Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Leave Father And Mother
Liturgical Cycle: A | Lectionary Cycle: II
Introduction
Year II. One of the themes that is strong and dear to Isaiah is that outward religious practices are of no value to the individual or the community unless their everyday lives conform to the commandments of God, which are the people’s response to God.
Gospel. Christ could bring us life and grace because he suffered for us. He could rise because he was crucified and died on a cross. No easy life is promised to his disciples. Suffering, the cross is their share too. In God’s plan, this is the way to life. It’s not too comfortable, but these are God’s terms.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
We have accepted your invitation
to follow your Son Jesus as his disciples.
Let your Spirit give us the wisdom and strength
to take our faith seriously
and to accept our task in life with all its consequences.
Let your Spirit help us to follow your Son
without fear or discouragement,
for we are certain that Jesus will lead us to you,
our loving God, forever and ever.
First Reading
Second Indictment
Hear the warning of the Lord, rulers of Sodom. Listen to the word of God, people of Gomorrah.
“What do I care,” says the Lord “for your endless sacrifices? I am fed up with your burnt offerings, and the fat of your bulls. The blood of fatlings, lambs and he-goats I abhor,
when you come before me and trample on my courts. Who asked you to visit me?
I am fed up with your oblations. I grow sick with your incense. Your New Moons, Sabbaths and meetings, evil with holy assemblies, I can no longer bear.
I hate your New Moons and appointed feasts. They burden me.
When you stretch out your hands I will close my eyes; the more you pray, the more I refuse to listen, for your hands are bloody.
Wash and make yourselves clean. Remove from my sight the evil of your deeds. Put an end to your wickedness
and learn to do good. Seek justice and keep in line the abusers; give the fatherless their rights and defend the widow.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (23b) To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.
I take from your house no bullock,
no goats out of your fold.”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think you that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Radical Discipleship
Don’t think I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
Each one will have enemies from their own family.
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Rewards
Whoever welcomes you, welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me, welcomes him who sent me.
Whoever welcomes a prophet will receive the reward of a prophet; the one who welcomes a just man, because he is a just man, will receive the reward of a just man.
And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, because he is my disciple, I assure you, he will not lose his reward.
After Jesus finished giving these instructions to his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and proclaim his message in their towns.
Prayers of the Faithful
– That those whom the Lord calls to special ministries in the Church may follow him resolutely; that all of us may unwaveringly commit ourselves to Jesus and to people as Jesus commits himself to us, we pray:
– That the leaders of nations may be committed to the good of their people, in justice and a sprit of service, we pray:
– That our prayers and worship of the Lord may commit us more to the causes we pray for, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
in these gifts of bread and wine
we bring ourselves before you
and you let your Son give himself to us.
May we learn from him to make ourselves free
for people and for you
and to seek your will in all we do.
May we follow in his trials and in his glory
Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
in this eucharist you have enlightened us
with the word and wisdom of your Son
and given us his nourishing, strong bread
to follow him without hesitation.
Fill us with the wisdom and power of your Spirit
to go with Jesus without hesitation
through the desert of pain and the cross
for the sake of bringing his life and joy
to our brothers and sisters in need
and for giving glory to you, now and forever.
Blessing
Be free. Be true and honest with yourselves, be honest with God and faithful to Jesus and his message, even if it causes conflicts with people dearest to you. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
Matthew 10:34-11:1
Faith in Jesus is always challenging. Faith can be a battle within ourselves because it demands that we put aside our selfishness. Faith in God cannot coexist with desires for wealth, power, and pleasure. We may also face situations and people who attempt to dissuade us from our faith. Our workplaces or work schedules may not be suitable for practising our faith, and in some instances, society or those in authority may prevent us from practising it.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus warns us of this conflict. Because of our faith in Jesus, misunderstandings or rejection may arise within our family, our closest environment. For many families today, it is tempting to avoid discussing matters of faith to maintain family harmony. While we are rarely aware of it, this lack of faith in God is the major cause of unhappiness and peace in our modern families.
The demands of discipleship are presented in all their harshness. Matthew wrote his Gospel in a time of persecution. Matthew intends to encourage the persecuted Christians by reminding them of Jesus’ words in the Gospel. Jesus encourages the disciples to stand firm in their faith in Jesus, not depending on external support, protection, and material security for the sake of his Gospel.
Jesus’ message cuts right to the heart of our family lives. How many youngsters today care the least about their faith in God while choosing their life partners? How many Catholic parents take their kids to swimming lessons or music classes on Sundays and ignore their life in faith and their responsibility to bring up their kids in faith? And how many Catholic couples consider it normal to terminate a pregnancy when a child is inconvenient?
A remarkable promise is made to those who welcome preachers of the Gospel in the second part of the passage (vv. 40-42). “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes him who sent me” (v. 40). Not everyone has received the same qualities and gifts from God. In different ways, but with the same generosity, every true believer is called to support those who dedicate themselves to proclaiming the Gospel.