Sunday July 21, 2019
SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (C)
1. Jesus, Our Host and Guest
2. Feel at Home
Greeting (See Second Reading)
To us is proclaimed in this assembly
the mystery of God.
That mystery is Christ among us.
He speaks his word of wisdom to us.
May we listen to his words
and may Christ our Lord be with you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction
1. Jesus Our Host and Guest
How hospitable to people are we in reality? How many people are there about whom we say: I will never allow this person to set foot in my home? And when people are my guests, do I just fuss about them, stuffing them with all sorts of good things but having no time to listen to them? Let’s look at our host Jesus in this eucharist and listen to what he says about hospitality.
2. Feel at Home
A hearty welcome to all of you on this Sunday of hospitality. It is surprising how poor people can often be hospitable to others. They offer their guests food and drink that they cannot afford for themselves. How hospitable are we to the guest, to the stranger? Let us open our doors and our hearts. It is perhaps Jesus himself who comes to your house. Be attentive to him. And remember how hospitable he is to us here in the eucharist.
Penitential Act
Jesus, Our Host and Guest
We have failed to recognize the Lord
when he came to us in people as our guest:
Let us ask him to forgive us.
(PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, do not allow us
to forget you in all the bustle:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, make us see it is you
whom we welcome when we receive guests:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, make us listen to you
when you speak to us through people:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Touch us with your healing hand, Lord,
and forgive us all our sins.
Be our guest and companion
and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray that we may be hospitable
to God and to people
(PAUSE)
Our loving God and Father,
you have invited us to stay with you,
to listen to the message of Jesus your Son
and to accept from him your peace and love.
May we welcome him wholeheartedly
and learn from him to welcome him too
in people who appeal to us
for forgiveness and a bit of warmth,
for patience and hope and joy.
Let them not pass your servants by.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
First Reading: Lord, Do Not Pass Your Servant By
Abraham welcomes a stranger with the greatest hospitality, not knowing at first that he is receiving God. God gives Abraham more than Abraham could give God: the son of the promise.
Reading 1: Gen 18:1-10a
The LORD appeared to Abraham by the terebinth of Mamre,
as he sat in the entrance of his tent,
while the day was growing hot.
Looking up, Abraham saw three men standing nearby.
When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them;
and bowing to the ground, he said:
"Sir, if I may ask you this favor,
please do not go on past your servant.
Let some water be brought, that you may bathe your feet,
and then rest yourselves under the tree.
Now that you have come this close to your servant,
let me bring you a little food, that you may refresh yourselves;
and afterward you may go on your way."
The men replied, "Very well, do as you have said."
Abraham hastened into the tent and told Sarah,
"Quick, three measures of fine flour! Knead it and make rolls."
He ran to the herd, picked out a tender, choice steer,
and gave it to a servant, who quickly prepared it.
Then Abraham got some curds and milk,
as well as the steer that had been prepared,
and set these before the three men;
and he waited on them under the tree while they ate.
They asked Abraham, "Where is your wife Sarah?"
He replied, "There in the tent."
One of them said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year,
and Sarah will then have a son."
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 15:2-3, 3-4, 5
R. (1a) He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
One who walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.
R. He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Who harms not his fellow man,
nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
by whom the reprobate is despised,
while he honors those who fear the LORD.
R. He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
One who does these things
shall never be disturbed.
R. He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Second Reading: Become Perfect in Christ
Paul is glad to suffer for Christ, to make him known to all. He wants the Lord to dwell in all, that all may become perfect in Christ.
Reading 2: Col 1:24-28
Brothers and sisters:
Now 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.
Alleluia: Cf. Lk 8:15
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart
and yield a harvest through perseverance.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Mary Has Chosen the Better Part
Martha and Mary welcome Jesus in their home as a guest. While Martha is concerned about giving her guest all he needs, Mary is attentive to him as a person; she gives him her attention and receives his word.
Gospel: Lk 10:38-42
Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
"Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me."
The Lord said to her in reply,
"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her."
Intercessions
Let us pray to our patient, merciful God that compassion may never disappear from our world, and let us say: R/ Have mercy on your people, Lord.
– Lord, we pray you for a compassionate Church that is lenient and patient with those who err, a Church which gives them the time and the help to repent, and so we ask you: R/ Have mercy on your people, Lord.
– Lord, we pray you to give to your Church compassionate shepherds who show something of your patience and mercy in the sacrament of reconciliation, and so we ask you: R/ Have mercy on your people, Lord.
