Articles

Sunday August 23

Twenty First Sunday In Ordinary Time

1. In the Hands of Weak People
2. Authority in the Church
3. You Are the Christ

Greeting

Through Jesus,
God has entrusted the Church
to weak human hands.
May the Spirit of the Lord guide
the leaders and members of the Church
and may the Lord Jesus be always with you. R/ And also with you.

Introduction
1. In the Hands of Weak People
We may wonder at times how come that Jesus put his Church into the hands of weak, frail people, both in our leaders and in us, the members. Still, God trust us and our leaders and promises to be with us until the end of the ages. God seems to trust us more than we at times trust him. Let us ask Jesus present here that we and our leaders may live up to that trust.

2. Authority in the Church
Who is the Church for us? Not only the pope and the bishops. They are the foundations, entrusted by Christ to lead and preside and serve, keep order and unify; but we too, with them, are the Church. It is our responsibility to cooperate with them and in all trust and maturity to share in their burden and to build up the Church with them. Together we are the Church of Christ. Together we now celebrate our faith in Christ.

3. You Are the Christ
If we could see Jesus standing here before us, a man of flesh and blood, and he would ask us: “Who do you say I am?” what answer would we give him? Who is he to you? He is here among us. Do we see in him our Savior and our Lord? Is he the meaning of all we live for? Let us give him an answer of faith here in this Eucharist.

Penitential Act

Let us ask forgiveness from the Lord
that our faith and trust
are often hesitant and weak.
(pause)
Lord Jesus, we believe in you
for you are the Messiah,
the Son of the living God:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, we trust that you pardon us,
for you have commissioned your Church
to bring your forgiveness to the world:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, we rely on your promise
that the powers of evil can never overcome
the people you have won for yourself:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Lord, we trust in you
that in your great mercy you forgive us.
Help us bring your forgiveness to others
and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer

Let us thank the Father for our faith in Jesus
and for trust in the leadership of the Church
(pause)
God our Father,
we give you thanks that you have gifted us
with faith in your Son Jesus Christ,
our Savior and our Lord.
Make this faith grow in us,
that it may weather all questions and difficulties.
Give us also a great understanding
and trust in the leadership of the Church,
that together with our Pope and our bishops
we may strengthen the community
of the faithful of your Church
and bear witness with them to the world
of your saving mercy and love.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

First Reading: The Leader Is Responsible to God

God entrusts his work to people. He gives them “the key” of authority. They are responsible to him and to the people.

First 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.

Second Reading: To God Be Glory Forever

Paul has explained how God offers salvation both to the Jews and to pagans. He praises God for his great wisdom.

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: Peter Is Our Rock. Who Is Jesus For Us?

To Jesus’ question, “Who am I for you?” Peter professes his faith: “You are the Savior, the Son of the living God.” Jesus lets him share in his own authority for the service of his fellow apostles and the whole Church.

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.

Commentary
Where to Look for God
Where is truth? Where is reality? Where is God? In today's Gospel I think Jesus is showing us where to look. He asked the disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" He was interested in the perceptions and feelings in the locality in what we would now call the signs-of-the-times. They answered that some said he was Elijah, others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Then he asked them, "Who do you say that I am?" He wanted to find out the truth they felt and heard from within. When Peter professed his faith that Jesus was the Christ, the son of the living God, Jesus replied, "Blessed are you Simon Bar-Jonah, because no mere man revealed this to you but the Father who is in heaven." Truth and knowledge and experience of God come from around us, within us and above us. These are not in competition with one another but complementing one another. To have a perception that is as balanced and as whole as possible of God, we must be in touch, as fully as possible, with all of these sources.
The two questions, "whom do people say that I am?" and "whom do you say that I am?" and the response that there are other things that come from above, open up a wider vision of where to find God. The first question makes us look for truth in history, sociology, anthropology, culture, in the concerns and aspirations of our times like feminism and concern for the environment. It opens us up to a God (and a church) who are to be perceived and responded to in the world around us. The question, "who do you say that I am?" opens up the world of psychology and spirituality. It makes us alert to a God who dwells in the cave of our heart. Finally, the message that is given from above opens us up to the very necessary world and Church of theology, institution, scholarship and worship.
Starting from these questions we can identify three ways of being Church; the communitarian, the mystical and the institutional. If the church itself is to be healthy these need to be working together in a balanced harmony.
The communitarian church relates to the Emmanuel God, the God-with-us. For this way of being Church the primary place in which to hear God and to answer God is in people and situations. It is a Church which empowers us to use our God-given gifts to provide for our wants, and calls us to make a prophetic stance at times. It is a Basic Ecclesial Community Church. One of the great happenings of our time is the shift of focus from the primary location of God in heaven to seeing him and responding to him in the community, the people of God.
The mystical church is the church of the Spirit that dwells in our hearts. It is being in touch with the source of life within - to drink from one's own well. The relationship with God is immediate, it is not mediated by ritual or people or situations. It is a relationship which brings us more and more to transcend wanting and just be and enjoy and respond to the abundance of God's goodness in the world around us. It brings us into a nonviolent partnership with God rather than a self-centered effort to direct him and his work. It releases an abundance of energy for relevant action in the world. It is a spirit-filled, rather vague, unstructured church.
The institutional church relates to a God "out there." It relates to God and mediates God to us mainly through sacraments, devotion and ritual. It asks God to intervene in our world and provide for our wants. It tries to manage the bookkeeping for God. It gives us a framework of meaning; it provides the security of authority and continuity of teaching. The institutional model of being church has been dominant for the centuries leading up to the Second Vatican Council. When most people thought of God they thought only of the God out there in heaven; when they thought of the Church they thought only of the institutional church.
One of the great insights of Fr. John Main was to see that renewal of the church would have to be contemplative renewal; a rediscovering of the Spirit that is within. Not only did he rediscover it but he gave us a simple way of getting in touch with it - through the twice daily saying of the mantra or prayer word for 20 to 30 minutes.
The Spirit within us is more intimate to us than we are to ourselves. The Spirit within us should be our first place of prayer. It should be our first but not our only place of prayer. Our towns have water supplies. Most of these originate in a lake or reservoir. The water is then pumped to a tank on an elevated place. After that it is allowed to flow by gravity, bringing this essential for living to the faucets of taps in our homes, gardens and places of work. The water in the lake, tank or faucet is the same water. When on a picnic you may go to the lake and take a pail full of water directly from it. You may rush, as the fire engine does, to get water from the tank. Normally, however, for your day to day usage, you will turn on your tap or faucet right there in your home if you need water.
So, too, we can and should turn to God our Father/Mother/Creator on whom we depend for all. This is the main emphasis, but not the exclusive one, when we go to church and worship. When we read the Scriptures and reflect on the words and deeds of Jesus Christ, we are principally but not exclusively growing in relationship with Jesus, the companion God, who became one of us. But just as we turn to the faucet within our house for our day to day water needs, so too, our day to day relationship with God will principally be with the Spirit who dwells within us and who helps us to express God in and to the world.

