August
25 - Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
Themes:
A. In the Hands of Weak People
B. Authority in the Church
C.
You Are the Christ
Readings:
First
Reading: Is
22:19-23
Second
Reading: Rom 11:33-36
Gospel:
Mt 16:13-20
Greeting
Through
Jesus,
God has entrusted the Church
to weak human hands.
May the Spirit of the Lord guide
the leaders and members of the Church
and may the Lord Jesus be always with you. R/
And also with you.
Introduction
by the Celebrant
A.
In The Hands Of Weak People
We
may wonder at times how come that Jesus put his Church into the
hands of weak, frail people, both in our leaders and in us, the
members. Still, God trust us and our leaders and promises to be
with us until the end of the ages. God seems to trust us more than
we at times trust him. Let us ask Jesus present here that we and
our leaders may live up to that trust.
B.
Authority In The Church
Who
is the Church for us? Not only the pope and the bishops. They are
the foundations, entrusted by Christ to lead and preside and serve,
keep order and unify; but we too, with them, are the Church. It
is our responsibility to cooperate with them and in all trust and
maturity to share in their burden and to build up the Church with
them. Together we are the Church of Christ. Together we now celebrate
our faith in Christ.
C.
You Are The Christ
If
we could see Jesus standing here before us, a man of flesh and blood,
and he would ask us: "Who do you say I am?" what answer
would we give him? Who is he to you? He is here among us. Do we
see in him our Savior and our Lord? Is he the meaning of all we
live for? Let us give him an answer of faith here in this eucharist.
Penitential
Act
Let
us ask forgiveness from the Lord
that our faith and trust
are often hesitant and weak.
(PAUSE)
Lord
Jesus, we believe in you
for you are the Messiah,
the Son of the living God:
Lord,
have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus
Christ, we trust that you pardon us,
for you have commissioned your Church
to bring your forgiveness to the world:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord
Jesus, we rely on your promise
that the powers of evil can never overcome
the people you have won for yourself:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Lord,
we trust in you
that in your great mercy you forgive us.
Help us bring your forgiveness to others
and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening
Prayer
Let
us thank the Father for our faith in Jesus
and for trust in the leadership of the Church
(PAUSE)
God our Father,
we give you thanks that you have gifted us
with faith in your Son Jesus Christ,
our Savior and our Lord.
Make this faith grow in us,
that it may weather all questions and difficulties.
Give
us also a great understanding
and trust in the leadership of the Church,
that together with our Pope and our bishops
we may strengthen the community
of the faithful of your Church
and bear witness with them to the world
of your saving mercy and love.
We
ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Scripture
Readings:
First
Reading: The Leader Is Responsible to God
God entrusts his work to people.
He gives them "the key" of authority. They are responsible
to him and to the people.
FirstReading:
Is 22:19-23
Thus
says the Lord Yahweh to Shebna, the palace steward:
"You will be deposed, strongman.
I will hurl you down from where you are.
On that day I will summon
my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah.
I will clothe him with your robe,
I will strengthen him with your girdle,
I will give him your authority,
and he will be a father
to the inhabitants of Jerusalem
and to the people of Judah.
Upon his shoulder I will place
the key of the House of David:
what he opens, no one shall shut;
what he shuts, no one shall open.
I will fasten him like a peg in a sure spot,
and he will be a seat of honor
in the house of his father."
Responsorial Psalm:
Psalms 138:1-3, 6, 8
I
give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the gods I
sing your praise; I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks
to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness; for
you have exalted your name and your word above everything.
On
the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of
soul.
For
though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly; but the haughty he
perceives from far away.
The
LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD,
endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.
Second
Reading: To God Be Glory Forever
Paul has explained
how God offers salvation both to the Jews and to pagans. He praises
God for his great wisdom.
Second
Reading: Rom 11:33-36
How
deep are the riches, the wisdom and knowledge of God! His decisions
cannot be explained, nor his ways understood! Who has ever known
God's thoughts? Who has ever been his adviser? Who has given him
something first, so that God had to repay him? For everything comes
from him, has been made by him and has to return to him. To him
be the glory for ever! Amen.
Gospel:
Peter Is Our Rock. Who Is Jesus For Us?
To
Jesus' question, "Who am I for you?" Peter professes his
faith: "You are the Savior, the Son of the living God."
Jesus lets him share in his own authority for the service of his fellow
apostles and the whole Church.
