Vol. 38   No. 52          SEPTEMBER  25, 2011                 Cycle   A XXVI   SUNDAY OF THE YEAR   Repentance is a necessary disposition for entry into the Kingdom       ENTRANCE ANTIPHON O Lord, you had just cause to judge men as you did: because we sinned against you and disobeyed your will. But now show us your greatness of heart, and treat us with your unbounded kindness. (Dan 3:31,29,30, 43,42) PENITENTIAL RITE Today’s Liturgy of the Word asks us to choose between what is right and what is wrong. The readings contain a number of contrasts: just and unjust, honesty and dishonesty, death and life and what one says and what one does. The purpose is to urge the hearers to see and understand the difference between one and the other, and choose the right. The Gospel parable teaches us that promises can never take the place of performance, and fine words can never be a substitute for fine deeds. Let us ask the Lord pardon for our unfaithfulness and failure to make right choices in life. (Pause) I confess… Glory to God… OPENING PRAYER Father, you show your almighty power in your mercy and forgiveness. Continue to fill us with your gifts of love. Help us to hurry towards the eternal life you promised and come to share in the joys of your Kingdom. Grant this… FIRST READING (The prophet defends God’s way of judging: a person who dies unrepentant is lost; a sinner who dies repentant is saved. Each of us is responsible for their own conduct, and will be judged accordingly.) A reading from the Book of Ezekiel   (18:25-28) The word of the Lord was addressed to me in this way, “You say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die for it; for the iniquity which he has committed he shall die. Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is lawful and right, he shall save his life. Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions which he had committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.” This is the Word of the Lord PSALM   (24) Response: Remember your mercy, Lord. Lord, make me know your ways. Lord, teach me your paths. Make me walk in your truth, and teach me: for you are God my saviour. Remember your mercy, Lord, and the love you have shown from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth. In your love remember me, because of your goodness, O Lord. The Lord is good and upright. He shows the path to those who stray, He guides the humble in the right path; he teaches his way to the poor. SECOND READING (St Paul pleads for unity among his Philippian converts and begs them to make the mind of Christ their own. Self-seeking and rivalry have no place in the Christian community.) A reading from the Letter of St Paul to the Philippians   (2:1-11) If there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION Alleluia, alleluia ! I am the light of the world, says the Lord; he who follows me will have the light of life. Alleluia! (Jn 8:12) GOSPEL (Jesus tells the chief priests and elders, through the parable of the two sons, that prostitutes and tax collectors who repent will have a better chance for salvation than they have.) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Matthew   (21:28-32) Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people, “What do you think? A man had two sons; and he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today’. And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he repented and went. And he went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’, but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the harlots believed him; and even when you saw it, you did not afterward repent and believe him.” This is the Gospel of the Lord PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL Cel: Dear brothers and sisters, the more we do the will of God out of love, the more we will appreciate His love for us. We are confident that God will grant all our needs and so we pray: Response: Lord, graciously hear our prayer. 1. For our Pope, bishops, priests and religious: that they may be faithful in carrying out their responsibilities as ministers of the Lord. Empower them with the Holy Spirit, to walk always in the light of faith. 2. For all who hold public office: that they may never allow words to take the place of deeds. Grant them a large heart and mind to serve the poor and the neglected. 3. For the hardened sinners: that those who live in the darkness of sin and the slavery of Satan, may be touched by the love of Jesus and repent, and be converted. 