ENTRANCE ANTIPHON In my justice I shall see your face, O Lord; when your glory appears, my joy will be full. (Ps 16:15) PENITENTIAL RITE Through his word, God continually calls us to a better and more fruitful life. Jesus used parables as an effective way of teaching. Those, who were open to him, received more. Those, who had closed their minds against him, received less. If our lives are barren, it can only mean that we have not allowed God’s word to take root in our hearts. The seed of God’s word is all-powerful, but it is within our capability to obstruct the divine Sower’s purpose and prevent or curtail its growth. Jesus identifies the human weaknesses that can crush the seed of God’s word: pride, arrogance, self-righteousness, superficiality, faint-heartedness, worldly possessions, and anxiety. What kind of soil do we offer to God’s word? Do we make a sincere effort to remove the obstructions? (Pause) I confess… Glory to God… OPENING PRAYER God our Father, your light of truth guides us to the way of Christ. May all who follow him reject what is contrary to the Gospel. We ask this… FIRST READING (God cares for the earth by sending rain to make it fruitful. He cares for us by sending His saving word, which is intended to bear fruit in our lives.) A reading from the Book of Isaiah (55:10-11) Thus says the Lord: “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and return not thither but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” This is the Word of the Lord PSALM   (64) Response: Some seed fell into good soil and yielded fruit. You care for the earth, give it water, you fill it with riches. Your river in heaven brims over to provide its grain. And thus you provide for the earth; you drench its furrows, you level it, soften it with showers, you bless its growth. You crown the year with your goodness. Abundance flows in your steps, in the pastures of the wilderness it flows. The hills are girded with joy, the meadows covered with flocks, the valleys are decked with wheat. They shout for joy, yes, they sing. SECOND READING (St Paul tells us that the sufferings of our lives are nothing compared to the glory that will be revealed to us.) A reading from the Letter of St Paul to the Romans   (8:18-23) I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION Alleluia, alleluia! My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them and they follow me. Alleluia! (Jn 10:27) GOSPEL (Jesus compares the word of God to the seed, and the different kinds of soil on which the seed falls, are the hearts of different people.) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Matthew    (13:1-23) Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat there; and the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away. Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundred fold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to him who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says: ‘You shall indeed hear but never understand, and you shall indeed see but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn for me to heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. “Hear then the parable of the sower. When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundred fold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” This is the Gospel of the Lord I believe in God... PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL Cel: Dear brothers and sisters, Jesus compares the word of God to a seed, a seed which can make our lives fruitful. Let us humbly acknowledge our weaknesses and ask the Lord for the grace to respond to his word and allow the word to take root in our hearts and bear fruit in our lives: Response: Lord, make us fruitful in your service. 1. For the Church and the Pastors: that all the Church leaders may be empowered with the Holy Spirit to proclaim God’s word courageously and continually even in the midst of opposition. Nourish their lives with your word and produce a lasting harvest. 2. For Christians: that they may hear the word, understand it, and then act on it. May the word of God comfort, guide, inspire and challenge them. 3. For all missionaries and evangelizers: that the obstacles, they face, may not frustrate their efforts to preach the word of God. 4. For youth: that they may take care of the life of the Spirit within them, and not allow it to be choked by materialism and worldly concerns. Grant them a receptive heart to listen to your word. 5. For our political and government leaders: that they may seek the help and guidance of God in all their deliberations. Free their hearts from selfishness, pride and worldly ambitions. (Pray for local and personal needs) Cel: Loving Father, soften our hearts with your grace and open them with your gentle love, so that the precious