introductions to penitential rite and · pdf file19th sunday in ordinary time — august...

Lectern GuideIINNTTRROODDUUCCTTIIOONNSS TTOO PPEENNIITTEENNTTIIAALL RRIITTEE AANNDD RREEAADDIINNGGSS,, MMOODDEELLSS FFOORR GGEENNEERRAALL IINNTTEERRCCEESSSSIIOONNSS

The INTRODUCTION TO PENITENTIAL RITE is a model which can also be adapted for use as an introduction to the liturgy itself. The INTRODUCTIONS TO THE READINGS, if read by priest or lector before the respective read-ings, are intended to focus the attention of the listeners. The MODELS FOR GENERAL INTERCESSIONS relate to

the theme of the homily outline and may be used to supplement the usual petitions.

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time — August 7, 2011

IINNTTRROODDUUCCTTIIOONN TTOO PPEENNIITTEENNTTIIAALL RRIITTEE:: Many of us prayand pray and believe our prayers are unanswered. Maybethe problem is that we aren’t still enough (racing hereand racing there) to wait patiently for an answer. We askGod’s forgiveness for failing to listen.

·· INTRODUCTION: In the first reading, a prophet learns alesson about God’s ways. He learns to look for God inthe unexpected.

·· INTRODUCTION: In the second reading, Paul expresseshis tremendous love for his Jewish brothers and sisters.He refers to the privileges God has given them. Heemphasizes their greatest privilege: Christ, the Son ofGod, is of their very flesh.

·· INTRODUCTION: In the Gospel, Jesus reveals his trueidentity to his disciples, but Peter’s faith is not strongenough to grasp this revelation.

GENERAL INTERCESSIONS

1) Make your church forever new,2) Inspire prayer among all Christians,3) Help us to listen for your answer to our prayers,4) For those who are born today and those who die

this day,5) For school personnel and students as they prepare

to return to school,

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time — August 14, 2011

IINNTTRROODDUUCCTTIIOONN TTOO PPEENNIITTEENNTTIIAALL RRIITTEE:: God has blessed uswith the gift of faith. We ask forgiveness for the times wefail to live up to this gift.

·· INTRODUCTION: In the first reading, the chosen peoplelearn the value of sincere faith. Even foreigners canworship in the temple if they serve the Lord.

·· INTRODUCTION: In the second reading, Paul rejoices inhis ministry to the gentiles. He trusts that the conver-sion of the gentiles will prompt Jews to embrace thesaving mercy of God.

·· INTRODUCTION: In the Gospel, a Canaanite womanmanifests exemplary faith in who Jesus is and thusgains help for her ailing daughter.


1) That refugees and displaced people be welcomedand not turned away,

2) That we persevere in prayer as did the woman intoday’s Gospel,

3) That students who are soon to return to school seeeducation as an opportunity to have their eyesopened and their vision broadened,

4) That all who are here feel welcome today and greet-ed with enthusiasm at the sign of peace,

Published by ST. ANTHONY MESSENGER PRESS, 28 W. Liberty Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202 800-488-0488 • www.AmericanCatholic.orgEditor: Rev. Hilarion Kistner, O.F.M., S.T.D., S.S.L. Exegesis: G: Fr. Eugene Hensell, O.S.B., 2: Fr. Hilarion Kistner, O.F.M., 1: Fr. Timothy Schehr, S.S.L.

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Assumption of Mary — August 15, 2011

IINNTTRROODDUUCCTTIIOONN TTOO PPEENNIITTEENNTTIIAALL RRIITTEE:: God sent Christ asthe son of Mary to show us the way to the kingdom.Through Jesus’ life and ministry, we are offered forgive-ness and healing.

·· INTRODUCTION: In the first reading, a servant of Godhas a vision of God’s saving plan. A woman surroundedby the lights of heaven will give birth to the Messiah.

·· INTRODUCTION: In the second reading, Paul reminds usthat by his resurrection Christ conquered evil anddeath. Through her assumption Mary has alreadyenjoyed the full benefit of Christ’s resurrection.

·· INTRODUCTION: In the Gospel, Mary visits Elizabeth andreveals the divine child she is carrying. She then out-lines the future mission of this child in the famoushymn called the Magnificat.


1) For our pope, bishops and all spiritual leaders, thatthey may follow the example of Mary in acceptingtheir mission with both humility and strength,

2) For all Christians and all who believe in God, thatthey may recognize God’s kingdom on earth and inthe life beyond,

3) For those who are suffering in body, mind and spirit,that they may know the healing that comes fromChrist our Lord,

4) For the leaders of our nation and of the other gov-ernments of our world, that they may work for thepeace, justice and prosperity of all their people,

5) For all believers, that we may be inspired by theexample of Mary and open our hearts to praise Godfor what he has done,

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time — August 21, 2011

IINNTTRROODDUUCCTTIIOONN TTOO PPEENNIITTEENNTTIIAALL RRIITTEE:: If Jesus were to askeach of us today, “Who do you say that I am?”, how wouldour daily words and deeds testify that he is the Son ofGod and Lord of our lives? We seek forgiveness for anyways in which we have left him out of our hearts, out ofour awareness.

·· INTRODUCTION: In the first reading, God appoints a newroyal official. Only a candidate who serves God willqualify.

·· INTRODUCTION: In the second reading, Paul marvels atthe divine goodness, wisdom and knowledge. Heinvites all to give glory to God forever.

·· INTRODUCTION: In The Gospel, Peter confesses Jesus asthe Messiah. In return, he is commissioned by Jesus asthe secure foundation of the church.


