November 4 - Monday - 31st Week In Ordinary Time
Theme: INVITE THOSE IN DISTRESS
Readings:
Phil 2:1-4; Lk 14:12-14
Note. November 4 - Feast of ST. CHARLES BORROMEO, Bishop - see also Celebration of Saints
Opening Prayer
Lord our God, our Father,
we come together here as a people
to share in the feast of Jesus, our Savior.
Let this celebration be the sign of the feast without end
which you have prepared for us.
Make us rejoice with you
and welcome all with open arms,
people from everywhere, all nations,
the poor and the rich, the weak and the strong.
May all accept your invitation,
that we may rejoice with all
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Scripture Readings
First
Reading Introduction:
As there were divisions
also in Philippi, Paul asked his Christians to work toward unity, a unity
based on unselfishness, humility and concern for the good of others.
If I may advise you in the name of Christ and if you can hear it as the voice of love; if we share the same spirit and are capable of mercy and compassion, then I beg of you make me very happy: have one love, one spirit, one feeling, do nothing through rivalry or vain conceit. On the contrary let each of you gently consider the others as more important than yourselves. Do not seek your own interest, but rather that of others.
Responsorial
Psalm: Psalms 131:1-3
O LORD, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.
O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time on and forevermore.
Gospel
Introduction:
We are inclined to love and invite
those who love and invite us. Is this genuine love according to God’s
standards? True love is gratuitous and opens itself to the poor and to
outcasts. This is beautiful to say but hard to do. What is our practice?
Jesus addressed the man who had invited him and said, "When you give a lunch or a dinner, don't invite your friends, or your brothers and relatives and wealthy neighbors. For surely they will also invite you in return and you will be repaid. When you give a feast, invite instead the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind. Fortunate are you then, because they can't repay you; you will be repaid at the Resurrection of the upright."
General Intercessions
– That those we encounter at the crossroads of life, too, may hear and accept the invitation to the table of the Lord, we pray:
– That the Lord who destroys death may give consolation and strength to all who mourn the death of a loved one, we pray:
– That also the communities without priests, isolated as they often are, may receive the Lord as their food, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God,
we are preparing your table.
Like your Son,
may we open life’s happiness and share it
first of all with the most deprived.
Make us set your and our table
for those who have no access
to most of life’s goods and resources.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord, our hospitable God,
we have shared the table of Jesus your Son.
Let this mean for us that we have also to share our table
with the humble and the dispossessed,
even people who are difficult and not very lovable.
Inspire us to help them back on their feet
and to restore to them that which no one can dispense with:
self-esteem, self-confidence
and the indestructible courage
to be human persons.
Grant us this through Christ our Lord.
Blessing
An impossible task? Something which only the naďve would try? Jesus has asked us today to care about the unlovable – or so we think – for no one is unlovable to God. Jesus cared and loved outcasts and sinners. Dare we follow him? May almighty God give you wisdom and courage and bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus speaks to us of the "gratuity" of charity, but his words also point to the things that are a part of our lives which we are "freely given": misfortunes, work, sufferings, death….
Jesus wishes to tell us that we cannot understand this dimension of our life, and neither will we know how to accept it without the vision of a just and loving God, and without the vision of our own resurrection and of a human destiny which finds only full explanation in the eternity of God.
November 5 - Tuesday - 31st Week In Ordinary Time, Yr II
Theme: THE SELF-EMPTYING OF CHRIST
Readings:
Phil 2:5-11; Lk 14:15-24
Opening Prayer
Lord, mighty God,
people – that is we –
often want to be their own gods;
we want to decide for ourselves
what we want to be and what is right and wrong.
Thank you for sending us your Son
who is God and wanted to be a human being,
to serve people, to suffer for people,
to save people from their pride and self-sufficiency.
Thank you for upsetting our values
and holding out the promise to us
that you will raise us up with Jesus,
and that we may acclaim him as our Lord
to give you glory for ever and ever.
Scripture Readings
First
Reading Introduction:
We hear today in the first reading
two stanzas from a beautiful hymn to Christ. It may be of Syrian origin
and was probably used in the liturgy. It sums up Christ and his work in
a few concise terms: divine, yet in the humble condition of a servant,
a human being; crucified but risen and glorified above all. He emptied
himself, that is, gave up the glory that was rightfully his. And this
Christ is the model for people, the image of what a person must become.
