September 15 - 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Themes:
A. Forgive: Enter God's World

B. A New Lease on Life

Readings:
First Reading:     Sir 27:30-28:9
Second Reading:   Rom 14:7-9
Gospel Reading:    Mt 18:21-35

Greeting

The God of forgiveness, mercy and life
be always with you. R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

A.    Forgive: Enter God's World
       We are all familiar with the saying: "To err is human, to forgive is divine." Perhaps we forget the second part too easily: by forgiving one another, we do what God does all the time for us. If we cannot forgive we have not learned to love deeply and we are still far from the gospel. We begin this eucharist by asking pardon from the Lord and from one another.

B.     A New Lease On Life
        Most of us have experienced how difficult it is to forgive. It is almost impossible. In Old English it means "give to the uttermost," "extremely," "as far as you can go." Isn't that what it really is, going all the way? Who can forget the hurt? Yet we should. Who doesn't see and feel the scars and keep the memories? And yet we shouldn't. Think of God: when he forgives, the evil belongs to the past. It is gone.

God keeps no accounts. He wants us to think only of the future. Jesus did not condemn but gave new chances. Let us ask for the Lord's attitude now in this eucharist.

Penitential Act

Let us look at the Lord Jesus
how he forgave people.
       (PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, you forgave Peter
after he had denied you:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, you did not condemn
the woman caught in adultery;
you simply told her to sin no more:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you prayed your Father
to forgive even those who had crucified you:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Forgive us, too, Lord, and keep doing so
every time we sin against you.
Dispose us to forgive others always.
Lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer

Let us pray that we may learn to forgive
the way the Lord forgives
        (PAUSE)
All-loving Father,
you are good and patient,
compassionate, loving, and merciful with sinners like us.
You forgive us all our debt of sin.

Let your pardon brings us much joy and hope
and induce us to forget and forgive readily
the debts, often so small, that others owe us
because of the wrongs they have done to us.

You have restored us to life:
help us to make others live by our pardon,
that they may feel a bit of your goodness in us.
We ask this through Jesus our Lord. R/ Amen.

Scripture Readings

First Reading Introduction: Forgive and God Will Forgive You
       Even by the end of the Old Testament, the believer knew that God does not forgive those who cannot forgive others. Forgiveness is a demand of the covenant.

1st Reading : Sir 27:30, 28:7

Grudge and wrath, these also are abominations in which sinful people excel.
He who demands revenge will suffer the vengeance of the Lord who keeps a strict account of his sins. Forgive the mistakes of your neighbor and you may ask that your sins be forgiven.

If a man bears resentment against another, how can he ask God for healing? If he has no compassion on others, how can he pray for forgiveness for his sins? As long as he, mere flesh, is resentful, who will obtain his pardon?
Remember your end and give up hatred; keep in mind your final corruption in the grave and keep the commandments.

Remember the commandments and do not bear grudges against your neighbor. Remember the covenant with the Most High and overlook the offense.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 103:1-4, 9-12

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits--who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the

Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy...he will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever.

He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.

For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us.

Second Reading Introduction: Like Christ, No One Should Live for Himself
      By baptism, we belong to Christ. Like him, we should live and die not for ourselves but for others.

2nd Reading: Rom 14:7-9

Brothers and sisters, none of us lives for himself, nor dies for himself. If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. Either in life or in death, we belong to the Lord; Christ experienced death and life to be Lord both of the living and of the dead.

Gospel Introduction: Forgive from the Heart
      If we do not know how to forgive, God will not forgive us, says Jesus. The kingdom of God will not come among us if we cannot forgive.

Gospel Reading: Mt 18:21-35

Peter asked Jesus, "Lord, how many times must I forgive the offenses of my brother or sister? Seven times?" Jesus answered, "No, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven. A king decided to settle the accounts of his servants. Among the first was one who owed him ten thousand gold ingots. As the man could not repay the debt, the king commanded that he be sold as a slave with his wife, children and all his goods in payment.

The official threw himself at the feet of the king and said, 'Give me time, and I will pay you back everything.' The king took pity on him and not only set him free but even canceled his debt.

This official then left the king's presence and he met one of his companions who owed him a hundred pieces of silver. He grabbed him by the neck and almost strangled him, shouting, 'Pay me what you owe!' His companion threw himself at his feet and asked him, 'Give me time, and I will pay everything.'The other did not agree, but sent him to prison until he had paid all his debt.

His companions saw what happened. They were indignant and so they went and reported everything to their lord. Then the lord summoned his official and said, 'Wicked servant, I forgave you all that you owed when you begged me to do so. Weren't you bound to have pity on your companion as I had pity on you?' The lord was now angry, so he handed his servant over to be punished, until he had paid his whole debt."

Jesus added, "So will my heavenly Father do with you unless each of you sincerely forgive your brother or sister."

Commentary  •  Gospel Reflections by Fr. Gerry Pierse, CSsR

General Intercessions

Let us pray to our merciful God that we his people who have experienced his forgiveness may bring the joy of reconciliation to the world. Let us say: R/ Lord, help us forgive from the heart.

- For the Church, the people set free by the blood of Christ, that we may not be divided in factions but live together in tolerance and peace, let us pray to the Lord: R/ Lord, help us forgive from the heart.

- For all Christian Churches, long divided by grudges and pride, that we may be brought together in the unity of one gospel and one love of Christ, let us pray: R/ Lord, help us forgive from the heart.

- For those who are committed to causes of justice and human liberation, that they may not only accuse and protest but also recognize and uproot sin in their own hearts, let us pray: R/ Lord, help us forgive from the heart.

