Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary time
Intro: We gather today as God's holy people as we listen to Him speaking to us in the Scriptures, and offering ourselves to Him as we receive Him in communion.
Readings: In response to an elderly couple who had provided him with food and lodging, the prophet Elisha assures them that despite their advanced years, they will soon have the son they had longed for for so long.
Paul reminds the Roman community that in baptism they joined Christ in His death, so we will join Him in His risen life and be alive in Him forever.
2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16;
Romans 6:3-4, 8-11;
Matthew 10:37-42;
Whenever we make a journey by road, it's so easy to stop off at a service area. In Elisha's time, there were no fast-food stops, and those travelling beyond the territory of their own family or tribe had to depend on the hospitality of strangers to survive. Today, Elisha meets a woman who invites him to break his journey. She perceives that he is a holy man and puts him up with her husband's agreement, and they finally receive an appropriate reward in their old age.
In the Jewish tradition, hospitality was regarded as one of the chief responsibilities of a caring people, since for many years they had themselves undergone years of wandering.
When Jesus is welcomed into towns and villages by people who see Him as a holy messenger of God, they too receive a holy man's reward - the poor hear Good News - the sick are healed, sinners are forgiven. Likewise, when Jesus and His disciples face closed doors and closed hearts in other towns, all that those people receive is a cloud of dust, shaken from their feet!
All that Jesus looks for from us is our openness to the message of the Gospel. One of the characteristics of the Church is the generosity of its people towards its ministers and its pastoral projects. Once more, the Gospel calls us to evangelise, to spread the word, to accept those who have left no place for God in their lives. Again we're reminded that we won't lose out by our generosity to the cause of the Gospel, which has its own reward, because when we welcome Jesus, we welcome the One Who sent Him; it's God Himself Who becomes our guest.
Intercessions
God the Father is the source of all good gifts, so that we can now turn to Him in complete confidence as we place all our needs before Him:-
1. For our Holy Father; filled with the spirit of the Gospel message, may he guide our Church wisely and courageously - Lord, in Your mercy
2. For single parents. May they fulfil their difficult role with trust in Your promises - Lord, in Your mercy
3. For the sick, the lonely, the unloved. May they receive and feel the support of Your grace in their lives - Lord in Your mercy
4. For ourselves, Your followers. By the way we live our own lives, may we become a source of inspiration and grace to those around us - Lord, in Your mercy
5. For Cathie Gallagher and May McKee whose life on this earth has now come to an end, together with Garry Westoby, James Conlon, Barbara Jackson, Margaret Reid and Kathleen Downey,
whose anniversaries occur about this time. May they receive a place in Your heavenly Kingdom for all eternity - Lord, in Your mercy
Heavenly Father, sustained by Your unfailing help, may we live our lives here on earth in complete confidence, and in the world to come, praise You for all eternity.