Sunday September 3, 2017

Why Was Peter Bald

When you see a representation of the twelve apostles how do you know which one of them is Peter? Is it not that Peter is usually the bald one? And why was Peter bald? Here I would like to offer a theory that comes, not from Scriptural scholarship, but from personal reflection. According to my theory Peter was bald because he used to tear his hair out in exasperation at having to live with Jesus. Maybe the expression in English 'tearing one's hair out' as meaning to be exasperated or frustrated goes back to Peter and his experience with Jesus. For example, one day Jesus and the disciples went to the temple to pray. A Pharisee came in and prayed like this in front of everyone, "Thanks be to you God that I am not like other people around here. I pray regularly. I am not a thief or a liar or a womanizer like so many others around here that I might mention. You are lucky, God, to have good people like me around. How do you tolerate sinners like that tax collector there in the corner?" In the corner the poor tax collector was ashamed to even raise his eyes but just said quietly from his heart "Lord, have mercy on me a sinner." For Peter there was no doubt who was the best man around, it was the Pharisee. So when Jesus said that it was the humble tax collector that went home justified and not the self-righteous Pharisee Peter just could not get it, so chkk!, he started to pull his hair out!

And then a very rich man came in and put two large notes on the collection plate. "Boy, oh Boy, look at that," Peter said. "No," Jesus said, but look at that as they heard a little "clonk, clonk." S poor widow had dropped two coins into the collection box. "You judge by the amount given. I judge by what is left over when the person has given. The rich man still had his millions after he gave his donation but the poor woman gave everything she had." This was too much for Peter and so, chkk! he lost another tuft of hair.

The same thing happened when Jesus told stories that made the hated Samaritans the virtuous heroes. And then there was the father who had two sons, one obedient and one a useless waster. But when the useless sinful one came home the father embraced him and had a party. Who could live with someone who so exasperatingly turns normal expectations upside down?

But it was especially on the matter of suffering that Peter tore his hair out. In the Gospel last Sunday Jesus had asked, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter had got it right, "You are the Messiah," he had answered. And Jesus had answered, "Terrific! Because you are so smart I will make you the head of the Apostles!" Shortly afterwards, while Peter was still glowing over his promotion, Jesus began to talk about going up to Jerusalem and suffering there. This was too much for Peter. He took Jesus aside and said "Look here, Jesus. You are the boss and now you have made me the boss. The boss does not suffer. He pushes the dirty jobs on to others. You have got it all wrong. You and I should not have to suffer!" Then Jesus said, "Get behind me, Satan. You are still getting it wrong. The values are those of the people of this world and not those of God." and all poor Peter could do was sit down and tear his hair out!

And to this day we are still getting it wrong. Each of us feels somewhere deep down that, while it is alright and normal for others to suffer, we should be exempt. We want to be elite. We cultivate the Lord with our devotions and offerings trying to bribe the privilege of exemption from suffering from him. But he will not be bribed. In fact, he showed us by his own life that suffering is not to be avoided but rather must be faced. The Psychiatrist M. Scott Peck begins his book The Road Less Traveled with the words: "Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we really see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult - once we truly understand and accept it - then life is not longer difficult. Because once we accept it, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters. Most do not fully see this truth that life is difficult. Instead they moan more or less incessantly, noisily or subtly, about the enormity of their problems, their burdens, and their difficulties in life as if life were generally easy, as if life should be easy...

The tendency to avoid problems and the emotional suffering inherent in them is the primary basis of all human mental illness. Since most of us have this tendency to a greater or less degree most of us are mentally ill to a greater or less degree, lacking complete mental health... In the succinctly elegant words of Carl Jung, "Neurosis is always a substitute for legitimate suffering, but the suffering itself becomes more painful than the legitimate suffering it was designed to avoid."

When if comes to prayer most of us are acting like Peter, most of us are neurotics. We are praying that God will solve our problems for us and take away our sufferings. Yet these problems and sufferings are as essential to our growth as soil and fertilizer is for plants. True prayer is not to take away our problems and sufferings - to take away reality-but rather, to help us face it.

Most people come to meditation with the hope that they will be successful, that they will be good at meditating. Many give up because they find it difficult, even impossible. But this is exactly where meditation is effective. It is in the suffering of our failure that we are strengthened to face the reality of life. If I ever find someone who says that prayer and meditation are easy I know that I have found someone who is in a fool's paradise. To find God is to constantly seek him. To pray is to constantly seek to pray. And this is a paradigm of life. In meditation we suffer the lack of achievement of our desires. That naughty little mantra continues to elude us. If we continue to try to say it patiently and consistently without tearing our hair out this will wash over into our lives. We will also be able to face the sufferings and frustrations of life without going bald in the process.

Monday September 4, 2017

Introduction
In today’s first reading, Paul calms the fears of the Christian community of Thessalonica. They are expecting the return of Christ soon, in their very lifetime. Now, what about the Christians who have died before the Parousia, are they lost? No, says Paul, this makes no difference. As Christ died and rose from the dead, so those who have died will be raised up by Christ and reign with him. To them – and to us – Christ’s resurrection is the foundation of our faith.
From now on until Advent begins, we shall read the Gospel: of Luke, the evangelist who pays special attention to the Holy Spirit, the mercy of God, Jesus’ special concern for the poor, the role of women in the life of Jesus, and the liturgy. Luke presents his Gospel: in the form of a journey from Nazareth in Galilee to Jerusalem. Today, we hear about the beginning of the so-called public life of Jesus, his program set for him by the Spirit. He announces salvation as starting “today” with his teaching and working among the people. For us too, the time of grace is today, in our time, with the Lord working and living among us now.

