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First Reading: Rom 11:1-2,11-12,25-29
Brothers and sisters:
I ask, then, has God rejected his people? Of course not! For I
too am a child of Israel, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe
of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he fore-
knew. Do you not know what the Scripture says about Elijah,
how he pleads with God against Israel?
Hence I ask, did they stumble so as to fall? Of course not!
But through their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles,
so as to make them jealous. Now if their transgression is
enrichment for the world, and if their diminished number is
enrichment for the Gentiles, how much more their full number.
I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers
and sisters, so that you will not become wise in your own estimation:
a hardening has come upon Israel in part, until the full
number of the Gentiles comes in, and thus all Israel will be
saved, as it is written:
The deliverer will come out of Zion,
he will turn away godlessness from Jacob;
and this is my covenant with them
when I take away their sins.
In respect to the Gospel, they are enemies on your account;
but in respect to election, they are beloved because of the patriarch.
For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 94:12-13, 14-15, 17-18
R./ The Lord will not abandon his people.
Blessed the man whom you instruct, O LORD,
whom by your law you teach,
Giving him rest from evil days.
R./ The Lord will not abandon his people.
For the LORD will not cast off his people,
nor abandon his inheritance;
But judgment shall again be with justice,
and all the upright of heart shall follow it.
R./ The Lord will not abandon his people.
Were not the LORD my help,
my soul would soon dwell in the silent grave.
When I say, “My foot is slipping,”
your mercy, O LORD, sustains me.
R./ The Lord will not abandon his people.
Gospel Reading: Lk 14:1,7-11
One sabbath Jesus had gone to eat a meal in the house of a leading Pharisee, and he was carefully watched.
Jesus then told a parable to the guests, for he had noticed how they tried to take the places of honor. And he said, "When you are invited to a wedding party, do not choose the best seat. It may happen that someone more important than you has been invited, and your host, who invited both of you, will come and say to you: 'Please give this person your place.' What shame is yours when you take the lowest seat!
"Whenever you are invited, go rather to the lowest seat, so that your host may come and say to you: 'Friend, you must come up higher.' And this will be a great honor for you in the presence of all the other guests. For whoever makes himself out to be great will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be raised."
Opening Prayer
Our Father, who lift up the lowly,
your Son Jesus came into our world
as the servant of all and he cherished the helpless.
With him, make us respect and appreciate
the weak, the defenseless and the humble,
and accept to be numbered among them.
Dispose us to help them and to seek their help,
for you have poured out your mercy on us too,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading Introduction
If a trusted friend proves disloyal, we feel badly hurt and find it almost impossible to remain faithful. Not so with God. He remains faithful to Israel, of which all but a small rest abandoned him. Yet the Jews keep a role in God’s plans by facilitating, beyond the possible exclusivisness of one people, the entrance of pagan nations.
Gospel Reading Introduction
Our Lord invites us to his table. He knows that we are people with faults, people who have hurt him and others, by the wrong we done and the good we have failed to do. Knowing who we are, he still loves us and invites us as his friends to join him at his table. Let us humbly take part in his meal and ask the Lord to make us more open to the humble, to people who have erred, and to the poor.
General Intercessions
– Lord, in our world the powerful are honored and the humble are looked down upon. Remember the humble, we pray:
– Lord, in our homes many sick people, the old and the weak and the lonely are often neglected and abandoned. Remember all those who suffer, we pray:
– Lord, many children and old people have only the street to live and to sleep in. Remember all of them, Lord, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
you overlook the poverty of our hearts
and you have given us a place of honor
at the table of your Son.
May we learn from him
to be at the service of all,
that you may give us a place,
however lowly,
at the eternal festive meal
of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
we stand here before you
as guests invited to his table
by your Son Jesus Christ.
We thank you that he has accepted us
without judging or condemning us,
though our faith is not clear-eyed
and we often limp while trying to follow him.
Dispose us too to accept as friends and guests
the poor and the weak,
just as you have accepted us
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
If we want the Lord Jesus to live among us, there is only one place that fits us, the last place, the place of people who know how to serve. There is no room for pretending what we are not. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
