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First Reading: Wisdom 12:13, 16-19
There is no god besides you who have the care of all,
that you need show you have not unjustly condemned.
For your might is the source of justice;
your mastery over all things makes you lenient to all.
For you show your might when the perfection of your power is disbelieved;
and in those who know you, you rebuke temerity.
But though you are master of might, you judge with clemency,
and with much lenience you govern us;
for power, whenever you will, attends you.
And you taught your people, by these deeds,
that those who are just must be kind;
and you gave your children good ground for hope
that you would permit repentance for their sins.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16
R./ Lord, you are good and forgiving.
You, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.
Hearken, O Lord, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my pleading.
R./ Lord, you are good and forgiving.
All the nations you have made shall come
and worship you, O Lord,
and glorify your name.
For you are great, and you do wondrous deeds;
you alone are God.
R./ Lord, you are good and forgiving.
Let all your works give you thanks, O Lord,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might.
R./ Lord, you are good and forgiving.
You have crowned the year with your bounty,
and your paths overflow with a rich harvest;
The untilled meadows overflow with it,
and rejoicing clothes the hills.
R./ Lord, you are good and forgiving.
Second Reading: Romans 8:26-27
Brothers and sisters:
The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.
And the one who searches hearts
knows what is the intention of the Spirit,
because he intercedes for the holy ones
according to God's will.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 13:24-43
On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.
Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:
"A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,
and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear."
The disciples approached him and said,
"Why do you speak to them in parables?"
He said to them in reply,
"Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because
they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:
You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Greeting
The patience of God our Father,
the love of our Lord Jesus Christ
and the strength of the Holy Spirit
be always with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
A. There Must Be Time To Heal
We all wish to see a world without evil, a Church without faults. To see that the real Church and the real world are not sinless and not perfect makes us impatient. Jesus reminds us today: be patient, for God is patient with the Church and with the world, and also with us. Let’s not forget this. He gives us the time to change. Let us ask Jesus in this Eucharist that we may begin the change of the world and of the Church with the change of ourselves.
B. Patience With The Weeds
You feel happily surprised when after a mistake or an offense on your part the person you have hurt is patient with you and gives you new chances. That is God’s way with us. He keeps believing in us. That is also the way God wants us to treat one another. Like him, we should be fully aware that people are neither entirely good nor completely bad, and that therefore we should be patient, forgiving, trusting and give time to heal. Let us thank our Lord for his patience and ask him to make us a bit like himself.
Penitential Act
We now ask the Lord to forgive us
that we have not used the chances he gave us
to be and to do better.
(PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, give us the courage
to change what can be changed.
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ give us the patience
to accept what cannot yet be changed.
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, give us the wisdom
of your own kind patience.
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord,
and forgive us the evil we have done.
Make us patient with ourselves and others
and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray to our loving God
who is patient and full of compassion
(PAUSE)
Merciful and patient God,
you let your sun rise on both bad and good
and let the rain fall on the just and the wicked alike.
Thank you for your patience and your confidence.
Change our hearts,
give us the time to grow and mature
as disciples of Jesus your Son,
and dispose us to accept everyone
with your own untiring love and trust.
Make this the way your kingdom grows among us.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading Introduction: God Is Patient
God’s power does not crush or oppress, not even the sinner. He shows his strength by his patience and mercy. As he gives us time to change and be converted, we must be tolerant with one another.
Second Reading Introduction: The Holy Spirit Helps Us In Our Weakness
Our Christian living is imperfect, but God knows what is in our hearts; he will give us the Holy Spirit to pray in us and give us strength and hope.
Gospel Introduction: Leave It To God To Separate The Good From The Bad
The parable of the wheat and the weeds illustrates how God is patient with an imperfect Church and weak people. Not all in the Church are seeking God’s kingdom. But God gives us the opportunity to be converted and to grow.
General Intercessions
We do not know how to pray properly. Let the Holy Spirit express our plea for the good of the Church and of everyone. Let us say: R/ Lord, keep us in your love.
• We do not know how to be patient properly. That the Holy Spirit keep us from judging harshly people who have done wrong, even those who have hurt us, let us pray: R/ Lord, keep us in your love.
• We do not know how to forgive properly. That the Holy Spirit may give us the strength to take the first step in seeking reconciliation, let us pray: R/ Lord, keep us in your love.
• We do not know how to hope properly. May the Holy Spirit fill us with confidence in the future of the Church and of our country, let us pray: R/ Lord, keep us in your love.
• We do not know how to bring justice properly. Let the Holy Spirit make us aware of the rights of people and dispose us to give all their due and more, let us pray: R/ Lord, keep us in your love.
• We do not know how to love properly. That the Holy Spirit give to our communities a sense of unity, acceptance and belonging, let us pray: R/ Lord, keep us in your love.
Father, let your Holy Spirit prepare us in joy for the day when you will harvest the seeds you have sown among us, through Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen..
Prayer Over the Gifts
Lord our God, merciful Father,
your Son Jesus Christ invites to his table
the weak with the strong,
the proud with the humble.
By encountering him,
may the weak become stronger
and the good better,
and may all of us become
mild, forgiving and tolerant with each other,
as you have been patient with us
through Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
Through Jesus and with him we offer this Eucharist to our patient and loving Father and we thank him for his mercy.
Invitation to the Lord’s Prayer
We do not know how to pray as we should,
but the Holy Spirit helps us
to pray well to our Father in heaven
in the words of Jesus himself.
Deliver Us
Deliver us Lord, from every evil,
most of all from sin, the greatest of all evils.
Keep us free from judging and condemning,
for who are we to pass judgment on others
since we ourselves have to ask you
to be patient and lenient with us.
Help us to accept and appreciate each other
and to prepare together in joy and hope
the full coming among us
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus the Lord,
who sows in our hearts
the good seed of his message.
He himself is the message:
let us receive him well and listen to him.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
you reveal your strength
by being lenient with the weak.
We have received your Son Jesus Christ
in this Eucharistic celebration.
Fill us with the power of his Spirit,
that we may encourage rather than condemn,
be constructive rather than hostile,
accept one another rather than reject,
work together rather than criticize.
In this way may we become more
your people among whom Jesus lives,
our Lord for ever and ever. R/ Amen.
Blessing
We have heard Jesus, the Word of God,
and listened to him.
The Lord now entrusts to you
his Word and his body.
Go now, speak his Word
and be his body to the world.
That you may be a blessing to all,
may the Lord bless you:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go in the peace of the Lord.
R/ Thanks be to God.
