Wisdom 9:13–18
Who can divine the will of God?
Psalm 89(90):3–6, 12–14, 17
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Philemon 9–10, 12–17
He is a slave no longer, but a dear brother in the Lord.
Psalm 118(119):135
Let your face shine on your servant, and teach me your laws.
Luke 14:25–33
Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
The offerings are then brought forward. It is praiseworthy for the bread and wine to be presented by the faithful. They are then accepted at an appropriate place by the priest or the deacon and carried to the altar. Even though the faithful no longer bring from their own possessions the bread and wine intended for the liturgy as in the past, nevertheless the rite of carrying up the offerings still retains its force and its spiritual significance.
It is well also that money or other gifts for the poor or for the Church, brought by the faithful or collected in the church, should be received. These are to be put in a suitable place but away from the Eucharistic table.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §73
The gifts that members of the faithful bring to the altar should be processed in a way that invites the whole assembly to offer themselves to the table of sacrifice. Occasionally, their offering may be enhanced by other gifts for the poor, and whatever is brought to the altar does not return to the giver. Although the bread and wine are placed on the altar, these other gifts are set in a different significant place and are then distributed after Mass.
‘Like the deer that yearns for running streams, so my soul is yearning for you, my God; my soul is thirsting for God, the living God.’
—communion antiphon
Ecclesiasticus 3:19–21, 30–31
Behave humbly, and you will find favour with the Lord.
Psalm 67(68):4–7, 10–11
R. God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.
Hebrews 12:18–19, 22–24
You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God.
Matthew 11:29ab
Take my yoke upon you; learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart.
Luke 14:1, 7–14
Everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled.
Sacred buildings and requisites for divine worship should, moreover, be truly worthy and beautiful and be signs and symbols of heavenly realities.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §288
This week, the Letter to the Hebrews reminds us that we ‘have come to the city of the living God’. As we gather faithfully Sunday after Sunday, we witness to everyone around us how we are caught in the mystery of ‘God with us’. This is why we deeply care about the building that houses God’s people. We are grateful to all who help care for our building—our gardeners, cleaners and decorators. They each contribute their precious gifts to our community, so that we can recognise the presence of our living God.
‘May this sacred offering, O Lord, confer on us always the blessing of salvation, that what it celebrates in mystery it may accomplish in power.’
—prayer over the offerings
Isaiah 66:18–21
They will bring all your brothers from all the nations.
Psalm 116 (117)
R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.
Hebrews 12:5–7, 11–13
The Lord trains the one he loves.
John 14:6
I am the way, the truth, and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the Father, except through me.
Luke 13:22–30
The last shall be first and the first last.
If [other] priests are not present and there is a very large number of communicants, the priest may call upon extraordinary ministers to assist him, i.e., duly instituted acolytes or even other faithful who have been deputed for this purpose.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §162
The presiding celebrant is always the ordinary minister of Communion. However, if he faces ill health or a large assembly, then others can help him. Given the shortage of ordained ministers and the wider practice of ministering the cup, our generation has witnessed increasingly more extraordinary ministers helping distribute Communion. We have also witnessed an increase in Communion being taken to the housebound, especially from our Sunday Mass.
‘O Lord, who gained for yourself a people by adoption through the one sacrifice offered once for all, bestow graciously on us, we pray, the gifts of unity and peace in your Church.’
—prayer over the offerings
Jeremiah 38:4–6, 8–10
‘Do not let the prophet die.’
Psalm 39(40):2–4, 18
R. Lord, come to my aid!
Hebrews 12:1–4
We should keep running steadily in the race we have started.
John 10:27
My sheep listen to my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.
Luke 12:49–53
How I wish it were blazing already!
Through him the Angels praise your majesty, Dominions adore and Powers tremble before you. Heaven and the Virtues of heaven and the blessed Seraphim worship together with exultation. May our voices, we pray, join with theirs in humble praise, as we acclaim.
—Order of the Mass, §42
With the new translation of the Roman Missal, we regularly hear in the preface the invocation of all creation—in heaven and on earth—as we prepare to join in singing God’s praise. This eschatological quality takes us beyond ourselves and invites us to join the many witnesses in creation and sing God’s praise.
‘Receive our oblation, O Lord, by which is brought about a glorious exchange, that, by offering what you have given, we may merit to receive your very self.’
—prayer over the offerings
Wisdom 18:6–9
You made us glorious by calling us to you.
Psalm 32(33):1, 12, 18–20, 22
R. Happy are the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Hebrews 11:1–2, 8–19
Abraham looked forward to a city founded, designed and built by God.
Matthew 24:42a, 44
Be watchful and ready: You know not when the Son of Man is coming.
Luke 12:32–48
You too must stand ready.
In texts that are to be spoken in a loud and clear voice, whether by the priest or the deacon, or by the lector, or by all, the tone of voice should correspond to the genre of the text itself, that is, depending upon whether it is a reading, a prayer, a commentary, an acclamation, or a sung text; the tone should also be suited to the form of celebration and to the solemnity of the gathering.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §38
The ministry of the Word involves much more than public reading, as different genres of readings require different voices. That is, readers are not simply reading words; as St John Paul II suggested, they are proclaiming the love embedded in the Word of God through their 'care, preparation, devout attention and meditative silence’.
‘Be pleased, O Lord, to accept the offerings of your Church, for in your mercy you have given them to be offered and by your power you transform them into the mystery of our salvation.’
