October 10, 2010 28th SUNDAY  OF  THE  YEAR (Cycle  -  A)    ENTRANCE ANTIPHON   If you, O Lord, laid bare our guilt, who could endure it? But you are forgiving, God of Israel. PENITENTIAL RITE Today’s Gospel teaches us a lesson that ‘gratitude’ should become a sincere attitude in our lives. The Samaritan who cared to return to Jesus to thank him for the cure he received, experiences God’s presence in his life and gets a declaration from Jesus, “Your faith has made you well”. In celebrating the Eucharist we are giving thanks to God for all the blessings He has showered on us, especially through His Son Jesus. It is a fact that we haven’t always shown enough gratitude to God for His goodness to us, nor have we always shown gratitude to others for their goodness to us. Let us humbly ask pardon from the Lord and from one another for our ingratitude. (Pause) I confess... Glory to God... OPENING PRAYER Lord, our help and guide, make your love the foundation of our lives. May our love for you express itself in our eagerness to do good for others. Grant this... FIRST READING (Naaman, the leper, receives healing from Yahweh, through the instrumentality of the Prophet Elisha. This healing is an indication that God’s saving power goes beyond the barriers of caste, creed and social status.) A reading from the Second Book of the Kings    (5:14-17) Naaman the leper went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and he came and stood before him; and he said, “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; so accept now a present from your servant.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will receive none.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused. Then Naaman said, “If not, I pray you, let there be given to your servant two mule-burdens of earth; for henceforth your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the Lord.” This is the Word of the Lord   PSALM   (97) Response: The Lord has shown his salvation to the nations. Sing a new song to the Lord for he has worked wonders. His right hand and his holy arm have brought salvation. R./ The Lord has made known his salvation; has shown his justice to the nations. He has remembered his truth and love for the house of Israel. R./ All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Shout to the Lord all the earth, ring out your joy. R./ SECOND READING (St Paul from the prison exhorts Timothy to carry on the mission well for the sake of Jesus Christ and for his Gospel, in spite of the hardships and trials he may have to endure for the same.) A reading from the Second Letter of St Paul to Timothy     (2:8-13) Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descended from David, as preached in my gospel, the gospel for which I am suffering and wearing fetters like a criminal. But the word of God is not fettered. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which in Christ Jesus goes with eternal glory. The saying is sure: “If we have died with him, we shall also live with him; if we endure, we shall also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful – for he cannot deny himself.” This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION   (Jn 8:12) Alleluia, alleluia! I am the light of the world, says the Lord; he who follows me will have the light of life. Alleluia! GOSPEL (Jesus cures ten lepers, but only one of them, a Samaritan, returns to give thanks. We are reminded here that it is important to be grateful and to express it spontaneously.) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Luke      (17:11-19) On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then said Jesus, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” 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: My dear brothers and sisters, in good times we forget God, but then an illness brings us to our knees and closer to God. Believing that our heavenly Father in His wisdom and love provides for all our needs, and heals us of all our illnesses, let us approach Him with confidence, and pray: Response: Loving Father, have mercy on us. 1. Lord, may all Church leaders throughout the world always be aware of the importance of being truly grateful people in word and deed. R./ 2. Lord, enable us to be grateful to you always for the gifts of life, health and happiness, and for the warmth of family and friends. R./ 3. Lord, may all Christians see the guiding hand of a loving God in all the events of their lives, and show their gratitude to Him by a life of love and service. R./ 4. Lord, may the sick and all in distress learn to unite their sufferings and pains to the Passion of Christ, and draw comfort from his Resurrection. R./ 5. Lord, may all the rejected, abandoned and isolated people in the society recognize their human dignity and experience God’s love and presence in their lives. R./ (Pray for local and personal needs) Cel: Merciful Father, we thank and praise you for revealing your healing and saving power through your Son Jesus. Give us faith to respond to your graces and to carry on faithfully the mission that Jesus has entrusted to us. We ask this... PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS Lord, accept the prayers and gifts we offer in fai th and love. May this Eucharist bring us to your glory. We ask this... PREFACE    (34) Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks. In you we live and move and have our being. Each day you show us a Father’s love; your Holy Spirit, dwelling within us, gives us on earth the hope of unending joy. Your gift of the Spirit, who raised Jesus from the dead, is the foretaste and promise of the paschal feast of heaven. With thankful praise, in company with the angels, we glorify the wonders of your power: All: Holy, holy, holy... COMMUNION ANTIPHON The rich suffer want and go hungry, but nothing shall be lacking to those who fear the Lord. PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Almighty Father, may the body and blood of your Son give us a share in his life, for he is Lord for ever and ever.     LITURGY  AND  LIFE   Ingratitude is perhaps one of the most common of all human failures. Nothing is so hurtful as being taken for granted. What causes most pain is the neglect and the indifference of those for whom we have done our best. One of the most satisfying experiences in life is to receive a word of praise as a mark of appreciation for a service rendered. While we are ready to deplore the ingratitude of others, we are often unaware of our ungratefulness. As Christ headed towards Jerusalem and the cross, he met along the border between Samaria and Galilee a group of ten lepers who were desperately looking for human compassion, forbearance and acceptance, especially from their own dear and near ones. They huddled in their misery and cried out to Jesus for help: “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” Leprosy then was akin to AIDS today. The victims were treated as outcasts and isolated from the community. Their prayer was answered and they went off rejoicing because they were cleansed. When only one leper thought it necessary to return and say thanks, Jesus expressed genuine disappointment at the attitude of the nine who took him for granted and failed to thank him for the gratuitous healing that they had experienced. He made the very human and moving comment: “Were not ten made clean? Where are the other nine?” The leper with the grateful heart is an example to us all, because he got full benefit, both spiritual and physical healing, from his encounter with Jesus. The other nine failing to show any gratitude and appreciation to Jesus, missed the great riches of spiritual healing and inner joy that come only from the divine healer—Jesus. Of the ten lepers only one of them was brought closer to God through his illness and recovery. The story reminds us of how often we fail to express thanks and gratitude to God, who is the source of all goodness, for all the favours received. The best things in life are appreciated more when they are in danger of being lost. After being healed of a serious illness, we are filled with a sense of gratitude to God for our health and feel a new joy in living. The real worth of our love for God flows from our ability to recognize the countless blessings, great and small, which come our way daily. Our coming together for the celebration of the Eucharist makes it clear that the giving of thanks to God is an essential part of our worship and prayer life. The more we thank God for his generosity, the more we will be open to receive the joy of His blessings. Since the whole of our existence depends entirely on His will we should not let a day pass without thanking God for all the good things of life that we are likely to take for granted. —Fr Johnson Vattakkunnel, ssp   October 2010       READINGS OF THE WEEK       Psalter Week  4 11 Mon (G)  Gal 4:22-24,26-27,31-5:1; Ps 112:1-2,3-4,5a&6-7; Lk 11:29-32 12 Tue (G)  Gal 5:1-6; Ps 118:41&43,44-45,47-48; Lk 11:37-41 13 Wed (G)  Gal 5:18-25; Ps 1:1-2,3,4&6; Lk 11:42-46 14 Thu (G)  Eph 1:1-10; Ps 97:1,2-3ab,3cd-4,5-6; Lk 11:47-54 15 Fri (W)  St Teresa of Jesus (Avila), vg dr – mem                     Eph 1:11-14; Ps 32:1-2,4-5,12-13; Lk 12:1-7 16 Sat (G)  Eph 1:15-23; Ps 8:2-3ab,4-5,6-7; Lk 12:8-12