Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 5, 2021 Cycle B
Green priestly vestments symbolize hope and the vitality of
the life of faith.
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Liturgical
Year Cycle B 2020-2021
Introductory Acts Of Worship
The Entrance Prayers:
On Sunday, usually a hymn praising God
is sung in place of reciting a Psalm from the Bible which invites us to
enter more deeply into the mystery of God's love for us. The recited
weekday Psalm expresses a youthful heart and spirit, delighted that we may come
before the living God.
Entrance Song
/ Entrance Psalm (Antiphon)
Entrance Song
Psalm: 119:137, 124
You are just, O Lord, and your judgment is right; treat your servant in
accord with your merciful love.
The Priest Approaches and Kisses the Altar: The altar is a symbol of Christ. In it are cut five crosses to recall the five wounds of Christ. The altar also represents the Church and has embedded in it the relics of her saints. The priest comes to the altar to celebrate the Sacrifice in the Church's name. Because of the glory surrounding the altar upon which the divine Sacrifice will be made, the kiss of the priest unites the Church to Christ, its Redeemer.
Priest:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
All:
Amen.
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: And
with your spirit.
The Penitential Prayers: We recognize our guilt for past sins, express our sorrow for them, and ask that Mary, the angels, the saints, and our brothers and sisters in Christ pray for the Lord God's mercy. (The priest may select from several forms).
Priest: Brothers and sisters, let
us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred
mysteries.
Priest: You were sent to heal the contrite of heart:
Lord, have mercy.
All: Lord, have mercy.
Priest: You came to call sinners: Christ, have mercy.
All: Christ, have mercy.
Priest: You are seated at the right hand of the Father to
intercede for us: Lord, have mercy.
All: Lord, have mercy.
The Absolution:
Priest: May almighty God have
mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
All:
Amen.
The Gloria: The Glory of God prayers have existed from the second century. They repeat the angels praise of God which heralded the birth of Christ on earth. Our praise is lifted again through the years as we rejoice at His coming as Lord, God, the most high Jesus Christ, who at Christmas took on our human nature while at the same time being the son of Man. This ancient hymn expresses our recognition of God's glory and love. It calls upon Christ as our holy and divine mediator, and the Holy Spirit who forever binds us together in God's love.
Priest and All: Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. 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.
The Collect: The priest lifts the united prayers and petitions of the congregation to God the Father through the merits of Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit.
Priest: Let us pray.
Priest: O God, by whom we are redeemed and receive adoption,
look graciously upon your beloved sons and daughters, that those who believe in
Christ may receive true freedom and an everlasting inheritance. 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.
Liturgy
of the Word
Christ is made known to us through the Old Testament which prepares us to recognize Him. In those days, God inspired men who spoke His message. Now, the New Testament Gospel reading announces His presence to us directly through His Son. Both readings bring God's message to us. Our responsibility is to respond.
The First Reading: From the Old Testament.
First Reading
Isaiah 35:4-7a
Thus says the Lord: Say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense He comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing. Streams will burst forth in the desert, and rivers in the steppe. The burning sands will become pools, and the thirsty ground, springs of water.
Priest/Reader:
The Word of the
Lord.
All:
Thanks
be to God.
The Responsorial Psalm:
This Psalm praising God, is a prayer to God,
or recommends the practice of virtue. It is sung as an interlude between
the scriptural readings. It provides yet another instructional setting and
invites the assembly to imitate the cantor who sings a repeated response to the
verses of an ancient Psalm many of which are attributed to King David. The
verses are sung first by a cantor (song leader) accompanied by instruments, the
refrain is sung by the people.
Responsorial Psalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-10
Cantor: Praise the Lord, my soul,
my soul! Praise the Lord, my soul!
All: Praise the Lord, my soul, my soul! Praise the Lord, my soul!
Cantor: The God of Jacob keeps faith forever, secures justice for
the oppressed, gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets captives free.
All: Praise the Lord, my soul, my soul! Praise the Lord, my soul!