—prayer over the offerings
Ecclesiastes 1:2, 2:21–23
Vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
Psalm 89(90):3–6, 12–14, 17
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Colossians 3:1–5, 9–11
You must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is.
Matthew 5:3
Happy are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Luke 12:13–21
Fool! This very night your soul will be demanded of you.
For in the readings, as expounded by the Homily, God speaks to his people, opening up to them the mystery of redemption and salvation, and offering them spiritual nourishment; and Christ himself is present in the midst of the faithful through his word.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §55
Our daily lives are filled with countless words and sounds, alongside a barrage of conflicting values and invitations. So, when we attend Sunday Mass, we must focus on our beloved God who speaks to us gently. Our readers have already prayed with this word of God. Drawing on this prayer, they proclaim the consoling and confronting word of God. We must be attentive so that our hearts are willing to live what we hear.
‘Graciously sanctify these gifts, O Lord, we pray, and, accepting the oblation of this spiritual sacrifice, make of us an eternal offering to you.’
—prayer over the offerings
Genesis 18:20–32
Abraham negotiates with the Lord.
Psalm 137(138):1–3, 6–8
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Colossians 2:12–14
Christ has brought you to life with him and forgiven us all our sins.
Romans 8:15bc
You have received the Spirit which makes us God’s children, and in that Spirit we call God our Father.
Luke 11:1–13
How to pray.
In the Lord’s Prayer a petition is made for daily food, which for Christians means preeminently the Eucharistic Bread, and also for purification from sin, so that what is holy may, in fact, be given to those who are holy.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §81
The inclusion of the Lord’s Prayer in the Mass dates back to early times, and its inclusion during Communion draws us in two ways. First, as God’s holy people, we petition the holy one to share his holiness with us: ‘Give us today our daily bread.’ This petition then links the Eucharist with our petition for forgiveness: ‘Forgive us as we forgive.’ God’s generous gift invites us to extend the same forgiveness to those who ‘have trespassed against us’. We then move from this prayer to the sign of peace.
‘Accept, O Lord, we pray, the offerings which we bring from the abundance of your gifts, that through the powerful working of your grace these most sacred mysteries may sanctify our present way of life and lead us to eternal gladness.’
—prayer over the offerings
Genesis 18:1–10
‘Next year your wife Sarah will have a son.’
Psalm 14(15):2–5
R. The just will live in the presence of the Lord.
Colossians 1:24–28
A mystery hidden for generations has been revealed to God’s saints.
cf. Luke 8:15
Happy are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance.
Luke 10:38–42
Martha works; Mary listens.
For in the celebration of Mass, in which the Sacrifice of the Cross is perpetuated, Christ is really present in the very assembly gathered in his name, in the person of the minister, in his word, and indeed substantially and continuously under the Eucharistic species.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §27
When we gather for Sunday Mass, much more happens than meets the eye. To recognise the depth of what we do, we need attentive faith. Sunday after Sunday, we come to church—and it is all too easy to let this become a routine or empty ritual. Yet, we stand in the very presence of God when we are in the sacred assembly of his beloved people, to whom he speaks through word and sacrament.
‘O God, who in the one perfect sacrifice brought to completion varied offerings of the law, accept, we pray, this sacrifice from your faithful servants and make it holy, as you blessed the gifts of Abel, so that what each has offered to the honour of your majesty may benefit the salvation of all.’
—prayer over the offerings
Deuteronomy 30:10–14
The Law is not beyond your strength or beyond your reach.
Psalm 68(69):14, 17, 30–31, 33–34, 36–37
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
Colossians 1:15–20
All things were created through Christ and for Christ.
cf. John 6:63c, 68c
Your words, Lord, are spirit and life; you have the words of everlasting life.
Luke 10:25–37
The good Samaritan.
The celebration of Mass should be planned:
With due regard for the nature and the particular circumstances of each liturgical assembly, the entire celebration is planned in such a way that it leads to a conscious, active, and full participation of the faithful both in body and in mind, a participation burning with faith, hope, and charity, of the sort which is desired by the Church and demanded by the very nature of the celebration, and to which the Christian people have a right and duty by reason of their Baptism.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §18
The faithful participating at Mass is the heart of its celebration. However, this participation should involve much more than mere actions. What we do must touch our hearts—we need to be ‘living with faith, hope and charity’ as we engage in the celebration. We also need to carry the spirit of the celebration into our lives, and similarly burn to recognise and serve the Christ among us.
‘Look upon the offerings of the Church, O Lord, as she makes her prayer to you, and grant that, when consumed by those who believe, they may bring ever greater holiness.’
—prayer over the offerings
God gives us wisdom through the Holy Spirit. May the Spirit guide us as we pray today for all who are in need.
We pray for Pope Leo. May he continue inspiring the Church to demonstrate faith in Christ by embracing the cross with Jesus.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for all our world leaders. May they learn to trust Wisdom rather than their own limited personal resources.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
On this National Child Protection Sunday, we pray for all children. May we work together to create safe environments for them and guard them against all harm.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for our faith community. May we be strengthened to carry the crosses of our lives as we live out our baptism.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for …
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for all who are sick in our parish and for all who care for them.
We pray for those who have died recently and for those whose anniversaries we remember at this time. May they share fully in the glory of God’s promise.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
Merciful God, in your goodness, hear our prayers. Fill us with your kindness so that we may shout with joy and gladness for all our days. We offer our prayers to you through Christ, our Lord.
Amen.