October 21 - MONDAY - 29th Week in Ordinary Time
Theme: SAVED BY GRACE
Readings:
Eph 2:1-10; Lk 12:13-21
Opening
Prayer
Lord our God,
we are your work of art.
When we were vowed to death through sin,
you called us to life
through the death of your Son.
God, open us to your love and life
given for free as a gift
without charge or regret
and give us thankful hearts.
May we learn from you and your Son
to place ourselves in the service
of our brothers and sisters,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Scripture Readings
First
Reading Introduction
Ephesians
gives us the very fundamental message of our gratuitous salvation by the
death and resurrection of Christ. Life, real life, comes through him.
We have not done anything to deserve it and we can't do anything to merit
it. All we are, we are by the grace of God. It goes perhaps against the
grain of ourhuman thinking, but we are dependent beings, a gift from God
living by the gifts of God. And yet, this should not be humiliating, for
it is in accordance with our human nature. We are dependent, yes, but
we are loved - and this is what changes everything.
You were dead through the faults and sins. Once you lived through them according to this world and followed the Sovereign Ruler who reigns between heaven and earth and who goes on working in those who resist the faith. All of us belonged to them at one time and we followed human greed; we obeyed the urges of our human nature and consented to its desires. By ourselves, we went straight to the judgment like the rest of humankind.
But God, who is rich in mercy, revealed his immense love. As we were dead through our sins, he gave us life with Christ. By grace you have been saved! And he raised us to life with Christ, giving us a place with him in heaven.
In showing us such kindness in Christ Jesus, God willed to reveal and unfold in the coming ages the extraordinary riches of his grace. By the grace of God you have been saved through faith. This has not come from you: it is God's gift. This was not the result of your works, so you are not to feel proud. What we are is God's work. He has created us in Christ Jesus for the good works he has prepared that we should devote ourselves to them.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 100:2-5
Worship the LORD with gladness; come into his presence with singing.
Know that the LORD is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.
For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Gospel
Introduction:
When Jesus speaks out against the rich,
he does not intend to condemn them but to liberate them. What he denounces
is not the fact that they have material goods, but their own attachment
to them and the use they make of their riches: for hoarding, for selfish
enjoyment, or - as some rich countries do - stockpiling wheat in silos
or using oil for economic and political pressure. The value of possessions
is relative to the goods of the kingdom, to justice and love. What counts
is to be rich and wise before God.
Someone in the crowd spoke to Jesus, "Master, tell my brother to share with me the family inheritance." He replied, "My friend, who has appointed me as your judge or your attorney?" Then Jesus said to the people, "Be on your guard and avoid every kind of greed, for even though you have many possessions, it is not that which gives you life."
And Jesus continued with this story, "There was a rich man and his land had produced a good harvest. He thought: 'What shall I do? For I am short of room to store my harvest.' So this is what he planned: 'I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones to store all this grain, which is my wealth. Then I may say to myself: My friend, you have a lot of good things put by for many years. Rest, eat, drink and enjoy yourself.' But God said to him: 'You fool! This very night your life will be taken from you; tell me who shall get all you have put aside?' This is the lot of the one who stores up riches instead of amassing for God."
General
Intercessions
- For grateful hearts, that we can thank God for changing us from strangers to him into his sons and daughters in Christ, we pray:
- For loving hearts, that God has brought us peace with himself, with one another, and even with ourselves, we pray:
- For wide-open hearts, with which we can love the many brothers and sisters God's grace has given us in the Church, we pray:
Prayer
over the Gifts
Lord our God,
you let us use these offerings
as gifts from your hands
to eat and drink the life of your Son.
Confirm us in your grace
without any claim to our own merits
and let the Spirit of Jesus help us
to live the good life of your Son
which you had meant us to live
from the beginning and for ever.
Prayer
after Communion
Lord our God,
what else can we do
than give you thanks and praise
for speaking to us through Jesus
and strengthening us
with his bread of life?
May what we say and do
and all of our lives
be a gift to those around
and an act of gratitude to you,
our God for ever and ever.
