MAKING ROOM…
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress appropriately - switch off your phones...).
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: “Welcome”! It is a simple word; one we use often and sometimes with little thought. We welcome friends/guests to our homes; we may have a plaque near our front door with ‘welcome’ written on it. The Lord welcomes us into his Church and to this celebration of his Word. We are a “welcomed” people.
We ask ourselves: Are we a “welcoming” people? How do we welcome “newcomers” in and to our families, in our church, in our neighbourhood? Let us pray that we may be a welcoming people.
Penitential Rite
L: For the times we have not been a welcoming people, we ask the Lord’s forgiveness.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you showed compassion for the hungry crowds:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you fed your disciples with bread and fish:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you feed us with your body and blood:
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, our loving and caring Father,
your Son Jesus welcomes us in your house,
speaks to us his message of hope
and nourishes us with his body.
May we welcome those he sends to us,
strangers or friends.
Make us an open and hospitable family and Church.
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 2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16a
Psalm Psalm 89:2-3, 16-17, 18-19
Response For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
Reading 2 Romans 6:3-4, 8-11
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation;
announce the praises of him who called you
out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Gospel Matthew 10:37-42
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Imagine yourself among the twelve as Jesus continues to commission them to be his witness. What are your thoughts and feelings when you hear him speak about people receiving the apostles and being hospitable to them?
Sunday Snippets
The lady of the house instructed her butler before the start of a banquet: “Bentley, I want you to stand at the front door and call the guests’ names as they arrive.” “Very well, madam,” replied the butler, “I’ve been wanting to do that for years.”
I guess we have all felt like Bentley and wanted to call our guests names – at least occasionally when we have had to welcome people who aren’t particularly welcome-able.
But think of the times people welcomed us warmly, perhaps, with a broad smile, open arms, comforting words. It felt good!
The Shunamite woman did just that for the prophet Elisha (first reading). The woman was childless but didn’t focus on her condition! She welcomed Elisha and was hospitable to this “holy man of God.” Her hospitality was extravagant: she gave him a furnished room “so that when he comes to us he can go in there.” How thoughtful, how sensitive, how generous! Though her hospitality was without strings attached, God acted powerfully for her because she was kind to one of his own.
The message about hospitality finds an echo in the Gospel. Jesus reminds his disciples about the cost of discipleship but urges them not to worry. As they travel with his message, they will meet people, like the Shunamite woman, who will recognize them as prophets, righteous men, and disciples. They will find welcome and hospitality.
For the Israelites, a traveller was a reminder of their struggle as enslaved strangers in Egypt; a stranger in need a reminder of their status as wandering pilgrims.
We need to return to biblical hospitality! Like the Shunamite woman, we need to build room for others – in our lives and hearts.
Let me pick one person whom I will welcome in my life. How will I welcome and be hospitable to this person in the week ahead?
I may have to give my time, my talents, my resources, my life. My life may be interrupted. My privacy invaded. My patience tried. Let me ask the Lord to help me. Let me understand God’s hospitality!
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: How do I relate to other believers, particularly those who appear unexpectedly, or those who are in special need?
Reading 2: The Christian life is fitting oneself into that which we have already been made by baptism. How do I live the Christian life?
Gospel: Am I always the giver or do I need to receive at times?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: Sisters and brothers, let us pray to our Father who welcomes us in Christ that we may always encounter other people as persons whom he loves and wants us to love: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the leaders of the Church: that they may speak words of truth effectively so that the powerful will be disquieted and the poor and suffering will find hope, we pray…
R: For the leaders of nations: that God may guide them to fulfil their responsibilities more effectively, we pray…
R: For missionaries: that they may welcome the cultural values of the people to whom they are sent and be open to their mentality, we pray…
R: For those who live on the edge of society, for loners and strangers, for the poor and old people, for the sick and the misunderstood: that they may encounter warm-hearted people who understand and welcome them, we pray…
R: For adequate rain: that the Lord may send rain to renew the ground and to replenish our dams, and to bring the possibility of reward for farmers who toil hard, we pray…
R: For ourselves: that we may welcome all who enter our lives as we would welcome Christ with great love and generously share our time, talents, and resources with them, we pray…
L: Lord our God, help us to welcome one another, that you may welcome us and stay with us for ever. 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
Pray
Lord,
I can remember times in my life
when a simple act of kindness
or expression of love and acceptance
was like a cup of cold water to me;
a loving smile or someone simply remembering my name
caused me to know that I was valued and significant
in a world that can make one feel the complete opposite.
Lord, help me notice more the small things
that I can do to bless others and serve them.
Please open my eyes to see others
as you see them
and show me how to reach out
in ways that draw them to you.
Or watch A Cup of Cold Water
and sing with Gerry Desjardins this song that invites us to fill the empty cups of people around us.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: Our God and Father,
we have been the guests of your Son;
he wants to stay among people through us.
Help us to be to those around us
his helping hand, his smile of welcome,
his voice of encouragement and pardon,
the face of his love.
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:
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