Sunday Mass for the 33rd Sunday Ordinary Time 2020 - Year A

Welcome to St. Ignatius Chapel. Today we celebrate the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time. Our celebrant today is Jesuit Fr. Matthew Charlesworth SJ. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. [Amen.] The Lord be with you. [And with your spirit.] My brothers and sisters, today we come together to celebrate the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. We are near the end of the Church’s year. As we come together to celebrate these sacred mysteries, let’s call to mind our sins. I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God. [Amen.

] 01:33 - May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. [Amen.] Lord, have mercy. [Lord, have mercy.] Christ have mercy. [Christ, have mercy.] Lord have mercy. [Lord, have mercy.] Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to people of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father. Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

02:44 - Let us pray: Grant us, we pray, O Lord our God, the constant gladness of being devoted to you, for it is full and lasting happiness to serve with constancy the author of all that is good. We make this prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. [Amen.] A reading from the Book of Proverbs. Who can find a good wife? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.

03:42 - She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. She opens her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hands to the needy. Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates. The word of the Lord. [Thanks be to God.] Blessed are all who fear the Lord. [Blessed are all who fear the Lord.

] 04:23 - Blessed are all who fear the LORD, and walk in his ways! By the labor of your hands you shall eat. You will be blessed and prosper. [Blessed are all who fear the Lord.] Your wife like a fruitful vine in the heart of your house; your children like shoots of the olive around your table. [Blessed are all who fear the Lord.] Indeed thus shall be blessed the man who fears the LORD. May the LORD bless you from Sion. May you see Jerusalem prosper all the days of your life! [Blessed are all who fear the Lord.] A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians.

05:17 - As to the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When people say, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a woman with child, and there will be no escape. But you are not in darkness, brethren, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all sons of light and sons of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.

05:59 - So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. The word of the Lord. [Thanks be to God.] Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Abide in me, and I in you, says the Lord; he who abides in me bears much fruit. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! The Lord be with you. [And with your spirit] A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew. [Glory to you, O Lord.] At that time: Jesus told his disciples this parable: “A man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted to them his property; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.

07:30 - He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents more. So also, he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.

’ 08:14 - His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed, and gather where I have not winnowed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.

09:35 - So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. “And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” The Gospel of the Lord. [Praise to you, Lord, Jesus Christ.] All our readings are taken from near the end of their books, and so are summaries in a way of their main and most important messages. This is not surprising as we come to the end of the Church’s Liturgical Year next week.

10:27 - I want to briefly examine each of the readings and then talk about Fear and Fear of the Lord, which I think are the overarching themes we’re called to contemplate this morning. If we were living before the #MeToo movement, and the recent gains of feminism, as the author of the first reading did, we would all be forgiven for thinking that our first reading described the ‘perfect wife’. We hear how welcoming and gracious she would be, caring for all, not just in her home, but to those outside it too, the poor and the needy. Her house is one marked by goodness and not evil. She “fears the Lord”, we’re told. And, presumably the men, are told to “give her a share in the fruit of her hands”.

11:22 - Obviously, our Societies today are thankfully different, where women are not patronized this way, and where men and women are now seen to be inherently equal to each other. But this reading comes from the Book of Proverbs, and so is operating at another level too, one that transcends times and cultures, and is trying to persuade its readers towards Wisdom. And indeed this is who this ‘perfect wife’ is, the personified image of Lady Wisdom. The book of Proverbs describes in the first five chapters a picture of Mistress Folly, the seductress, who tries to lure into her wicked world the young who do not yet know Lady Wisdom. But as one reads through the book of Proverbs, the reader is made a member of Lady Wisdom’s household and one begins to pursue a life built on applying the lessons of wise elders to their own experience, and so become Wise themselves.

12:31 - “Fear of the Lord” is one of the most common virtues taught by the Wisdom books of the Bible. The phrase can be found also in the prophets and psalms and elsewhere, but it is central to understanding Israel’s notion of wisdom. Proverbs 1:6 defines the beginning of wisdom as fear of the Lord. But what does that mean? It cannot mean that we are afraid of God, for that would contradict the image of God that we have – who is love, who made us in love and for love. Rather, it is a stance, it means standing in reverent awe of the divine presence.

13:20 - It involves wonder at the goodness of God, contemplating the awesome idea of being part of a chosen people, a commitment to obeying God’s commandments, and, above all, faithful worship – gratefully remembering that the Creator created us. Our Responsorial Psalm emphasizes this theme noting that the ideal family is one whose members live in true “fear of the Lord.”. Our second reading from the end of Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians records Paul’s warning about being prepared for the second coming of Christ. It echoes many sayings of Jesus himself in the gospels on being always ready and not being caught unawares when the master returns late to the household or the bridegroom arrives late to his wedding feast. Paul emphasizes the need to be alert to the dangers of complacency and being caught in the darkness. Presumably he has moral behavior in mind.