1) For all who do not know Christ because they havenot been led to him,

2) For the least ones who have not been servedbecause we have not seen Christ in them,

3) For the self-doubting who need to be affirmed asdaughters and sons of God,

4) For us that we may pray to know who God is andwho we are,

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time — August 28, 2011

IINNTTRROODDUUCCTTIIOONN TTOO PPEENNIITTEENNTTIIAALL RRIITTEE:: Sometimes we arecalled to carry the cross of being hurt by others. We askGod to forgive us the times we have hurt others by hold-ing on to anger.

·· INTRODUCTION: In the first reading, a man reflects onhis role as a prophet. He must speak the truth even if itmakes him unpopular.

·· INTRODUCTION: In the second reading, Paul outlines aplan for a spiritual life that will please our mercifulGod.

·· INTRODUCTION: In the Gospel, Peter cannot understandwhy Jesus must suffer and die. Thus he must be repri-manded by Jesus and corrected by the teaching of theway of the cross.


1) That all members of the church willingly carry theircrosses,

2) That leaders of countries help all their people—citi-zens, refugees and immigrants,

3) For peace within all families,4) For peace throughout the world,

1199tthh SSuunnddaayy iinn OOrrddiinnaarryy TTiimmeeAugust 7, 2011

Series A readingsLectionary #115

EExxeeggeessiiss ooff tthhee 11sstt rreeaaddiinngg, 1 Kgs 19:9a, 11-13a

As God’s servant, Elijah’s task was to steer king andpeople back to God. In an effort to do this Elijah hadrecently demonstrated God’s power in a dramatic wayby successfully imploring God to bring rain to Ahab’skingdom after three long years of drought. But fromElijah’s point of view it all ended in failure because theroyal court, dominated by the faithless Jezebel, soughtto kill him. He asks God to remove him. But God doesnot grant Elijah’s request. Instead, God provides himwith enough nourishment to make a forty-day journeyto the mountain of God.

1) Grand displays. On that mountain Moses onceinterceded for a sinful people worshiping a golden calf.So when Elijah arrives at the mountain, God asks himwhy he is there. Will he respond as Moses did? Butunlike Moses, Elijah declares that all the people haveabandoned God and that he is the only loyal Israeliteleft in all the land. God will later correct Elijah’s assess-ment of things, informing him that thousands remainfaithful. But first God wants Elijah to discover that Godis not always accompanied by powerful winds, earth-quakes and fire.

2) A whisper. God comes to Elijah in a whisper. Itseems God wants the prophet to realize that service toGod can also be displayed in quiet ways. If Elijah canset aside his frustration and become calm, he may bemore ready to accept the new assignments God has instore for him.

EExxeeggeessiiss ooff tthhee 22nndd rreeaaddiinngg, Rom 9:1-51) Paul’s love for his people. Paul emphasizes his love

by stating the unthinkable and impossible. Carriedaway by his emotions, he says that he is willing to beseparated from Christ if only his people would acceptChrist.

2) Israel’s privileges. What makes it all the more diffi-cult for Paul is that his people have received everyblessing God could give them. Ultimately the greatestgift was Christ, the Son of God. Obviously Paul wouldwish that all his people could love and accept Christ ashe did.

EExxeeggeessiiss ooff tthhee 33rrdd rreeaaddiinngg, Mt 14:22-331) The first and most important point of this passage is

the identification of Jesus made in Mt 14:27, “Take courage,it is I….” “It is I,” in Greek is “ego eimi,” which is theway God was identified to Moses on Mt. Sinai. Jesus ishere identified with God and therefore he does whatGod does by calming a raging storm and walking onthe water. For interesting background describing thisactivity of God see Ps 107:23-32. At the end of the pas-sage the disciples will come to recognize Jesus as theSon of God.

2) The second point is to demonstrate what it means to bea person of “little faith.” This manifestation takes placeas Peter attempts to come to Jesus by walking on thewater. He appears to be successful for a brief moment,but immediately fear overcomes him and he begins tosink. Jesus has to reach out and save him. Peter’s littlefaith is demonstrated in his “doubt.” But what exactlyis Peter’s doubt? Perhaps Peter’s “little faith” wasdemonstrated by the fact that he left the boat in the firstplace and attempted to walk on water to get to Jesus.Perhaps he should never have left the boat.

3) In Mt 8:23-27, Jesus was in the boat during a terriblestorm and he calmed the storm. The disciples did not rec-ognize who Jesus really was. They were safe becausethe Son of God was in the boat with them. The imageof a boat often symbolizes the church for Mt. So long asJesus is in the boat, the disciples will be all right; thechurch will survive. Peter did not believe the Lord wasstill in the boat. He began to sink because he was notsupposed to walk on water since he is not the Son ofGod. Jesus told Peter to “Come” in order to teach hima lesson—that he should have stayed in the boat. Mt istelling us all that, no matter how serious the storm andhow battered the boat appears to be, if we hold fast toour faith that the Lord is in the boat, we will be fine. Ifwe doubt, we will sink.







PURPOSE: To show how God seems more at homecommunicating with us through the natural worldrather than the supernatural world.

SUMMARY: God is all around us. We need to pray forsacramental eyes so we can know God and experienceGod in the normal, every day events of life.

A) ATTENTION-GETTER A religion high schoolteacher tells me that of all the stories of the HebrewScripture, the one we heard today seems to have thegreatest impact on his students. If we have seenmovies such as the 1950’s version of The TenCommandments or even the 1970’s TV drama Jesus ofNazareth, we expect God to act in magnificent miracu-lous ways. But they’ve never seen miracles like thosedescribed in the Bible. God seems more at home in atiny whispering sound than in earthquake, thunderand lightning.

