Sunday, September 17, 2006
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time


A. Do We Go Jesus' Way?
B. Do We Know Jesus?

Isaiah 50:5-9; Psalm 116;1-2,3-4,5-6,8-9
James 2:1-5; Mark 7:31-37


Daily Gospel • A Certain Jesus
Preaching the Word  • Sundays Into Silence

Greetings (see Responsorial Psalm)

We trust in the Lord
who keeps us from lasting death,
who stands by our side
in sorrow and distress,
and keeps our feet from stumbling.
The Lord be always with you. R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

A. Do We Go Jesus' Way?

What are we looking for in life? Good health, happiness in our families, in our job, in our faith, good relationships with ourselves, with people and with God. When Jesus tells us today that we have to follow him in taking up the crosses that come our way, do we accept that as disciples of Jesus today? Do we take that as a part of our faith or do we say, "Lord, everything - but not that!"? Jesus assures us: "Anyone who loses his or her life for my sake will find life, will save life." Come, let us meet the Lord who speaks to us.

B. Do We Know Jesus?

We profess in the Creed, "I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son and our Lord." We say we know who he is, our Savior and our Lord. Do we really know him? To know him deeply we not only have to listen to what he says but to know how he lived and died, giving himself totally to the Father and to people. Even that is not enough: we must follow in his footsteps by giving ourselves like him without reserve to God and to people. Then we will know Jesus from experience.

Penitential Act

A. Do We Go Jesus' Way?

We are scared of the cross.
Let us ask pardon from the Lord
that we have not always accepted our crosses.
(PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, you suffered grievously
and you ask us to take up our cross after you.
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, you were put to death
and you ask us to lose our life for your sake.
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you rose again after three days
and you promise us that we will find life with you.
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Lord, forgive us all our sins,
save us from evil and death
and lead us to a full and everlasting life. R/ Amen.

B. Do We Know Jesus?

We would know the Lord better
if we followed him more in his self-forgetting love.
Let us ask Jesus to forgive us.
(PAUSE)
Lord Jesus. you are the truth, you are our life;
those who hope in you will never be disappointed.
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, you are the Christ sent by the Father;
your have given your all:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you are our way.
You tell us to love one another
as you have loved us:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Have mercy on us, Lord,
heal us from our superficiality
and help us to follow you generously
as you lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer

A. Lord, Open Our Ears and Lips

Let us pray to God that we may learn
to bear our crosses with Jesus
(PAUSE)
Lord God, our hope and trust,
you have made us for happiness.
When we seek it in glorious dreams
of prosperity, success and freedom from pain
help us to face the realities of real life.
Make us accept the uncertain darkness
of suffering and self-effacement
as the price to pay for light and joy.
Teach us the way of your Son Jesus Christ,
who died of his own free will,
that we might live and be happy.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.

B. Do We Know Jesus?

Let us pray that our knowledge of Jesus
may become deep and personal
(PAUSE)
Loving Father,
today your Son Jesus asks of us
who he is, what he means to us.
Help us to come to know him personally
by sharing his very life of dedication to the end
and his unselfish service, including his cross.
May we thus become his friends
who experience him as the life of our life,
and with him become servants of one another
and of you, our living God.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading Introduction: Suffering in Hope
      In this third song of the servant of God, the prophet expresses his trust in God. He and God's people suffer, but he is sure God is with him and will do him justice.

First Reading: Isaiah 50:5-9

The Lord Yahweh has opened my ear.
I have not rebelled,
nor have I withdrawn.
I offered my back to those who strike me,
my cheeks to those who pulled my beard;
neither did I shield my face
from blows, spittle and disgrace.
I have not despaired,
for the Lord Yahweh comes to my help.
So, like a flint I set my face,
knowing that I will not be disgraced.
He who avenges me is near.
Who then will accuse me?
Let us confront each other.
Who is now my accuser?
Let him approach.
If the Lord Yahweh is my help.
who will condemn me?
All of them will wear out like cloth;
the moth will devour them.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 116;1-2,3-4,5-6,8-9

R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

I love the Lord because he has heard
my voice in supplication,
because he has inclined his ear to me
the day I called.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

The cords of death emcompassed me;
the snares of the netherworld seized upon me;
I fell into distress and sorrow,
and I called upon the name of the Lord,
"Lord, save my life!"
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

Gracious is the Lord and just;
yes, our God is merciful.
The Lord keeps the little ones;
I was brought low, and he saved me.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

For he has freed my soul from death,
my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
I shall walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

Second Reading Introduction: Faith Demands Practice
      James knows that a person is saved by faith. Yet he stresses that faith must become visible in the deeds of a Christian.

