Isaiah  35:4-7     

Say to all faint hearts, ‘Courage! Do not be afraid. ‘Look, your God is coming, vengeance is coming, the retribution of God; he is coming to save you.’ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf unsealed, then the lame shall leap like a deer and the tongues of the dumb sing for joy; for water gushes in the desert, streams in the wasteland, the scorched earth becomes a lake, the parched land springs of water.

James 2:1-5   
 
My brothers and sisters, do not try to combine faith in Jesus Christ, our glorified Lord, with the making of distinctions between classes of people. Now suppose a person comes into your synagogue, beautifully dressed and with a gold ring on, and at the same time a poor person comes in, in shabby clothes, and you take notice of the well-dressed person, and say, ‘Come this way to the best seats;’ then you tell the poor person, ‘Stand over there’ or ‘You can sit on the floor by my foot-rest.’ Can’t you see that you have used two different standards in your mind, and turned yourselves into judges, and corrupt judges at that? Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: it was those who are poor according to the world that God chose, to be rich in faith and to be the heirs to the kingdom which he promised to those who love him.

Gospel Acclamation 

Alleluia, Alleluia
By his own choice he made us his children by the message of the truth so that we should be a sort of first-fruits of all that he had created.  Alleluia

Mark 7:31-37       

Returning from the district of Tyre, Jesus went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, right through the Decapolis region. And they brought him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they asked him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, put his fingers into the man’s ears and touched his tongue with spittle. Then looking up to heaven he sighed; and he said to him, ‘Ephphatha,‘ that is, ‘Be opened.‘ And his ears were opened, and the ligament of his tongue was loosened and he spoke clearly. And Jesus ordered them to tell no one about it, but the more he insisted, the more widely they published it. Their admiration was unbounded. ‘He has done all things well,’ they said, ‘he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.’

Prayer of the Faithful

Father, Son and Spirit, it is in and though your love that we find our true freedom. Praise and thanks to you. Lord hear us

Lord Jesus by healing the sick and those most in need you made the love of God flesh for us all. Praise and thanks to you. Lord hear us

Many in our society are struggling, including the homeless. May the coming budget be aimed especially at those in need and not simply be used for political gain. Lord hear us

We remember, with joy and thanksgiving, all those who have died. We pray for all who grieve their loss, that they may be comforted by the hope which is ours, as followers of Jesus. Lord hear us

At a time when there is a great deal of violence, war and hunger in our world, may we as Church, have the courage to speak for those most afflicted and to work for their liberation. Lord hear us

In quiet we call to mind, all who need our prayer and support ………………………. Lord hear us

Reflection

Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding. The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. You must be the change you wish to see in the world. But service can have no meaning unless one takes pleasure in it. When it is done for show or for fear of public opinion, it stunts the person and crushes thier spirit. Service which is rendered without joy helps neither the servant nor the served. Service rendered for its own sake is the noblest of all. Humankind becomes great exactly in the degree in which we work for the welfare of all people. A person who was completely innocent offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act.

Mahatma Gandhi


Remembered this Weekend

Maggie Graham
Teasie, Christie & Richard Dowling
Billy Graham & Dec Family
John Kelly
Margaret Francoise (6th A)
Thomas Swayne (2nd A)
Anne Shelley & George Shelley
John Keane (1st A)
Mary Lancaster (1st A)
Gerry, Patricia & Dermot Lancaster
Helma Baumgartner & Family

Celebrating his 60th birthday:
Colm Burke

 

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