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

4 September 2022 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

Demands of True Discipleship

O n this Sunday we are invited to reflect on the radical demands of an


authen c Chris an faith. We are challenged to make our own the
values and priori es of Christ even when this entails sacrifice and
detachment from all we hold dear. We are expected to love as Jesus does,
that is, in an absolutely pure, selfless, and generous way that seeks the real
good of the beloved and excludes no one.
It is not easy to love in this manner. That is why to love “the Jesus way”
requires plenty of moral strength and a long appren ceship. But this is the
only way to be a real disciple of the Lord, for it is only through such a strong
love that the Kingdom of God flourishes and we can a ain las ng happi-
ness.
In this Eucharis c celebra on let us ask for the grace to love Jesus
above all, both in words and deeds. On this first Sunday of September, let
us remember that this is “Na onal Cateche cal Month.” Let us offer this
Eucharist for all those involved in the cateche cal ministry and their recipients.

disciples of Jesus, let us ask the Gloria


Lord for pardon and guidance. All – Glory to God in the high-
(Pause) est, and on earth peace to peo-
P –For the times we have failed ple of good will. We praise you,
Entrance Antiphon to give you absolute priority we bless you, we adore you,
(To be recited only when no in our hearts, Lord, have we glorify you, we give you
Entrance Hymn is sung.) mercy! thanks for your great glory,
You are just, O Lord, and All – Lord, have mercy! Lord God, heavenly King, O
your judgment is right; treat P –For the times we have re- God, almighty Father.
your servant in accord with fused to carry the cross of Lord Jesus Christ, Only Be-
your merciful love. living an honest, pure, and gotten Son, Lord God, Lamb
productive life, Christ, have of God, Son of the Father, you
Greeting mercy! take away the sins of the world,
P –Grace and peace from God All – Christ, have mercy! have mercy on us; you take
our Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, P –For the times we have al- away the sins of the world,
and the Holy Spirit be with you lowed our hearts to remain receive our prayer; you are
all! attached to material things, seated at the right hand of the
All – And with your spirit! Lord, have mercy! Father, have mercy on us. For
All –Lord, have mercy! you alone are the Holy One,
Penitential Act P – May almighty God have you alone are the Lord, you
P –Blinded by our passions or mercy on us, forgive us our alone are the Most High, Jesus
led astray by the bad examples sins, and bring us to ever- Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
around us, knowing that some- lasting life. in the glory of God the Father.
times we have not been faithful All – Amen! Amen!