Blessing
All is grace, all is a gift freely given. Even the use of our talents and our work is God's gift. Let us also give freely to our neighbor, like our love to the people close to us, but also our help to people who suffer, even if far away from us. And may almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
They probably laughed at that man, so rich. Indeed he fell into ridicule. Once dead, all his riches remained in the new granaries. We guess the mice and his heirs took good care of it. But for him all was useless. He was wrong about wealth. There are many people today who make the same mistake. They think that good dividends come from stocks and business. They have not understood that the authentic benefits are found in a life shared in love and friendship, in peace and reconciliation. That kind of stocks brings in good dividends at the end!
October 22 - TUESDAY - 29th Week in Ordinary Time
Theme: BARRIERS ARE BROKEN DOWN
Readings:
Eph 2:12-22; Lk
12:35-38
Opening
Prayer
Lord our God,
Jesus your Son has broken down
the barriers dividing peoples and nations,
but why are we still so far apart,
even within our own households?
He has brought us close by his blood,
but why does his one body remain a dream
far removed from reality?
God, let us not be aliens to one another,
bring us together, help us to demolish
the walls of hatred and exploitation,
of distrust and power that divide your people,
that we may be all one
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Scripture Readings
First
Reading Introduction:
We
should pay special attention to today's beautiful first reading. Paul
speaks directly about the wall of separation between Jews and non-Jews,
which Christ has destroyed. All are called to be one in him. In this mission
month we could ask ourselves how many are still outside God's covenant,
how many do not yet belong to the one single body of Christ.
At that time you were without Christ, you did not belong to the community of Israel; the covenants of God and his promises were not for you; you had no hope and were without God in this world. But now, in Christ Jesus and by his blood, you who were once far off have come near.
For Christ is our peace, he who has made the two peoples one, destroying in his own flesh the wall-the hatred-which separated us. He abolished the Law with its commands and precepts. He made peace in uniting the two peoples in him, creating out of the two one New Man. He destroyed hatred and reconciled us both to God through the cross, making the two one body.
He came to proclaim peace; peace to you who were far off, peace to the Jews who were near. Through him we-the two peoples-approach the Father in one Spirit.
Now you are no longer strangers or guests, but fellow citizens of the holy people: you are of the household of God. You are the house whose foundations are the apostles and prophets, and whose cornerstone is Christ Jesus. In him the whole structure is joined together and rises to be a holy temple in the Lord. In him you too are being built to become the spiritual sanctuary of God.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 85:9-14
Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.
Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.
The LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps.
Gospel
Introduction:
In the gospel Jesus exhorts his
disciples to vigilance. They are like servants who should always be ready
for the master's call.
Gospel
Reading: Lk 12:35-38Someone in the crowd spoke to Jesus, "Master, tell my brother to share with me the family inheritance." He replied, "My friend, who has appointed me as your judge or your attorney?" Then Jesus said to the people, "Be on your guard and avoid every kind of greed, for even though you have many possessions, it is not that which gives you life."
And Jesus continued with this story, "There was a rich man and his land had produced a good harvest. He thought: 'What shall I do? For I am short of room to store my harvest.' So this is what he planned: 'I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones to store all this grain, which is my wealth. Then I may say to myself: My friend, you have a lot of good things put by for many years. Rest, eat, drink and enjoy yourself.' But God said to him: 'You fool! This very night your life will be taken from you; tell me who shall get all you have put aside?' This is the lot of the one who stores up riches instead of amassing for God."
General
Intercessions
- That Churches that follow Christ as their Lord may always stress more what unites us than what divides us, we pray:
- That all the peoples of the earth may hear where the Lord Jesus can be found and come to know his name and to pray to him, we pray:
- That among the People of God there may not be aliens and strangers, but only people who are different and yet who accept one another, we pray:
Prayer
over the Gifts
God, you bring us together
around a piece of bread
and a cup of wine.
Let this bread and wine come alive,
give us Jesus, your Son
that we may no longer be foreign visitors
of this place and to one another,
but members of your own household,
and citizens of the kingdom
of peace, truth and justice
of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer
after Communion
Lord our God,
however different we are,
whatever separates us here in your Church
and in the world at large,
you have given us the body and blood of your Son
to bring us all together.
Let Jesus be the cornerstone
on which we all build.
Let your Spirit make us the living stones
of the house in which you live
as our God for ever and ever.