Cantor: The Lord gives sight to the blind; the Lord raises up those
who were bowed down. The Lord loves the just; the Lord protects strangers.
All: Praise the Lord, my soul, my soul! Praise the Lord, my soul!
Cantor: The fatherless and the widow the Lord sustains, but the
way of the wicked he thwarts. The Lord shall reign forever; your God, O Zion,
through all generations.
All: Praise the Lord, my soul, my soul! Praise the Lord, my soul!
The Second Reading: Taken from the New Testament, from a letter written by St. James.
James 2:1-5
My brothers and sisters, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if a man with gold rings and fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor person in shabby clothes also come in, and you part attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here, please,” while you say to the poor one, “Stand there,” or “Sit at my feet,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs?
Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?
The Alleluia:
An ancient expression of joy anticipating
the Lord's message we will hear in the Gospel.
Matthew 4:23
Cantor: Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia!
ALL: R/. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Cantor: Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the kingdom and
cured every disease among the people.
ALL: R/. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
The Gospel:
The Liturgy of the Word is completed
by the reading of the Gospel. Before its reading, the members of the
assembly trace the sign of the cross upon the forehead to indicate their mental
acceptance of the Truth, on the lips to indicate their readiness to announce it,
and over the heart to indicate their sincere desire to accept it into their
lives. The "Good News" of the Gospel tells that God's kingdom has come for
all to hear, accept, and announce to the world for its salvation. It
is God who is speaking to us. Christ comes to teach us by the example of
His life and by His own words.
Priest: Cleanse my heart and my lips, almighty God, that I may worthily proclaim your
holy Gospel. Through the words of the Gospel may our sins be wiped away.
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: And with our spirit.
Priest/Deacon: A
reading from the holy Gospel according
to St. Mark.
All: Glory
to you, Lord.
The Gospel Mark 7:31-37
Mark wrote to explain Christ
to the new Gentile converts.
Again
Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,
into the district of the Decapolis. And people brought to him a deaf man
who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. He took
him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man's
ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned,
and said to him, Ephphatha! - that is, "Be opened!" - And immediately the
man's ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.
He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to,
the more they proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished and they
said, "He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute
speak."
Priest: The
Gospel of the Lord.
All: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
The Priest's Sermon:
The priest develops, explains, and comments upon the Master's words,
so our minds may be
enlightened, and our
hearts enriched.
(A priestly reflection upon this Gospel)
Profession of Faith: We state in the Nicene Creed the principles of our faith in precise and definite terms.
All: I believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before 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, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered 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 for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
General Intercessions: We pray for the needs of the pope, civic leaders, our own needs, those of others, the sick, the dying, those who have died, the church, and the world. The response of all to each intercession: Lord, hear our prayer.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
The Liturgy of the Eucharist
Gifts of bread and wine symbolizing ourselves are presented to the priest who will offer them to God the Father. Through the Holy Spirit, they will become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ whom we receive in Holy Communion. Jesus unites Himself with us for our spiritual nourishment and strength. Today, when individuals do not present their own personal offerings of bread and wine, the monetary contribution symbolizes the material of their united sacrifice. The priest makes and offering of the bread and wine to God.
Preparation of the Bread and Wine:
Priest: Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation,
for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you:
fruit of the earth and work of human hands, it will become for us the bread of
life.
All:
Blessed be God for ever.
Priest: By
the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of
Christ, who humbled himself to share
in our humanity.
Priest: Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have
received the wine we offer you; fruit of the vine and work of human hands it will become our spiritual drink.
All: Blessed be God for ever.
Priest: With humble spirit and contrite heart may we be accepted by you, O Lord, and may our sacrifice in your sight this day be pleasing to you, Lord God.
The Priest's Hands are Washed: This act was traditionally necessary because the priest handled the various gifts presented by the people. Now, the cleansing act using water reminds the priest and ourselves of the need to cleanse not only the hands but the soul. Soon, the priest's hands will hold the actual body of Christ, and we will become His dwelling place.
Priest: Wash
me O Lord, from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
Pray, brethren, that
my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.
