Liturgical Leaflet for an Active Participation in the Celebration of the Eucharist

23 February 2020 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

Love Without Borders

W
e continue to be inspired and challenged by the teaching of Je-
sus reproduced in the Sermon on the Mount. Today’s theme is
LOVE – a love without borders and conditions. Jesus challenges
us to love the way God does, for “He makes His sun rise on the bad and
the good.” That is: he challenges us to love not just those who love us, but
every human being, including those who reject and hate us.
This challenge is not for the faint-hearted and the self-centered. It
is for people who want to build a better world where violence, aggres-
siveness, exploitation, and retaliation have no place. It is a world where
people are prepared to suffer offense but not to offend or get even; where people are willing to walk
the extra mile to please the other.
Many Christians have often forgotten this aspect of Jesus’ teaching and have behaved like those
who have no God. Let our participation in this Eucharistic celebration today be an opportunity to re-
commit ourselves to love the way Jesus taught and loved.

Entrance Antiphon
(To be recited only when no Entrance
Hymn is sung.)
O Lord, I trust in your
merciful love. My heart will
rejoice in your salvation. I will
sing to the Lord who has been
bountiful with me.
Greeting
P –Thanks and praise to Jesus,
our Divine Teacher, who taught
us to love the way God does.
May his grace, love, and peace
be with you all!
All – And with your spirit!
Penitential Act
P –As we prepare to celebrate
the Mystery of Christ’s love, let
us call to mind our sins, espe-
cially the sins against love of
neighbor. (Pause)
P –Lord God, you commanded
us to be holy as you are
holy. Forgive our failure
to strive to take you as our
model. Lord, have mercy!
All – Lord, have mercy!
P – Lord Jesus, you command-
ed us to reject violence and
to promote peace. Forgive
our failure to follow your
example of constructive
non-violence. Christ, have
mercy!
All – Christ, have mercy!
P – Lord God, you commanded
us to love even our enemies
and to pray for them. For-
give our failure to forgive
and pray for the good of
those who have caused us
harm. Lord, have mercy!
All – Lord, have mercy!
P –May almighty God have
mercy on us, forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
All –Amen!
Gloria
All –Glory to God in the high-
est, and on earth peace to people
of good will. We praise you,
we bless you, we adore you, we
glorify you, we give you thanks
for your great glory, Lord God,
heavenly King, O God, almighty
Father.
Lord Jesus Christ, Only Be-
gotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of
God, Son of the Father, you take
away the sins of the world, have
mercy on us; you take away the
sins of the world, receive our
prayer; you are seated at the right
hand of the Father, have mercy
on us. For you alone are the Holy
One, you alone are the Lord, you
alone are the Most High, Jesus
Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father.
Amen!
Collect (Opening Prayer)
P – Grant, we pray, almighty
God, that, always pondering
spiritual things, we may carry
out in both word and deed that
which is pleasing to you.
Through our Lord Jesus
Christ, your Son, who lives and
reigns with you in the unity of
the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever.
All – Amen!

