Twenty-second Sunday
in Ordinary Time

September 3, 2017 Cycle A
Green priestly vestments symbolize hope and the vitality of the life of faith.

Home Page
Liturgical Year Cycle A 2016-2017


                                     Introductory Acts Of Worship

The Entrance Prayers:
   On Sunday, usually a hymn praising God is sung in place of reciting a Psalm from the Bible which invites us to enter more deeply into the mystery of God's love for us.  The recited weekday Psalm expresses a youthful heart and spirit, delighted that we may come before the living God.

Entrance Song / Entrance Psalm (Antiphon)
Entrance Song  
Psalm:  86:3-5  H
ave mercy on me, O Lord, for I cry to you all the day long.  O Lord, you are good and forgiving, full of mercy to all who call to you. 

The Priest Approaches and Kisses the Altar:  The altar is a symbol of Christ.  In it are cut five crosses to recall the five wounds of Christ.  The altar also represents the Church and has embedded in it the relics of her saints.  The priest comes to the altar to celebrate the Sacrifice in the Church's name.  Because of the glory surrounding the altar upon which the divine Sacrifice will be made, the kiss of the priest unites the Church to Christ, its Redeemer.

Priest:   In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
All:  
Amen.

The Greeting:  We are welcomed in God's name.  Our response unites us to our neighbor, to the priest and to God.  (The priest may select from several forms of greeting).

Priest:   The Lord be with you.
All:    And with your spirit.

The Penitential Prayers:  We recognize our guilt for past sins, express our sorrow for them, and ask that Mary, the angels, the saints, and our brothers and sisters in Christ pray for the Lord God's mercy.  (The priest may select from several forms).

Priest:  Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.  You were sent to heal the contrite of heart: Lord, have mercy.
All:   Lord, have mercy.
Priest:   You came to call sinners: Christ, have mercy.
All:   Christ, have mercy.
Priest:  You are seated at the right hand of the Father to intercede for us: Lord, have mercy.
All:  Lord, have mercy.

The Absolution:

Priest:   May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
All:     Amen.

The Gloria:  The Glory of God prayers have existed from the second century.  They repeat the angels praise of God which heralded the birth of Christ on earth.  Our praise is lifted again through the years as we rejoice at His coming as Lord, God, the most high Jesus Christ, who at Christmas took on our human nature while at the same time being the son of Man. This ancient hymn expresses our recognition of God's glory and love.  It calls upon Christ as our holy and divine mediator, and the Holy Spirit who forever binds us together in God's love.

Priest and All:   Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will.  We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father.  Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.  For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father.  Amen.

The Collect:  The priest lifts the united prayers and petitions of the congregation to God the Father through the merits of Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit.

Priest:   God of might, giver of every good gift, put into our hears the love of your name, so that, by deepening our sense of reverence, you may nurture in us what is good and by your watchful care, keep safe what you have nurtured.  Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and  reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

                              Liturgy of the Word

Christ is made known to us through the Old Testament which prepares us to recognize Him.  In those days, God inspired men who spoke His message.  Now, the New Testament Gospel reading announces His presence to us directly through His Son.  Both readings bring God's message to us.  Our responsibility is to respond.

The First Reading:  From the Old Testament

Priest/Reader:  
A reading from the book of the prophet Jeremiah.   

First Reading:  Jeremiah 20:7-9

You duped me, O Lord, and I let myself be duped; you were too strong for me, and you triumphed.  All the day I am an object of laughter, everyone mocks me.

Whenever I speak, I must cry out, violence and outrage is my message; the word of the Lord has brought me derision and reproach all the day.

I say to myself, I will not mention him, I will speak in his name no more.  But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it.

Priest/Reader:   The Word of the Lord.
All:    T
hanks be to God.

The Responsorial Psalm:  This Psalm praising God, is a prayer to God, or recommends the practice of virtue.  It is sung as an interlude between the scriptural readings.  It provides yet another instructional setting and invites the assembly to imitate the cantor who sings a repeated response to the verses of an ancient Psalm many of which are attributed to King David.  The verses are sung first by a cantor (song leader) accompanied by instruments, the refrain is sung by the people. 

Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

Cantor:  M
y soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
All:  My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God. 
Cantor:  O God, you are my God whom I seek; for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.
All:  My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.  
Cantor:  Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary; to see your power and your glory, for your kindness is a greater good than life; my lips shall glorify you.
All:  My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Cantor:  Thus will I bless you while I live; lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name, as with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied, and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.
All:  My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Cantor:  You are my help, and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.  My soul clings fast to you; The Lord is exalted, yet the lowly he sees, and the proud he knows from afar.  Your kindness, O Lord, endures forever; forsake not the work of your hands.
All:  My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

The Second Reading:
  Taken from the New Testament, often from a letter written by St. Paul.

Second Reading:   Romans 12:1-2

I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.  Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.

The Alleluia:  An ancient expression of joy anticipating the Lord's message we will hear in the Gospel.

Ephesians 1:17-18

Cantor:    Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!
All:   Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!
Cantor:   May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eys of our hearts, that we may know what is the hope that belongs to our call.
All:   Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

The Gospel:  The Liturgy of the Word is completed by the reading of the Gospel.  Before its reading, the members of the assembly trace the sign of the cross upon the forehead to indicate their mental acceptance of the Truth, on the lips to indicate their readiness to announce it, and over the heart to indicate their sincere desire to accept it into their lives.  The "Good News" of the Gospel tells that God's kingdom has come for all to hear, accept, and announce to the world for its salvation.  It is God who is
 speaking to us.  Christ comes to teach us by the example of His life and by His own words.

Priest:   Cleanse my heart and my lips, almighty God, that I may worthily proclaim your holy Gospel.      Through the words of the Gospel may our sins be wiped away.

Priest:   The Lord be with you.
All:    A
nd with your spirit. 
Priest/Deacon:   A
reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.
All:     G
lory to you, Lord.

The Gospel:  Matthew 16:21-27

Matthew wrote to show that Christ was the
Messiah and fulfilled the Jewish prophecies.

Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.  Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, "God forbid, Lord!  No such think shall ever happen to you."  He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan!  You are an obstacle to me.  You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.  What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?  Or what can one give in exchange for his life?  For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory, and then he will repay all according to his conduct." 

Priest/Deacon:   The Gospel of the Lord.
All:     P
raise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

The Priest's Sermon:    The priest develops, explains, and comments upon the Master's words, so our minds may be
enlightened, and our hearts enriched.

(A priestly reflection upon this Gospel)

Profession of Faith:     We state in the Nicene Creed the principles of our faith in precise and definite terms.

All:   I believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.  I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages.  God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made.  For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.  For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.  He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.  He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.  I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.  I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.  I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.  Amen.

General Intercessions:   We pray for the needs of the pope, civic leaders, our own needs, those of others, the sick, the dying, those who have died, the church, and the world.  The response of all to each intercession:  Lord, hear our prayer.

All:   Lord, hear our prayer.

                  The Liturgy of the Eucharist

Gifts of bread and wine symbolizing ourselves are presented to the priest who will offer them to God the Father.  Through the Holy Spirit, they will become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ whom we receive in Holy Communion.  Jesus unites Himself with us for our spiritual nourishment and strength.  Today, when individuals do not present their own personal offerings of bread and wine, the monetary contribution symbolizes the material of their united sacrifice. 

Preparation of the Bread and Wine:

Priest:   Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you:  fruit of the earth and work of human hands, it will become for us the bread of life. 
All:     Blessed be God for ever.

Priest:    By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to   share in our humanity.

Priest:   Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the wine we offer you; fruit  of the vine and work of human hands it will become our spiritual drink.
All:
    Blessed be God for ever.

Priest:    With humble spirit and contrite heart may we be accepted by you, O Lord, and may our sacrifice in your sight this  day be pleasing to you, Lord God.

The Priest's Hands are Washed: This act was traditionally necessary because the priest handled the various gifts presented by the people.  Now, the cleansing act using water reminds the priest and ourselves of the need to cleanse not only the hands but the soul.  Soon, the priest's hands will hold the actual body of Christ, and we will become His dwelling place.   

