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Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
28th June 2020
Cycle A
In today’s Gospel we continue with the narrative of the great commission. Jesus is sending His disciple out. Jesus said that if anyone welcomes the prophet, the righteous person and the little ones welcomes Him and the One who sent him, the Father. The reward will be great for those who welcome the messengers of the Lord.
Suggested Activity
Create a Prayer Space
Creating a Sacred Space in your home can help focus on the sense of the sacred
Read the Gospel carefully.
Read it slowly and then read it twice more.
Matthew 10:40-42 NIV
“Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”
Suggested Activity
Reflect on the Word of God
Reflection
Sometimes as Christians we can switch off from listening or engaging with the Word of God. We might find the language challenging and or out dated. Words like prophet or righteous might sound a little ‘too churchy’ for us. However, there is great value in understanding the word of God. The prophet is someone who is a proclaimer of the word and will of God.
God reveals himself to the prophet and in turn the prophet shares his knowledge and wisdom with the rest of the community, for us this is most likely to happen at Mass, especially during the homily. God will however us others to proclaim the Good News, we need to pay attention. The righteous person is someone who not only lives the right way, but does right by and for others. The righteous person encourages us to live like Jesus by their good example. The disciple is someone who follows and believes in Jesus. A disciple will strive to live like Jesus daily. Prayer and a personal encounter with Jesus, especially through the Word of God is a very good place for us to start to welcome God into our lives. I would encourage you to start praying with the word of God. The Gospels are a good place to start.
Suggested Activity
Pray the Rosary
Pray the Rosary
Start by praying the Apostles Creed:
I believe in God,
the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
He descended into hell;
on the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from there He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Holy Catholic Church,
the communion of Saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.
Our Father …….
Hail Mary X 3
Glory be to the Father …….
The Glorious Mysteries:
1st The Resurrection of our Lord from the dead. (John 20:8-9)
2nd The Ascension of our Lord into Heaven. (Luke 24:51)
3rd The Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and our Blessed Mother. (Act 2:1-11)
4th The Assumption of our Blessed Mother into Heaven. (1 Cor 15:51-52)
5th The Coronation of our Blessed Mother as Queen of Heaven and Earth. (Rev 12:1-19)
Hail Holy Queen
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve: to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus, O merciful, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Amen.
Let us Pray
O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech Thee, that meditating upon these mysteries in the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain, and obtain what they promise: through the same Christ our Lord. Amen
Pope Francis asks that we end our Rosary with the following two prayers:
FIRST PRAYER
O Mary,
You shine continuously on our journey
as a sign of salvation and hope.
We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick,
who, at the foot of the cross,
were united with Jesus’ suffering,
and persevered in your faith.
“Protectress of the Roman people”,
you know our needs,
and we know that you will provide,
so that, as at Cana in Galilee,
joy and celebration may return
after this time of trial.
Help us, Mother of Divine Love,
to conform ourselves to the will of the Father
and to do what Jesus tells us.
For he took upon himself our suffering,
and burdened himself with our sorrows
to bring us, through the cross,
to the joy of the Resurrection.
Amen.
We fly to your protection,
O Holy Mother of God;
Do not despise our petitions
in our necessities,
but deliver us always
from every danger,
O Glorious and Blessed Virgin.
SECOND PRAYER
“We fly to your protection, O Holy Mother of God”.
In the present tragic situation, when the whole world is prey to suffering and anxiety, we fly to you, Mother of God and our Mother, and seek refuge under your protection.
Virgin Mary, turn your merciful eyes towards us amid this coronavirus pandemic. Comfort those who are distraught and mourn their loved ones who have died, and at times are buried in a way that grieves them deeply. Be close to those who are concerned for their loved ones who are sick and who, in order to prevent the spread of the disease, cannot be close to them. Fill with hope those who are troubled by the uncertainty of the future and the consequences for the economy and employment.
Mother of God and our Mother, pray for us to God, the Father of mercies, that this great suffering may end and that hope and peace may dawn anew. Plead with your divine Son, as you did at Cana, so that the families of the sick and the victims be comforted, and their hearts be opened to confidence and trust.
Protect those doctors, nurses, health workers and volunteers who are on the frontline of this emergency, and are risking their lives to save others. Support their heroic effort and grant them strength, generosity and continued health.
Be close to those who assist the sick night and day, and to priests who, in their pastoral concern and fidelity to the Gospel, are trying to help and support everyone.
Blessed Virgin, illumine the minds of men and women engaged in scientific research, that they may find effective solutions to overcome this virus.
Support national leaders, that with wisdom, solicitude and generosity they may come to the aid of those lacking the basic necessities of life and may devise social and economic solutions inspired by farsightedness and solidarity.
Mary Most Holy, stir our consciences, so that the enormous funds invested in developing and stockpiling arms will instead be spent on promoting effective research on how to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
Beloved Mother, help us realize that we are all members of one great family and to recognize the bond that unites us, so that, in a spirit of fraternity and solidarity, we can help to alleviate countless situations of poverty and need. Make us strong in faith, persevering in service, constant in prayer.
Mary, Consolation of the afflicted, embrace all your children in distress and pray that God will stretch out his all-powerful hand and free us from this terrible pandemic, so that life can serenely resume its normal course.
To you, who shine on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope, do we entrust ourselves, O Clement, O Loving, O Sweet Virgin Mary.
Amen.
Bringing Parish Home
Killaloe Diocese has created this wonderful resource that gives some advice on how we can ‘Bring Parish Home’ during these uncertain and difficult times.