Vol. 38  No. 50       SEPTEMBER 11, 2011       Cycle  A   XXIV  SUNDAY OF THE YEAR        Forgive your brother from your heart     ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Give peace, Lord, to those who wait for you and your prophets proclaim you as you deserve. Hear the prayers of your servant and of your people Israel. (Sir 36:18) PENITENTIAL RITE If we observe the English words “anger” and “danger” we notice that the letter ‘d’ makes a difference between these two words. Anger is a danger in the life of a disciple of Jesus. Today the Lord is inviting us to forgive our neighbour, in order to express our gratitude towards God for all the forgiveness we have received from Him. We all know how hard it is to forgive. At the same time, we know how good it is to be forgiven. As we are gathered around the altar of the Lord, let us look into our hearts and become aware of any anger we may be harbouring against someone. (Pause) I confess… Glory to God… OPENING PRAYER Almighty God, our Creator and Guide, may we serve you with all our heart and know your forgiveness in our lives. We ask this… FIRST READING (Ben Sira teaches how temper and anger are not acceptable to God. God listens to the prayer of the person who forgives his neighbour). A reading from the Book of Sirach    (27:30—28:7) Anger and wrath, these also are abominations, and the sinful man will possess them. He that takes vengeance will suffer vengeance from the Lord, and he will firmly establish his sins. Forgive your neighbour the wrong he has done, and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray. Does a man harbour anger against another, and yet seek for healing from the Lord? Does he have no mercy toward a man like himself, and yet pray for his own sins? If he himself, being flesh, maintains wrath, who will make expiation for his sins? Remember the end of your life, and cease from enmity, remember destruction and death, and be true to the commandments. Remember the commandments, and do not be angry with your neighbour; remember the covenant of the Most High, and overlook ignorance. This is the Word of the Lord PSALM   (102) Response: The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy. My soul, give thanks to the Lord, all my being, bless his holy name. My soul, give thanks to the Lord and never forget all his blessings. It is he who forgives all your guilt, who heals every one of your ills, who redeems your life from the grave, who crowns you with love and compassion. His wrath will come to an end; he will not be angry for ever. He does not treat us according to our sins nor repay us according to our faults. For as the heavens are high above the earth so strong is his love for those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west so far does he remove our sins. SECOND READING (St Paul sets a noble task before the Romans: to maintain a sense of belonging to the Lord, in the midst of life and death.) A reading from the Letter of St Paul to the Romans (14:7-9) None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION Alleluia, alleluia! My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them and they follow me. Alleluia! (Jn 10:27) GOSPEL (The Gospel passage presents before us the parable of an ungrateful servant and invites us to forgive our neighbour before we ask God’s forgiveness). A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Matthew (18:21-35) Peter came up and said to Jesus, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; and as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers, till he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” 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, let us turn to our merciful and loving God who forgives all our guilt and ask for the grace to forgive, from the heart, those who have offended us, saying: Response: Lord, help us to forgive one another. 1. That our Pope, bishops and priests may become models of forgiveness and channels of reconciliation in their pastoral ministry. 2. That Christians may give an example to the world of the art of forgiveness. Deliver them from the poison of bitterness and resentment. 3. That those who are living in sin and unable to forgive their offenders, may come to experience the redeeming love of Christ and may receive the gift of forgiveness. 4. That all persons and nations may get rid of their bitterness and hostility. Heal their inner wounds so that they may initiate the process of peace and reconciliation. 