B) APPLICATION “Wouldn’t it be great,” Father’shigh school students remarked, “if God would just‘come down’ (their words, not mine) and get on all thecable networks?” —How much easier it would be to obey God and to

love God.—We would then be able to believe in God!—But maybe, just maybe, we are looking for love in all

the wrong places and that God’s miracles are literal-ly surrounding us every minute of every day. Wesimply fail to see them.

—We can listen for that tiny whispering sound, too. It’sthere for us.

1) God does still act in supernatural ways.a) In the miracle that helped beatify Pope John

XXIII, an Italian woman was suffering from stom-ach cancer (the same as the Holy Father did).

b) She had a picture of Papa Giovanni at the end ofher bed and throughout the day she would cease-lessly pray, “Papa Giovanni, help me!”

c) One night she woke up due to some pressure onher stomach. When she opened her eyes, therewas Papa Giovanni smiling. “You called andcalled,” he said. “How could I not come to you?” —They conversed for twenty minutes, but the

healed woman would not say what they dis-cussed. She describes the pontiff as “not wear-ing papal regalia” and as glowing and filledwith joy.

—This is not surprising. Many times when he

was alive John would “escape” the Vatican in asimple black cassock and cause panic amonghis guards. They would always find him in oneof Rome’s poorest neighborhoods having sup-per with a local family.

—The guards would say to him, “Holy Father,you must come with us!” “Why?”, asked John.“I wasn’t going to hurt them!”

2) It is in the ordinary and everyday that God seemsmost at home, just as Blessed John XXIII did. a) Elijah and Peter knew this truth.b) Perhaps we look too much for God “up there”

rather than “right here.” Papa Giavonni and thegreat bulk of saints seemed to understand thisboth in life and in death. God is all around us.

3) But Elijah was no different than us. He expectedGod to tell him what to do in power and majesty.After all, Jezebel was trying to kill all God’sprophets. —Maybe lightning could come down from heaven

and strike her dead.—Elijah wanted God to smite Jezebel in a rage. But

that’s not what happened.—Elijah expected God in the spectacular—the earth-

quake, the fire, the thunder and lightning. YetElijah came to realize that it was in the tiny whis-pering sound that he experienced the God ofSinai, the God of the covenant.

C) TRANSITION TO LITURGY OF THE EUCHARISTGod communicates with us still. But we must trust thisas much as believe it. Prayer is a primary way, but wemust have silence to give God a chance to speak.Listening is vital in prayer. What does God want to tellus? It might be through a line of a song we sing atMass. It could be the comment of an innocent child. Itmight be the insight of a spouse. Prayer isn’t words,words, words.

Listening is important in prayer so that we hearwhat God wants to say to us. Remember that our timeis not God’s time. God doesn’t waltz into a Walgreensin December to get a new calendar. We must be patientand this is especially hard for Americans to do. Mostimportantly we must TRUST that God hears ourprayer and that God knows and desires what is bestfor us. Sunday reception of the Eucharist is the greatestcatalyst for such communication and to develop suchfaith. Be still! God wants to say something to us. Arewe ready to listen?

(Timothy J. Cronin)

HHoommiillyy SSuuggggeessttiioonn 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time August 7, 2011

EExxeeggeessiiss ooff tthhee 11sstt rreeaaddiinngg, Is 56:1, 6-7

The concluding chapters of Isaiah’s book offer a reviewof the prophet’s major themes, including sincere serv-ice to God as well as God’s saving plan for all thenations. Both themes appear in this reading.

1) Sabbath. After years of exile, the people are at lastready to listen to God’s word. One sign of such readi-ness is the observance of the sabbath. To keep the sab-bath is to recognize God’s sovereignty. The people hadsix days to pursue their own interests. But on the sev-enth day they set aside their agendas and focusedon the gracious God who provided them with the pre-vious six days. This observance reinforced a properpoint of view on life in this world. If properly kept,itmade less likely a distorted view of things leading tothe exaggerated notion that all of value was of ourown making. Human pride had always been Isaiah’sprincipal target.

2) Salvation. In the latter portion of the reading Godlooks ahead to the ideal time when all the nations ofthe earth will make their way to Jerusalem to offer sac-rifice in its temple. A later oracle in the book adds tothis message the famous image of caravans and shipsstreaming to the holy city to contribute their resourcesto giving praise to God. God is determined to seize theinitiative. This oracle clearly announces that God’s sal-vation is “about to come.” And God’s saving grace isextended to all the people of the world who serve theLord. The temple becomes a universal house of prayer.

EExxeeggeessiiss ooff tthhee 22nndd rreeaaddiinngg, Rom 11:13-15, 29-32

1) Israel. Paul recognizes that Israel’s privileges areirrevocable. God will not abandon his people. He truststhat God’s mercy will save his fellow Jews.

2) Gentiles. In the meantime, Paul sees that Israel’srejection of Jesus has turned to the advantage of thegentiles. They have come to experience God’s mercyand to believe in Jesus. Eventually Paul expects his fel-low Jews to recognize God’s hand in saving the gen-tiles. As a result, Jews will experience a holy jealousyand turn to Christ.

EExxeeggeessiiss ooff tthhee 33rrdd rreeaaddiinngg, Mt 15:21-28

Matthew takes this story over from Mark but modifiesit in significant ways to meet the needs of his own com-munity. Here the issue is the place of gentiles in aChristian community that originally considered itselfto be exclusively Jewish. Most of Mt’s communitywould have been Jewish by birth but there were also agrowing number of members who were gentiles bybirth. This caused some tension. The main character inthe story is a Canaanite woman, indicating that she is agentile of pagan background. The dynamic of the storyunfolds around a dialogue that Jesus has with thiswoman at her instigation.