4. For all those who have excluded themselves from the Kingdom: that they may receive the mercy and pardon of God. Grant them the grace of repentance, disposition to obey God’s voice and respond to His love. 5. For our Parish community: touch our hearts with your love and compassion; grant us the awareness of our sinfulness, and the grace of true repentance to live as God’s sons and daughters. (Pray for local and personal needs) Cel: Heavenly Father, today you teach us that promises can never take the place of performance, and fine words can never be a substitute for fine deeds. Grant us the grace to be faithful in word and deed; and empower us with your Holy Spirit to proclaim your message of salvation by our very lives. We ask this... PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS God of mercy, accept our offering and make it a source of blessing for us. We ask this… PREFACE   (P 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 Lord, remember the words you spoke to me, your servant, which made me live in hope and consoled me when I was downcast. (Ps 118:49-50) PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Lord, may this Eucharist in which we proclaim the death of Christ bring us salvation and make us one with him in glory, for he is Lord for ever and ever.     LITURGY  AND  LIFE When I was in Ireland, some of the Indian parents used to share with me their difficulties in bringing up their children. The parents became anxious when their children at times behaved extremely disobedient. They felt that most of the time their children distanced themselves from Indian tradition, culture and values. Similarly, in today’s Gospel we see the two sons who caused their father sorrow by disobeying him. In the Ancient Jewish society, saying “no” to one’s father was considered to be an act of arrogance. Strictly speaking, in the Jewish culture, a son must never say “no” to his father, especially in public. The son who says “no” is contemptible. Therefore the ideal for the son is to say “yes” and carry out what the father asks. In the case of the two sons it is clear that they disobeyed their father. However, Jesus emphasizes “the act of repentance” in the case of the first son. The first son, on the one hand, like many children of today, either expressed his adolescent rebelliousness or had been attached to something playfully interesting as our children today are addicted to (or drawn towards) computer games, cinema and sports. He, however, might have realized later the seriousness of his father’s word and obeyed it. He is likened to each of us. Like the first son, we also time and again, disobey our parents, we sadden them and do not realize their authentic love and care for us. On the other hand, the second son showed a pharisaic attitude of saying “yes” only to please his father, but deep in his heart was actually saying “no”. He was like the saying: “Words without actions are like birds without feathers.” Are we any different from this son? We bear the name of Christ but we fail to live like Him in our life; we love to participate in the Eucharist, but we fail to celebrate it by loving our neighbour. Through the attitude of the second son, Jesus wants to show how the chief priests and the elders fail to live their faith. This reminds us of how the Israelites pledged their obedience to God, but they did not obey: “The Lord our God we will serve and Him alone we will obey” (Josh 24:24). Both the sons in the Gospel are not ideal or perfect. But we have Jesus the only Son of God who is perfect. He is the model of perfect obedience. He obeyed his Father’s will even to the point of dying on the cross (Phil 2:8). All of us are called to work in the vineyard of the Lord. A good Christian will accept his/her father’s orders respectfully. Everyone is called to make a choice. Every individual must decide how to respond to the Word of God, and all must accept the consequences of their choice. May the saying, “Actions speak louder than words,” enable us to imitate Christ and mean ‘yes’ when we say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ when we say ‘no’. When our words and actions go hand in hand we become trustworthy and authentic. Words are no substitute for deeds. We may say ‘Yes’ to God in word, and ‘No’ to God in deed. We profess to believe, but fail to translate our belief into active obedience. We must, therefore, constantly examine ourselves. We must try to turn our promises into fulfilment, and our words into deeds. Many of the saints in the Church were sinners who initially said ‘No’ to God, and who later changed their minds and said ‘Yes’. St Augustine is perhaps the most striking example. Repentance is a necessary disposition for entry into the Kingdom of God. A person will be judged by God, not by a single act or stage in his or her life, but by his or her whole life. The Gospel parable also echoes a favourite theme of St Matthew: the split in the religious person between saying and doing. Hence its relevance for ‘religious’ people in every age. —Fr Alex Anandam, ssp     Sept/Oct  2011               READINGS  OF  THE  WEEK              Psalter Week  2 26 Mon (R) Sts Cosmas & Damian Zech 8:1-8/ Ps 102:16-18.19-21.29 and 22-23/ Lk 9:46-50 27 Tue (W) St Vincent de Paul, Zech 8:20-23/ Ps 87:1b-3.4-5.6-7/ Lk 9:51-56 28 Wed (R) Sts Wenceslaus/ Lawrence Ruiz & Co., Neh 2:1-8/ Ps 137:1-2.3.4-5.6/ Lk 9:57-62 29 Thu (W) Sts Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels, Fst, Dan 7:9-10.13-14 or Rv 12:7-12a/ Ps 138:1-2ab.2cde-3.4-5/ Jn 1:47-51 30 Fri (W) St Jerome, Bar 1:15-22/ Ps 79:1b-2.3-5.8.9/ Lk 10:13-16 01 Sat (W) St Thérèse of Lisieux, Fst, Is 66:10-14/Ps 44,11-12,14-17/1 Cor 13:4-13/Mt 18:1-4