25 August 2019 Year C • Season Colour: Green • Psalter Week 1 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON through him all things were made. 2. Strong is his love for us; Turn your ear, O Lord, and answer me; For us men and for our salvation he is faithful for ever. (R.) save the servant who trusts in you, my God. he came down from heaven, Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I cry to you all (all bow during the next three lines) the day long. SECOND READING Hebrews 12:5-7.11-13 and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Gloria A reading from the letter to the Hebrews. Virgin Mary, Glory to God in the highest, Have you forgotten that encouraging text in and became man. and on earth peace to people of good will. which you are addressed as sons? My son, For our sake he was crucified under We praise you, when the Lord corrects you, do not treat it Pontius Pilate, we bless you, lightly; but do not get discouraged when he he suffered death and was buried, we adore you, reprimands you. For the Lord trains the ones and rose again on the third day we glorify you, that he loves and he punishes all those that in accordance with the Scriptures. we give you thanks for your great glory, he acknowledges as his sons. Suffering is He ascended into heaven Lord God, heavenly King, part of your training; God is treating you as and is seated at the right hand of the Father. O God, almighty Father. his sons. Has there ever been any son whose He will come again in glory father did not train him? Of course, any to judge the living and the dead Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, punishment is most painful at the time, and and his kingdom will have no end. Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, far from pleasant; but later, in those on whom I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, you take away the sins of the world, it has been used, it bears fruit in peace and have mercy on us; the giver of life, goodness. So hold up your limp arms and who proceeds from the Father and the Son, you take away the sins of the world, steady your trembling knees and smooth out receive our prayer; who with the Father and the Son is adored the path you tread; then the injured limb will and glorified, you are seated at the right hand of the Father, not be wrenched, it will grow strong again. have mercy on us. who has spoken through the prophets. The word of the Lord. I believe in one, holy, catholic and For you alone are the Holy One, Thanks be to God. you alone are the Lord, apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, GOSPEL ACCLAMATION of sins with the Holy Spirit, Alleluia, alleluia! and I look forward to the resurrection of the in the glory of God the Father. If anyone loves me he will keep my word, dead Amen. and my Father will love him, and the life of the world to come. Amen. and we shall come to him. COLLECT Alleluia! O God, who cause the minds of the faithful PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS to unite in a single purpose, O Lord, who gained for yourself a people by grant your people to love what you command GOSPEL Luke 13:22-30 adoption through the one sacrifice offered once for all, and to desire what you promise, A reading from the holy Gospel according to bestow graciously on us, we pray, that, amid the uncertainties of this world, Luke. our hearts may be fixed on that place the gifts of unity and peace in your Church. where true gladness is found. Through towns and villages Jesus went Through Christ our Lord. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, teaching, making his way to Jerusalem. Amen. who lives and reigns with you in the unity of Someone said to him, “Sir, will there be only the Holy Spirit, a few saved?” He said to them, “Try your COMMUNION ANTIPHON one God, for ever and ever. best to enter by the narrow door, because I The earth is replete with the fruits of your Amen. tell you, many will try to enter and will not work, O Lord; succeed. you bring forth bread from the earth “Once the master of the house has got up and wine to cheer the heart. FIRST READING Isaiah 66:18-21 and locked the door, you may find yourself A reading from the prophet Isaiah. knocking on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION us’ but he will answer, ‘I do not know where Complete within us, O Lord, we pray, The Lord says this: I am coming to gather you come from.’ Then you will find yourself the healing work of your mercy the nations of every language. They shall saying, ‘We once ate and drank in your and graciously perfect and sustain us, come to witness my glory. I will give them company; you taught in our streets’ but he so that in all things we may please you. a sign and send some of their survivors to will reply, ‘I do not know where you come Through Christ our Lord. the nations: to Tarshish, Put, Lud, Moshech, from. Away from me, all you wicked men!’ Amen. Rosh, Tubal, and Javan, to the distant islands “Then there will be weeping and grinding that have never heard of me or seen my of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac glory. They will proclaim my glory to the and Jacob and all the prophets in the nations. As an offering to the Lord they kingdom of God, and yourselves turned will bring all your brothers, on horses, in outside. And men from east and west, from chariots, in litters, on mules, on dromedaries, north and south, will come to take their from all the nations to my holy mountain places at the feast in the kingdom of God. in Jerusalem, says the Lord, like Israelites “Yes, there are those now last who will be bringing oblations in clean vessels to the first, and those now first who will be last.” Temple of the Lord. And of some of them I will make priests and Levites, says the Lord. The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. PROFESSION OF FAITH I believe in one God, PSALM Psalm 116 the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, Response: of all things visible and invisible. Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, or the Only Begotten Son of God, Alleluia! born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, 1. O praise the Lord, all you nations, true God from true God, acclaim him all you peoples! (R.) begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;

