A New
Presentation for Sunday's Liturgy The
god-money
the True God September
19, 2004 - 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Click here to download
(3.97MB)
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
Preliminary
note. For today's well-known and often confusing
parable of the unjust steward, we cannot consider satisfactory a wide-spread
commentary that says, "Jesus praises the steward for his slyness,
not for his dishonesty," especially if the man is deemed to act
dishonestly canceling or reducing debts at the expense of his master.
One understands better the attitude of the steward and the praise the
master gives him if the steward changes these debts at his own expense
by reducing his margin of profit. In the system of his day the steward
would lend, for example, 50 jugs of olive oil and ask to be paid back
100 jugs as his share for arranging the loan. Such usurious rates were
standard practices in those times.
Greeting
We
have come together
to offer petitions and thanksgiving
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
the only mediator between God and people.
May the Lord Jesus be always with you.
R/ And also with you.
Introduction
by the Celebrant
A.
I Have Entrusted Much to You
The Lord is asking us today: "What have you done with the many
things and the people I have entrusted to you?" We speak much today
of accountability not only for our jobs, our finances, our families
and our parishes, but accountability for our very lives. God has put
so much into our hands: the material things we have as well as our gifts
and talents. These are not just personal gifts for our own enjoyment,
but for our communities, for the Kingdom of God. May we give a good
account to the Lord.
B.
God or Mammon
We celebrate the eucharist of the Lord. Here Jesus shares himself with
us and he reminds us of how he gave himself so totally for us that in
his love he was willing to die for all. In this light we have also to
listen to his words. He knows that we need money and things but he warns
us not to let money become our master. Rather, let the poor become your
masters. The things you have are not really yours. They are on loan
to you and you are their steward.
Penitential
Act
We
ask the Lord to forgive us
how selfishly we have managed
all that has been entrusted to us. (PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, when you called us to be good stewards,
we let money and possessions become our masters:
Lord. have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, when you came to set us free,
we let power and ambition shackle us:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, when you wanted us to serve the poor
we gave them handouts instead of ourselves:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Set us free again from sin, Lord,
and make us good stewards of the earth's goods.
Lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening
Prayer
Let
us pray to the Lord
that we may be fair and generous to all (PAUSE)
Just and merciful God,
make us a free people
that refuses to adore money and possessions
and to sacrifice the poor to them.
Make our hearts gentle and compassionate,
that we may open our hands and homes
to the dispossessed and those trampled upon,
to share with them in your name.
Make us just to all.
And may we, with you, lift up the lowly.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.
Liturgy
of the Word
First
Reading Introduction: God's People Must Be a Just
People In the name of true religion
and the covenant, the prophet Amos warns God's people: God will reject
them if they enrich themselves at the expense of the poor.
First
Reading: Am
8:4-7
Hear this, you
who trample on the needy to do away with the weak of the land. You who
say, "When will the new moon or the sabbath feast be over that
we may open the store and sell our grain? Let us lower the measure and
raise the price; let us cheat and tamper with the scales, and even sell
the refuse with the whole grain. We will buy up the poor for money and
the needy for a pair of sandals."
Yahweh, the pride of Jacob, has sworn by himself, "I shall never
forget their deeds."
Responsorial
Psalm: Ps 113:1-2, 4-6, 7-8
R.
(cf. 1a, 7b) Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise,
you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever. R. Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
High
above all nations is the LORD;
above the heavens is his glory.
Who is like the LORD, our God, who is enthroned on high
and looks upon the heavens and the earth below? R. Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He
raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor
to seat them with princes,
with the princes of his own people. R. Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Second
Reading Introduction: God Wants Everyone to Be Saved
Liturgical prayer, says St Paul, must
be universal and missionary, as God wants everyone to be saved through
the only mediator, Jesus Christ. We should not forget to include in our
prayers those who do not yet know Christ.
Second
Reading: 1
Tim 2:1-8
First of all I
urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made
for everyone, for rulers of states and all in authority, that we may
enjoy a quiet and peaceful life in godliness and respect. This is good
and pleases God. For he wants all to be saved and come to the knowledge
of truth. As there is one God, there is one mediator between God and
humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave his life for the redemption
of all. This is the testimony, given in its proper time, and of this,
God has made me apostle and herald. I am not lying, I am telling the
truth: He made me teacher of the nations regarding faith and truth.
I want the men in every place to lift pure hands in prayer to heaven
without anger and dissension.
GospelIntroduction:
Give Me an Account of Your Service
The heart of Christians must
be undivided. Their main concern is to serve God faithfully and to share
generously what they have.
Gospel
Reading:Lk
16:1-13
Jesus told his
disciples, "There was a rich man whose steward was reported to
him for fraudulent service. He summoned the steward and asked him: 'What
is this I hear about you? I want you to render an account of your service
for it is about to be terminated.'
"The steward thought to himself: 'What am I to do now? My master
will surely dismiss me. I am not strong enough to do hard work, and
I am ashamed to beg. I know what I will do: I must make sure that when
I am dismissed, there will be some people to welcome me into their house.'
"So
he called his master's debtors one by one. He asked the first who came:
'How much do you owe my master?' The reply was: 'A hundred jars of oil.'
