World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, Fil-Mission Sunday

Liturgy of the Word:

Gen. 18:20-32;

Ps. 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8;

Col. 2:12-14;

Lk. 11:1-13.

1. Today, we pray for our grandparents and the elderly. We pray too for our Filipino missionaries belonging to the Fil-Mission Society of the Philippines, serving locally and abroad.

2. 1st Reading, Gen. 18:20-32 — Abraham Intercedes for Sodom. The Lord tells Abraham that the sins of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah call for their destruction (vv. 20-22). But Abraham responds, “Will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were 50 righteous people in the city, would you really sweep away and not spare the place for the sake of the 50 righteous people within it?” (vv. 23-24). He says that the Lord is just and should not treat the righteous and the wicked alike (v. 25).

3. The Lord replies that he would spare Sodom for the sake of 50 righteous people (v. 26). Abraham begins to bargain with God, bringing down the number of righteous people from 50 to 45, to 40, to 30, to 20 (vv. 27-31). “Please do not let my Lord be angry if I speak for the last time. What if 10 righteous men are found there?” “For the sake of the 10, I will not destroy it” (v. 32).

4. Abraham’s intercessory prayer shows how full of compassion he was for a sinful people and how well he understood God as a just and merciful God. In prayer, he “draws near to God.” He is aware of his own unworthiness. He prays with loving persistence and deep humility. That is how we should pray.

5. Resp. Ps. 138: 1-2, 2-3., 6-7, 7-8 — Hymn of a Grateful Heart.

“I thank you, Lord, with all my heart; in the presence of the angels to you I sing. I bow low toward your holy temple; I praise your name for your mercy and faithfulness. For you have exalted over all your name and your promise. On that day I cried out, you answered, you strengthened my spirit” (vv. 1-3). “The Lord is on high, but cares for the lowly and knows the proud from afar. Though I walk in the midst of dangers, you guard my life when my enemies rage... The Lord is with me to the end. Lord, your mercy endures forever” (vv. 6-8).

6. 2nd Reading, Col. 2:12-14. — “You were buried with him in Baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead” (v. 12). “And even when you were dead in transgressions; and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he brought you to life along with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions” (v. 13); “obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims, which was opposed to us, he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross” (v. 14).

7. Paul briefly describes his theology, the Cross. It is through the power of the Cross that baptism takes its effect. In Baptism we share in Christ’s passion and death (v. 12). through forgiveness of sin and resurrection to new life (v. 13). He canceled our debt due to sin, nailing its legal claims to the Cross.

8. Gospel, Lk. 11:1-13 — The Lord’s Prayer. As he was praying, his disciples asked him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come” (v. 2). Give us this day our daily bread” (v. 13) “and forgive us our sins for we forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test” (v. 4).

The longer Matthean form of the Lord’s prayer occurs in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 6:9-15). The shorter Lucan version occurs while Jesus is at prayer.

9. The Lucan form stresses the fatherhood of God, found in many rabbinical prayers in the post-New Testament period. His name is all holy, demanding our reverence. We pray that his kingdom of truth and justice, of peace and love may be realized among us (v. 2). He is the one who gives us our daily and future sustenance at the end of time (v. 3), the forgiveness of sins and deliverance from the final trial (v. 4). This refers to a period of severe trial before the end of the age, that Jewish apocalyptic writings speak of.

10. The Liturgy of the Word revolves around the impact of prayer on our daily lives. We pray to the Lord with gratitude for the grace of forgiveness and redemption that comes from the Cross of our Savior. We know that the God of mercy and compassion hears our cry for help. We pray for the irruption of his kingdom of peace and love into our hearts. “I thank you, Lord, with all my heart, your mercy endures forever.”

11. Prayer — O God, protector of those who hope in you, without whom nothing has value, nothing is holy, bestow in abundance your mercy upon us. Grant that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may use the good things that pass, in such a way as to hold fast even now to those that ever endure. We ask this, through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Prayers, best wishes, God bless!