Church of the Sacred Heart
25TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (YEAR B) Weekend of 18 & 19 September 2021
Entrance Antiphon
I am the salvation of the people, says the Lord.
Should they cry to me in any distress,
I will hear them, and I will be their Lord for ever.
First Reading Wisdom 2:12,17-20
A reading from the book of Wisdom.
The wicked prepare to ambush the just man
The godless say to themselves:
‘Let us lie in wait for the virtuous man, since he annoys us
and opposes our way of life,
reproaches us for our breaches of the law
and accuses us of playing false to our upbringing.
‘Let us see if what he says is true,
let us observe what kind of end he himself will have.
If the virtuous man is God’s son, God will take his part
and rescue him from the clutches of his enemies.
Let us test him with cruelty and with torture,
and thus explore this gentleness of his
and put his endurance to the proof.
Let us condemn him to a shameful death
since he will be looked after – we have his word for it.’
The word of the Lord.
Response: Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 53(54):3-6,8
R. The Lord upholds my life.
O God, save me by your name;
by your power, uphold my cause.
O God, hear my prayer;
listen to the words of my mouth.
R. The Lord upholds my life.
For proud men have risen against me,
ruthless men seek my life.
They have no regard for God.
R. The Lord upholds my life.
But I have God for my help.
The Lord upholds my life.
I will sacrifice to you with willing heart
and praise your name for it is good.
R. The Lord upholds my life.
Second Reading James 3:16-4:3
A reading from the letter of St James.
The wisdom that comes from above makes for peace
Wherever you find jealousy and ambition, you find disharmony, and wicked things of every kind being done; whereas the wisdom that comes down from above is essentially something pure; it also makes for peace, and is kindly and considerate; it is full of compassion and shows itself by doing good; nor is there any trace of partiality or hypocrisy in it. Peacemakers, when they work for peace, sow the seeds which will bear fruit in holiness.
Where do these wars and battles between yourselves first start? Isn’t it precisely in the desires fighting inside your own selves? You want something and you haven’t got it; so you are prepared to kill. You have an ambition that you cannot satisfy; so you fight to get your way by force. Why you don’t have what you want is because you don’t pray for it; when you do pray and don’t get it, it is because you have not prayed properly, you have prayed for something to indulge your own desires.
The word of the Lord.
Response: Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation Jn8:12
Alleluia! Alleluia!
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
anyone who follows me will have the light of life.
Alleluia!
Gospel Mark 9:30-37
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark.
Response: Glory to you, O Lord.
Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me
After leaving the mountain Jesus and his disciples made their way through Galilee; and he did not want anyone to know, because he was instructing his disciples; he was telling them, ‘The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men; they will put him to death; and three days after he has been put to death he will rise again.’ But they did not understand what he said and were afraid to ask him.
They came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the road?’ They said nothing because they had been arguing which of them was the greatest. So he sat down, called the Twelve to him and said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.’ He then took a little child, set him in front of them, put his arms round him, and said to them, ‘Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’
The Gospel of the Lord.
Response: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Prayer Of The Faithful
Introduction: Let us pray for peace and harmony in our own lives and in the lives of all people, especially those enduring any particular suffering.
Response: Lord, hear us.
1. For those who exercise ministry in the Church. That they may be free from all taint of worldliness and serve your faithful people with a childlike simplicity and humility. We pray to the Lord.
2. For peace in all troubled parts of the world. That the civil authorities may be free from all pride and sectional interests, so as to promote justice, peace and reconciliation. We pray to the Lord.
3. For parents, teachers and all who work with children. Keep always in their minds what Jesus said: ‘Whoever welcomes a small child in my name, welcomes me’. We pray to the Lord.
4. For the children of our community. May they receive the kiss of Jesus. May they remind us all that we are your children and that You are our Heavenly Father. We pray to the Lord.
5. For all other needs and intentions, we now pray in silence …
We pray to the Lord.
Conclusion: God our Father, make your Church a community of brothers and sisters. May each one of us imitate the humility of your Son, Jesus, who made himself the servant of all. To him be glory now and for ever. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