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Collect (Opening Prayer) beloved especially to me; but
even more so to you, as a man
P –O God, by whom we are and in the Lord.
redeemed and receive adoption, So if you regard me as a
look graciously upon your be- partner, welcome him as you
loved sons and daughters, that would me.
those who believe in Christ may
* You turn man back to dust, The Word of the Lord!
receive true freedom and an ev- saying, “Return, O children
erlasting inheritance. All – Thanks be to God!
of men.” For a thousand years
Through our Lord Jesus in your sight are as yesterday, Gospel Acclamation Ps 119:135
Christ, your Son, who lives and now that it is past, or as a watch
reigns with you in the unity of All – Alleluia! Alleluia!
of the night. R. Let your face shine upon
the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and
ever. * You make an end of them your servant;
All – Amen! in their sleep; the next morn- and teach me your laws.
ing they are like the changing Alleluia! Alleluia!
grass, which at dawn springs
up anew, but by evening wilts Gospel Lk 14:25-33
and fades. R. Using hyperbolic language,
* Teach us to number our Jesus emphasizes the stern de-
1st Reading Wis 9:13-18 days aright, that we may gain mands of authentic disciple-
Among the many things that wisdom of heart. Return, O ship. If one wants to follow him
we do not know are God’s plans Lord! How long? Have pity on faithfully, one has to be totally
and will. It is only through the your servants! R. detached from even the closest
gift of divine Wisdom that we can relatives, one’s self, and material
* Fill us at daybreak with possessions.
overcome such limitation and be
your kindness, that we may
in a position to please God with P –The Lord be with you!
shout for joy and gladness all
our behavior. All –And with your spirit!
our days. And may the gra-
R –A proclamation from the cious care of the Lord our God P – A proclamation from the
Book of Wisdom be ours; prosper the work of holy Gospel according to
Who can know God’s our hands for us! Prosper the Luke
counsel, or who can conceive work of our hands! R. All – Glory to you, O Lord!
what the Lord intends? For 2nd Reading Phlm 9-10.12-17 Great crowds were travel-
the deliberations of mortals Slavery was a black stain in ing with Jesus, and he turned
are timid, and unsure are our all ancient societies. By empha- and addressed them, “Who-
plans. For the corruptible sizing the reality of “universal ever comes to me without turn-
body burdens the soul and the brotherhood in the Lord,” St. ing one’s back on one’s father
earthen shelter weighs down Paul lays the foundation for the and mother, wife and children,
the mind that has many con- abolition of all forms of enslave- brothers and sisters, and even
cerns. And scarce do we guess ment. one’s own life, he/she cannot
the things on earth, and what is be my disciple. Whoever does
within our grasp we find with R –A proclamation from the not carry one’s own cross and
difficulty. But when things Letter of Paul to Philemon come after me cannot be my
are in heaven, who can search I, Paul, an old man, and disciple.
them out? Or who ever knew now also a prisoner for Christ Which of you wishing to
your counsel, except you had Jesus, urge you on behalf of construct a tower does not first
given Wisdom and sent your my child Onesimus, whose fa- sit down and calculate the cost
holy spirit from on high? ther I have become in my im- to see if there is enough for
And thus were the paths prisonment. I am sending him, its completion? Otherwise,
of those on earth made straight. that is, my own heart, back after laying the foundation
The Word of the Lord! to you. I should have liked to and finding himself unable to
All – Thanks be to God! retain him for myself, so that finish the work, the onlookers
he might serve me on your be- should laugh at him and say,
Responsorial Psalm Ps 90 half in my imprisonment for ‘This one began to build but
the gospel, but I did not want did not have the resources to
R – In every age, O Lord, you
to do anything without your finish.’
have been our refuge!
consent, so that the good you Or what king marching
do might not be forced but vol- into battle would not first sit
untary. Perhaps this is why he down and decide whether with
was away from you for a while, ten thousand troops he can
that you might have him back successfully oppose another
forever, no longer as a slave but king advancing upon him with
more than a slave, a brother, twenty thousand troops? But if
4 September 2022
not, while he is still far away, more than everybody and ev- and, by partaking of the sacred
he will send a delegation to ask erything else, and be ready to mystery, we may be faithfully
for peace terms. carry our cross with courage and united in mind and heart.
In the same way, anyone of patience. Let us pray for all those Through Christ our Lord.
you who does not renounce all who find it difficult to keep these All – Amen!
his possessions cannot be my conditions, including ourselves.
disciple.” Let our response be: Preface IV
The Gospel of the Lord! All –Lord, help us follow you! P –The Lord be with you!
All –Praise to you, Lord Jesus All –And with your spirit!
C –That the Church may be a P –Lift up your hearts!
Christ! shining example of unwavering All – We lift them up to the Lord!
faithfulness to the principles of P –Let us give thanks to the
Homily the Gospel, and never compro- Lord our God!
mise them for the sake of mate- All –It is right and just!
Profession of Faith rial gain, let us pray! R.
(Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed) P –It is truly right and just, our
C –That many of our youth may duty and our salvation, always
All –I believe in one God, the Fa- accept the invitation of Jesus to and everywhere to give you
ther almighty, maker of heaven follow him with undivided hearts thanks, Lord, holy Father, al-
and earth, of all things visible and to serve the marginalized, mighty and eternal God, through
and invisible. the homeless, the oppressed, and Christ our Lord.
I believe in one Lord Jesus the sick, let us pray! R. For by his birth he brought
Christ, the Only Begotten Son C –That those who have conse- renewal to humanity’s fallen
of God, born of the Father be- crated themselves to God in the state, and by his suffering, can-
fore all ages. God from God, priesthood or the religious life celed out our sins; by his rising
Light from Light, true God from may be faithful to their promises from the dead he has opened
true God, begotten, not made, until death, let us pray! R. the way to eternal life, and by
consubstantial with the Father; ascending to you, O Father,
through him all things were C –That our community may he has unlocked the gates of
made. For us men and for our ever more become a shining heaven.
salvation he came down from example of faithfulness to the And so, with the company of
heaven, (bow)* and by the Holy teaching of Jesus in a society full Angels and Saints, we sing the
Spirit was incarnate of the Vir- of corruption and materialism, hymn of your praise, as without
gin Mary, and became man.* let us pray! R. end we acclaim:
For our sake he was crucified C – Let us pray in silence for our All –Holy, holy, holy . . .
under Pontius Pilate, he suf- personal intentions. (Pause)
fered death and was buried, and Let us pray! R. Memorial Acclamation
rose again on the third day in
P –Lord Jesus, you are our only P –The mystery of faith!
accordance with the Scriptures.
treasure, our hope, and our life. All –We proclaim your Death,
He ascended into heaven and is
Grant us the grace to remain O Lord, and profess your
seated at the right hand of the
faithful to you in all circum- Resurrection until you
Father. He will come again in
stances of life that we may enter come again!
glory to judge the living and the
the Kingdom where you live and
dead and his kingdom will have
love for ever and ever.
no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, All –Amen!
the Lord, the giver of life, who
proceeds from the Father and
the Son, who with the Father All – Our Father . . .
and the Son is adored and glori- P –Deliver us, Lord . . .
fied, who has spoken through All –For the kingdom, the
Preparation of the Gifts power, and the glory are
the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, cath- P – Pray, brethren . . . yours, now and for ever.
olic and apostolic Church. I All – May the Lord accept the
confess one Baptism for the sacrifice at your hands, for the Sign of Peace
forgiveness of sins and I look praise and glory of his name, Breaking of the Bread
forward to the resurrection of for our good and the good of all
the dead and the life of the world his holy Church. All – Lamb of God . . .
to come. Amen!
Prayer over the Offerings Communion
Prayer of the Faithful P –O God, who give us the P –Behold the Lamb of God,
gift of true prayer and of peace, behold him who takes away the
P –Today the Lord Jesus re- graciously grant that, through sins of the world. Blessed are
minds us that, if we want to be this offering, we may do fitting those called to the supper of the
his disciples, we must love him homage to your divine majesty Lamb.
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)
All –Lord, I am not worthy Prayer after Communion
that you should enter under
my roof, but only say the word P –Grant that your faithful, O
and my soul shall be healed. Lord, whom you nourish and
endow with life through the food
P –The Lord be with you.
Communion Antiphon of your Word and heavenly Sac- All – And with your spirit!
(To be recited only when no rament, may so benefit from your
P – May almighty God bless
Communion Hymn is sung.) beloved Son’s great gifts that we you: the Father, and the
Like the deer that yearns may merit an eternal share in his Son, and the Holy Spirit.
for running streams, so my life. All – Amen!
soul is yearning for you, my Who lives and reigns for ever P –Go in peace, glorifying the
God; my soul is thirsting for and ever. Lord by your life!
God, the living God. All – Amen! All – Thanks be to God!

