A New Presentation for Sunday's Liturgy

A Molten Calf
Lost Sheep
September 12, 2004
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Flash presentation

This presentation is originally prepared in Spanish by Fr. Cristo Rey García Paredes, cmf. The original version,along with other very useful materials for pastoral agents and Christians in general can be found at: http://ciudadredonda.org

September 12, 2004 - 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

A. It Is a Joy for God to Forgive
B. Which Son Am I?

Readings:
Ex 32:7-11, 13-14; Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 17, 19; 1 Tim 1:12-17; Lk 15: 1-32

Commentaries / Gospel Reflections from:
Daily Gospel • Preaching the Word • A Certain Jesus  • Sundays Into Silence
Group Reflection (NEW)

Greeting

Let us give thanks to the Father
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
for he has given us strength
and he came to forgive us our sins.
May his mercy and love be always with you.
R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

A. It Is a Joy for God to Forgive

When you forgive someone who has hurt you much, how much does it cost you to forgive? Is it done reluctantly or with joy? Do you have the courage to take the first step, or do you wait until the other humbly begs you? Today's message is one of great joy and peace: God is happy to forgive sinners. He welcomes them and he embraces them. That's what he has done for us. How many times? Can we do it for one another? Let us celebrate with Jesus the feast of our reconciliation with God and with one another.

B. Which Son Am I?

Forgiveness is so difficult and at the same time so sublime that it surpasses our own powers. But not the power of God's love. When God forgives us we are loved in the deepest of our being, even where we are not lovable. We are accepted not because of what we have or what we are; for we are accepted also when we stand empty-handed and feel we are not worth much. We cannot earn forgiveness; it comes as a surprise from God. He begs us to spring that surprise on others too: he alone can make us capable of doing so.

Penitential Act

A. It Is a Joy for God to Forgive

Let us thank the Lord for the many times
he has forgiven us our sins.
Let us ask him to forgive us once more
and to dispose us to forgive one another.
(PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, you did not wait
for sinners to come to you
but you went to seek them:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, it is a joy for you
and for your Father in heaven
to forgive wholeheartedly the repentant sinner:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you ask us
to celebrate and rejoice with you
when forgiveness restores people to life:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Have mercy on us, Lord,
and bring us the joy of your reconciliation.
Dispose us to forgive others gladly
and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

B. Which Son Am I?

Let God's forgiveness come down on us
as the wholesome rain after many dry days.
(PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, your name means:
He who comes to save people from their sins.
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, you ask us
to be merciful as our Father is merciful:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, where you forgive
and where we can forgive,
there can only be joy and celebration:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Rain down on us your mercy, Lord,
forgive us all our sins
and make us forgive others as you forgive us.
Lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer

Let us pray to our faithful Father
who always loves us and waits for us
(PAUSE)
God, our patient Father,
it is a joy for you to forgive
the repentant sinner.
You even allowed your Son to lay down his life
to bring us forgiveness and life.
Dispose those whom we have offended
to forgive us too,
and make us always ready
to forgive wholeheartedly and without regrets
those who have hurt us.
Make us people who forgive and receive forgiveness
with the goodness you have shown us
in Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading Introduction: God's Love Is Greater Than His Justice
       God had saved his people, yet they abandoned him to adore the golden calf. Moses pleaded with God to spare his people.

First Reading: Ex 32:7-11, 13-14

Yahweh said to Moses, "Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have quickly turned from the way I commanded them and have made for themselves a molten calf; they have bowed down before it and sacrificed to it and said: 'These are your gods, Israel, who brought you out of Egypt."

And Yahweh said to Moses, "I see that these people are a stiff-necked people. Now just leave me that my anger may blaze against them. I will destroy them, but of you I will make a great nation."

But Moses calmed the anger of Yahweh, his God, and said, "Why, O Yahweh, should your anger burst against your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with such great power and with a mighty hand? Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the promise you yourself swore: I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land I spoke about I will give to them as an everlasting inheritance."

Yahweh then changed his mind and would not yet harm his people.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 17, 19

R. (Lk 15:18) I will rise and go to my father.

Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. I will rise and go to my father.

