THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS
Prayer before Mass: Almighty and ever-living God, I approach the sacrament of Your only-begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. I come sick to the doctor of life, unclean to the fountain of mercy, blind to the radiance of eternal light, and poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth. Lord, in Your great generosity, heal my sickness, wash away my defilement, enlighten my blindness, enrich my poverty, and clothe my nakedness. May I receive the Bread of Angels, the King of kings and Lord of lords, with humble reverence, with the purity and faith, the repentance and love, and the determined purpose that will help to bring me to salvation.
May I receive the sacrament of the Lord’s Body and Blood, and its reality and power. Kind God, may I receive the Body of Your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, born from the womb of the Virgin Mary, and so be received into His mystical body and numbered among His members. Loving Father, as on my earthly pilgrimage I now receive Your beloved Son under the veil of a sacrament, may I one day see Him face to face in glory, who lives and reigns with You forever. Amen. By Knights of the Holy Eucharist. Readings Lectures Reflection
First Reading Jer. 17:5-10
A curse on the man who puts
his trust in man and turns from the Lord
‘A curse on the man who puts
his trust in man,
who relies on things of flesh,
whose heart turns from the
Lord.
He is like dry scrub in the
wastelands:
if good comes, he has no eyes
for it,
he settles in the parched
places of the wilderness,
a salt land, uninhabited.
‘A blessing on the man who
puts his trust in the Lord,
with the Lord for his hope.
He is like a tree by the
waterside
that thrusts its roots to the
stream:
when the heat comes it feels
no alarm,
its foliage stays green;
it has no worries in a year of
drought,
and never ceases to bear
fruit.
‘The heart is more devious
than any other thing,
perverse too: who can pierce
its secrets?
I, the Lord, search to the
heart,
I probe the loins,
to give each man what his
conduct
and his actions deserve.’
Responsorial Psalm
Happy
the man who has placed his trust in the Lord
Gospel Acclamation
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Blessed are those who,
with a noble and generous heart,
take the word of God to themselves
and yield a harvest through their perseverance.
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory! Luke 8:15
Gospel Luke 16 :19-31
The rich man and Lazarus
‘In his torment in Hades he looked up and saw Abraham
a long way off with Lazarus in his bosom. So he cried out, “Father Abraham,
pity me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my
tongue, for I am in agony in these flames.” “My son,” Abraham replied “remember
that during your life good things came your way, just as bad things came the
way of Lazarus. Now he is being comforted here while you are in agony. But that
is not all: between us and you a great gulf has been fixed, to stop anyone, if
he wanted to, crossing from our side to yours, and to stop any crossing from
your side to ours.”
‘The rich man replied, “Father, I beg you then to send
Lazarus to my father’s house, since I have five brothers, to give them warning
so that they do not come to this place of torment too.” “They have Moses and
the prophets,” said Abraham “let them listen to them.” “Ah no, father Abraham,”
said the rich man “but if someone comes to them from the dead, they will
repent.” Then Abraham said to him, “If they will not listen either to Moses or
to the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone should rise from
the dead.”’
My loving Father forgive me for many times I have placed my trust in my fellow creatures. The implication was given man the glory that should be yours. Remove every negative effects and curse upon me. Father renew me, bless me that I be fruitful. My Father, I put all my trust in you. I place my hope in you Lord.
Help me Father, that I may be sensitive to the plight of my fellow creatures. Help Father that I may not be indifferent to the needs of your creatures. Help me Father to reach out to the needy in our world. Help me Father that I may lend a helping hand to your creatures irrespective of color, race or tribe for we are all your creatures, created in your own image. My loving Master, Jesus Christ, make my heart like unto thine. Give me a heart full of love, mercy and compassion. Thank you Lord Jesus Christ for loving me. All glory, honor and worship be unto you O Lord our God.
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