1) The woman’s daughter is possessed by a demon and thewoman seeks help from Jesus. She refers to him as “Lord,Son of David,” a messianic title. Somehow she seems toknow who Jesus really is and believes that he can helpher daughter. Jesus, however, ignores her. His discipleswant her dismissed. Obviously she is not worthy of hisconsideration. Jesus even reaffirms his exclusive com-mitment to Jews (lost sheep of the house of Israel). Thisshould have ended the incident, but it did not.

2) The woman persists in her request that Jesus help herdaughter regardless of what Jesus has just said. Jesusresponds further with what at first sounds veryderogatory. “It is not right to take the food of the chil-dren (Jews) and throw it to the dogs” (gentiles). If welook at this saying as a kind of proverb, it sounds lessharsh. The woman responds that she will settle forscraps if need be. That response changes everything.Jesus hears it as a manifestation of great faith. On thatbasis, her daughter will be healed. For Mt this is a storyabout faith and the power of faith to transcend thosethings that divide us. No doubt Christianity began as aJewish group, but as we read in Acts, it soon expandedto include gentiles. To move from a mentality of exclu-sivity to one of inclusivity takes great faith. That wastrue at the time of Jesus and it remains true for ustoday.

2200tthh SSuunnddaayy iinn OOrrddiinnaarryy TTiimmeeAugust 14, 2011








PURPOSE: FAITH MADE VISIBLE is our goal. Weseek to recognize faith in the good that others do anddisplay it in the good we do for others.

SUMMARY: We strive both to see faith and showfaith. Jesus gives us an example of being willing tochange to meet the needs of others.

A) ATTENTION-GETTER In order to get you to payclose attention to the Gospel we are about to hear, pre-tend that you have the assignment as a reporter or edi-tor to write a headline for the Gospel story.

Here are a few sample headlines from a differentMass crowd:

“Foreign lady won’t take no for an answer.”“Persistent, clever woman gets a yes from Jesus.”“Send the lady away, Jesus’ followers urge him.”“Jesus and a pagan woman talk about dogs and

food scraps.”Here is mine: “What a mother will do.”

B) APPLICATION Now that some headlines have cap-tured our attention, let’s look deeper into the story.

1) The Canaanite woman has a lot of factors workingagainst the odds of her receiving a hearing fromJesus, much less a cure for her daughter. a) She is a woman and women don’t speak to men

in the culture of Jesus’ time.b) She is a foreigner, a gentile, someone detested by

the Jews. 2) Despite all these obstacles, the woman succeeded

in getting Jesus’ ear. And what a remarkable bit ofwordplay takes place! Talk of food and table scrapsand dogs. Jews didn’t allow dogs in their homes;gentiles did. So if a Jew were to give a dog tablescraps, he had to go open the door and toss themout. A gentile could just brush them off the table.She uses this practice to bolster her case with Jesus.Yes, she says, but even the dogs get the scraps. Thisline leads Jesus to remark, “O woman, great is yourfaith.” And he cures her daughter.

3) FAITH MADE VISIBLE—front side.a) Jesus sees her faith. He sees it expressed by her

persistence, her refusal to be talked out of plead-ing her case, her obvious love for her daughter.Her persistence and creativity enable Jesus to rec-ognize her faith.

b) Faith, as we view it, too often is mostly intellectu-al—belief in some doctrine. papal decree, cate-

chism lesson, and so on. The faith Jesus recog-nizes and compliments involves the heart morethan the head.

4) FAITH MADE VISIBLE—flip side. a) All the headlines that we suggested for the

Gospel story focus on the woman and Jesus.b) How about some headlines on Jesus and what

happened to him? Well, we won’t ask you to dothat now. But it might make a good homeworkassignment.

c) I wonder if in this scene Jesus didn’t deliberatelygo along with the thinking of the Jews of the time,including his disciples—doing so, as a teachingtool, to show a changed attitude is called for.—Jesus does respond to the woman’s plea and

cures her daughter. He does this for a foreign-er, a woman, a gentile.

—Rather than shake our heads, judging the Jewsof that time, we might ask ourselves if there isstill a predisposition to restrict or greatly limitwhat we do to meet the needs of someone whodoesn’t belong to our tribe, church, nationalityor race.

—We may resort to some different arguments tosupport our refusal to help the stranger inneed. We might even label the person “illegal,”thereby not disturbing our own comfort levelin refusing to welcome or help the person.

—Jesus overcame his initial tendency to dismissthe woman. He writes some headlines to guideus: I was hungry and you gave me food;

I was thirsty and you gave me drink;I was a stranger and you welcomed me;I was naked and you gave me clothing;I was sick and you took care of me.

His example with the woman and these “headlines”are eye-openers.

C) CONCLUSION Some have said that the most segre-gated hour of the week is the hour spent in church onSunday morning. Let’s hope that’s not true in ourchurch and certainly not in our hearts and attitudes.

D) TRANSITION TO LITURGY OF THE EUCHARISTWe continue our worship as we are about to share ameal with our brothers and sisters at the Table of theLord in a house of prayer. We recall that God said inthe first reading: “My house shall be called a house ofprayer for ALL peoples.”

(Donald Reeves)

HHoommiillyy SSuuggggeessttiioonn 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time August 14, 2011

EExxeeggeessiiss ooff tthhee 11sstt rreeaaddiinngg,, Rev 11:19a; 12:1-6a,10ab

John’s vision reaches yet another dramatic point in thisreading. Seven trumpets have been sounded, warningthe earth of the approaching day of the Lord. With thelast trumpet John hears voices in heaven loudly declar-ing the world belongs to the Lord. With the ark of thecovenant clearly visible within the heavenly temple,readers know God will defend that covenant. In theverses that follow, John sees images relating to God’sfaithful people and the birth of the Messiah.

