THE TWENTY SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Prayer to St. Joseph of Arimathea

Merciful God,

whose servant Joseph of Arimathaea with reverence

and godly fear prepared the body of our Lord and Savior for burial,

and laid it in his own tomb:

Grant to us,

your faithful people,

grace and courage to love and serve Jesus with sincere devotion all the days of our life;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, forever and ever.

Amen.

Prayer to Saint Nicodemus

Merciful God,

whose servant Nicodemus was a secret disciple of Christ,

meeting him by night to avoid the wrath of the other members of the Sanhedrin,

and eventually spoke out to that body to remind them that Jesus had a right to a hearing

and with reverence and godly fear prepared the body of our Lord and Savior for burial,

and laid it in his own tomb:

Grant to us,

your faithful people,

grace and courage to love and serve Jesus with sincere devotion all the days of our life;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, forever and ever.

Amen.

DAILY MASS READINGS

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

JER 20:7-9

You duped me, O LORD, and I let myself be duped;

you were too strong for me, and you triumphed.

All the day I am an object of laughter;

everyone mocks me.

Whenever I speak, I must cry out,

violence and outrage is my message;

the word of the LORD has brought me

derision and reproach all the day.

I say to myself, I will not mention him,

I will speak in his name no more.

But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart,

imprisoned in my bones;

I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

O God, you are my God whom I seek;

for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts

like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.

R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary

to see your power and your glory,

For your kindness is a greater good than life;

my lips shall glorify you.

R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Thus will I bless you while I live;

lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.

As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,

and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.

R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

You are my help,

and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.

My soul clings fast to you;

your right hand upholds me.

R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Reading 2

ROM 12:1-2

I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God,

to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,

holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.

Do not conform yourselves to this age

but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,

that you may discern what is the will of God,

what is good and pleasing and perfect.

Gospel

MT 16:21-27

Jesus began to show his disciples

that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly

from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,

and be killed and on the third day be raised.

Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,

“God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.”

He turned and said to Peter,

“Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.

You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

Then 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 all according to his conduct.”

SAINT OF THE DAY

August 31

Saints Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus

Joseph was a respected, wealthy civic leader who had become a disciple of Jesus. Following the death of Jesus, Joseph obtained Jesus' body from Pilate, wrapped it in fine linen and buried it. For these reasons Joseph is considered the patron saint of funeral directors and pallbearers. More important is the courage Joseph showed in asking Pilate for Jesus' body. Jesus was a condemned criminal who had been publicly executed. According to some legends, Joseph was punished and imprisoned for such a bold act.

Nicodemus was a Pharisee and, like Joseph, an important first-century Jew. 
We know from John's Gospel that Nicodemus went to Jesus at night—secretly—
to better understand his teachings about the kingdom. 
Later, Nicodemus spoke up for Jesus at the time of his arrest and assisted in Jesus' burial. 
We know little else about Nicodemus.

OFFICE OF READINGS

O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will proclaim Your Praise!

Invitatory Psalm

Psalm 99 (100)

We are the people of the Lord,

the flock that is led by his hand:

come, let us adore him, alleluia.

Rejoice in the Lord, all the earth,

and serve him with joy.

Exult as you enter his presence.

We are the people of the Lord,

the flock that is led by his hand:

come, let us adore him, alleluia.

Know that the Lord is God.

He made us and we are his

– his people, the sheep of his flock.

We are the people of the Lord,

the flock that is led by his hand:

come, let us adore him, alleluia.

Cry out his praises as you enter his gates,

fill his courtyards with songs.

Proclaim him and bless his name;

for the Lord is our delight.

His mercy lasts forever,

his faithfulness through all the ages.

We are the people of the Lord,

the flock that is led by his hand:

come, let us adore him, alleluia.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

We are the people of the Lord,

the flock that is led by his hand:

come, let us adore him, alleluia.

Hymn

This day at thy creating Word

First o’er the earth the light was poured:

O Lord, this day upon us shine

And fill our souls with light divine.

This day the Lord for sinners slain

In might victorious rose again:

O Jesus, may we raisèd be

From death of sin to life in thee!

This day the Holy Spirit came

With fiery tongues of cloven flame:

O Spirit, fill our hearts this day

With grace to hear and grace to pray.

O day of light and life and grace,

From earthly toil a resting-place,

The hallowed hours, blest gift of love,

Give we again to God above.

All praise to God the Father be,

All praise, eternal Son, to thee,

Whom, with the Spirit, we adore

Forever and for evermore.

Psalm 103 (104)

Hymn to God the Creator

Lord God, how great you are,

clothed in majesty and glory,

wrapped in light as in a robe.

Alleluia.

Bless the Lord, my soul!

Lord, my God, how great you are!

You are robed in majesty and splendour;

you are wrapped in light as in a cloak.

You stretch out the sky like an awning,

you build your palace upon the waters.

You make the clouds your chariot,

you walk upon the wings of the wind.