Blessing
We are "all members of the household of God," says Ephesians, not only to Jewish and ex-pagan Christians, but to us all here, however different we may be in personality, origin, profession, whatever. We are all one in Christ. May we become more one with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
They probably laughed at that man, so rich. Indeed he fell into ridicule. Once dead, all his riches remained in the new granaries. We guess the mice and his heirs took good care of it. But for him all was useless. He was wrong about wealth. There are many people today who make the same mistake. They think that good dividends come from stocks and business. They have not understood that the authentic benefits are found in a life shared in love and friendship, in peace and reconciliation. That kind of stocks brings in good dividends at the end!
October 23 - WEDNESDAY - 29th Week in Ordinary Time
Theme: FREE AND VIGILANT
Readings:
Eph 3:2-12; Lk 12:39-48
Opening
Prayer
Our God and Father,
in the generosity of your creative imagination
you distribute among people
a variety of gifts and talents
of mind and heart and grace.
Convince us, Lord, that what we have received,
we have received for others,
that if we have been given more,
we are not greater or better,
only responsible for more.
Help us to use what we are and have
in the service of others.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
(Partially based on a text by Helder Camara)
Scripture Readings
First
Reading Introduction:
Paul,
who may be the author of part of Ephesians, speaks of the grace given
him of preaching the good news of Christ to gentiles, so that they could
share in the mystery of Christ.
You may have heard of the graces God bestowed on me for your sake. By a revelation he gave me the knowledge of his mysterious design, as I have explained in a few words. On reading them you will have some idea of how I understand the mystery of Christ.
This mystery was not made known to past generations but only now, through revelations given to holy apostles and prophets. Now the non-Jewish people share the Inheritance; in Christ Jesus the non-Jews are incorporated and are to enjoy the Promise.
This is the Good News of which I have become minister by a gift of God, a grace he gave me, when his power worked in me.
This grace was given to me, the least among all the holy ones: to announce to the pagan nations the immeasurable riches of Christ and to make clear to all how the mystery, hidden from the beginning in God, the Creator of all things, is to be fulfilled.
Even the heavenly forces and powers will now discover through the Church the wisdom of God in its manifold expression, as the plan is being fulfilled which God designed from the beginning in Christ Jesus, our Lord. In him we receive boldness and confidence to approach God.
Responsorial Psalm: Isaiah 12:2-6
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the LORD GOD is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation.
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted.
Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth.
Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Gospel
Introduction:
In the Gospel, Luke speaks of the vigilance
of Christians and their leaders. They are responsible for the grace and
the talents God has given them. And, says Jesus, the more has been given
to us, the more is expected of us, the more we have to be responsible
for those entrusted to us.
Jesus said to his disciples, "Pay attention to this: If the master of the house had known at what time the thief would come, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect."
Peter said, "Lord, did you tell this parable only for us, or for everyone?" And the Lord replied, "Imagine, then, the wise and faithful steward whom the master sets over his other servants to give them food rations at the proper time. Fortunate is this servant if his master on coming home finds him doing his work. Truly, I say to you, the master will put him in charge of all his property.
But it may be that the steward thinks: 'My Lord delays in coming,' and he begins to abuse the menservants and the servant girls, eating and drinking and getting drunk. Then the master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he doesn't know. He will discharge his servant and number him among the unreliable.
The servant who knew his master's will, but did not prepare to do what his master wanted, will be punished with sound blows; but the one who did what deserved a punishment without knowing it shall receive fewer blows. Much will be required of the one who has been given much, and more will be asked of the one entrusted with more."
General
Intercessions
- That the Church may bring the light of faith where there is darkness and indifference, hope where there is fatalism and despair, and love where there is hatred and strife, we pray:
- That those who are discouraged by trials and by their troubles and fears may keep believing and hoping in a God who brings everything to a good end, we pray:
- That all of us may grow in the certainty that our commitment to justice and love and our dedicated service in life are needed to help God's promises come true, we pray:
Prayer
over the Gifts
Lord our God,
let these signs of bread and wine
express that we are willing
to serve you and people
in responsible freedom.
Let your Son share with us
his strength and loyalty,
to make us wise and faithful stewards
of the message of justice and love
entrusted to us by Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord for ever.
