Saturday October 21, 2017
Introduction
Faith consists in encountering a living God and taking him at his word, believing in a promise. This is what Abraham did, and God fulfilled the promise. This is, in a way, what two young people do when they embark on a marriage. They trust that they can make it, that they can deepen their relations, that they will grow in love and faithfulness. This is the adventure of the religious: they believe in a promise – that’s why they make a vow – a promise to a Christ who promises. A promise belongs to the order of love: a trust, a love, and a faithfulness that keep growing.
To those that are faithful to him, Christ promises to let his Spirit speak and work in them in times of trial.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
let the Holy Spirit, the bond of love
between you and your Son,
be present here among us.
May he bind us together in faith and love
and help this little Church here to be
all you want your universal Church
to signify to all:
the people of your good pleasure,
rich in hope and life and joy
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Reading: ROM 4:13, 16-18
Brothers and sisters:
It was not through the law
that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants
that he would inherit the world,
but through the righteousness that comes from faith.
For this reason, it depends on faith,
so that it may be a gift,
and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants,
not to those who only adhere to the law
but to those who follow the faith of Abraham,
who is the father of all of us, as it is written,
I have made you father of many nations.
He is our father in the sight of God,
in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead
and calls into being what does not exist.
He believed, hoping against hope,
that he would become the father of many nations,
according to what was said, Thus shall your descendants be.
Responsorial Psalm 105:6-7, 8-9, 42-43
R. (8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations –
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
For he remembered his holy word
to his servant Abraham.
And he led forth his people with joy;
with shouts of joy, his chosen ones.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
Alleluia JN 15:26B, 27A
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of truth will testify to me, says the Lord,
and you also will testify.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: LK 12:8-12
Jesus said to his disciples:
"I tell you,
everyone who acknowledges me before others
the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God.
But whoever denies me before others
will be denied before the angels of God.
"Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,
but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will not be forgiven.
When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities,
do not worry about how or what your defense will be
or about what you are to say.
For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say."
Intercessions
– That the Spirit of strength and trust may be given to those who are persecuted for following their consciences and standing up for their integrity, we pray:
– That the Spirit of love may be given to those who want to grow in love of God and people, we pray:
– That the Spirit of unity make us one heart and one soul in our communities, that we may do for one another what Jesus has done for us, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
this piece of bread
and this draught of wine
will bring us the life and joy
of Jesus, your Son.
Let his Holy Spirit unite us closely
with Jesus, the head of his body, the Church,
as living stones of his community
of faith and hope.
We ask you this through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
your Son has spoken his message to us.
By the power of the Holy Spirit,
give us the strength to speak it
for all and to all as Good News,
without fear or compromise.
Let him renew and unite us
as your people of hope and joy,
who proclaim with our lives
that you are our Father
and Jesus our Lord for ever.
Blessing
Like Paul, we give thanks to God for the people’s faith in Jesus Christ, a faith that makes them also love one another. And we pray that this faith may endure and nourish our hope, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
