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Discover the deeper meaning and connections found in this week's readings, through these great commentaries written by our priests.
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The outstanding theme in the readings of this Sunday is the following: “God, a merciful Judge”. We all stand in constant need of God’s mercy. St Paul’s confession aptly applies to all us. St Paul says he desires to do only that which is good and pleasing to God, but often, he finds himself doing the opposite (Cf. Rm 7:19).
· The devil is never tired of attempting to undo the beauty that God has established in our hearts and the world. He comes in at the unexpected hour and sows seeds of evil (Cf. Gospel).
· Often time, the devil succeeds to lure us into Sin. However, God does not desire the death of the sinner. He forgives us unconditionally when we are truly sorry and ready to amend our ways.
· Indeed, God governs all his creatures with great lenience (Cf. 1st Reading).
· God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but to save it. Hence, the angel said to Joseph: You shall call hisname Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins (Cf. CCC 1846).
· We therefore need to remain optimistic as we battle with our sins because ours is a God of mercy and compassion, one who is slow to anger and who readily takes pity on us (Cf. Psalm).
· God takes pity on us irrespective of the nature of our sins. No sin is greater than the mercy of God. Thus, we have every reason to pray in the following words: “Lord, be merciful to your people” (Cf. Opening Prayer).
· Consciousness of one’s sins may weaken one’s desire to pray or affect the confidence one has when praying.
· Take consolation in the truth that the Holy Spirit helps us to pray. The Holy Spirit utters on our behalf the most pleasing words to God (Cf. 2nd Reading).
· May God, who is our merciful Father, inspire in us trust in His limitless mercy and give us new purpose (Cf Prayer after Communion). With this new purpose, we could aim at continuous repentance and strive toward a more noble course of life.
Liturgical Situation:
Nearly half way through Summer Ordinary Time, coming this week.
Liturgical Keynote:
Continued emphasis on the Eucharist as the sacramental ritual which forms and fashions our life as disciples. Emphasis on the Prayer over the Offerings.
The Entrance Antiphon speaks of sacrifice as the supreme act of response to God’s love. Moreover, the sacrifice is ‘with willing heart.’ It is free, and is a ‘sacrifice of praise.’ The Latin ‘confitebor’ means ‘confession’ in the sense of recounting God’s wonderful works.
The Prayer over the Offerings is a theology of Christ’s self offering as the fulfilment of all the sacrificial rituals of the Torah, the ‘varied offerings of the Law.’ The Church offers gifts of bread and wine. We ask that the Father accept them. This acceptance will make them holy and bless them with the same blessing (‘pari benedictione’ in the Latin) as he gave to Abel’s offering.
Abel here is a sort of Christ figure (cf. EP1). This oblique reference situates the Eucharist as Christ’s sacrifice: ‘The sacrifice of the cross and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one and the same sacrifice’(Catechism n.280).
Moreover, the contribution of each member of his Mystical Body (which originally was a small loaf of bread brought by many of the congregation) is important, because it benefits the salvation of all. ‘The Passion is the Lord’s Sacrifice, which we offer’ (St. Cyprian).
The Prayer after Communion speaks of God ‘soaking us’(the Latin is ‘imbuisti’) in heavenly mysteries. We can read this as a reference to our Baptism, which makes us ‘pass from former ways into newness of life.’
Sunday Preface 4 might be good today.
270 Christ is alive, with joy we sing (L)
603 Blest are you, Lord (L)
604 Lord, accept the gifts we offer (L)
721 O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder (L)
731 For the fruits of all creation (L)
821 The Kingdom of God (L)
Key
CFE - Celebration Hymnal for Everyone
L – Laudate
LHON – Liturgical Hymns Old and New (Mayhew, 1999)
TCH – The Catholic Hymnbook (Gracewing)
Do you have questions about the liturgy and how we are called to participate in it? Explore how the Church councils, saints, and popes have answered this key question and many more.
Every movement of the Mass is rich in meaning but we can become over-familiar with it. Rediscover the Mass and explore how it relates to the Exodus story, where many of its rituals come from, and how it makes Jesus present to us today.