You make the breezes your messengers,

you make burning fire your minister.

You set the earth upon its foundation:

from age to age it will stand firm.

Deep oceans covered it like a garment,

and the waters stood high above the mountains;

but you rebuked them and they fled;

at the sound of your thunder they fled in terror.

They rise to the mountains or sink to the valleys,

to the places you have decreed for them.

You have given them a boundary they must not cross;

they will never come back to cover the earth.

You make springs arise to feed the streams,

that flow in the midst of the mountains.

All the beasts of the field will drink from them

and the wild asses will quench their thirst.

Above them will nest the birds of the sky,

from among the branches their voices will sound.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

Lord God, how great you are,

clothed in majesty and glory,

wrapped in light as in a robe.

Alleluia.

Psalm 103 (104)

The Lord brought forth bread from the earth and wine,

to cheer man’s heart.

Alleluia.

From your palace you water the mountains,

and thus you give plenty to the earth.

You bring forth grass for the cattle,

and plants for the service of man.

You bring forth bread from the land,

and wine to make man’s heart rejoice.

Oil, to make the face shine;

and bread to make man’s heart strong.

The trees of the Lord have all that they need,

and the cedars of Lebanon, that he planted.

Small birds will nest there,

and storks at the tops of the trees.

For wild goats there are the high mountains;

the crags are a refuge for the coneys.

He made the moon so that time could be measured;

the sun knows the hour of its setting.

You send shadows, and night falls:

then all the beasts of the woods come out,

lion cubs roaring for their prey,

asking God for their food.

When the sun rises they come back together

to lie in their lairs;

man goes out to his labor,

and works until evening.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

The Lord brought forth bread from the earth and wine,

to cheer man’s heart.

Alleluia.

Psalm 103 (104)

God saw all he had made,

and indeed it was very good.

Alleluia.

How many are your works, O Lord!

You have made all things in your wisdom,

and the earth is full of your creatures.

The sea is broad and immense:

sea-creatures swim there, both small and large,

too many to count.

Ships sail across it;

Leviathan lives there, the monster;

you made him to play with.

All of them look to you

to give them their food when they need it.

You give it to them, and they gather;

you open your hand, they are filled with good things.

But turn away, and they are dismayed;

take away their breath, and they die,

once more they will turn into dust.

You will send forth your breath, they will come to life;

you will renew the face of the earth.

Glory be to the Lord, for ever;

let the Lord rejoice in his works.

He turns his gaze to the earth, and it trembles;

he touches the mountains, and they smoke.

I will sing to the Lord all my life;

as long as I exist, I will sing songs to God.

May my praises be pleasing to him;

truly I will delight in the Lord.

Let sinners perish from the earth,

let the wicked vanish from existence.

Bless the Lord, my soul!

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

God saw all he had made,

and indeed it was very good.

Alleluia.

Happy are your eyes, because they see.

– Happy are your ears, because they hear.

First Reading

Jeremiah 11:18-20,12:1-13

The Lord revealed it to me; I was warned. O Lord, that was when you opened my eyes to their scheming. 
I for my part was like a trustful lamb being led to the slaughter-house, not knowing the schemes they were plotting against me, 
‘Let us destroy the tree in its strength, let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name may be quickly forgotten!’

But you, the Lord of Hosts, 
who pronounce a just sentence,

who probe the loins and heart,

let me see the vengeance you will take on them,

for I have committed my cause to you.

You have right on your side, O Lord,

when I complain about you.

But I would like to debate a point of justice with you.

Why is it that the wicked live so prosperously?

Why do scoundrels enjoy peace?

You plant them, they take root,

and flourish, and even bear fruit.

You are always on their lips,

yet so far from their hearts.

You know me, O Lord, you see me,

you probe my heart, it is in your hands.

Drag them off like sheep for the slaughter-house,

reserve them for the day of butchery.

How long will the land be in mourning,

and the grass wither all over the countryside?

The animals and birds are dying

as a result of the wickedness of the inhabitants.

For they say,

‘God does not see our behavior.’

If you find it exhausting to race against men on foot,

how will you compete against horses?

If you are not secure in a peaceful country,

how will you manage in the thickets along the Jordan?

Yes, even your own brothers and your own family play you false.

Behind your back, they too criticise you openly.

Put no reliance on them when they seem to be friendly.

I have abandoned my house,

left my heritage,

I have delivered what I dearly loved

into the hands of its enemies.

For me my heritage has become

a lion in the forest,

it roars at me ferociously:

so I now hate it.

Or is my heritage a speckled bird

for the birds to flock on her thus from all directions?

Come on, all you wild beasts, gather round,

fall on the quarry!

Many shepherds have laid my vineyard waste,

have trampled down my inheritance,

reducing my pleasant inheritance

to a deserted wilderness.

They have made it a mournful, desolate place,

desolate before me.

The whole land has been devastated

and no one takes it to heart.

