Wednesday October 11, 2017
Introduction
God is a saving God. He calls all people to salvation in Jesus Christ, and he does not discriminate or segregate. His kingdom is open to all people, all races, all cultures, all languages, and all walks of life. And those who are most in need are given preference. For he is the Father of all and cares for those for whom people do not care. Do we do enough to bring his Son to all? Do we open the Christian community to all, without any discrimination? Or is there a bit of Jonah alive in us?
The disciples must have admired Jesus when he prayed, for when he had finished, they asked him to teach them to pray. This is indeed what we too should ask him in this Eucharist, that our prayer may be wide and deep like his, giving honor to the Father and bringing to him the stream of the needs and concerns of all. And like him in our prayers, we try not to bend God’s will to ours, but ours to God’s will and intentions.
Opening Prayer
God our Father,
you tell us today how Jesus prayed
and taught his disciples to pray,
first and foremost, for the glory of your name,
for the coming and growth of your kingdom,
and for heaven and earth to do your will.
We know that this will is a Father’s will
and so, we ask of you with trusting faith:
Let your will be ours,
let your glory be ours,
let your kingdom of peace and justice,
of love and forgiveness be ours
and let it grow among us, now and for ever.
Reading: JON 4:1-11
Jonah was greatly displeased
and became angry that God did not carry out the evil
he threatened against Nineveh.
He prayed, "I beseech you, LORD,
is not this what I said while I was still in my own country?
This is why I fled at first to Tarshish.
I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God,
slow to anger, rich in clemency, loath to punish.
And now, LORD, please take my life from me;
for it is better for me to die than to live."
But the LORD asked, "Have you reason to be angry?"
Jonah then left the city for a place to the east of it,
where he built himself a hut and waited under it in the shade,
to see what would happen to the city.
And when the LORD God provided a gourd plant
that grew up over Jonah's head,
giving shade that relieved him of any discomfort,
Jonah was very happy over the plant.
But the next morning at dawn
God sent a worm that attacked the plant,
so that it withered.
And when the sun arose, God sent a burning east wind;
and the sun beat upon Jonah's head till he became faint.
Then Jonah asked for death, saying,
"I would be better off dead than alive."
But God said to Jonah,
"Have you reason to be angry over the plant?"
"I have reason to be angry," Jonah answered, "angry enough to die."
Then the LORD said,
"You are concerned over the plant which cost you no labor
and which you did not raise;
it came up in one night and in one night it perished.
And should I not be concerned over Nineveh, the great city,
in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons
who cannot distinguish their right hand from their left,
not to mention the many cattle?"
Responsorial Psalm 86:3-4, 5-6, 9-10
R. (15) Lord, you are merciful and gracious.
Have mercy on me, O Lord,
for to you I call all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
R. Lord, you are merciful and gracious.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.
Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my pleading.
R. Lord, you are merciful and gracious.
All the nations you have made shall come
and worship you, O Lord,
and glorify your name.
For you are great, and you do wondrous deeds;
you alone are God.
R. Lord, you are merciful and gracious.
Alleluia ROM 8:15BC
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You have received a spirit of adoption as sons
through which we cry: Abba! Father!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: LK 11:1-4
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,
one of his disciples said to him,
"Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."
He said to them, "When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name,
your Kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test."
Intercessions
– That we may be praying people, so that the source of our strength may never run dry and that we may live and work in the presence of God, we pray:
– That for Christians and for all people, prayer may not become a flight from life or from involvement with people in need, we pray:
– That we may learn from Christ to place first things first when we pray, to give priority to things that really matter: the coming of God’s kingdom and the good of the People of God, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father,
the gifts here in our hands
express the prayers of all those present
and also of those who are not here.
Help us to grow in depth and width
in a life of faith and prayer.
Teach us to pray like your Son,
that you may accept us with him
who is our Lord for ever.
Prayer after Communion
God our Father,
keep us listening to your Word,
as we have done here in the presence of your Son.
Keep us in constant dialogue with you,
that we may also be capable of dialogue
with the world and with our brothers and sisters.
Let prayer be to us a source of commitment
that never dries up.
We ask you this in the name of Jesus, the Lord.
Blessing
It is good to remember that as Christians, we have the task to pray for all people. It is our role to be mediators, just as we are also mediators of peace and reconciliation. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.