Liturgy Alive, Models of Celebrations

First Reading: Is 6:1– 8

In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high
and lofty throne, with the train of his garment filling the temple.
Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings:
with two they veiled their faces, with two they veiled their
feet, and with two they hovered aloft.

They cried one to the other, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of
hosts! All the earth is filled with his glory!” At the sound of
that cry, the frame of the door shook and the house was filled
with smoke.

Then I said, “Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of
unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips; yet my
eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” Then one of the
seraphim flew to me, holding an ember that he had taken with
tongs from the altar.
He touched my mouth with it and said, “See, now that
this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your
sin purged.”

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I
send? Who will go for us?” “Here I am,” I said; “send me!”

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 93:1ab, 1cd – 2, 5

R./ The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.

The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.
R./ The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.

And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O LORD.
R./ The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.

Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed:
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, for length of days.
R./ The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.

Gospel Reading Introduction
God has made us for life. In Jesus he shows us that he wants us to be healed, that is, wholly and fully alive and raised from the dead, for by his resurrection Jesus defeats death in its roots. In this Eucharist we ask Jesus to raise us up, from the death of sin and ultimately from physical death.

Gospel Reading: Mt 10:24 – 33

Jesus said to his Apostles: “No disciple is above his teacher,
no slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he
become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his
master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul,
how much more those of his household!

“Therefore do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed
that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you
hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid
of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be
afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in
Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not
one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not
be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone
who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before
my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I
will deny before my heavenly Father.”

Commentary

Just as the Lord holds dear every one of His beloved creatures, so does He guard and protect those who believe in Him. Each human life is of inestimable value in the sight of the Lord. Every person is special, because every man, woman and child is created in the image and likeness of God.

We must remember this, especially on those days when we are discouraged about the present or anxious about the future. The Lord believes in us and stands ready to answer our every prayer. Be not afraid!

General Intercessions

- For the Church, that free from all paralyzing fears it may have the courage born of faith to bear witness to the demands of the Gospel, we pray:

- For presiders in the liturgy, that they may have a deep sense of God's holiness and of their own limitations and shortcomings, we pray:

- For all of us, that we may not fear those who threaten or ridicule us for our faith, as we live in trust of God who carries us in his hands, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Believable and trustworthy God,
your Son Jesus Christ committed himself
to the fight against evil and persecution,
yet he himself was its victim.
As he encounters us here
in these signs of bread and wine,
may he help us to understand better
that the disciple is not above the master,
that we cannot make your kingdom come true
without being torn apart
nor without being contested by the world.
We trust in you through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Our holy God,
we have shared the table of your Son;
we are willing to share his life and mission.
Make us unafraid, as he was fearless.
Help us to be convinced
in the deepest of ourselves
that our life and death are in your hands
and that our crosses bear within themselves
the seeds of joy and happiness.
Give us this faith and strength
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Blessing

Do not be afraid of professing your faith or of living it. Trust in God, who stands behind you. May God strengthen and bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.