Gospel: October 8, 2025
October 8, 2025 (Wednesday)
27th Week in Ordinary Time
Psalter: Week 3 / (Green)
Ps 86:3-4, 5-6, 9-10
Lord, you are merciful and gracious.
1st Reading: Jonah 4:1-11
Gospel: Luke 11:1-4
One day, Jesus was praying in a certain place; and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” And Jesus said to them, “When you pray, say this: Father, may your name be held holy, may your kingdom come; give us, each day, the kind of bread we need, and forgive us our sins; for we also forgive all who do us wrong; and do not bring us to the test.”
Reflection:
“I not be concerned for such a great city?”
Sometimes we can get really wound up about very small things. The bus is late; the service in a restaurant is a bit slow; I bought the usual size, but it doesn’t fit; my relatives come to visit, and they change my routine. There’s an underlying impatience and intolerance to our irritation, and much of the annoyance is related to a self-centeredness, rather like a toddler throwing a tantrum for not get their own way. Jonah is acting this way too, as he complains to God about the loss of the castor-oil plant, which gave him shade from the heat. He forgets that God made it grow and so Jonah considers the tree to be a right rather than a blessing. In his anger at the Lord, Jonah is showing his self-centeredness. He feels sorry for himself, but he doesn’t feel sorry for the people of Nineveh, who have little knowledge of God. Do we let petty selfishness get the better of us? Do we follow the way of compassion, forgiveness and trust in God as presented by the Lord’s Prayer, instead?
