FIRST READING
Deuteronomy 4 : 32 – 40
A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy:
Moses said to the people: “Ask now of the days of old, before your
time, ever since God created man upon the earth; ask from one
end of the sky to the other: Did anything so great ever happen
before? Was it ever heard of? Did a people ever hear the voice of
God speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live? Or did
any god venture to go and take a nation for himself from the
midst of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by
war, with his strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great
terrors, all of which the Lord, your God, did for you in Egypt
before your very eyes? All this you were allowed to see that you
might know the Lord is God and there is no other. Out of the
heavens he let you hear his voice to discipline you; on earth he let
you see his great fire, and you heard him speaking out of the fire.
For love of your fathers he chose their descendants and
personally led you out of Egypt by his great power, driving out of
your way nations greater and mightier than you, so as to bring
you in and to make their land your heritage, as it is today. This is
why you must now know, and fix in your heart, that the Lord is
God in the heavens above and on earth below, and that there is
no other. You must keep his statutes and commandments which I
enjoin on you today, that you and your children after you may
prosper, and that you may have long life on the land which the
Lord, your God, is giving you forever.”
The Word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 77 : 12 – 3, 14 – 15, 16, 21
“ I remember the deeds of the Lord. ”
I remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I remember your wonders of old.
And I meditate on your works;
your exploits I ponder. . .
O God, your way is holy;
what great god is there like our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
among the peoples you have made known
your power. . .
With your strong arm
you redeemed your people,
the sons of Jacob and Joseph.
You led your people like a flock
under the care of Moses and Aaron. . .
G O S P E L
Matthew 16 : 24 – 28
Verse: Alleluia! Blessed are they who are
persecuted for the sake of righteousness; for
theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Alleluia!. . .Matthew 5 : 10
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew:
Jesus said to his disciples: “Whoever wishes to come after me
must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever
wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my
sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the
whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange
for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his
Father’s glory, and then he will repay each according to his
conduct. Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who
will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his
Kingdom.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL (C)
Priest: With unlimited confidence in God’s care for us
we open our hearts to our Heavenly Father for the gift of
wisdom, in order that we may realize what is truly important
in life. For every petition we pray:
Response: LORD, GRACIOUSLY HEAR US.
1. For our Holy Father, our bishops, priest and religious:
that they may continue to make the presence of Christ known
in the world through the simplicity of their life-styles . . .let us
pray.
2. Lord, help us to be sensitive towards the disadvantaged who are
in trouble and distress and who are in need of our help. . .let us
pray.
3. That we may not value people by what they possess, the job they
hold or the place they live. . .let us pray.
4. For those who are sick or suffering. May they experience the
richness of Your presence in their lives, and realize that through
their illness they can proclaim Your gospel. . .let us pray.
5. We lift our hearts and minds to God as we thank Him for all the
graces we received, in particular the thanksgiving offered by:
_____. . .let us pray.
6. Lord, in your mercy grant light, peace and eternal rest to those
who have died recently, specially:_____. . .let us pray.
Priest: God our Father, we thank You for the abundance
of Your blessings. Help us to handle the possessions
we have carefully, and never regard them
as unqualified good. Through Christ our Lord. . .Amen!
