Greeting (See the Gospel)
It is Our
Lord Jesus who invites: “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened,
and I will give you rest. Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart.” May
this gentle Lord always stay with you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction
by the Celebrant
1.
Joy For The Humble Of Heart
Those who
are aware of their poverty, of the burdens they have to carry in life, and are
at the same time humble enough to acknowledge their need before others are the
ones who can find consolation from others too. Today we hear Jesus who makes
himself humble for the humble. He helps us carry the crosses of life if we
acknowledge that we cannot carry them alone. Let us join him at his table,
where he will give us the food of strength.
2.
I Will Give You Rest
When we are
discouraged and troubled, it is good to have a reliable friend to go to and to
pour out your heart to. I hope you have such a friend and that you are not too
proud to unburden yourself. What kind of friend will that be? Someone who can
listen, someone gentle, who has time for you. Jesus offers himself to us today
as such an understanding friend, gentle and humble, who can give us peace.
Penitential
Act
Let us come
before our Lord with the burden of our sins. (pause)
-Lord Jesus, you lived in the
Father’s glory and you humbled yourself by becoming human with us: Lord, have
mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
-Jesus
Christ, Son of the Father in heaven, you made yourself poor with us: Christ,
have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
-Lord
Jesus, you are the Master, and yet you made yourself our servant: Lord, have
mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
In your
mercy, Lord, take away from us the burden of our sins and lead us to
everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening
Prayer
Let us
praise God and be open to his gifts (pause)
Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, we bless you with Jesus your Son for revealing to us
how much you love us. Make us humble and receptive, that we may be open to the
Good News, for you show yourself to those who are aware of their poverty. Fill
that poverty with your tenderness and with the trust that you care for us. Let
your peace and rest dwell in us even in the struggles of life, as we try to be
good disciples of Jesus. We ask you this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
First Reading: Zechariah 9:9-10
The
Saviour Will Triumph by Humility: Our saving king will
bring us peace not with weapons and power but by his humility.
Second Reading; Romans 8:9, 11-13
Let
Christ’s Spirit Live in You: According to St. Paul, the Spirit of
Christ must live in our hearts. This Spirit will raise us up to eternal life.
Gospel; Matthew 11:25-30
I Am
Gentle and Humble of Heart: God gives himself not to the
self-sufficient but to the humble, for they are open to God. Christ will free
them from burdens invented by people and teach them to carry the easy burden of
loving service.
Prayers of the Faithful
Let us pray
to Jesus our Lord, who teaches people the true wisdom of compassion and love.
Let us say: R/ Lord, hear our prayer.
–
Lord Jesus, teach the wise and the learned to become little and humble, that
you may reveal to them the Father’s love, we pray: R/ Lord, hear our
prayer.
–
For those who have to carry heavy burdens, let them know the gentle yoke of the
Gospel, that they may understand the love of the Father, we pray: R/ Lord,
hear our prayer.
– For
those responsible for the welfare of nations, teach them to forsake wars and
seek peace in justice, that they may come to know the love of the Father, we
pray: R/ Lord, hear our prayer.
–
For those who choose to serve the poorest, let them not get discouraged, that
they may experience the love of the Father, we pray: R/ Lord, hear our
prayer.
– For
all of us in our Christian communities, let us find in the prayers and the
bread we share the peace you have promised, we pray: R/ Lord, hear our
prayer.
Lord Jesus,
it is good to be with you here. Listen to us, for you know us and you want us
to be happy. You are our Lord forever. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the
Gifts
Lord our
God, in these simple signs of bread and wine Your son comes among us today to
be our companion on the road and to help us carry our burdens. May we learn
from him to go all the way with one another on the humble road of serving love.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Introduction
to the Eucharistic Prayer
Let us
bless and thank God our Father, for he showed his mercy to us in letting his
Son Jesus share in the humble condition of our human life.
Introduction
to the Lord’s Prayer
With the
humility of God’s children we pray to our Father in heaven the prayer given us
by Jesus. R/ Our Father...
Deliver
Us
Deliver us,
Lord, from every evil and grant us peace in our day not by the force of weapons
but by the humble service of person to person and the gentleness of the
nonviolent. Keep us free from sin as we prepare with hope and joy the full
coming among us of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. R/ For the
kingdom...
Invitation
to Communion
This is
Jesus the Lord, Who speaks to us now: Come to me, all you that labour and are
burdened, And I will give you rest. Happy are we to receive that
peace and rest from him.
R/ Lord,
I am not worthy...
Prayer
after Communion
Lord of
heaven and earth, we praise you for showing yourself to us in the gentle and
humble heart of Jesus. Uplifted by his word and his bread of life may we admit
how poor and little we are and learn to give time and attention to the weary. May
we speak your encouraging word to them, that all who seek you may find among us
your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
We are
about to return to a world often manipulated by the mighty and the violent. Let
us not be among the violent, because we have a Lord who is gentle and humble of
heart and who asks us to follow him. May almighty God bless you all, the
Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go in peace
and follow the Lord along the way with one another. R/ Thanks be to God.
***
REFLECTIONS; Mt 11: 25-30
Taking the yoke of the Lord
The Gospel reading for this Sunday is divided into three
parts: first, Jesus thanks the Father for revealing the Kingdom of heaven to
the poor and to the simple. He then reveals the intimate relationship between
Himself and the Father in the second part. Finally, He encourages us to find
solace in Him by following Him.
“Come to me, all who labour and heavy-laden, and I will give
you rest.” It is evident that Jesus is speaking to the people whom he meets
every day on the streets of Galilee: many simple people, the poor, the sick,
sinners, and those who are marginalized....
These people always followed him to hear his words — the
words that gave hope! Life can be arduous, and the Lord knows that.
There are many things that wear out the heart: disappointments and wounds from
the past, burdens and wrongs in the present, uncertainties and concerns for the
future.
In our time, this invitation from Jesus reaches many
brothers and sisters oppressed by life’s uncertain conditions. Many people are
exhausted from the unbearable weight of rejection and indifference.
So many people live on the fringes of society, suffering
from extreme poverty, frustration, and dissatisfaction. Thousands of people are
forced to emigrate from their homeland, risking their lives. More people, every
day, carry the burden of an economy that exploits them and imposes an
unbearable “yoke” that the privileged ones - those in the upper strata of
society - do not want to bear.
To each of these children of the Father in heaven, Jesus
repeats: “Come to me, all of you”. Jesus’ invitation is for everyone. But
especially for those who suffer the most. Today he says to
each one: “Take courage; do not give in to life’s burdens; do not close
yourself off in the face of fears and sins. Come to me!”.
Pope Francis says in his reflection on the passage that
“Jesus does not magically resolve our problems, but he
strengthens us amid our struggles. Jesus does not lift the burdens from our
life, but he resolves our anguish from our hearts; he does not take away our
cross but carries it with us. And with him, every burden becomes light (cf. v.
30), because he is the comfort we seek.”
