>>> STS. PERPETUA and FELICITY – Pray for Us!
THE HUMBLE SHALL BE EXALTED
Introduction
Today we celebrate two women martyrs from Carthage, North Africa. Perpetua was a noblewoman, Felicity a slave girl. Both were arrested in a raid on Christians. Each had recently given birth and the Roman authorities tried to use their first newborn babies as hostages to force them to renounce their faith, but both refused. Their faith was dearer to them than even their most cherished possession. With remarkable serenity they went to their heroic death.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
you inspire with remarkable courage
those who put all their trust in you.
On this celebration of your holy martyrs
Saints Perpetua and Felicity
we pray you for the strength
to hold you dearer than anything else.
Let nothing stand between you and us,
nothing separate us from you,
for you are our living and loving God,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!
1 Reading: ISAIAH 1:10, 16-20
Hear the word of the LORD, princes of Sodom! Listen to the instruction of our God, people of Gomorrah! Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow. Come now, let us set things right, says the LORD: Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; Though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool. If you are willing, and obey, you shall eat the good things of the land; But if you refuse and resist, the sword shall consume you: for the mouth of the LORD has spoken!
Responsorial PSALM 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23
R. (23b) To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.
I take from your house no bullock,
no goats out of your fold.” R.
“Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?” R.
“When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.” R.
Verse Before the Gospel: EZEKIEL 18:31
Glory and praise to you, oh Christ!
Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, says the LORD,
and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.
Glory and praise to you, oh Christ!
Gospel: MATTHEW 23:1-12
Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’ As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called ‘Master’; you have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Commentary
An act of charity is not for public display
“Do observe what they tell you, but do not follow their example!” Who are these “they?” When we read the bible, we tend to believe that Jesus is talking about someone, not me. The Pharisees, the scribes … the religious leaders of the time preached a distorted face of God to the people. They preached the scripture well but failed to live what they preached.
Today’s Gospel calls on us – preachers of the Word of God – to introspect. Jesus challenged the religious leaders of his time, and the Gospel today continues to challenge the religious leaders of the present time. How often do we come across pastors who love to be addressed as reverend or doctor and fill their name cards with a long list of academic achievements? When I prepare my sermons and reflections, I am afraid I prepare them for those listening to me but fail to live what I preach.
The Gospel challenges us today: Are the good things or works of charity that we have done, for public display, so that people may appreciate us for what we did? Social media updates too often are self-advertisements of our social or economic status, achievements and charity works. The humanitarian crisis on account of wars and calamities around the world has helped us in the recent past to be at our generous best by extending our generous support and reaching out to our needy brethren. But, at times, have these moments of generosity not turned into occasions of self-promotion? Social media platforms get flooded with stories and photos of our ‘acts of charity.’
Pope Francis explains today’s passage by reiterating the command of Jesus to serve and not to be served. He said (in his Homily in Havana, on 20 September 2015): “Serving means caring … for the vulnerable of our families, our society, our people. We all are called to set aside our wishes and desires, our pursuit of power – before the concrete gaze of the most vulnerable…. Service always looks at their faces, touches their flesh, senses their closeness and even sometimes ‘suffers’ that closeness and tries to help them. Service is never ideological, for we do not serve ideas, we serve people.”
In 2014, during the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday, the Pope suggested a standard test for a good shepherd. He said, ‘we need shepherds who bear the smell of the sheep’. How good a shepherd am I in the Christian community and in my family? Do I boss over others around…? Lord, help me to imitate you – to serve and not to be served.
Intentions
– That we dare to see what is wrong in our Church and in society and voice out our protest, we pray:
– That leaders in the Church and in politics may not let deeds of hunger for power or greed contradict their words and promises, we pray:
– That we may all care for widows and orphans and for those who have a hard time in life, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
before he laid down his life for us,
your Son Jesus gave himself to his disciples,
as he said to them:
This is my body for you.
May he give us the strength
to live for him and for you,
even when we have to surrender
what is dearest to us,
for you are our loving Lord
through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen!
Prayer after Communion
Loving God of all that lives,
no one could rob Jesus your Son
from his inner freedom
when he gave up his life for us.
By the word and the body of your Son,
make us strong enough to resist
all attacks of evil
and to stand up for all
that is good and true and beautiful,
for what you have created us for,
for a life and a joy without end,
through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen!
Blessing
May God give us a sense of honesty with ourselves and with God, that we may not pretend to be better than we are and do nothing just for the sake of being seen by people. God knows, and that is enough. May the holy, truthful God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!