– Lord, we pray you for a compassionate society that cares for the needy, tries to do away with unjust structures and makes its laws and courts bring justice to all without any discrimination, and so we ask you: R/ Have mercy on your people, Lord.
– Lord, we pray to make us compassionate people, who bring your mercy and love to the sick and the aged, to widows and orphans, to the discouraged and the dying, we pray you: R/ Have mercy on your people, Lord.
– Lord, make us compassionate communities, who, like you, see and feel the needs of people without being asked; who try gently and unobtrusively to lighten the burdens of those who suffer, and so we ask you: R/ Have mercy on your people, Lord.
– Lord, be compassionate and patient with us when we have sinned and restore us, we ask you: R/ Have mercy on your people, Lord.
You are a God attentive to the needs and the happiness of people. Let your Spirit give us hearts full of compassion, like the shepherd’s heart of Jesus, your Son, who lives with you for ever. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God, compassionate Father,
in these signs of bread and wine
we welcome your Son Jesus Christ
as our Good Shepherd who died for us
to give direction to our lives.
Reassure us that he is familiar
with our weariness and miseries,
that he listens when we turn to him,
that he is present when we need him.
For he is our Lord and Shepherd
now and for ever. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
Through and with Jesus, our Good Shepherd, let us thank our Father in heaven for caring for us and guiding us through his Son.
Invitation to the Lord’s Prayer
God is a Father who cares.
Full of trust, we pray to him
with Jesus, our Good Shepherd: R/ Our Father...
Deliver Us
Deliver us, Lord, from every evil
and grant us peace in our day.
Keep us from drifting about without aim.
Gather us together and make us
shepherds to one another,
as we wait in joyful hope
for the coming in glory
of our Shepherd and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...
Greeting of Peace
Jesus is our peace with the Father
and with one another.
May his peace be always with you.
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus, our Good Shepherd,
who knows us by name
and who gave his life for us.
He gathers us together
and gives us his body to eat
to keep us united as his one people.
Happy are we to be invited
to the table of the Lord. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...
Prayer of Trust (F. Cromphout)
By way of thanksgiving, the following prayer of trust could be prayed by all if it is in the people’s leaflet; otherwise it is read slowly by the leader. After it, the celebrant concludes with the Prayer after Communion.
God, you are always greater
than we dare to expect.
You do new and unheard things.
When the world crumbles around us,
you make a new creation.
Make us attentive
to your action in these times,
that we may not stand still
to stare at the things of the past,
and not seek you where you are not to be found.
Go ahead of us,
you who are our future.
Help us to seek new ways
to you and to one another
and to hold on to each other
in all our uncertainties.
Give us the firm assurance
that your power is still active today
and that you keep renewing the world
through Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Prayer after Communion
Our God and Father,
we thank you with all our hearts
for giving us a sure guide,
someone who knows where he leads us,
your Son Jesus Christ.
Keep giving to your Church today
pastors in the image of your Son.
Let them be full of compassion and vision,
sensitive to people and their needs,
open to the demands and potentials
of the gospel and of our times.
Let them be true shepherds
by the power of Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
A world without pity or compassion
is a world with little room for God.
May our communities reflect
the compassion of Jesus our Lord;
make us attentive to each other’s needs,
both material and spiritual,
for God has entrusted us to one another.
May the kind and merciful God bless you all:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go, follow the Lord,
and be responsible for one another. R/ Thanks be to God.
Commentary
Martha and Mary: work and contemplation. If you had only a slight acquaintance with Meister Eckhart you might expect him to favor Mary over Martha. (We met Eckhart on March 8 and 25, April 27, May 2,5,9,14,22,25, June 19 and July 5,10.) But surprisingly he regards Martha as having it more together than Mary.
“Mary was filled with longing: longing she knew not why and wanting she knew not what. We suspect that she, dear Mary, sat there [at the Lord’s feet] a little more for her own happiness than for spiritual profit. That is why Martha said, “Bid her rise, Lord,” fearing that by dallying in this joy she might progress no further….
Martha stood maturely and well grounded in virtue…. Now Martha says, “Lord, tell her to help me.” This was said not in anger, but it was rather affection that constrained her. We can call it affection or teasing. How so? Observe. She saw how Mary was possessed with a longing for her soul’s satisfaction…. [But] temporal work is as noble as any communing with God, for it joins us to Him as closely as the highest that can happen to us except the vision of God in His naked nature….”
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)
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