The steward said: 'Here is your bill. Sit down quickly and write there
fifty.' To the second he put the same question: 'How much do you owe?'
The answer was: 'A thousand measures of wheat.' Then he said: 'Take
your bill and write eight hundred.'
"The master commended the dishonest steward for his astuteness.
For the people of this world are more astute in dealing with their own
kind than are the people of light. And so I tell you: use filthy money
to make friends for yourselves, so that when it fails, these people
may welcome you into the eternal homes.
"Whoever can
be trusted in little things can also be trusted in great ones; whoever
is dishonest in slight matters will also be dishonest in greater ones.
So if you have not been trustworthy in handling filthy money, who could
entrust you with true wealth? And if you have not been trustworthy with
things which are not really yours, who will give you the wealth which
is your own?
"No servant can serve two masters. Either he does not like the
one and is fond of the other, or he regards one highly and the other
with contempt. You cannot give yourself both to God and to Money."
Commentary
THIS
parable has been a problem from the beginning. A scholar says that
the second part is "early Christian moralizing," an attempt-the
first of many-to make sense of this rather unedifying story. Every
character in the story, even the owner who was a victim of dishonesty,
was dishonest.
One commentator tries to make sense of it as follows. Such stewards
had great liberty in the way they did their work. Sometimes, to pay
themselves, they would lend out the owner's property and charge high
rates of interest on it. What this steward cancelled may have been
these interest rates. In other words he himself was the loser. But
this explanation makes the unjust steward a just man-which contradicts
the story itself.
Perhaps, as in the case of the unwise bridesmaids (see August 27),
we should restrict our attention to the single point that every parable
makes. But what is that point in this case? Be astute: that's one.
But then there follow all the others in today's reading! Which one
did Jesus intend?
Someone said (in relation to philosophical texts) that the meaning
of a text is the history of its meaning. In other words, it means
all the things that people have ever thought it to mean. This seems
a very unruly principle, like a hedge grown wild. But it's not as
bad as it sounds: 1. our Christian instinct will be a fairly reliable
guide in excluding any unchristian interpretations; and 2. it means
that we really respect and listen to every interpretation it has ever
received. (And that means respecting the people who went before us.)
General
Intercessions
Let
us pray to the Lord our God to turn the hearts of all to the true values
that last.
Let us say: R/ Lord, hear your people.
- For the Church, that it may be a serving Church and a Church of the
poor, bearing witness to God's gratuitousness as a living parable of
sharing, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear your people.
- For those in positions of responsibility in politics, finances and
the economy, that justice and concern for the good of all may guide
their decisions and actions, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear your people.
- For those who live by the work of their hands, that people may recognize
their dignity and the service they render to all, let us pray: R/
Lord, hear your people.
- For the poor, those discriminated against, and all those with little
access to the world's goods, that they may receive a fairer share, let
us pray: R/ Lord, hear your people.
- For our Christian communities, that there may be justice among us
and a deep concern for each other's happiness, that greed may give way
to sharing and jealousy to loving service, let us pray: R/ Lord,
hear your people.
Lord our God, free us from everything that makes us withdraw into ourselves.
Make us live for one another and for you, our God for ever. R/ Amen.
Prayer
over the Gifts
Lord
our God,
you break for us here
the bread that satisfies the poor,
and pour for us the wine of joy
of Jesus, your Son.
With him, and by the wisdom and strength
of his Holy Spirit,
may we place ourselves
and all our gifts and creativity
in the service of people,
so that your kingdom may grow
in us and among all people,
and, by your grace, stand for ever. R/ Amen.
Introduction
to the Eucharistic Prayer
Let
us offer ourselves and our work to God that he may make it fruitful,
for without him we can do nothing.t 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
With
Jesus our Lord
we pray to our Father in heaven
for the coming of his kingdom
even before we pray for our own needs: . R/ Our Father...
Deliver
Us
Deliver
us, Lord, from every evil
and extend your peace to all the world.
Let it be a peace based on justice
and on access by every person and nation
to the goods of this earth,
both spiritual and material.
Help us to live without display
and without artificial needs.
May we all work together
for the full coming among us
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...
Invitation
to Communion
This
is Jesus, our Lord,
who lets us share in the bread and the cup
in which he gives himself to us.
Happy are we to receive him
who made himself poor for us
to make us rich in God. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...
Prayer
after Communion
Almighty,
all-rich God,
what you create you give away
and entrust to us.
We try to keep riches and power
firmly in our own hands.
We thank you that you are different:
generous and unobtrusive,
hidden behind your gifts.
Teach us that we do not become smaller
when we make one another great,
nor do we become poorer if others are well-off.
Let us be of the mentality of him
who gave up power and might for our sakes,
Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
Let
us be good stewards
of all God's good gifts to us,
and in the service of God and those around us.
And let us also be good stewards
of one another,
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.
A New
Presentation for Sunday's Liturgy
"So
he called his master's debtors one by one. He asked the first who came:
'How much do you owe my master?' The reply was: 'A hundred jars of oil.'
The steward said: 'Here is your bill. Sit down quickly and write there
fifty.' To the second he put the same question: 'How much do you owe?'
The answer was: 'A thousand measures of wheat.' Then he said: 'Take
your bill and write eight hundred.'