Are we that image?
Your attitude should be the same as Jesus Christ had:
Though he was in the form of God,
he did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped,
but emptied himself,
taking on the nature of a servant, made in human likeness,
and in his appearance found as a man.
He humbled himself by being obedient to death,
death on the cross.
That is why God exalted him
and gave him the Name which outshines all names,
so that at the Name of Jesus all knees should bend
in heaven, on earth and among the dead,
and all tongues proclaim that Christ Jesus is the Lord
to the glory of God the Father.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 22:26-32
The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD. May your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him.
For dominion belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.
To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him.
Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord, and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.
Gospel
Introduction:
Today’s gospel has partly the same
theme as that of yesterday: that in the kingdom of God we have to open
our homes and hearts to the poor, the neglected, the people without name
or fame. This is why we take the messages of the first reading of years
I and II.
One of th guests at a party said to Jesus, "Happy are those who eat at the banquet in the kingdom of God!"
Jesus replied, "A man once gave a feast and invited many guests. When it was time for the feast he sent his servant to tell those he had invited to come, for everything was ready. But all alike began to make excuses. The first said: 'Please excuse me. I must go and see the piece of land I have just bought.' Another said: 'I am sorry, but I am on my way to try out the five yoke of oxen I have just bought.' Still another said, 'How can I come when I have just married?'
The servant returned alone and reported this to his master. Upon hearing the account, the master of the house flew into a rage and ordered his servant: 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'
The servant reported after a while: 'Sir, your orders have been carried out, but there is still room.' The master said: 'Go out to the highways and country lanes and force people to come in, to make sure my house is full. I tell you, none of those invited will have a morsel of my feast."
General Intercessions
– That the People of God and its leaders may not seek to impress the world with outward splendor and power but go to all as humble servants, we pray:
– That from Christ we may learn to go out of our way to serve others, we pray:
– That we may help the poor not to boast of the good we do but to better their lot without humiliating them, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
your Son Jesus appears among us here
in the humble, everyday signs
of a piece of bread and a bit of wine.
As we are full of ourselves,
let him give us the insight and courage
to empty ourselves of our pretenses.
Teach us to become with him
unassuming servants of one another
and of you, our God and Father for ever.
Prayer after Communion
God our Father,
in this eucharist you have let us enjoy
the presence of him
who was fully human among people like us,
your Son Jesus Christ.
May we learn from him
that to be fully human means
to say yes to life with its joys and also its crosses,
to live for others
and even to accept death
as the gate to the lasting joy
which you have prepared for us
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
Let the same mind be in you that was in Jesus Christ. He emptied himself and humbled himself, accepting even death on the cross. Therefore God exalted him. May God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The feast of rich people is sumptuous. Everybody is well educated, following the set standards. At least they keep appearances. In today's parable the feast is different. A feast prepared for that kind of people ended up as a carnival. The poor, the lame, and the blind entered into this feast. The doors were open for all. We know well that in such a situation the atmosphere gets spoiled. And the wealthy people leave. They cannot stand it. But joy runs free because those in the feast have never seen the likes. What food! What delights! What drinks! Everything overflows for those who never had anything. This feast resembles the Kingdom of God.
November 6 - Wednesday - 31st Week In Ordinary Time
Theme: KNOW YOUR COMMITMENT
Readings:
Phil. 2:12-18; Lk 14:25-33
Opening Prayer
God our Father,
we have accepted your invitation
to follow your Son Jesus as his disciples.
We do not know what the future has in store
yet we are willing to live in hope and joy
without fear or discouragement
Give us the strength of your Spirit
to take our faith seriously
and to accept our task in life
with all its consequences.
For we are certain Jesus will lead us to you,
our loving God for ever and ever.
Scripture Readings
First
Reading Introduction:
The task of the disciple is double,
says St Paul: Let God do his work in you, and bear witness to the world.
If they can do that, the work of Paul among them will not have been in
vain.
