Vol. 38   No. 56           OCTOBER  16, 2011                  (Cycle - A)    MISSION SUNDAY (XXX  SUNDAY  OF  THE  YEAR) MASS FOR THE EVANGELIZATION OF PEOPLES Go therefore and make disciples of all nations ENTRANCE ANTIPHON May God bless us in his mercy; may he make his face shine on us, that we might know his ways on earth and his saving power among all the nations. (Ps 66:2-3) PENITENTIAL RITE “If we do not see Christ, broken in the bread during Mass, we may not recognize him in the broken beggar outside the Mass,” said Blessed Fredrick Ozanam, the founder of the Society of St Vincent de Paul. In today’s liturgy the Lord invites us to recognize him in the celebration of the Eucharist—the breaking of the bread and in the brokenness of human life. MISSION SUNDAY is a time to review one’s mission as a human being, as a Christian, as a Catholic, as a Religious and as a Spiritual Person. With true repentance let us cleanse our hearts and our minds, so that we may see our God in the liturgy we celebrate and in the life we live.  (Pause) I confess... Glory to God... OPENING PRAYER God our Father, you Will all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of your truth. Send workers into your great harvest that the Gospel may be preached to every creature and your people, gathered together by the word of life and strengthened by the power of the sacraments, may advance in the way of salvation and love. We ask this... FIRST READING (The Prophet Isaiah cheers the returning exiles with the vision of a restored city, which will become a beacon of light for all the nations.) A reading from the Book of Isaiah   (60:1-6) Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes round about, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far, and your daughters shall be carried in the arms. Then you shall see and be radiant, your heart shall thrill and rejoice; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord. This is the Word of the Lord PSALM        (95) Response: Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples. O sing a new song to the Lord, sing to the Lord all the earth. O sing to the Lord, bless his name. Proclaim his help day by day, tell among the nations his glory and his wonders among all the peoples. Give the Lord, you families of peoples, give the Lord glory and power, give the Lord the glory of his name. Worship the Lord in his temple; O earth, tremble before him. Proclaim to the nations: “God is King.” SECOND READING (St Paul exhorts the Romans to recognize God as the God of the Jews as well as of the Gentiles. He points to the mission of preaching and listening.) A reading from the Letter of St Paul to the Romans   (10:9-18) If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved. The Scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and bestows his riches upon all who call upon him. For, “Every one who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” But how are men to call upon him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? And how can men preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach Good News!” But they have not all heeded the Gospel; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ. But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have; for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION Alleluia! Alleluia! God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should have eternal life. Alleluia! (Jn 3:16) GOSPEL (The Gospel presents Jesus’ commissioning of the Disciples: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Matthew   (28:16-20) The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” 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, God our loving Father has set before us the example of a missionary, who not only preached a message, but became the message itself. Following our Master’s command, let us pray to the Father for the cause of the mission, saying: Response: Lord, help us to carry out your mission. 1. That the Holy Father, bishops, priests, religious and laity may be always filled with a sense of mission and a spirit of love and service. 2. That missionaries all over the world may receive special care and protection in carrying out their mission. 3. That the Church may be blessed with more and more zealous and spirit-filled missionaries, who will carry out Jesus’ great mission command. 