15th  SUNDAY  OF  THE  YEAR (Cycle C) "You shall love your neighbour as yourself." ENTRANCE ANTIPHON In my justice I shall see your face, O Lord; when your glory appears, my joy will be full. PENITENTIAL RITE In today’s liturgy with its insistence on making God’s commandments our guide along with Jesus’ illustration of how to be a good neighbour in his parable of the Good Samaritan, we have a very important teaching. Let us ask ourselves, how do we put into practice this teaching.  (Pause) I confess ... Glory to God ... OPENING PRAYER Let us pray. God our Father, your light of truth guides us to the way of Christ. May all who follow him reject what is contrary to the gospel. We ask this... FIRST READING (Moses exhorts the people to be faithful to the covenant they made with God by observing his commandments.) A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy (30:10-14) Moses said to the people, "You will obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law; you will turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. "For this commandment which I command you this day is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up for us to heaven, and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us, and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it." This is the Word of the Lord PSALM (68) Response: Seek the Lord, you who are poor, and your hearts will revive. This is my prayer to you, my prayer for your favour. In your great love, answer me, O God, with your help that never fails: Lord, answer, for your love is kind; in your compassion, turn towards me. R./ As for me in my poverty and pain let your help, O God, lift me up. I will praise God’s name with a song; I will glorify him with thanksgiving. R./ The poor when they see it will be glad and God-seeking hearts will revive; for the Lord listens to the needy and does not spurn his servants in their chains. R./ For God will bring help to Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. The sons of his servants shall inherit it; those who love his name shall dwell there. R./ SECOND READING (St Paul uses an old Christian hymn to explain to the Colossians the unique person that Jesus is.) A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Colossians (1:15-20) Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the Church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION (Jn 10:27) Alleluia, alleluia! My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them and they follow me. Alleluia! GOSPEL (The story of the Good Samaritan gives each one of us an uncomfortable message about selfless love.) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Luke (10:25-37) A lawyer stood up to put Jesus to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read?" And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind: and your neighbour as yourself." And he said to him, "You have answered right; do this, and you will live." But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbour?" Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the inn-keeper, saying, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbour to the man who fell among the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed mercy on him." And Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise." 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: Jesus has told us, "Ask and you shall receive." Confident that our Father will grant us what we ask him, let us lift up our hearts to him in prayer. Response: Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. 1. For our Holy Father the Pope, bishops, priests, religious and catechists that they may show at all times a deep concern for the material and spiritual needs of the people, let us pray… R./ 2. For this our Christian community that care for the poor and the needy around us may always be at the centre of our life and worship, let us pray… R./ 3. For ourselves that we may have a heart that is generous enough to put off our immediate interests in order to help those in need, let us pray… R./ 4. For the sick and the afflicted that there may be people who, by offering them help and protection, may reveal God’s love to them in the midst of their trials, let us pray… R./ (Pray for personal/local needs.) Cel: God almighty, in our worship of today you have given us the message of generosity which cures prejudice and brings true repentance for sins. May we become compassionate disciples of Jesus like the Good Samaritan. We make this prayer… PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS Lord, accept the gifts of your Church. May this eucharist help us to grow in holiness and faith. We ask this… PREFACE (P 29-36) COMMUNION ANTIPHON The sparrow even finds a home, the swallow finds a nest wherein to place her young, near to your altars, Lord of hosts, my King, my God! How happy they who dwell in your house! For ever they are praising you. PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Lord, by our sharing in the mystery of this Eucharist, let your saving love grow within us. Grant this through Our Lord Jesus Christ… LITURGY  AND  LIFE In a certain town a rich man was travelling in his car. On the way he saw a group of people gathered together along the road. As he came close to them he was stopped by the crowd. They told him that a car hit a boy and he needed immediate medical help. They requested him to take the boy to the hospital. The man said that he had some other work and drove away. When he reached home in the evening he had a phone call from the hospital saying that his son met with an accident and died. The boy was brought late to the hospital and the doctors could not save him. The man was heart-broken for the mistake he did because it was his own son who was hit by a car and the crowd asked him to take to the hospital. It is true that when an unknown third person is suffering we don’t feel much. But when it is our kith and kin that is suffering we forget ourselves and we are unconsciously driven by an inner force to help. Today’s parable of the Good Samaritan challenges this attitude of ours and shows us that as Christians we should not show any discrimination when it comes to the point of helping somebody. For a Jew to help anyone who is a non-Jew was unheard of. Jesus wanted to get across to the scribe the important message that anyone of any nation, who is in need, is our neighbour and there is no question of picking and choosing. Often when we see a person is suffering or is in difficulty we feel pity for that person. We stop at that level of feeling sorry. Jesus calls for a practical response, which would mean spending our time, our energy, our money etc. If we are not ready to do that we will be like that Levite who felt pity for the wounded man but did nothing. Feeling pity for a suffering person must lead us to action, only then such feeling will become fruitful. To be a follower of Christ calls for heroism, risking one’s life, time, wealth and energy. One cannot play a safe game and at the same time be a faithful Christian. One risks one’s life and reaches out to the needy person or remains a lukewarm Christian. The greatest commandment is that we love God and our neighbour. Nobody can claim that he is a Christian if he neglects these two aspects of his life. St John says, "If some one says that he loves God but hates his brother, he is a liar. For he cannot love God whom he cannot see, if he does not love his neighbour whom he can see." We have to be convinced of Christ’s words. Often we have a heart to help others but not the courage to carry it out. Sometimes people put doubts into our minds as regards the consequences of our help. When it is within our power to help, no one should prevent us. "When you did this to the least of my brothers, you did it to me" (Mt 25:40). There are many people who are lonely and frustrated in life, who are searching for meaning in life, who want peace of mind and who experience mental suffering. We are chosen by God to reach out to these unfortunate persons and help them by showing interest in their life by our timely advice and action. During this Mass let us ask the Lord for a change of heart and to give us a heart that is sensitive to the cries of the poor, a heart that is able to understand the sufferings of others. July 2007 READINGS OF THE WEEK (Psalter Week 3) 16/Mon (W/G) Or Our Lady of Mount Carmel Ex 1:8-14,22; Ps 123:1-3,4-6,7-8; Mt 10:34-11:1 Zech 2:14-17; Ps Lk 1:46-47,48-49,50-51,52-53, 54-55; Mt 12:46-50 17/Tue (G) Ex 2:1-15a; Ps 68:3,14,30-31,33-34; Mt 11:20-24 18/Wed (G) Ex 3:1-6,9-12; Ps 102:1-2,3-4,6-7; Mt 11:25-27 19/Thu (G) Ex 3:13-20; Ps 104:1&5,8-9,24-25,26-27; Mt 11:28-30 20/Fri (G/R) Or S. Apollinaris, bp m Ex 11:10-12,14; Ps 115:12-13,15-16, 17-18; Mt 12:1-8 21/Sat (G/W) Or S. Lawrence of Brindisi, pt dr Or BVM on Saturday Ex 12:37-42; Ps 135:1&23-24,10-12,13-15; Mt 12:14-21