Therefore, my dearest friends, as you always obeyed me while I was with you, even more now that I am far from you, continue working out your salvation "with fear and trembling." It is God who makes you not only wish but also carry out what pleases him. Do everything without grumbling, so that without fault or blame, you will be children of God without reproach among a crooked and perverse generation. You are a light among them, like stars in the universe, holding to the Word of life. I shall feel proud of you on the day of Christ on seeing that my effort and labor have not been in vain.
And if I am being poured out as a libation over the sacrifice and the offering of your faith, I rejoice and continue to share your joy; and you likewise should rejoice and share my joy.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 27:1, 4, 13-14
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
One thing I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.
I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!
Gospel
Introduction:
Jesus stresses that Christians must
follow Jesus radically, consistently. They must know what they are doing.
They may not stop halfway, but must look ahead. They must take their Christianity
seriously.
One day, when large crowds were walking along with Jesus, he turned and said to them, "If you come to me, without being ready to give up your love for your father and mother, your spouse and children, your brothers and sisters, and indeed yourself, you cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not follow me carrying his own cross cannot be my disciple.
Do you build a house without first sitting down to count the cost to see whether you have enough to complete it? Otherwise, if you have laid the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone will make fun of you: 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'
And when a king wages war against another king, does he go to fight without first sitting down to consider whether his ten thousand can stand against the twenty thousand of his opponent? And if not, while the other is still a long way off he sends messengers for peace talks. In the same way, none of you may become my disciple if he doesn't give up everything he has."
General Intercessions
– For all those who are seeking God with a sincere heart, that they may find him and do generously what God wants them to do, we pray:
– For those called by the Lord to special ministries of service in the community, that they may put no limits to their generosity, we pray:
– For all of us, that we may be disciples of Jesus our Lord and follow him resolutely, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
in these gifts of bread and wine
we bring ourselves before you
and you let your Son give himself to us.
May we learn from him
to make ourselves free
for people and for you
and to seek your will in all we do.
May we follow your Son
in his trials and in his glory,
now and for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
in this eucharist you have enlightened us
with the word and the wisdom of your Son
and let him give us his bread of strength
to make us follow him without hesitation.
Fill us with the wisdom and strength of your Spirit
to go with Jesus
through the desert of pain and the cross
for the sake of bringing life and joy
to our brothers and sisters in need
and for giving glory to you,
our God for ever and ever.
Blessing
We don’t love crosses and trials and we do not have to. But we love Jesus and he loves us. He says: if you love me, follow me, also when the road is rough, when our integrity as Christians demands sacrifices. May almighty God bless you, the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
After many years celebrating mass, any priest realizes that there are always people who stay by the entrance door. They hear Sunday mass from there not because there are no more seats available in church. But, even with some empty pews around where one could sit more comfortably and participate better, they still choose to stay near the door. I believe that this being inside and outside at the same time, exactly in the border, is also an attitude that reflects their life. There are many of us who say we are Christians but at the same time we do not want to commit ourselves totally. Enough of the mediocrity.
November 7 - Wednesday - 31st Week In Ordinary Time
Theme: LOST AND FOUND
Readings:
Phil. 3:3-8; Lk 15:1-10
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
we know that Jesus came for everybody,
yet he wanted to find back
the very one given up by people:
the tax collector, the sinner, the prodigal.
Do not allow us in our zeal for what is right and good
to lose sight of this one person
who was written off by people,
yet who merited the special concern of your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Scripture Readings
First
Reading Introduction:
As a Jew, Paul could be proud of many things: born as a member of the
chosen people and circumcised; as a Pharisee, secure in the strict observance
of the Law... Yet all these had proven to be not advantages but obstacles
to encountering Christ: instead, they had made him a persecutor of Christ;
the Law had made him a prisoner of the Law rather than a servant of God.
And now he is happy that, by the grace of God, he has discovered the foolishness
of the cross. God has found him; Christ has become his riches, and all
the rest doesn’t matter.
We are the true circumcised people since we serve according to the Spirit of God, and our confidence is in Christ Jesus rather than in our merits.
I myself do not lack those human qualities in which people have confidence. If some of them seem to be accredited with such qualities, how much more am I! I was circumcised when eight days old. I was born of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin; I am a Hebrew, born of Hebrews. With regard to the Law, I am a Pharisee, and such was my zeal for the Law that I persecuted the Church. As for being righteous according to the Law, I was blameless.
