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16 February 2014 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

Entrance Antiphon (To be recited only when no EntranceHymn is sung.)

Be my protector, O God, amighty stronghold to save me.For you are my rock, mystronghold! Lead me, guideme, for the sake of your name.

Greeting P Blessed be God the Fatherwho gave us in Jesus the supreme

moral teacher and model. MayHis grace and peace be with youall!

All And with your spirit!

Penitential Act P Todays theme reminds us ofthe importance of Gods Law andof the values it enshrines. Let us pause for a while andexamine our behavior in thelight of some of these values.(Pause)

P For the times we haveused our freedom to makechoices that displeased you,

Lord, have mercy! All Lord, have mercy! P For the times we have re-

mained satis ed with anobservance of the literalformulation of the Com-mandments, Christ, havemercy!

All Christ, have mercy! P For the times we have

obeyed the Commandmentsnot out of love for you butout of fear of your punish-

ment, Lord, have mercy! All Lord, have mercy! P May almighty God havemercy on us, forgive us our sins,and bring us to everlasting life.

All Amen!

Gloria All Glory to God in the high-est, and on earth peace to peopleof good will. We praise you,we bless you, we adore you, weglorify you, we give you thanks

for your great glory, Lord God,heavenly King, O God, almightyFather.

Lord Jesus Christ, Only Be-gotten Son, Lord God, Lamb ofGod, Son of the Father, you takeaway the sins of the world, havemercy on us; you take away thesins of the world, receive our

prayer; you are seated at the righthand of the Father, have mercyon us. For you alone are the HolyOne, you alone are the Lord, youalone are the Most High, JesusChrist, with the Holy Spirit, in theglory of God the Father. Amen!

Collect (Opening Prayer) P O God, who teach us thatyou abide in hearts that are justand true, grant that we may beso fashioned by your grace as to

become a dwelling pleasing toyou. Through our Lord JesusChrist, your Son, who lives andreigns with you in the unity ofthe Holy Spirit, one God, for everand ever.

All Amen!

PROBING THE DEPTHOF THE COMM ANDMENTS

T he Commandments are the way that leads to life. (See Mk10:17.19.) To those who felt surprised or bewildered at thefreedom with which he related to the Sabbath rest, Jesus as-sured them all that he had not come to abolish the Law but to bringit to completion. And in the Sermon on the Mount he showed thatbringing the Law to completion meant going deeper than its legalformulations. It meant unearthing the values which every Com-mandment enshrines, and to live by those values to the utmost,without watering down their demands, without simpli cations, orshortcuts. Jesus teaching on this matter is illustrated by some practicalexamples contained in todays Gospel passage. These give us food for thought for our re ection andencouragement to action, for only those who live by the values enshrined in Gods Commandments willhave the light of life. May our participation in this Eucharist strengthen us in our resolve to do just that.

Liturgical Lea et for an Active Participation in the Celebration of the Eucharist

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16 February 2014

1st Reading Sir 15:15-20

The great moral teacher Sir-ach reminds his disciples and ustoday that God created us free sothat we might freely choose what

is good. Hence, we have the dutyto use our freedom wisely, avoid-ing sin because it displeases the

Lord and brings about our ruin.

R A proclamation from theBook of Sirach

If you choose you can keepthe commandments, they willsave you; if you trust in God,you too shall live; he has setbefore you re and water; towhichever you choose, stretchforth your hand. Before man

are life and death, good andevil, whichever he choosesshall be given him. Immenseis the wisdom of the Lord; heis mighty in power, and all see-ing. The eyes of God are onthose who fear him; he un-derstands mans every deed.No one does he command toact unjustly, to none does hegive license to sin.

The Word of the Lord! All Thanks be to God!

Responsorial Psalm Ps 119

R Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!

in the ways of keeping yourstatutes! R.

* Be good to your servant,that I may live and keep yourwords. Open my eyes, that Imay consider the wonders ofyour law. R.

* Instruct me, O Lord, inthe way of your statutes, thatI may exactly observe them.Give me discernment, that Imay observe your law and keepit with all my heart. R.

2nd Reading 1 Cor 2:6-10* Today St. Paul tells the

faithful of Corinth that Godsmysterious plan of salvation inChrist was revealed by the HolySpirit to the apostles and allbelievers. Such was the ruling of

Divine Wisdom, which had been

kept hidden from the wise of thisworld. R A proclamation from the

First Letter of Paul to theCorinthians

Brothers and sisters: We speak of wisdom tothose who are mature not awisdom of this age, nor of therulers of this age who are pass-ing away. Rather, we speak ofGods wisdom, which is mys-terious and hidden, and whichGod predetermined before theages for our glory; a wisdomwhich none of the rulers of thisage knew. If they had knownit, they would not have cruci- ed the Lord of glory. But, asit is written: What eye has notseen, and ear has not heard,and what has not entered thehuman heart, what God hasprepared for those who lovehim, this, God has revealed tous through the Spirit. For theSpirit scrutinizes everything,

even the depths of God. The Word of the Lord!

