Saturday August 26, 2017
Introduction
Ruth had adopted the ways of her deceased Jewish husband. Now, she is adopted into God’s people.
The Lord abhors duplicity and hypocrisy, particularly in religious leaders. The scribes had rendered a real service by becoming the teachers of Israel during the exile, when the priesthood was on the decline, but later, they had gradually turned religious living into a complicated intellectualistic, legalistic and casuistic system of observances, which they themselves did not fully practice. It had become the pride and boast of the pious Pharisees to observe them all and in this way to work their own salvation. On account of this pride, they lacked the true spirit and humility of openness to God’s plans.
Opening Prayer
Lord God, you are pure grace.
You fill with your forgiveness and life
those who recognize their own emptiness
and the need for your mercy.
Grant us not to call attention
to ourselves and the good you allow us to do,
but to serve you and people
in the unsophisticated simplicity of our hearts
and to give all glory and honor to you,
for the life and grace you bring us
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Reading: IS 22:19-23
Thus says the LORD to Shebna, master of the palace:
"I will thrust you from your office
and pull you down from your station.
On that day I will summon my servant
Eliakim, son of Hilkiah;
I will clothe him with your robe,
and gird him with your sash,
and give over to him your authority.
He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and to the house of Judah.
I will place the key of the House of David on Eliakim's shoulder;
when he opens, no one shall shut
when he shuts, no one shall open.
I will fix him like a peg in a sure spot,
to be a place of honor for his family."
Responsorial Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 6, 8
R. (8bc) Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple.
R. Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
I will give thanks to your name,
because of your kindness and your truth:
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
The LORD is exalted, yet the lowly he sees,
and the proud he knows from afar.
Your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
Reading 2 ROM 11:33-36
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways!
For who has known the mind of the Lord
or who has been his counselor?
Or who has given the Lord anything
that he may be repaid?
For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be glory forever. Amen.
Alleluia MT 16:18
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: MT 16:13-20
Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and
he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Simon Peter said in reply,
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus said to him in reply,
"Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Then he strictly ordered his disciples
to tell no one that he was the Christ.
Intercessions
– For the People of God, that with courage and honesty, we may take to heart the task of renewal and reconciliation, so as to show to the world of today the true face of Christ, we pray:
– For all who seek God with a sincere heart, for all who search for truth and justice, that their hunger may be satisfied, we pray:
– For all Christian communities, that we may be reliable and truthful with one another and that our unity and friendship may be genuine, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God, merciful Father,
in these simple signs of bread and wine,
you give us the servant of all,
your Son, Jesus Christ.
Fill us with his Spirit
of unpretentious service.
Help us to recognize him
as our only source of truth and life,
that you may be our only God and Father,
now and for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord God,
we thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ.
He was straightforward
in all he said and did;
he practiced the message he brought to others
and it cost him his life.
Help us to believe his Good News
with the whole of our being
and to live by it day after day
in simple sincerity, without any display.
May you thus, recognize
the love of your Son present in us
and give us a share in your happiness for ever.
Blessing
We believe in Jesus and in his Gospel. Let our lives not contradict our faith, but let our lives tell the story of that faith, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
