Rom 4:1-8
Brothers and sisters:
What can we say that Abraham found,
our ancestor according to the flesh?
Indeed, if Abraham was justified on the basis of his works,
he has reason to boast;
but this was not so in the sight of God.
For what does the Scripture say?
Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
A worker's wage is credited not as a gift, but as something due.
But when one does not work,
yet believes in the one who justifies the ungodly,
his faith is credited as righteousness.
So also David declares the blessedness of the person
to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven
and whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not record.
Ps 32:1b-2, 5, 11
R./ I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the Lord imputes not guilt,
in whose spirit there is no guile.
R./ I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
my guilt I covered not.
I said, "I confess my faults to the Lord,"
and you took away the guilt of my sin.
R./ I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you just;
exult, all you upright of heart.
R./ I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Lk 12:1-7
Such a numerous crowd had gathered that they crushed one another. Then Jesus spoke to his disciples in this way, "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered that will not be uncovered, or hidden that will not be made known. Whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in daylight, and what you have whispered in hidden places, will be proclaimed from the housetops.I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who put to death the body and after that can do no more.
But I will tell you whom to fear: Fear the One who after killing you is able to throw you into hell. This one you must fear. Don't you get five sparrows for two pennies? Yet not one of them has been forgotten by God. Even the hairs of your head have been numbered. So do not fear: are you not worth more than a flock of sparrows?"
Introduction
Bishop of Antioch in the 1st century, Ignatius (+c. 107) was arrested and condemned to be thrown to the beasts. On his way to Rome, several communities of Christians received him with much veneration. He thanked them in letters written during his journey, encouraged them to hold on to the faith and to remain united with the hierarchy "as strings on a lyre." He requested Christians not to keep him from dying a martyr, for "I am the wheat of Christ; let the teeth of the lions grind me, that I may become the stainless bread of Christ."
We too, become the bread of Christ and our life must become a Eucharist, an offering of thanksgiving with Christ.
Opening Prayer
God our steadfast hope,
St. Ignatius of Antioch knew that in his martyrdom
he identified with your Son, Jesus.
Like Jesus, he was planted as a grain of wheat
in the furrows of the earth.
Let there grow from his death
an abundant harvest of a new humanity.
Give your people strength to follow him
so that our love and deep faith
may bring life and joy to many.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
in these signs of bread and wine,
we remember Jesus, your Son,
who gave himself to all
as bread broken and shared
and as wine to be poured for the joy of all.
Give us the spirit of Jesus,
that we too, may commit ourselves
to the happiness of those around us.
Make us willing to accept suffering
if this is the price to pay,
for being faithful to you and to people.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, the Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our faithful God,
on account of his love for you and for us,
no suffering was too painful for your Son,
no death too costly
to win for us lasting life and happiness.
Through this Eucharist, help us to accept
the invitations and risks of love.
Make us follow your Son
in living not for ourselves but for others
and give us the certainty
that pain or death is not the end
but the seed of a new beginning
in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
ST. ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY, Religious
Memorial
November 17
Introduction
Daughter of the King of Hungary, Elizabeth (1207-1231) was given in marriage at the age of 14 to the count of Thuringia in what could be called an ideal marriage. She devoted most of her time and the resources of her husband to the sick and the poor. At her husband's death, she was driven away from the castle, her children ware taken away from her and she shared the life of the poor. She died at the age of 24. We can learn from her what it means to be poor.
Opening Prayer
God, lover of the poor,
fill us with your own gratuitous love,
as you showed us in St. Elizabeth of Hungary.
Teach us to love and bless
even those who maltreat us.
Indeed, deepen and widen our limited love,
and make it without measure, like yours,
that we may be called sons and daughters
of you, the Most High,
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Prayer over the Gifts
Compassionate God,
you set for us the table of your Son
as a sign of love open to all,
even and especially to the poor.
As we have accepted your invitation,
may we also accept all its consequences,
that your compassionate love
may become flesh and blood in us,
weak and fallible people,
and that it may benefit
the most destitute and abandoned.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord, our hospitable God,
you have let us share the table of your Son.
Let this mean for us that, like St. Elizabeth,
we have also to share our table
with the humble and the dispossessed,
even with people who are difficult and not very lovable.
Inspire us to help them back on their feet
and to restore to them that which no one can dispense with:
self-esteem, self-confidence,
and the indestructible courage
to be human persons.
Grant this through Christ, our Lord.