Prayer
after Communion
Lord our God,
to let us know that you expect of us
more than we are capable of,
you have given us again
the word and body of your Son.
Help us to live according to the gospel
as people set free by Jesus
and responsible with him
for the progress in this world
of integrity and love.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
Blessing
"From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required," says Jesus. We have received much from God, our faith, our capacity to love, pardon of our sins. Let us thank the Lord and ask for the blessing of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The dictionary defines "steward" as "one employed on a large state to manage domestic concerns." We Christians are "stewards" of this creation and of our world. That's the answer of Jesus to Peter's question. The parable is for everyone, but first for the listener. It is our responsibility to take care of this world, of this family, to let food reach everybody, so that all may feel comfortable and pleased. We need today more than ever to be diligent and attentive in order to fulfill our responsibility. "Steward" ought to be the title which all Christians should hold on with joy and pride.
October 24 - THURSDAY - 29th Week in Ordinary Time
Theme: I HAVE COME TO BRING FIRE
Readings:
Eph 3:14-21; Lk 12:49-53
Opening
Prayer
Lord our God,
you have set us free in Christ,
free from our selfishness,
free from shame and fear,
free for life and service.
God, accept our thanks for this free gift.
Give us the strength, day after day,
to grow in this liberty
and to help our little or large world
to attain the same freedom
from sin and its consequences:
from injustice, suffering, and oppression.
One day may we be completely free
in your eternal home,
through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Scripture Readings
First
Reading Introduction:
Overwhelmed
by the beauty and responsibility of his ministry and of the Christian
life, the author of Ephesians prays that the riches of the Christian life
may be found in those who believe. Then he gives thanks and praise to
the heavenly Father. May this prayer also be ours.
And now I kneel in the presence of the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth has received its name.
May he strengthen in you the inner self through his Spirit, according to the riches of his glory; may Christ dwell in your hearts through faith;
may you be rooted and founded in love.
All of this so that you may understand with all the holy ones the width, the length, the height and the depth-in a word, that you may know the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge, that you may be filled and reach the fullness of God.
Glory to God who shows his power in us and can do much more than we could ask or imagine; glory to him in the Church and in Christ Jesus through all generations for ever and ever. Amen.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 33:1-2,
4-5, 11-12, 18-19
Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous. Praise befits the upright.
Praise the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.
For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.
The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
Happy is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.
Truly the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
Gospel
Introduction:
Today our Lord confronts us with
the question: How fiery is your love and your faith? Can our faith accept
contradiction and ridicule without letting us be reduced to silence? Perhaps
we are resigned to the evil in us and in the world and fail to stand up
for what is right and good. If our love for the Lord and people is strong
enough, we do not tolerate an easy peace that puts our conscience to sleep.
Let the fire of the Spirit burn in us.
Jesus said to his disciples, "I have come to bring fire upon the earth and how I wish it were already kindled; but I have a baptism to undergo and what anguish I feel until it is over!
Do you think that I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on, in one house five will be divided; three against two, and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."
General
Intercessions
- Jesus, set your Church afire with the flame of a deep concern to bring your good news to all. May the gospel dialogue with the world and with its aspirations and needs, we pray:
- Jesus, give the warmth of your strength to all who have to pass through the fire of suffering, failure and discrimination and keep them from discouragement, we pray:
- Jesus, light your fire again in the hearts of those whose faith has become lukewarm or who have lost the way to you, we pray:
Prayer
over the Gifts
God our Father,
these gifts of bread and wine
are humble offerings
but they stand for all the love
of which we are capable.
Bring them to life and let them become
the living sign of your love for people,
your Son Jesus Christ.
Through him fill our banal words
with a spirit of loving service springing from the heart,
and our inept gestures of love for one another
with the wholeness and fullness
of the love of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer
after Communion
God, our Father,
your Son came to bring fire on earth;
he himself passed through the fire of life.
Make us realize, Lord, and accept
that we may not seek peace at any cost.
Give us the fire of your Spirit
that we may not seek security
in the self-contentment of the status quo,
but go and commit ourselves
like Jesus, your Son and our Lord.