14:33 - Living the gospel as disciples of Christ demands constant vigilance to imitate Jesus’ own life and follow his commands. For we’ve all found ourselves in moments of darkness and despair, and yet we know we must continue to hope, to live in fear of the Lord, who will enlighten our situation and care for us, we must trust in the inheritance and heritage of our faith and in the wisdom it offers to always trust in the Truth as it has been passed down to us about a God who is personally concerned with each one of us… a God who is personally concerned with each and everyone of us. Our Gospel today is a reminder of that in a way. It’s the familiar parable of the talents which begins with the announcement that the master is going away. He entrusts his assets and resources into the hands of his servants to manage them in his absence and he will hold them accountable at the end for how they carried on in his name while he was gone.

15:47 - This is clearly an allegory for Jesus’ return to his Father, and of what he expects the Church to do in the present world, and what he will ask at his second coming. A talent in this context is not meant to be a piece of gold – though in that time it was worth an awful amount, 15 years wages some scholars say. But we understand it to mean the gifts God has given each one of us. We all have some talent or gift and in the story the Master is happy to see how the servants have used their talents. The one who buried his talent, is like the person who refused to respond and follow the Holy Spirit in their life. And that was why it was so wrong.

16:37 - Because the God who is personally concerned with each and every one of us, has sent his Spirit to guide us, to offer us hope and to enlighten our minds with Wisdom and the other Gifts of the Spirit. Those who doubled their talents are those who live in the Spirit. Once we see this, we can also understand why those who do have the Spirit will grow even richer in Christ’s life while those who deny the Spirit lose whatever seeds of life they started with. “For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” If we deny God’s gifts to us, if we fear standing in the light and prefer to skulk in shadows, if we fear being who we were created to be, instead of standing in the awe-filled fear of the Lord who created us for love, then we will never truly live, we will never truly feel alive.

17:49 - We must let God’s spirit live in and through us. Let’s pray today that we might see the gifts God has given each of us. For as we read in the Prophet Isaiah, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are ‘the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.’ Let’s pray that we might be blessed with that gift today. Let us stand and profess our belief in God, as we say the Apostle’s Creed together.

18:47 - I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.

19:14 - He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. [Amen.

] 19:40 - We come before you today Father, giver of all good gifts, to offer our praise and to give thanks for your blessings to us. Hear our prayers and petitions, we pray, and help us to stand in your presence, fearing nothing you have created, but trusting always in your goodness. For all your gifts to us: Help us not to take for granted your gift of life itself, our health and strength, the love and support of family and friends, the beauty of your creation. You give so much to us dear Lord, help us to give you something in return, the love of our hearts, a willingness to serve you and to share your love with others. Lord, hear us. [Lord, graciously hear us.] For the leaders of all nations: We ask you to pour out your spirit of reconciliation and understanding on them.

20:50 - Give them a longing to bring justice, freedom from fear and freedom from want for all peoples. Lord, hear us. [Lord, graciously hear us.] For the Christian Church, called to witness to your love in this generation: May Christians work with all people of goodwill to break down the barriers which divide people. May those who profess one faith respect those who sincerely hold another faith and build a community where there is harmony and understanding and where all people can live in peace which is your will. Lord, hear us. [Lord, graciously hear us.] For our own communities: may we give thanks for those who share with us its activities and for those who serve its many and varied interests. Help us as we have opportunity to make our own contribution to our community and to learn to be good neighbours that by love we may serve one another. Lord, hear us. [Lord, graciously hear us.

] 22:03 - For all who face difficulties in their personal lives: those who are sick, those with problems in their families, in their friendships, in their neighbourhoods or in their workplace. Help us all to be calm in times of uncertainty, patient with those around us and steadfast in the knowledge that you share each and every moment and emotion with us. We ask you to guide us so that we can give, love, help and support to others around us who are in greater need than ourselves. Lord, hear us. [Lord, graciously hear us.] For those whom we have loved and see no longer, grant them your peace, let light perpetual shine upon them and in your loving wisdom and power the sure and certain knowledge that Jesus Christ is the light of the world, a light which no darkness can quench. Lord, hear us. [Lord, graciously hear us.] Merciful Father: accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

23:15 - Jesus Christ is the light of the world, a light which no darkness can quench. Amen. Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you: fruit of the earth, and work of human hands, it will become for us the bread of life. [Blessed be God for ever.] Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the wine we offer your: fruit of the vine, and work of human hands, it will become our spiritual drink. [Blessed be God for ever.] Pray, my sisters and brothers, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father. [May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of God’s name, for our good and the good of all God’s holy Church.