Opening Prayer
God, Father of mercy and love,
you let your Son announce to us
that today is the time of grace.
Let his Spirit be upon us today,
that in the poverty of our own hearts
we may hear Jesus’ stirring message,
that blind as we are, he may give us eyes of faith,
and that he may set us free
from the captivity of our fears and selfishness.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, the Lord.

Reading: 1 THES 4:13-18
We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,
about those who have fallen asleep,
so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose,
so too will God, through Jesus,
bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord,
that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord,
will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself, with a word of command,
with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God,
will come down from heaven,
and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive, who are left,
will be caught up together with them in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air.
Thus we shall always be with the Lord.
Therefore, console one another with these words.

Responsorial Psalm 96:1 AND 3, 4-5, 11-12, 13
R. (13b) The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
For great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
awesome is he, beyond all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are things of nought,
but the LORD made the heavens.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Before the LORD, for he comes;
for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.

Alleluia LK 4:18
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me;
he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: LK 4:16-30
Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.

Rolling up the scroll,
he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
"Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."
And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
They also asked, "Is this not the son of Joseph?"
He said to them, "Surely you will quote me this proverb,
'Physician, cure yourself,' and say, 'Do here in your native place
the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.'"
And he said,
"Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you,
there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah
when the sky was closed for three and a half years
and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian."
When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong.
But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

Intercessions
– Lord, give eloquence and courage to our leaders and all teachers in the Church, that they may understand it and proclaim it as Good News of liberation to all, we pray:
– Lord, open our eyes to the miseries of people; make us concerned about those imprisoned in their fears and the grip of injustice, we pray:
– Lord, make us receptive to your word. Free us from banality and fear, our self-security and certainties, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
it is perhaps easier for us
to accept your Son as our Savior and Lord
than the people who knew him
as the son of Joseph and Mary.
Help us to recognize him here in our midst
in these signs of bread and wine.
Accept this offering of our faith
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Prayer after Communion
God our Father,
through his words and his body,
your Son, Jesus Christ is alive among us.
Fill us with his Holy Spirit,
that we too, with him and in his name,
may bring his Good News to the poor,
proclaim liberty to captives,
open the eyes of the blind
and set the downtrodden free.
Let this be to all the time of the grace
of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Blessing
Today, with Jesus alive among us in our community, we should also be ready to say with Jesus: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon us. He sends us to bring Good News to the poor.” May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Monday September 4, 2017

Why do the listeners of Jesus, who are initially appreciative of him, turn against him? David Bosch suggests that the clue to an answer lies in the point in Isaiah’s prophesy where Jesus stops reading and rolls up the scroll. Jesus ends at: “to announce the Lord’s year of mercy.” However, in Isaiah, the phrase actually says: “to announce the Lord’s year of mercy and his day of vengeance” (Is. 61:2). For the Jews of those times, whose history was replete with slavery, subjugation, and humiliation, the year of the Lord’s mercy was inseparable from the Lord’s day of vengeance on their enemies. Mercy for themselves, and vengeance on their enemies, were the two sides of the same coin, the deepest desire of a nation that had suffered long. But Jesus would dare to break the inseparable phrase and end with the announcement of mercy, period. Vengeance was not his mission. Revenge was not an option in his Gospel. Thus, as he kept on speaking of God’s grace, his audience grew upset and angry. Jesus was challenging the unquestioned ethos of their nation. No wonder they wanted to kill him.
Jesus would not comprise his Gospel: to appease people or save his life. Would you?

Tuesday September 5, 2017

Introduction
Don’t you worry when the end time will come, Paul tell his Thessalonians. There is nothing to fear, just be always ready for the Lord’s coming. The people and Jesus’ own disciples were often struck by the authority of Jesus. Here was someone higher than a mere human being. There was authority in his teaching – he had something to say that challenged men and confronted them with themselves and with God. He had authority over the law, which he wanted to trim from its man-made trappings. By his authority, he overcame the powers of evil and sin. He claimed to judge people. He used his authority for the good of people – it was a power of salvation. Yet, it was a power that came in humility and weakness, an authority of service that brought faith, that gave hope, that expressed and created love. And when the time came, he used it to lay down his life and to take it up again, to pass it on to his disciples, and then to leave.

Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
we say that authority means service,
but we experience that it is very hard
to make this beautiful principle work.
Keep always before our eyes
the example of your Son, Jesus Christ.
His authority was healing and saving,
respectful of people and yet committing us
to get out of our mediocrity.
May all authority among us
be humble, dedicated, self-effacing,
willing to serve to the end,
and patterned after that of Jesus,
your Son and our Lord for ever.

Reading: 1 THES 5:1-6, 9-11
Concerning times and seasons, brothers and sisters,
you have no need for anything to be written to you.
For you yourselves know very well
that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night.
When people are saying, "Peace and security,"
then sudden disaster comes upon them,
like labor pains upon a pregnant woman,
and they will not escape.

But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness,
for that day to overtake you like a thief.
For all of you are children of the light
and children of the day.
We are not of the night or of darkness.
Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do,
but let us stay alert and sober.
For God did not destine us for wrath,
but to gain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep
we may live together with him.
Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up,
as indeed you do.

Responsorial Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14
R. (13) I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.

Alleluia LK 7:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: LK 4:31-37
Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee.
He taught them on the sabbath,
and they were astonished at his teaching
because he spoke with authority.
In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon,
and he cried out in a loud voice,
"What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!"
Jesus rebuked him and said, "Be quiet! Come out of him!"
Then the demon threw the man down in front of them
and came out of him without doing him any harm.
They were all amazed and said to one another,
"What is there about his word?
For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits,
and they come out."
And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region.

