Seventh Sunday of the Year C

The following are prayerful resources rather than a liturgy.

Responsorial Psalm
The gospel for the day
(a useful commentary on the reading here)
Some optional questions for reflection
Prayers of Intercession
Cluster Prayer
The gospel of the week ahead with questions

Psalm 102 - The Lord is kind and merciful

The Lord is kind and merciful

Bless the Lord O my soul

and all my being bless God’s holy name

Bless the Lord o my soul

and forget not all his benefits

The Lord is kind and merciful

He pardons all your iniquity

Heals all your ills

He redeems your life from destruction

Crowns you with kindness and compassion

The Lord is kind and merciful

Merciful and gracious is the Lord

Slow to anger and abounding in kindness

Not according to our sins does he deal with us

Nor does he requite us according to our crime

The Lord is kind and merciful

As far as the East is from the west

So far does he put our transgressions from us

As a father has compassion on his children

So the Lord has compassion on those who fear him

The Lord is kind and merciful

Luke 6: 27-38 Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘I say this to you who are listening: Love your enemies,

do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you,

pray for those who treat you badly.

To the man who slaps you on one cheek, present the other cheek too;

to the man who takes your cloak from you, do not refuse your tunic.

Give to everyone who asks you,

and do not ask for your property back from the man who robs you.

Treat others as you would like them to treat you.

If you love those who love you, what thanks can you expect?

Even sinners love those who love them.

And if you do good to those who do good to you,

what thanks can you expect? For even sinners do that much.

And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive,

what thanks can you expect?

Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount.

Instead, love your enemies and do good, and lend without any hope of return.

You will have a great reward, and you will be sons of the Most High,

for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.
‘Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate.

Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves;

do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves;

grant pardon, and you will be pardoned.

Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together,

and running over, will be poured into your lap;

because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.’

This the gospel of the Lord

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

If you would like to borrow my copy, let me know.

Questions for reflection (framed for a group discussion)

Some scholars believe Jesus is deliberately setting the bar high: "ask for the best so that you will get the better". Others are convinced that he meant every word.

The late Fr Jock Dalrymple (snr.) wrote a book whose title sums it up:

"Costing not less than everything"

"I'm a pretty mediocre disciple..." Who or what inspires you to keep going? (Share)
What has allowed you to overcome obstacles and forgive someone who has hurt you?

Prayers of Intercession

This week's Gospel challenges us to choose a better way to be followers of Christ as he invites us to love our enemies and pray for those who do us harm.

We pray that Pope Francis will be given the strength and patience to live through the daily challenges he faces as he tirelessly encourages all of us on our Christian journey. We also pray for those that oppose him that the Holy Spirit will open their hearts and minds to hear and live the message of Christ.

R:/ Lord in your mercy Hear our prayer

With the increase of tension and aggression in many corners of our beautiful world, we ask for an outpouring of the Spirit into the hearts and minds of all leaders of the world's nations. We pray that the desire for peace, tolerance and a sharing of the world's resources be in the hearts and minds of all those working to defuse tensions, especially in the Ukraine. R:/

For ourselves, as we try to live the challenges of the Gospel in our daily lives, we ask for God's strength and the gift of understanding. May we learn to reach out to one another and our neighbours at work, where we live, and those we encounter on our journey in life. We are all beloved of God and should treat each other as such. R:/

As the Cluster parishes begin to embrace the Synodal process, we pray that each of us will respond with an open heart to the invitation to share our thoughts, experiences, hopes and desires for the future of our Church. May we listen respectfully to one another. R:/

Give strength and hope to our young people in this difficult time. Help us to listen to their hopes and desire for the Church and enable us to encourage them to use their talents and gifts R:/

We pray for all those who are ill and suffering in any way. May they receive the healing offered by Christ through the Spirit. Let each of us reach out to them with love, prayer and support. We especially remember Rose Neilson and all those on the Prayer Foundation list. R:/

We remember all those who have died and gone before us. Especially Sarah Duffy, Loreto Spiridigliozzi and Sheila Moir. May the Father receive them into his heavenly kingdom with love, mercy, and eternal peace. May his loving embrace comfort those who mourn their going. R:/

Prayer to be Missionary Disciples

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

Luke 6: 39-45 Your words flow out of what fills your heart.

Jesus told a parable to his disciples:

‘Can one blind man guide another? Surely both will fall into a pit?

The disciple is not superior to his teacher;

the fully trained disciple will always be like his teacher.

Why do you observe the splinter in your brother’s eye

and never notice the plank in your own?

How can you say to your brother,

“Brother, let me take out the splinter that is in your eye,”

when you cannot see the plank in your own? Hypocrite!

Take the plank out of your own eye first,

and then you will see clearly enough

to take out the splinter that is in your brother’s eye.

‘There is no sound tree that produces rotten fruit,

nor again a rotten tree that produces sound fruit.

For every tree can be told by its own fruit:

people do not pick figs from thorns, nor gather grapes from brambles.

A good man draws what is good from the store of goodness in his heart;

a bad man draws what is bad from the store of badness.

For a man’s words flow out of what fills his heart.’

This the gospel of the Lord

Questions for reflection (framed for a group discussion)

Our relationship with God comes from what we believe.

What we believe is shown in what we say and do.

We'll bear much better fruit if we let God do some pruning.

What aspects of our lives have become "dead branches", hampering our growth? (Share)
When have you most felt like a hypocrite? How did you overcome this feeling?