FOURTEENTH Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

FOURTEENTH Sunday in Ordinary time (A)

1. Joy for the Humble of Heart
3. I Will Give You Rest

Greeting (See the Gospel)

It is Our Lord Jesus who invites:
“Come to me, all you who labor
and are overburdened
and I will give you rest.
Learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble of heart.”
May this gentle Lord always stay with you. R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

1. Joy For The Humble Of Heart

Those who are aware of their poverty, of the burdens they have to carry in life, and are at the same time humble enough to acknowledge their need before others are the ones who can find consolation from others too. Today we hear Jesus who makes himself humble for the humble. He helps us carry the crosses of life if we acknowledge that we cannot carry them alone. Let us join him at his table where he will give us the food of strength.

2. I Will Give You Rest

When we are discouraged and troubled, it is good to have a reliable friend to go to and to pour out your heart to. I hope you have such a friend and that you are not too proud to unburden yourself. What kind of friend will that be? Someone who can listen, someone gentle, who has time for you. Jesus offers himself to us today as such an understanding friend, gentle and humble, who can give us peace.

Penitential Act

Let us come before our Lord
with the burden of our sins.
                  (pause)
Lord Jesus, you lived in the Father’s glory
and you humbled yourself
by becoming human with us:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, Son of the Father in heaven,
you made yourself poor with us:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you are the Master,
and yet you made yourself our servant:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

In your mercy, Lord,
take away from us the burden of our sins
and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer

Let us praise God
and be open to his gifts
                  (pause)
Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
we bless you with Jesus your Son
for revealing to us how much you love us.
Make us humble and receptive,
that we may be open to the Good News,
for you show yourself to those
who are aware of their poverty.
Fill that poverty with your tenderness
and with the trust that you care for us.
Let your peace and rest dwell in us
even in the struggles of life,
as we try to be good disciples of Jesus.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

First Reading (Zech 9:9-10): The Savior Will Triumph by Humility

Our saving king will bring us peace not with weapons and power but by his humility.

Second Reading (Rom 8:9,11-13): Let Christ’s Spirit Live in You

According to St. Paul, the Spirit of Christ must live in our hearts. This Spirit will raise us up to eternal life.

Gospel (Mt 11:25-30): I Am Gentle and Humble of Heart

God gives himself not to the self-sufficient but to the humble, for they are open to God. Christ will free them from burdens invented by people and teach them to carry the easy burden of loving service.

At that time Jesus exclaimed:
"I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to little ones.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

Intercessions

Let us pray to Jesus our Lord, who teaches people the true wisdom of compassion and love. Let us say: R/ Lord, hear our prayer.

–   Lord Jesus, teach the wise and the learned to become little and humble, that you may reveal to them the Father’s love, we pray: R/ Lord, hear our prayer.

–   For those who have to carry heavy burdens, let them know the gentle yoke of the Gospel, that they may understand the love of the Father, we pray: R/ Lord, hear our prayer.

–   For those responsible for the welfare of nations, teach them to forsake wars and seek peace in justice, that they may come to know the love of the Father, we pray: R/ Lord, hear our prayer.

–   For those who choose to serve the poorest, let them not get discouraged, that they may experience the love of the Father, we pray: R/ Lord, hear our prayer.

–   For all of us in our Christian communities, let us find in the prayers and the bread we share the peace you have promised, we pray: R/ Lord, hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus, it is good to be with you here. Listen to us, for you know us and you want us to be happy. You are our Lord for ever. R/ Amen.

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
in these simple signs of bread and wine
your Son comes among us today
to be our companion on the road
and to help us carry our burdens.
May we learn from him
to go all the way with one another
on the humble road of serving love.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

Let us bless and thank God our Father, for he showed his mercy to us in letting his Son Jesus share in the humble condition of our human life.

Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer

With the humility of God’s children
we pray to our Father in heaven
the prayer given us by Jesus. R/ Our Father...

Deliver Us

Deliver us Lord, from every evil
and grant us peace in our day
not by the force of weapons
but by the humble service of person to person
and the gentleness of the nonviolent.
Keep us free from sin
as we prepare with hope and joy
the full coming among us
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...

Invitation to Communion

This is Jesus the Lord,
who speaks to us now:
come to me, all you that labor
and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Happy are we

to receive that peace and rest from him.

R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

Prayer after Communion

Lord of heaven and earth,
we praise you for showing yourself to us
in the gentle and humble heart of Jesus.
Uplifted by his word and his bread of life
may we admit how poor and little we are
and learn to give time and attention to the weary.
May we speak your encouraging word to them,
that all who seek you may find among us
your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Blessing

We are about to return to a world
often manipulated by the mighty and the violent.
Let us not be among the violent,
because we have a Lord
who is gentle and humble of heart
and who asks us to follow him.
May almighty God bless you all,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

Go in peace and follow the Lord
along the way with one another. R/ Thanks be to God.

Reflection:

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

9 July 2023

Matthew 11: 25-30

Taking the yoke of the Lord

The Gospel reading for this Sunday is divided into three parts: first, Jesus thanks the Father for revealing the Kingdom of heaven to the poor and to the simple. He then reveals the intimate relationship between Himself and the Father in the second part. Finally, He encourages us to find solace in Him by following Him.

“Come to me, all who labour and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” It is evident that Jesus is speaking to the people whom he meets every day on the streets of Galilee: many simple people, the poor, the sick, sinners, and those who are marginalized....

These people always followed him to hear his words — the words that gave hope! Life can be arduous, and the Lord knows that. There are many things that wear out the heart: disappointments and wounds from the past, burdens and wrongs in the present, uncertainties and concerns for the future.

In our time, this invitation from Jesus reaches many brothers and sisters oppressed by life’s uncertain conditions. Many people are exhausted from the unbearable weight of rejection and indifference.

So many people live on the fringes of society, suffering from extreme poverty, frustration, and dissatisfaction. Thousands of people are forced to emigrate from their homeland, risking their lives. More people, every day, carry the burden of an economy that exploits them and imposes an unbearable “yoke” that the privileged ones - those in the upper strata of society - do not want to bear.

To each of these children of the Father in heaven, Jesus repeats: “Come to me, all of you”. Jesus’ invitation is for everyone. But especially for those who suffer the most. Today he says to each one: “Take courage; do not give in to life’s burdens; do not close yourself off in the face of fears and sins. Come to me!”.

Pope Francis says in his reflection on the passage that “Jesus does not magically resolve our problems, but he strengthens us amid our struggles. Jesus does not lift the burdens from our life, but he resolves our anguish from our hearts; he does not take away our cross but carries it with us. And with him, every burden becomes light (cf. v. 30), because he is the comfort we seek.”

Taking the yoke of the Lord - Youtube