Intercessions
– That the Church may speak with authority about Jesus because it knows him by living his life, we pray:
– That we may be close to Jesus because we try to respond deeply to his challenge of loving people, we pray:
– That the world may be a little better because we try to live according to the Good News of Jesus, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
by the authority you gave to your Son,
this bread and wine will become for us
his body and blood, our food and drink.
Let him share his power with us
that our cowardice may turn into courage
and that we may become liberated people
free to serve and to love
and to verify with our lives the truth
of the Good News that he is our Lord for ever.

Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
your Son, Jesus Christ left his authority
to his apostles and disciples
as a unifying bond and a legacy of service.
Grant that your Church may use his power
to bind people together and to heal their wounds,
to speak in the name of those without voice,
and to lead us forward to the genuine freedom
that you brought us in Christ, our Lord.

Blessing
May our authority as Christians consist in doing good and serving people in love. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Tuesday September 5, 2017

Once I attended a meeting convened by the principal of a college. The principal walked in and took his seat at a chair different from what had been designated for him. One of the teachers respectfully pointed out to him that he was supposed to occupy the central chair. The principal smiled, but declined and said, “Where I sit is the center.” Wasn’t he right! The whole assembly turned its attention on him as he began to lead the meeting, and indeed, where he sat became the center of the gathering.
It is not any place of honor or chair at the center that confers authority on a person. Rather, it is the quality of being and doing that commands authority and elicits respect from others. Jesus had no official position in the synagogue or in the Sanhedrin but, because his being radiated so much authority and integrity, he commanded the attention of the people and the obedience of all creation. Where does my authority come from: from external endowments or from my inner being?

Wednesday September 6, 2017

Introduction
Paul thanks God and the Colossians that the Good News of Jesus Christ has taken root among the Colossians and is spreading all over the Roman world.
Jesus has preached his message of hope in the lake town of Capernaum and confirmed it by liberating the poor and the sick from the powers of evil. He has to bring the same Good News to other places. The Gospel: of hope in a new world is destined for all. With the people healed by Jesus, let us in this Eucharist thank the Lord for his Good News.

Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
we thank you today for Jesus, your Son.
He came to heal our wounds
and to set us going on the way
to you and to one another.
Help us in our fumbling, stumbling attempts
to continue looking for him
and to make his Gospel: of hope and love
come true among us as the Good News
that your Son is alive among us
and that he is our Lord for ever.

Reading: COL 1:1-8
Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
and Timothy our brother,
to the holy ones and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae:
grace to you and peace from God our Father.

We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
when we pray for you,
for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus
and the love that you have for all the holy ones
because of the hope reserved for you in heaven.
Of this you have already heard
through the word of truth, the Gospel, that has come to you.
Just as in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing,
so also among you,
from the day you heard it and came to know the grace of God in truth,
as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow slave,
who is a trustworthy minister of Christ on your behalf
and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

Responsorial Psalm 52:10, 11
R. (10) I trust in the mercy of God for ever.
I, like a green olive tree
in the house of God,
Trust in the mercy of God
forever and ever.
R. I trust in the mercy of God for ever.
I will thank you always for what you have done,
and proclaim the goodness of your name
before your faithful ones.
R. I trust in the mercy of God for ever.

Alleluia LK 4:18
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor
and to proclaim liberty to captives.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: LK 4:38-44
After Jesus left the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon.
Simon's mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever,
and they interceded with him about her.
He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her.
She got up immediately and waited on them.

At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases brought them to him.
He laid his hands on each of them and cured them.
And demons also came out from many, shouting, "You are the Son of God."
But he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak
because they knew that he was the Christ.

At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place.
The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him,
they tried to prevent him from leaving them.
But he said to them, "To the other towns also
I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God,
because for this purpose I have been sent."
And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

Intercessions
– That the Church may continue with compassion the task of healing of our Lord Jesus, that the sick may be comforted, the downtrodden set free, and the poor and the weak be protected, we pray:
– That the faith and the hope of the sick and the dying may be firmly anchored in our Lord Jesus, who is the resurrection and the life, we pray:
– That we may learn more to heal one another by forgiving each other and by uplifting the sad and the discouraged, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
we need your Son, Jesus Christ,
to be with us today.
Give him to us in this bread and wine,
that, weak and fallible as we are,
we may not give up the hope
that your kingdom of justice and peace
can take shape among us.
Let it become the humble sign
of your goodness and justice
and of your joy that lasts for ever.

Prayer after Communion
Lord, our God,
in your power, you care for the weak,
and so, Jesus preferred the poor and the helpless.
Give us his Spirit of compassion and strength,
that we too, may commit ourselves
to bring hope and justice
to the dispossessed and the lonely.
And take away our pride Lord,
for we are perhaps weaker and poorer
than those we presume to uplift.
Count us among those in need of Jesus Christ,
our Lord and Savior for ever.

Blessing
Jesus cured the many who came to him with all sorts of diseases. Are we aware that we too, can bring healing to others by showing them affection, compassion, forgiveness? May the Lord make you attentive to the healing powers in you and may God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Wednesday September 6, 2017

No sooner does Jesus rebuke the fever of Simon’s mother-in-law than it leaves her. She immediately gets up and waits on them: Now that she is healed, she attends to the needs of Jesus and his disciples.
The many healings and blessings God grants us must make us more compassionate and attentive to the needs of others. As Simon’s mother-in-law did, we also must make use of our restored energies and renewed life in order to care for God and His people. Every gift comes with a mandate, every healing has a mission—that we share its fruits with other people. If God’s gifts do not make us more generous than before, we would be no different from the servant who received a talent but hid it from everyone and refused to invest it for God’s purposes (Matt. 25:14-30).