4. That those who persecute missionaries in various parts of the world may be converted to a life of joy, peace and love. 5. That those who are searching for God may find in Jesus Christ, the true revelation of God, and accept him as their Saviour and Lord. (Pray for local and personal needs) Cel: Abba Father, we thank you for the gift of the Church, your vineyard; and for your missionaries for all that they have done for the growth of your Kingdom. Help us to be faithful to our call and mission, and give us generous hearts to reach out to as many people as possible, and in as many ways as possible. We ask this… PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS Lord, look upon the face of Christ your Son who gave up his life to set all people free. Through him may your name be praised among all peoples from East to West, and everywhere may one sacrifice be offered to give you glory. We ask this... PREFACE   (P 35) Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks. So great was your love that you gave us your Son as our redeemer. You sent him as one like ourselves, though free from sin, that you might see and love in us what you see and love in Christ. Your gifts of grace, lost by disobedience, are now restored by the obedience of your Son. We praise you, Lord, with all the angels and saints in their song of joy: All: Holy, holy, holy... COMMUNION ANTIPHON Teach all nations to carry out everything I have commanded you. I am with you always, until the end of the world. (Mt 28:20) PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Lord, you renew our life with this gift of redemption. Through this help to eternal salvation may the true faith continue to grow throughout the world. We ask this...   LITURGY  AND  LIFE Today, the Catholic Church celebrates Mission Sunday. The Church, by her very nature is missionary. She reaches out to all the people and especially to the so-called “unlovables” and “untouchables.” Hence if we truly want to be the missionaries of God’s love and joy, we have to reach out to all, including: the poor, the orphan, the alien, the widow, the helpless, the least, the lost and the last. In today’s First Reading, Jerusalem is invited to be ready to receive all her scattered children. She is to be a light for the lost, that her people seeing her light, may be drawn to her. St Paul invites the Romans to receive both the Jews and the Gentiles. Jesus in the Gospel extends the boundaries of mission to the whole world. His disciples are to go to the whole world to give the people Jesus’ message and make them his disciples. He assures them of his presence with them. One can be a missionary in the eyes of God at five different levels: Human, Christian, Catholic, Religious and Spiritual. a) Our Human Mission: God has created all human beings in his own image and likeness. Hence we serve people not because they belong to a particular religion, faith tradition, caste, language or culture. We take the human being as a measure of everything. Our human mission embraces people from all walks of life. By this we fulfil the command of Jesus to go to all the nations. b) Our Christian Mission: Jesus told his disciples to baptize people in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Our Christian mission cannot be limited simply to the act of baptism. We are to inculcate the love of the Father, the peace of the Son and the fellowship of the Spirit in a society, starved of love, peace and fellowship. This may be true not only of those who are outside the Church but also of those within the Church. Our Christian mission is to re-evangelize our own brethren, reminding them of the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation and the effect in their lives. c) Our Catholic Mission: “Teach them to observe all that I have commanded you,” is part of the great mission command of Jesus. The Church’s teaching office consists of three pillars. Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition and the Teaching of the Magisterium which form a single deposit of faith. As a disciple of Christ, I make it my obligation as well as my right, to know and to study the teaching of these three pillars. Hence my Catholic mission springs from this teaching. d) Our Religious Mission: That Jesus is giving this mission command basically to ‘the eleven disciples’, is indicative of some special mission, entrusted to them. They stand also for the religious, who commit themselves to the mission of God by way of living the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. These vows help the religious to be available, adaptable and accountable for the mission of Jesus. e) Our Spiritual Mission: Mission has to be based on some spiritual experience. The disciples were taken as far as the mountain in Galilee. There they worshipped Jesus and then they received their mission. Any mission which is not based on some spiritual foundation runs the risk of turning out to be personal agenda and a professional project. It hardly gives the people an experience of the continuous presence of Jesus with the disciples. During this Eucharistic celebration, let us ask the Lord to give us an experience of his life-giving presence so that we may carry out our Human, Christian, Catholic, Religious and Spiritual Mission in an effective manner. —Fr Robert B. D’Souza     October 2011                  READINGS  OF  THE  WEEK                        Psalter Week  2 24 Mon (W) St Anthony Claret, Rom 8:12-17/ Ps 68:2. & 4. 6-7ab. 20-21/ Lk 13:10-17 25 Tue (G) Rom 8:18-25/ Ps 126:1b-2ab. 2cd-3. 4-5. 6/ Lk 13:18-21   26 Wed (G) Rom 8:26-30/ Ps 13:4-5.6/ Lk 13:22-30 27 Thu (G) Rom 8:31b-39/ Ps 109:21-22.26-27.30-31/ Lk 13:31-35 28 Fri (R) STS SIMON & JUDE, Aps, Fst, Eph 2:19-22/ Ps 19:2-3.4-5/ Lk 6:12-16 29 Sat (G) Rom 11:1-2a.11-12.25-29/ Ps 94:12-13a.14-15.17-18/ Lk 14:1.7-11