seed of your word may take root in us, and bear abundant fruit in our lives. We ask this... PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS Lord, accept the gifts of your Church. May this Eucharist help us grow in holiness and faith. We ask this… PREFACE   (P 29) Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord. Through his cross and resurrection he freed us from sin and death and called us to the glory that has made us a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart. Everywhere we proclaim your mighty works, for you have called us out of darkness into your own wonderful light. And so, with all the choirs of angels in heaven we proclaim your glory and join in their unending hymn of praise. All: Holy, holy, holy… COMMUNION ANTIPHON Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood will live in me and I in him, says the Lord. (Jn 6:57) PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Lord, by our sharing in the mystery of this Eucharist, let your saving love grow within us. Grant this…     LITURGY AND LIFE The theme of today’s Readings is the power and force of the Word of God. In the beginning God created the universe and everything in it by His Word. St John recounts the same theme in his Gospel: “In the beginning was the Word: the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things came into being, not one thing came into being except through him” (Jn 1:1-3). This Word, that goes forth from God’s mouth, according to Prophet Isaiah, does not return without accomplishing its purpose, for which it is sent (Is 55:10-11). God’s Word accomplishes good-ness and beauty, joy and peace, order and harmony. According to today’s Second Reading, his Word also accomplishes retri-bution against the power of ungodliness and injustice of human beings who in their injustice hold back the truth (Rom 8:18). In the Gospel, Jesus uses the most common images from the everyday lives of the people of his time: farmers, seeds, sowing, hard paths, rocky soil, thorny soil, good soil. In this commonness, Jesus saw illustrations about God sowing the Word of his Kingdom. The farmer, depicted by Jesus here, is a generous person. He does not care so much about the quality of the soil as he goes about sowing seeds. He knows well what will happen to the seeds that fall on the path, on rocky ground and among thorny bushes as well as on good soil. This farmer practises farming, against the established norms, that you sow seeds only in good soil. This farmer is the image of the Father, who is generous towards his children, who gives his blessings, irrespective of the quality and characteristics of the recipient. He takes a chance even when the possibility of a positive response and fruitfulness is next to impossible. Here we see a father who is prodigal in his distribution of blessings. Jesus recognizes the possibility of human freedom, through which we can either accept or reject the Word of the Kingdom. God’s Word is powerful and active, and yet we can allow this Word to be snatched by the evil one, the power of darkness, the enemy one of humans. We are able to misuse our freedom to allow the worries, attractions and allurements of this world to negate the growth of the Kingdom in us and thus give into an ungodly, unfruitful life. There is also the possibility to deny the Word of the Kingdom, when we are faced with persecution, as the Word of God has never sunk deep into our being to empower and encourage us. When our lives are not built on the foundation of the Word of the Kingdom, we choose the kingdom of the evil one in the face of difficulties and persecutions. A good farmer knows how hard farming is and how important it is to keep the soil clean and soft and watered, and at the same time protect the seeds and plants from the attack of destructive pestilence. The Word of God, powerful and active as it is, can find its rootedness, growth and fruitfulness only in hearts that are pure, humble, free of all attractions and attachments of this world and with the depth of faith, hope and love. This involves strong determination, sacrifice, and generosity. —Fr Joe Eruppakkatt, ssp       July 2011                     READINGS  OF  THE  WEEK                        Psalter Week 3 11 Mon (W) St Benedict, Ex 1:8-14.22/ Ps 124:1b-3.4-67-8/ Mt 10:34 – 11:1 12 Tue (G) Ex 2:1-15a/ Ps 69:3.14.30-31.33-34/ Mt 11:20-24 13 Wed (W) St Henry, Ex 3:1-6. 9-12/ Ps 103: 1b-2.3-4.6-7/ Mt 11:25-27 14 Thu (W) St Camillus de Lellis, Ex 313-20/ Ps 105:1 & 5.8-9.24-25.26-27/ Mt 11:28-30 15 Fri (W) St Bonaventure, Ex 11:10 –12:14/ Ps 116:12-13.15 and 16bc.17-18/ Mt 12:1-8 16 Sat (W) Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Ex 12:37-42/ Ps 136:1 and 23-24.10-12.13-15/ Mt 12:14-21 or Zech 2:14-17/ Ps Lk 1:46-47.48-49.50-51.52-53.54-55/ Mt 12:46-50