Presider: Fr. Justin Lopina
Parish: Sacred Heart and Saint Matthew
Choir: St. James
TEXT FROM THE GOSPEL AND HOMILY
The Lord be with you. And with your spirit.
A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew. Glory to you o Lord.
Jesus said to his disciples: "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen take one or two others along wtih you, so that every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church, if he refuses to listen even to the church then treat him as you would a gentile or a tax collector. Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them."
The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus gets administrative with us today, which isn't really his usual style of message. When there's a problem somewhere, deal with it as locally as possible. If you can solve it one on one then don't bring anyone else into it. If that fails, then bring in a person or two and if you have no other option then bring out the big guns, the whole church, the entire community, where the problem becomes everyone's business. This is good advice. Other people's feelings should be a factor in our decision making. None of us needs any more drama in our life right now and that's exactly what happens when a problem becomes everyone's business. This is a particularly appropriate time to hear this gospel message. We are in a pandemic, we have been for months. We call this the new normal but we know there is nothing normal about it. Whenever I use the phrase "new normal" it's always with at least a little bit of sarcasm. I know that all of you have many authority figures in your life right now regarding physical health; wear a mask, stay away from others when you can, work from home if possible. Great. Keep doing that. It is important. But as a person you are more than a physical body. Among other things you are a social creature. Even if you can't leave the house, you are a social creature. And as many of us have observed these last few months, there has been an uptick in socially destructive behavior. And it's no surprise because we are all operating with greater amounts of anxiety, fear and stress. So it is good to take a deep breath and reflect on scripture. Let's not fly off the handle, if you have a problem with someone these days, don't feed into your anxiety and stress. Don't jump to the most extreme measure you can think of. Instead think about the message of this gospel. What is the fewest amount of people that you need to resolve the problem and can you handle it without anyone extra? Let's not worry so much about what the whole world should do. Let's not worry about everyone else and what they're supposed to be doing. Instead let's get through this together by working out the problems that are closest to home and require the least amount of people to be involved. And may that strategy offer you a greater sense of spiritual peace in your life, especially during this new normal which isn't normal at all.
Entrance: All Are Welcome
Text: Marty Haugen, b. 1950
Tune: TWO OAKS, 9 6 8 6 8 7 10 with refrain; Marty Haugen, b. 1950
© 1994, GIA Publications, Inc. All rights reserved
Psalm 95: Let Not Your Hearts Be Hardened
Words: © 1963 The Grail, England, GIA Publications, Inc. exclusive North American agent
Music: Steven C. Warner © 1990 World Library Publications
Preparation: Instrumental
Communion: Seek Ye First
Text: Matthew 6:33, 7:7; adapt. By Karen Lafferty, b. 1948
Tune: SEEK YE FIRST, Irregular; Karen Lafferty, b. 1948
© 1972 Universal Music – Brentwood Benson Publishing. CCCM Music
Sending Forth: God Whose Purpose Is To Kindle
Text: Luke12:49; David E. Trueblood, 1900-1994, alt. ©1967, David Elton Trueblood
Tune: HYMN TO JOY, 8 7 8 7 D; arr. From Ludwig van Beethoven, 1770-1827, by Edward Hodges, 1796-1867
Mass Setting: Mass of Saint Ann
Text © 2010, ICEL
Music: Ed Bolduc © 2011 WLP
Permission to podcast/Stream the music in this liturgy obtained from ONELICENSE, License No. A-718591
www.HeartoftheNation.org
