Vol. 37   No. 44       19th  SUNDAY OF THE YEAR        Cycle  C                                         August 8, 2010   -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                       Discipleship is faithfulness and wise stewardship ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Lord, be true to your covenant, forget not the life of your poor ones for ever. Rise up, O God, and defend your cause; do not ignore the shouts of your enemies. PENITENTIAL RITE Today’s liturgy is centred on the theme of faithfulness. The Bible has many statements and persons who witness to the value of this virtue. “We are not called to be successful, but only to be faithful,” said Blessed Teresa of Kolkata. Many a time we are unfaithful to the task entrusted to our care. The Israelites, the disciples of Jesus, the Christians in the Early Church all went through a struggle to be faithful to God. But we have a God who is always faithful to us. The Eucharist is a living witness of His faithfulness and care for humanity. With a repentant heart let us beg of Him to forgive us our sin of infidelity and our lack of trust. (Pause) I confess… Glory to God… OPENING PRAYER Almighty and ever-living God, your Spirit made us your children, confident to call you Father. Increase your Spirit within us and bring us to our promised inheritance. Grant this… FIRST READING (The author of the book of Wisdom narrates the faithfulness of Yahweh. Just as God came to the rescue of the Jews in Egypt so he will save those who put their trust in Him.) A reading from the Book of Wisdom     (18:6-9) That night was made known beforehand to our fathers, so that they might rejoice in sure knowledge of the oaths in which they trusted. The deliverance of the righteous and the destruction of their enemies were expected by thy people. For by the same means by which thou didst punish our enemies thou didst call us to thyself and glorify us. For in secret the holy children of good men offered sacrifices, and with one accord agreed to the divine law, that the saints would share alike the same things, both blessings and dangers; and already they were singing the praises of the fathers. This is the Word of the Lord PSALM    (32) Response: Happy are the people the Lord has chosen as his own. Ring out your joy to the Lord, O you just; for praise is fitting for loyal hearts. They are happy, whose God is the Lord, the people he has chosen as his own. R./ The Lord looks on those who revere him, on those who hope in his love, to rescue their souls from death, to keep them alive in famine. R./ Our soul is waiting for the Lord. The Lord is our help and our shield. May your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you. R./ SECOND READING (The author of the Letter to the Hebrews gives us a list of all the great leaders of the Jewish people and their descendants who were faithful to their calling and put their faith in God’s promises.) A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews     (11:1-2,8-12) Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old received divine approval. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was to go. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION    (Eph 1:17,18) Alleluia, alleluia! May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our heart, so that we may know the hope to which he has called us. Alleluia!   GOSPEL (Jesus alerts us about the need to be watchful and wait faithfully for the coming of the Lord, because we know neither the day nor the hour of the coming of the Son of Man.) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Luke    (12:32-48) Jesus said to his disciples, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the marriage feast, so that they may open to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes; truly, I say to you, he will gird himself and have them sit at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those servants! But know this, that if the householder had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would have been awake and would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”   Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?” And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. Truly I tell you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will punish him, and put him with the unfaithful. And that servant who knew his master’s will, but did not make ready or act according to his will, shall receive a severe beating. But he who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, shall receive a light beating. Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of him to whom men commit much they will demand the more.” This is the Gospel of the Lord I believe in God... PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL Cel: Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, God the Father is always faithful in keeping his promises. With this confidence and trust in God our loving Father, let us place our prayers in His hands: Response : Lord, help us to be faithful to you. 1. That our Holy Father, bishops, priests and religious may live as faithful servants of the Lord, and help their flock to grow in faithfulness and love, let us pray to the Lord. R./ 2. That those who are faithfully striving to do the will of God may persevere with zeal to be shining lamps of fidelity and dedication, let us pray to the Lord. R./ 3. That those who are struggling with emotional, social and psychological problems in their relationships