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First Reading: Ephesians 6:1-9
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
Honor your father and mother.
This is the first commandment with a promise,
that it may go well with you
and that you may have a long life on earth.
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger,
but bring them up with the training and instruction of the Lord.
Slaves, be obedient to your human masters with fear and trembling,
in sincerity of heart, as to Christ,
not only when being watched, as currying favor,
but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
willingly serving the Lord and not men,
knowing that each will be requited from the Lord
for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
Masters, act in the same way towards them, and stop bullying,
knowing that both they and you have a Master in heaven
and that with him there is no partiality.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 145:10-11, 12-13ab, 13cd-14
R./ The Lord is faithful in all his words.
Let all your works give you thanks, O Lord,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R./ The Lord is faithful in all his words.
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R./ The Lord is faithful in all his words.
The Lord is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The Lord lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
R./ The Lord is faithful in all his words.
Gospel Reading: Luke 13:22-30
Jesus passed through towns and villages,
teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.
Someone asked him,
“Lord, will only a few people be saved?”
He answered them,
“Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside knocking and saying,
‘Lord, open the door for us.’
He will say to you in reply,
‘I do not know where you are from.’
And you will say,
‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’
Then he will say to you,
‘I do not know where you are from.
Depart from me, all you evildoers!’
And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God
and you yourselves cast out.
And people will come from the east and the west
and from the north and the south
and will recline at table in the Kingdom of God.
For behold, some are last who will be firs
Opening Prayer
Lord God,
source and model of all love,
you cause the paths of life
of men and women to cross
and to discover one another
as partners in life.
May their love be genuine and creative
and strong enough to survive
the differences and trials
that are part of life.
Let it be patient, understanding,
forgiving and lasting,
as is the love that you have shown us
in Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading Introduction: Willingly serving the Lord and not human beings.
God has no favorites. “He is not impressed by one person any more than by another.” Thus, Ephesians sums up the passage we hear today. This passage speaks to children and their parents, to slaves and to their masters, about their mutual relationships of respect, responsibility, and love. Before God they are all equal. In later centuries, the logical conclusion will be drawn that no human person can be enslaved to any other human being
Gospel Reading Introduction: And people will come from the east and the west and will recline at the table in the Kingdom of God.
For disciples of Christ, it is not enough to know about the Lord or to come to Mass to eat with the Lord or to read the Bible. As Jesus tells us in many ways throughout the Gospel, we must live as his disciples and put his word into practice. Otherwise, it is as if we did not know him and he does not know us.
General Intercessions
– For the Church, that it may never stop proclaiming the Gospel to all peoples, languages and cultures, we pray:
– For the unity of all Christians, that they may not remain enclosed within their particularities and human traditions but may enrich one another in Christ, we pray:
– For our Christian communities, that we may be united; that no one is made to feel a stranger among us and that we may be open to one another and to all, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Our loving God,
let this bread and wine
that we bring before you
be tokens and strong affirmations,
that we are ready to share our food and joy
with those who need them.
Let our love and generosity
become a way of saying thanks to you
for everything you have given us
freely and abundantly
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Generous God,
your Son Jesus, has let us eat and drink with him
and he has spoken to us his message of life.
We have eagerly listened to him.
Help us now to live eagerly by his words
and to learn from him to open our doors and our hearts
to anyone who appeals to us,
that you may also open the door to us
when we knock and ask you to admit us,
into your home of everlasting joy.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
The message of Jesus is Good News for everyone. May it also become and remain Good News for each of us when we put our heart in it by putting it into practice. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