Concordat cum originali: +Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin. Additional material, cum permissu: +Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin. Commentary by Fr Anthony Cassidy C.Ss.R. The English translation of the entrance and communion antiphons, the opening prayers, prayers over the gifts, gloria, creed, and prayers after communion from The Roman Missal, © 2010 International Commission of English in the Liturgy Corporation. Jerusalem Bible version of the scriptures copyright: Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd., and Doubleday & Co. Inc. Responsorial psalms are copyright The Grail and/or Geoffrey Chapman Ltd. Published in Ireland by Redemptorist Communications (www.redcoms.org); Published in the UK by Redemptorist Publications (www.rpbooks.co.uk) 25 August 2019 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

THE WORD Year C • Season Colour: Green • Psalter Week 1

SAY Lord, thank you for the The unique gifts of every child as they begin a new school year. Fill each student Narrow with fresh enthusiasm and a heart that is excited to Door learn and grow. Bless their teachers with wisdom and (Lk13: 22-30) understanding. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

LEARN

“It is not that we keep His commandments first and then he loves but that He loves and then we keep his commandments. This is grace revealed to the humble and hidden from the crowd.” (St Augustine) From a cultural point of view, this was one of the burning questions of Jesus’ time: “Will only a few be saved?” The Jews debated it quite DO often, and on a dusty road to Jerusalem, Jesus is asked the question by Take a moment to read today’s Gospel a member of the public. alongside the first reading from Isaiah. The call to be part of God’s holy people includes As is usual with Jesus, he doesn’t answer the question directly and instead uses this everyone. Reflect and pray about this theme image of the narrow door. Some will try to enter heaven using the door and they will throughout the week ahead. succeed and others will fail and be left standing outside. Another image is given of a man in a house who gets up at night to lock his door. Despite the pleading from the people outside the house, he does not let them in. They will continue to bang on the door and plead with him saying, “we ate and drank with you and you taught in our streets”, but the owner will reply, “I don’t know you or where you come from.”

So the people will be left standing outside the door while the feast at the heavenly table takes place. They will see all of the Jewish ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and all the prophets, dining in the Kingdom of God. Then to further rub salt into their wounds, the door will be opened even wider and foreigners from the four corners of the world will be allowed in, whilst all this time, they will be left waiting outside.

At this point of the Gospel, the initial question is finally being addressed: “Will only a few be saved?” The answer of course is that the feast is open to everyone but those who think they are entitled to be there may find no place for them. n

REFLECT here are times that the daily “If the gratuitousness of God’s invitation In reflecting on this short sermon, we sermons of Francis pass us isn’t understood, nothing is understood. can perhaps come to an appreciation of Tby. But one of the tasks that I would God’s initiative is always free. But what what is happening at the end of Luke’s encourage people to undertake is to must you pay to go to this banquet? The Gospel today. They gather from the four actively research his short homilies from entry ticket is to be sick, to be poor, to be corners of the world to enter the heavenly his chapel in the Vatican residence at the a sinner. These things allow you to enter, banquet and they are greeted with love Domus Sanctae Marthae. On November 7, this is the entry ticket: to be needy in both and care. The door to heaven is indeed 2017, reflected on salvation body and soul. It’s for those in need of narrow but God’s initiative to invite and to and had this to say: care, healing, in need of love.” love is always free. n