Thursday September 7, 2017

Introduction
The background of today’s message to the Colossians is that gnostical tendencies are creeping in, promising a superior human knowledge even of divine mysteries. Hence, the prayer of Paul that his Colossians may be filled with the full knowledge of God’s will, with wisdom and understanding coming from God’s Spirit.
Simon Peter and his companions were amazed that an outsider could tell them where to catch plenty of fish when they, fishermen by profession, had been unsuccessful. This man with a striking message was indeed extraordinary. They were caught in his spell and followed him. Later, they would put out into deep water, that is, they would risk and dedicate their life for Jesus and “catch people” to put them in the spell of Jesus’ message and life.

Opening Prayer
Holy God of our happiness,
you entrust your Good News of life
to weak and fallible people.
Fill us with the strength of your Holy Spirit,
that we may be ready to speak your message
with the language of our life.
Let Jesus your Son, work with us and in us,
that each of us may have the courage to say:
Here I am Lord, send me as your messenger
to share your glad tidings of happiness
with all who are willing to listen.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.

Reading: COL 1:9-14
Brothers and sisters:
From the day we heard about you, we do not cease praying for you
and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will
through all spiritual wisdom and understanding
to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,
so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit
and growing in the knowledge of God,
strengthened with every power, in accord with his glorious might,
for all endurance and patience,
with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share
in the inheritance of the holy ones in light.
He delivered us from the power of darkness
and transferred us to the Kingdom of his beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Responsorial Psalm 98:2-3AB, 3CD-4, 5-6
R. (2) The Lord has made known his salvation.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.

Alleluia MT 4:19
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come after me, says the Lord,
and I will make you fishers of men.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: LK 5:1-11
While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God,
he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.
He saw two boats there alongside the lake;
the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,
he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.
Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
"Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch."
Simon said in reply,
"Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing,
but at your command I will lower the nets."
When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish
and their nets were tearing.
They signaled to their partners in the other boat
to come to help them.
They came and filled both boats
so that the boats were in danger of sinking.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said,
"Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man."
For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him
and all those with him,
and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
who were partners of Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid;
from now on you will be catching men."
When they brought their boats to the shore,
they left everything and followed him.

Intercessions
– Lord, attract people to you by opening their eyes and hearts to the beauty of your message of Good News, we pray:
– Lord, attract people to you by your inspiring, loving personality, we pray:
– Lord, let your Church with all its communities attract people to you by serving them, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father,
in these signs of bread and wine,
we celebrate the central event
that sums up our faith
and gives meaning to what we are and do:
the death and resurrection of your Son.
Purify our lips and hearts with his body and blood
and send us to proclaim with our lives
that Jesus is our living Lord
and that you are our Father,
now and for ever.

Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
in your love, you have called each of us
to a task in life and a place in your plan
which no one can fulfill for us;
you have chosen your Church that is us,
to be the irreplaceable sign and witness
of the death and resurrection of your Son.
Make each and all of us
capable of our mission
and send us out into the deep
by the strength of the body and blood
of our unique Savior,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Blessing
The Lord entrusts to you his word and his body. Go now, speak his word and be his body to the world. May the Lord bless you that you may be a blessing to all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Thursday September 7, 2017

“Duc in altum!” Jesus ordered Simon. “Put out into deep water!” What did Simon do? He agreed to do so, because Jesus commanded it. He caught such a large number of fish that his net began to break. He had to call for help. He also realized the extent of his own sinfulness and begged Jesus to leave him. Fortunately, Jesus would not; instead, he would ask Simon to follow him.
Putting out into the deep can be dangerous. The depths are unchartered territories. You never know what resides in the depths, and what sins—yours and others’—would surface when you explore the depths in yourself and in other people. Your nets—the resources you have—may begin to break. You will be forced to call for help, even from your competitors. The catch you make could be a mixture of good, bad, and ugly fish. Is it all worth the risk? It is, if we do so at the command of Jesus.
Mother Teresa died on this day. She could have ignored Jesus’s command to put out into the deep—“Come, be my light!”—and remained within the safe confines of her Loreto convent. But she dared, like Peter, to put out into the deep. And how it changed her life, and ours!

Friday September 8, 2017

ANGELS OF GOD

Introduction
The Bible, including today's readings, sees Mary in function of her Son; nothing more is said about her in the Gospel: than what illustrates and serves Christ's mission. Her inconspicuous and self-effacing service is very telling about her character and role - and at the same time about our mission: to witness quietly to the pre-eminence of Christ, to serve him, to be open to his salvation, to live for others.

Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
we thank you today for giving us Mary
as the Mother of your Son.
In her you show us how strong your grace is
and how surprisingly near you are to people.
Give us a firm faith
in the great things you do for all of us
and help us to respond to your gifts
with joyful and receptive hearts.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

First Reading: Mic 5:1-4a
The LORD says:
You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah,
too small to be among the clans of Judah,
From you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel;
Whose origin is from of old,
from ancient times.
(Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time
when she who is to give birth has borne,
And the rest of his brethren shall return
to the children of Israel.)
He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock
by the strength of the LORD,
in the majestic name of the LORD, his God;
And they shall remain, for now his greatness
shall reach to the ends of the earth;
he shall be peace.
or

Rom 8:28-30
Brothers and sisters:
We know that all things work for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.
For those he foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers.
And those he predestined he also called;
and those he called he also justified;
and those he justified he also glorified.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 13:6ab, 6c
R (Isaiah 61:10) With delight I rejoice in the Lord.
Though I trusted in your mercy,
let my heart rejoice in your salvation.
R./ With delight I rejoice in the Lord.