Blessing
Too often the fire of faith and love is easily extinguished in us. We are not heroes, or perhaps only rarely. It is easier to be left in peace. May God preserve us from a guilty peace and keep the fire of faith and love alive in us, and may God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
From its very beginning, life, any life, has some kind of struggle. One has to exert violence to grow, to mature. Any change is painful. God's Kingdom takes up also changes and conversion in our personal and social life. These changes are not pleasant to many people; they become hard and difficult. But this is the only way to reach freedom and the life that Jesus offers us in the Father's Kingdom. In his encyclical "Centesimus Annus" John Paul II says that we do not confront anybody, we only fight for justice. But sometimes it happens that such conflict is inevitable with those opposing it.
October 25 - FRIDAY - 29th Week in Ordinary Time
Theme: THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES
Readings:
Eph 4:1-6; Lk 12:54-59
Opening
Prayer
Lord our God,
when today's world hungers
for justice, truth and spiritual values,
perhaps disguised and distorted
in a form hard to recognize,
open our eyes and give us
your Spirit of wisdom and discernment.
May we thus learn to understand this world,
to feel at home in it,
and to discover the stepping-stones
that could lead us all to you
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Scripture Readings
First
Reading Introduction:
The
letter to the Ephesians insists on unity. Everything in our faith is a
call for unity in Christ, as there is one Church, one Spirit, and one
Father of all.
Therefore I, the prisoner of Christ, invite you to live the vocation you have received. Be humble, kind, patient, and bear with one another in love.
Make every effort to keep among you the unity of Spirit through bonds of peace. Let there be one body and one spirit, for God, in calling you, gave the same Spirit to all. One Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God, the Father of all, who is above all and works through all and is in all.
Responsorial
Psalm: Psalms 24:1-6
The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.
Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?
Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully.
They will receive blessing from the LORD, and vindication from the God of their salvation.
Such is the company of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah
Gospel
Introduction:
In its introduction, the
Vatican II Constitution on the Church in the Modern World says: "The
Church must continually examine the signs of the times and interpret them
in the light of the gospel. Thus she will be able to answer the questions
that people are always asking about the meaning of this life and of the
next and about the relation of this life and of the next and about the
relation of one to the other, in a way adapted to each question."
By signs of the times we mean currents of thought and attitudes behind
events, aspirations, and the like. Take the hippies, the Jesus movement,
Pentecostalism, women's lib, the hunger for liberation, the rebellion
of many of the young against consumerism and hypocrisy. Can we discover
points of contact and of openness to the values of the gospel?
Jesus said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once: 'A shower is coming.' And so it happens. And when the wind blows from the south, you say: 'It will be hot'; and so it is. You superficial people! You understand the signs of the earth and the sky, but you don't understand the present times. And why do you not judge for yourselves what is fit? When you go with your accuser before the court, try to settle the case on the way, lest he drag you before the judge and the judge deliver you to the jailer, and the jailer throw you in prison. I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the very last penny."
General
Intercessions
- Lord, may the Church of today speak to the people of today the gospel in the language of today, we pray:
- Lord, let the ministers of the Church be familiar with the needs and aspirations of today's world and people, we pray:
- Lord, make us transform a world of injustice into a world of integrity, a cold and indifferent world into a warm world of love and mercy, we pray:
Prayer
over the Gifts
Lord our God,
these gifts speak of life and care,
of growth and sharing.
Let them also speak to our hearts
of the self-giving love of Jesus your Son,
and commit us to the growth of his kingdom.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Prayer
after Communion
Lord our God,
you have called us again
through the body of your Son
to make the body of his Church more and more
the living sign of your presence
and of your action in this world.
Make us also receptive
of all the good there is in this world.
Help us to dialogue with our times
and with the people of today,
that this world may be yours
and you our God for ever.
Blessing
If we want to be people living in our times, we must be open-eyed to what is going on in the world around us. "No one is an island." No one should live in a world apart. This attitude will open our eyes too to understand our faith better. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
It is said that the best place to learn how to pray is in a ship which is about to sink. When problems arise, then we remember to look for solutions and many times we say "My goodness! If only I would have thought of it before!" We let so many things go through our life, leaving them for the next day. When are we going to take our life seriously? When are we going to read the Gospel without fear? When are we going to truly reconcile ourselves with God and our brothers and sisters? When are we going to come out of our comfortable eggshell and look at the dark clouds hovering in our horizons?
