It is certain that the grace of God came to us through one
man, Jesus Christ, and it came to us as a free gift. May Jesus pour out his
grace on you and may he always be with you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
- No
Room for Fear
Nothing can give us more trust and courage than to know that
someone loves us deeply. Faith is really the trust and conviction that God
loves us, and loves us deeply. When we are aware of this love, there is no more
room for fear. People with deep faith are not afraid to profess that faith,
speak out, and commit themselves to all that this faith and love imply. We ask
Jesus in this Eucharist to fill us with faith and love, and so to take all fear
away from us.
- Witness,
Speak Up!
What do we do when we have to speak up about our faith, what
we believe in as human persons and as Christians? Do we dare to speak up? Or do
we hide our faith or minimise it? The message of today’s celebration is this:
Do not be afraid to bear witness to your faith. Speak up, trust in God. For the
Lord stands by your side. We ask the Lord present here for this courage.
Penitential Act
Our love of the Lord is still imperfect. This is why we are
still afraid of bearing witness to him in word and deed. We ask him now to
forgive us. (pause)
Lord Jesus, you ask us to proclaim you without fear: Lord,
have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, you want us to trust you and the Father, for
we are precious to you: Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you expect us to bear fearless witness to you by
our words and the way we live: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have
mercy.
Forgive us all our fears, Lord, and give us the courage to
respond with trust to your love. Lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray that our life and words may speak out for the
Lord (pause)
Lord God, our Father, We have experienced much grace and
love and forgiving mercy from you And your Son Jesus has brought us an
unforgettable message of joy. Do not allow us ever to forget this and make us
bold enough to share with others What we have received from you as a free gift.
May our very lives bear witness that Jesus walks by our side and that we should
never be afraid of proclaiming with our very lives our hope and trusting faith
in you. Grant this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
First Reading: Jeremiah 20:10-13
The Lord is at My Side: The tragedy of
Jeremiah was that the people rejected him for speaking in God’s name. Still, he
kept trusting in the Lord.
Second Reading: Romans 5:12-15
One in the Grace of Christ: When
people were one in sin, Jesus came to make them one in grace.
Gospel: Matthew 10:26-33
Do Not Be Afraid: Do not be afraid,
says Jesus, but live your faith and bear witness to it without fear, for you
are in the hands of God.
Prayers of the Faithful
Let us pray with complete trust to our Father in heaven,
that, free from all paralyzing fears, we may have the courage born from faith
to build up his kingdom. Let us say: R/ Lord, we place our trust
in you.
– For the Church, that our leaders may not be
discouraged by the trials and pains of renewal, and that they may count on our
prayers and support, let us pray: R/ Lord, we place our trust in
you.
– For our country, that we may continue without
fear to bear witness to the gospel by working for justice and human dignity,
let us pray: R/ Lord, we place our trust in you.
– For the sick and the suffering, the poor and
the downtrodden, that they may not lose courage; that they may get out of their
apathy and fatalism and that we may give them hope and love, let us pray: R/ Lord,
we place our trust in you.
– For all of us, that we may not fear those who
threaten or ridicule us but that we may live in trust of God who carries us in
his hands, let us pray: R/ Lord, we place our trust in you.
– For our Christian communities, that we may not
be divided into factions and not label one another, but that we may trust one
another and build God’s kingdom together, let us pray: R/ Lord, we
place our trust in you.
Lord our God, with you on our side, there is no reason for
fear. Wake us up, make us walk and give us the strength to go all the way to
you, with Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
Our God and Father, your Son Jesus Christ showed us how we
can believe and pray, live and even die with the fullest trust in you. As he is
with us now, help us to trust in ourselves, in people around us, and especially
in you, our living God. Reassure us that life is worth living, that love and
justice can move this world, and that you lead us to your future. Give us the
trust and courage of Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
Jesus carried out his mission and lived trustingly in the
hands of the Father. We join him now in his sacrifice and express with him this
same deep trust, as we ask for the courage to live our faith.
Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer
Knowing that we are in the Father’s hands, We pray to him
with the fullest trust The prayer of Jesus himself: R/ Our Father...
Deliver Us
Deliver us, Lord, from sin and all fear to declare ourselves
for you in the presence of people and to commit ourselves to your work of
integrity and truth. Fill us with your quiet courage to stand up for the
freedom and human dignity of our brothers and sisters, that we may not mar the
image of your Son. Help us to prepare with joy and hope the full coming among
us of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...
Invitation to Communion
This is the body of our Saviour. Come to him without fear, for
he will fill us with his strength to bear witness to him. R/ Lord, I am
not worthy...
Thanksgiving
Instead of the silence after communion, the following prayer
of trust by Charles de Foucauld could be slowly read by the leader.
God, I entrust myself to you. Do with me what you want. Whatever
you wish to do with me, I thank you.
I am ready for everything, I accept everything. Provided
your will be done in me and in all your creatures, I desire nothing else, my
God.
I place my soul into your hands, I give it to you, my God, with
all the love of my heart, because I love you, because it is to me a demand of
love to give myself, to commit myself to you without reserve, with an unlimited
trust, For you are my Father.
Prayer after Communion
Our God and Father we know that you love us, for you have
given us your Son to go with us through life. Free us from our fears and
self-pity, and give us the courage to face life with the loyalty and openness
of your Son. Help us to give up our worries, our competition and distrust of
one another, and our hesitation to stand up for you and for all that is good. Be
with us now and forever through Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
Do not be afraid, for the Father loves us. Do not be afraid,
for Christ walks by our side. Do not be afraid, for the Holy Spirit will give
us courage. Do not be afraid, for we are in God’s hands. Go and face life and
bear witness to God’s love with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and
the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go in the peace of Christ. R/ Thanks be to God.
REFLECTIONS: Matthew 10:26-33
"Do not be afraid"
In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus warns the disciples of the
adversities that await them. Jesus is preparing his Apostles for their first
experience of proclaiming the Kingdom of God and persistently exhorts them “not
to be afraid.”
Matthew was writing the Gospel during the reign of Emperor
Domitian, who persecuted Christians for refusing to worship him as "Lord
and God." In Ephesus, a temple was constructed with a colossal statue of
Domitian. The local authorities wanted everyone to bow down and worship the
image of the emperor.
Christians who refused to worship the emperor were tortured,
discriminated against, and had their properties confiscated. It was becoming
increasingly difficult for many Christians to endure these constant harassments
and they were at the point of apostasy. How to help them through this
challenging time?
In this historical context, to encourage and comfort the
Christians of his community, Matthew wrote the sayings of Jesus regarding the
difficulties they would have to bear. The Gospel of today emphasises three
times: “Do not be afraid! ”For those who have chosen to follow Christ, fear is
their worst enemy. People may be anxious about losing their position, losing
their friendships, losing their property, getting punished, demoted, or even
dying. Now the disciples are afraid of the violence unleashed by the enemies of
Christ. They are scared that their mission might fail.
When Jesus says, "What I say to you in darkness, speak
in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops", we
might be a little confused unless we understand Jewish customs. Whenever the
Rabbis wanted to send their disciples to preach in public, they first trained
them in secret. Hence, the disciples, who learned in secret from the Rabbis,
kept their knowledge to themselves for a long time before later proclaiming it
to the public. That is precisely the role of Jesus' disciples today. The
disciples are to proclaim in public what they heard from Jesus.
Jesus' life, suffering, death and resurrection are the best
proof for the disciples. After his crucifixion and burial, Jesus' enemies were
convinced they had silenced him forever and put a huge, immovable rock on him
and his message. However, on Easter day, he is risen, just as the seed, buried
in the ground, dies but only to reappear a hundredfold.
Sadly, many people are still killed for the cause of the Gospel today. Even without bloodshed, persecution exists. Sometimes it openly manifests itself through insults, public taunts, subtle and disguised marginalisation, discrimination, and exclusion … Yet the Lord's message is, "Do not be afraid."
