Daily Mass Readings – Saturday, 2 October 2027

5 Be of good comfort, O people of God, the memorial of Israel:

6 You have been sold to the Gentiles, not for your destruction: but because you provoked God to wrath, you are delivered to your adversaries.

7 For you have provoked him who made you, the eternal God, offering sacrifice to devils, and not to God.

8 For you have forgotten God, who brought you up, and you have grieved Jerusalem that nursed you.

9 For she saw the wrath of God coming upon you, and she said: Give ear, all you that dwell near Sion, for God hath brought upon me great mourning:

10 For I have seen the captivity of my people, of my sons, and my daughters, which the Eternal hath brought upon them.

11 For I nourished them with joy: but I sent them away with weeping and mourning.

12 Let no man rejoice over me, a widow, and desolate: I am forsaken of many for the sins of my children, because they departed from the law of God.

27 Be of good comfort, my children, and cry to the Lord: for you shall be remembered by him that hath led you away.

28 For as it was your mind to go astray from God; so when you return again you shall seek him ten times as much.

29 For he that hath brought evils upon you, shall bring you everlasting joy again with your salvation.

R. (34) The Lord listens to the poor.

33 Let the poor see and rejoice: seek ye God, and your soul shall live.

34 For the Lord hath heard the poor: and hath not despised his prisoners.

35 Let the heavens and the earth praise him; the sea, and every thing that creepeth therein.

R. The Lord listens to the poor.

36 For God will save Sion, and the cities of Juda shall be built up. And they shall dwell there, and acquire it by inheritance.

37 And the seed of his servants shall possess it; and they that love his name shall dwell therein.

R. The Lord listens to the poor.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

21 Bless the LORD, all you angels, you ministers, who do his will.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

1 At that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying: Who thinkest thou is the greater in the kingdom of heaven?

2 And Jesus calling unto him a little child, set him in the midst of them,

3 And said: Amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greater in the kingdom of heaven.

5 And he that shall receive one such little child in my name, receiveth me.

10 See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you, that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

The readings speak honestly about the sorrow that follows when God’s people forget their Creator and go astray, yet they do not leave us in despair. The call is clear: return to the Lord, seek him again, and trust that he remembers those who have been scattered. The psalm gives this hope a tender foundation: God listens to the poor and does not despise prisoners. His attention reaches those who have no strength or status to rely upon.

Jesus shows what this return looks like by placing a child before his disciples. Greatness in God’s kingdom begins with humility, dependence, and a willingness to receive rather than claim importance. The humble person also learns to welcome the little ones, recognizing Christ himself in those who might be overlooked. God’s mercy restores us when we turn back, and that restoration changes how we stand among others. We can bring our failures to him without hiding, then practice the same attentive mercy by honoring the vulnerable, listening to the forgotten, and refusing to despise anyone whom the Father holds in his care.

Merciful God, you remember your people when they have wandered and you listen to those who cry to you in their poverty. Turn my heart back to you whenever I forget your goodness. Free me from the desire to appear important, and teach me the humble trust of a child. Give me eyes to recognize Christ in the little ones, the overlooked, and those who carry heavy burdens. May I receive them with reverence and kindness, knowing that your Father’s face is turned toward them. Restore your joy within me and make my life a place of welcome. Amen.