Let me sing of the LORD, "He has been good to me."
R./ With delight I rejoice in the Lord.

Gospel: Mt 1:1-16, 18-23 or Mt 1:18-23
This is how Jesus Christ was born. Mary his mother had been given to Joseph in marriage but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.
Then Joseph, her husband, made plans to divorce her in all secrecy. He was an upright man, and in no way did he want to discredit her.
While he was pondering over this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She has conceived by the Holy Spirit, and now she will bear a son. You shall call him 'Jesus' for he will save his people from their sins."
All this happened in order to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will conceive and bear a son, and he will be called Emmanuel which means: God-with-us.

Intercessions
- For the world with all its needs, that Mary may watch over it and pray for it, keep people from warring with one another and from making one another suffer, we pray:
- For people in lowly jobs, that they may learn from our humble mother that God values all work done with love and care, we pray:
- For all of us united here, that our faith in Jesus Christ may produce in us, as in Mary, fruits of genuine love for one another, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God, you satisfy the hungry
with the bread of life
and you quench the thirsty
with the abundance of your Son's wine.
May these gifts be the signs
that we too are willing to share the riches
of your salvation and of the good things of life
with those who hunger and thirst
for bread, justice and love.
May all people thus know
that you are attentive to our needs,
through Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
however weak and wavering
our faith may be,
we believe and we pray
that you may supply us
with the strength we lack.
Do in us and through us
the great things you wish to accomplish.
Like Mary, may we serve your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord for ever.

Blessing
No wonder that we are so attached to Mary. She gave us Jesus, stood by him all her life, and at his death became our mother too. May we too stand by Jesus' side in all our life and death, and may God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Friday September 8, 2017

We always read about Jesus on the days we honor Mary. It is her child and the Incarnation-God becoming flesh/human in the world; our hope, our salvation, our life; God who makes us human. The child is born in Bethlehem-a place of no consequence but will bring forth a shepherd in the strength of God who shall reach the ends of the earth and shall be peace.
All things work together for God. God's Son is the first born of many brothers and sisters-we are all given birth in Jesus and given to God. Mary was given birth (by her parents like all of us) but it was her child, the Son of the Father, who gave birth to her in the power of the Spirit, giving her back to the Father, as each of us is given over to God.
We are all called to give birth to the Word in our flesh and to celebrate our birthdays-born in the world, born into Christ, hidden in God in our baptisms, and born into the Body of Christ, the Church. Happy Birthday to Mary and to us all.

Alternative
Of course there is nothing in the gospels about the birth of Mary. But it’s interesting that the text used for this feast is an account of the birth of Jesus.
In a sense, when a child is born a mother is born. When a child is born, its mother begins to be a mother. Even if she was already mother to other children this new child makes her a new mother; a new chapter in her mothering begins. In the birth of the Son of God, Mary begins to be the Mother of God.
Icons of the “Theotokos” (Greek for “God-bearer”) are common now in the West. Historically the term had great importance because the Nestorians, who effectively said that Christ was two persons—a divine and a human—were opposed to its use, claiming that it neglected the humanity of Christ. The Council of Ephesus (431) asserted against the Nestorians that Mary was truly the “Theotokos,” the God-bearer, or Mother of God: this was a clear way of stating the unity of Christ. The Council of Chalcedon (451) continued the use of this term, and it has become orthodox Christian teaching. Note that it is more a statement about Christ than about Mary—or rather, equally so. When a Child is born, a Mother is born.

Saturday September 9, 2017

ANGELS OF GOD

Introduction
Paul reminds his Colossians, that before their conversion they were estranged from God. Now, that they have been reconciled with God and one another, they should remain steadfast in the faith that has made them holy.
A frequent sign of their own insecurity is that people seek security in laws and traditions. The more they insist on these, the more they try to bend people to these, the greater their insecurity. Laws are supposed to be in the service of the community, not vice versa. They may never become a block or a screen between people. They are not absolutes but servants of people.

Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
Jesus, your Son came not to abolish the law
but to fill it with the dimensions of love.
Do not allow commandments and rules
to stand between you and us nor between people,
but let them lead us gently,
as good educators, to you and to our neighbor
and teach us to go beyond the law
in generosity and serving love.
Make us free with the freedom brought us
by your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Reading: COL1:21-23
Brothers and sisters:
You once were alienated and hostile in mind because of evil deeds;
God has now reconciled you
in the fleshly Body of Christ through his death,
to present you holy, without blemish,
and irreproachable before him,
provided that you persevere in the faith,
firmly grounded, stable,
and not shifting from the hope of the Gospel: that you heard,
which has been preached to every creature under heaven,
of which I, Paul, am a minister.

Responsorial Psalm 54:3-4, 6 AND 8
R. (6) God himself is my help.
O God, by your name save me,
and by your might defend my cause.
O God, hear my prayer;
hearken to the words of my mouth.
R. God himself is my help.
Behold, God is my helper;
the Lord sustains my life.
Freely will I offer you sacrifice;
I will praise your name, O LORD, for its goodness.
R. God himself is my help.