But once I found Christ, all those things that I might have considered as profit, I reckoned as loss. Still more, everything seems to me as nothing compared with the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord. For his sake I have let everything fall away and I now consider all as garbage, if instead I may gain Christ.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 105:2-7
Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works.
Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually.
Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he has uttered, O offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth.
Gospel
Introduction:
The whole chapter 15 of Luke
deals with people who have lost something and find it back: a man finds
a lost sheep, a woman a coin, and a father his son. All are extremely
happy at the end, except the brother of the lost son. This joy expresses
Jesus’ attention for all that is lost, rejected, devaluated in the eyes
of people. Like Jesus, we have to keep looking for these people and to
rejoice when they come back to God and to people.
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."
General Intercessions
– That leaders of the Church and of society may not lose themselves in chasing after power, prestige and wealth, we pray:
– That the Lord may give to his Church shepherds who care very much about people who go astray and try to bring them back to the Lord, we pray:
– That in our communities we support one another in trying to live the life of Christ, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
let your bread and wine remind us
of our solidarity even with all those
who live on the fringes of society.
You love them and they are part of us
May we speak to them the encouraging word
for which they are waiting
May we too look for them and love them
with our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
your kingdom is not the private domain
of those you have given the grace
to find you and to believe in you.
May we care with you and search with you
for the weak, the embarrassed and the timid,
without any attitude of superiority or condescension
Help us to be a community
in which there is enough space for everyone
for human growth and dignity for all.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
Blessing
God looked for us and found us because he loved us long before we were aware of it. We know he loves all and wants all to belong to his kingdom. May we help anyone to find the Lord, with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
This Gospel brings us joy and above all hope. Who has never felt like the lost sheep? Not only because of sin. There are so many conflicts and problems in life! It is even worse when we open our eyes and look at the world. But our life has meaning because God takes care of us, loves us, rejoices with our happiness and cries with our sorrows. The joy in heaven for each repentant sinner makes us think of a similar pain in heaven for each sin and each suffering we must endure. If Jesus was near those who during his time were the last and most in need, we can be sure that even today he is here with us. Wonderful!
November 8 - Friday - 31st Week In Ordinary Time
Theme: GOOD STEWARDS
Readings:
Phil 3:17-21; 4:1; Lk 16:1-8
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
you have made us responsible with you
for many persons and things:
for ourselves, for other people,
for the future of this world.
May we be good stewards
of all you have entrusted to us.
Help us to use our talents wisely and well
in the service of all that is good,
always inspired by faith
and living in the love
of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Scripture Readings
First
Reading Introduction:
For Paul the greatest sign of the gratuitous love of God is the cross.
He exhorts his Philippians once more not to let themselves be misled by
the Judaizers but to stand firm in the Lord.
First Reading: Phil 3:17 - 4:1
Unite in imitating me, brothers and sisters, and look at those who walk in our way of life.
For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. I have said it to you many times, and now I repeat it with tears: they are heading for ruin; their belly is their god and they feel proud of what should be their shame. They only think of earthly things.
For us, our citizenship is in heaven, from where we await the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ, the Lord. He will transfigure our lowly body, making it like his own body, radiant in Glory, through the power which is his to submit everything to himself.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, you my glory and crown, be steadfast in the Lord.
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:
Whatever the unknown context of today’s
parable may have been, the central thought of Jesus’ words seems to be
this: Much has been entrusted to us and we will have to give an account
for it to God. We must act responsibly, keeping our goal in mind: God
and our neighbor. Let us be people who try to know where we are going
and what we are doing.
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 bushels 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."
General Intercessions
– 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, we pray:
– For those in positions of responsibility in politics, finances and the economy, that honesty, justice and concern for the good of all may guide their decisions and actions, we pray:
– For those who live by the work of their hands, that people may recognize their dignity and the service they render to all, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
in these gifts we bring before you
our toil and care,
with the aspirations and sufferings
of people far and near.
Let us always entrust to you everything
for which you have made us responsible,
not to refuse our task but to ask you to give us
the patience and the strength
with your help to bring everything to a good end.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
we are but weak and timid
and yet we know that you expect much of us.
Open our hearts to the bold Spirit
of Jesus, your Son,
that in us and through us he may bring to a good end
all you have begun in us
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Blessing
God has entrusted much to us to be thankful for: our talents, our friends and relatives, other people, even nature. Let us care for everything entrusted to us. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
When I was at the Minor Seminary, I asked my formator the meaning of this parable. I couldn't understand how Jesus could praise the unjust administrator. Only later on did I understand that Jesus was not praising the injustice but the capacity to deal in the best possible way with the difficult situation he was experiencing. This is one of the favorite topics of Jesus: one must be attentive to the present moment, because what is really possible is now in our hands. That's all we have. Our fidelity to the Gospel is exercised here and now. Precisely because it is now when we have been invited to the banquet.
November 9 - Saturday - 31st Week In Ordinary Time
Theme: POSSESSIONS AND THE GOSPEL
Readings:
Phil 4:10-19; Lk 16:9-15
Note: November 9 - Today is also a Dedication of St. John Lateran - we are giving you two other alternative liturgies, the first is taken from Liturgy Alive for Sundays, and the other is from Liturgy Alive for Weekdays (Celebration of Saints) - click here - Liturgy 1 • Liturgy 2
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
you tell us today through your Son
that we cannot be at the same time
your friends and the friends of money.
Make us see more deeply
that we are money’s friends
when we are unjust to others
or tolerate injustice by our silence.
But make us also more deeply aware
that we are your friends when we value simple living,
when we are not greedy for money or social status,
but when we invest in people
and use your gifts for serving them
and building up your kingdom.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Scripture Readings
First
Reading Introduction:
Concluding
his warm letter to them, Paul expresses his great gratitude to the Philippians,
the only community from which he had accepted material help. May God bless
them.
I rejoice in the Lord because of your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me before, but you had no opportunity to show it. I do not say this because of being in want; I have learned to manage with what I have. I know what it is to be in want and what it is to have plenty. I am trained for both: to be hungry or satisfied, to have much or little. I can do all things in him who strengthens me.
However you did right in sharing my trials. You Philippians, remember that in the beginning, when we first preached the Gospel, after I left Macedonia you alone opened for me a debit and credit account, and when I was in Thessalonica, twice you sent me what I needed.
It is not your gift that I value but rather the interest increasing in your own account. Now I have enough and more than enough with everything Epaphroditus brought me on your behalf and which I received as "fragrant offerings pleasing to God." God himself will provide you with everything you need, according to his riches, and show you his generosity in Christ Jesus.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 84:3-6, 8-11
Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God.
Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. Selah
Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
As they go through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.
O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed.
For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the tents of wickedness.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield; he bestows favor and honor. No good thing does the LORD withhold from those who walk uprightly.
Gospel
Introduction:
After the Lord’s parable on
the unjust steward, Luke adds several statements from various sources,
some allegorical reflections of the early Christian communities, some
his own comments, all rather remotely related to the parable. Behind these
lies his attitude toward poverty and the use of the goods of this earth.
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 that 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."
The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and sneered at Jesus. He said to them, "You do your best to be considered righteous by people. But God knows the heart, and what rises high among humans is loathed by God.
General Intercessions
– That governments may not promote or allow, for paying national debts or private gain, the destruction or plunder of natural resources, like forests that are the pride and riches of the nation, we pray:
– That our families may promote sober living, we pray:
– That parents may teach their children that there are higher values than money and possessions, we pray:
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,
that your kingdom may grow
in us and among all people
and by your grace stand for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Almighty, all-rich God,
what you create you give away
and entrust it 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 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.
Blessing
Jesus wants us to be thankful for God’s gifts by acting responsibly with what we have, and that includes sharing. After all, we have been given much. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Taken
from Liturgy
Alive for Sundays, Cycle A
& Bible
Diary 2002
(Scripture Readings from Christian
Community Bible, Pastoral Edition)
Copyright © 2002 by Claretian Publications
A division of Claretian Communications, Inc.
U.P. P.O. Box 4 Diliman, 1101 Quezon City, Philippines
Tel. (632) 921-3984 • Fax: (632) 921-7429
Email: cci@claret.org