Priest:    Wash me O Lord, from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
               Pray, brethren, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.

All:     May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of   all his holy Church.

Prayer over the Gifts:  Speaking in our name, the priest asks the Father to accept the gifts we offer through him.

Priest:   May this sacred offering O Lord, confer on us always the blessing of salvation, that what it celebrates in mystery it may accomplish in power.  Through Christ our Lord.
All:     Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer:   (Number Two: The priest may select from several forms).

Priest:   The Lord be with you.
All:   And with your spirit. 

Priest:
    Lift up your hearts.
All:   We lift them up to the Lord.

Priest:    Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God.
All:    It is right to give him thanks and praise.

Preface Prayer: 

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, through Christ our Lord.  His death we celebrate in love, his Resurrection we confess with living faith, and his Coming in glory we await with unwavering hope.  And so, with all the Angles and Saints, we praise you, as without end we acclaim:

Acclamation:

Priest / All:   Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might, Heaven and earth are full of your glory.  Hosanna in the highest.   Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.  Hosanna in the highest.

Priest:   We give you praise, Father most holy, for you are great and you have fashioned all your works in wisdom and in love.  You formed man in your own image and entrusted the whole world to his care, so that in serving you alone, the Creator, he might have dominion over all creatures. And when through disobedience he had lost your friendship, you did not abandon him to the domain of death.  For you came in mercy to the aid of all, so that those who seek might find you.  Time and again you offered them covenants and through the prophets taught them to look forward to salvation. 

And you so loved the world, Father most holy, that in the fullness of time you sent your Only Begotten son to be our Savior.  Made incarnate by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, he shared our human nature in all things but sin.  To the poor he proclaimed the good news of salvation, to prisoners, freedom, and to the sorrowful of heart, joy.  To accomplish your plan, he gave himself up to death, and, rising from the dead, he destroyed death and restored life.

And that we might live no longer for ourselves but for him who died and rose again for us, he sent the Holy Spirit from you, Father, as the first fruits for those who believe, so that, bringing to perfection his work in the world, he might sanctify creation to the full.

Therefore, O Lord, we pray: may this same Holy Spirit graciously sanctify these offerings, that they may become the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ for the celebration of this great mystery, which he himself left us as an eternal covenant.

The priest repeats the words which Christ used at his Last Supper when He changed the bread into His Body and the wine into His Blood.  His Body and Blood are truly present but under the appearance of bread and wine.  The death of Christ is prolonged in each of those who receive Him worthily.  We apply His death to ourselves so that we may share His glory.  This moment is the most solemn on earth because it is Divine act which enables us to apply to ourselves the Cross which Christ willingly took upon Himself. 

We are called to die to sin and lift our very selves to God so that we become changed; to do as God would have us do, to become what God would have us become.  Our own little cross can lift us into union with Christ's Cross so we may earn the joys of everlasting happiness with God the Father. 

The Lord's Supper:  For when the hour had come for him to be glorified by you, Father most holy, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end: and while they were at supper, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: 

Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my Body, which will be given up for you.

In a similar way taking the chalice filled with the fruit of the vine, he gave thanks, and gave the chalice to his disciples, saying:

Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.  Do this in memory of me.

Memorial Acclamation: (The priest may select from several forms). 
Priest: 
          The mystery of faith.
Priest / All:   When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.

Therefore, O Lord, as we now celebrate the memorial of our redemption, we remember Christ's Death and his descent to the realm of the dead, we proclaim his Resurrection and his Ascension to your right hand, and, as we await his coming in glory, we offer you his body and Blood, the sacrifice acceptable to you which brings salvation to the whole world.

Look, O Lord, upon the Sacrifice which you yourself have provided for your Church, and grant in your loving kindness to all who partake of this one Bread and one chalice that, gathered into one body by the Holy Spirit, they may truly become a living sacrifice in Christ to the praise of your glory.

Therefore, Lord, remember now all for whom we offer this sacrifice: especially your servant ____ our Pope, ____ our Bishop, and the whole Order of Bishops, all the clergy, those who take part in this offering, those gathered here before you, your entire people, and all who seek you with a sincere heart.  Remember also those who have died in the peace of your Christ and all the dead, whose faith you alone have known.