1) The woman. The woman is surrounded by heaven-ly elements. The sun is her garment and twelve starsmake up her crown. She represents God’s faithful peo-ple; she also represents the church and Mary, theMother of God. Her child is the Lord Jesus who hascome to claim the world for his heavenly Father, rulingit “with a rod of iron” (Ps 2:9). The woman’s celestialarray clearly distinguishes her from the adversarydescribed in the next lines.

2) The dragon. The dragon represents the kingdomsof this world determined to have things their way. Thedragon’s horns and diadems may be impressive butthey are of earth and cannot compare to the heavenlyadornment of the woman. The dragon is powerful andinfluential, its tail sweeping a third of the stars from thesky. The dragon will kill to protect its interests and soits color is red. But the dragon has no power over thechild or the woman. Jesus ascends into heaven; thechurch has God to protect it.

EExxeeggeessiiss ooff tthhee 22nndd rreeaaddiinngg, 1 Cor 15:20-27

1) Jesus’ resurrection was his own triumph over evil anddeath. All enemies have been made subject to him.

2) Jesus is called “the first fruits of those who have fallenasleep.” Just as the offering of firstfruits brought God’sblessing on the whole harvest, so Jesus’ resurrectionbrings God’s blessing on all the dead. All who die infaith will enjoy resurrection. Through her assumptionMary enjoyed in a special way the benefit of Jesus’ res-urrection.

EExxeeggeessiiss ooff tthhee 33rrdd rreeaaddiinngg, Lk 1:39-56

This passage consists of two incidents: the visitation ofMary to Elizabeth (Lk 1:39-45) and Mary’s Magnificat(Lk 1:46-56). Liturgically, the church is celebrating theFeast of the Assumption which teaches that Mary, afterher death, was body and soul assumed into heaven.That teaching is not found directly in the Bible.Through her tradition the church is attempting toexpress her belief in the great holiness of Mary. Thatcan clearly be found in Scripture as exemplified intoday’s Gospel.

1) The purpose of Mary’s visitation to Elizabeth is to givethe unborn John the Baptist an opportunity to pay homageand recognition to the also unborn Jesus. This recognitionand homage will come as a leap in the womb and is toset the record straight from the beginning. Jesus is theMessiah and John is not. John is the precursor to Jesus,bears witness to Jesus as the Messiah, and sets the stagefor Jesus’ messianic ministry. The incident also givesElizabeth, now filled with the Holy Spirit, an opportu-nity to pay Mary homage as the mother of the Lord.Elizabeth knows this only because she has been giventhe gift of the Holy Spirit. Mary’s faith in what theangel Gabriel had told her is the foundation for hergreatness.

2) The famous Magnificat of Mary is an ancient hymnthat the church has used in her liturgy for centuries. It isimportant to realize that Mary is the subject of atten-tion for only the first few verses of the hymn. There shethanks God for the honor of being such an intimatepart of God’s saving plan. The majority of the hymn,however, is a very strong affirmation regarding thefuture mission of the son she will bear. His greatnesswill be manifested in a series of reversals that willcome about because of his life and ministry. The pow-erful and elite are going to be brought down and thepoor and lowly are going to be raised up. Mary is pro-viding us with a power summary about the mission ofher son. From the very beginning, the whole thingseemed like an impossible situation, but this is only ataste of what is going to happen once this child is born.

AAssssuummppttiioonn ooff MMaarryyAugust 15, 2011

Annual ReadingsLectionary #622







PURPOSE: To recognize and rejoice in the role ofMary, the Mother of God, for her role in helping tobring about salvation for all people

SUMMARY: When Mary was given the honor ofbecoming the mother of the Saviour, she offered praiseand thanksgiving to God. The Feast of the Assumptionis a reminder to us of how high God has raised each ofus through the life, death and resurrection of his Son.

A) ATTENTION-GETTER In our nation, founded onthe principles of freedom and equality, it took nearly130 years for women to gain the right to vote. Thewomen’s suffrage movement, started before the CivilWar, culminated in the ratification of the 19thAmendment in 1920.

In our world today, there are still nations that denybasic rights to 51 percent of the population. In additionto denying women the right to vote or serve in posi-tions of authority, some countries deny females theright to an education, to own property or to hold jobsoutside their homes. Christianity has historically rec-ognized the contributions of Mary and other greatwomen and their essential contributions to the church.The very life of Jesus and his ministry have beendependent on Mary, the Mother of God. She is por-trayed as a humble, yet steadfast person who submit-ted herself to the will of God and she stood strongthrough some of the most horrible experiences a par-ent could know.

B) APPLICATION Despite the special position of Maryin the church, women have still had to struggle to beheard. God put great trust in Mary and thereby raisedwomanhood and humanity to a level that had neverbeen seen before.

1) The woman in Revelation represents the church,all God’s faithful people and Mary, the Mother ofGod.a) The woman is portrayed as surrounded by the

heavenly elements of the sun, the moon and stars,distinguishing her from the adversary also por-trayed in the text.

b) The woman is about to give birth while theadversary waits to devour the child.

c) Mary’s son is the Lord who has come to claim theworld for his Father.

d) The adversary has no power over Mary’s son,who is destined to sit at the throne of God inheaven.

2) Christ is the first to be raised from the dead inadvance of all who will die.a) Christ is described as the “firstfruits” of all who

have died.b) The very existence of death is tied to the sin of

Adam, to be overcome by another man, Jesus.c) At Christ’s final coming, all of us will be raised

from the dead.d) Christ will bring all earthly power to an end and

establish the kingdom of God on a transformedearth.