A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. I will rise and go to my father.

O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R. I will rise and go to my father.

Second Reading Introduction: Christ Has Forgiven Me
      Paul is aware that he is a sinner. But he has encountered the forgiving Christ. Full of gratitude, he praises God's greatness and love.

Second Reading: 1 Tim 1:12-17

I give thanks to Christ Jesus, our Lord, who is my strength, who has considered me trustworthy and appointed me to his service, although I had been a blasphemer, a persecutor and a rabid enemy. However he took mercy on me because I did not know what I was doing when I opposed the faith; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, together with faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

This saying is true and worthy of belief: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first. Because of that I was forgiven; Christ Jesus wanted to display his utmost patience in me so that I might be an example for all who are to believe and obtain eternal life. To the King of ages, the only God who lives beyond every perishable and visible creation-to him be honor and glory forever. Amen!

Gospel Introduction: Have We Made Up Our Minds to Follow Christ?
       Jesus went all the way to the cross. True wisdom and prudence are not afraid of taking the risk of following him resolutely.

Gospel Reading: Lk 15:1-32

Tax collectors and sinners were seeking the company of Jesus, all of them eager to hear what he had to say. But the Pharisees and the scribes frowned at this, muttering. "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." So Jesus told them this parable:

"Who among you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, will not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and seek out the lost one till he finds it? And finding it, will he not joyfully carry it home on his shoulders? Then he will call his friends and neighbors together and say: 'Celebrate with me for I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you, just so, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine upright who do not need to repent.

"What woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one, will not light a lamp and sweep the house in a thorough search till she finds the lost coin? And finding it, she will call her friends and neighbors and say: 'Celebrate with me for I have found the silver coin I lost!' I tell you, in the same way there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner."

Jesus continued, "There was a man with two sons. The younger said to his father: 'Give me my share of the estate.' So the father divided his property between them.
"Some days later, the younger son gathered all his belongings and started off for a distant land where he squandered his wealth in loose living. Having spent everything, he was hard pressed when a severe famine broke out in that land. So he hired himself out to a well-to-do citizen of that place and was sent to work on a pig farm. So famished was he that he longed to fill his stomach even with the food given to the pigs, but no one offered him anything.

"Finally coming to his senses, he said: 'How many of my father's hired workers have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will get up and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against God and before you. I no longer deserve to be called your son. Treat me then as one of your hired servants.' With that thought in mind he set off for his father's house.

"He was still a long way off when his father caught sight of him. His father was so deeply moved with compassion that he ran out to meet him, threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. The son said: 'Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you. I no longer deserve to be called your son…'

"But the father turned to his servants: 'Quick! Bring out the finest robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and kill it. We shall celebrate and have a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has come back to life. He was lost and is found.' And the celebration began.

"Meanwhile, the elder son had been working in the fields. As he returned and was near the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what it was all about. The servant answered: 'Your brother has come home safe and sound, and your father is so happy about it that he has ordered this celebration and killed the fattened calf.'

"The elder son became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and pleaded with him. The indignant son said: 'Look, I have slaved for you all these years. Never have I disobeyed your orders. Yet you have never given me even a young goat to celebrate with my friends. Then when this son of yours returns after squandering your property with loose women, you kill the fattened calf for him.'

"The father said: 'My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But this brother of yours was dead, and has come back to life. He was lost and is found. And for that we had to rejoice and be glad.'"

Commentary

"THIS man welcomes sinners and eats with them." This is the theme of the entire chapter 15 of Luke's gospel. The chapter has three parables of God's mercy: the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost (or 'prodigal') son. In fact Luke's could be called the gospel of the lost. Luke alone tells the story of the prodigal son; he alone tells the story of the woman who anointed the feet of Jesus and washed them with her tears, drying them with her hair (7:36-50); he alone has the parable of the Pharisee and the tax-collector (18:9-14); he alone tells the story about Zacchaeus and the Lord's coming to eat with him (19:1-10); he alone tells about the repentant thief on the cross (23:39-43)-mercy even at the last gasp.

