Behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------    ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Within your temple, we ponder your loving kindness, O God. As your name, so also your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with justice. PENITENTIAL RITE God’s ways of dealing with us humans are amazing when we think over them. In today’s Gospel we hear that Jesus calls on men to help him bring their fellowmen to heaven. Jesus chose the weak human creatures to work for him. As we have failed in our Christian vocation and mission by not totally committing ourselves to Christ and his teachings, let us humbly ask his mercy and pardon. (Pause) I confess... Glory to God... OPENING PRAYER Father, through the obedience of Jesus, your servant and your Son, you raised a fallen world. Free us from sin and bring us the joy that lasts for ever. We ask this… FIRST READING (Prophet Isaiah encourages the returned exiles to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and he paints a glowing picture of the blessings God will bestow on Jerusalem and its inhabitants.) A reading from the Book of Isaiah     (66:10-14c) “Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her; that you may suck and be satisfied with her consoling breasts; that you may drink deeply with delight from the abundance of her glory.” For thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will extend prosperity to her like a river, and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall suck, you shall be carried upon her hip, and dandled upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice; your bones shall flourish like the grass; and it shall be known that the hand of the Lord is with his servants.” This is the Word of the Lord PSALM       (65)  Response: Cry out with joy to God all the earth. Cry out with joy to God all the earth, O sing to the glory of his name. O render him glorious praise. Say to God: “How tremendous your deeds!” R./ “Before you all the earth shall bow; shall sing to you, sing to your name!” Come and see the works of God, tremendous his deeds among men. R./ He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the river dry-shod. Let our joy then be in him; he rules for ever by his might. R./ Come and hear, all who fear God. I will tell what he did for my soul: Blessed be God who did not reject my prayer nor withhold his love from me. R./ SECOND READING (In these verses St Paul is thinking aloud of the blessings his conversion to Christianity meant for him. Nothing else matters to him now but to keep Christ crucified ever before his mind.) A reading from the Letter of St Paul to the Galatians   (6:14-18) Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule, upon the Israel of God. Henceforth let no man trouble me; for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen. This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION      (Mt 11:25) Alleluia, alleluia! I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have revealed these things to children. Alleluia! GOSPEL (Jesus gives his missionary instruction and sends out seventy disciples in pairs to preach and to prepare the way for his coming to the various towns and villages.) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Luke   (10:1-12, 17-20) The Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and salute no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace shall rest upon him; but if not, it shall return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you; heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you; go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off against you; nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it shall be more tolerable on that day for Sodom than for that town.” The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” This is the Gospel of the Lord   I believe in God,/the Father Almighty,/ Creator of heaven and earth./ I believe in Jesus Christ,/his only Son, our Lord./ He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit/ and born of the Virgin Mary./He suffered under Pontius Pilate,/was crucified, died, and was buried./He descended to the dead./On the third day he rose again./He ascended into Heaven,/and is seated at the right hand of the Father./He will come again to judge the living and the dead./I believe in the Holy Spirit,/the Holy Catholic Church,/the communion of saints,/the forgiveness of sins,/the resurrection of the body,/and the life everlasting./ Amen.     PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL Cel: Dear brothers and sisters, let us thank God our heavenly Father for the gift of life and faith. As all Christians are called to be witnesses to Christ in our times, let us pray with confidence to the Father for grace to live our commitment, saying: Response: Lord God, graciously hear our prayer. 