Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary time (A)
Let Your Life Tell God’s Story
Greeting (See Second Reading)
Thanks to God, you have heard his message
through his Son Jesus Christ.
It is God’s own message which the Church proclaims,
not some human thinking.
It gives you strength when you believe it.
May Jesus, God’s living Word, be always with you.
R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
How ridiculous when someone shows you the way and then gets lost himself! How credible is the politician who makes promises and then does not keep them, the catechist who teaches religion and does not go to church, a priest preaching about justice and not paying his personnel? If we want to be trustworthy and believable, we ourselves must live as we believe, especially those in tasks of leadership and ministries. Let us learn from Jesus, here in this Eucharist.
Penitential Act
Let us ask forgiveness from the Lord and each other
for scandalizing others
by not living up to the faith we profess.
(pause)
Lord Jesus, you came to serve,
not to be served:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, you yourself took up the cross
before you asked people to carry theirs after you:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, your yoke is light
because you have shown us the way:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord,
and forgive us all our sins.
Help us to serve the Father and people with you
and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray that our life
may not turn our faith into a lie
(pause)
Lord God, our Father,
you keep speaking your Word to us
through your Son Jesus Christ.
Make us listen to that word and welcome it
with all that is in us.
Let that word change our mentality and our ways,
that it may direct our life
to make it a lived message of Good News
for all to see, to be inspired by, and to follow.
Let it be the living power that leads all
to give you praise and glory,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
First Reading: Mal 1:14b-2:2b, 8-10 God’s Messengers Who Do Not Speak God’s Word
The prophet speaks hard words against priests who do not speak God’s Word. They mislead the people and violate the covenant. Should they not be the first to be converted to the Word of God?
and my name will be feared among the nations.
And now, O priests, this commandment is for you:
If you do not listen,
if you do not lay it to heart,
to give glory to my name, says the LORD of hosts,
I will send a curse upon you
and of your blessing I will make a curse.
You have turned aside from the way,
and have caused many to falter by your instruction;
you have made void the covenant of Levi,
says the LORD of hosts.
I, therefore, have made you contemptible
and base before all the people,
since you do not keep my ways,
but show partiality in your decisions.
Have we not all the one father?
Has not the one God created us?
Why then do we break faith with one another,
violating the covenant of our fathers?
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 131:1,2,3
O LORD, my heart is not proud,
nor are my eyes haughty;
I busy not myself with great things,
nor with things too sublime for me.
R. In you, Lord, I have found my peace.
Nay rather, I have stilled and quieted
my soul like a weaned child.
Like a weaned child on its mother’s lap,
so is my soul within me.
R. In you, Lord, I have found my peace.
O Israel, hope in the LORD,
both now and forever.
R. In you, Lord, I have found my peace.
Second Reading: 1 Thes 2:7b-9,13 Paul, A Good Messenger of the Lord
Paul displays all the qualities of a true messenger of the Gospel. He preaches the Gospel as God’s Word, not his own, is ready to back it up with his life, is affectionate to his people (as a mother, he says).
We were gentle among you, as a nursing mother cares for her children.
With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you
not only the gospel of God, but our very selves as well,
so dearly beloved had you become to us.
You recall, brothers and sisters, our toil and drudgery.
Working night and day in order not to burden any of you,
we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.
And for this reason we too give thanks to God unceasingly,
that, in receiving the word of God from hearing us,
you received not a human word but, as it truly is, the word of God,
which is now at work in you who believe.
Alleluia: Mt 23:9b,10b
You have but one Father in heaven
and one master, the Christ.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Mt 23:1-12 They Do Not Practice What They Preach
Jesus warns against teachers who do not practice what they preach: Do what they tell you, but do not follow their example. The great danger is that we won’t ever listen to them, for they are not credible.
“The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry
and lay them on people’s shoulders,
but they will not lift a finger to move them.
All their works are performed to be seen.
They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’
As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called ‘Master’;
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Intercessions
Let us pray today to the God of truth and love for truthfulness and authenticity in the Church and in the world, and let us say: R/ Lord, hear our prayer.
– For the Church, especially its leaders, that with courage and honesty they may take to heart the task of renewal and reconciliation, so as to become more the true face of Christ the Lord to the world of today, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear our prayer.
