THE SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME: 19th July 2020
SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
✠ In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lord Jesus, I come to you in sorrow for my
failings, and confess to you my weakness
and unbelief.
A brief pause for silence follows
I confess to almighty God
that I have greatly sinned,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done
and in what I have failed to do,
through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;
therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
and all the Angels and Saints,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.
May almighty God have mercy on us, ✠
forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting
life. Amen.
THE GLORIA Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to people of good will.
We praise you, we bless you, we adore you,
we glorify you, we give you thanks
for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King,
O God, almighty Father.
Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son,
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us; you take away
the sins of the world, receive our prayer;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father,
have mercy on us.
For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord, you alone are the
Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
THE COLLECT FOR THE DAY
Show favour, O Lord, to your servants and mercifully increase the gifts of your grace, that, made fervent in hope, faith and charity, they may be ever watchful in keeping your commands. 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.
FIRST READING Wisdom 12:13,16-19
There is no god, other than you, who cares for every thing,to whom you might have to prove that you never judged unjustly.
Your justice has its source in strength,
your sovereignty over all makes you lenient to all. You show your strength when your sovereign power is questioned and you expose the insolence of those who know it;
but, disposing of such strength, you are mild in judgement, you govern us with great lenience, for you have only to will, and your power is there.
By acting thus you have taught a lesson to your people how the virtuous man must be kindly to his fellow men,
and you have given your sons the good hope that after sin you will
grant repentance
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 85(86):5-6,9-10,15-16
O Lord, you are good and forgiving.
O Lord, you are good and forgiving,
full of love to all who call.
Give heed, O Lord, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my voice.
O Lord, you are good and forgiving.
All the nations shall come to adore you
and glorify your name, O Lord:
for you are great and do marvellous deeds,
you who alone are God.
O Lord, you are good and forgiving.
But you, God of mercy and compassion,
slow to anger, O Lord,
abounding in love and truth,
turn and take pity on me.
O Lord, you are good and forgiving.
SECOND READING: Romans 8:26-27
The Spirit comes to help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself expresses our plea
in a way that could never be put into words, and God who knows everything in our hearts knows perfectly well what he means, and that the pleas of the saints expressed by the Spirit
are according to the mind of God.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Ephesians 1:17-18
Alleluia, alleluia!
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our mind,
so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.
Alleluia!
GOSPEL Matthew 13:24-43
Jesus put another parable before the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well. The owner’s servants went to him and said, “Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?” “Some enemy has done this” he answered. And the servants said, “Do you want us to go and weed it out?” But he said, “No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.”’
He put another parable before them:
‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the biggest shrub of all and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and shelter in its branches.’
He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like the yeast a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour till it was leavened all through.’ In all this Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables; indeed, he would never speak to them except in parables. This was to fulfil the prophecy: I will speak to you in parables and expound things hidden since the foundation of the world.
Then, leaving the crowds, he went to the house; and his disciples came to him and said, ‘Explain the parable about the darnel in the field to us.’ He said in reply, ‘The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed is the subjects of the kingdom; the darnel, the subjects of the evil one; the enemy who sowed them, the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels. Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that provoke offences and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the virtuous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Listen, anyone who has ears!’
HOMILY
The Kingdom of Heaven likened to a diligent farmer sowing good seed,
with a rival resentful grower, an enemy,
motivated by a desire to choke the good crop with weeds.
Then again the Kingdom of Heaven is likened to the sowing of mustard seed,
the smallest of seeds, which produces shrubs large enough to shelter birds.
Finally the Kingdom of Heaven is likened to yeast,
which brings life to lifeless dough.
The key concept in each of these illustrations
is that the Kingdom of Heaven is life-giving.
Small beginnings planted in ordinary circumstances,
coming to fruition in the best way possible.
We all have the potential to be ambassadors of the Kingdom.
Where in my life do my actions and attitudes display Kingdom values?
We can easily pin-point areas where the Kingdom of Heaven is challenged -
family conflicts,
personal crises,
moments of danger,
life-failures,
moments of despair,
fears of the present or the future.
I need to let the King into these areas,
to allow me to conquer afflictions,
to overcome life-sapping passions, anger, ego, fear,
sensuality, pride or the desire to retaliate.
“I have come that (you) might have life, and have it in abundance” (John 10:10)
What in my life is life-giving?
That has its roots in the values of the Kingdom of Heaven,
and works, through me and you, for the benefit of all.
What in my life is life-sapping?
That needs to be placed under the scrutiny of the King of Kings
to be transformed from uselessness to usefulness.
Mary proclaimed Kingdom values in The Magnificat.
Mary stands as the first among us, the first Christian,
the first to carry Christ, the first to stand by Him and for Him.
