DON’T LOOK BACK!
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather together 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: There is a phrase we hear often: “the good old days”! It’s perfectly all right to recall the past; it’s even necessary for growth. But sometimes we get stuck in a time warp. We fail to enjoy what are perhaps the “better new days”. The Word of God challenges us today to leave the past – good or bad – to live in the present.
We pray that we may let bygones be bygones and live now trusting that God is in every tomorrow!
Penitential Rite
L: For the times we have focused on the past and have not lived in the present, we ask the Lord to forgive us.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you did not condemn the woman caught in adultery:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you did not condemn Peter when he denied you:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you did not condemn the thief who repented:
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.
Opening Prayer
L: God of mercy,
you bring forth springs in the wasteland
and turn despair into hope.
Look not upon the sins of our past,
but lift from our hearts the failures that weigh us down,
that we may find refreshment and life.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and 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 Isaiah 43:16-21
Psalm Psalm 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6
Response The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Reading 2 Philippians 3:8-14
Acclamation
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.
Even now, says the Lord,
return to me with your whole heart;
for I am gracious and merciful.
Gospel John 8:1-11
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Imagine you are in the temple area when the Pharisees and scribes bring the woman who was caught in adultery. What are your thoughts and feelings when witness this scene?
What are your thoughts and feelings as you hear Jesus’ response to them and his dialogue with the woman?
Sunday Snippets
August 7, 1954. Vancouver, Canada. The venue of one of the greatest track and field events in history: the “miracle mile”. Only two men had run the mile under four minutes: Roger Bannister and John Landy. This was a face-off. At the start of the final lap, Landy was ahead and looked certain to win. But as he neared the finishing line, he wondered about Bannister’s position and looked back; his stride faltered, and Bannister passed him to win the race. Landy later said: “I would have won the race if I hadn’t looked back.”
Looking back is the cause of many of our problems. We need to look at the past and to learn from our mistakes. The problem is we remain looking back.
In the first reading, Isaiah commands the people in Babylon “to remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.” These were nothing bad. They included the Exodus: their liberation and foundational event! Yet he asks them to “remember not” for Israel had problems whenever she clung to the past.
Paul, writing to the Philippians, recounts “the supreme good of knowing Christ.” He had been a model Pharisee. Now that he has been seized by Christ, the past no longer counts.
In the gospel, we hear of the woman caught in adultery. The problem was not the woman or her adulterous act. The problem is that scribes and the Pharisees are stuck in the past: entrenched in the law and weighed down by hatred towards Jesus and the woman. Jesus refuses to condemn the woman. The woman can now forget what lies behind and embrace the new possibility that grace gives her.
We have a past: sicknesses, horrible experiences; accomplishments, happy memories. We can carry our past with us and let it weigh us down. Or we can choose to leave it behind.
Do I look through the rearview mirror or through the windshield of life? What are the things of the past that weigh me down and prevent me from enjoying the present?
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: God said: “see, I am doing something new!” What is the “something new” God is doing in my life today?
Reading 2: St Paul says: “forgetting what lies behind… I continue my pursuit toward the goal.” Do I forget what lies behind? Or do I drive down a highway constantly looking in my rear-view mirror? Do I strain forward to see what lies ahead?” What happens to “now” if I am always looking forward or backwards?
Gospel: Let me imagine myself first as one of the Pharisees, then as this frightened woman. What impact do would this encounter have had on me?
On what do I focus when I see the flaws of others: on the flaw/ law or on mercy? How can I meet people with kindness instead of being judgmental/ cynical?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: In his love, God wants to make the world ever new. Let us entrust to his mercy our intentions and those of our brothers and sisters, as we pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that it may be a place and a sign of reconciliation and of looking ahead, we pray…
R: For the leaders of nations: that they may be willing to forget the past and begin again to build unity, peace, and justice for all, we pray…
R: For those wounded by the hardships of life: that they may strain forward to what lies ahead, we pray, we pray…
R: For all who are suffering, particularly refugees and those affected by war and natural disasters that they may know the power of Christ’s resurrection and the hope that Christ offers for tomorrow, we pray…
R: For ourselves: that we may be bound by neither our sins nor our self-righteousness but open ourselves to receive and celebrate God’s forgiving love each day, we pray…
L: God, our loving Father, we thank you for showing us your loving mercy. Help us not to shut ourselves up in the mediocrity of our past but to set out boldly for the future, trusting in your loving care for us. 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,
the scribes and Pharisees
used the woman as a bait to catch you,
and they had no hesitation
about shaming her terribly in the process.
You protected her from the injustice of her captors,
and caught them in their hypocrisy.
You refused to condemn the woman.
Lord,
this is the “something new” that you bring in our lives:
forgiving the sinner and confronting the self-righteous.
Help us to find new paths
of reconciliation and peace,
in climate change and racial justice.
Give us power
to accept the loss of all things to gain you.
We are your “masterpieces in the making.”
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: God our merciful Father,
you want the sinner to live
and to become all new.
Let us no longer live in the past of sin
but make us free for life and for love.
Give us hearts as merciful to one another
as you have been lenient and loving to us.
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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