First Reading: Jas 4:1–10
Beloved:
Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from?
Is it not from your passions that make war within your members?
You covet but do not possess.
You kill and envy but you cannot obtain;
you fight and wage war.
You do not possess because you do not ask.
You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly,
to spend it on your passions.
Adulterers!
Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God?
Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world
makes himself an enemy of God.
Or do you suppose that the Scripture speaks without meaning when it says,
The spirit that he has made to dwell in us tends toward jealousy?
But he bestows a greater grace; therefore, it says:
God resists the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.
So submit yourselves to God.
Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, you sinners,
and purify your hearts, you of two minds.
Begin to lament, to mourn, to weep.
Let your laughter be turned into mourning
and your joy into dejection.
Humble yourselves before the Lord
and he will exalt you.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 55:7-8, 9-10a, 10b-11a, 23
R./ Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
And I say, "Had I but wings like a dove,
I would fly away and be at rest.
Far away I would flee;
I would lodge in the wilderness."
R./ Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
"I would wait for him who saves me
from the violent storm and the tempest."
Engulf them, O Lord; divide their counsels.
R./ Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
In the city I see violence and strife,
day and night they prowl about upon its walls.
R./ Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
Cast your care upon the Lord,
and he will support you;
never will he permit the just man to be disturbed.
R./ Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
Gospel Introduction
Jesus announces his passion and resurrection for the second time, but the disciples did not understand him. Do we understand? We have begun this Eucharist by placing it under the sign of the cross. Do we understand the cross, especially when it weighs on our own shoulders?) The future leaders of the Church, the disciples, are not free from dangerous defects like ambition; they seek the power of the first place in the kingdom, they do not understand that Jesus—and they, too—will have to suffer, and that service and simplicity are required to promote the kingdom.
Gospel Reading: Mark 9:30-37
Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee,
but he did not wish anyone to know about it.
He was teaching his disciples and telling them,
"The Son of Man is to be handed over to men
and they will kill him,
and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise."
But they did not understand the saying,
and they were afraid to question him.
They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house,
he began to ask them,
"What were you arguing about on the way?"
But they remained silent.
For they had been discussing among themselves on the way
who was the greatest.
Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them,
"If anyone wishes to be first,
he shall be the last of all and the servant of all."
Taking a child, he placed it in their midst,
and putting his arms around it, he said to them,
"Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me;
and whoever receives me,
receives not me but the One who sent me."
«In today’s gospel reading, we find a stark contrast, almost brutal, which can help us think about how surprising, groundbreaking, and revolutionary—in the deepest sense of the word—the Gospel really is.
On one side, there’s Jesus. He’s got a lot of common sense and realizes his future looks pretty grim. In the previous chapters of Mark’s gospel, we’ve seen a series of increasingly intense clashes between Jesus and the Pharisees and teachers of the law. You didn’t have to be a genius to see that these confrontations were likely to end badly. That’s why Jesus says to his disciples, ‘The Son of Man is going to be handed over…’ It couldn’t be any other way when you challenge those in power, shake up their world, and talk to people in a whole new way. Jesus’s future wasn’t hard to predict. But for Jesus, it wasn’t a matter of fate. He knew it was his destiny, a consequence of proclaiming the kingdom.
Meanwhile, the apostles are on a completely different wavelength. They seem totally clueless about what’s happening around them. All they can think about is who’s the most important among them, who’s the boss, who’s in charge. I imagine they always pictured themselves right after Jesus. But it seems they were already thinking about the inheritance, and whoever got the inheritance would be the one calling the shots.
They just didn’t get it. Not one bit. In the kingdom, there are no firsts. Or rather, there are firsts, but, paradoxically, the first will be those who make themselves last and servants of all. It’s a massive shift in perspective! It’s a ‘revolutionary’ change because our world isn’t like that. It doesn’t work that way. And neither do our minds. Those who want to be first in our world want to be served, period. Jesus is at the opposite end of the spectrum. He came to serve and give his life for others (cf. Mark 10:45).
