Liturgy Alive Monday, October 21, 2013

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Monday, October 21, 2013

Opening Prayer

Good and merciful God,
we often seek safety and security
in things to possess and to hold on to.
Do not allow things
to possess and control us.
When our riches mean poverty for others,
when our life means death for others,
teach us the joy of sharing
and give us the courage
to seek first the riches of your kingdom
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading Introduction
      
Abraham was saved because he believed God and trusted him. Likewise, we will be saved because we believe, and the core of our faith is that Jesus was handed over to death because of our sins and was raised from the dead for our justification or salvation.

Gospel Introduction 

       When Jesus speaks out against the rich, he does not intend to condemn them but to liberate them. What he denounces is not the fact that they have material goods, but their own attachment to them and the use they make of their riches: for hoarding, for selfish enjoyment, or - as some rich countries do - stockpiling wheat in silos or using oil for economic and political pressure. The value of possessions is relative to the goods of the kingdom, to justice and love. What counts is to be rich and wise before God.

General Intercessions

- For a poor and open Church, in which the People of God try to have open hands and hearts for all, we pray:

- For those who are rich and powerful, that they may learn to share; for the poor, the humble and the exploited, that they may find help and keep hoping, we pray:

- For all of us, that we may learn to enjoy the good things of life, especially friendship and affection, unity and compassion, people who inspire us, and even love of enemies, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
in this eucharistic celebration
you set for us the table of Jesus
and you let us share in the riches
of your grace and gratuitous love.
Give us eyes of faith to see
that this is an open invitation
to let others share in our abundance
and at times even in our poverty.
Help us to become selfless and generous
together with him who gives himself,
Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
you have enriched us with your Son.
Keep liberating us
from unreliable attachments
to things that are unimportant.
Give us rich hearts
that are neither possessed nor possessive
but that are free to love and to give
by the power of Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord for ever.

Blessing

"One's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions," is Jesus' word to us today. It is not to have an abundance of goods that will bring us happiness, but the goods of the kingdom of God, to be good and wise and just. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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