Our
God of love,
permeate us so deeply with the mentality
of the Good News of your Son Jesus Christ
that in us there remains no room
for violence, hatred, or looking down on others.
Help us to create among us
an atmosphere of trust and deep love
that we give first place to the needs of others
and forget ourselves for their sakes.
Let there be among us forgiveness without regret
as was taught to us by Christ our Lord.
Liturgy
of the Word
First
Reading Introduction
Elijah
prayed and the rains came. Faith can move mountains. The
believer draws from his faith the power to do what looks
impossible. If he trusts God, he becomes strong with God's
power. This is the impact and intent of the "fioretti"
of Elijah. But the theological ground of it is solid: God
does not abandon those who trust in him and gives them a
strength beyond their human potentials.
First
Reading: 1 Kgs 18:41– 46
Elijah
said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the
sound of a heavy rain.” So Ahab went up to eat and drink,
while Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, crouched
down to
the earth, and put his head between his knees. “Climb
up and
look out to sea,” he directed his servant, who went
up and
looked, but reported, “There is nothing.” Seven times
he said,
“Go, look again!” And the seventh time the youth reported,
“There is a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising from
the
sea.” Elijah said, “Go and say to Ahab, ‘Harness up
and leave
the mountain before the rain stops you.’” In a trice
the sky
grew dark with clouds and wind, and a heavy rain fell.
Ahab
mounted his chariot and made for Jezreel. But the hand
of the
LORD was on Elijah, who girded up his clothing and ran
before
Ahab as far as the approaches to Jezreel.
Responsorial
Psalm: Ps 65:10, 11, 12 –13
R./
It is right to praise you in Zion, O God.
You
have visited the land and watered it;
greatly have you enriched it.
God’s watercourses are filled;
you have prepared the grain.. R./ It is right to praise you in Zion, O God.
Thus
have you prepared the land:
drenching its furrows, breaking up its clods,
Softening it with showers,
blessing its yield. R./ It is right to praise you in Zion, O God.
You have crowned the year with your bounty,
and your paths overflow with a rich harvest;
The untilled meadows overflow with it,
and rejoicing clothes the hills. R./
It is right to praise you in Zion, O God.
Gospel
Reading Introduction
In
the Gospel Christ tells us that our practice of love should
go farther than that of the Scribes and Pharisees. All
laws and the whole discipleship are based on love and
creating a climate of love in which Christians do not
only not kill in acts of violence but not even damage
relationships in Words and thoughts. Love at its deepest
is shown in forgiveness without conditions, even if the
one wrong is the other person! That's not easy at all!
Gospel
Reading: Mt 5:20 – 26
Jesus
said to his disciples: “I tell you, unless your righteousness
surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will
not enter
into the Kingdom of heaven.
“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You shall
not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say
to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable
to
judgment, and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will
be
answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You
fool,’
will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring
your
gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother
has anything
against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go
first and be
reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer
your
gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the
way to
court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you
over
to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the
guard,
and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you,
you
will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”
Commentary
Jesus
came to reconcile all things by the blood of the cross.
If reconciliation is the reason why Jesus went to Calvary,
then reconciliation must be at the heart of the life of
a Christian. Petty grudges, long simmering feuds, and
childish tit-for-tat have no place in the Kingdom. Rather,
those who follow the Lord are to be quick to forgive and
to put aside differences.
The Lord forgave those who crucified Him without their
asking for forgiveness. We can do no better than to imitate
the Lord when it is we who have been wronged.
General
Intercessions
- For
all of us, that we may never put the law above people but
practice first the great commandment of loving one another,
we pray:
- For those who feel hurt by others, that they may learn
the difficult lesson of forgiving wholeheartedly, we pray:
- For our communities, that we may seek God's will together,
accept one another, respect each other's freedom and bear
witness to God's kindness, we pray:
Prayer
over the Gifts
Lord
our God,
here are our gifts of bread and wine.
Let there be peace among us,
even if, rightly or wrongly, someone has something against
us.
Even if it is very hard,
we want to seek reconciliation with one another
for the sake of him who has brought us
reconciliation with you at the cost of his life,
Jesus Christ, our Lord for ever.
Prayer
after Communion
Lord
our God,
you write straight with crooked lines.
Let the disturbing Words of your Son
wake us up and help us to see
where to find your kind of happiness,
for it is the only one that lasts.
And let your Son here with us
be our nourishment for the road
to you, our God for ever and ever.
Blessing
Remember
always these Words of Jesus today, to insist that we should
be reconcilers: "When you are offering your gifts at
the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has
something against you, leave your gift there before the
altar and go; first, be reconciled to your brother or sister
and then come and offer your gift." May almighty God
give you this Christian sense and bless you, the Father,
and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Claretian Publications MACAU