3) On hearing that she is to be the mother of theSavior, Mary gives praise to God in the hymn weknow as the Magnificat.a) Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, who also was

pregnant.b) Elizabeth welcomes Mary, saying: “Blessed is the

fruit of your womb.”c) Elizabeth’s child leaps for joy in the womb, mak-

ing it clear that John recognizes the prominence ofJesus.

d) Mary praises God for what he has done and willaccomplish through the life of Jesus.

4) Mary’s willingness to submit to God’s will andtake on the assignment at hand makes it possiblefor all men and women to know God’s salvationand victory.a) Mary gives us all an example by her acceptance of

the will of God.b) Just as Mary was given a special mission by God,

each of us is called to carry out our purpose asmembers of the church.

c) Our role may not seem as dramatic as that ofMary and the saints, but each of us is important inhelping to overcome evil and injustice and pro-claim God’s kingdom.

d) The proper attitude of a Christian is to imitate theattitude of Mary in accepting God’s call in our livesand praising God for what he is doing in our world.

C) TRANSITION TO LITURGY OF THE EUCHARISTAs we celebrate the assumption of Mary into heaven,we celebrate our own destiny to spend eternity bodyand soul with God. We experience the beginnings ofthe kingdom when we celebrate the Eucharist.

(John E. Hingsbegen)

HHoommiillyy SSuuggggeessttiioonn Assumption August 15, 2011

EExxeeggeessiiss ooff tthhee 11sstt rreeaaddiinngg, Is 22:19-23

This passage (in Isaiah’s book) stands within a collec-tion of oracles addressed to the nations of the world.Such collections are standard fare among the prophets;they reinforce the prophetic message of total relianceon God. If nations ignore the moral standards of heav-en, they risk jeopardizing their own existence. Thekingdom of Judah is no exception as this readingmakes clear.

1) Service to God. Isaiah is directed by God toannounce that a royal official named Shebna will soonbe replaced. God refers to Shebna with the dismissive“that official” while his replacement Eliakim carries thenoble title “my servant.” The reason for Shebna’sremoval from office seems to be his choice to seek secu-rity in human resources instead of in God. He givesgreater attention to amassing a large force of chariotsthan in serving the Lord God of Israel.

2) Honor. Because Eliakim is a servant of God, hereplaces Shebna. He receives his authority directlyfrom God who clothes him in robe and sash, symbolsof his office. God further describes Eliakim as “afather” to the people of Jerusalem since he will givepriority to their welfare. Eliakim will also carry the keyof the House of David around his neck. He will decidewho has access to the royal court, allowing only thosewho promote faith and trust in the Lord to have influ-ence over the king. God also describes Eliakim as “apeg in a sure spot.” Eliakim will not fail those who relyon him for support and influence.

EExxeeggeessiiss ooff tthhee 22nndd rreeaaddiinngg, Rom 11:33-36

1) Awe. After viewing God’s plan of salvation, Paul canonly stand in awe of God’s infinite goodness, wisdomand knowledge. Paul refers to Is 40:13 and Job 41:3 tomake his point.

2) Doxology. Paul gives glory to God. He emphasizesthat God is at the beginning, the continuation and thefinal realization of everything good that has come intobeing.


While this episode of Peter’s confession is based on theGospel of Mk (Mk 8:27-29), Mt has reshaped the mate-rial and inserted a tradition about Peter that is notfound in the other Gospels. Peter historically had aspecial relationship with the church in Syria and that isthe area from which Mt emerged. The story beginswith a question regarding what people are sayingabout the identity of Jesus.

1) The confession. The responses reflect what wasbeing rumored about who Jesus was: John the Baptist,Elijah or even Jeremiah. However, when Jesus focusesdirectly on what the disciples think, Peter immediatelyresponds in the name of all. Peter and the disciples rec-ognize Jesus as the Messiah and as the Son of God. Thissets the stage for Mt to insert his special material.

2) Jesus’ blessing and Peter’s role. Jesus now turns hisattention to Peter and confers upon him a blessing forthe response he gave. Jesus recognizes Peter’s responseto be the result of divine revelation and beyond whatany human could have known from human knowl-edge alone. Jesus uses this divine revelation as a basisfor granting Peter a special role in the establishing ofthe church. Peter means “Rock.” He is to be the veryfoundation of the church and as such the church will beguaranteed secure existence in perpetuity. This text inMt assures the community of Jesus’ true identity andPeter’s special role. This is the only Gospel to use theword “church.”

Peter is also given the keys that will grant access tothe kingdom of God. Many think that the text of Is22:15-25 serves as background for the keys motif in thispassage. Peter has been given the authority of the keysdirectly from Jesus. As such, he is to interpret God’swill as Jesus has revealed it in order to lead people intothat narrow path at the end of which the narrow gateopens to the kingdom of heaven. It is very clear thatPeter’s entire commission here is for the purpose of hisbeing a rock of surety and a guarantor of the teachingof Jesus.

2211sstt SSuunnddaayy iinn OOrrddiinnaarryy TTiimmeeAugust 21, 2011








PURPOSE: To show by our lives that Jesus Christ isour Savior and our King.

SUMMARY: We are called to grow in knowledge ofGod and ourselves as we serve him with deepeningdevotion.

A) ATTENTION-GETTER In the Oscar-winning filmThe King’s Speech, Prince Albert, known as Bertie, fearsthe possibility of becoming king of England. He cannotspeak without stammering. And that affliction pre-vents him from addressing the nation on the radio. Insome dramatic scenes, an unconventional speech ther-apist helps to cure him. Eventually Bertie becomesKing George VI and is able to inspire the English peo-ple as they entered World War II.