All Thanks be to God!

* Editors Note: For a betterunderstanding of the reading, wehave edited the literal transla-tion found in the Lectionary.

Gospel Acclamation Mt 11:25

All Alleluia! Alleluia! Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;

you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom. Alleluia! Alleluia!

Gospel Mt 5:20-22.27-28. 33-34.37 Continuing his Sermon onthe Mount, Jesus shows howdemanding the New Law canbe. Through a series of forcefulstatements, he shows that realholiness can be achieved only bysatisfying the greater demandsof the values enshrined in everyindividual commandment.

P The Lord be with you! All And with your spirit! P A proclamation from the

holy Gospel according toMatthew

All Glory to you, O Lord!

Jesus said to his disciples:I tell you, unless your righ-teousness surpasses that ofthe scribes and Pharisees, youwill not enter the kingdom ofheaven. You have heard that it wassaid to your ancestors, Youshall not kill; and whoever killswill be liable to judgment. ButI say to you, whoever is angrywith his brother will be liableto judgment. You have heardthat it was said, You shall not

commit adultery. But I say toyou, everyone who looks at awoman with lust has alreadycommitted adultery with herin his heart. Again you have heard thatit was said to your ancestors,Do not take a false oath, butmake good to the Lord all thatyou vow. But I say to you, donot swear at all . Let your Yesmean Yes, and your Nomean No. Anything more isfrom the evil one.

The Gospel of the Lord! All Praise to you, Lord Jesus

Christ!

Homily

Profession of Faith(Nicene Creed)

All I believe in one God, theFather almighty, maker of heavenand earth, of all things visible andinvisible.

* Blessed are they whose wayis blameless, who walk in thelaw of the Lord. Blessed arethey who observe his decrees,who seek him with all theirheart. R.

* You have commanded thatyour precepts be diligentlykept. Oh, that I might be rm

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6th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

I believe in one Lord JesusChrist, the Only Begotten Son ofGod, born of the Father before allages. God from God, Light fromLight, true God from true God,

begotten, not made, consubstan-tial with the Father; through himall things were made. For us menand for our salvation he camedown from heaven, and by theHoly Spirit was incarnate of theVirgin Mary, and became man.For our sake he was cruci edunder Pontius Pilate, he suffereddeath and was buried, and roseagain on the third day in accor-dance with the Scriptures. He as-cended into heaven and is seatedat the right hand of the Father. Hewill come again in glory to judgethe living and the dead and hiskingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,the Lord, the giver of life, who

proceeds from the Father and theSon, who with the Father and theSon is adored and glori ed, whohas spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholicand apostolic Church. I confessone Baptism for the forgivenessof sins and I look forward to theresurrection of the dead and thelife of the world to come. Amen!

Prayer of the Faithful

P Today Gods Word has en-lightened us about the valuesenshrined in the Commandmentsand the strict demands they im-

pose on us. Let us ask for theLords help in our endeavor tolive up to these demands. In allhumility, we implore:

All Lord, make us faithful toyour commandments!

C For the universal Church,mother and teacher of all thefaithful: May she never tire of re-minding humankind of the needto treasure and live the valuesthat ground the Commandments.Let us pray! R.

C For the Holy Father, our bishops, and priests: May theyteach the demands of Gods Lawwith clarity and constantly wit-ness with their lives to the valuesthey proclaim. Let us pray! R.

C For our civil authorities whoare responsible for promoting

the common good of the people:May they always make and en-force laws that re ect and pro-mote the values contained inGods moral Law. Let us pray! R.C For our catechists, teachers,and media practitioners, whosework is so vital in the moral for-mation of the new generat ions:

May they always be aware of theimportance of their mission andcarry it out with brave consis-tency. Let us pray! R.

C For our youth, and especial-ly their leaders: May they realizeand be convinced that the betterworld they dream of can becomea reality only by upholding thevalues enshrined in Gods Law.Let us pray! R.

C For our community and ourfamilies: May the moral teaching

of the Sermon on the Mount beour constant reference point andinspiration in facing the chal-lenges of daily life. Let us pray!

R.C Let us pray in silence for our

personal intentions. (Pause)Let us pray! R.

