Vol. 37 No. 12     January 24, 2010           (Cycle C)   3rd SUNDAY OF THE YEAR   The Spirit of the Lord is upon me   ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Sing a new song to the Lord! Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Truth and beauty surround him, he lives in holiness and glory. PENITENTIAL RITE God is always faithful to His promises. He fulfils the promise of a Messiah through His Son Jesus. Jesus fulfilled his Father’s will through his life and ministry. We are his disciples when we become instruments of God’s love and mercy, and bring others to peace and freedom. For a worthy celebration of the Eucharist, it’s fitting that we ask ourselves: how faithful am I to my life and vocation received from God? Do I fulfil the requirements of a disciple? I confess… Glory to God… OPENING PRAYER Let us pray: All-powerful and ever-living God, direct your love that is within us, that our efforts in the name of your Son may bring humankind to unity and peace. We ask this… FIRST READING (After the return of the Jews from the Babylonian exile and their re-settlement, the priest Ezra’s first act is to get the people to renew the Covenant with God.) A reading from the Book of Nehemiah (8:2-6,8-10) Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month. And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden pulpit which they had made for the purpose. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; for he was above all the people; and when he opened it all the people stood. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God; and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands; and they bowed their heads and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground. And they read from the book, from the law of God, clearly; and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” This is the Word of the Lord PSALM (18) Response: Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life. The law of the Lord is perfect, it revives the soul. The rule of the Lord is to be trusted, it gives wisdom to the simple. R./ The precepts of the Lord are right, they gladden the heart. The command of the Lord is clear, it gives light to the eyes. R./ The fear of the Lord is holy, abiding forever. The decrees of the Lord are truth and all of them just. R./ May the spoken words of my mouth, the thoughts of my heart, win favour in your sight, O Lord, my rescuer, my rock! R./ SECOND READING (St Paul stresses how each one of us must cooperate with others, for each one is a necessary member of the body of Christ.) A reading from the First Letter of St Paul to the Corinthians (12:12-30) Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the organs in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single organ, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body which seem to be weaker are indispensible, and those parts of the body which we think less honourable we invest with the greater honour, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so adjusted the body, giving the greater honour to the inferior part, that there may be no discord in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together, if one member is honoured, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the Church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers, helpers, administrators, speakers in various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION (Lk 4:18-19) Alleluia, alleluia! The Lord has sent me to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives. Alleluia! GOSPEL (St Luke affirms that God’s promises are fulfilled in Jesus, the long-awaited Saviour of the poor and the oppressed.) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Luke (1:1-4;4:14-21) In as much as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things which have been accomplished among us, just as they were delivered to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the truth concerning the things of which you have been informed. Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and a report concerning him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and he went to the synagogue, as his custom was, on the sabbath day. And he stood up to read; and there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened the book and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” This is the Gospel of the Lord I believe... PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL Cel: Dear brothers and sisters, God the Father sent his Son Jesus to announce to us the Good News of Father’s love, mercy and forgiveness. Let us ask God’s grace to fulfil his will in our lives, by saying: Response: Lord, hear our prayer. 1. We pray for our Holy Father, cardinals, bishops and priests: help them to faithfully and courageously announce the message of Christ to all. R./ 2. We pray for all the members who form the Church in all its variety and richness throughout the world: that wounds of division may be healed and barriers broken down, that we may become one as Christ wills us to be. R./ 3. We pray for the hungry, the homeless, the unemployed, and those affected by natural and man-made calamities: that the government policies may help them find a way out of their problems. R./ 4. We pray for the leaders of all nations: that they may be committed to freedom, justice and peace. May your Spirit guide them in all their decisions. R./ (Pray for local and personal needs) Cel: Abba Father, we thank you for anointing us with the Holy Spirit. Grant that we may share generously and joyfully with others the gifts and talents we have received from you. We make this prayer... PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS Lord, receive our gifts. Let our offerings make us holy and bring us salvation. We ask this… PREFACE (P 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 Look up at the Lord with gladness and smile; you will never be ashamed. PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION God, all-powerful Father, may the new life you give us increase our love and keep us in the joy of your kingdom. We ask this…   LITURGY AND LIFE Today we begin the consecutive reading of the Gospel of St Luke. Luke tells his friend, Theophilus what Christianity is all about. In today’s Gospel St Luke provides a new perspective of God, one different from the existing idea of a punishing God. The “Gospel” he preaches is the “Good News” of Jesus Christ and the freedom he has won for us through his death and resurrection. Therefore, for Luke Christianity has more to do with God’s love and mercy than with his punishment. He tells us that the Gospel which is the “living word” has the power to build, change, transform and heal, and bring freedom to those who accept it as the Word of God. Therefore those who received the gracious words of Jesus enjoyed peace, joy, hope and favour from God. The fulfilment of God’s promise is Luke’s theme in today’s Gospel. The long waiting has come to an end, the Messiah has arrived. Filled with the Holy Spirit during his baptism Jesus preached the good news in his own land of Galilee where he was reared. There he makes a solemn declaration of his mission in the world. The work of Jesus presented by Luke is “to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour” (vv 18,19). Thus the incident in the synagogue at Nazareth becomes a useful tool for Luke to promote Christian faith. Jesus came to announce the Good News that the Kingdom of heaven is very near to those who repent. He came to free the captives of sin by making his mercy available to all sinners who acknowledge their faults and ask pardon. He brings healing to the sick, not only physical but spiritual and psychological as well. He provides light to those in darkness. He came to liberate those oppressed by evil spirits and enable them to enjoy the freedom that he alone can offer. He came to proclaim the grace, the mercy and the forgiveness of God and reinstate them to the status of the children of God. In the sacrament of baptism we are empowered and anointed with the Holy Spirit who is the living presence of God in our life. Jesus invites each one of us to grow in our faith and become his witnesses and living gospel in this world. —Fr Thomas Mangamthanath, ssp January 2010 READINGS OF THE WEEK Psalter Week 3 25 Mon (W) THE CONVERSION OF ST PAUL, (Fst.), Acts 22:3-16 or Acts 9:1-22; Ps 116:1,2; Mk 16:15-18 26 Tue (W) Sts Timothy and Titus; REPUBLIC DAY (Mass for India) Jer 31:31-34; Ps 90:1-6,9-10; 1 Tim 2:1-6; Jn 8:31-36 27 Wed (W) St Angela Merici, 2 Sam 7:4-17; Ps 88:4-5,27-28,29-30; Mk 4:1-20 28 Thu (W) St Thomas Aquinas, 2 Sam 7:18-19,24-29; Ps 131; Mk 4:21-25 29 Fri (G) 2 Sam 11:1-10a,13-17; Ps 50:3-4,5-6a,6bc-7,10-11; Mk 4:26-34 30 Sat (G) 2 Sam 12:1-7a,10-17; Ps 50:12-13,14-15,16-17; Mk 4:35-41