1st Reading Lv 19:1-2.17-18
Love of one’s countrymen
was one of the two basic com-
mandments of the Old Testa-
ment. This is the love of neigh-
bor that Jesus Christ would
universalize to include all hu-
man beings.
R – A proclamation from the
Book of Leviticus
The Lord said to Moses,
“Speak to the whole Israelite
community and tell them: Be
holy, for I, the Lord, your God,
am holy. You shall not bear ha-
tred for your brother or sister
in your heart. Though you may
have to reprove your fellow
citizen, do not incur sin be-
cause of him. Take no revenge
and cherish no grudge against
any of your people. You shall
love your neighbor as yourself.
I am the Lord.”
The Word of the Lord!
All – Thanks be to God!
Responsorial Psalm Ps 103
R –The Lord is kind and mer-
ciful!
* Bless the Lord, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy
name. Bless the Lord, O my
soul, and forget not all his ben-
efits. R.
* He pardons all your in-
iquities, he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from de-
struction, he crowns you with
kindness and compassion. R.
* Merciful and gracious is
the Lord, slow to anger and
abounding in kindness. Not ac-
cording to our sins does he deal
23 February 2020
with us, nor does he requite us
according to our crimes. R.
* As far as the east is from
the west, so far has he put our
transgressions from us. As
a father has compassion on
his children, so the Lord has
compassion on those who fear
him. R.
2nd Reading 1 Cor 3:16-23
The community of Corinth
was plagued by dissensions and
rivalries. In today’s passage, the
apostle Paul reminds the Corin-
thians and all of us that we form
one body and that our commu-
nities are temples of God. Any
division in them is a profanation
of God’s temple.
R – A proclamation from the
First Letter of Paul to the
Corinthians
Brothers and sisters: Do
you not know that you are the
temple of God, and that the
Spirit of God dwells in you? If
anyone destroys God’s temple,
God will destroy that person;
for the temple of God, which
you are, is holy. Let no one de-
ceive himself. If any one among
you considers himself wise in
this age, let him become a fool,
so as to become wise. For the
wisdom of this world is foolish-
ness in the eyes of God, for it is
written: God catches the wise
in their own ruses, and again:
The Lord knows the thoughts
of the wise, that they are vain.
So let no one boast about hu-
man beings, for everything
belongs to you, Paul or Apollos
or Cephas, or the world or life
or death, or the present or the
future: all belong to you, and
you to Christ, and Christ to
God.
The Word of the Lord!
All – Thanks be to God!
Gospel Acclamation 1 Jn 2:5
All – Alleluia! Alleluia!
Whoever keeps the word
of Christ, the love of God
is truly perfected in him.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Gospel Mt 5:38-48
The Gospel passage we are
about to hear proclaimed marks
the apex of Christ’s teaching
about love of neighbor. It is a
love that overcomes all barriers
– not only the barriers of nation-
ality, race, and social class, but
also the deeper barriers created
by those who hate us. Today Je-
sus reminds us that our love must
reach out to all, even to those
who hate us.
P –The Lord be with you!
All –And with your spirit!
P –A proclamation from the
holy Gospel according to
Matthew
All – Glory to you, O Lord!
Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was
said, ‘An eye for an eye and a
tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to
you, offer no resistance to one
who is evil. When someone
strikes you on your right cheek,
turn the other one as well. If
anyone wants to go to law with
you over your tunic, hand over
your cloak as well. Should
anyone press you into service
for one mile, go for two miles.
Give to the one who asks of
you, and do not turn your back
on one who wants to borrow.
You have heard that it
was said, ‘You shall love your
neighbor and hate your en-
emy.’ But I say to you, love your
enemies and pray for those who
persecute you, that you may
be children of your heavenly
Father, for he makes his sun
rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the
just and the unjust. For if you
love those who love you, what
recompense will you have? Do
not the tax collectors do the
same? And if you greet your
brothers only, what is unusual
about that? Do not the pagans
do the same? So be perfect,
just as your heavenly Father is
perfect.”
The Gospel of the Lord!
All – Praise to you, Lord Jesus
Christ!
Homily
Profession of Faith
(Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed)
All –I believe in one God, the Fa-
ther almighty, maker of heaven
and earth, of all things visible
and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus
Christ, the Only Begotten Son
of God, born of the Father be-
fore all ages. God from God,
Light from Light, true God from
true God, begotten, not made,
consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were
made. For us men and for our
salvation he came down from
heaven, (bow)* and by the Holy
Spirit was incarnate of the Vir-
gin Mary, and became man.*
For our sake he was crucified