may be guided and strengthened by the Holy Spirit, let us pray to the Lord. R./ 4. That those who are suffering due to the infidelity of others may receive power from the Lord to be persistent in their faithfulness to the Lord, and receive healing and the grace to forgive others, let us pray to the Lord. R./ 5. That the leaders of Nations, as stewards of the earth, may use wisely the earth’s resources and take good care of its fragile environment, let us pray to the Lord. R./ (Pray for local and personal needs) Cel: Loving Father, you are the source of our inspiration to live a life of faithfulness. Grant us a love for what you command and a longing for what you promise, so that our hearts may be set on the world of lasting joy. We ask this... PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS God of power, giver of the gifts we bring, accept the offering of your Church and make it the sacrament of our salvation. We ask this... PREFACE      (33) Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks. All things are of your making, all times and seasons obey your laws, but you chose to create man in your image, setting him over the whole world in all its wonder. You made man the steward of creation, to praise you day by day for the marvels of your wisdom and power, through Jesus Christ our Lord. We praise you, Lord, with all the angels in their song of joy: All: Holy, holy, holy... COMMUNION ANTIPHON Praise the Lord, Jerusalem; he feeds you with the finest wheat. PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Lord, may the Eucharist you give us, bring us to salvation and keep us faithful to the light of your truth. We ask this...     LITURGY  AND  LIFE   Faithfulness is an important theme in the Bible. The Old Testament gives us three aspects of this theme. First, God is faithful, secondly, man is unfaithful, and finally, the prophets invite the people of Israel to be faithful. These aspects are emphatically brought out also by the New Testament. Jesus reminds people of the faithfulness of God: “He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” The parable of the waiting servants demands a constant watchfulness and faithfulness. Today’s Gospel presents to us four types of persons as far as the theme of faithfulness is concerned. Here faithfulness means obedience in its deeper sense. The first person is an example of such obedience and the remaining three are examples of three types of disobedience. a) An Obedient Person: Jesus describes such a person as the one who is dressed for action and has his lamp lit, waiting for the master. He is alert. Such a person is always watchful, for he knows that the thief can come at any time and break into the house. The faithful person is like a prudent manager who is always at work. Jesus promises such a person a reward of being served by the master himself. Such a person is put in-charge of all the possession of the master. Jesus calls such a person ‘blessed.’ b) Blatantly Disobedient: The second type of person is an example of unfaithfulness which springs from disobedience that is blatant. Such a person does not wait for his/her master like the obedient person. He rather takes it for granted that the master is going to be delayed. He misuses the power given to him. He beats his subordinates. He eats, drinks and gets drunk. Such a disobedient person is caught unaware and is completely cut-off from the master’s business. Jesus calls him ‘unfaithful.’ c) Consciously Disobedient: The third type of person is consciously disobedient. He knows what his master wants but deliberately neglects his responsibility. He does not prepare himself to receive his master. Jesus foretells a severe punishment for such a person. d) Innocently Disobedient: The fourth and last type of person is innocently disobedient. He does not know what the master really wants from him, hence he does not really deserve severe punishment. Yet he will receive a light beating for being careless in finding out the will of the master.   Jesus ends his teaching with a very touching saying: “From everyone to whom much has been given much will be expected.” This means faithfulness is a divine gift as well as a human response. Meanwhile, like the servant Jesus talks about, we must strive to be faithful to God and to one another. The real test of fidelity is to be faithful in spite of setbacks and failures, even when it just means being faithful in small things, believing that our life does matter, and that we can make a difference. We should draw courage and hope from the words of Mother Teresa: “We are not called to be successful, but only to be faithful.” Let us pray to the Lord to help us to respond to His call to love and serve with a constant watchfulness and faithfulness.   –Fr Robert B. D’Souza     --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- August  2010           READINGS  OF  THE  WEEK          Psalter Week  3 9 Mon (G)       Ezek 1:2-5,24-28c; Ps 148:1-2,11-12,13,14; Mt 17:22-27 10 Tue (R)     St  LAWRENCE, dc m – Feast                           2 Cor 9:6-10; Ps 111:1-2,5-6,7-8,9; Jn 12:24-26 11 Wed (W)   St  Clare, vg, mem Ezek 9:1-7,10,18-22; Ps 112:1-2,3-4,5-6; Mt 18:15-20 12 Thu (G)    Ezek 12:1-12; Ps 77:56-57,58-59,61-62; Mt 18:21-19:1 13 Fri (G)     Ezek 16:1-15,60,63; Ps Is 12:2,3&4bcd,5-6; Mt 19:3-12 14 Sat (R)    St  Maximilian Kolbe, mem                          Ezek 18:1-10,13b,30-32; Ps 50:12-13,14-15,18-19; Mt 19:13-15 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------