To all of us, your children, grant, O merciful Father, that we may enter into a heavenly inheritance with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with Blessed Joseph her spouse, and with your Apostles and Saints in your kingdom. 

There, with the whole of creation, freed from the corruption of sin and death, may we glorify you through Christ our Lord, through whom you bestow on the world all that is good.

Doxology:                  
Prayer of Praise:  
Through him, with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, for ever and ever.
All:   Amen.      

                  Communion Rite

In the Liturgy of the Eucharist, we symbolically offer ourselves to the Lord through the gifts of bread and wine.  At the Consecration, we offer our very lives to be united the God the Father through the Cross of Christ.  In Communion, we find that we have not died at all, but have come to life.  We have surrendered ourselves to God through His Divine Son, Jesus Christ.  In return become ennobled and enriched.  We give up time and we get eternity, we give up our sin and we receive grace, we surrender our self-will and receive the strength of the Divine Will, we give up ourselves and we receive everything.  For the Son of God says to us that unless we receive Him we shall not have Divine life in us.  But it is not really we who receive Christ as it is Christ who receives us, bringing us into Himself.

God makes His Cross the very means of our salvation and our life.  While we have crucified Him, His eternal love cannot be extinguished.  Christ willed to give us the very life we crucified in our Redemption, the Consecration of Holy Thursday into Communion, His death into our everlasting life.

The Lord's Prayer:

Priest:   Jesus taught us to call God our Father, and so we have the courage to say:
Priest and All:
   Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be they name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
All:        For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and for ever.

Prayer for Peace:

Priest and All:   Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
                           L
amb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
                           L
amb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.
              
                                     Communion of the Priest:

Priest:  May the receiving of your Body and Blood, Lord Jesus Christ, not bring me to judgment and condemnation, but through your loving mercy be fore me protection in mind and body and a healing remedy.

Priestly Preparation:   Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who by the will of the Father and the work of the Holy Spirit, through  your death gave life to the world.  By your holy body and blood free me from all my sins, and from every evil.  Keep me faithful to your teaching, and never let me be parted from you.  

Priest:   This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.  Happy are those who are called to his supper. 

Priest and All:   
Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.

Priest:   May the Body of Christ keep me safe for eternal life.
             May the Blood of Christ keep me safe for eternal life.

Communion Antiphon:

Psalm 31:20
Priest:   H
ow great is the goodness, Lord, that you keep for those who hear you.

Communion of the Faithful:

Priest:    The Body of Christ.    
The Faithful:   
Amen.

Priest/Deacon/
Extraordinary Eucharistic Minister:
  The Blood of Christ.
The Faithful:   Amen.

 

 

 

 




Cleansing of the Vessels:

Priest:   Lord, may I receive these gifts in purity of heart.  May they bring me healing and strength, now and for ever.

Prayer after Communion:

Priest:
    Let us pray.
Priest:   Renewed by this bread from the heavenly table, we beseech you, Lord, that, being the food of charity, it may confirm our hears and stir us to serve you in our neighbor.  Through Christ our Lord.
All:    Amen.
                                         Concluding Rite

Priest:   The Lord be with you.
All:    And with your spirit.

Priest:   Bow your heads and pray for God's blessing.

Dismissal Prayer:

Priest:  May the God of all consolation order your days in his peace and grant you the gifts of his blessing.
All:  Amen.
Priest:  May he free you always from every distress and confirm your hearts in his love.
All:  Amen.
Priest:  So that on this life's journey you may be effective in good works, rich in the gifts of hope, faith and charity, and may come happily to eternal life.
All:  Amen.:

Final Blessing: 

Priest:   And may the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, come down on you and remain with you for ever.
All:    Amen.

Dismissal:

Priest/Deacon:  Go  in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.
All:  Thanks be to God.

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins. 
  
  Save us from the fires of hell. 

  Lead all souls to heaven,

  especially those in most need of your mercy.
 
 www.Divinemasterplanforlife.com
 www.Saintsnheaven.com

Top
Home Page
Liturgical Year Cycle A 2016-2017