under Pontius Pilate, he suf-
fered death and was buried, and
rose again on the third day in
accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven and is
seated at the right hand of the
Father. He will come again in
glory to judge the living and the
dead and his kingdom will have
no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life, who
proceeds from the Father and
the Son, who with the Father
and the Son is adored and glori-
fied, who has spoken through
the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, cath-
olic and apostolic Church. I
confess one Baptism for the
forgiveness of sins and I look
forward to the resurrection of
the dead and the life of the world
to come. Amen!
Prayer of the Faithful
P –Today Jesus has reminded us
of our duty to love every human
being, including those who reject
and hurt us. Aware of our weak-
ness in living up to this challeng-
ing commandment, we implore
God’s help as we say:
All –Lord, graciously hear us!
C –For the Church, the her-
ald and instrument of God’s
universal love: May she lead in
tirelessly promoting peace and
cooperation among all peoples.
Let us pray! R.
C –For the Holy Father, the
bishops, and all the leaders of the
different Christian denomina-
tions: May they always be shin-
ing examples of reconciliation,
forgiveness, and sincere love for
all. Let us pray! R.
C –For our political, social, and
educational leaders: May they
champion in all sincerity the har-
mony and collaboration that are
indispensable for the creation of a
peaceful and progressive society.
Let us pray! R.
C –For all those who find it dif-
ficult to forgive their offenders:
May they persevere in their ef-
forts to forgive, and find in God’s
grace the strength they need to do
so. Let us pray! R.
C –For the youth of our coun-
try: May they always remember
that true progress and justice can
be attained only if our plans are
inspired and supported by active
love and the rejection of violence
and retaliation. Let us pray! R.
C –For our families and parish
community: May our behavior
be characterized by sincerity and
openness toward all and readi-
ness to forgive those who may
have wronged us. Let us pray! R.
C –Let us pray in silence for our
personal intentions. (Pause)
Let us pray! R.
P –God of all love and forgive-
ness, grant that we may never
yield to the temptations of vio-
lence and retaliation, and that
all our thoughts, plans, and ac-
tuations may be inspired by a
Christ-like love.
We ask this in the name of
Jesus, the Lord!
All – Amen!
Preparation of the Gifts
P – Pray, brethren . . .
All – May the Lord accept the
sacrifice at your hands, for the
praise and glory of his name,
for our good and the good of all
his holy Church.
Prayer over the Offerings
P – As we celebrate your mys-
teries, O Lord, with the obser-
vance that is your due, we hum-
bly ask you, that what we offer
to the honor of your majesty may
profit us for salvation.
Through Christ our Lord.
All – Amen!
Preface VII
P –The Lord be with you!
All –And with your spirit!
P –Lift up your hearts!
All – We lift them up to the Lord!
P –Let us give thanks to the
Lord our God!
All –It is right and just!
P – It is truly right and just,
our duty and our salvation, al-
ways and everywhere to give
you thanks, Lord, holy Father,
almighty and eternal God.
For you so loved the world
that in your mercy you sent us
the Redeemer, to live like us in
all things but sin, so that you
might love in us what you loved
in your Son, by whose obedience
we have been restored to those
gifts of yours that, by sinning,
we had lost in disobedience.
And so, Lord, with all the
Angels and Saints, we, too, give
you thanks, as in exultation we
acclaim:
All –Holy, holy, holy Lord, God
of hosts. Heaven and earth are
full of your glory. Hosanna in
the highest!
Blessed is he who comes in
the name of the Lord. Hosanna
in the highest!
Memorial Acclamation
P –The mystery of faith!
All –We proclaim your Death,
O Lord, and profess your
Resurrection until you
come again!
All – Our Father . . .
P –Deliver us, Lord . . .
All –For the kingdom, the
power, and the glory are
yours, now and for ever.
Breaking of the Bread
All – Lamb of God . . . .
Communion
P –Behold the Lamb of God, be-
hold him who takes away the sins
of the world. Blessed are those
called to the supper of the Lamb.
All –Lord, I am not worthy
that you should enter under
my roof, but only say the word
and my soul shall be healed.
7th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
 Communion Antiphon
(To be recited only when no
Communion Hymn is sung.)
I will recount all your won-
ders, I will rejoice in you and
be glad, and sing psalms to
your name, O Most High.
Prayer after Communion
P –Grant, we pray, almighty
God, that we may experience the All –And with your spirit!
effects of the salvation which is P –May almighty God bless
pledged to us by these mysteries. you: the Father, and the
Through Christ our Lord. Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All –Amen! All – Amen!
P –Go in peace, glorifying the
Lord by your life!
All – Thanks be to God!
P –The Lord be with you.

