Hymns for Mass – Press Here

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON (Cf. Ps 17 (16):6, 8)
To you I call; for you will surely heed me, O God;
turn your ear to me; hear my words.
Guard me as the apple of your eye;
in the shadow of your wings protect me.

The Gloria in excelsis (Glory to God in the highest) is said.

COLLECT
Let us pray (pause)
Almighty ever-living God,
grant that we may always conform our will to yours
and serve your majesty in sincerity of heart.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
R. Amen.

READINGS

FIRST READING (As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight.)
A reading from the Book of Exodus (17:8-13)
In those days, Amalek came and waged war against Israel. Moses, therefore, said to Joshua, “Pick out certain men, and tomorrow go out and engage Amalek in battle. I will be standing on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses told him: he engaged Amalek in battle after Moses had climbed to the top of the hill with Aaron and Hur. As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight, but when he let his hands rest, Amalek had the better of the fight. Moses’ hands, however, grew tired; so they put a rock in place for him to sit on. Meanwhile Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other, so that his hands remained steady till sunset. And Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. —The Word of the Lord.
R. Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8)
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. (Cf. Ps 121:2)

I lift up my eyes toward the mountains; whence shall help come to me? My help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. (R)

May he not suffer your foot to slip; may he slumber not who guards you: indeed he neither slumbers nor sleeps, the guardian of Israel. (R)

The Lord is your guardian; the Lord is your shade; he is beside you at your right hand. The sun shall not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. (R)

The Lord will guard you from all evil; he will guard your life. The Lord will guard your coming and your going, both now and forever. (R)

SECOND READING (One who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work.)
A reading from the second Letter of Saint Paul to Timothy (3:14-4:2)
Beloved: Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it, and that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power: proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching. —The Word of the Lord.
R. Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Heb 4:12)
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective, discerning reflections and thoughts of the heart. (R)

GOSPEL (God will secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him.)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (18:1-8)
Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, “There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’ For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’” The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” —The Gospel of the Lord.
R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

The Creed is said.

PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS
Grant us, Lord, we pray,
a sincere respect for your gifts,
that, through the purifying action of your grace,
we may be cleansed by the very mysteries we serve.
Through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.

PREFACE OF THE SUNDAYS IN ORDINARY TIME

COMMUNION ANTIPHON (Cf. Ps 33 (32):18-19)
Behold, the eyes of the Lord
are on those who fear him,
who hope in his merciful love,
to rescue their souls from death,
to keep them alive in famine.
– – – Or (Mk 10:45) – – –
The Son of Man has come
to give his life as a ransom for many.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Let us pray (pause)
Grant, O Lord, we pray,
that, benefiting from participation in heavenly things,
we may be helped by what you give in this present age
and prepared for the gifts that are eternal.
Through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.

SOLEMN BLESSING IN ORDINARY TIME

Homily

Looking around, we can see that we are not a very patient people. We want instant and immediate results. More and more we depend on fast food, or instant communication. This disposition is particularly obvious in the popularity in ads and on-line of quick weight-loss programs – that promise losing 4.5 kg in 3 weeks! The virtue of perseverance is not high on our list of cultural values. It is rare to even hear it discussed in church or among Catholic groups. This is very strange because we know that we will not get far in life without perseverance! A marriage will not endure if there is no willingness by both parties to persevere in hard times. A musician or vocalist must work at practicing if they ever hope to become accomplished artists. Those who want to work in professional sports know they must persevere in hours of practice to achieve their goal. In the world of business or any other profession we know we have to “hang in there” as they say if we want to succeed.

All our readings today talk about PERSEVERANCE. The first reading recounts an example of perseverance in PRAYER; in our 2nd reading, Paul admonishes Timothy to PERSEVERE in proclaiming the Word; and the woman in the Gospel exemplifies PERSEVERANCE in the quest for justice. So, what is the lesson for us today from these readings?

