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First Reading: 1 Thes 3:7-13
We have been reassured about you, brothers and sisters,
in our every distress and affliction, through your faith.
For we now live, if you stand firm in the Lord.
What thanksgiving, then, can we render to God for you,
for all the joy we feel on your account before our God?
Night and day we pray beyond measure to see you in person
and to remedy the deficiencies of your faith.
Now may God himself, our Father, and our Lord Jesus
direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase
and abound in love for one another and for all,
just as we have for you,
so as to strengthen your hearts,
to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father
at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 90:3-5a, 12-13, 14 and 17
R (14) Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
You turn man back to dust,
saying, "Return, O children of men."
For a thousand years in your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night.
R Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Gospel Reading: Mt 24:42-51
Jesus said to his disciples, "Stay awake, then, for you do not know on what day your Lord will come. Just think about this: if the owner of the house knew that the thief would come by night around a certain hour, he would stay awake to prevent his house to be broken into. So be alert, for the Son of Man will come at the hour you least expect.
"Imagine a capable servant whom his master has put in charge of his household to give them food at the proper time. Fortunate indeed is that servant whom his master will find at work when he comes. Truly, I say to you, his lord will entrust that one with everything he has.
"Not so with the bad servant who thinks: My master is delayed. And he begins ill-treating his fellow servants while eating and drinking with drunkards. But his master will come on the day he does not know and at the hour he least expects. He will dismiss that servant and deal with him as with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
we affirm that we believe in you,
but we are in danger of forgetting
that deeds have to prove
the sincerity of our faith.
Help us to be wise and faithful servants
of steadfast faith and fervent love,
who follow the example of Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord for ever.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading Introduction
In the first reading, Paul congratulates the Christians of Thessalonica for their loyalty to the Lord and asks them to hold on to the faith and to have world-wide charity, so as to be prepared for the Lord's coming.
Gospel Introduction
Especially to the leaders of the community, the Lord says that at his coming, he should find them doing what they are supposed to do, that is, serving the community in love.
General Intercessions
- That we may be attentive to God's presence in our world in the goodness of people, we pray:
- That we may be awake to the love of God that he shows us and makes grow in us in every eucharist, we pray:
- That we may hope in the certainty that our commitment to justice and love and our dedicated service are needed to bring God's kingdom in our world, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
as the body is dead without the soul,
this bread and this wine remain lifeless
if not animated by your Spirit.
Give life to these gifts, we pray you,
by the power of the Holy Spirit,
that Christ's love may inspire our lives
to serve you and people
and make us ready to meet at any time
our Savior, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
you have called us to life
to be happy ourselves
and to make others happy.
Make us vividly aware
of our responsibility for one another.
Help us to be faithful servants
whose faith in you is made visible
in deeds of sincere love,
as we wait in joyful hope
for the coming of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
Blessed is that servant whom the master finds at work when he arrives. May the Lord bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