- For married couples who live side by side without much love and without communicating, that they may come to forgive, to understand and to appreciate one another again, let us pray: R/ Lord help us forgive from the heart.

- And for us gathered here, people with our failures and foibles, that we may learn from the Lord to be merciful as he has been to us, that we may forgive one another from the heart, let us pray: R/ Lord, help us forgive from the heart.

Lord, you are so good that all our evil becomes like nothing. Let us, little and frail people, speak to one another your words and deeds of forgiving love, on account of Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Prayer Over the Gifts

God our Father,
in these signs of bread and wine
we celebrate the death of your Son
that brought us forgiveness and life.
Let the table of the eucharist be to all of us
an occasion and place where we learn
to accept one another, even with our frailties,
and to share the same bread and the same Lord
in friendship and peace.
We ask you this through him
who reconciled in himself all factions,
Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

At the very heart of the eucharistic celebration, we say: "This blood will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven." The Lord Jesus brought us forgiveness by his death. Let us thank God for his forgiveness and forgive one another in the Lord.

(The Eucharistic Prayer of Reconciliation I [ICel] is recommended.)

Introduction to the Lord's Prayer

In Our Lord's words we pray:
forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
May we not pray those words
only with our lips, but also with our hearts. R/ Our Father...

Prayer for Peace

Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles:
I leave you peace, my peace I give you.
Look not on our sins, and help us
not to look on the sins of others,
for we all need the peace
of your forgiving love
and of each other's pardon.
Grant us the peace and unity of your kingdom
where you live for ever and ever. R/ Amen.
The forgiving peace of the Lord
be with you always. R/ And also with you.

Invitation to Communion

This is Jesus, the Lamb of God
who was slain for our sins.
On the cross he prayed for those
who sought his death.
Happy are we to receive him
and to learn from him
to bring reconciliation and peace. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

General Intercessions

Let us pray to our merciful God that we his people who have experienced his forgiveness may bring the joy of reconciliation to the world. Let us say: R/ Lord, help us forgive from the heart.

- For the Church, the people set free by the blood of Christ, that we may not be divided in factions but live together in tolerance and peace, let us pray to the Lord: R/ Lord, help us forgive from the heart.

- For all Christian Churches, long divided by grudges and pride, that we may be brought together in the unity of one gospel and one love of Christ, let us pray: R/ Lord, help us forgive from the heart.

- For those who are committed to causes of justice and human liberation, that they may not only accuse and protest but also recognize and uproot sin in their own hearts, let us pray: R/ Lord, help us forgive from the heart.

- For married couples who live side by side without much love and without communicating, that they may come to forgive, to understand and to appreciate one another again, let us pray: R/ Lord help us forgive from the heart.

- And for us gathered here, people with our failures and foibles, that we may learn from the Lord to be merciful as he has been to us, that we may forgive one another from the heart, let us pray: R/ Lord, help us forgive from the heart.

Lord, you are so good that all our evil becomes like nothing. Let us, little and frail people, speak to one another your words and deeds of forgiving love, on account of Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Prayer Over the Gifts

God our Father,
in these signs of bread and wine
we celebrate the death of your Son
that brought us forgiveness and life.
Let the table of the eucharist be to all of us
an occasion and place where we learn
to accept one another, even with our frailties,
and to share the same bread and the same Lord
in friendship and peace.
We ask you this through him
who reconciled in himself all factions,
Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

At the very heart of the eucharistic celebration, we say: "This blood will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven." The Lord Jesus brought us forgiveness by his death. Let us thank God for his forgiveness and forgive one another in the Lord.

(The Eucharistic Prayer of Reconciliation I [ICel] is recommended.)

Introduction to the Lord's Prayer

In Our Lord's words we pray:
forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
May we not pray those words
only with our lips, but also with our hearts. R/ Our Father...

Prayer for Peace

Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles:
I leave you peace, my peace I give you.
Look not on our sins, and help us
not to look on the sins of others,
for we all need the peace
of your forgiving love
and of each other's pardon.
Grant us the peace and unity of your kingdom
where you live for ever and ever. R/ Amen.
The forgiving peace of the Lord
be with you always. R/ And also with you.

Invitation to Communion

This is Jesus, the Lamb of God
who was slain for our sins.
On the cross he prayed for those
who sought his death.
Happy are we to receive him
and to learn from him
to bring reconciliation and peace. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

Prayer after Communion

God our Father,
you have created us anew
through the Bread of life of your Son
and through the forgiveness he keeps bringing us.
Help us also to restore to life
our brothers and sisters who wait for our pardon
and open our hearts
to receive their forgiveness with gratitude.
Let us be a community
where we raise up one another
to the joy of your life and your healing love.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.

Blessing

Today God has spoken clearly to us,
people for whom it is difficult
to overlook failures,
to give new chances,
to forgive from the heart.
"Become like me,
forget and forgive,
heal and care,
and you will be healed yourselves."
May God be with you and bless you:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Let us walk with one another
in the forgiving peace of the Lord. R/ Thanks be to God.

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Gospel Commentary (Sunday)

Forgiveness is a divine act in us. Left to ourselves after experiencing hurts, we humans tend to get even up to the extent of inflicting on the culprit a graver hurt. Stories of individuals and even of communities through the course of ages attest to this. Just look at the many ethnic conflicts all over the world. A whole "tradition" and even legal system have ensued, trying to redress such hurts in individual or collective psyches. When we experience being a forgiven people, forgiveness on our part is possible. If you have a deep hurt you cannot overcome, pray with St. Francis of Assisi: "And if we do not forgive perfectly, Lord, make us forgive perfectly, so that we really love our enemies for love of you, and pray fervently to you for them, returning no one evil for evil, anxious only to serve anyone in you."

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