September 24, 2023

Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary time (A)

 

1. An Unbelievably Good God
3. God Is Grace

 

Greeting (See First Reading)

“Seek the Lord while he is still to be found,
call to him while he is still near,” says the prophet.
God himself goes out to seek you,
says the message of today.
May the Lord find you and stay always with you.

R/ And also with you.

 

Introduction by the Celebrant

1. An Unbelievably Good God

When you come to think of it, often we cannot understand God’s goodness. Why is he so patient with sinners? Why does he give his gifts to people who, in our opinion, do not deserve them, or waste them? But God’s ways are not our ways, his thoughts are not always our thoughts. Let us ask the Lord Jesus in this Eucharist that our thoughts and actions may become more like those of God.

 

2. God Is Grace

God is scandalously just and good, because God is grace. He is so good that at times we cannot understand him. Why is he so lenient with notorious sinners? We forget how lenient he is with us, sinners too. Let us open our hearts to his mercy and goodness. He gives without our asking. He gives for free. He gives more richly than we dare to expect. The first and the last receive his love. The first and the last are invited to his table. Let us join Jesus in thanksgiving.

 

Penitential Act

We may have questioned at times
God’s generosity and merciful love
and envied the gifts he gave to others.
Let us ask the Lord to forgive us.
                  (pause)
Lord Jesus, in your mercy
you keep forgiving sinners:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, in your generosity
you keep giving rich gifts to us and to others,
knowing well that often we will not use them:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, in your patience
you keep inviting us to think and act
in your own inimitable ways:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Forgive us Lord, that all too often
we fail to understand your astonishing goodness.
Be patient with us, Lord,
and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

 

Opening Prayer

Let us pray to God that he may attune
our thoughts and actions to his own
                  (pause)
Lord our God, you say of yourself
that you are good with a love
that surpasses even justice.
Thank you for accepting the little ones as much as the great,
those who turn to you at the last hour
as well as the laborers who have toiled all their lives.
Open us more to the free gifts of your grace,
make us accept them with gratitude
and appreciate how liberally you give to others.
Turn our ways into your ways of love.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

 

First Reading (Is 55:6-9): Seek the Ways of the Lord

God is high above us, yet very close to us. We should seek him and learn to think and act in God’s ways.

Second Reading (Phil 1:20c-24,27a): For Me, “Life” Means Christ

For Paul, it doesn’t matter much whether he lives or dies. Alive, he serves Christ; by dying he will be with Christ. But he is willing to continue working in the service of the Gospel.

Gospel (Mt 20:1-16a): God Is Generous To All

God’s generosity surpasses our human reasoning. He gives everybody a chance to enter his kingdom; he lets us share in his life, not because we deserve it but because he is good.

Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner
who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.
After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,
he sent them into his vineyard.
Going out about nine o’clock,
the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard,
and I will give you what is just.’
So they went off.
And he went out again around noon,
and around three o’clock, and did likewise.
Going out about five o’clock,
the landowner found others standing around, and said to them,
‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’
They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’
He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’
When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,
‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay,
beginning with the last and ending with the first.’
When those who had started about five o’clock came,
each received the usual daily wage.
So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,
but each of them also got the usual wage.
And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,
‘These last ones worked only one hour,
and you have made them equal to us,
who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’
He said to one of them in reply,
‘My friend, I am not cheating you.
Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
Take what is yours and go.
What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?
Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?
Are you envious because I am generous?’
Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Let us pray to God our Father whose generosity is always greater than we expect or can imagine. Let us say: R/ Lord, your love is everlasting.

–   That the fresh faith of new converts may wake up and inspire those born in Christian families, let us pray: R/ Lord, your love is everlasting.

–   That there may be more justice in our world but that justice may always be imbued with much love, let us pray: R/ Lord, your love is everlasting.

–   That Christians may contribute to our world a sense of giving out of pure generosity and goodness, and a sense of joyful celebration, let us pray: R/ Lord, your love is everlasting.

–   That in our human community everyone may be accepted as he or she is; that we may not exclude anyone from our love and that we may learn to forgive everyone, let us pray: R/ Lord, your love is everlasting.

–   That in our Christian communities we may not be jealous of each other’s gifts and talents but use ours and let others use theirs in the service of the unity and growth of all, let us pray: R/ Lord, your love is everlasting.

Lord, we still have to learn much from you. Make us generous like you, that we may live fully and bring others to life, through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

 

Prayer over the Gifts

Generous Father,
in these signs of bread and wine
you give us, weak and tired as we are,
your Son as our companion.
We open ourselves to his strength and love.
May he help us in the heat of the day
to bear the burdens of our struggles
and to seek your will in all we do.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

 

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

Our own hands are empty as we stand before God. But he is good and loves us. He has given us his Son Jesus Christ who brought us God’s mercy. Through him we now give thanks to our Father.

 

Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer

We rely on the generosity of our Father in heaven
as we pray to him in the words of Jesus. R/ Our Father…

 

Deliver Us

Deliver us Lord, from the evil of sin
and keep us from applying to you
our human thoughts and norms.
Enlarge our hearts to the dimensions
of your own generosity without limits,
that we may prepare with hope and joy
the full coming among us
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom…

 

Invitation to Communion

This is Jesus the Lord,
who gives himself freely
to the strong and the weak.
Happy are we
that he is our life and joy. R/ Lord, I am not worthy…

 

Prayer after Communion

Generous Father,
in this Eucharist we have experienced again
that life and all that we are
is nothing else that a gift from you.
May the challenging word of your Son
stir us to accept and serve our neighbor
as you have accepted and loved us
without any merit on our part.
And may the body of your Son
give us the courage to put his word into practice.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

 

Blessing

In this Eucharist we have been with Jesus.
He spoke to us,
we sat with him at table,
and if we are open to him,
he has filled us with his gifts of strength
and compassion and the power to forgive,
he has made us capable of love.
All for free.
Let us be thankful for these gifts and use them.

May almighty God bless you,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

Let us go in peace
and seek the ways of the Lord. R/ Thanks be to God.