Second Reading: James 2:14-18

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, to profess faith without showing works? Such faith has no power to save you. If a brother or sister is in need of clothes or food and one of you says, "May things go well for you; be warm and satisfied," without attending to their material needs, what good is that? So it is for faith without deeds: it is totally dead.

Say to whoever challenges you, "You have faith and I have good deeds; show me your faith apart from actions and I, for my part, will show you my faith in the way I act."

Gospel Introduction: Take Up Your Cross and Follow Me
      Peter recognizes Jesus as the promised Savior. But to win life for himself and for us, Jesus must first lose his life. We, his disciples, must go the way of the cross with him.

Gospel Reading: Mark 8:27-35

Jesus set out with his disciples for the villages around Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?" And they told him, "Some say you are John the Baptist; others say you are Elijah or one of the prophets."

Then Jesus asked them, "But you, who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Messiah." And he ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

Jesus then began to teach them that the Son of Man had to suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the Law. He would be killed and after three days rise again. Jesus said all this quite openly, so that Peter took him aside and began to protest strongly. But Jesus turning around, and looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter saying, "Get behind me Satan! You are thinking not as God does, but as people do."

Then Jesus called the people and his disciples and said, "If you want to follow me, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. 35 For if you choose to save your life, you will lose it; and if you lose your life for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel, you will save it.

Commentary

Do we imitate the disciple of God: Jesus? It is time to open our ears to God, to stand and offer our lives on behalf of others without violence, no matter what we experience; and we are not to despair, relying on God's presence/nearness. Our lives must mirror our words: blessing; and blessings made reality by our care for those in need: those hungry, cold, without shelter or security. Faith is useless without practice. We must remember that we follow the servant of God, brought down to being the least among us by rejection, torture and death. Are we anything like the One we profess to follow: the Servant of all?

General Intercessions

Let us pray to our living and loving God who has created us for happiness, that we may learn to face the responsibilities and hardships of life, and let us say: R/ Lord, hear the voice of your people.

For the Church, that it may not be ashamed of preaching the crucified Christ and of being self-effacing with him, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear the voice of your people.

- For the victims of injustice and poverty, that we may have the courage to stand up for them and to bring them justice and love, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear the voice of your people.

- For the stragglers in life, for the little people who "do not count," that they may not be trampled underfoot by the high and the mighty, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear the voice of your people.

- For those not adapted to life, for those whose ideas or conduct we do not share, that we may respect them and have a heart and a place for them, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear the voice of your people.

- For the sick and the handicapped, that they may draw strength from the awareness of how close they are to the suffering Lord, and that we may visit them and care for them, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear the voice of your people.

Lord God, the crosses of the world are ours, for Jesus is ours. Let them be yours to lighten, for Jesus carried the cross for all, and he is your Son and our Lord for ever. R/ Amen.

Prayer over the Gifts

Father in heaven,
your Son Jesus gives himself to us
in the signs of nourishing bread
made from broken grains of wheat
and of the sparkling wine of joy
poured from grapes that are crushed.
With this food and drink of life
give us the mentality of your Son,
that we may die to ourselves
for love of you and those entrusted to us.
May this be the sacrifice we offer you
through Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

We give praise and thanks to the Father for having saved and freed us by the suffering and resurrection of Jesus. We now join Jesus in his sacrifice. May he give us the strength to take up his cross in the sacrifices asked of us in everyday life..

Invitation to the Lord's Prayer

In the words of Jesus, our Savior,
let us pray to the Father in heaven
for the bread that gives us the strength
to follow in his footsteps: R/ Our Father...

Deliver Us

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil,
and from our fear of committing ourselves
to you and to those you love.
Give us the insight and the courage
to overcome and surpass
life's reality of suffering
by accepting it and turning it
into a gift of love and fidelity,
on the road that leads to the full coming
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...

Invitation to Communion

This is the Lamb of God
who accepted suffering and death
to take away the sin of the world.
Happy are we to be invited
to share in his sacrifice
so as to share also in his risen life. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
we give you thanks
for speaking to us your word of life
and nourishing us with the bread of strength.
Send us out into the world of people
to bear one another's crosses
and to share each other's joys,
that we may not merely admire your Son
for having borne his cross,
but follow him on the road
that leads to life and glory.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Blessing

Jesus did not run away
from the difficulties and pains
of his mission in life.
May God give you
the same loyalty and strength, and bless you,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

Let us go with one another
the road of Jesus our Lord.R/ Thanks be to God.

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