The devastators have arrived

on all the bare heights of the desert

(for the Lord wields a sword that devours):

from end to end of the land

there is no peace for any living thing.

Wheat they have sown, thorns they reap:

they have worn themselves out, to no profit.

They are disappointed in their harvests,

through the fury of the Lord.

Responsory

Now my soul is troubled.

And what shall I say?

Father, save me from this hour?

No: for this purpose I have come to this hour.

Father, glorify your name.

Why are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you disquieted within me?

Father, glorify your name.

Second Reading

From a sermon

by Saint Augustine

The Lord has had pity on us

Happy are we if we do the deeds of which we have heard and sung. Our hearing of them means having them planted in us, while our doing them shows that the seed has borne fruit. By saying this, I wish to caution you, dearly beloved, not to enter the Church fruitlessly, satisfied with mere hearing of such mighty blessings and failing to do good works. For we have been saved by his grace, says the Apostle, and not by our works, lest anyone may boast; for it is by his grace that we have been saved. It is not as if a good life of some sort came first, and that thereupon God showed his love and esteem for it from on high, saying: “Let us come to the aid of these men and assist them quickly because they are living a good life.” No, our life was displeasing to him. He will, therefore, condemn what we have done but he will save what he himself has done in us.

We were not good, but God had pity on us and sent his Son to die, not for good men but for bad ones, not for the just but for the wicked. Yes, Christ died for the ungodly. Notice what is written next: One will hardly die for a righteous man, though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die. Perhaps someone can be found who will dare to die for a good man; but for the unjust man, for the wicked one, the sinner, who would be willing to die except Christ alone who is so just that he justifies even the unjust?

And so, my brothers, we had no good works, for all our works were evil. Yet although men’s actions were such, God in his mercy did not abandon men. He sent his Son to redeem us, not with gold or silver but at the price of his blood poured out for us. Christ, the spotless lamb, became the sacrificial victim, led to the slaughter for the sheep that were blemished – if indeed one can say that they were blemished and not entirely corrupt. Such is the grace we have received! Let us live so as to be worthy of that great grace, and not do injury to it. So mighty is the physician who has come to us that he has healed all our sins! If we choose to be sick once again, we will not only harm ourselves, but show ingratitude to the physician as well.

Let us then follow Christ’s paths which he has revealed to us, above all the path of humility, which he himself became for us. He showed us that path by his precepts, and he himself followed it by his suffering on our behalf. In order to die for us – because as God he could not die – the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The immortal One took on mortality that he might die for us, and by dying put to death our death. This is what the Lord did, this the gift he granted to us. The mighty one was brought low, the lowly one was slain, and after he was slain, he rose again and was exalted. For he did not intend to leave us dead in hell, but to exalt in himself at the resurrection of the dead those whom he had already exalted and made just by the faith and praise they gave him. Yes, he gave us the path of humility. If we keep to it we shall confess our belief in the Lord and have good reason to sing: 
We shall praise you, God, we shall praise you and call upon your name.

Responsory

I give thanks to you,

O Lord my God,

with my whole heart,

and I will glorify your name forever,

for great is your steadfast love towards me.

You are my God,

and I will give thanks to you;

you are my God,

I will extol you,

for great is your steadfast love towards me.

Canticle

Te Deum

God, we praise you; Lord, we proclaim you!

You, the Father, the eternal –

all the earth venerates you.

All the angels, all the heavens, every power –

The cherubim, the seraphim –

unceasingly, they cry:

“Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts:

heaven and earth are full of the majesty of your glory!”

The glorious choir of Apostles –

The noble ranks of prophets –

The shining army of martyrs –

all praise you.

Throughout the world your holy Church proclaims you.

– Father of immeasurable majesty,

– True Son, only-begotten, worthy of worship,

– Holy Spirit, our Advocate.

You, Christ:

– You are the king of glory.

– You are the Father’s eternal Son.

– You, to free mankind, did not disdain a Virgin’s womb.

– You defeated the sharp spear of Death, and opened the kingdom of heaven to those who believe in you.

– You sit at God’s right hand, in the glory of the Father.

– You will come, so we believe, as our Judge.

And so we ask of you: give help to your servants,

whom you set free at the price of your precious blood.

Number them among your chosen ones in eternal glory.

Bring your people to safety, Lord,

and bless those who are your inheritance.

Rule them and lift them high for ever.

Day by day we bless you, Lord: we praise you for ever and forever.

Of your goodness, Lord, keep us without sin for today.

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us.

Let your pity, Lord, be upon us, as much as we trust in you.

In you, Lord, I trust: let me never be put to shame.

Let us pray.

Father of might and power,

every good and perfect gift

comes down to us from you.

Implant in our hearts the love of your name,

increase our zeal for your service,

nourish what is good in us

and tend it with watchful care.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, forever and ever.

Amen.

Let us praise the Lord.

– Thanks be to God.