The Call to Love as God/Christ Does

by Jess P. Balon

he most destructive forces in the world for He created all things out of love and keeps

T are not nuclear weapons, earthquakes,

and other death-sowing disasters. The
most destructive force is hatred. This dread-
ful power disfigures and shatters the heart of
individuals and society. Hatred is our greatest
enemy, the anti-life force par excellence.
Only one force can oppose and overcome
hatred and make up for its deadly effects:
LOVE. Love is life. It has the power to renew
our hearts . . . to renew the face of the earth.
Love is God’s “invention.” It is God’s very
life, for “God is Love” (1 Jn 4:8). Man and his
world were brought into existence by Love.
Love is what maintains them and guides them
to their final “destination” – heaven.
Love is the heart of the world; the heart
of whatever is beautiful, worthy and uplift-
ing. Love has many faces, many “family
names.” Depending on the circumstances and
the needs of our “neighbor,” love becomes
appreciation, acceptance, encouragement,
self-forgetfulness, offering or accepting a gift,
patient waiting or immediate action, a word of
correction or quiet listening, a radiant smile
or an intent look, timely help, and forgiveness
. . . The actions performed may be the most
diverse, but one is their root, the fundamental
attitude that prompts them all: LOVE.
But in this world of ours, poisoned by sin
and crippled by moral weakness, it is not easy
to love everybody and at all times. We need a
teacher and one who gives us the strength we
need to put into practice what we have learned.
Jesus is that teacher. We need one to show
us in practice how to love. God the Father, of
course, is our first and most perfect model,
them in existence out of love, as He “makes
His sun rise on the bad and the good, and
causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.”
But among all the innumerable “signs”
of His love, none can equal the gift of His
eternal Son, “for God so loved the world that
He gave His only Son, so that everyone who
believes in him might not perish but might
have eternal life” (Jn 3:16).
And Jesus, as “the human face of God”
or “love made flesh,” is not only God’s love
for us, but also our most perfect human
model of how we should love both God and
neighbor. For it was out of love for the Father
that the man Jesus lived and suffered to the
outmost. At the same time, it was out of love
for mankind that he spent his whole life and
endured such a terrible death in order that all
might have life and have it to the full. (See Jn
10:10.)
Jesus, then, is our perfect model we have
to look up to and imitate. We also need an
internal strength to energize us, especially
when loving becomes a hard test. Jesus is also
the one who infuses in us the strength that we
need in order to love even our enemies and
executioners, if it should happen, to the very
end.
He first does so through the Eucharist, the
sacrament of his love. He also empowers us to
love to the utmost through the gift of the Holy
Spirit, the Spirit of love and life.
Among the many things that matter in
life, one tops them all: LOVE. Of all the vir-
tues we should practise, “there are three that
last: faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of
these is LOVE” (1 Cor 13:13).

Don Bosco Compound, A. Arnaiz Ave. cor. Chino Roces Ave., Makati, Metro Manila
Postal Address: P.O. Box 1820, MCPO, 1258 Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
WORD & LIFE Tel. Nos. 8894-5401; 8894-5402; 8892-2169 • Telefax: 8894-5241 • Website: www.wordandlife.org
PUBLICATIONS • E-mail: marketing@wordandlife.org; wordandlifepublications@gmail.com • FB: Word & Life Publications
• Editorial Team: Fr. S. Putzu, J. Domingo, A. Adsuara, V. David, D. Daguio, R. Molomog
• Illustrations: A. Sarmiento, B. Cleofe • Marketing: Fr. B. Nolasco, J. Feliciano • Circulation: R. Saldua