SUSANNAH AND THE ELDERS

Prayer before Mass: Almighty and ever-living God, I approach the sacrament of Your only-begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. I come sick to the doctor of life, unclean to the fountain of mercy, blind to the radiance of eternal light, and poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth. Lord, in Your great  generosity, heal my sickness, wash away my defilement, enlighten my blindness, enrich my poverty, and clothe my nakedness. May I receive the Bread of Angels, the King of kings and Lord of lords, with humble reverence, with the purity and faith, the repentance and love, and the determined purpose that will help  to bring me to salvation. 

May I receive the sacrament of the Lord’s Body and Blood, and its reality and power. Kind God, may I receive the Body of Your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, born from the womb of the Virgin Mary, and so be received into His mystical body and numbered among His members.
Loving Father, as on my earthly pilgrimage I now receive Your beloved Son under the veil of a sacrament, may I one day see Him face to face in glory, who lives and reigns with You forever. Amen. By Knights of the Holy Eucharist. Readings Lectures  Reflection 

First Reading    Daniel 13:1-9,15-17,19-30,33-62

Susannah and the Eleders

In Babylon there lived a man named Joakim. He had married Susanna daughter of Hilkiah, a woman of great beauty; and she was God-fearing, because her parents were worthy people and had instructed their daughter in the Law of Moses. Joakim was a very rich man, and had a garden attached to his house; the Jews would often visit him since he was held in greater respect than any other man. Two elderly men had been selected from the people that year to act as judges. Of such the Lord said, ‘Wickedness has come to Babylon through the elders and judges posing as guides to the people.’ These men were often at Joakim’s house, and all who were engaged in litigation used to come to them. At midday, when everyone had gone, Susanna used to take a walk in her husband’s garden. The two elders, who used to watch her every day as she came in to take her walk, gradually began to desire her. They threw reason aside, making no effort to turn their eyes to heaven, and forgetting its demands of virtue. So they waited for a favourable moment; and one day Susanna came as usual, accompanied only by two young maidservants. The day was hot and she wanted to bathe in the garden. There was no one about except the two elders, spying on her from their hiding place. She said to the servants, ‘Bring me some oil and balsam and shut the garden door while I bathe.’

Responsorial Psalm

If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear.

Gospel      John 8:1-11    

Let the one among you who has not sinned be the first to throwt a stone

Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At daybreak he appeared in the Temple again; and as all the people came to him, he sat down and began to teach them. 

The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman along who had been caught committing adultery; and making her stand there in full view of everybody, they said to Jesus, ‘Master, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery, and Moses has ordered us in the Law to condemn women like this to death by stoning. What have you to say?’ They asked him this as a test, looking for something to use against him. But Jesus bent down and started writing on the ground with his finger. As they persisted with their question, he looked up and said, ‘If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Then he bent down and wrote on the ground again. When they heard this they went away one by one, beginning with the eldest, until Jesus was left alone with the woman, who remained standing there. He looked up and said, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ‘No one, sir’ she replied. ‘Neither do I condemn you,’ said Jesus ‘go away, and do not sin any more.’

My Father in heaven, many people have died as a result of false accussation, many are suffering because they were wrongly accussed.  The innocents are suffering because they have been unjustly accussed, denied fair jugdement. Give me victory over my assailants, over my enemies who are planning against me not for any fault of mine but out of envy, jelousy or to cover up their own evils and mistakes. 

Help me forgive those who have wrongly accussed me, as a result caused me great pains, sufferings and untold hardships. Those who as a result of their accussations I was denied my rights. Caused me so much psychological trauma. It is painful by your special grace I forgive Father. Be with everyone suffering because they were wrongly accussed, give them grace to bear, and forgive their accusers. I pray you deliver them, vindicate them Father for nothing is hidden from you.

Father give me an insight, give me wisdom, right judgement and spirit of discernment.  Give me the courage to defend the innocent.  Deliver me from sin of wrongly accussing someone without fair hearing. Deliver me from judging my fellow creatures based on what I have heard, without  striving to seek out the truth. May I not accusse my fellow creatures based on my assumption and my perception.  

Father remove from me every spirit of hypocrisy, judgemental spirit and self-righteousness.  Save me from spirit of pride and arrogance. Father I ask for forgiveness for judging and accussing my fellow creatures based on what I may have heard and on my perception.  Create for me a pure heart Father. Lord Jesus Christ have pity on me. My God be merciful to me a sinner.