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First Reading: Hebrews 4:1-5, 11
Let us be on our guard
while the promise of entering into his rest remains,
that none of you seem to have failed.
For in fact we have received the Good News just as our ancestors did.
But the word that they heard did not profit them,
for they were not united in faith with those who listened.
For we who believed enter into that rest,
just as he has said:
As I swore in my wrath,
“They shall not enter into my rest,”
and yet his works were accomplished
at the foundation of the world.
For he has spoken somewhere about the seventh day in this manner,
And God rested on the seventh day from all his works;
and again, in the previously mentioned place,
They shall not enter into my rest.
Therefore, let us strive to enter into that rest,
so that no one may fall after the same example of disobedience.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 78:3 and 4bc, 6c-7, 8
R./ Do not forget the works of the Lord!
What we have heard and know,
and what our fathers have declared to us,
we will declare to the generation to come
The glorious deeds of the Lord and his strength.
R/ Do not forget the works of the Lord!
That they too may rise and declare to their sons
that they should put their hope in God,
And not forget the deeds of God
but keep his commands.
R/ Do not forget the works of the Lord!
And not be like their fathers,
a generation wayward and rebellious,
A generation that kept not its heart steadfast
nor its spirit faithful toward God.
R/ Do not forget the works of the Lord!
Gospel Reading: Mark 2:1-12
When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days,
it became known that he was at home.
Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them,
not even around the door,
and he preached the word to them.
They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd,
they opened up the roof above him.
After they had broken through,
they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to him,
“Child, your sins are forgiven.”
Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves,
“Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming.
Who but God alone can forgive sins?”
Jesus immediately knew in his mind what
they were thinking to themselves,
so he said, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts?
Which is easier, to say to the paralytic,
‘Your sins are forgiven,’
or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk’?
But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth”
–he said to the paralytic,
“I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.”
He rose, picked up his mat at once,
and went away in the sight of everyone.
They were all astounded
and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”
Opening Prayer
God, our Father,
we are your people,
at times paralyzed by our fears
and our fascination with sin.
Let your Son speak among us
his mighty words of forgiveness and courage,
to raise us above ourselves,
above our cowardice and compromises,
that we may go resolutely
the way to you and to one another
by the power of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
General Intercessions
– That the Church, aware of its own shortcomings and missed chances, may humbly offer forgiveness and new chances to all who err, and become in the world a sign of forgiveness and reconciliation, we pray:
– That our homes may be places of mutual understanding and reconciliation; that the young may learn from their parents and each other to forget injuries and hurts, we pray:
– For all Christian communities, that we may be less concerned about our rights and injured pride and learn Christ’s way of reconciliation and creating one another anew, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God, our Father,
let your Son come here among us
to take us by the hand
and to order us to get back on our feet
with joy and courage.
Renew us, with his body and blood,
that we too, may be to one another
his uplifting word and helpful hands,
that people may praise you,
now and for ever.
Prayer after Communion
God, our Father,
your Son was attentive to people,
to their ills and their needs.
May he live in us today
and make us his voice
that brings reconciliation and peace,
his heart that loves without boundaries,
his hands that build up a world
of justice, dignity, and service.
We ask you all this, in the name of Jesus, the Lord.
Blessing
Let us try with all that is in us to put back on their feet those paralyzed by their own fears, limitations, and condemnations and to accompany them on their journey to God and to one another, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
