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

27 September 2020 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

NATIONAL SEAFARERS’ DAY

WE SERVE THE LORD BY THE WAY WE LIVE

S
aying “yes” to God is not enough. We need to say “yes” with
our actions. In the parable of the two sons, the one who ful-
filled his father’s will is the one who, initially, said “no” but,
eventually, did what his father asked him to do.
We have a better example in Jesus who not only said “yes”
to the Father’s will but also did it. He is the perfect “YES!” to the
Father.
In this Eucharist, let us pray that we may follow Jesus’ ex-
ample and live as “consistent Christians” – people who constantly
live by the faith we profess.
Today, as we observe NATIONAL SEAFARERS’ DAY, we will re-
member with special love and concern the three hundred thousand
Filipinos who serve in the domestic and international maritime
industry. They work away from their homes, so that their families
will live a decent life and enjoy an even better future. Let our prayer for our seafarers and their families
be the best sign of our solidarity with them.

let us acknowledge our unwor- P –May almighty God have

Entrance Antiphon
(To be recited only when no
Entrance Hymn is sung.)
All that you have done to
us, O Lord, you have done with
true judgment, for we have
sinned against you and not
obeyed your commandments.
But give glory to your name
and deal with us according to
the bounty of your mercy.
Greeting
P –Glory and honor to Jesus
Christ whom the Father has
exalted as Lord of heaven and
earth. May his love and peace be
with you all!
All – And with your spirit!
Penitential Act
P –Gathered in God’s presence
to offer the Eucharistic Sacrifice,
thiness and ask the Lord’s for-
giveness for our sins. (Pause)
P –God the Father, You honor
us by sending us to work
in Your vineyard, but we
have often idled away our
life like those who know
nothing of Your love. Lord,
have mercy!
All – Lord, have mercy!
P –God the Incarnate Son,
you have given us a won-
derful example of humil-
ity and obedience, but we
have often preferred to do
what we like rather than
what you want. Christ,
have mercy!
All –Christ, have mercy!
P –God the Holy Spirit, You
constantly inspire us to do
the Father’s will but we
often prefer to pursue our
own plans and priorities.
Lord, have mercy!
All – Lord, have mercy!
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 –O God, who manifest your
almighty power above all by par-
doning and showing mercy, be-
stow, we pray, your grace abun-
dantly upon us and make those
hastening to attain your promises
heirs to the treasures of heaven.
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 Proclamation Ez 18:25-28
While in exile in Babylon,
the Israelites complained that
they were punished for the sins
of their ancestors. Reacting to
this self-serving complaint, the
prophet Ezekiel restates, in the
name of God, the principle of
personal responsibility.
R – A proclamation from the
Book of the Prophet Ezekiel
Thus says the Lord: You
say, “The Lord’s way is not
fair!” Hear now, house of Isra-
el: Is it my way that is unfair,
or rather, are not your ways
unfair? When someone virtu-
ous turns away from virtue to
commit iniquity, and dies, it
is because of the iniquity he
committed that he must die.
But if he turns from the wick-
edness he has committed, and
does what is right and just, he
shall preserve his life; since he
has turned away from all the
sins that he has committed, he
shall surely live, he shall not
die.
The Word of the Lord!
All – Thanks be to God!
Responsorial Psalm Ps 25
R –Remember your mercies,
O Lord!
27 September 2020
* Your ways, O Lord, make
known to me; teach me your
paths, guide me in your truth
and teach me, for you are God
my savior. R.
* Remember that your com-
passion, O Lord, and your love
are from of old. The sins of my
youth and my frailties remem-
ber not; in your kindness re-
member me, because of your
goodness, O Lord. R.
* Good and upright is the
Lord; thus he shows sinners the
way. He guides the humble to
justice, and teaches the humble
his way. R.
2nd Proclamation Phil 2:1-11
Jesus Christ’s humble obedi-
ence to the Father’s will makes
him the perfect “YES!” to the
Father’s invitation to work for
the establishment and expansion
of the Kingdom. This is why he is
our perfect moral example, as
St. Paul declares to the faithful
of Philippi and to us.
R – A proclamation from the
Letter of Paul to the Philip-
pians
Brothers and sisters:
If there is any encourage-
ment in Christ, any solace in
love, any participation in the
Spirit, any compassion and
mercy, complete my joy by
being of the same mind, with
the same love, united in heart,
thinking one thing.
Do nothing out of selfish-
ness or out of vainglory; rather,
humbly regard others as more
important than yourselves,
each looking out not only for
his own interests, but also for
those of others.
Have in you the same at-
titude that is also in Christ Je-
sus, who, though he was in the