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 Gifts: Speaking in our name, the priest asks the Father to accept the gifts we offer through him.
Priest: O God, who give us the gift of true prayer and of peace, graciously grant that, through this offering, we may do fitting homage to your divine majesty and, by partaking of the sacred mystery, we may be faithfully united in mind and heart. Through Christ our Lord.
Eucharistic Prayer:
(Number Three: The priest may select from several forms).
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: And with your
spirit.
Priest: Lift up your hearts.
All: We lift them up to the Lord.
Priest: Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God.
All: It is right
and just.
Preface Prayer:
Priest: It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God.
For you laid the foundations of the world and have arranged the changing of times and seasons; you formed man in your own image and set humanity over the whole world in all its wonder, to rule in your name over all you have made and for ever praise you in your mighty works, through Christ our Lord.
And so, with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominions, and with all the hosts and Powers of heaven, we sing the hymn of your glory, as without end we acclaim:
Acclamation:
Priest
and 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.
Priest: You are indeed Holy, O Lord, and all you have
created rightly gives you praise, for through your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, by
the power and working of the Holy Spirit, you give life to all things and make
them holy, and you never cease to gather a people to yourself, so that from the
rising of the sun to its setting a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name.
Priest: Therefore, O Lord, we humbly implore you: by the same Spirit graciously make holy these gifts we have brought to you for consecration, that they may become the Body and Blood of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, at whose command we celebrate these mysteries.
The priest repeats the words which Christ used at his Last Supper when He changed the bread into His Body and the wine into His Blood. His Body and Blood are truly present but under the appearance of bread and wine. The death of Christ is prolonged in each of those who receive Him worthily. We apply His death to ourselves so that we may share His glory. This moment is the most solemn on earth because it is Divine act which enables us to apply to ourselves the Cross which Christ willingly took upon Himself.
We are called to die to
sin and lift our very selves to God so that we become changed; to do as God
would have us do, to become what God
would have us become. Our own little cross can lift us into union with
Christ's Cross so we may earn the joys of everlasting happiness with God the
Father.
The
Lord's Supper:
For on the night he was
betrayed he himself took bread, and, giving you thanks, he said the blessing,
broke the bread and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take this, all of you and eat of it: this is my Body which will be given up for you.
In a similar way, when supper was ended, he took the chalice, and, giving
you thanks, he said the blessing, and gave the chalice to his disciples, saying:
Take this, all of you, and drink from it; for this is the chalice of my
Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for
you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me.
Memorial Acclamation: (The priest may
select from several forms).
Priest: The
mystery of faith.
Priest
/ All: Save us,
Savior of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.
Memorial Prayer:
Priest:
Recalls Christ's Passion, Resurrection, Ascension, the Church,
the dead, and ourselves.
Therefore, O Lord, as we celebrate the
memorial of the saving Passion of your Son, his wondrous Resurrection and
Ascension into heaven, and as we look forward to his second coming, we offer you
in thanksgiving this holy and living sacrifice.
Look, we pray, upon the oblation of your Church and, recognizing the sacrificial Victim by whose death you willed to reconcile us to yourself, grant that we, who are nourished by the Body and Blood of your Son and filled with his Holy Spirit, may become one body, one spirit in Christ.
May he make of us an eternal offering to you, so that we may obtain an inheritance with your elect, especially with the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with Blessed Joseph her spouse, with your blessed Apostles and glorious Martyrs with Saint ____, and all the Saints, on whose constant intercession in your presence we rely for unfailing help.
May this Sacrifice of our reconciliation, we pray, O Lord, advance the peace and salvation of all the world. Be pleased to confirm in faith and charity your pilgrim Church on earth, with your servant, _____ our Pope and ____ our bishop, the Order of Bishops, all the clergy, and the entire people you have gained for your own.
Listen graciously to the prayers of this family, whom you have summoned before you: in your compassion, O merciful Father, gather to yourself all your children scattered throughout the world.