Her “yes” to God invites us to give an equally-positive response
to the call of the Kingdom.
Mary’s Magnificat proclaims the upside-down values of the Kingdom of God, and if we dare to sing it, then perhaps we too
are encouraged, provoked, obliged, to seek to reflect these values,
not only in the way in which we view ourselves,
but in the way in which we order our lives and respond to others.
May God’s Kingdom come, and may it begin in me.
THE PROFESSION OF FAITH
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son,
our Lord, who was conceived by the
Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
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,
He is seated at the right hand of the Father,
And he will come 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.
THE PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL
Let us pray to the Lord, who is our refuge and stronghold.
For the health and well-being of our nation, that all who are fearful and anxious may be at peace and free from worry: Lord, hear us, Lord, graciously hear us.
For the isolated and housebound, that we may be alert to their needs, and care for them in their vulnerability: Lord, hear us, Lord, graciously hear us.
For our homes and families, our schools and young people, and all in any kind of need or distress: Lord, hear us, Lord, graciously hear us.
For a blessing on our local community, that our neighbourhoods may be places of trust and friendship, where all are known and cared for: Lord, hear us, Lord, graciously hear us.
For all who are affected by coronavirus, through illness or isolation or anxiety, that they may find relief and recovery: Lord, hear us, Lord, graciously hear us.
For those who are guiding our nation at this time, and shaping national policies, that they may make wise decisions: Lord, hear us, Lord, graciously hear us.
For doctors, nurses and medical researchers, that through their skill and insights many will be restored to health: Lord, hear us, Lord, graciously hear us.
For the vulnerable and the fearful, for the gravely ill, the dying, and all who have died, that they may know your comfort and peace:
✠ Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord,
and let light perpetual shine upon them.
Pray with us, Mary, Mother of God, to the Father, through your Son, in the Holy Spirit:
Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death
Keep us, good Lord, under the shadow of your mercy in this time of uncertainty and distress. Sustain and support the anxious and fearful, and lift up all who are brought low; that we may rejoice in your comfort knowing that nothing can separate us from your love in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God;
for it is right and just.
It is truly right and just to give you thanks
and raise to you a hymn of glory and praise,
O Lord, Father of infinite goodness.
For by the word of your Son’s Gospel
you have brought together one Church
from every people, tongue, and nation, and,
having filled her with life by the power of your Spirit,
you never cease through her
to gather the whole human race into one.
Manifesting the covenant of your love,
she dispenses without ceasing the blessed hope of your Kingdom
and shines bright as the sign of your faithfulness,
which in Christ Jesus our Lord you promised
would last for eternity.
And so, with all the Powers of heaven,
we worship you constantly on earth,
while, with all the Church, as one voice we acclaim:
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
✠ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
At the Saviour’s command and formed by
divine teaching, we dare to say: Our Father…..
…..but deliver us from evil.
Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,
graciously grant peace in our days, that, by the
help of your mercy, we may be always free
from sin and safe from all distress, as we await
the blessed hope and the coming of our
Saviour, Jesus Christ.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory
are yours now and for ever.
Jesus my Lord and my brother,
who brought divine Life out of human death,
you are meeting me here and now in this place,
in this moment.
I pause to remember
that the one thing I desire above all others
is for you to be with me.
Though I cannot receive you here and now
in the Mass, come into my heart,
and open my eyes to your sacred presence…
I offer myself to you in service.
Time to receive the Lord’s Presence spiritually.
“My Jesus, I believe that You are present
in the Most Holy Sacrament of the altar.
I love You above all things, and I desire
to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive You
sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my
heart … I embrace You as if You were already
there, and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You,”
Eternal God, in Christ you make yourself a guest.
Amid all my cares and concerns
make me attentive to your voice
and alert to your presence,
that I may know your love
that surpasses all else,
and share it with others.
God our Father, we place in your hands our unfinished tasks, our unsolved problems, and our unfulfilled hopes, knowing that only what you bless will prosper. To your love and protection we commit each other and all those we love, knowing that you alone are our sure defender, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
THE ANGELUS The angel of the Lord brought tidings unto Mary
And she conceived by the Holy Ghost.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death.
Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. Hail Mary….
And the Word was made flesh.
And dwelt amongst us. Hail Mary….
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
We beseech thee, O Lord, pour thy grace into our
hearts, that as we have known the Incarnation of
thy Son Jesus Christ by the message of an angel,
so by his ✠ Cross and Passion we may be brought
unto the glory of his Resurrection; through the
same Christ our Lord. Amen.
BLESSING May the Lord bless us and keep us; May
the Lord make his face shine on us and be gracious
to us; may the Lord smile upon us and give us
peace, now and for ever. Amen.