form of God, did not regard
equality with God something
to be grasped. Rather, he emp-
tied himself, taking the form
of a slave, coming in human
likeness; and found human in
appearance, he humbled him-
self, becoming obedient to the
point of death, even death on a
cross.
Because of this, God great-
ly exalted him and bestowed on
him the name which is above
every name, that at the name of
Jesus every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth
and under the earth, and ev-
ery tongue confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of
God the Father.
The Word of the Lord!
All – Thanks be to God!
Gospel Acclamation Jn :10:27
All – Alleluia! Alleluia!
“My sheep hear my voice,”
says the Lord, “I know
them, and they follow me.”
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Gospel Mt 21:28-32
God constantly tests our
faithfulness by inviting us to
carry out His will. Many reduce
their response to just nice words.
In today’s parable, Jesus empha-
sizes that what matters most is
what we say with our actions.
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 the chief
priests and elders of the peo-
ple: “What is your opinion?
A man had two sons. He came
to the first and said, ‘Son, go
out and work in the vineyard
today.’ He said in reply, ‘I will
not,’ but afterwards changed
his mind and went. The man
came to the other son and gave
the same order. He said in re-
ply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go.
Which of the two did his fa-
ther’s will?” They answered,
“The first.” Jesus said to them,
“Amen, I say to you: tax collec-
tors and prostitutes are enter-
ing the kingdom of God before
you. When John came to you in
the way of righteousness, you
did not believe him; but tax
collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your
minds and believe him.”
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 glorified, who
has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic
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 –God still challenges all hu-
man beings to respond positively
to His invitation to work in the
vineyard of His Kingdom. Aware
of our inclination to reduce our
response to just nice words, let
us implore the help of His grace
as we pray:
All – Lord, graciously hear us!
C –For the whole Church, the
community of all believers scat-
tered throughout the world: May
she lead the rest of humankind in
always responding positively to
God’s will by doing what is just
and right. Let us pray! R.
C –For the Holy Father and all
our spiritual leaders: May they
continue to edify us with their
good example in carrying out
God’s plan for the growth of the
Kingdom. Let us pray! R.
C –For our government officials
and other people in authority:
May they be the first to obey the
laws of the land and thereby lead
us by example in promoting the
common good. Let us pray! R.
C –For all seafarers who make
so many sacrifices for their fami-
lies: May they also be worthy rep-
resentatives of our Christian faith
wherever they are, let us pray! R.
C –For all those working for the
“people of the sea” worldwide:
May they always be ready to
serve and care for the seafarers,
let us pray! R.
C –For all of us, especially our
youth: May we do our ordinary
duties extraordinarily well and,
in response to Our Lady of Fati-
ma, pray the Rosary every day
for the conversion of sinners and
peace in our world. Let us pray!
R.
C –Let us pray in silence for our
personal intentions. (Pause)
Let us pray! R.
P –Loving Father, guide our
frail steps in life that we may
always please You in our actions
as You were pleased with Jesus,
Your Son who lives and loves for
ever and ever.
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 –Merciful God, grant us, that
this our offering may find accep-
tance with you and that through
it the wellspring of all blessing
may be laid open before us.
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 . . .
Memorial Acclamation
P –The mystery of faith!
All –Save us, Savior of the
world, for by your Cross
and Resurrection you
have set us free.
All – Our Father . . .
P –Deliver us, Lord . . .
All –For the kingdom, the pow-
er, and the glory are yours, now
and forever.
Sign of Peace
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.
Communion Antiphon
(To be recited only when no
Communion Hymn is sung.)
Remember your word to
your servant, O Lord, by which
you have given me hope. This is
my comfort when I am brought
low.
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
 Prayer after Communion
P –May this heavenly mystery,
O Lord, restore us in mind and
body, that we may be coheirs in
glory with Christ, to whose suf-
fering we are united whenever
we proclaim his Death.
Who lives and reigns for ever All – And with your spirit!
and ever. P – May almighty God bless
All – Amen! you: the Father, and the Son,
and the Holy Spirit.
All – Amen!
P –Go in peace and bear fruits
of holiness in your life.
P –The Lord be with you. All – Thanks be to God!

