St. Therese of the Child Jesus, virgin & doctor 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Job 19:21-27

 Have pity my friends, have pity, for God’s hand has struck me!  

Why do you hound me as God does? Will you never have enough of my flesh?  Oh, that my words were written, or recorded on bronze  with an iron tool, a chisel or engraved forever on rock!

 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and he, the last, will take his stand on earth  I will be there behind my skin, and in my flesh I shall see God.  With my own eyes I shall see him – I and not another. How my heart yearns!

 

Ps 27:7-8a, 8b-9abc, 13-14

I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Luke 10:1-12

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two other disciples and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place, where he himself was to go.  And he said to them, “The har­vest is rich, but the workers are few.

So you must ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers to his harvest.   Courage! I am sending you like lambs among wolves.  Set off without purse or bag or sandals; and do not stop at the homes of those you know.

Whatever house you enter, first bless them saying: ‘Peace to this house.’   If a friend of peace lives there, the peace shall rest upon that person. But if not, the blessing will return to you.   Stay in that house eating and drinking at their table, for the worker deserves to be paid. Do not move from house to house.

When they welcome you in any town, eat what they offer you.   Heal the sick who are there and say to them: ‘The kingdom of God has drawn near to you.’  But in any town where you are not welcome, go to the marketplace and proclaim:   ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off and leave with you.

But know and be sure that the kingdom of God had come to you.’  I tell you that on the Judgment Day it will be better for Sodom than for this town.

 

Gospel Reflection：

October is the month of Mission. How appropriate that on the first day of the month the Gospel reminds us of the need for “workers for the harvest.” There is a dearth of missionaries, so we have to pray the one who calls to inspire generous young men and women to become missionaries.

We do need a lot of vocations for the missions. But those to be on mission are not only those who become priests and religious. No! All of us are to be missionaries. Mission work, after all, is not limited to priests and sisters.

Mission work is also bearing witness to our Faith in our day to day life. This reminds me of our OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers), who by their faithful practice of their Catholic devotions even in non-Christian and de-Christianized lands make them into “missionaries!”

Finally, we can learn from St. Therese, who, despite never leaving the cloister, is considered the patroness of the missions because she offered all her merits of her activities for the mission! We can do the same. Never underestimate what God can do for the little offering we give from a sincere heart!