CALLED AND SENT
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: God does not call the qualified; he qualifies the called. We see the veracity of this saying in the lives of the prophets, the apostles, the saints of the Church. But then God has called each one of us! We cannot claim that we are not qualified. Since he has called us, he will give us what we need for our mission.
We pray that we may accept God’s mission for us and allow him to strengthen us for this mission.
Penitential Rite
L: For the times we have shied away from God’s mission for us, we ask him to pardon us.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you sent your apostles out two by two:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you gave the apostles authority over unclean spirits:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you instructed them to take nothing for the journey:
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 of justice, God of salvation,
from every land you call people to yourself.
Yours is the work we do,
yours the message we carry.
Keep your Church single-minded and faithful to you.
Let failure not discourage us
nor success beguile our hearts,
as you send us to proclaim the gospel.
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 Amos 7:12-15
Psalm Psalm 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14
Response Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
Reading 2 Ephesians 1:3-14
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
that we may know what is the hope that
belongs to our call.
Gospel Mark 6:7-13
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Imagine you are with the Twelve when Jesus instructs them about the mission. What are your thoughts and feelings when you hear him tell them to take nothing for the journey?
Sunday Snippets
She begins her program with a Bach symphony. She next plays an Irish air, then a Bob Dylan folk song, and finally a jazz improvisation. The venue: a hospice. The audience: one, a 70-year-old woman with terminal cancer. Through her music she provides a measure of peace for those walking their last steps in this world.
She was a “little” Carmelite nun! She was not qualified (in her words: “I am only tenth pass.”). But people from every walk of life – bishops, priests, religious, laity – and every religion came to seek guidance. She was one of the best spiritual directors I have met.
With their “walking sticks” – a guitar and a listening ear – these two unnamed apostles reach out to the needy. They make us realize that we don’t need much to be apostles of compassion and healing.
This is emphasis of today’s liturgy.
The first reading is about the prophetic ministry of Amos, a sheep-breeder from Tekoa, Judah. God sends him to Israel, where he denounces social injustice and religious laxity. He goes to a foreign land and pulls them up for their laxity! He is not a prophet. God’s word: “Go prophesy” is his only qualification.
The Gospel is about the mission of the Twelve. They are unqualified for the mission: no social position, no education in scripture/ theology. Plus they had Jesus’ instructions: “no resources”! What do they carry with them? A walking stick, authority from Jesus, his message, and trust in him.
All of us, by our baptism, are called and chosen. St Paul emphasises that in the second reading. We are called and chosen and given the mission to proclaim the good news, to reach out to the sick and the downtrodden.
We do not have to be qualified “professionals” to proclaim the good news, to reach out to God’s people. We have the sole qualification we need: BDC… Baptised Disciples of Christ!
Do I believe that God has called me and given me the mission to be his messenger to the people in my life? How am I going to proclaim his message in the week ahead? What is the “the walking stick” I will use to reach out to people?
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: They chased Amos out of Bethel. What do I do when something needs to be done that makes everyone uncomfortable?
Are education, occupation, eloquence, talent, or intelligence prerequisites for a prophet? If I were called to be a prophet, would I be as reluctant as Amos was? Would I be willing to leave my comfort zone?
Reading 2: “In him we also… were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.” Has the Holy Spirit been active in my life, guiding, fixing, enlightening, giving courage, helping me trust?
Gospel: Where is God sending me? Who should accompany me on this journey? How does the Lord sustain me on this journey?
How can I transform people around me in my daily life?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: We are called by the Lord to make the Good News known. Let us pray with one another and for each other that we may respond to God’s call according to the grace he gives each of us: Here we are, Lord, send us!
R: He was only a shepherd and a pruner of trees, but the Lord called Amos to prophesy against social injustice and ritualism. That the Lord may give the Pope and the leaders of the Church the courage to speak against injustice, we pray…
R: They were only stammerers and timid people, but the Lord called Moses and Jeremiah to speak out and lead. That the Lord may help the leaders of nations to voice the truth without hesitation, even to people not well disposed to listen, we pray…
R: They were only fishermen cleaning their nets, but the Lord called the apostles to spread the Good News. That the Lord make us fearless to speak his word, we pray…
R: He was only a tax collector behind his desk, but Jesus called Matthew to heal people and to cast out devils. Wounded as we are, that the Lord make us healers too, we pray…
L: God our Father, let the life and message of Jesus so inspire us that we become willing to voice his message and bring his kind of freedom to everyone on this earth. 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,
you send us on a mission.
No backpack, no change of clothes,
no money in our wallets, no food.
Give to us this day,
complete and total trust in you.
Let us take your healing love
to our neighbours,
down all our backstreets,
to the borders
to the ends of this earth and beyond,
to the environment.
Teach us to prophesy,
to proclaim your love and forgiveness.
- adapted from Anne Osdieck, Prayer Path.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: God, our Father, you have called us to proclaim
the Good News to everyone on this earth.
Give us no other assurance
than that we are proclaiming your message
and that our companion is your Son,
Jesus 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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