Alleluia 14:6
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: LK 6:1-5
While Jesus was going through a field of grain on a sabbath,
his disciples were picking the heads of grain,
rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.
Some Pharisees said,
"Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?"
Jesus said to them in reply,
"Have you not read what David did
when he and those who were with him were hungry?
How he went into the house of God, took the bread of offering,
which only the priests could lawfully eat,
ate of it, and shared it with his companions?"
Then he said to them, "The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath."

Intercessions
– That Christians may regard the commandments as doors to freedom from sin and evil and ways to serve God and people, we pray:
– That lawmakers everywhere make laws that are humane and serve the good of all in the community, we pray:
– That we may seek security in love of God and the service of people, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts
God, our Father,
in these signs, your gifts to us
and the fruit of our work,
we make ourselves available to you.
Do not allow us to seek false security
in observing the letter of the law
but help us to seek the insecurity and risk
of committing ourselves to you and people,
as Jesus did, your Son,
who lives with you and with us
now, and we hope and pray, for ever.

Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
in this Eucharist, we have celebrated
the memorial of your Son’s death and rising.
He followed the law of the heart
and made love the heart of all laws.
Let the bread of life of your Son
make our love inventive and creative
in the service of people
and help us to follow the directives
of our hearts and consciences,
in the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord for ever.

Blessing
Christ has made us free. Let us not give up that freedom by slavishly sticking to practices and traditions that do not reflect the Gospel. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Saturday September 9, 2017

Human laws are necessary. They create order and help us regulate our personal and social life. To a great extent, they simplify life. However, they also have their dark side: they stifle personal reflection. With their collective dos and don’ts, they discourage individual morality and situation-specific responses. One of the (many) reasons why Marx and Nietzsche were critical of religion was that religious laws and practices often degenerated into mindless practices that stifled individual quest and discouraged people from making a critique of life from their own personal standpoint.
Jesus reminds his opponents that religion pure and simple goes far beyond collective morality and traditional practices, and truly enables one to respond to life’s challenges from personal convictions. Genuine religiousness facilitates a deeper understanding of the law and its purposes, and provides the freedom to break them when they are superseded by the needs of one’s brothers and sisters.

Sunday September 10, 2017

Care for Your Wounded Brother or Sister

Greeting

Jesus tells us today:
Where two are three have come together in my name,
there I am among them.
We are here in his name
and so he is among us.
May he always stay with you. R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

If we really are the Church, we are a community around Christ and we are brothers and sisters to one another. That means: we love one another, we accept and serve one another so much that we also have the courage to correct one another when our brother or sister errs. He or she is my concern because that person is my brother or sister. Let us pray with the Lord Jesus here among us that we may have that courage, and that our brothers or sisters may accept the help we offer to set them free.

Penitential Act
Do we love enough the Lord and one another,
and the community of the Lord,
to help one another when one goes astray?
Let us examine ourselves before the Lord.
(PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, you hold us responsible
for a brother or sister who errs:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, you hold us responsible
for the unity and integrity of the Church:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you hold us responsible
for reconciliation not only in the Church
but even in the world at large:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Have mercy on us, Lord,
Make us aware of our own weakness
and give us the courage to help those who err. Lead us all to everlasting life. R/ Amen

Opening Prayer
Let us pray to God our Father
that we may sustain one another on the way to him
(PAUSE)
Lord God, our Father,
your Son Jesus Christ has brought us together
as a community of sinners who know
that you have pardoned us.
When our weaknesses threaten our unity,
remind us of our responsibility for one another.
Let your unifying Spirit give us the strength
to care for one another
and to do all we can to remain
a living, forgiving and welcoming community
where we keep meeting in the name of Jesus,
that he may be always with us,
now and for ever. R/ Amen.

First Reading: A Guard of One’s Brothers and Sisters
Like a watchman on the look-out for the enemy, the prophet must warn his people against evil and every Christian must warn his or her neighbor.

Reading: JER 20:7-9
Thus says the LORD:
You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel;
when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me.
If I tell the wicked, "O wicked one, you shall surely die, "
and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way,
the wicked shall die for his guilt,
but I will hold you responsible for his death.
But if you warn the wicked,
trying to turn him from his way,
and he refuses to turn from his way,
he shall die for his guilt,
but you shall save yourself.

Responsorial Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
R. (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
"Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works."
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Second Reading: Love Sums Up All the Commandments
Love one another as you love yourself. If you do this, says St. Paul, you have fulfilled the law. For love is the motive and the spirit of all the commandments.

Reading 2: ROM 13:8-10
Brothers and sisters:
Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another;
for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery;
you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet, "
and whatever other commandment there may be,
are summed up in this saying, namely,
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Love does no evil to the neighbor;
hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.

Alleluia 2 COR 5:19
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: Help Those Who Err
A Christian sense of responsibility for one another demands that, with firmness yet love, we help those who err. If one does not succeed, let the community help, for the Church should be a place of reconciliation.

Gospel: MT 18:15-20
Jesus said to his disciples:
"If your brother sins against you,
go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.
If he does not listen,
take one or two others along with you,
so that 'every fact may be established
on the testimony of two or three witnesses.'
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church.
If he refuses to listen even to the church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you,
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again, amen, I say to you,
if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them."