1. We pray for the Church: that our Pope and all the pastors may continue the mission of Christ and preach the Gospel to the whole world. R./ 2. We pray for all Christians: that they may witness to Christ before others by word and deed. R./ 3. We pray for the leaders of all nations: that they may sincerely and earnestly strive to be instruments of peace and reconciliation. R./ 4. We pray for all missionaries: that all those who are actively engaged in the various ministries of the Church may be strengthened by the Word and the Eucharist. R./ 5. We pray for all gathered here: that each of us may realize that we are precious to God and we are missionaries of Christ. R./ (Pray for local and personal needs) Cel: Almighty God, grant us the grace to keep our eyes always fixed on Christ and follow him with unwavering commitment. Help us with your Spirit in our weaknesses and in moments of trials. We ask this… PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS Lord, let this offering to the glory of your name purify us and bring us closer to eternal life. We ask this... PREFACE       (32) Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord. By his birth we are reborn. In his suffering we are freed from sin. By his rising from the dead we rise to everlasting life. In his return to you in glory we enter into your heavenly kingdom. And so, we join the angels and the saints as they sing their unending hymn of praise: All: Holy, holy, holy… COMMUNION ANTIPHON Taste and see the goodness of the Lord; blessed is he who hopes in God. PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Lord, may we never fail to praise you for the fullness of life and salvation you give us in this Eucharist. We ask this…     LITURGY  AND  LIFE   When Jesus sends out the seventy in pairs one might wonder how ready they are for the demanding task ahead of them. There is a picture of Jesus who must trust his followers if his outreach is going to be extended. He has to organize a movement because he doesn’t have all the time in the world. Jesus must depend on the various talents of his followers; he must depend on their understanding and their resolve to get it right. Perhaps if we were in charge of that first mission outing, we would still be waiting to graduate! There is a clear urgency about the task; Jesus says, “Start off now”. As Jesus gives his missionary instruction he seems under no illusion about the territory: compared to the wolves roaming around, his own crowd are like lambs. He charges them to lead the radical lifestyle of the wandering preacher who must face homelessness and renunciation of family and property. They are not to be encumbered by extras nor be delayed by roadside chats. When they enter a house they should bless it with peace, and if they are welcomed they should not try to adjust the menu or fix better accommodation: all that takes time! To tell a group of Jews travelling in foreign territory that “you must eat and drink what is set before you” is a radical demand indeed. In all this Jesus tells his disciples that they must depend on the ‘shalom’ they bring, the peace of the Kingdom. If they have no money they cannot stay at the local inn when people reject them; they must travel on until they are made welcome. They depend on the ‘shalom’ they bring, and they depend on the hospitality of the strangers who receive them. They have something to offer the people in their teaching and healing; in return for that work the people have something to offer the disciples in welcoming them. Hospitality, therefore, is not just a social virtue; it is a response to the word of God which seeks to enter. So inhospitality to the disciples is a rejection of the word of God. On their return the disciples are delighted that their mission has actually worked! Their joy demonstrates that people do welcome the word of God and that the word of God is their real resource for mission. Jesus counsels them to rejoice not because their mission has worked but because their names are written in heaven. If they rejoice only when their mission has worked, what happens to their joy when their mission fails? Jesus faces that question fully when he says at the Last Supper: ‘When I sent you out without purse or haversack or sandals, were you short of anything?’ (Lk 22:35). There will be a time of crisis when the disciples can no longer depend on the hospitality of those who yearn for peace. In that time the disciples will have to hold fast to the words of God like those we heard in the First Reading: “Like a son comforted by his mother will I comfort you” (Is 66:13). There will be times as we know when scorpions will bite us, and when the wolves will have their day. That is when we need to believe what Jesus tells us: that our names are written in heaven. There, nobody can wipe them out. Jesus tells all of us in today’s Gospel that he needs more helpers to help their fellowmen. This is not only a loving call to the priesthood and the religious life; it is a call to all Christians. If I am a true Christian, I am thereby a disciple also. I am called on today to do the work of a disciple. Up to now, how much have I done to help Christ bring others to heaven? It is time I began, if hitherto I have done nothing in this very important duty. –Fr Denis McBride, c.ss.r.   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- July  2010              READINGS  OF  THE  WEEK                Psalter Week  2 05 Mon (G)  Hos 2:16,17b-18,21-22; Ps 144:2-3,4-5,6-7,8-9; Mt 9:18-26 06 Tue (R)  St Maria Goretti, vg, m                     Hos 8:4-7,11-13; Ps 113B:3-4,5-6,7ab&8,9-10; Mt 9:32-38 07 Wed (G) Hos 10:1-3,7-8,12; Ps 104:2-3,4-5,6-7; Mt 10:1-7 08 Thu (G)  Hos 11:1-4,8c-9; Ps 79:2a&c&3bc,15-16; Mt 10:7-15 09 Fri (G)  Hos 14:2-10; Ps 50:3-4,8-9,12-13,14&17; Mt 10:16-23 10 Sat (G)  Is 6:1-8; Ps 92:1abc,1d-2,5; Mt 10:24-33 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------