– For priests and religious, that the poverty and love of Christ and people may become visible in them and make their teaching credible, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear our prayer.
– For politicians and civic leaders, that their concern may not be honor and power but justice, dignity, and the unity of those whom they honestly serve, let us pray: R/ Lord, her our prayer.
– For all who seek God with a sincere heart, for all who search for truth and justice, that their hunger may be satisfied; for reporters of newspapers, television and radio, that the truth may mean more to them than sensationalism and popularity, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear our prayer.
– For all Christian communities, including ours, that we may be truthful and reliable with one another, that our unity and friendship may be genuine, that we may not look down on those who err or doubt, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear our prayer.
God our Father, help us to love and serve you and people in spirit and in truth, through him who is our way to you, Jesus Christ our Lord. R/Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father,
in these signs we celebrate the memorial
of the death and resurrection of your Son.
He showed us how deep and reliable
was his love for you and for us.
Make our love as genuine as his,
open to your presence in each of us,
capable of forgiving injuries,
and always willing to share the best of ourselves.
Make this come true in our lives,
that our offering may express what is in us
in spirit and in truth.
We ask you this in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
With Jesus, who came among us as the servant of all, we give thanks to the Father. R/ Our Father…
Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer
We have only one Father,
the One in heaven.
To him we pray with Jesus. R/ Our Father…
Deliver Us
Deliver us, Lord, from every evil,
from false appearances and pretences
that we are better than we really are.
Rip off our masks and place on our lips
words full and rich with the warmth of friendship,
that among us love may not be just a word
but a gesture of hope in the coming
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom…
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus the Lord, who says:
anyone who eats my flesh
and drinks my blood
will live because of me. R/ Lord, I am not worthy…
Prayer after Communion
God, who are we to boast or pretend?
It is you who have chosen us
and filled us with your gifts.
Even our capacity to do good
comes from your kindness.
By the strength of this Eucharist
make us unaffected and humble
before you and the good there is in people.
May we serve you with joy
in the simplicity of our hearts
and proclaim our faith with living deeds.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
You have only one Father,
the One in heaven.
You have only one Master,
Jesus our Lord.
Serve one another
in the Spirit of truth and love.
May the living and faithful God bless you:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go in peace, live as you believe,
and serve one another. R/ Thanks be to God.
Reflection:
5 November 2023
Matthew 23: 1-12
“Always preach the Gospel, use words when necessary.”
Jesus criticizes the hypocrisy of those who fail to practice what they preach. When our faith is reduced to empty words, unconcerned with the lives and needs of others, the creed we profess proves inconsistent with the life we lead. Thus, Jesus uses strong language in warning against self-idolatry. He tells us: “You have but one teacher and you are all brothers”.
A disciple of Jesus is called to be a person who speaks few words but acts more. Saint Francis of Assisi’s famous advice to two of his friars when they were sent to evangelize Muslims in the Holy Land is worth recalling: “Always preach the Gospel, use words when necessary.”
Pharisees and scribes proclaimed themselves official interpreters of the Torah – the Law of Moses; they interpreted what was good and what was evil. However, Jesus criticises them for their acts of public performances of piety to impress the crowd.
God’s word reminds us, particularly those in authority in the Church, not to engage in public displays of fasting and penance while our behaviour and relationships with others do not reflect this external display of spirituality. Let us not be among those who impose unbearable burdens on others but do nothing to assist.
Commenting on the gospel passage, Pope Francis says, “A common mistake of those in civil or ecclesiastical authority is demanding people to do things — even righteous things — that they fail to practise in the first person. They live a double life. This sets a bad example of authority. Authority is a help, but if it is wrongly exercised, it becomes oppressive; it does not allow people to grow, creates a climate of distrust and hostility, and leads to corruption.
“We disciples of Jesus must not seek titles of honour, authority or supremacy. We must not consider ourselves superior to others; Jesus, meek and humble of heart, came not to be served but to serve wants us to learn from him to be humble.”
May the Virgin Mary, “humble and exalted more than any creature”, help us, with her motherly intercession, to spurn pride and vanity and to be meek and docile to the love of God, for the service of our brothers and sisters and for their joy, which will also be our own.
“Always preach the Gospel, use words when necessary.” – Youtube