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Today, 21st of November, we celebrate
The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
Honor your father and mother.
This is the first commandment with a promise,
that it may go well with you
and that you may have a long life on earth.
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger,
but bring them up with the training and instruction of the Lord.
Slaves, be obedient to your human masters with fear and trembling,
in sincerity of heart, as to Christ,
not only when being watched, as currying favor,
but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
willingly serving the Lord and not men,
knowing that each will be requited from the Lord
for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
Masters, act in the same way towards them, and stop bullying,
knowing that both they and you have a Master in heaven
and that with him there is no partiality.
R./ The Lord is faithful in all his words.
Let all your works give you thanks, O Lord,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R./ The Lord is faithful in all his words.
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R./ The Lord is faithful in all his words.
The Lord is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The Lord lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
R./ The Lord is faithful in all his words.
Jesus went through towns and villages teaching and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, "Lord, is it true that few people will be saved?"
And Jesus answered, "Do your best to enter by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you will stand outside; then you will knock at the door calling: 'Lord, open to us.' But he will say to you: 'I do not know where you come from.'
"Then you will say: We ate and drank with you and you taught in our streets! But he will reply: 'I don't know where you come from. Away from me all you workers of evil.'
"You will weep and grind your teeth when you see Abraham and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves left outside.
"Others will sit at table in the kingdom of God, people coming from east and west, from north and south. Some who are among the last will be the first, and others who were first will be last!"
Enter and stay
God’s hospitality is infinite and great. It seems to have a door that is no longer wide, but not even a door. There are no limits: everything is wide and generously open. But today we speak of a narrow door, and this seems a bit contradictory. Strive to enter through the narrow gate. It is almost like saying, do not think that you can enter by right or that you can abuse the goodness of God. For God’s infinite hospitality requires a series of subsequent decisions. They will not enter (even if there is no door) who pretend to build the house according to their own measure; who insist that the fact that there is no door means an open door to do evil. Those who have not extended hospitality to the God who comes and asks for truth, goodness, beauty, justice, generosity, sacrificial discipleship, will not enter. God’s hospitality has two ways. We enter God and we must let God in.
In Luke’s passage there is also a veiled accusation to those who believe that they are already inside, that they have the right to be inside and that they are God’s chosen ones… others will come (they will come from the east and from the west); that is, those who did not believe that they were the depositaries of God’s justice, but who did good and wanted to enter through the narrow door of generosity, compassion and sacrifice, renunciation, peace, will come. Those who have allowed God’s goodness, beauty and truth into their lives. The others, no matter how much they thought they were already in or that there was no door and they could have a life of their own; those who thought they had the right and all the privileges, will not be able to enter. They will not be saved, not because God closes doors, but because they have refused to enter through God’s doors, which are narrow and open at the same time. And because they have refused to let in the God who demands truth, justice, kindness, generosity, service and detachment from self.
Carmen Aguinaco
Opening Prayer
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
We know that there are poor people
and that there are people suffering
from injustice and the hard-heartedness of others.
Do not allow us to remain indifferent to their plight
but give us the courage to share with the needy
and to be the voice of the voiceless.
Make our faith deep and committed,
that you may recognize us
as real brothers and sisters,
of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading Introduction
God has no favorites. "He is not impressed by one person any more than by another." Thus, Ephesians sums up the passage we hear today. This passage speaks to children and their parents, to slaves and to their masters, about their mutual relationships of respect, responsibility, and love. Before God they are all equal. In later centuries, the logical conclusion will be drawn that no human person can be enslaved to any other human being.
Gospel Introduction
For disciples of Christ, it is not enough to know about the Lord or to come to Mass to eat with the Lord or to read the Bible. As Jesus tells us in many ways throughout the gospel, we must live as his disciples and put his word into practice. Otherwise it is as if we did not know him and he does not know us.
General Intercessions
– For the Church, that it may never stop proclaiming the gospel to all peoples, languages and cultures, we pray:
– For the unity of all Christians, that they may not remain enclosed within their particularities and human traditions but may enrich one another in Christ, we pray:
– For our Christian communities, that we may be united; that no one is made to feel a stranger among us and that we may be open to one another and to all, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Our loving God,
let this bread and wine
that we bring before you
be tokens and strong affirmations
that we are ready to share our food and joy
with those who need them.
Let our love and generosity
become a way of saying thanks to you
for everything you have given us
freely and abundantly
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Generous God,
your Son Jesus has let us eat and drink with him
and he has spoken to us his message of life.
We have eagerly listened to him.
Help us now to live eagerly by his words
and to learn from him to open our doors and our hearts
to anyone who appeals to us,
that you may also open the door to us
when we knock and ask you to admit us
into your home of everlasting joy.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Blessing
The message of Jesus is good news for everyone. May it also become and remain good news for each of us when we put our heart in it by putting it into practice. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
