>>> St BONAVENTURE – Pray for Us!
I DESIRE MERCY, NOT SACRIFICE
Introduction
St. Bonaventure, a Franciscan, was a peacemaker and unifier within his order and among politicians of his time. A learned man, he trusted more in God’s love, which permeates all his writings, than in his science.
Opening Prayer
Lord God,
as we celebrate Saint Bonaventure,
a man of peace and love, we ask you:
Let the Holy Spirit, the bond of love
between you and your Son,
be present here among us.
May he bind us together in peace and love
and help this little church to be
all you want your universal Church
to signify to all:
the people of your good pleasure,
rich in hope and life and joy
in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen!
1 Reading: ISAIAH 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8
When Hezekiah was mortally ill, the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, came and said to him: “Thus says the LORD: Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you shall not recover.” Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD: “O LORD, remember how faithfully and wholeheartedly I conducted myself in your presence, doing what was pleasing to you!” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah: “Go, tell Hezekiah: Thus says the LORD, the God of your father David: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you: in three days you shall go up to the LORD’s temple; I will add fifteen years to your life. I will rescue you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; I will be a shield to this city.” Isaiah then ordered a poultice of figs to be taken and applied to the boil, that he might recover. Then Hezekiah asked, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the temple of the LORD?” Isaiah answered: “This will be the sign for you from the LORD that he will do what he has promised: See, I will make the shadow cast by the sun on the stairway to the terrace of Ahaz go back the ten steps it has advanced.” So the sun came back the ten steps it had advanced.
Responsorial Psalm: ISAIAH 38:10, 11, 12ABCD, 16
R. (Cf. 17b) You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die.
Once I said,
“In the noontime of life I must depart!
To the gates of the nether world I shall be consigned
for the rest of my years.” R.
I said, “I shall see the LORD no more
in the land of the living.
No longer shall I behold my fellow men
among those who dwell in the world.” R.
My dwelling, like a shepherd’s tent,
is struck down and borne away from me;
You have folded up my life, like a weaver
who severs the last thread. R.
Those live whom the LORD protects;
yours is the life of my spirit.
You have given me health and life. R.
Alleluia JOHN 10:27
Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel MATTHEW 12:1-8
Jesus was going through a field of grain on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the Sabbath.” He said to the them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry, how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering, which neither he nor his companions but only the priests could lawfully eat? Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests serving in the temple violate the Sabbath and are innocent? I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned these innocent men. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Commentary
Greater than the Temple
In 2020, the Turkish government re-designated the famous Church of Hagia Sophia into Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque. Several international organizations, both religious and secular, decried this “conversion” of a cathedral into a mosque, which, for centuries, had been a proud symbol of rich Christian heritage. One of my friends was heartbroken and wrote to me. To her, I cited John 4:21-24: “The hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem…. The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.” The “loss” of Hagia Sophia, sad as it is, is also an invitation to recognize that “there is something greater than the Temple here.” The true temples of the Spirit are the lives of people around us (cf. 1 Cor. 6:19). We honour and worship God when we respond to the genuine needs of human beings, be it feeding their bodies or covering their nakedness or nourishing their souls (cf. Mt. 25:31-40).
Intercessions
– That people everywhere be given the time to rest, to recover from the pressure of their work, and have the opportunity to worship God, we pray:
– That the faithful who go to Mass on Sundays will behave as Christians also on weekdays, we pray:
– That Sunday may be to all of us a special occasion to grow in love for those who are dear to us, to visit the sick and to serve the needy, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
this piece of bread
and this draught of wine
will bring us the life an joy
of Jesus, your Son.
Let his Holy Spirit unite us closely
with Jesus, head of his body, the Church,
as living stones of his community
of faith and hope.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
your Son Jesus has spoken his message to us.
By the power of the Holy Spirit
give us the strength to speak it
for all and to all as Good News,
without fear or compromise.
Let him renew and unite us
as your people of hope and joy,
who proclaim with our lives
that you are our Father,
and Jesus, our Lord for ever. Amen!
Blessing
Of course, there are commandments. But the Lord himself tells us that they may never stand in the way of mercy and of the loving service of people. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!