CHALLENGING DEMANDS OF A CHRIST-LIKE LOVE


by Jess P. Balon

A ll spiritual masters and great leaders are noted


for their being quite demanding with their follow-
ers. But none of them is as demanding as Jesus. In
the hero and the saint that had been buried by ava-
lanches of rejection, neglect, hatred or lust.
On seeing such a result, both in themselves and
fact, he requires that his disciples practise a radical in those they love, the disciples will understand the
detachment not only from material things, but also wisdom of Jesus’ demand and its fruitfulness. They
from their closest family members and their very
selves. will be extremely grateful to their Master for having
Jesus asks us to overcome the instinctive in- challenged them to soar to such heights. And they
clination to love in an almost idolatric manner the will rejoice in Him who is “the Lord of all beautiful
persons dearest to us. He wants his disciples to LOVE.”
learn to love as he does. He wants them to love
their relatives and friends in a “detached and pure PRAYER OF THE CATECHISTS
manner.” Such “detachment” and “purity” obviously
entail a tremendous amount of self-forgetfulness Almighty Father,
and self-control. Not all are able and willing to make We, your catechists, pray to you:
Bless us and make us holy.
so great a sacrifice. In our confused and restless world,
But for those who do their best to comply with You have chosen us
such a challenging demand, a wonderful reward lies to be echoes of Your Word.
in store – they will be able to love their own people in Lord Jesus,
a purified and refined manner. They will love them in Unite us more and more to you,
Christ and as Christ loves them. That’s the way he for we are yours.
loved his mother Mary and his disciples. May we constantly draw
Not only this. Once they have reached that de- from the Paschal Mystery
gree of purification and refinement in loving their a great concern for the salvation of the world.
relatives, the disciples will have become able to Come Holy Spirit,
love everybody, without fear or complexes. They Our Light and our Guide,
Be with us always.
will love not only the lovable and the loving, but also May we bring love,
and especially the un-lovable, the un-loving and the for the people of our times,
un-loved. Their behavior will be characterized by an by being echoes of your love.
attitude of appreciation, acceptance, respect, en- Mary, Mother and Model of catechists,
couragement, attention . . . toward all. Everyone will Keep us faithful to our calling.
feel “known” and loved in a very personal manner. Like you, may we ponder the Word of God in our hearts,
Such a feeling, experienced by the persons and live according to our Faith
as you did.
who see themselves as the object of a delicate, San Lorenzo Ruiz,
sincere and up-building love, will prompt in them a pray for us, catechists of today.
similar response/attitude. It will draw out from them Amen!

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