Our Sunday Supplication

Sunday, August 23, 2020

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Holy Mass is at the very core of our worship as a Catholic community. Nothing can ever be substituted for the celebration of the Eucharist. But in this exceptional time of difficulty for our communities, our nation, and the whole world, this order of prayer can be offered by individuals and families and engages us in our Sunday celebration of the Word of God. We can pray this prayer in our homes—the “domestic churches” which help build up the Body of Christ on earth—and thus be connected to the entire Church at prayer.

During this time of prayer, we include the opportunity to make a Spiritual Communion. Making a Spiritual Communion is a worthy practice, recommended by innumerable saints throughout the ages, which unites our whole selves to God and his Church.

Order of Prayer

Taken from the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours

Introduction

Leader: God, ✠ come to my assistance.
Response: Lord, make haste to help me.

Leader: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
Response: as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Hymn

Holy God, we praise thy name;
Lord of all, we bow before thee!
All on earth thy scepter claim,
All in heav’n above adore thee;
Infinite thy vast domain,
everlasting is thy reign.
Infinite thy vast domain,
everlasting is thy reign.

Hark! the loud celestial hymn
Angel choirs above are raising;
Cherubim and Seraphim,
In unceasing chorus praising,
Fill the heav’ns with sweet accord:
“Holy, holy, holy Lord!”
Fill the heav’ns with sweet accord:
“Holy, holy, holy Lord!”

Holy Father, Holy Son,
Holy Spirit, Three we name thee;
While in essence only One,
Undivided God we claim thee;
And adoring bend the knee,
While we own the mystery.
And adoring bend the knee,
While we own the mystery.

Act of Contrition

Leader: Let us acknowledge our sins, and seek the Lord’s pardon and peace.

Together: I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,
through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;
therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.

Leader: O God, who cause the minds of the faithful
to unite in a single purpose,
grant your people to love what you command
and to desire what you promise,
that, amid the uncertainties of this world,
our hearts may be fixed on that place
where true gladness is found.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Together: Amen.

The Sunday Readings

A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 22:19–23)

Thus says the LORD to Shebna, master of the palace: “I will thrust you from your office and pull you down from your station. On that day I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah; I will clothe him with your robe, and gird him with your sash, and give over to him your authority. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. I will place the key of the House of David on Eliakim’s shoulder; when he opens, no one shall shut when he shuts, no one shall open. I will fix him like a peg in a sure spot, to be a place of honor for his family.”

The Word of the Lord.
―Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm (Psalms 138:1–2, 2–3, 6, 8)

Reader: Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
Together: Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.

Reader: I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple.
Together: O God, let all the nations praise you!

Reader: I will give thanks to your name,
because of your kindness and your truth:
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
Together: O God, let all the nations praise you!

Reader: The LORD is exalted, yet the lowly he sees,
and the proud he knows from afar.
Your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
Together: O God, let all the nations praise you!

A Reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans (Romans 11:33–36)

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor? Or who has given the Lord anything that he may be repaid? For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

The word of the Lord.
―Thanks be to God.

Gospel Verse (Matthew 16:18)

Reader: You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church,
Together: and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Matthew 16:13–20)

Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

The Gospel of the Lord.
―Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

For Reflection:

1. In the Gospel, Jesus “asked his disciples, ‘Who do you say that I am?’” Peter boldly proclaims Jesus as “the Christ, the son of the Living God.” How can you proclaim Jesus as your Lord this week – in your thoughts, words, and actions?
2. For his faith and bold witness, Jesus made Peter the rock upon which His Church was built and gave him “the keys to the kingdom of heaven.” Each one of us is given gifts and responsibilities to serve God and build up his Church. Why does God give unique gifts to each member of the Church rather than making all the same? What gifts has God given you, and how can you put them at the service of the Church?

Response to the Word

Leader: Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on us.
Response: Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on us.

Leader: You are seated at the right hand of the Father,
Response: have mercy on us.

Leader: Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Response: Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on us.

Prayer of the Faithful

Leader: Christ is the sun that never sets, the true light that shines on every man. Let us call out to him in praise:
Response: Lord, you are our life and our salvation.

Leader: Creator of the stars, we thank you for your gift, the first rays of the dawn, and we commemorate your resurrection.
Response: Lord, you are our life and our salvation.

Leader: May your Holy Spirit teach us to do your will today, and may your Wisdom guide us always.
Response: Lord, you are our life and our salvation.

Leader: Each Sunday give us the joy of gathering as your people, around the table of your word and your body.
Response: Lord, you are our life and our salvation.

Leader: From our hearts we thank you, for your countless blessings.
Response: Lord, you are our life and our salvation.

Leader: In your mercy, continue to sanctify all who are afflicted from the present pandemic, and draw us all closer to you, and to one another, in this time of suffering.
Response: Lord, you are our life and our salvation.

The Lord's Prayer

Leader: Let us pray together as Jesus taught us:
Together: Our Father, who art in heaven …

Spiritual Communion

Leader: You have given us bread from heaven, alleluia, alleluia.
Response: Containing in itself all delight, alleluia, alleluia.
Together: My Jesus,
I believe that you are present
in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
I love you above all things,
and I desire to receive you into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace you as if you were already there
and unite myself wholly to you.
Never permit me to be separated from you,
my Lord and my God!
Amen.

Canticle of Praise

Canticle of Zechariah (Luke 1:68-79)
Together: ✠ Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.

Conclusion

Leader: ✠ May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
Together: Amen.