Vol. 37   No. 42          17th  SUNDAY OF THE YEAR              Cycle C                                               July 25, 2010 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                                                                                                                       Lord, teach us to pray ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   ENTRANCE ANTIPHON God is in his holy dwelling; he will give a home to the lonely, he gives power and strength to his people. PENITENTIAL RITE Prayer is the theme of today’s liturgy. In the First Reading we see Abraham interceding with God. The story high-lights the importance of intercessory prayer, and reveals a lot about the mercy of God. In the Gospel we see Jesus at prayer and teaching the Apostles the prayer: ‘Our Father’. To celebrate this Eucharist worthily let us humbly acknowledge our failure to live ‘the Lord’s Prayer’, to forgive others, and ask pardon from God for all our sins. (Pause) I confess... Glory to God...   OPENING PRAYER God our Father and protector, without you nothing is holy, nothing has value. Guide us to everlasting life by helping us to use wisely the blessings you have given to the world. We ask this... FIRST READING (Abraham enters into a personal conversation with God, during which he intercedes with Him to spare the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.) A reading from the Book of Genesis     (18:20-32) The Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry which has come to me; and if not, I will know.” So the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom; but Abraham still stood before the Lord. Then Abraham drew near, and said, “Wilt thou indeed destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; wilt thou then destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from thee to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from thee! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” Abraham answered, “Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Wilt thou destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” Again he spoke to him, and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” He said, “Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.”    This is the Word of the Lord PSALM      (137) Response: On the day I called, you answered me, O Lord. I thank you, Lord, with all my heart, you have heard the words of my mouth. Before the angels I will bless you. I will adore before your holy temple. R./ I thank you for your faithfulness and love which excel all we ever knew of you. On the day I called, you answered; you increased the strength of my soul. R./ The Lord is high yet he looks on the lowly and the haughty he knows from afar. Though I walk in the midst of affliction you give me life and frustrate my foes. R./ You stretch out your hand and save me, your hand will do all things for me. Your love, O Lord, is eternal, discard not the work of your hands. R./ SECOND READING (St Paul tells his converts that the actions they went through in their baptism were not empty symbols, but actual fact. In baptism Christians are not only buried with Christ but also raised to life with him.)  A reading from the Letter of St Paul to the Colossians     (2:12-14) You were buried with Christ in baptism, in which you were also raised with him, through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, having cancelled the bond which stood against us with its legal demands; this he set aside, nailing it to the cross.  This is the Word of the Lord   ACCLAMATION      (Jn 14:6) Alleluia, alleluia! I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me. Alleluia! GOSPEL (Jesus teaches the disciples to pray ‘the Our Father’ and to pray with faith and persistence for all their needs to the heavenly Father.) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Luke     (11:1-13) Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation.’ And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything’? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” This is the Gospel of the Lord   I believe in God... PR OF THE FAITHFUL PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL Cel: Dear brothers and sisters, Jesus urges the disciples to go on asking for what they need with persistence and confidence. With child-like trust let us now pray to our heavenly Father for all our spiritual and temporal needs: Response: Lord, graciously hear our prayer. 1. For our Pope, bishops and clergy: that they may seek to know the will of God and that they may be helped to live the values of the Kingdom of God. R./ 2. For all Christians: that with your grace they may be victorious over temptations and evil habits. Be near to them and empower them with your Holy Spirit. R./ 3. For all the sick: that they may experience your presence in moments of pain, and may each new day increase their trust in you. R./ 4. For persecuted Christians: that they may have faith and courage to face their sufferings, and not fall away from you. R./ 5. For all present here: that we may be able to forgive those who have hurt us and sinned against us. Heal all our wounds and make us whole. R./ (Pray for local and personal needs) Cel: Heavenly Father, you are the Lord and the sole master of the future, keep us from despair and fear for what is to come. Teach us to seek your will and do it with courage. Grant us grace to break all our sinful habits. We ask this...   PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS Lord, receive these offerings chosen from your many gifts. May these mysteries make us holy and lead us to eternal joy. Grant this... PREFACE      (31) Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks. We see your infinite power in your loving plan of salvation. You came to our rescue by your power as God, but you wanted us to be saved by one like us. Man refused your friendship, but man himself was to restore it through Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him the angels of heaven offer their prayer of adoration as they rejoice in your presence for ever. May our voices be one with theirs in their triumphant hymn of praise: All: Holy, holy, holy... COMMUNION ANTIPHON O, bless the Lord, my soul, and remember all his kindness. PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Lord, we receive the sacrament which celebrates the memory of the death and resurrection of Christ your Son. May this gift bring us closer to our eternal salvation. We ask this…       LITURGY  AND  LIFE   Perseverance in prayer and the simplicity of deep faith characterize today’s First Reading and the Gospel. Today’s First Reading depicts Abraham interceding with God, trying to bargain with Him. The incident tells us a lot about Abraham, a lot about God. The Gospel is about the ‘Our Father’. I wonder if the ‘Our Father’ is not the most used, the most recited, but the most poorly prayed prayer that we know. Our problem may be that we say or recite it with little realization of its deep meaning. The image I have of a person profoundly affects my relationship with him/her. This holds true also of my image of God. If, for instance, I imagine God to be ‘vindictive’, or ‘jealous’, I will develop a very poor relationship with him. At times our images of God are distorted. And so God comes across as a demanding, distant, unreliable or punishing God. An important means to heal our distorted images of God is to allow images of God from Scripture to correct our understanding of God. Fortunately, the Bible is rich in helpful and powerful imagery about God. The Bible speaks of God as a ‘good shepherd’, a ‘helper in times of trouble’, a ‘fortress’, and so on. In fact, in the Gospel of today Jesus presents a profoundly new image of God. He speaks of God as ‘Abba’ (Aramaic). In English the equivalent would be ‘loving Father’. ‘Abba’ thus provides a profound insight into the nature of God. “Abba” connotes the intimacy, the love, the dependency, the tenderness and profound familiarity of a child with his or her daddy. “Abba” indicates the close intimacy Jesus experienced with his heavenly Father. And what is amazing is that when he speaks about “my Father and your Father”, he is expressing a desire to share his own attitude with us. Each of the petitions of the ‘Our Father’ imposes obligations on the ones who pray them. For example, if we rejoice in calling God “Father”, let us give God the right to rejoice in us. When we pray, “Thy kingdom come,” we pray that God’s Lordship will be acknowledged not only in China and in our Nation but in our own hearts. When we say, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,” we have to mean what we say. Put another way, if we refuse to forgive others we are asking God ‘not to forgive us’. Forgiveness is the prerogative of the Father, which he wants to share with us. Jesus tells us that God, our Father will never let us down. He can always be counted on. He is a Father who knows each of us by name, who cares for us, who is gracious and forgiving, who never gives up on us, and above all, a Father who is lavish in His love for us. Behind Jesus’ advice on prayer is his image of a God who really does want to help and to save. Because Jesus believes in God as a loving Father, he believes we should relate to him and talk to Him as a loving Father. Today let us make a firm resolution, beginning with this Mass, to recite always the Lord’s Prayer slowly, reflectively, with meaning, love and trust. —Fr Gilbert de Lima   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   July   2010                READINGS  OF  THE  WEEK            Psalter  Week    1 26 Mon (W)    Sts Joachim & Anne, Parents of the BVM, mem                         Jer 13:1-11; Ps Dt 32:18-19,20,21; Mt 13:31-35 27 Tue (G)     Jer 14:17-22; Ps 78:8,9,11&13; Mt 13:36-43 28 Wed (W)   St Alphonsa vg, mem Ps 58:2-3,4-5a,10-11a,17,18; Mt 13:44-46 29 Thu (W)    St Martha, mem 1 Jn 4:7-16; Ps 33:2-3,4-5,6-7,8-9,10-11; Jn 11:19-27 30 Fri (G)      Jer 26:1-9; Ps 68:5,8-10,14; Mt 13:54-58 31 Sat (W)       St Ignatius Loyola, mem Jer 26:11-16,24; Ps 68:15,16; 30-31;33-34; Mt 14:1-12 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------