10th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Facing the Reality of Sin
Sin Is the Enemy
Greeting (see Second Reading)
We believe and we proclaim
that he who raised the Lord Jesus to life
will raise us up with Jesus in our turn
and put us by his side.
For this we give thanks and glory to God.
May this Lord Jesus be always with you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction
1. Facing the Reality of Sin
When we see the evil rampant in the world, do we also look at the evil in ourselves, take the responsibility for it without excuses, and ask the Lord to forgive us? Do we also recognize the share we may have in the evil of the world? Once we admit this, there is much hope that with the Lord’s help we may contribute our share toward doing away with evil in ourselves and around us and making the world a bit better. In this eucharist let us ask the Lord for this insight and this strength.
2. Sin is the Enemy
We are often perplexed by the mystery of evil. Why did I hurt this person who is dear to me? That was not my intention. Why are families quarrelling and nations fighting wars? Why do people refuse to forgive? Why all this evil in us and around us? As the sacred writers reflect, evil has been present as long as people remember. But we Christians know that Jesus has overcome all evil, all the powers that cause evil, even death. In him we find forgiveness and life and peace. In this eucharist we join Jesus in his victory.
Penitential Act
Indeed, in some greater or lesser way
we share in the evil of sin.
Let us ask the Lord to forgive us.
(pause)
Lord Jesus, you took our sins upon yourself,
yet often we throw the blame on others
for the sins we have committed:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, you made up for our sins,
yet at times we refuse
to make up for the evil we have done:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you raise us up from our sins.
Dispose us to raise up one another
through mutual forgiveness:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Lord, be merciful on us sinners,
forgive us and make us whole and new again.
Lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray that with Christ
we may share in his victory over sin
(pause)
God our Father,
we experience within us and around us
the ongoing struggle between good and evil.
Make us recognize the evil we have done,
give us faith in your immeasurable mercy
and bring us the joy of your pardon,
for which your Son Jesus paid with his life.
Make us rise again in him,
become free again through him,
and overcome with him all evil
in ourselves and in our world.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
First Reading: Genesis 3:9-15: Sin, the Enemy Since the Beginning
From the beginning the experience of humanity has been that the forces of evil are God’s adversary and our strong enemy.
the LORD God called to the man and asked him, “Where are you?”
He answered, “I heard you in the garden;
but I was afraid, because I was naked,
so I hid myself.”
Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked?
You have eaten, then,
from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!”
The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me—
she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it.”
The LORD God then asked the woman,
“Why did you do such a thing?”
The woman answered, “The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it.”
Then the LORD God said to the serpent:
“Because you have done this, you shall be banned
from all the animals
and from all the wild creatures;
on your belly shall you crawl,
and dirt shall you eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will strike at your head,
while you strike at his heel.”
Responsorial Psalm
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
I trust in the LORD;
my soul trusts in his word.
More than sentinels wait for the dawn,
let Israel wait for the LORD.
R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
For with the LORD is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption
and he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1: Faith in the Risen Lord
The Lord Jesus is risen. That is why we believe in him, become new in him and proclaim him.
Since we have the same spirit of faith,
according to what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke,
we too believe and therefore we speak,
knowing that the one who raised the Lord Jesus
will raise us also with Jesus
and place us with you in his presence.
Everything indeed is for you,
so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people
may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.
Therefore, we are not discouraged;
rather, although our outer self is wasting away,
our inner self is being renewed day by day.
For this momentary light affliction
is producing for us an eternal weight of glory
beyond all comparison,
as we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen;
for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal.
For we know that if our earthly dwelling, a tent,
should be destroyed,
we have a building from God,
a dwelling not made with hands, eternal in heaven.
Alleluia
Now the ruler of the world will be driven out, says the Lord;
and when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Mark 3:20-35: Satan Is Overcome by the Power of Jesus
Jesus drives out devils by his own power as Son of God. That will be the end of the reign of Satan.
Jesus came home with his disciples.
Again the crowd gathered,
making it impossible for them even to eat.
When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him,
for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said,
“He is possessed by Beelzebul,”
and “By the prince of demons he drives out demons.”
Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables,
“How can Satan drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided against itself,
that kingdom cannot stand.
And if a house is divided against itself,
that house will not be able to stand.
And if Satan has risen up against himself
and is divided, he cannot stand;
that is the end of him.
But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property
unless he first ties up the strong man.
Then he can plunder the house.
Amen, I say to you,
all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be
forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never have forgiveness,
but is guilty of an everlasting sin.”
For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
His mother and his brothers arrived.
Standing outside they sent word to him and called him.
A crowd seated around him told him,
“Your mother and your brothers and your sisters
are outside asking for you.”
But he said to them in reply,
“Who are my mother and my brothers?”
And looking around at those seated in the circle he said,
“Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of God
is my brother and sister and mother.”General
Intercessions
We are aware that there is still much evil in us and in the world. Because Jesus has overcome evil by his death and resurrection, we ask God that goodness may be victorious. Let us say: R/ Lord, hear your people.
– That the Church may be a people dedicated to bring forgiveness to all its members and be a sign and messenger of reconciliation to the whole world with all its peoples, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear your people.
– That all the Churches that believe in Christ may overcome their division and become one in the Lord who brought pardon and peace, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear your people.
– That nations may give up the senseless race to have ever more powerful weapons for war; that they may learn to live together in harmony and give to all equitable access to the world’s goods, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear your people.
– That all those who are hardened in sin, may be touched by the Spirit of the Lord to repent and to change their ways, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear your people.
– That our families may not be divided but find deep unity in mutual respect, in forgiveness and understanding love, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear your people.
– That our communities may accept those who have erred, defend the weak and the victims of injustice and bear witness to the mercy of God, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear your people.
God our Father, keep healing us from all evil, and let your goodness shine in us by the power of Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
Merciful God,
with your Son Jesus we offer you
his sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins.
Let it bring us the joy of your pardon
and give us the will and the power
to forgive others the way you forgive us,
gladly, for free, and without regrets.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
We join Jesus in his sacrifice which he offered on the cross “so that sins may be forgiven.” May it bring us the peace of God’s mercy.
Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer
With Jesus we pray
that we may forgive others
as God forgive us our sins. R/ Our Father…
Deliver Us
Deliver us indeed, Lord, from evil,
particularly the evil of sin,
which makes us less human and less Christian.
Instead, make us your free people,
free to serve and love you unconditionally,
free to commit ourselves to people
and to build up a better world.
In this freedom may we prepare
in hope and joy the coming in glory
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom…
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus our Lord,
who overcame sin and death and all evil
when he died for us and rose from the dead.
Happy are we to eat the Bread of Life
that makes us share in his victory. R/ Lord, I am not worthy…
Prayer after Communion
God of merciful kindness,
you have pardoned us
and restored us to life.
Through the death and resurrection of Jesus
you have let us, weak and defeated people,
share in his victory over all evil.
By the strength of this eucharist
keep us going forward with courage
to spread the Good News of your pardon
to all willing to listen.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
We should learn to appreciate very much
how we are people
who received forgiveness from God
at the cost of his own Son’s death.
God has forgiven us all our weakness, mistakes, sins,
all the evil we have done.
Through the eucharist and penance
may God continue giving us the strength
to keep striving toward love and peace.
May God keep us in that peace and bless us:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Let us walk with one another
the road of reconciliation. R/ Thanks be to God.