A woman whose name was Martha welcomed him -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------     ENTRANCE ANTIPHON God himself is my help. The Lord upholds my life. I will offer you a willing sacrifice; I will praise your name, O Lord, for its goodness. PENITENTIAL RITE Hospitality to strangers is a divine virtue. We believe that strangers are to be welcomed and treated as we would welcome and treat God himself. Today’s first and third readings teach that our generosity in welcoming people can bring us great rewards. Let us be sorry for the times we have been unwelcome to strangers and those in real need for our help, and thus rejecting Christ himself. (Pause) I confess... Glory to God... OPENING PRAYER Lord, be merciful to your people. Fill us with your gifts and make us always eager to serve you in faith, hope, and love. Grant this... FIRST READING (God visits Abraham at the Oaks of Mamre in the form of three men. Abraham welcomes the men and God blesses Abraham and Sarah by giving them a son.) A reading from the Book of Genesis     (18:1-10) The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men stood in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the earth, and said, “My lord, if I have found favour in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I fetch a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes.” And Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. Then he took curds, and milk, and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate. They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” The Lord said, “I will surely return to you in the spring, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” This is the Word of the Lord PSALM     (15) Response: Lord, who shall be admitted to your tent? Lord, who shall dwell on your holy mountain? He who walks without fault; he who acts with justice and speaks the truth from his heart; he who does not slander with his tongue. R./ He who does no wrong to his brother, who casts no slur on his neighbour, who holds the godless in disdain, but honours those who fear the Lord. R./   Who takes no interest on a loan and accepts no bribe against the innocent. Such a man will stand firm for ever. R./ SECOND READING (Paul is convinced that his sufferings are complementary to the sufferings of Christ on behalf of his body, the Church.) A reading from the Letter of St Paul to the Colossians     (1:24-28) I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the Church, of which I became a minister according to the divine office which was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now made manifest to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man mature in Christ. This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION    (1 Sam 3:9; Jn 6:68) Alleluia, alleluia! Speak, Lord, your servant hears; you have the words of eternal life. Alleluia! GOSPEL (Martha and Mary, in their own ways, welcome Jesus into their home and make him feel at home.) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Luke      (10:38-42) Jesus entered a village, and a woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving; and she went to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her.” 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, God in His goodness visits us and generously shares His goodness with us. Let us call upon Him with all our needs, saying: Response: Lord, hear us in your love.  1. We pray for all Church leaders: may they be examples of generosity and charity towards all. R./ 2. We pray for those consecrated to you through religious commitment: may they experience and live God’s love and compassion in their lives. R./ 3. We pray for all those who suffer from poverty; those who cannot afford food, shelter and clothing: may they experience God’s provident care in their lives. R./ 4. We pray for those afflicted by natural calamities, wars, violence and sickness: may they find in Jesus, the divine physician, the grace they need to experience total healing of body, mind and spirit. R./ 5. We pray for those living without hope; those who are abandoned by their dear ones; those who live in perpetual neglect and loneliness: may they find in the Christian community security and consolation for their lives. R./ (Pray for local and personal needs) Cel: Lord God and Master of our lives, we offer you these petitions with humble hearts and total trust. Grant all our needs and make us hospitable and caring as you are. We ask this ... PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS Lord, bring us closer to salvation through these gifts which we bring in your honour. Accept the perfect sacrifice you have given us, bless it as you blessed the gifts of Abel. We ask this… PREFACE     (30) Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord. Out of love for sinful man, he humbled himself to be born of the Virgin. By suffering on the cross he freed us from unending death, and by rising from the dead he gave us eternal life. And so, with all the choirs of angels in heaven we proclaim your glory and join in their unending hymn of praise: COMMUNION ANTIPHON I stand at the door and knock, says the Lord. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and sit down to supper with him, and he with me. PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Merciful Father, may these mysteries give us new purpose and bring us to a new life in you. We ask this...     LITURGY  AND  LIFE   The dreadful earthquake that hit Haiti on 12th January this year killed over 150,000 people and injured and maimed thousands. Although it happened far away from us, yet it affected us in some way as they brought out our courage, generosity and faith. People from all over the world showed extraordinary generosity in helping the affected people. Rescuers worked several days and nights, forgoing even food and rest. One of the most heartbreaking consequences of this tragedy was that thousands of children became orphans as their parents were killed in the disaster. The question was: who would care for these children? What would be their future without the love and care, warmth and protection of their parents? But the solution was not far to seek. There came forward generous persons, especially from the United States, who were willing to adopt these children in their homes, and make them their very own children! They not only opened the doors of their homes, but also their hearts and their lives to welcome these orphan children. As a result today they are orphans no more! What a lesson in generosity and hospitality that brings out the message of today’s first and third readings!   God visited Abraham in disguise as three men. Abraham recognized their needs, welcomed them and offered them everything he could to make them feel at home. God responded to the generosity of Abraham by announcing that Sarah would give birth to a son within a year. An inexplicable and humanly impossible reward indeed!   Martha and Mary welcomed Jesus and cared for his needs. While Martha cooked a delicious meal for the Lord, Mary sat at his feet listening to him. Both these are polite gestures that make a person comfortable and happy.   Those who opened up their hearts and their homes to the orphans of Haiti were welcoming none other than God Himself into their lives. According to Indian tradition guests are to be treated as equal to God (Atithi Devo Bhava). The lesson is clear: welcoming the stranger is welcoming God. God often comes to us in disguise, as a stranger, as a traveller, as an orphan child, as a beggar, as someone who needs something from us. This stress on hospitality is an important theme in the Bible and indeed in Christian life.  The question is oftentimes we miss out God’s visitation by rejecting people who come into our lives seeking help. Are we so concerned about our income, the value of our property, the status of our job and the success of our children, that we utterly disregard the cries of the people who need our helping hand to survive and grow? When we place our trust in divine providence and help others in their needs, God repays us over and over again. St Peter, the leader among the Apostles, admonishes the Christians: “Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining.” (1 Peter 4:8-9).  —Fr Joe Eruppakkatt, ssp   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- July  2010           READINGS  OF  THE   WEEK             Psalter Week  4 19 Mon (G)   Mic 6:1-4,6-8; Ps 49:5-6,8-9,16bc-17,21&23; Mt 12:38-42     20 Tue (G)    Mic 7:14-15,18-20; Ps 84:2-4,5-6,7-8; Mt 12:46-50 21 Wed (G)   Jer 1:1,4-10; Ps 70:1-2,3-4a,5-6ab,15ab&17; Mt 13:1-9 22 Thu (W)   St Mary Magdalene, mem Ct 3:1-4a or 2 Cor 5:14-17; Ps 62:2,3-4,5-6,8-9; Jn 20:1-                     2,11-18 23 Fri (G)   Jer 3:14-17; Ps Jer 31:10,11-12ab,13; Mt 13:18-23 24 Sat (G)  Jer 7:1-11; Ps 83:3,4,5-6a&8a,11; Mt 13:24-30 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------