Church of the Sacred Heart 11TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (YEAR B) Weekend of 12 & 13 June 2021
Entrance Antiphon Cf. Ps 26: 7, 9
O Lord, hear my voice, for I have called to you; be my help.
Do not abandon or forsake me, O God, my Saviour!
First Reading Ezekiel 17:22-24
A reading from the prophet Ezekiel.
I will plant a shoot on the high mountain of Israel
The Lord says this:
‘From the top of the cedar,
from the highest branch I will take a shoot
and plant it myself on a very high mountain.
I will plant it on the high mountain of Israel.
It will sprout branches and bear fruit,
and become a noble cedar.
Every kind of bird will live beneath it,
every winged creature rest in the shade of its branches.
And every tree of the field will learn that I, the Lord, am the one
who stunts tall trees and makes the low ones grow,
who withers green trees and makes the withered green.
I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it.’
The word of the Lord
Response: Thanks be to God
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 91(92):2-3,13-16
R. It is good to give you thanks, O Lord.
It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to make music to your name, O Most High,
to proclaim your love in the morning
and your truth in the watches of the night.
R. It is good to give you thanks, O Lord.
The just will flourish like the palm tree
and grow like a Lebanon cedar.
R. It is good to give you thanks, O Lord.
Planted in the house of the Lord
they will flourish in the courts of our God,
still bearing fruit when they are old,
still full of sap, still green,
to proclaim that the Lord is just.
In him, my rock, there is no wrong.
R. It is good to give you thanks, O Lord.
Second Reading 2 Corinthians 5:6-10
A reading from the second letter of Corinthians.
We want to be exiled from the body and make our home with the Lord
We are always full of confidence when we remember that to live in the body means to be exiled from the Lord, going as we do by faith and not by sight – we are full of confidence, I say, and actually want to be exiled from the body and make our home with the Lord. Whether we are living in the body or exiled from it, we are intent on pleasing him. For all the truth about us will be brought out in the law court of Christ, and each of us will get what he deserves for the things he did in the body, good or bad.
The word of the Lord.
Response: Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation Jn15:15
Alleluia! Alleluia!
I call you friends, says the Lord,
because I have made known to you
everything I have learnt from my Father.
Alleluia!
Gospel Mark 4:26-34
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark.
Response: Glory to you, O Lord
The kingdom of God is a mustard seed growing into the biggest shrub of all
Jesus said to the crowds: ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man throws seed on the land. Night and day, while he sleeps, when he is awake, the seed is sprouting and growing; how, he does not know. Of its own accord the land produces first the shoot, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the crop is ready, he loses no time: he starts to reap because the harvest has come.’
He also said, ‘What can we say the kingdom of God is like? What parable can we find for it? It is like a mustard seed which at the time of its sowing in the soil is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet once it is sown it grows into the biggest shrub of them all and puts out big branches so that the birds of the air can shelter in its shade.’
Using many parables like these, he spoke the word to them, so far as they were capable of understanding it. He would not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything to his disciples when they were alone.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Response: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Prayer Of The Faithful
Introduction: With great trust we come before the Father, creator of the world and master of life, and ask for our own need and the need of the Church.
Response: Lord, graciously hear us.
1. For the bishops and leaders of the Church, that they may witness faithfully to the wisdom of the Father, the forgiveness of the Son and the gentleness of the Spirit. Lord hear us.
2. For peoples of all nations, that they may learn to live in peace and work for justice. Lord hear us.
3. For ourselves, that we may continue to discover God in all the circumstances of our lives. Lord hear us.
4. For those who have died: in thanksgiving for the lives they have lived and the hope they have shared. Lord hear us.
5. For other needs and intentions, we now pray in silence …
Lord hear us.
Conclusion: God our Father, these are the prayers of our hearts. Open our eyes to see your presence around us; open our hearts to receive your love and share it with others. Hear our prayers. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