B) APPLICATION Jesus is about to reveal the sufferingthat awaits him. His courage in facing that trial is bol-stered by Peter’s bold assertion, “You are the Messiah,the Son of the living God.”

1) We reveal in our daily lives who Jesus is for us.a) Peter’s inspired intuition about the identity of

Jesus is rewarded with praise and a special privi-lege. He is given the figurative “keys of the king-dom” and the promise that the church will not beovercome. Like Eliakim, the royal keeper of thekeys of the House of David, he will be “a peg in asure spot.”

b) In time, Peter will prove himself to be the rockJesus needs him to be. But he will be a slow learn-er, making mistakes and falling flat repeatedlybefore finally laying down his life for his Savior.Peter will try to deter Jesus from the cross. Hewill deny even knowing Jesus. RememberingPeter’s fallibilities can help us to accept our ownfailings and move on in our efforts to be reliableservants. And remembering his great love forJesus can inspire us to increase our own.

c) Each of us is called to reflect Jesus in our ownway. There is one way, however, that we oftenoverlook. It is to be a friend to the so-called“nobodies” we meet in our daily rounds. Fr. VirgilElizondo tells about the homeless Vietnam vetnamed Sam whose toothless mouth andunwashed body made others avoid him. WhenSam begged a dollar for a beer to help him bearhis loneliness, the priest insisted on taking him toa neighborhood bar so they could have a beer

together. In this simple act of compassion, thepriest revealed who Jesus was for him.

2) Jesus relies on us, as a Christian community, togrow in our understanding of who he is and toshare that understanding with others.a) When Jesus wanted to know what people were

saying about him, his disciples report that he isbeing identified with various prophets who havecome back from the dead. The people recognizehim as a great prophet, but they cannot see thathe is the very Messiah they have been praying for.Once Peter makes his confession of faith, his com-panions make it their own.

b) By worshiping together, joining in Scripturestudy groups, sharing our own experiences ofJesus with our friends and neighbors, we becomemore sure of our faith, more in love with theLord, and more willing to make him known tothose who have yet to encounter him.

c) We do not have to be missionaries, preachers orteachers to share who Jesus is to us. When KingGeorge VI had to speak to his people for the firsttime, his mentor encouraged him by advising,“Say it to me as a friend.” We can share our Jesusstories in the same way.

3) Jesus relies on us to pray, as St. Francis of Assisioften did, “O God, who are you? And God, whoam I?”a) St. Francis did not require an explicit answer. He

knew that self-knowledge is one of the most basicrequirements of the spiritual life.

b) Because our lives are so filled with static, sowired to computers and smart phones, so heavywith financial stress, a quiet and unassumingprayer like that of Francis does not come easily. Ittakes an act of love, for God and for ourselves, toclear the space for it.

c) It is likewise an act of love to ask each other,“Who do you say I am?” Because we are oftendown on ourselves, we need to be reminded ofour royal birth. As the African-American spiritualsings it, “If anybody asks you who I am, tell themthat I’m a child of God.”

C) TRANSITION TO LITURGY OF THE EUCHARISTIn receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, we come torealize our identity as children of God.

(Gloria Hutchinson)

HHoommiillyy SSuuggggeessttiioonn 21st Sunday Ordinary Time August 21, 2011

EExxeeggeessiiss ooff tthhee 11sstt rreeaaddiinngg, Jer 20:7-9

Jeremiah’s book includes a number of candid reflec-tions like this one. They reveal the prophet’s innerworld, especially his feelings about his service to God.At this point in the book Jeremiah has been serving asprophet for perhaps more than twenty years. In thattime he has endured a great deal of opposition from theroyal house and its supporters. In fact, as this chapterbegan, Jeremiah was beaten and placed in the stocks bya chief officer of the temple. The charge was thatJeremiah preached a message counter to the officialpolicies of the kingdom.

1) The prophet. Jeremiah believes God has manipulat-ed him. He complains that his message is always neg-ative, warning the people of the violence in store forthem. For his efforts Jeremiah must endure derisionand reproach. He seeks an escape; he has even decidednot to speak for God any further.

2) The word. But Jeremiah’s plan does not work. Hemust speak God’s word even though he would prefernot to. He describes the feeling as a fire burning deepinside him. Deep down Jeremiah knows his personalpreferences must yield to the greater good of speakingthe truth. If Jeremiah does not proclaim God’s word,the kingdom will never be challenged to move beyondthe lies and falsehoods they believe will give them thesecurity they so much desire. Jeremiah knows theirsecurity lies in God alone. So the prophet must speak.If king and court do not listen, they have themselves toblame for the consequences that will inevitably follow.

EExxeeggeessiiss ooff tthhee 22nndd rreeaaddiinngg, Rom 12:1-2

1) Mercies of God. Paul refers to God’s generous andnever-failing love as the source of all the good aChristian does.

2) The good Christian life. We can sum up the goodChristian life as Jesus did: Love God and neighbor.Paul uses different words to express the same ideawhen he tells us to offer ourselves as a spiritual sacri-fice and do God’s will.


1) Jesus’ prediction. The disciples already realize thatJesus is the Messiah and the Son of God but here Jesusadds to their knowledge by teaching them what liesahead, namely, suffering, death and resurrection. Whatwe have here is a description of the passion narrativein miniature.

2) Peter’s response. The immediate response comesfrom Peter, but we can assume he is speaking for all thedisciples. In sharp contrast to the divinely inspiredresponse Peter gave to Jesus when asked about hisidentity, here Peter responds with the full emotionalforce of a human. What he knows about Jesus has comein the form of revelation but what he feels about Jesus’suffering and death comes from human emotion.

