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No. 13 January 30, 2011
(Cycle A)
IV SUNDAY OF THE
YEAR
The Beatitudes are Values a Christian should
live by
ENTRANCE ANTIPHON
Save us, Lord our God, and gather us together from the nations, that we may
proclaim your holy name and glory in your praise. (Ps 105:47)
PENITENTIAL RITE
The
Beatitudes are at the heart of the Gospel. They have inspired not only
Christians worldwide, but also other believers. Yet many regard them as
impractical and far too demanding for ordinary human beings. For they are a
complete reversal of conventional standards and values. In the Beatitudes, we
see the values Christ preached and lived—values he wishes to see in his
followers. As we prepare ourselves to encounter the Lord in the Eucharist, let
us ask ourselves whether we are the people God calls us ‘to be’. (Pause)
I confess...
Glory to God...
OPENING PRAYER
Lord our God, help us to love you with all our hearts and to love all
men as you love them. Grant this…
FIRST READING
(The
prophet Zephaniah turns to the poor, the “humble of the land who obey His
commands”, and exhorts them to continue to be faithful—to keep on seeking Him in
justice and humility.)
A
reading from the Book of Zephaniah (2:3;3:12-13)
Seek
the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his commands; seek righteousness,
seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the wrath of the Lord.
“For I will leave in the midst of you a people humble and lowly. They shall seek
refuge in the name of the Lord, those who are left in Israel; they shall do no
wrong and utter no lies, nor shall there be found in their mouth a deceitful
tongue. For they shall pasture and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.”
This is the Word of the Lord
PSALM (145)
Response: How happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
It is
he who keeps faith forever, who is just to those who are oppressed. It is he who
gives bread to the hungry, the Lord, who sets prisoners free. R./
It is the Lord who gives sight to the blind, who raises up those who are bowed
down, the Lord, who protects the stranger and upholds the widow and orphan. R./
It is the Lord who loves the just but thwarts the path of the wicked. The Lord
will reign for ever, Zion’s God, from age to age. R./
SECOND READING
(St
Paul reminds us of the immense debt of gratitude that we owe to the loving God,
for the gift of the Incarnation, and our Christian call. We are ordinary people
whom God, in His divine goodness, has chosen as His own.)
A reading from the First Letter of St Paul to the Corinthians (1:26-31)
Consider your call, brethren; not many of you were wise according to worldly
standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth; but God chose
what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the
world to shame the strong, God chose what is low and despised in the world, even
things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being
might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ
Jesus, whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and
redemption; therefore, as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast of the
Lord.”
This is the Word of the Lord
ACCLAMATION
Alleluia, alleluia! The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. To all who
received him, he gave power to become children of God. Rejoice and be glad, for
your reward is great in heaven. Alleluia! (Jn 1:12-1, Mt 5:12a)
GOSPEL
(Jesus describes the values and attitudes, which he wants his followers to
possess in this life if they hope to be with him in heaven. St Matthew gives us
here what are commonly known as the Beatitudes.)
A
reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Matthew (5:1-12)
Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his
disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those
who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall
inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain
mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are
persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed
are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil
against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great
in heaven.”
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 pray to our heavenly Father for those
qualities and dispositions, Christ wants to see in his followers, saying:
Response: Lord, graciously hear our prayer.
1.
For the Church: that the Pope, bishops and clergy may continue to proclaim the
word of God to all peoples, and help them to live the beatitudes, so that their
efforts may bear fruit; we pray to the Lord. R./
2. For all Christians: that they may set their hearts on the Kingdom of God and
live ‘the Beatitudes’ so as to become witnesses of the Kingdom; we pray to the
Lord. R./
3. For the leaders of all nations: that they may be kind and merciful; and may
be willing to heal old wounds and divisions; we pray to the Lord. R./
4. For those who suffer for doing what is right: that they may be strong and
endure hardships patiently; we pray to the Lord. R./
5. For all of us here present: that we may hunger and thirst for a life of
goodness, and live faithfully the values of Jesus; we pray to the Lord. R./
(Pray for local and personal needs)
Cel:
Heavenly Father, give us the grace to imitate your Son Jesus more closely, and
to follow him more faithfully, so that we may know the blessedness of belonging
to your Kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS
Lord,
be pleased with the gifts we bring to your altar, and make them the sacrament of
our salvation. 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
Let
your face shine on your servant, and save me by your love. Lord, keep me from
shame, for I have called to you. (Ps 30:17-18)
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Lord,
you invigorate us with this help to our salvation. By this Eucharist give the
true faith continued growth throughout the world. We ask this…
LITURGY AND LIFE
The Scripture readings
of today’s liturgy are about ‘attitudes’. They are either stifling or
liberating.