But these parables would be better named "the found sheep," "the found coin" and "the found son;" the point of the parables is that God's mercy comes after us and finds us. Each of them mentions joy, "rejoice with me!" says the shepherd who found the lost sheep; "rejoice with me!" says the woman who found the coin; "it was right we should celebrate and rejoice," said the father of the lost son.

That is a theme to stay with: God's joy in us. Luke's gospel makes me think of no one such as Julian of Norwich. "It is God's will," she wrote, "that we have heartfelt joy with him in our salvation. He wants us to find great comfort and strength in it, and to be completely and happily taken up with it, by his grace. For we are his happiness, and he finds endless enjoyment in us, and we shall in him, by his grace."

General Intercessions

Let us pray to the Lord our God who is patient with sinners and rich in mercy, and let us say: R/ Forgive us, as we forgive others.

- That God's Church may bring the Good News of reconciliation and peace to all of humanity, let us pray: R/ Forgive us, as we forgive others.

- That the faithful of all Christian Churches may encounter one another in a spirit of reconciliation and friendship, let us pray: R/ Forgive us, as we forgive others.

- That the disciples of Christ may fight all forms of evil and sin and yet may not condemn and reject those who have committed them, let us pray: R/ Forgive us, as we forgive others.

- That priests may be patient and merciful ministers of the sacrament of reconciliation, let us pray: R/ Forgive us, as we forgive others.

- That in our Christian homes parents may teach their children by word and deed to be people who can forgive and are forgiven, let us pray: R/ Forgive us, as we forgive others.

- That in our Christian communities strangers and discouraged sinners may encounter the merciful God in the forgiveness of their brothers and sisters, let us pray:
R/ Forgive us, as we forgive others.

God our Father, your Son came to seek and save those who are lost. Help us to accept wholeheartedly those who have failed and to celebrate together the joy of your forgiveness, in Christ Jesus our Lord. R/ Amen.

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord God, merciful Father,
this bread and this wine are the signs,
that you offer us forgiveness and life
through your Son Jesus Christ.
He is willing to sit at table
with people who have failed.
Make us one in heart and soul
with him and with one another,
that sin may no longer alienate us
from you, from our true selves
and from our brothers and sisters.
And may you welcome us one day
at your feast of joy
that lasts for ever and ever. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

At the heart of the Eucharistic Prayer we proclaim that Jesus shed his blood for us "so that sins may be forgiven." Let us thank the Father for his mercy.

Introduction to the Lord's Prayer

The prodigal son repented
and returned to his Father.
In the words of Jesus,
we too pray to our Father
to forgive us our sins
as we forgive others. R/ Our Father...

Deliver Us

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil,
and grant us the wisdom
of discovering your will in everyday life.
In your mercy, set us free
from all attachments and fears
that keep us from hearing
the call of your Son to follow him.
Help us to prepare in hope and joy
for the return in glory among us
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...

Invitation to Communion

This is Jesus the Lord,
who left his glory
to become the Savior of people.
This is Jesus the Lord who invites us
to join our destiny with his
and to follow him all the way. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

Prayer after Communion

Lord God, Father of us all,
accept our thanks
that the grace and love
you offer us in Jesus your Son
is always greater than our sins.
In gratitude for your forgiving mercy,
may we carry out with joy
the mission of reconciliation,
which you entrust to us.
May we learn the joy of forgiving
through him who is our life and reconciliation,
Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Blessing

We know from experience
that one of the hardest things in life
is to forgive completely and without regret.
How much happier our communities would be
if we could put aside our injured pride
and forgive one another wholeheartedly,
if also we could give a place and new chances
to those who have failed.
May we be such a community
of acceptance, friendship and reconciliation,
with the blessing of almighty God,
the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

Go in peace and follow the Lord. R/ Thanks be to God.

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Additional Resource Material for this Sunday

Ideal for catechetical and liturgical dramatization of today"s gospel.

The Lost Sheep
(Lk 15:1 - 32)

(taken from the book A Certain Jesus, Vol. 1)
Click here for other Readings --> Index of A Certain Jesus