Menu
First Reading: Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18
The LORD said to Moses,
"Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them:
Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.
"You shall not bear hatred for your brother or sister in your heart.
Though you may have to reprove your fellow citizen,
do not incur sin because of him.
Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against any of your people.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
I am the LORD."
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13
R./ The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R./ The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities,
heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R./ The Lord is kind and merciful.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
R./ The Lord is kind and merciful.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.
R./ The Lord is kind and merciful.
Second Reading: 1 Cor 3:16-23
Brothers and sisters:
Do you not know that you are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person;
for the temple of God, which you are, is holy.
Let no one deceive himself.
If any one among you considers himself wise in this age,
let him become a fool, so as to become wise.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God,
for it is written:
God catches the wise in their own ruses,
and again:
The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise,
that they are vain.
So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you,
Paul or Apollos or Cephas,
or the world or life or death,
or the present or the future:
all belong to you, and you to Christ, and Christ to God.
Gospel Reading: Mt 5:38-48
Jesus said to his disciples:
"You have heard that it was said,
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
When someone strikes you on your right cheek,
turn the other one as well.
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic,
hand over your cloak as well.
Should anyone press you into service for one mile,
go for two miles.
Give to the one who asks of you,
and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.
"You have heard that it was said,
You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers only,
what is unusual about that?
Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."
A. Your Enemy Is Your Neighbor
B. Break the Spiral of Evil
Greeting (See Lev 19:1; Mt 5:48)
Be holy, for I, the Lord, am holy.
Be perfect
as your heavenly Father is perfect.
God turns those whom sin has made his enemies
into his friends through forgiveness.
May the Lord Jesus, who brought us God's friendship,
be always with you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
A. Your Enemy Is Your Neighbor
On seeing so much evil in the world, especially when that evil affects us deeply, is our reaction not anger and perhaps revenge? The message of today is this: do not let evil force you to fight it with its own weapons of evil. Fight it with the weapons of God himself: mercy, forgiveness, even love of the evildoer and prayer for the ones who have hurt you. Let us ask that in this we may follow Jesus; then we will surely be his disciples.
B. Break the Spiral of Evil
Rivalry, revenge, hatred, making people pay back any hurt done to us, these are the usual ways of our world. Today's message tells us how to apply the sermon on the mount: how we should be makers and sowers of peace by forgiving and forgetting hurt, and so breaking the vicious circle of evil. Didn't Jesus come to bring reconciliation with God and people? This is how he was the image of the Father. This is how we have to bring into our world something of the goodness of the Father.
Penitential Act
It is difficult not to take revenge
against those who have hurt us.
Let us ask the Lord to forgive us for having enemies.
(PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, how can we learn from you
to forgive those who have harmed us?
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, how can we learn from you
to be good to those who have wounded us?
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, how can we learn from you
to pray for those who have pained and injured us?
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Lord, forgive us that we have a hard time
to forget and forgive as you ask us.
Make us great-hearted like you
and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray God our Father
to make us more perfect by his love
(PAUSE)
God our Father,
in your Son Jesus Christ
you have shown us your tenderness
and accepted us, sinful people,
as your sons and daughters.
Share your heart with us,
make us merciful and understanding people,
that we may learn from the way you have treated us
to accept everyone without conditions,
to forgive and forget all hurts,
so that we become more like you.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading Introduction: Love, Not Hatred
Even in the Old Testament, God's people is asked not to hate others but to love people. The basis of this love is God's own love for his people.
Second Reading Introduction: We Are God's Temple
By the power of the Holy Spirit, the Christian community is God's dwelling place.
Gospel Introduction: Love Your Enemies
Christ asks of us to have hearts large enough to be open even to enemies. We must overcome evil with good.
General Intercessions
Let us pray to God who is kind and merciful who heals us and pardons all our sins. Let us pray: R/ Have mercy on your people, Lord.
- For the Church, God's people, that it may not be divided into factions: that it may preach and practice forgiveness, healing and rehabilitation, let us pray: R/ Have mercy on your people, Lord.
- For the Churches separated from one another by centuries of misunderstanding and disputes, that they may approach one another in Christ in mutual forgiveness, cooperation and love, let us pray: R/ Have mercy on your people, Lord.
- For all of us, that we may forgive one another from the heart, seek no revenge, bear no grudges, learn to see others as people loved by the same Father in heaven, let us pray: R/ Have mercy on your people, Lord.
- For our families, that we may not be discouraged by one another's shortcomings but be attentive to the goodness that is in each and seek peace and happiness together, let us pray: R/ Have mercy on your people, Lord.
- For our Christian communities, that they may be places of reconciliation, of mercy and compassion, let us pray: R/ Have mercy on your people, Lord.
God our Father, help us to look at one another with your own eyes, that we may accept one another and build up one another in the love of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer Over the Gifts
God our Father,
these are the gifts of peace
we bring before you
to celebrate the feast of love of your Son.
Help us with him to discover
the best that is in each of us
and to create one another anew
with the same liberating and forgiving love
which you have shown us
in Christ Jesus our Lord. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
We are now celebrating the sacrifice which brought forgiveness and life to all. Let us give thanks to the Father with Jesus here in our midst.
Invitation to the Lord's Prayer
With Jesus we pray to our Father
that he may not only forgive us our sins
but help us forgive those who sin against us:
R/ Our Father...
Deliver Us
Deliver us, Lord, from the difficulty
of accepting people with their faults
and forgetting the hurt of injuries.
Keep us free from sin
and from the urge to retaliate.
Lead us forward together in joy and hope
toward the full coming among us
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
R/ For the kingdom...
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus the Lord,
whose body was broken for our sins.
He brought us healing and life.
Happy are we to receive him.
R/ Lord, I am not worthy...
Prayer After Communion
God our Father,
we have celebrated with your Son
the sacrifice that has brought us peace.
By his words and his life he has taught us
to forgive one another wholeheartedly.
Let his Spirit dwell in us,
that our pardon may be without regret
and that we may go with one another
much farther than we are asked
on the way to each other and to you,
our holy God, now and for ever. R/ Amen.
Blessing
We have been taught a hard lesson today.
We are not pagans,
and so we must learn to love like God
with the love he showed us in Christ.
For us there can be no enemies,
only people like us,
with their faults, their problems, their animosities.
Who will take the first step to make up?
Who will repay evil with good?
Let us ask God's blessing and strength.
May almighty God bless you all,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Let us go with one another
the extra mile in Christ's peace. R/ Thanks be to God.