P God our Father, we thankYou for having given us in Jesusour infallible moral teacher and

perfect example to be followed.May Your Holy Spirit grant us

the strength that we need to putinto practice the truths we haverecalled today. You who live andreign for ever and ever.

All Amen!

Preparation of the Gifts P Pray, brethren . . . All May the Lord accept thesacri ce at your hands, for the

praise and glory of his name,for our good and the good of allhis holy Church.

Prayer over the Offerings

P May this oblation, O Lord,we pray, cleanse and renew usand may it become for those whodo your will the source of eternalreward. Through Christ our Lord.

All Amen!

Preface VI

P The Lord be with you! All And with your spirit! P Lift up your hearts! All We lift them up to the Lord! P Let us give thanks to the

Lord our God! All It is right and just!

P It is truly right and just,our duty and our salvation, al-ways and everywhere to giveyou thanks, Lord, holy Father,almighty and eternal God. For in you we live and moveand have our being, and while inthis body we not only experiencethe daily effects of your care, buteven now possess the pledge oflife eternal. For, having received the rst fruits of the Spirit, throughwhom you raised up Jesus fromthe dead, we hope for an ever-lasting share in the Paschal Mys-tery. And so, with all the Angels,we praise you, as in joyful cel-ebration, we acclaim:

All Holy, holy, holy Lord, Godof hosts. Heaven and earth arefull of your glory. Hosanna inthe highest!

Blessed is he who comes inthe name of the Lord. Hosannain the highest!

Memorial Acclamation P The mystery of faith! All We proclaim your Death,

O Lord, and profess yourResurrection until youcome again!

All Our Father . . . P Deliver us, Lord . . . All For the kingdom, the

power, and the glory areyours, now and for ever.

Sign of Peace

Breaking of the Bread All Lamb of God, you takeaway the sins of the world: havemercy on us. (2) Lamb of God, you takeaway the sins of the world:grant us peace.

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L aws can be hard, at times, but when wesucceed in complying with their formal prescriptions, they also produce in usa feeling of ful llment and security . . . Yet,

there is more to moral life than just comply-ing with certain legal demands. Governmentsmay not require more than that, but God does.Our conscience does. A well-formed con-science never stops at the action in itself. Itknows that every action either forbidden orcommanded is like the tip of an iceberg: theiceberg of moral attitudes, of fundamental

commitments which are the primary targets of the moral law. If we want to be in good terms with Godand our conscience, we must reject the ideathat He can be cheated, . . . that He also can besatis ed with appearances and lip service. Theletter of the Law is important, but what mat-

ters most are the values it enshrines, and theinternal dispositions with which we complywith its demands. Jesus reminds us of just this. He enters thescene as the young prophet and reformer whohas an important message to deliver and pres-

ents it with authority. With his moral teachinghe shakes off the dust of accommodation and the rust of compromise. With shockingfrankness he presents to his followers stern de-mands which leave no room for self-deception.Unless your holiness surpasses that of the

Scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter theKingdom of God (Mt 5:20).

Not only does he remind his audiencethat the Commandments are still valid, butespecially he challenges them to look deeper

and to go beyond the wording of the Law, and reach out toward the deep core of every prescript ion. Jesus poses radical demands. If we wantto be his disciples, our priorities must be ar-ranged (or re-arranged) accordingly. Firstthings, rst. If anything has to be sacri ced,let it be what is secondary, rather than what isessential (see Mt 5:23-24) ; what is transient,rather than what will last for ever (see Mt 5:29-30). Then we shall experience the consolationsthat only wise persons enjoy. We may be few,

but never alone: Jesus and all the saints will be with us!

The all to Live Out the Values The Call to Live Out the Valuesof the om mandmentsof the Commandments

Communion P Behold the Lamb of God, be-hold him who takes away the sinsof the world. Blessed are thosecalled to the supper of the Lamb.

All Lord, I am not worthythat you should enter undermy roof, but only say the wordand my soul shall be healed.

Communion Antiphon (To be recited only when no Com- munion Hymn is sung.)

God so loved the world thathe gave his Only Begotten Son,so that all who believe in him

may not perish, but may haveeternal life.

Prayer after Communion

P Having fed upon these heav-enly delights, we pray, O Lord,that we may always long for thatfood by which we truly live. Through Christ our Lord.

All Amen!

P The Lord be with you. All And with your spirit!

P May almighty God blessyou: the Father, and theSon, and the Holy Spirit.

All Amen!

P Go in peace, glorifying theLord by your life!

All Thanks be to God!

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