5. That all of us present here may have the humility and courage to seek the forgiveness of those we have offended and thus set an example for others. (Pray for local and personal needs) Cel: Heavenly Father, in your mercy, grant that we, who stand always in need of your forgiveness for our offences, may be ready to show mercy and forgiveness to our offenders. May the precious blood of your Son Jesus cleanse and heal our wounded hearts and minds. We ask this… PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS Lord, hear the prayers of your people and receive our gifts. May the worship of each one here bring salvation to all. Grant this… PREFACE   (P 29) Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord. Through his cross and resurrection he freed us from sin and death and called us to the glory that has made us a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart. Everywhere we proclaim your mighty works, for you have called us out of darkness into your own wonderful light. And so, with all the choirs of angels in heaven we proclaim your glory and join in their unending hymn of praise: All: Holy, holy, holy… COMMUNION ANTIPHON O God, how much we value your mercy! All mankind can gather under your protection. (Ps 35:8) PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Lord, may the Eucharist you have given us influence our thoughts and actions. May your Spirit guide and direct us in your way. We ask this…     LITURGY  AND  LIFE In his book ‘The Seven Capital Sins’, Archbishop Fulton Sheen speaks of three valid reasons why the anger of a person can be justified: First, the cause of anger should be noble and justifiable. For example, if someone gets angry in order to defend the sacred name of God or to safeguard the good name of somebody, his or her anger is justified. Second, an outburst of anger should not be greater than the cause demands. It should be under control. One should not punish the offender beyond a certain limit. Finally, anger should calm down quickly. In St. Paul’s words, “Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.” Such anger is called just anger. But today’s liturgy is inviting us to reflect on the dangers of unjust anger. In today’s Gospel Jesus presents the example of just anger and unjust anger. We note three things about this Gospel passage: First, the parable is given in answer to Peter’s question: “Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother?” This parable is situated in the broader context of the community discourse of Matthew’s Gospel. If the community has to be a replica of the kingdom of God then every member of the community should be the image and likeness of God. Jesus suggests that we should forgive our neighbour endlessly because God forgives us endlessly. His love keeps no record of wrongs. Second, the parable is given immediately after Jesus’ teaching on community prayer: “Truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” But this kind of community prayer is not possible if hearts are not healed by way of forgiveness, and united in love. Therefore, Jesus ends this parable by making a rather strong statement: “So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother, or sister, from your heart.” Third, the servant in the parable stands for an unforgiving person and the lord stands for God, our Father. The servant fell at the feet of the lord. The entire parable paints the picture of the lord as an angry person. He orders him “to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made.” Yet the lord felt pity for him and forgave him the debt. A just punishment is overcome by unlimited compassion and mercy. The expected outcome of such behaviour of the lord is gratefulness towards him on the part of the servant. It is out of this sense of gratefulness that the servant was expected to forgive the debt of his fellow servant. But his behaviour is contrary to this expectation. First, the lord had forgiven him a very big amount. But he fails to forgive his fellow servant even a small amount. Second, he was treated with respect by his lord, but he in turn ill-treats his fellow servant and puts him in prison. There is a total absence of any sense of gratitude towards the lord. It is this ingratitude, which provokes the anger of the lord for the last time and he puts the servant in prison. This type of anger is justifiable, for the behaviour of the servant was defaming the goodness of the lord. We need to pray for the gift of forgiveness. It is not a question of forgiving, if and when the offender repents. We are expected to forgive even if the offender doesn’t repent—that is what makes it so difficult, and why we need God’s grace. Unless we forgive, we will not be able to let go of bitterness and resentment, and so will not know the peace or healing. Forgiveness does not mean forgetting. It means remembering and letting go. Forgiveness is a holy task. Only God can help us to accomplish it fully. The Eucharist is a celebration of gratitude towards God for all His blessings upon us. It is out of this gratitude that we should forgive our fellow human beings, so that our community may be the replica of the Kingdom of God and we may be children of our heavenly Father. —Fr Robert B. D’Souza       Sept 2011    READINGS OF THE WEEK  Psalter Week 4 12 Mon (W) Holy Name of Mary, 1 Tm 2:1-8/ Ps 28:2.7.8-9/ Lk 7:1-10 13 Tue (W) St John Chrysostom, 1 Tm 3:1-13/ Ps 101:1b-2ab. 2cd-3ab. 5.6/ Lk 7:11-17 14 Wed (R) EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS, Feast Nm 21:4b-9/ Ps 78:1bc-2.34-35.36-37.38/ Phil 2:6-11/ Jn 3:13-17 15 Thu (W) Our Lady of Sorrows, 1 Tm 4:12-16/ Ps 111:7-8.9.10/ Jn 19:25-27 or Lk 2:33-35 16 Fri (R) Sts Cornelius and Cyprian, 1 Tm 6:2c-12/ Ps 49:6-7.8-10.17-18.19-20/ Lk 8:1-3 17 Sat (W) St Robert Bellarmine, 1 Tm 6:13-16/ Ps 100:1b-2.3.4.5/ Lk 8:4-15