SHOULD CRUCIFIXES BE
REMOVED FROM HOSPITAL ROOMS?
• Jess P. Balon
(Second of Two Parts)

L ast Sunday, we began to reflect

on the issue raised by House
Bill no. 4633, which advocates the
removal of Crucifixes from hospi-
tal rooms. In this Second part, we
will add some relevant consider-
ations.
We already stated that by no
means should the Crucifix be re-
moved. And here are some of the
reasons why. First of all, because
the Crucifix was in those rooms
(and for a good reason) long before
the non-Catholic arrived. One must
have very compelling reasons to
change such tradition, especially
when it comes to private hospitals.
Secondly, because it is statisti-
cally certain that the large number
of Catholic patients who may come
to the hospital rooms will be quite
comfortable with, and even happy
to see a Crucifix in the room they
will be occupying.
The Crucifix, for us Catholics,
is not an “expendable” decora-
tions. Rather, it is a dramatic sa-
cred “memento” (reminder) of how
much Jesus has loved us and
the whole of mankind. The Cru-
cifix is an image of our Savior,
the dearest person and friend
we can have. Jesus is our hero
and greatest “benefactor.”
The Crucifix has been a con-
spicuous part of our history since
the beginning of the Christianiza-
tion of the Philippines.
A brief look at the history of the
Philippines will show that the Cath-
olic missionaries were the first to
establish hospitals in our country.
And the Crucifix was, and still re-
mains up to now, very much a part
of those hospitals even in Muslim-
dominated areas.
A reality check would prove that
all over the Philippines, hundreds
of clinics and dozens of hospitals
have been set up by missionaries
and devout Catholics over the past
four hundred and fifty years in re-
sponse to the inspiration they have
derived from the Crucifix.
The history of Catholic cha-
rity inspired by the Crucifix here
in the Philippines is so factual and
eloquent − more factual and more
eloquent than some anti-clerical
novels or legislators − that even
the numerous non-Catholic groups
that landed on our shores from the
USA at the beginning of the 20th
century never dared to ask that
the Crucifix be removed from the
public and private hospitals where
even non-Catholic patients were
attended to without distinction of
creed or badge.
The newly arrived Protestant
groups did establish their own hos-
pitals (and schools), where there
was no place for Crucifixes. Catho-
lics did not object to that, for it was
the privilege of non-Catholics to do
so, according to their interpretation
of the Christian faith. They and we
Catholics simply agreed to differ on
the presence of Crucifixes (or the
lack of it) in the hospitals.
We should also add that the
Crucifixes in public and private
hospital rooms are religious signs
that have a variety of positive
roles for all those who look at it
with faith. They inspire the health-
care professionals to be consid-
erate and generous as Jesus was.
Crucifixes instill patience, hope
and comfort in the patients and
their relatives.
And if this Catholic (and Ortho-
dox) religious symbol can produce
such positive effects in all those
who consider Jesus as their Lord
and Savior, no one has the right
to deprive them of such positive
effects. Those who do not share
such a faith will not be forced to
show to the Crucifix any special
sign of respect. But their asking
that it be removed is surely a sign
of great disrespect not only for the
Crucifix itself, but also for those
who consider it a sacred image.
Non-Catholics can ignore its pres-
ence, just as foreigners may ignore
(but not deface or disrespect) im-
ages of our national heroes in our
squares, or our flag on its poles.
What is sacred has to be kept as
such and be respected even by
those who belong to different reli-
gious affiliations or have no religion
at all. This is one of the pillars of
pluralism, tolerance and mutual
respect among cultures and reli-
gious faiths. A Crucifix has never
been an incitement to violence in
our country, or provocation against
other faiths. A crucifix is a sign of
peace, love and real brotherhood.
Why, then, ask that it should be re-
moved from our hospitals? . . .

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