3) Jesus’ rebuke of Peter is sharp and points out how farhe has missed the mark on this issue. Peter, who previous-ly was granted divine knowledge, is now relegated tothe side of Satan. It does not matter that Peter has beendeclared the Rock by Jesus. Nor does it matter thatPeter has been declared the foundation of the church.Peter’s human nature has not been altered even by thespecial status he received. There is a lesson to belearned here. Peter does not lose his special statusamong the disciples nor is he stripped of his commis-sion of rock and foundation of the church, but he willhave to exercise all this in and through his humanity.He is granted a divine commission, but he is not givena divine nature. Mt no doubt wants church leaders topay careful heed to the experience of Peter.

4) Jesus and discipleship. Jesus counters Peter with acorrective teaching. Here Jesus expresses the parabolicnature of discipleship. As the Master goes, so goes thedisciple. One gains one’s life by losing it. Ultimate lifeis attained only by going through suffering and death.At the heart of this teaching is a total redefinition of themeaning of life and how one gets access to it. The tra-ditional ways of power, domination, wealth, prestigeand influence are to be shunned. The way to life isfound in the way of the cross which ends not in deathand defeat but in new life, glorification and exaltation.

2222nndd SSuunnddaayy iinn OOrrddiinnaarryy TTiimmeeAugust 28, 2011








PURPOSE: To commend to the people of God the needto control their anger and to take up the cross Jesusoffers each of those who would follow him.

SUMMARY: Using the example of Jeremiah and Peteras representative of those who express anger withGod, and reassuring listeners that this is by no meansunusual but part of the human situation.Jesus chal-lenges us to take up the cross in following him.

A) ATTENTION-GETTER It was not your standardairport anger. You almost could see it. The two travel-ers had already had one flight canceled. Now they hadflown to a city where they’d been promised a connec-tion. The hoped-for second plane would be delayedfour or five hours. Their anger was such that the youngwoman at the desk had to call the airport police.

B) APPLICATION

1) When was the last time you were really angry?Think about it. I mean really angry, not just annoyedor irritated. Perhaps with a spouse who has beenmaking you and your family’s lives miserable. Orperhaps with a colleague who works overtime tocreate an atmosphere of suspicion on the job. Maybeit’s a neighbor who has become the block fussbud-get. Perhaps it’s yourself; that has happened to all ofus. You did something astonishingly stupid, andnow you are simply furious with yourself.

2) We’ve got some people in today’s reading who arereally angry.a) Jeremiah feels God has led him down a primrose

path, given him a message nobody is going to lis-ten to. And poor Jeremiah—knowing God isGod—has little in the way of options. Jeremiah isangry with God.

b) Peter is angry with Jesus. Peter has left every-thing to follow this teacher from Nazareth. He’sjust confessed that Jesus is “the Messiah of God,”the one they’ve all been waiting for. And nowJesus tells them what they can look forward to inJerusalem: his rejection and suffering and death.So Peter takes him aside and explains to him cer-tain necessary home truths. And what does Jesusdo? He turns on Peter and calls him an enemy, thevery devil! Peter is angry with Jesus.

3) I can’t speak for you, but I know I’ve felt the wayJeremiah and Peter felt; I’ve been angry with God.Word comes that the only child of proud parents has

been whisked away in a freak accident. Someonecalls to tell me that the person dearest to them in thewhole world is sick and has been given only sixmonths to live. A wedding many people celebratedas “made in heaven” turns out to have been made inerror, a terrible mistake. And so I am angry withGod who seems to have played a joke on all of us.

4) The word used in Hebrew to describe whatJeremiah feels that God has done to him is muchstronger than our translation suggests. “You dupedme, O Lord,” is too mild. The underlying verb,patah, means “to rape.” Jeremiah is claiming physi-cal violence, not just the loss of a poker hand to acon artist. He’s arguing that the Lord has violatedhis most basic rights. “How could I have been sodumb?” he seems to say.

5) I would be surprised if you haven’t felt that way atsome point toward God. I know I have. “Howcould you do this to me?” I say, angry that I live in aworld so unfair, a world supposedly come forthfrom the hands of a loving and all-wise creator. It’sas though the very week in which the warranty hasexpired, then the transmission fails on the car. LikeJeremiah, like Peter, I can get angry with God.

6) Ah yes! But also like them I need to continue to lis-ten to God. Jeremiah has also known the delight ofbeing God’s prophet, the joy of speaking God’sword to God’s people. And Peter knows in his heartthat he will follow Jesus to the ends of the earth, thathe will do what Jesus told him to do: deny himself,take up his cross and follow in Jesus’ footsteps.

7) The cross is not like a bathrobe bought from a cat-alogue, one-size-fits-all. Each cross is unique to theindividual disciple of the Lord. Some are huge,hardly able to be carried. Others are more bearable.None of them is easy. And each of us carries the onegiven to us. But whatever the size and shape, theLord is there with us, his own cross just ahead,immeasurably heavier than the cross we must bear.

C) TRANSITION TO LITURGY OF THE EUCHARISTAnger with others, anger with myself, anger withGod—perhaps the deepest, the most real anger of all—is always measured by who we are and who God is.Our faith teaches there is one with us in all the uncer-tainty and the pain and the sadness of life. His friendscalled him “Messiah and Lord.” And so he is,Emmanuel, God-with-us. Now we are invited to bewith him at his table.

(Rev. Joseph W. Goetz)

HHoommiillyy SSuuggggeessttiioonn 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time August 28, 2011

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