Greetings
We have come together to offer petitions and thanksgiving through our Lord Jesus Christ, the only mediator between God and people. May the Lord Jesus be always with you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
A. I Have Entrusted Much to You: The Lord is
asking us today: "What have you done with the many things and the people I
have entrusted to you?" We speak much today of accountability not only for
our jobs, our finances, our families, and our parishes, but accountability for
our very lives. God has put so much into our hands: the material things we have
as well as our gifts and talents. These are not just personal gifts for our own
enjoyment, but for our communities, for the Kingdom of God. May we give a good
account to the Lord.
B. God Or Mammon: We celebrate the Eucharist of the
Lord. Here Jesus shares himself with us and he reminds us of how he gave
himself so totally for us that in his love he was willing to die for all. In
this light we have also to listen to his words. He knows that we need money and
things but he warns us not to let money become our master. Rather, let the poor
become your masters. The things you have are not really yours. They are on loan
to you and you are their steward.
Penitential Act
We ask the Lord to forgive us how selfishly we have managed all
that has been entrusted to us. (pause) Lord Jesus, when you called us to be
good stewards, we let money and possessions become our masters: Lord. have
mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy. Jesus Christ, when you came to set us
free, we let power and ambition shackle us: Christ, have mercy. R/
Christ, have mercy. Lord Jesus, when you wanted us to serve the poor we
gave them handouts instead of ourselves: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord,
have mercy. Set us free again from sin, Lord, and make us good stewards of
the earth's goods. Lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray to the Lord that we may be fair and generous to
all (pause) Just and merciful God, make us a free people that refuses to adore
money and possessions and to sacrifice the poor to them. Make our hearts gentle
and compassionate, that we may open our hands and homes to the dispossessed and
those trampled upon, to share with them in your name. Make us just to all. And
may we, with you, lift up the lowly. We ask this in the name of Jesus the
Lord. R/ Amen.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading Introduction: God's People Must Be A
Just People
In the name of true religion and the covenant, the prophet
Amos warns God's people: God will reject them if they enrich themselves at the
expense of the poor.
Second Reading Introduction: God Wants Everyone To
Be Saved
Liturgical prayer, says St. Paul, must be universal and
missionary, as God wants everyone to be saved through the only mediator, Jesus
Christ. We should not forget to include in our prayers those who do not yet
know Christ.
Gospel Introduction: Give Me An Account Of Your
Service
The heart of Christians must be undivided. Their main
concern is to serve God faithfully and to share generously what they have.
General Intercessions
Let us pray to the Lord our God to turn the hearts of all to
the true values that last. Let us say: R/ Lord, hear your people.
• For the Church, that it may be a serving Church and a
Church of the poor, bearing witness to God's gratuitousness as a living parable
of sharing, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear your people.
• For those in positions of responsibility in politics,
finances, and the economy, that justice and concern for the good of all may
guide their decisions and actions, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear your
people.
• For those who live by the work of their hands, that people
may recognize their dignity and the service they render to all, let us
pray: R/ Lord, hear your people.
• For the poor, those discriminated against, and all those
with little access to the world's goods, that they may receive a fairer share,
let us pray: R/ Lord, hear your people.
• For our Christian communities, that there may be justice
among us and a deep concern for each other's happiness, that greed may give way
to sharing and jealousy to loving service, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear
your people.
Lord our God, free us from everything that makes us withdraw
into ourselves. Make us live for one another and for you, our God for
ever. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God, you break for us here the bread that satisfies
the poor, and pour for us the wine of joy of Jesus, your Son. With him, and by
the wisdom and strength of his Holy Spirit, may we place ourselves and all our
gifts and creativity in the service of people, so that your kingdom may grow in
us and among all people, and, by your grace, stand for ever. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
Let us offer ourselves and our work to God that he may make
it fruitful, for without him we can do nothing.
Invitation to the Lord's Prayer
With Jesus our Lord we pray to our Father in heaven for the
coming of his kingdom even before we pray for our own needs: R/ Our
Father...
Deliver Us
Deliver us Lord, from every evil and extend your peace to
all the world. Let it be a peace based on justice and on access by every person
and nation to the goods of this earth, both spiritual and material. Help us to
live without display and without artificial needs. May we all work together for
the full coming among us of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the
kingdom...
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus, our Lord, who lets us share in the bread and
the cup in which he gives himself to us. Happy are we to receive him who made
himself poor for us to make us rich in God. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...
Prayer after Communion
Almighty, all-rich God, what you create you give away and
entrust to us. We try to keep riches and power firmly in our own hands. We
thank you that you are different: generous and unobtrusive, hidden behind
your gifts. Teach us that we do not become smaller when we make one another
great, nor do we become poorer if others are well-off. Let us be of the
mentality of him who gave up power and might for our sakes, Jesus Christ our
Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
Let us be good stewards of all God's good gifts to us, and in the service of God and those around us. And let us also be good stewards of one another, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen. Go in peace, and serve the Lord in one another. R/ Thanks be to God.