Gospel:
Mt 16:13-20
Jesus
came to Caesarea Philippi. He asked his disciples, "What do
people say of the Son of Man? Who do they say I am?" They said,
"For some of them you are John the Baptist, for others Elijah
or Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
Jesus
asked them, "But you, who do you say I am?" Peter answered,
"You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus
replied, "It is well for you, Simon Barjona, for it is not
flesh or blood that has revealed this to you but my Father in heaven.
And
now I say to you: You are Peter (or Rock) and on this rock I will
build my Church; and never will the powers of death overcome it.
I
will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind
on earth shall be bound in heaven, and what you unbind on earth
shall be unbound in heaven."
Then
he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
Commentary
• Gospel
Reflections by Fr. Gerry Pierse, CSsR
Introduction
to the Creed
With
Peter and the whole Church
we express our faith in God
and in Jesus, our Savior. R/ I believe...
General
Intercessions
Let
us pray to God our Father from whom comes all authority in heaven
and on earth, and let us say: R/ Lord, make
us servants of your love.
-
For the Holy Father, Pope N. that the Holy Spirit may strengthen
him
to lead the Church with wisdom and courage, in coresponsibility
with all bishops, let us pray to the Lord: R/
Lord, make us servants of your love.
-
For all bishops and priests, that they may speak to the People of
God
words of hope and encouragement; that they may be the hand that
raises up those who fall and cannot go further, let us pray: R/
Lord, make us servants of your love.
-
For all Christians, that the Lord Jesus Christ may remain the cornerstone
on which their lives are built, and that they may build up the Church
by their loving and dedicated service, let us pray: R/
Lord, make us servants of your love.
-
For the mighty of this earth, the leaders of nations, that they
may not abuse power or resort to oppression or violence and defend
the poor and the people without voice, let us pray. R/
Lord, make us servants of your love.
-
For all those in positions of authority and influence, for parents
and educators, for reporters and programmers in the mass media,
that they may respect human dignity and promote truth, justice and
peace, let us pray. R/ Lord, make us servants
of your love.
Lord
our God, help us to respect each person as someone for whom Christ
has given his life. Let your Son come alive in our midst, that we
may build up one another in faith and courage, trust and hope, for
he is our Lord for ever. R/ Amen.
Prayer
Over the Gifts
Lord
our God,
give us in this eucharist
the body of your Son,
that we may become more and more
the body of the Church,
the living community of your Son.
Through him we offer you
all honor and glory for ever. R/ Amen.
Introduction
to the Eucharistic Prayer
Among
us is Jesus, the Savior, the Son of the living God. With him we
offer to God our Father this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.
Introduction to the Lord's Prayer
We stand before the Father in heaven
and pray now with Jesus our Lord
the prayer he himself has taught us. R/ Our
Father...
Deliver
Us
Deliver
us, Lord, from our lack of faith
and from the evil of every sin.
Give us the peace and trust
that come from knowing
that Jesus is alive among us
as our Lord and safe guide.
Reassure us that with him
there is nothing to fear
and that with him we can build
the kingdom of service and love among us,
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For
the kingdom...
Invitation
to Communion
This
is Jesus Christ our Lord,
our Savior and the Son of the living God.
Happy are we who believe in him
and who receive him as our food of life. R/
Lord, I am not worthy...
Prayer
after Communion
God
of power and might,
your Son Jesus Christ has come here among us
without any display of power
but rather as the humble servant
of his brothers and sisters.
Let those who bear in the Church
the burden of authority
become more like your Son.
Unconcerned about power and prestige,
may they reflect the attitude of your Son,
who came not to be served but to serve.
Let this be their way to become great
in Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
We
have experienced in this eucharist
a bit of the unity of the Church.
We have felt one in Christ.
After Christ and under him,
the principle of unity in love and service
is the pope, and with him the bishops.
With them we are called
to continue the mission of Christ
in the Church and in the world.
May
God bless you all for this task,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/
Amen.
Go in the love and peace of Christ. R/ Thanks
be to God.
Gospel
Commentary (Sunday)
The
apostolic community had already been with Jesus for some time. It
was now the time for them to be given an exam. Although the actual
formulation of Peter's confession expresses the post-resurrection
faith, still we should say that basically Peter correctly recognized
in him the Anointed One of God, who would set things right in the
messy relationships among his contemporaries. Such recognition was
a gift from on high, which must be understood also in such light.
No matter how long we have been journeying the Christian way, the
Gospel today summons us to make a personal confession of faith in
Jesus the Christ. Let today's liturgy be a confirmation of that
in union with co-believers.
TOP
|