KINGDOM ETIQUETTE
INTRODUCTORY RITES
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress appropriately - switch off your phones...).
We cannot gather as usual for the Eucharist. But we are conscious that Christ is present not only in the Blessed Sacrament but also in the Scriptures and in our hearts. Even when we are on our own, we remain part of the Body of Christ.
Place lighted candles, a crucifix, and the Bible on a covered table. These remind us of the sacredness of our time of prayer and could help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.
You may sing or play an appropriate hymn. For instance:
The Sign of the Cross
Greeting and Introductory Words
L: The Lord invites us to the table of his Word: let us bless him for his goodness.
A: Blessed be God forever.
L: We live in a “selfie” age! There is a major emphasis on the self, one which is not restricted to photographs. And in this age, the readings of today challenge us to be humble! Perhaps, humility—in the true sense of the word—is what we needed today.
We ask the Lord to give us a true sense of humility so that we may understand who we are and live by kingdom etiquette.
Penitential Rite
L: For our failure to live humble lives, we ask the Lord to forgive us.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you came among us not to be served but to serve:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you invite everyone to the table of your feast meal:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you were available to the lowly and the poor:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
Gloria
Opening Prayer
L: God and judge of all,
you show us that the way to your kingdom
is through humility and service.
Keep us true to the path of justice
and give us the reward promised
to those who make a place
for the rejected and the poor.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
The readings are those assigned for the day in the Lectionary.
Preferably use a Bible/ Lectionary for reading.
Reading 1 Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29
Psalm Psalm 68:4-5, 6-7, 10-11
Response God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.
Reading 2 Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
Take my yoke upon you, says the Lord,
and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.
Gospel Luke 14:1, 7-14
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Imagine you are with Jesus when he went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees. What are your thoughts and feelings when you hear him address the guests and the host?
Sunday Snippets
Someone asked Leonard Bernstein, the conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, to name the most difficult instrument to play. Without hesitation, he replied: “The second fiddle. I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find someone who can play the second fiddle with enthusiasm—that’s a problem. And if we have no second fiddle, we have no harmony.”
Most of us want to be in the spotlight. This Sunday’s readings challenge us to be humble, and to be willing to play second fiddle.
At a Sabbath dinner, Jesus notices guests jockeying for positions of honour. He teaches them kingdom etiquette of humility; he echoes the wisdom of Sirach in the first reading: “Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favour with God.” Humility is not self-abasement but a realistic understanding of oneself and of one’s strengths and weaknesses. It is an “interior at-homeness”, being at home with oneself!
In the second part of the gospel, Jesus shifts focus from guest etiquette to host etiquette. Through his preferred guest list, he reminds us of his preferential option for the poor. Throughout his ministry, Jesus sought the least, the lost, the forgotten. Further, he wants inclusion, not exclusion; he has opened wide the narrow door of last week to let all people in.
We live in an era which fosters self-glorification and emphasizes the self. We live in a world that judges mainly by externals: our clothes, degrees, positions, designations… we believe that these determine our status.
In kingdom etiquette, status—which society confers—counts for nothing. Our status is measured not by our rank/ occupation, but by the quantum of love we offer God through service; it depends not on how others look at us, but on the care and compassion with which we look at them.
Do I jockey for position in church and in society?
Am I humble: do I acknowledge my strengths and shortcomings, and recognize others’ feats and forgive their failures? Is there place in my heart/life for the world’s “nobodies”: the least, the lost, the forgotten?
May you and I learn kingdom etiquette!
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1 and Gospel: How do I understand the word “humility”? The word used by the ancient Romans (humus) had many meanings, among which were ground, earth, and soil. Does this throw light on the meaning of the word “humility”?
Why should I make humility a characteristic mark of my life? Why is pride so dangerous?
Reading 2: How do I understand the word “covenant”? What does it mean to say that Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant? Why does the sprinkled blood of the new covenant speak more eloquently than that of Abel, as this reading asserts?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: Conscious of our limitations, we come before the Lord and humbly place our petitions before him, as we pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that we may be open to all the gifts that different cultural, ethnic, economic, educational, and age groups bring to our community and work to include these gifts in our ministries, we pray…
R: For all who exercise authority: that they may follow in the footsteps of Christ in being servants to others and attentive to those in greatest need, we pray…
R: For those who reach out to the poor and the marginalized: that they may recognize Christ in all whom they serve, honour the dignity of each person, and be sincere in their care, we pray…
R: For all who are ill: that God’s love may bring healing and renewal to them, an end to pandemics, and strength to all who care for the sick, we pray…
R: For the protection of the earth: that God may guide us in being good stewards of his creation so that all people may experience the blessings that earth brings forth, we pray…
R: For ourselves: that we may come to a deeper understanding and ownership of our gifts and acknowledge our need for God amidst all our weaknesses, we pray…
L: Lord God, our Father, you overlook the poverty of our hearts and you have given us a place of honour at the table of your Son. Deliver us from all pride, which sets us up against one another and makes us unwilling to serve. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
The Lord’s Prayer
Spiritual Communion
A: Jesus, I know and believe in your real presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is you I desire to love and receive above all things. As I am unable to receive your sacramental presence now, come and be with me in heart and soul. Let my entire self be united with you as I welcome you again and know your loving embrace. Amen.
Post Spiritual Communion Reflection
Humilis, literally, “on the ground”
from humus, “earth.”
Lord,
we emerge from the earth
and back to it we go.
With nothing when we come
and nothing to carry with us as we leave.
May I never brag about my accomplishments,
never believe that I am responsible for who I am and what I have,
never look down on others.
May I realize that I have limited resources,
I have only 24 hours in our day and have too many demands on me,
I experience feelings I cannot control,
I have wounds and weaknesses that shackle me.
Above all, may I recognize that every good in me
is a gift from you
and is meant to be given back to you by being shared with others.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: Our Father,
you who lift up the lowly;
your Son Jesus came into our world
as the servant of all.
With him, make us respect and appreciate
the weak, the defenceless and the humble,
and accept to be numbered among them.
Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
Blessing
L: The Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
L: Go in the peace of Christ.
A: Thanks be to God.
Conclude with a hymn. For instance:
