REACHING OUT TO
AND IDENTIFYING WITH THE LEAST
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: Today is the Solemnity of Jesus Christ the Universal King. What kind of a King is he? He came as our Shepherd, and identified himself with us, especially with the poor and the outcast.
When he comes to evaluate our life, he will ask us: Have you cared for one another, have you served, especially the poor and the weak? This is not only a matter of serving other people; it is serving God, for the neighbour in need is Christ himself.
In this Eucharist, we pray that we may see Christ in the poor and the weak, and serve him in them.
Penitential Rite
L: For not recognizing the Lord in the gentle, the needy, and the persecuted, we ask the Lord to forgive us.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you looked for the lost ones,
you bandaged the wounded and made the weak strong: Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Christ Jesus, you came to gather together
those scattered in the darkness: Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you identified yourself with the hungry and the sick,
with strangers and with those in prison: 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, Father of the poor,
your Son Jesus was born among us
poor, humble and dependent.
Open our eyes and our hearts and our hands
to honour him now as our Lord and King
by welcoming him in those who are hungry and thirsty,
in all who are abandoned and lonely,
in refugees, in the poor and the sick.
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 Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17
Psalm Psalm 23:1-2, 2-3, 5, 6
Response The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Reading 2 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!
Gospel Matthew 25:31-46
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Imagine being among the disciples when Jesus spells out his criterion of judgment. What thoughts and feelings does his criterion evoke? On which “side” do I expect to find myself?
Sunday Snippets
According to a Jewish legend, a man went to heaven and watched at the gates.
A rabbi came and made his claim to enter: “Day and night I studied the Torah.” The angel at the gate said: “Wait! We will investigate whether your study was for its own sake or for the sake of honours.”
A zaddik approached next: “I fasted much; I underwent many ritual cleansings.” The angel said: “Wait until we investigate your motives.”
Then a tavern-keeper came and said: “I fed without charge every poor person who came into my inn.” The angel opened the gates for him.
The Jewish legend has the same thrust as the gospel about the final judgment: God judges us not upon our acts of religiosity but upon the acts of mercy we show (or do not show) to the least – the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the ill, and the imprisoned. More important, whenever we serve these least ones, we serve him, who identifies himself with them.
In the first reading, through Ezekiel, God promises that he will reach out to the lost, the strayed, the injured, and the sick, and he will shepherd them. In the gospel, he challenges us – who have experienced his shepherding love – to be the shepherds and to reach out to the least.
At the end of the liturgical year, the liturgy invites us to ask:
How has God has reached out to me and shepherded me? How will I reach out to and identify with the least of my brothers and sisters?
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: What kind of shepherd is God? How have I experienced his shepherding?
What can I do to “bind up the injured and heal the sick”? How can I, in the words of Pope Francis, “take on the smell of the sheep”?
Reading 2: “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” What are some signs of “death or serious illness” that you I in the world, in the environment? What can I do to restore life? How can I help Christ accomplish the task of destroying death?
Gospel: When have I seen the Lord acting in my life? How can I make the Lord more visible to those I meet?
What acts of kindness and mercy have I performed this week? What opportunities for kindness and mercy have I let slip away?
What acts of kindness and mercy have I performed this week? What opportunities for kindness and mercy have I let slip away?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: God is our shepherd king who cares for each of his sheep. We bring before him all who need our compassion and care, all who commit themselves to the poorest, and all who are afraid to be involved, and pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that we may recognize Christ in one another and honour the dignity of each person, we pray…
R: For leaders of governments: that they may follow the example of Jesus who served those in need and reached out to the forgotten, and never sought to benefit from his authority, we pray…
R: For the suffering and the marginalized: that God may shepherd them, heal their wounds, lead them to fuller lives, we pray…
R: For all who work to relieve the suffering of others: that they may show God’s compassionate care and be strengthened by God’s Spirit each day, we pray…
R: For those combatting disease, violence, and war: that God may heal them, give strength to those who care for them, and preserve the human family from suffering and death, we pray…
R: For ourselves: that we may be willing to take the first step in helping others without expectation of their response or a benefit for ourselves, we pray…
L: God our shepherd, you gather the lost, bind up the injured, and encourage the weak. May we recognize your Son in the voices that cry out to us and the eyes that plead with us, and love you in them. 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
Lord,
you continually sought out your people throughout history,
and invited them to a covenant relationship.
When the shepherds neglected their sheep,
you promised to look after and tend your sheep,
to bind up the injured, and heal the sick.
Our shepherd king,
you found us lost, and brought us home;
you give us goodness and kindness abundantly;
you let us walk beside restful waters, through green pastures.
Lord,
let us act the way you act:
let us care for your creation that is ill;
bind the wounds of others;
welcome the stranger;
recognize the different kinds of hunger there are in the world,
and the very different kinds of feeding those various hungers require.
May we be shepherds to our brothers and sisters,
in gratitude for your shepherding of us.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: Almighty God,
you have conferred upon Christ Jesus
sovereignty over every age and nation.
Direct us, in the love of Christ,
to care for the least
of his brothers and sisters,
that we may receive
the inheritance of your kingdom.
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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