Intercessions
Jesus tells us today: If two of you agree to ask something, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven. So we pray together to our Father, and we say: R/ Lord we are certain you will hear us.
– For the Church of Jesus Christ, that it may always be a place of reconciliation and the guardian of life and of all that is good; that its leaders too may always have the courage to call evil by its name, let us pray: R/ Lord, we are certain you will hear us.
– For all those whom God has entrusted to one another: our Christian families, our towns and cities, people who work together, and all communities, that love may inspire us to deal with one another with frankness and honesty, let us pray: R/ Lord, we are certain you will hear us.
– For all those who suffer from violence and injustice, from prejudice, discrimination and hatred, that they may not become bitter, and that the victims of these forms of violence may still be capable of forgiving wholeheartedly, let us pray: R/ Lord, we are certain you will hear us. – For us here in this community, that we may not condemn or write off one another but learn to bear each other’s shortcomings and to protect each other’s reputation, let us pray: R/ Lord, we are certain you will hear us.
God our Father, with your Son among us we pray: help us to believe in the goodness of each person and to be patient with one another, as you have been good to us through Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father,
you bring together at the table of your Son
the weak with the strong,
the sick with the healthy.
Let your Son fill us here
with the fullness of his presence,
that we may accept one another
and learn to live with each other.
We offer you our good will
and ask you for the strength
to welcome one another
in Christ Jesus our Lord. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
We remember how the Father sent us Jesus his Son when, by committing sin, we had broken our friendship with God. Jesus shed his blood to bring us back to the Father. Let us thank God for his love.

Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer
With Jesus present in our midst,
we pray with him the prayer
which he taught us. R/ Our Father...

Prayer for Peace
Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles:
I leave you peace, my peace I give you.
Look not on your sins,
but on the faith of your Church,
and help us to not to tie our brothers and sisters
to their sins and past mistakes.
Grant us the peace and unity of your kingdom
where you live for ever and ever. R/ Amen.
The peace of the Lord be with you always. R/ And also with you.
Let us express now in our greeting of peace
how we want to be with one another
honest, forgiving and helping. R/ Amen.

Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus, the Lamb of God,
who takes away the sins of the world
and who shed his blood on the cross for us.
Happy are we to be invited
to his meal of reconciling love. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

Prayer after Communion
God our Father,
your Son has been in our midst
and he has strengthened us with his body and blood.
He made our wounds of sin his wounds
and healed them.
Let the wounds of our brothers and sisters
become ours, their joys our happiness.
Let your Son teach us the art
of bringing those who err back to you
and into our communities
without embittering or humiliating them,
without any feeling of superiority,
but simply because they are our brothers and sisters
and you have been good to us
in Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Blessing
With Jesus among us,
at least when we are aware he is with us,
we can make our community
a place where we can speak freely to each other
and help those in trouble
to keep them in the community
or to win them back
and offer them new chances.
For we know that we are responsible for one another.
May God give us this openness and courage
and bless you all:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

May God be with you and keep you in his love.
R/ Thanks be to God.

Sunday September 10, 2017

Confronting with Love

The Gospel today makes fraternal correction, confronting one who has done wrong sound easy, but it is far from it. The matter of trying to modify the behavior of another which seems destructive is a very difficult and sensitive one. I would like to discuss one aspect of this difficulty today and share how meditation might help.
Once, Fr. Roger Champoux, S.J., the director of a testing and guidance center in Manila, gave a reflection on his experience in his work to the convention of religious superiors. While he as talking mostly about seminarians, from my parish experience with students and families in general, I believe that his observations have more general application. He said, "Frequently we encounter people who are not too happy with their superiors. Quite often we are dealing with an unresolved problem of authority and aggression. Two seeming opposite patters stand out as more frequent: an excess compliance towards people in authority, or an attitude of excessive independence or even rebelliousness. We see some who seem to function quite well but only as long as they are allowed to do their own thing without any interference. Try to bring them into a common task demanding cooperation, and right away the conflicts emerge, sometimes explosively. Compliance and rebelliousness seem opposite - yet, submissiveness breeds resentment, which may come out in the open in the form of explosive anger. We have all had this experience of a meek and quiet person who suddenly becomes red with anger to the surprise of all present. Or of this quiet and humble person, who, when slightly challenged, comes out with the hostile and final statement, 'You do not trust me, you have never trusted me.'
"The following pattern, which we have found among a good number of seminarians through a research done a few years ago, can perhaps throw some light on this problem of authority. This typical pattern has the following ingredients: First a longing for love and acceptance from an understanding but strong father figure. Second a great sensitivity to any attitude of this father figure that is not fully accepting and approving. This reflects a certain defect in the early formation of one's sense of masculine selfhood through identification with a strong and loving father - hence now both the yearning and the accompanying sensitivity. But his puts the superior in a bind: to be good and nice without confrontation: or to hide behind one's authority so as to avoid the tensions of a more realistic and sometimes painful interpersonal encounter. It is not easy for the superior to blend the two: to be both very understanding, and yet to remain challenging when needed."
This situation arises especially in a culture where there is great emphasis on parental authority. Often something is seen as right because authority has said it rather an authority verifying very thoroughly that something is right before saying it. Disagreement is seen as defiance of authority. The normal flexing of muscles that teenagers engage in by challenging their parents is crushed as insubordination. When the normal signs of transition from childhood into adulthood are treated as major sins rather than as being indications of a normal process of growth the results can be most destructive. When demure deference is demanded it may lead to a buildup deep down in the person of deadly anger and defiance. Fraternal correction in this situation becomes very complicated. Who was most at fault, the parent or the child? Now when a boss at work or a superior in a seminary tries to offer guidance there will be transference of the repressed anger towards the original parent on to the new father figure. And what if the new father figure does not understand this anger and again tries to crush it as insubordination?
The Gospel today says that we should go and talk to the person that is causing the hurt. We should stop talking about the person and talk to the person. There is a risk here and it calls for courage. Often a little honest talking can clear the air.
The spirit in which the confrontation takes place is very important. It must not be done in anger. This would merely be to vent out our passion. It must be done out of loving concern to help the other person and not to appease our own wounded pride or our desire to get even.
If the person does not respond to the private confrontation in love then the Gospel says it is time to get the advice and help of others in the community. This must be done with gentleness and sensitivity for the deep hurts and feelings of all concerned. All too often I have seen well meaning efforts to make enemies shake hands, which causes only more pain because the parties were not yet ready for such a reconciliation. Now what has prayer - the main concern of this reflection got to do with this process of confronting in love? It has, I think, a great lot to do with disposing towards a positive or negative outcome. As my earlier quote pointed out, behavior that authority disapproves can often be found where a person has moved from the docility of a frightened child into open or hidden defiance. The behavior and the sensitivity that accompanies it is only a symptom of the deeper anger. In this case our traditional ways of prayer would have us ask God to change the other. The supervisor may pray that he will be successful in bringing about a change of heart in the offending one. The offending one may be praying that this oppressive authority will get off his or her back. Both are praying that their own will may be done and they will be successful in fulfilling their own desires.
Meditation, on the other hand, is totally poor before God. It is to be empty and silent without desires of any kind. One cannot continue to be silent and to be dishonest. The silence of meditation may create a space in which the one correcting may become aware of his or her insecurity and the need it produces to control and direct. The person "at fault" may come to see how his or her behavior is a reaction formation, an over reaction to a situation which brings back the hurts experienced in a past situation. With this realization there will be a freedom to look at the situation holistically and reasonably. The person may become free enough to respond rather than to just react to the situation or the confrontation. The Gospel today tells us "where two or three are gathered in my name, I shall be there with them." I dare to suggest that often when we come together to pray we are not gathered in his name that his will be done but we are gathered in our name that our will be done. On the other hand, when we try to meditate we just be in His presence, without words or desires. We create a space we are better equipped to confront others in a very humble love, and if we are the ones erring to hear the words of loving confrontation with great joy and gratitude.

