them out and to heal every disease and sickness.

These are the names of the twelve apostles: first Simon, called Peter, and his brother Andrew;  James, the son of Zebe­dee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew, the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thad­daeus;   Simon, the Cana­anite, and Judas Iscariot, the man who would betray him.

 Jesus sent these twelve on mission with the instruction: “Do not visit pagan territory and do not enter a Samaritan town.   Go instead to the lost sheep of the people of Israel.

Go and proclaim this message: The kingdom of heaven is near.

  

Gospel Reflection：

Singular Altar

 It is time we rediscovered the relevance of Maria Goretti. A young girl, with a heart set on God. “A spreading vine, rich in fruit,” as Hosea observes about Israel in today’s first reading. But unlike Israel, she did not build many altars to adorn with sacred stones for many gods. She had only one altar; there was space for only one God. Her body was the temple of the Spirit; and she would not let anyone desecrate it Even if she had to pay with her life.

The gospel invites us to mediate on call. The subject and the object of our call is God; no one else. This singular love of our heart is what chastity is all about: The call to subordinate and consecrate all our earthly loves to that primary love- of God. May Saint Maria Goretti inspire our young men and women.

 

 “The Holy Eucharist is the perfect expression of the love of Jesus Christ for man.”     

                                                                                             〜〜〜 ST. MARIA GORETTI 〜〜〜