October 26 - SATURDAY - 29th Week in Ordinary Time
Theme: BUILDING COMMUNITY
Readings:
Eph 4:7-16; Lk 13:1-9
Opening
Prayer
Lord our God,
it is heartening for us to hear
that whether we are known
and influential in this world or not,
whether our talents are many or few,
we are all important to you
and you need us to build up
the body of your Son.
Thank you for this trust
and make us capable
of building unity and community
through the graces and gifts
with which you enrich us
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Scripture Readings
First
Reading Introduction:
Ephesians
says today that each and all of us were given our gifts given for building
up the body of Christ. To build community is our task, and each one is
important, even though one's role may seem secondary or of little account.
Every part adds its own strength. Or do we as joints or parts contribute
to the weakness of the whole?
But to each of us divine grace is given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it is said: When he ascended to the heights, he brought captives and gave his gifts to people. He ascended, what does it mean but that he had also descended to the lower parts of the world? He himself who went down, then ascended far above all the heavens to fill all things. As for his gifts, to some he gave to be apostles, to others prophets, or even evangelists, or pastors and teachers. So he prepared those who belong to him for the ministry, in order to build up the Body of Christ, until we are all united in the same faith and knowledge of the Son of God. Thus we shall become the perfect Man, upon reaching maturity and sharing the fullness of Christ.
Then no longer shall we be like children tossed about by any wave or wind of doctrine, and deceived by the cunning of people who drag them along into error. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we shall grow in every way towards him who is the head, Christ. From him comes the growth of the whole body to which a network of joints gives order and cohesion, taking into account and making use of the function of each one. So the body builds itself in love.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 122:1-5
I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD!"
Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem--built as a city that is bound firmly together.
To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
For there the thrones for judgment were set up, the thrones of the house of David.
Gospel
Introduction
We are sinners, deserving
of punishment. But God is a patient God, willing to give new chances.
Some persons told Jesus what had occurred in the Temple: Pilate had Galileans killed and their blood mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. Jesus replied, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this? I tell you: no. But unless you change your ways, you will all perish as they did.
And those eighteen persons in Siloah who were crushed when the tower fell, do you think they were more guilty than all the others in Jerusalem? I tell you: no. But unless you change your ways, you will all perish as they did."
And Jesus continued with this story, "A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard and he came looking for fruit on it, but found none. Then he said to the gardener: 'Look here, for three years now I have been looking for figs on this tree and I have found none. Cut it down, why should it use up the ground?' The gardener replied: 'Leave it one more year, so that I may dig around it and add some fertilizer; and perhaps it will bear fruit from now on. But if it doesn't, you can cut it down."
General
Intercessions
- That our local communities may be deeply aware that they are united in faith and love, in hope and service, with the pope and the worldwide Church, we pray
- That in our Church and in our communities we may accept one another in all our diversity as the one People of God, we pray:
- That each of us, in his and her place and role, may be deeply aware that each is accepted and needed for the good of the whole body of Christ, we pray:
Prayer
over the Gifts
Lord our God,
this community offers you
in this bread and wine
its desire to be one.
Let this meal unite us even more
and make us the visible sign
of the unity to which you call all your people
under the one head in the one body
of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer
after Communion
Lord our God,
it is beautiful to be united here
beyond all our differences
in one faith and one love
around Jesus your Son.
Let the variety of our potentials
of heart and mind,
of our inclinations and functions,
even our deficiencies,
contribute to the growth in love
of the body of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
Like the parts in the body, we must all work beautifully and generously together to build up the body of the Church. If we fail to do this, the Church falls apart. But working together we can build up a strong Church, in which Christ is alive. May God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
It is said that the best place to learn how to pray is in a ship which is about to sink. When problems arise, then we remember to look for solutions and many times we say "My goodness! If only I would have thought of it before!" We let so many things go through our life, leaving them for the next day. When are we going to take our life seriously? When are we going to read the Gospel without fear? When are we going to truly reconcile ourselves with God and our brothers and sisters? When are we going to come out of our comfortable eggshell and look at the dark clouds hovering in our horizons?
Taken
from Liturgy
Alive for Weekdays
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