Monday September 11, 2017

Introduction
In the first reading of today, we hear Paul speaks with conviction and enthusiasm about his mission of preaching the Gospel. It is a glorious task. We can feel how the Gospel: fills him and has become the sole meaning of his life. Let Christ also be the meaning of our lives. If so, we cannot but preach him by our words and our way of life.
It is strange how, as we read in the Gospel, faithful, practicing religious people, like the scribes and Pharisees – the regular churchgoers of their day – were a big obstacle to the work of Jesus. They are upset and angry because Jesus cures a man with a withered hand on the day of the Lord. Jesus came to do good and to preserve life, as he said, to carry out a mission of love and life, and these cannot be adequately expressed in laws and commands. We may and should do good also on Sundays!

Opening Prayer
God our Father,
we thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ.
He went around doing good
and no law made by human beings could keep him
from carrying out his mission of life and love.
Let your Spirit enlighten us
to understand his mentality
and to give first place to what is important,
that we may live by the law of love
of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Reading: COL 1:24–2:3
Brothers and sisters:
I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake,
and in my flesh I am filling up
what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ
on behalf of his Body, which is the Church,
of which I am a minister
in accordance with God's stewardship given to me
to bring to completion for you the word of God,
the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past.
But now it has been manifested to his holy ones,
to whom God chose to make known the riches of the glory
of this mystery among the Gentiles;
it is Christ in you, the hope for glory.
It is he whom we proclaim,
admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom,
that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.
For this I labor and struggle,
in accord with the exercise of his power working within me.

For I want you to know how great a struggle I am having for you
and for those in Laodicea
and all who have not seen me face to face,
that their hearts may be encouraged
as they are brought together in love,
to have all the richness of assured understanding,
for the knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ,
in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Responsorial Psalm 62:6-7, 9
R. (8) In God is my safety and my glory.
Only in God be at rest, my soul,
for from him comes my hope.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my stronghold; I shall not be disturbed.
R. In God is my safety and my glory.
Trust in him at all times, O my people!
Pour out your hearts before him;
God is our refuge!
R. In God is my safety and my glory.

Alleluia JN 10:27
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: LK 6:6-11
On a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught,
and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.
The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely
to see if he would cure on the sabbath
so that they might discover a reason to accuse him.
But he realized their intentions
and said to the man with the withered hand,
"Come up and stand before us."
And he rose and stood there.
Then Jesus said to them,
"I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath
rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to destroy it?"
Looking around at them all, he then said to him,
"Stretch out your hand."
He did so and his hand was restored.
But they became enraged
and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.

Intercessions
– That on the Lord’s day people may be given the time to rest and recover from the pressure of their work and have the opportunity to worship God and help people, we pray:
– That the people, who go to Mass on Sundays, may also live according to the Gospel: on weekdays, we pray:
– That the Eucharistic celebration on Sundays may be to all Christians a source of great joy and an encouragement to serve people, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
we bring these gifts before you
to celebrate the mystery of the death and life
of your Son, Jesus Christ.
Give us the wisdom of the Spirit
to opt always with your Son,
not for death, but for life
and to let even death become
a promise and a seed of your life,
which you give us through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
we are afraid of becoming fixed and rigid
in our attitudes and practices,
even with the best of intentions.
By the word of your Son spoken here
and by the bread of life he has given us,
keep us always young and flexible of heart
and attentive to your presence and call
in the people around us.
Let us never stand in the way of any good
done in the name of Jesus, the Lord.

Blessing
It is lawful to do good on Sundays. It is even commendable for it makes the day of the Lord greater, more wonderful. May Almighty God bless you for the good you do: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.