It’s clear: we Christians are here to serve, even to give our lives. Because the truth is, a Christian who doesn’t serve is good for nothing.
Fernando Torres, cmf Introduction by the Celebrant
The liturgy celebrates today not so much that Peter was the bishop of Rome than what his function is. In answer to Peter’s profession of faith, Jesus appoints him the Rock on which the Church is built. As Peter himself knew very well, the shepherd is the model of his flock, dedicated to the service of the people of God.
Opening Prayer
Almighty God,
you have given us the witnessing of the apostles
as the firm rock on which we can rely.
Where Peter is, there is the Church.
But we see today that the bark of Peter is rocked;
we are often like capricious children
unused to our newfound freedom.
Make us use this freedom responsibly
and do not allow us to lose our composure.
Reassure us that you are always with us
and keep us optimistic about the future,
for it is your future
and you are our rock for ever.
General Intentions
– For the Church in our day, that the Holy Spirit may guide it through the present pains of renewal, keep it faithful to the gospel and speak its message in the language of our time, we pray: Lord, remember your Church.
– For the Pope, Peter’s successor, that he may be our rock of faith and the sign of unity of the Church, we pray:
– For our bishops, that they may exercise their authority as a service to building community; for priests and religious, that they may bear witness to what they preach by their way of living the gospel, we pray:
– For missionaries, that they may proclaim the gospel as good news for all and help each people and culture to encounter Christ all in their own way, we pray:
Lord, be with the Church until the end of time, as promised by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer over the Gifts
Accept our prayer and gifts, Lord God,
and guide your Church to your safe port.
Help us to rid ourselves of the dead-weight
of cumbersome, self-made human traditions
and teach us, in a way adapted to our times,
to seek the ageless renewal given us in the gospel
of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
on this feast of your apostle Peter
you have nourished us
with the body and blood of Christ.
We pray you today:
May the unifying force of the eucharist
dispel all unhealthy division in the Church.
May there be no unbridgeable chasms between us
but may legitimate differences of thought
lead to a deepening of our faith.
May all co-exist in peace and unity
as we seek to understand your message better.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
Who do we say who Christ is? With Peter we profess that he is the Christ, the Son of the living God. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
you know what is in our hearts.
Purify our thoughts, change our mentality
and give us the attitude of Jesus, your Son.
Help us to identify with Jesus,
to accept suffering as a part of life
and of our efforts to establish your kingdom.
In whatever position we are,
keep us humble, trusting and simple
and may we have no other ambition
than to serve your Son in our sisters and brothers.
For he was the servant of all
and so you made him our Lord for ever.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading Introduction
James points to the causes of conflict and laxity within the Christian community: not outward influences, not so much different opinions, but the evil in the heart of each, like love of pleasure and of the world, envy and pride.
General Intercessions
– For those who are the greatest in the Church, that they may serve with great dedication and without looking down upon the weakest, the poorest, those wounded in life, we pray:
– For the mighty of this earth, that they may care especially about the rights, the dignity and the well-being of the lowliest masses under their charge, we pray:
– For those working in lowly jobs shunned by others, for those who have unhealthy or dangerous tasks, that we may appreciate them and that the Lord may help them, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
we bring before you ordinary food and drink,
the signs of everyday life;
and yet, in these your Son will become present here.
Is it that you wanted to teach us
that we have not to look for you
in extraordinary places and things
but in the simplicity of the familiar?
On account of your Son, accept us as we are,
just ordinary people willing to serve you.
We ask you this in the name of Jesus, the Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Our God and Father,
you have been patient with us
as Jesus was with his disciples.
When we were proud of our own achievements,
you placed before us your perfect servant, Jesus Christ,
and let us look at him and share his table.
Make us like him, straightforward, spontaneous,
and eager to serve you in our brothers and sisters.
We know that we are in your hands
and that you will support us
on account of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
That terrible hunger for power and prestige! It is doing much damage, also in the Church, in our Christian communities. May God give you rather the spirit of service and bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
