25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Saint of the Day:

Pacificus of San Severino

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacificus_of_San_Severino

http://www.katolsk.no/biografi/pseverin.htm

Entrance Antiphon:

I am the Saviour of all people, says the Lord. Whatever thier troubles, I will answer their cry, and I will always be their Lord.

Opening Prayer:

Let us pray that we will grow in the love of God and of one another.

Father,

guide us, as you guide creation according to your love. May we love one another and come to perfection in the eternal life prepared for us. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.

Alternative Opening Prayer:

Let us pray to the Lord who is a God of love to all peoples.

Father in heaven,

the perfection of Justice is found in your love and al mankind is in need of your law.

Help us to find this love in each other that justice may be attained through obedience to your law. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

First Reading:

Wisdom 2:12, 17-20

The wicked detest the just one because the person of God disturbs their conscience. They are anxious to do away with the good, saying that God will care for them if they are really his.

The wicked say:

Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us;

he sets himself against our doings, reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training.

Let us see whether his words be true;

let us find out what will happen to him.

For if the just one be the Son of God, God will defend him

and deliver him from the hand of his foes.

With revilement and torture let us put the just one to the test

that we may have proof of his gentleness and try his patience.

Let us condemn him to a shameful death;

for according to his own words, God will take care of him.

Responsorial Psalm:

(Psalm 54)

R: The Lord upholds my life.

O God, by your name save me,

and by your might defend my cause.

O God, hear my prayer,

hearken to the words of my mouth.

R

For the haughty have risen up against me,

the ruthless seek my life;

they set not God before thier eyes.

R

Behold, God is my helper;

the Lord sustains my life.

Freely will I offer you sacrifice;

I will praise your name, O Lord, for its goodness.

R

Second Reading:

(James 3:16 -- 4:3)

Wisdom begets innocence. It is peace-loving, kind, docile, impartial, and sincere. The inner cravings of human beingslead to murder, envy, and squandering.

Beloved:

Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practise. But the Wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconsistency or insincereity. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.

Where do wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? Is it not from your passions that make war with your members? You covet but do not posess. You kill and envy but you cannot obtain; you fight and wage war. You do not possess because you do not ask. You ask but do not recieve, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

Alleluia

(2 Thess 2:14)

Jesus tells his trusted disciples of his forthcoming sufferings, death and resurrection. Then he tells the Twelve about humility. To rank first, one must remain the last and be the servant of all.

Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it. He was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him.

They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest among them. Then he say down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” Taking a child, he placed it in thier midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, “Whoever recieves one child such as this in my name, recieves me; whoever recieves me, recieves not me but the One who sent me.”

Prayer over the Gifts:

Lord,

may these gifts we now offer

to show our belief and our love

be pleasing to you.

May they become for us

the eucharist of Jesus Christ your Son,

Lord for ever and ever.

Amen.

Communion Antiphon:

(Ps 119:4f)

You have laid down your precepts to be faithfully kept.

May my footsteps be firm in keeping your commands.

Alternate Communion Antiphon:

(John 10:14)

I am the Good Shepherd, says the Lord;

I know my sheep, and mine know me.

Prayer after Communion:

Lord,

help us with your kindness.

Make us strong through the eucharist.

May we put into action the saving mystery we celebrate.

We ask this through Jesus, the Lord.

Amen.

+ + +

Commentary on This Week's Mass Readings:

Once again, this Sunday’s message is one of love and peace. While last week’s readings dealt with living out one’s faith through acts of love and peace towards ones’ neighbours, this week’s readings focus on how living the gospel message of faith, love and peace may be opposed by those who lack these spiritual attributes. We learn the price of showing compassion and working towards peace in a world and social order that is broken and filled with fear and pain.

The opening prayers each speak of the growth of love among all peoples.

The first reading in the book of Wisdom deals with how those who walk the path of love and peace are persectued by those who worship worldly power and authority. This selection from the Book of Wisdom shows that the persection of peacemakers and followers of The Good is nothing new. The author(s) of the book are not known to us; all that we know is that the book was written about a century or two before the time of Jesus by Jews living in Alexandria, Egypt. Wisdom was meant to offer moral and spiritual support to members of the Jewish Diaspora who were being persecuted by fundamentalist and other radical religious factions within the Jewsish community. The writers even called upon the name of the great leader Solomon to emphasize the timelessness and importance of their message; this literary devise was quite common among post-exhilic Jewish literature.

The second reading in The Letter of St. James speaks of avoiding conflicts – the only possible basis for any “consistent life ethic” or “peace ethic”. This reading has special relevance to current events: we do not have to look far to see leaders who are acting in selfish and jealous ways. The President of the United States and members of his Cabinet are examples of how when a person turns from the path of peace they unleash an entire host of ills upon society. George Bush’s coveting of the oil and resources of Iraq led him to war; his greed and envy have led him to wage an unjust war. Bush’s inner “passions” as St. James calls them have led to the loss of thousands of lives and the peace of an entire geographical region. Bush calls upon God in his public speeches as if he were a man of faith, but as St. James states, “… you ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” Bush wants the fruits of peace without having to live in a peaceful manner.

The gospel reading from The Gospel according to St. Mark speaks of how we must be willing to be a worker in the service of God, others and the Common Good. We are to peacefully and lovingly participate in society to build a good life for all; believers are not to feel that they are superior to others in society. Believers are not to worry about their worldly status or whether they “have made it” or “are the best”. We are each simply called to live according to our inner word and follow the path of righteousness which Jesus has set before us in word and deed. Instead of quibbling about who is “a better Christian”, “more faithful” or “moral” as the disciples were doing, we need to understand humility and servanthood.

Finally, the prayer after communion asks that we take what has made us strong through the liturgy of the word and the Eucharist and “put into action the saving mystery we celebrate”.

Some links about peace:

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gandhism

http://www.gandhiinstitute.org/

http://www.catholicpeacefellowship.org/

http://www.paxchristiusa.org/index.asp