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First Reading: 2 Corinthians 3:15–4:1, 3-6
Brothers and sisters:
To this day, whenever Moses is read,
a veil lies over the hearts of the children of Israel,
but whenever a person turns to the Lord the veil is removed.
Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is freedom.
All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory,
as from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Therefore, since we have this ministry through the mercy shown us,
we are not discouraged.
And even though our Gospel is veiled,
it is veiled for those who are perishing,
in whose case the god of this age
has blinded the minds of the unbelievers,
so that they may not see the light of the Gospel
of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
For we do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord,
and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus.
For God who said, Let light shine out of darkness,
has shone in our hearts to bring to light
the knowledge of the glory of God
on the face of Jesus Christ.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 99:5, 6, 7, 8, 9
R./ The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land.
I will hear what God proclaims;
the Lord–for he proclaims peace to his people.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R./ The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R./ The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land.
The Lord himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and salvation, along the way of his steps.
R./ The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 5:20-26
Jesus said to his disciples:
"I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that
of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.
"You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment,
and whoever says to his brother,
'Raqa,' will be answerable to the Sanhedrin,
and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,
and there recall that your brother
has anything against you,
leave your gift there at the altar,
go first and be reconciled with your brother,
and then come and offer your gift.
Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him.
Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,
and the judge will hand you over to the guard,
and you will be thrown into prison.
Amen, I say to you,
you will not be released until you have paid the last penny."
Opening Prayer
Our God of love,
permeate us so deeply with the mentality
of the Good News of your Son, Jesus Christ,
that in us, there remains no room
for violence, hatred, or looking down on others.
Help us to create among us,
an atmosphere of trust and deep love
that we give first place to the needs of others
and forget ourselves for their sake.
Let there be among us forgiveness without regret
as was taught to us by Christ, our Lord.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading Introduction
In the rather difficult first reading, Paul states that in the New Testament there is the freedom of the Spirit. We see God in the mirror of Christ.
Gospel Introduction
In the Gospel, Christ tells us that our practice of love should go farther than that of the Scribes and Pharisees. All laws and the whole discipleship are based on love and creating a climate of love in which Christians do not only not kill in acts of violence but not even damage relationships in words and thoughts. Love at its deepest is shown in forgiveness without conditions, even if the one wrong is the other person! That's not easy at all!
General Intercessions
– For all of us, that we may never put the law above people but practice first the great commandment of loving one another, we pray:
– For those who feel hurt by others, that they may learn the difficult lesson of forgiving wholeheartedly, we pray:
– For our communities, that we may seek God's will together, accept one another, respect each other's freedom and bear witness to God's kindness, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
here are our gifts of bread and wine.
Let there be peace among us,
even if, rightly or wrongly, someone has something against us.
Even if it is very hard,
we want to seek reconciliation with one another,
for the sake of him who has brought us
reconciliation with you at the cost of his life,
Jesus Christ, our Lord for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
let our communities be
places of deep love and friendship
and unlimited reconciliation.
For we have listed and accepted the word of your Son
and we have celebrated his sacrifice
for the forgiveness of sins
of the new and everlasting covenant.
May we also celebrate in everyday life
the reconciliation you sent us
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
Remember always these words of Jesus today, to insist that we should be reconcilers: "When you are offering your gifts at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first, be reconciled to your brother or sister and then come and offer your gift." May Almighty God give you this Christian sense and bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