Introduction to the Creed

With Peter and the whole Church
we express our faith in God
and in Jesus, our Savior. R/ I believe...

Intercessions

Let us pray to God our Father from whom comes all authority in heaven and on earth, and let us say:
R/ Lord, make us servants of your love.

– For the Holy Father, Pope N. that the Holy Spirit may strengthen him to lead the Church with wisdom and courage, in co-responsibility with all bishops, let us pray to the Lord:
R/ Lord, make us servants of your love.
– For all bishops and priests, that they may speak to the People of God words of hope and encouragement; that they may be the hand that raises up those who fall and cannot go further, let us pray:
R/ Lord, make us servants of your love.
– For all Christians, that the Lord Jesus Christ may remain the cornerstone on which their lives are built, and that they may build up the Church by their loving and dedicated service, let us pray:
R/ Lord, make us servants of your love.
– For the mighty of this earth, the leaders of nations, that they may not abuse power or resort to oppression or violence and defend the poor and the people without voice, let us pray.
R/ Lord, make us servants of your love.
– For all those in positions of authority and influence, for parents and educators, for reporters and programmers in the mass media, that they may respect human dignity and promote truth, justice and peace, let us pray.
R/ Lord, make us servants of your love.

Lord our God, help us to respect each person as someone for whom Christ has given his life. Let your Son come alive in our midst, that we may build up one another in faith and courage, trust and hope, for he is our Lord for ever. R/ Amen.

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
give us in this Eucharist
the body of your Son,
that we may become more and more
the body of the Church,
the living community of your Son.
Through him we offer you
all honor and glory for ever. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

Among us is Jesus, the Savior, the Son of the living God. With him we offer to God our Father this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.

Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer

We stand before the Father in heaven
and pray now with Jesus our Lord
the prayer he himself has taught us. R/ Our Father...

Deliver Us

Deliver us Lord, from our lack of faith
and from the evil of every sin.
Give us the peace and trust
that come from knowing
that Jesus is alive among us
as our Lord and safe guide.
Reassure us that with him
there is nothing to fear
and that with him we can build
the kingdom of service and love among us,
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...

Invitation to Communion

This is Jesus Christ our Lord,
our Savior and the Son of the living God.
Happy are we who believe in him
and who receive him as our food of life. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

Prayer after Communion

God of power and might,
your Son Jesus Christ has come here among us
without any display of power
but rather as the humble servant
of his brothers and sisters.
Let those who bear in the Church
the burden of authority
become more like your Son.
Unconcerned about power and prestige,
may they reflect the attitude of your Son,
who came not to be served but to serve.
Let this be their way to become great
in Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Blessing

We have experienced in this Eucharist
a bit of the unity of the Church.
We have felt one in Christ.
After Christ and under him,
the principle of unity in love and service
is the pope, and with him the bishops.
With them we are called
to continue the mission of Christ
in the Church and in the world.
May God bless you all for this task,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go in the love and peace of Christ. R/ Thanks be to God.