Greeting (See First Reading)

Before you were born, I knew you;
I am with you to deliver you,
says the Lord.
May the Lord Jesus be your strength
and may he always be with you. R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

A. Jesus Asks for Prophets Like Himself

We know we are willing to listen to people as long as they tell us what pleases us, what conforms to our own ways of thinking. But when they remind us of things, even good things, that make demands on us or upset our patterns of thinking and doing things, we close our ears and hearts. Yet it is good that Jesus reminds us of things that shake up our conscience when we neglect to do them: like forgiving, caring for the poor, standing up for what is right and just. Let us listen today to the Lord and to all that speak in his name.

B. The Greatest of All Is Love

Sometimes we hear people voice their disappointment, as "I have given so much time and effort to the parish community and now I am not even elected to the parish council," or "Look at all I have done for my family and see how my children disappoint me!" Is the undertone frustrated self-love or a real spirit of love and service of others? We are told today in strong words that love does not take offense and is not resentful. It is trusting and endures everything. Let us ask the Lord here with us to make our love genuine and deep.

Penitential Act

Do we listen to the Lord
also when his words are demanding?
Let us examine ourselves.
         (PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, when your word wants to wake us up
from our indifference and complacency,
make us listen:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, when we see injustice and evil,
give us the courage to stand up
and make us speak:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, when we meet the poor,
give us the strength and the means to help them:
make us commit ourselves to them:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

In your kind mercy forgive us, Lord,
and dispose us to make your Good News
available to all in our words and deeds.
Lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer

A. Jesus Asks for Prophets Like Himself

Let us pray to God
that we may listen to his word
and put it into practice
         (PAUSE)
Lord God, our Father,
you speak to us today
the demanding words of the gospel
of Jesus your Son.
Let these not be words
coming from a distant past.
Let them be words that shock us now
out of the petty peace with ourselves.
Make us see the signs and needs of our times
and help us to speak without fear
with the living words of our lives
the message of truth and justice and love
of Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

B. The Greatest of All Is Love

Let us pray that we may keep growing
in a genuine love of God and people
         (PAUSE)
Lord God, our Father,
You know us and you keep loving us
even when we fail you and one another.
Your love went as deep as giving up your own Son,
that we might live and learn to love.
Fill our hearts with a constant, grateful love
and let it overflow upon our brothers and sisters.
Give us the strength to keep loving people
even when we still bear the scars
of the hurt others have caused us.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.

 

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading Introduction: Stand Up and Tell Them!
God chooses Jeremiah for the ungrateful, disturbing mission of being a prophet. He has to be the mouthpiece of God. God will give him strength and protection.

First Reading: Jer 1:4-5, 17-19

A word of Yahweh came to me, "Even before I formed you in the womb I have known you; even before you were born I had set you apart, and appointed you a prophet to the nations.

Get ready for action; stand up and say to them all that I command you. Be not scared of them or I will scare you in their presence.

See, I will make you a fortified city, a pillar of iron with walls of bronze, against all the nations, against the kings and princes of Judah, against the priests and the people of the land. They will fight against you but shall not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue you-it is Yahweh who speaks."

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 71:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 15, 17

R. (cf. 15ab) I will sing of your salvation.
In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;
incline your ear to me, and save me.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.
R. I will sing of your salvation.

For you are my hope, O Lord;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother's womb you are my strength.
R. I will sing of your salvation.

My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R. I will sing of your salvation.

Second Reading Introduction: The Greatest of All Is Love
All the gifts of grace serve no purpose unless they are inspired by self-giving love, the heart of all Christian living. God will complete this love and make it perfect in the glory of heaven.
Note. When the theme of love is chosen, the longer reading is preferred and the first reading could perhaps be omitted.

Second Reading: 1 Cor 12:31-13:13 or 13:4-13

Be that as it may, set your hearts on the most precious gifts, and I will show you a much better way.

If I could speak all the human and angelic tongues, but had no love, I would only be sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, knowing secret things with all kinds of knowledge, and had faith great enough to remove mountains, but had no love, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I had to the poor, and even give up my body to be burned, if I am without love, it would be of no value to me.

Love is patient, kind, without envy. It is not boastful or arrogant. It is not ill-mannered nor does it seek its own interest. Love overcomes anger and forgets offenses. It does not take delight in wrong, but rejoices in truth. Love excuses everything, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love will never end. Prophecies may cease, tongues be silent and knowledge disappear. For knowledge grasps something of the truth and prophecy as well. And when what is perfect comes, everything imperfect will pass away. When I was a child I thought and reasoned like a child, but when I grew up, I gave up childish ways. Likewise, at present we see dimly as in a mirror, but then it shall be face to face. Now we know in part, but then I will know as I am known. Now we have faith, hope and love, these three, but the greatest of these is love.

Gospel Introduction: Who Does He Think He Is?
Jesus explains to the people of his hometown Nazareth that he has a prophetic mission and that it is destined not merely for his privileged compatriots but for all. The opposition of the people cannot stop Jesus.

Gospel Reading: Lk 4:21-30

Jesus added, "No prophet is honored in his own country. Truly, I say to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens withheld rain for three years and six months and a great famine came over the whole land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow of Zarephath, in the country of Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha, the prophet, and no one was healed except Naaman, the Syrian."

On hearing these words, the whole assembly became indignant. They rose up and brought him out of the town, to the edge of the hill on which Nazareth is built, intending to throw him down the cliff. But he passed through their midst and went his way.