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First Reading: Ruth 2:1-3, 8-11; 4:13-17
Naomi had a prominent kinsman named Boaz, of the clan of her husband Elimelech.
Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, "Let me go and glean ears of grain in the field of anyone who will allow me that favor." Naomi said to her, "Go, my daughter," and she went. The field she entered to glean after the harvesters happened to be the section belonging to Boaz of the clan of Elimelech.
Boaz said to Ruth, "Listen, my daughter! Do not go to glean in anyone else's field;
you are not to leave here. Stay here with my women servants. Watch to see which field is to be harvested, and follow them; I have commanded the young men to do you no harm. When you are thirsty, you may go and drink from the vessels the young men have filled." Casting herself prostrate upon the ground, Ruth said to him,
"Why should I, a foreigner, be favored with your notice?" Boaz answered her:
"I have had a complete account of what you have done for your mother-in-law after your husband's death; you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know previously."
Boaz took Ruth. When they came together as man and wife, the LORD enabled her to conceive and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, "Blessed is the LORD who has not failed to provide you today with an heir! May he become famous in Israel! He will be your comfort and the support of your old age, for his mother is the daughter-in-law who loves you. She is worth more to you than seven sons!" Naomi took the child, placed him on her lap, and became his nurse. And the neighbor women gave him his name, at the news that a grandson had been born to Naomi. They called him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 128:1b-2, 3, 4, 5
R (4) See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.
Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.
You wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
Your children like olive plants
around your table.
R See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
R See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.
Gospel Reading: Mt 23:1-12
Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, "The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees sat on the seat of Moses. So you shall do and observe all they say, but do not do as they do, for they do not do what they say. They tie up heavy burdens and load them on the shoulders of the people, but they do not even raise a finger to move them. They do everything in order to be seen by people; so they wear very wide bands of the Law around their foreheads, and robes with large tassels. They enjoy the first place at feasts and reserved seats in the synagogues, and being greeted in the marketplace and being called 'Master' by the people.
"But you, do not let yourselves be called Master because you have only one Master, and all of you are brothers and sisters. Neither should you call anyone on earth Father, because you have only one Father, he who is in heaven. Nor should you be called leader, because Christ is the only leader for you. Let the greatest among you be the servant of all. For whoever makes himself great shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be made great."
Opening Prayer
Lord God, you are pure grace.
You fill with your forgiveness and life
those who recognize their own emptiness
and the need for your mercy.
Grant us not to call attention
to ourselves and the good you allow us to do
but to serve you and people
in the unsophisticated simplicity of our hearts
and to give all glory and honor to you
for the life and grace you bring us
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading Introduction
Ruth had adopted the ways of her deceased Jewish husband. Now she is adopted into God’s people.
Gospel Introduction
The Lord abhors duplicity and hypocrisy, particularly in religious leaders. The scribes had rendered a real service by becoming the teachers of Israel during the exile, when the priesthood was on the decline, but later they had gradually turned religious living into a complicated intellectualistic, legalistic and casuistic system of observances, which they themselves did not fully practice. It had become the pride and boast of the pious Pharisees to observe them all and in this way to work their own salvation. On account of this pride, they lacked the true spirit and humility of openness to God’s plans.
General Intercessions
– For the People of God, that with courage and honesty we may take to heart the task of renewal and reconciliation, so as to show to the world of today the true face of Christ, we pray:
– For all who seek God with a sincere heart, for all who search for truth and justice, that their hunger may be satisfied, we pray:
– For all Christian communities, that we may be reliable and truthful with one another and that our unity and friendship may be genuine, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God, merciful Father,
in these simple signs of bread and wine
you give us the servant of all,
your Son Jesus Christ.
Fill us with his Spirit
of unpretentious service.
Help us to recognize him
as our only source of truth and life,
that you may be our only God and Father
now and for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord God,
we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ.
He was straightforward
in all he said and did;
he practiced the message he brought to others
and it cost him his life.
Help us to believe his good news
with the whole of our being
and to live by it day after day
in simple sincerity, without any display.
May you thus recognize
the love of your Son present in us
and give us a share in your happiness for ever.
Blessing
We believe in Jesus and in his gospel. Let our lives not contradict our faith, but let our lives tell the story of that faith, with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit
