ENTRANCE ANTIPHON

Lord, you are just, and the judgements you make are right. Show mercy when you judge me, your servant. (Ps 118:137,124)

An essential factor in the life of a human person is that he or she should experience love, first from the family where the person is born and also from persons with whom one gets associated. But such love is not one-sided. We receive love to the extent we are able to give it. That is why the Scripture says, “Love your neighbour as yourself”. Sin is one thing that destroys the human capacity to love. Yet efforts should be vigorously made to make one amend sinful ways. Are we willing to learn this lesson from today’s celebration? (Pause)

I confess…

Glory to God…

God our Father, you redeem us and make us your children in Christ. Look upon us, give us true freedom and bring us to the inheritance you promised. Grant this…

A reading from the Book of Ezekiel   (33:7-9)

The word of the Lord came to me, saying: “You, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel; Whenever you hear a word from my mouth you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked man, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way; he shall die in his iniquity, but you will have saved your life.”

This is the Word of the Lord

Response: O that today you would listen to his voice! Harden not your hearts.

Come, ring out your joy to the Lord; hail the rock who saves us. Let us come before him, giving thanks, with songs let us hail the Lord.

Come in; let us bow and bend low; let us kneel before the God who made us for he is our God and we the people who belong to his pasture, the flock that is led by his hand.

O that today you would listen to his voice! “Harden not your hearts as at Meribah, as on that day at Massah in the desert when your fathers put me to the test; when they tried me, though they saw my work.”

A reading from the Letter of St Paul to the Romans   (13:8-10)

Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbour has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

This is the Word of the Lord

Alleluia, alleluia! Watch at all times, praying that you may have strength to stand before the Son of man. Alleluia! (Lk 21:36)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Matthew       (18:15-20)

Jesus said to his disciples, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

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.

Cel: Dear brothers and sisters, ‘where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them’, said Jesus. Hence, we are confident that he is with us. Praying in Jesus’ name, we are full of trust that the God of love will grant us what we ask for:

Response: Lord, graciously hear our prayer.

1. For pastors and leaders of the Church: that they may be willing to take the first step in seeking reconciliation. Make them an instrument of your peace.

2. For those, who harbour anger and hatred in their heart: that they may receive the grace to repent and forgive, and receive forgiveness and healing in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

3. For all nations: that those countries which are hostile to their neighbours, may work for justice and peace, and be reconciled. Heal the wounds of people who are victims of violence and exploitation.

4. For Christian families: that those members of our families, who have been hurt and offended, angry and estranged, may be touched and reconciled by Jesus. May the precious Blood of Jesus heal them.

5. For all of us gathered in this holy assembly: that we may receive the grace to be able to forgive those who have hurt and offended us; help us to live in harmony and peace.

(Pray for local and personal needs)

Cel: Merciful Father, grant us courage to forgive and to love one another; heal our brokenness and hurts, and make us whole. Mak e us meek and humble of heart. We ask this…

God of peace and love, may our offering bring you true worship and make us one with you. Grant this…

Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks.

When your children sinned and wandered far from your friendship, you reunited them with yourself through the blood of your Son and the power of the Holy Spirit.

You gather them into your Church, to be one as you, Father, are one with your Son and the Holy Spirit. You call them to be your people to praise your wisdom in all your works. You make them the body of Christ and the dwelling-place of the Holy Spirit.

In our joy we sing to your glory with all the choirs of angels:

All: Holy, holy, holy…

Like a deer that longs for running streams, my soul longs for you, my God. My soul is thirsting for the living God. (Ps 41:2-3)

Lord, your word and your sacrament give us food and life. May this gift of your Son lead us to share his life for ever. We ask this…

In his letter to the Romans St Paul writes that the whole law can be summarized in a single command, which is ‘love one’s neighbour as oneself’. It was a well-known subject of discussion among learned Jews, how the law could be summarized in a single commandment. Jesus, we know, also took part in such discussions and reached his own conclusion: love of God and love of neighbour. In his exhortation to the Christians in Rome, St Paul emphasizes only the second part of the above command. All law, at any rate, so far as it affects society, can be summarized in a single sentence, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ Living by this rule means that one will automatically be fulfilling the law.

Today’s Gospel passage gives instruc-tions in dealing with a member of the community who sins against it. The procedure suggested by Jesus is rooted in the Old Testament and is full of practical wisdom, one that is sensitive to the errant member. It first attempts to resolve the situation privately through direct dialogue, a responsibility enjoined by Lev 19:7: “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason with your neighbour, lest you bear sin because of him.” Only when every effort fails, that is, when the offender refuses to listen even to the community, then he/she is to be considered as an outsider. It is to be noted that the community’s pastoral concern, for the errant member, does not completely end even after the extreme step of expulsion and that the door for an eventual reconciliation should still remain open. In other words, the whole purpose of the action proposed is to remove every stumbling block and to bring back those who have strayed into fellowship with the whole community.

The Gospel passage also refers to a power of binding and loosing. The concept of binding and loosing are often interpreted as declarative authority in doctrinal and disciplinary matters. In other words, it concerns teaching authority. It gives Peter the supreme teaching authority of Jesus’ Church, the authorized interpreter of his teaching. Christian leadership has the power to interpret and enforce what God has already decreed. By conferring the power to bind and loose on Church leaders, Jesus authorizes them to interpret the Scriptures and establish norms for Christian behaviour. The emphasis, nevertheless should remain on bringing the Good News to the lost rather than on any disciplinary action.

It is also interpreted as the power to ban members from the community and to readmit them. Thus Church leadership has both the authority to determine forbidden or permitted conduct and to exclude members from the congregation.

St Peter is given the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, a symbol that characterizes him as the master of the household of Jesus with the assurance that his decisions will be ratified in heaven. Finally, Jesus’ presence among his people, to lead and guide, provides divine assurance that the concerns on which two agree are motivated by the will of their heavenly Father.