It is very clear that God can’t endure the ostentation of pride even in the
great, and still less in the mediocre. Why? Fundamentally, because humility is
truth, and pride is falsehood. God hates lies. The proud aren’t free to love.
They are so busy measuring the worth of others with their false tape measures.
In contrast, the Christian attitude, found in the Gospel of today, in the
Beatitudes is what God wants. If God, like the rich and proud, restricts
friendship to those who measure up to what he has and is, who would be his
friends?
But Jesus carries the matter much further by exalting the poor in spirit, the
sorrowing, and those who hunger for holiness, to the heights of sanctity. How
can that be the case, when the world thinks that it is the wealthy, who need
nothing who are the lucky ones? The answer is that there is no mortal who needs
nothing. We all have needs, and these people are blessed because they have
blessed needs. They are free of materialism, free to live the Christian moral
life, which is founded on selfless love.
One should not think that a good Christian life consists only in keeping the Ten
Commandments. They are only the foundation on which we build a life of virtue.
They mostly tell us what not to do and what not to be. The Beatitudes, on the
other hand, tell us what to do and what to become. They suggest attitudes and
actions which are the flowering of every virtue.
The Beatitudes teach us that, just when we think we have lost everything, we
have gained blessedness. The man who is poor, and doesn’t mind, because he
trusts in God’s care, is blessed. The person who grieves over the evil all
around him is not burdened by his loss of worldly joy, but blessed by his share
in Christ’s own sorrow. The people who hunger and thirst for God, have given up
the things and the pleasures of this world. They are enriched through the
companionship of God. The people who are merciful, look like soft-hearted fools
to the proud, are blessed because they will have all the mercy they will ever
need to assure their eternal salvation.
And now a serious question: Why do so few seem to understand the Beatitudes,
when in fact Jesus addressed them to us all? The answer is: as long as we govern
our lives by our own commonsense we can neither understand nor practise the
Beatitudes. That is because the Beatitudes go beyond commonsense, they are
supernatural. They can be practised only by those who are attuned to the Holy
Spirit and make use of His gifts.
Why do so few people let the Holy Spirit guide them? Perhaps the chief reason is
that many people desire to make progress in the world rather than in their love
of God. They don’t want to be poor in spirit, because they desire to possess all
the passing things of this world.
The Beatitudes make us rich in the sight of God. They open our minds and hearts
to a new way of seeing and judging. They give us a whole new set of bearings. A
person who lives according to the Beatitudes is already enjoying the blessings
of the Kingdom of heaven.
—Fr Sebastian Kattackal, ssp
Jan/Feb 2011
READINGS OF THE WEEK
Psalter Week 4
31 Mon (W) St John Bosco, Heb 11:32-40/ Ps 30:20.21.22.23.24/ Mk 5:1-20
01 Tue (G) Heb 12:1-4/ Ps 21:26b-27.28 & 30.31-32/ Mk 5:21-43
02 Wed (W) PRESENTATION OF THE LORD, Fst, (Day of Consecrated Life)
Mal 3:1-4/ Ps 24:7.8.9.10/ Heb 2:14-18/ Lk 2:22-40
03 Thu (R) St Blasé, Heb 12:18-19.21-24/ Ps 47:2-3ab.3cd-4.9.10-11/ Mk 6:7-13
04 Fri (G) Heb 13:1-8/ Ps 26:1.3.5.8b-9abc/ Mk 6:14-29
05 Sat (R) St Agatha, Heb 13:15-17.20-21/ Ps 22:1-3a.3b-4.5.6/ Mk 6:30-34
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