The militant character of the reading from Exodus as well as the notion that God determines winners and losers on the battlefield trouble many people when they hear this. And this is rightly so because it is not the intention of the reading to foster that idea but rather the point of the story is the need for persistence in prayer, despite the hardships we might encounter in the effort.

Another feature of this event from Exodus is the need for communal support. There are times in life when we cannot do well without the support of others. The burden may be ours, but we don’t have to be alone as we bear it. What is required is humility on our part, for we will have to admit that we really cannot endure it alone. The same is true if we reverse roles a bit. There will be times in life – like the example of Aaron and Hur in this reading – where we might be called upon to support someone else. The need for perseverance in prayer and the importance of communal support – such as our own community’s “Dial God Direct” prayer forum – are lessons of perseverance we can find from this first reading.

Turning to the woman in the Gospel, she is not a stereotypical “old shrew”. She is someone who suffers prejudice on three levels. As a woman in a patriarchal society, she is severely restricted. As a widow in that same society, she has no male advocate and so she is readily deprived of legal protection. Added to this, the judge is not rendering a just judgment. Yet, she stands up bravely against the system that repeatedly discriminates against her. And she is held up by Jesus as an example of one who will not capitulate in the face of opposition.

Paul, acting in his role as the mentor for Timothy, admonishes him to persevere in proclaiming the Gospel. Anyone committed to such a ministry knows the struggles involved. Trying to convince people who are skeptical is not easy; having to reprimand those who have made mistakes is never pleasant; and constantly encouraging people who do not respond to it can become disheartening. The obstacles and challenges that Timothy faced are those faced each day by men and women of faith world-wide. They know that proclaiming the Gospel is not always convenient.

Our psalm response today was selected by the Church because it picks up the theme of the mountain from the first reading. But it serves as an appropriate prayer of confidence for any situation that calls on perseverance (Psalm 121). The mountain is a metaphor for the dwelling place of God, and it is to God that we look for the help we need to persevere. God is characterized as a guardian who will keep us from harm, a place of shade where we are safe from the heat of the burning sun. Such a God will surely grant the strength we need to persevere.

While the details these readings may seem far from our own experience, the messages underlying them are relevant. We live in times of great distress. Wars, civil disobedience, social unrest are prevalent throughout the world. People are faced with serious decisions: Do we want to win the battle? Or do we want to win real and lasting peace? It seems more and more that we can seldom achieve both, because peace requires some form of reconciliation, not merely conquest. Because of this, we find that this is the time when one must turn to God and persevere in prayer. It is a time when we must support one another in our efforts towards such a commitment. Our Gospel should encourage all of us who experience injustice of any kind. Like the woman who bore the burden of discrimination, we must not waver in demanding just judgments. Though not explicitly included in this passage, the notion of communal support is a theme for consideration this Sunday. Therefore, it prompts us to ask ourselves how do we support those who suffer any form of discrimination?

Finally, as baptized Christians, we are all called to proclaim the gospel. We do this primarily by the character of our lives. Our honesty, our generosity, our willingness to forgive serve to convince, reprimand, or encourage others. Paul’s words speak to all of us: “Be persistent, whether it is convenient or inconvenient!” or better, just “HANG IN THERE!”

Prayers

Celebrant: We must pray continually and never lose heart. God will see justice done to his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night. Encouraged by his teachings, let us come before the Lord with our intercessions.

READER: That the pastors of our communities may always be ready to serve the faithful in the spirit of their Master, courageous in correcting falsehoods and error, and calling us to obedience, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: That men and women in authority will respond generously to the needs of the poor and helpless, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: That through the intercession of St. Margaret Mary, we continue to hold a deep devotion to the Sacred Heart, especially in our love and care for all around us, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: That judges, lawyers and those in legal professions be guided by fundamental natural law, and act fairly, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: [SMC only For the deceased members of the Tsoi and Edwards families, for whom this Mass is offered, and] For all living and deceased members of our community who we remember in our prayers, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

CELEBRANT: Almighty God, judge of the living and the dead, accept the prayers we bring before you, with the merciful compassion of your Son, who lives and reigns, forever and ever, (all) AMEN.