] 24:36 - Grant, O Lord, we pray, that what we offer in the sight of your majesty may obtain for us the grace of being devoted to you and gain us the prize of everlasting happiness. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. [Amen] The Lord be with you [And with your spirit.] Lift up your hearts. [We lift them up to the Lord.] Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. [It is right and just.] It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God. For, although you have no need of our praise, yet our thanksgiving is itself your gift, since our praises add nothing to your greatness but profit us for salvation, through Christ our Lord.

25:34 - And so, in company with the choirs of Angels, we praise you, and with joy we proclaim: Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. You are indeed Holy, O Lord, and all you have created rightly gives you praise, for through your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, by the power and working of the Holy Spirit, you give life to all things and make them holy, and you never cease to gather a people to yourself, so that from the rising of the sun to its setting a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name. Therefore, O Lord, we humbly implore you: by the same Spirit graciously make holy these gifts we have brought to you for consecration, that they may become the Body and Blood of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, at whose command we celebrate these mysteries. For on the night he was betrayed he himself took bread, and, giving you thanks, he said the blessing, broke the bread and gave it to his disciples, saying: TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT, FOR THIS IS MY BODY, WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU.

27:11 - In a similar way, when supper was ended, he took the chalice, and, giving you thanks, he said the blessing, and gave the chalice to his disciples, saying: TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND DRINK FROM IT, FOR THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY BLOOD, THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL COVENANT, WHICH WILL BE POURED OUT FOR YOU AND FOR MANY FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS. DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME. The mystery of faith. Save us, Savior of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free. Therefore, O Lord, as we celebrate the memorial of the saving Passion of your Son, his wondrous Resurrection and Ascension into heaven, and as we look forward to his second coming, we offer you in thanksgiving this holy and living sacrifice. Look, we pray, upon the oblation of your Church and, recognizing the sacrificial Victim by whose death you willed to reconcile us to yourself, grant that we, who are nourished by the Body and Blood of your Son and filled with his Holy Spirit, may become one body, one spirit in Christ. May he make of us an eternal offering to you, so that we may obtain an inheritance with your elect, especially with the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with blessed Joseph, her Spouse, with your blessed Apostles and glorious Martyrs and with all the Saints, on whose constant intercession in your presence we rely for unfailing help.

28:58 - May this Sacrifice of our reconciliation, we pray, O Lord, advance the peace and salvation of all the world. Be pleased to confirm in faith and charity your pilgrim Church on earth, with your servant Francis our Pope and Buti Tlhagale our Archbishop, Duncan Tsoke his Assistant, the Order of Bishops, all the clergy, and the entire people you have gained for your own. Listen graciously to the prayers of this family, whom you have summoned before you: in your compassion, O merciful Father, gather to yourself all your children scattered throughout the world. To our departed brothers and sisters and to all who were pleasing to you at their passing from this life, give kind admittance to your kingdom. There we hope to enjoy for ever the fullness of your glory through Christ our Lord, through whom you bestow on the world all that is good.

30:01 - Through him, and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honour is yours, for ever and ever. [Amen.] At the Saviour’s command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say together: Our Father, [who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.] Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant peace in our days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. [For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and for ever.

] 31:06 - Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles: Peace I leave you, my peace I give you, look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will, who live and reign for ever and ever. [Amen.] The peace of the Lord be with you always. [And with your spirit.] Lamb of God, [you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace. ] My brothers and sisters, behold the Lamb of God, the one who takes away the sins of the world. How blessed are we who are called to the supper of the Lamb. [Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.] May the Body and Blood of Christ keep us safe for eternal life. [Amen.] Although you cannot receive physical Communion with us now, we invite you into a moment of Spiritual Communion. The great medieval theologian, St.

Thomas Aquinas, defined spiritual communion as: “an 32:50 - ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Holy Sacrament”, and “a loving embrace as though we had already received him.” His words are echoed by the great mystic, and fellow doctor of the church, St. Teresa of Avila, who wrote: “When you do not receive Communion, and do not attend Mass, you can make a spiritual communion which is a most beneficial practice. By it, the love of God will be greatly impressed on you.” At this moment we invite you to focus on Christ, and your longing for union with him.

33:29 - Express your desire to feel his grace coursing through you, giving you strength and courage, particularly in these difficult times. In your desiring union you are united with us, and to Christ. In this moment we experience the reality that is already here. To be near God is my happiness, to place my hope in God the Lord. Let us pray: We have partaken of the gifts of this sacred mystery, humbly imploring, O Lord, that what your Son commanded us to do in memory of him may bring us growth in charity. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. [Amen.] Thank you for joining us at this mass, and our prayers are always with you and your families. The Lord be with you. [And with your Spirit.] May almighty God bless you, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. [Amen.] Our mass is ended. Let us go in peace, glorifying the Lord with our lives. [Thanks be to God.] .