MISUNDERSTOOD!
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: Often family/friends misunderstand us and our foes misinterpret our actions/words and oppose us. Today’s readings challenge us to face misunderstanding and opposition with prophetic courage in imitation of Jesus. We ask for the grace to know, like him, when to stand up to people and when to remain silent.
Penitential Rite
L: For the times we have not stood up for our convictions, we ask the Lord to pardon us.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, your relatives misunderstood you and your mission:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, the scribes said you were possessed by Beelzebul:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you said those who did the will of God were your brother and sister and mother:
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 Redeemer,
in Jesus,
you crushed the power of Satan.
Sustain your Church in the struggle against evil,
that, hearing your word and doing your will,
we may be fashioned into a household of true disciples
who share in the victory of the cross.
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 Genesis 3:9-15
Psalm Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
Response With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
Reading 2 2 Corinthians 4:13—5:1
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
Now the ruler of the world will be driven out, says the Lord;
and when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.
Gospel Mark 3:20-35
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Imagine you are one of the crowds. What are your thoughts and feelings when you hear these statements: “he is out of his mind”; “he is possessed by Beelzebul”; “whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother”?
Sunday Snippets
A teen wrote: “I feel misunderstood. When I have difficult things going on in my life, I can’t talk to anyone in my family about it; they usually tell me that they get what I’m feeling. They don’t. Has anyone else had the same experience or am I crazy for having these emotions?”
An adult said: “I feel trapped in a world that judges me at every turn and yet never bothers to try to help or understand.”
Sounds familiar? Have you ever been misunderstood? Has anyone taken your words/motives and twisted them around? The writer Pandora Poikilos puts it succinctly: “They have the unique ability to listen to one story and understand another.”
Jesus experienced something similar! Nearly everyone he met misunderstood him/his mission, misrepresented his words/ works. They used the things he did and said in love to attack him in hate!
Today’s gospel is one of the “sandwiches"—passages in which one event is inserted into another—in Mark’s gospel. Mark inserts the Beelzebul controversy with the scribes between the coming of Jesus’ family to take him home and his pronouncement about his true family.
Mark makes a connection between Jesus’ family and the scribes. Both misunderstand Jesus and his mission; they cannot grasp his single-minded dedication to God’s will. His family thinks he is “out of his mind”; the scribes say he is in league with “the prince of demons”.
How did Jesus deal with misunderstanding?
On this occasion, he refused to return home with his relatives. Though his mission was proving to be frustrating, he refused to quit; he would accomplish his mission. He made his family those who accepted him and this mission of doing his father’s will. He confronted the scribes; he called them out for their refusal to see the power of God at work in him and his works. At other moments, he chose to remain silent.
How do I respond when people misunderstand me and my motives/ mission?
I need to learn from Jesus to be steadfast; to find “family” that accepts me and my mission; to discern when to confront and when to remain silent (I have a right to respond but not an obligation to!).
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: Adam and Eve hid themselves from God because they were afraid. When/ why do I hide myself from God?
Reading 2: Paul writes: “We look not to what is seen but to what is unseen”. For me, which is the better/easier place, the seen or the unseen? How do I cope with the “unseen”?
Gospel: Jesus faces two misunderstandings in this Gospel, one with the scribes and one with his kin. What can I learn from the way he handled these misunderstandings?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: Jesus reveals to us that anyone who does the will of the Father is his brother, his sister, his mother. We pray for the grace to do the Father’s will and grow in this wonderful relationship with him: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that we may truly be the family of God, taking his Word and fulfilling his will, we pray…
R: For the leaders of nations: that God may guide them to reduce weapons and overcome conflicts over territory, we pray…
R: For all who experience affliction and misunderstanding: that they may draw strength from Christ’s resurrection and be renewed within, we pray…
R: For families who are struggling in their relationships: that the Spirit may help them recognize the mutual gift that they are and open new levels of communication and understanding, we pray…
R: For all who are ill: that the Spirit of God may comfort those who are ill and renew the gift of life within all who desire wholeness, we pray…
R: For stewardship of earth’s resources: that God may help us preserve the quality of natural resources for the good of the human family, we pray…
R: For ourselves: that we may recognize the work of God within and around us, cooperate with it more fully and never be deceived by the glamour of evil, we pray…
L: Lord our God, in the face of opposition and misunderstanding, give us your wisdom and grace to respond with patience and love, and to continue to live by our belief and conviction. 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
Lord,
your family misunderstood you
because they had a limited understanding
of your mission and the radical nature of your teachings;
they thought you were out of your mind.
Your foes, too, misunderstood you
and considered your healings to be the work of “demons.”
You remained resolute in doing your Father’s will.
Lord,
give us your wisdom and strength
to cope with misunderstanding and opposition
whether it is from family or friend or foe.
Make us your family.
We are all your sisters and brothers
in the measure that we do the will of your Father.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: God of merciful kindness,
through the death and resurrection of Jesus
you have let us
share in his victory over all evil.
Keep us going forward with courage
to spread the Good News of your love
and to steadfastly do your will.
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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