To our departed brothers and sisters and to
all who were pleasing to you at their passing from this life, give kind
admittance to your kingdom. There we hope to enjoy for ever the fullness
of your glory through Christ our Lord, through whom you bestow on the world all
that is good.
Doxology
Prayer of Praise:
Through
him, with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, for ever and ever.
All: Amen.
Communion Rite
In the Liturgy of the Eucharist, we symbolically offer ourselves to the Lord through the gifts of bread and wine. At the Consecration, we offer our very lives to be united the God the Father through the Cross of Christ. In Communion, we find that we have not died at all, but have come to life. We have surrendered ourselves to God through His Divine Son, Jesus Christ. In return become ennobled and enriched. We give up time and we get eternity, we give up our sin and we receive grace, we surrender our self-will and receive the strength of the Divine Will, we give up ourselves and we receive everything. For the Son of God says to us that unless we receive Him we shall not have Divine life in us. But it is not really we who receive Christ as it is Christ who receives us, bringing us into Himself.
God makes His Cross the very means
of our salvation and our life. While we have crucified Him, His eternal
love cannot be extinguished. Christ willed to give us the very life we
crucified in our Redemption, the Consecration of Holy Thursday into Communion,
His death into our everlasting life.
The Lord's
Prayer:
Priest: At
the Savior's command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say:
Priest and
All: Our
Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be they name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be
done on earth as it is in
heaven. Give us this
day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who
trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Priest: Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant peace in our days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
All: For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and forever.
Prayer for Peace:
Priest: Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles: Peace I leave
you, my peace I give you, look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church,
and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will. Who
live and reign for ever and ever.
All: Amen.
Priest: The peace of the Lord be with
you always.
All: And with your spirit.
Priest: Let us offer each other the sign of peace.
Breaking of the Bread:
Priest: May this mingling of the Body and Blood of our Lord
Jesus Christ bring eternal life to us who receive it.
Priest and All: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.
Priestly Preparation: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the
living God, who, by the will of the Father and the work of the Holy Spirit,
through your Death gave
life
to the world, free me by this, your most holy Body and Blood, from all my
sins and from every evil; keep me always faithful to your commandments, and
never let me be parted from you.
Priest: Behold
the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed
are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
Priest and All: Lord,
I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the world and
my soul shall be healed.
Priest: May the Body of Christ keep me safe for eternal life.
May the Blood of Christ keep me safe for eternal life.
Communion Antiphon:
Communion Antiphon:
Psalm 47:2-3
Like the deer that yearns for running streams, so my soul is yearning for you, my God; my soul is thirsting for God, the living God.
Communion of the Faithful:
Priest: The Body of Christ.
The Faithful: Amen.
Priest/Deacon/
Extraordinary Eucharistic Minister:
The Blood of Christ.
The Faithful: Amen.
Cleansing of the Vessels:
Priest: What has passed our lips as food, O Lord, may we possess in purity of heart, that what has been given to us in time may be our healing for eternity.
Prayer after Communion:
Priest: Let us pray.
Priest: Grant
that your faithful, O Lord, whom you nourish and endow with life through the
food of your Word and heavenly Sacrament, may so benefit from your beloved Son's
great gifts that we may merit an eternal share in his life. Who lives and
reigns for ever and ever.
All: Amen.
Concluding Rite
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: And
with your spirit.
Priest: Bow
down for the blessing.
Dismissal Prayer: (The priest may select
from several forms)
Priest: May almighty God always keep every adversity far from you
and in his kindness pour out upon you the gifts of his blessing.
All: Amen.
Priest: May God keep your hearts attentive to his words, that they
may be filled with everlasting gladness.
All: Amen.
Priest: And so, may you always understand what is good and right, and
be found ever hastening along in the path of God's commands, made coheirs with
the citizens of heaven.
All: Amen.
Final Blessing:
Priest: And may the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and
the Son, and the Holy Spirit, come down on you and remain with you for ever.
All: Amen.
Priest: Go forth, the Mass is ended.
All: Thanks be to God!
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins.
Save us from the fires of hell.
Lead all souls to heaven,
especially those in most need of your mercy.