24th Sunday A

The following are prayerful resources rather than a liturgy.

  • The gospel for the day
  • Commentary on the readings
  • Some optional questions for reflection
  • Prayers of Intercession
  • Cluster Prayer
  • The gospel of the week ahead with questions

Matthew 18: 21-35    I do not tell you to forgive seven times, but seventy-seven times.



Peter went up to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.
‘And so the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who decided to settle his accounts with his servants. When the reckoning began, they brought him a man who owed ten thousand talents; but he had no means of paying, so his master gave orders that he should be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, to meet the debt. At this, the servant threw himself down at his master’s feet. “Give me time” he said “and I will pay the whole sum.” And the servant’s master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the debt.

Now as this servant went out, he happened to meet a fellow servant who owed him one hundred denarii; and he seized him by the throat and began to throttle him. “Pay what you owe me” he said. His fellow servant fell at his feet and implored him, saying, “Give me time and I will pay you.” But the other would not agree; on the contrary, he had him thrown into prison till he should pay the debt.

His fellow servants were deeply distressed when they saw what had happened, and they went to their master and reported the whole affair to him. Then the master sent for him. “You wicked servant,” he said “I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed to me. Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you?” And in his anger the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt. And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.’
This is the gospel of the Lord.

Copyright © 1996-2021 Universalis Publishing Limited: see www.universalis.com.

Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible are published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc.

Text of the Psalms: Copyright © 1963, The Grail (England). All rights reserved.


Having used our prayer resources, you might want simply to reflect yourself on them and how that might flow into your coming week. Some people have found it very helpful to meet with others and share their thoughts.
If you are interested  in joining a small group to share your thoughts and feelings about God's Word from any of the resources you have watched please email us.         cluster.alpha@outlook.com

Questions for reflection (framed for a group discussion)

That God has already forgiven both the sins we've committed and those in the future...

...is difficult to get our heads around. And when we do, it's even more difficult to hold back the tears.

The gospel today is not the whole story: God is not the one who punishes - we do that to ourselves.

  1. Write down 3 names of people/events/situations for which you struggle to offer forgiveness.
    In God's presence, read them aloud several times and ask for God's help.
    Now destroy the list in whatever way you want but imagining that God is doing the same to your sins.
    (Share one of them in your group if you feel able).
  2. When someone hurts you, how do you forgive them?  *

* All second questions © The Pastoral Center

Prayers of Intercession

 

We cannot celebrate today the Lord of compassion and love, the Lord who died for us and who lives to intercede for us, unless each of us has forgiven their brother and sisters from our hearts.


We give thanks to the Father for the love which forgives us again and again, and is prepared to trust us with the care of his people even after we have let him down many times.

Lord Hear Us   Lord graciously hear us.


We give thanks to the Father for what we have been forgiven and for the opportunities we have each day to learn the joy of forgiving others. May he break through our self-righteousness and keep us learning humility.

Lord Hear Us  Lord graciously hear us.



This is the world week for peace in Palestine and Israel. We pray for all who are victims of violence and all who dehumanise themselves by taking a path of violence. We pray for ourselves and our leaders that we might all learn, reflect and act with wisdom and courage to help peace to come to the Holy Land through justice.

Lord Hear Us  Lord graciously hear us.


We pray for the people of Morocco as they try to recover from the devastation of the earthquake and all those who lives who have been affected by natural disasters and war in their countries.

Lord Hear Us  Lord graciously hear us.


We pray for those who are sick, lonely and housebound in our cluster and for all who have asked for our prayers through the prayer foundation.

Lord Hear Us  Lord graciously hear us.

 

For those who have died recently and gone to their eternal peace. We remember especially

Frankie Richards, Paul Martin, Sharon Riva, Ron Lipp, Mary Fairley, Mary Ferry, Una Laing and Ann Murphy.

We pray for those whose anniversaries occur at this time and for all those who mourn the loss of loved ones.

Lord Hear Us Lord graciously hear us.


We will now say together our prayer to be missionary disciples.

Prayer to be Missionary Disciples

Picture of Jesus at door

Lord continue to bless our community
in this time of transition.
Help us on our journey
to grow from a maintenance church
to a missionary church.
Give us the courage
to be missionary disciples.
Make our doors wide enough
to receive all who need
human love and fellowship;
narrow enough to shut out
all envy, pride and prejudice.
Kindle in us the fire of your love
that all who come here
will find joy, peace and love.
Make this a house of prayer
and a gateway to your kingdom.
AMEN

Preparing for next week -  25th Sunday  A

      Matthew 20: 1-16  Why be envious because I am generous?


Jesus said to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner going out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard. He made an agreement with the workers for one denarius a day, and sent them to his vineyard. Going out at about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place and said to them, “You go to my vineyard too and I will give you a fair wage.” So they went. At about the sixth hour and again at about the ninth hour, he went out and did the same. Then at about the eleventh hour he went out and found more men standing round, and he said to them, “Why have you been standing here idle all day?” “Because no one has hired us” they answered. He said to them, “You go into my vineyard too.”

In the evening, the owner of the vineyard said to his bailiff, “Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last arrivals and ending with the first.” So those who were hired at about the eleventh hour came forward and received one denarius each. When the first came, they expected to get more, but they too received one denarius each. They took it, but grumbled at the landowner. “The men who came last” they said “have done only one hour, and you have treated them the same as us, though we have done a heavy day’s work in all the heat.” He answered one of them and said, “My friend, I am not being unjust to you; did we not agree on one denarius? Take your earnings and go. I choose to pay the last comer as much as I pay you. Have I no right to do what I like with my own? Why be envious because I am generous?” Thus the last will be first, and the first, last.’

This is the gospel of the Lord.

Copyright © 1996-2021 Universalis Publishing Limited: see www.universalis.com.

Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible are published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc.

Text of the Psalms: Copyright © 1963, The Grail (England). All rights reserved


Questions for reflection (framed for a group discussion)


This parable sums up so much about the difference between us and God.

We operate by a tit-for-tat economy - an "eye for eye" morality. God loves without any conditions.

Being fair is not enough for God who pours out love in over-generous portions.

  1. From the distant past recall an incident of forgiving someone or being forgiven.
    Relive your thoughts and feelings from then. How do you view it all today?
  2. What lessons do you draw from today’s Gospel? How has God been generous to you in this way? *

* All second questions © The Pastoral Center