Year 35 No.

19 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) — Green November 7, 2021

Measure
THE
T he First Reading and the does not look at things that way.
Gospel today tell of two God sees perfectly and sees
widows whose contributions differently. God is not practical or

are insignificant, offerings worth
practically nothing. What good
is a little cake to Elijah amid a
severe famine? What good will
two copper coins do in providing
for the Temple? In food, as in
money, what is offered does not
correspond to what is needed or
expected.
Is this not the same in our daily
striving and living? What we do
often falls short of the mark. When
we have made some headway or
done some good, we find that
the immensity of the world's
needs and expectations dwarfs
our efforts. More acutely, in this
pandemic, we examine our labors
and ask, what good can these
little things do in this worldwide
calamity?
To our surprise, however,
these worthless offerings are what
that the Lord finds pleasing and
acceptable. The poor widow of
Zarephath, who gives away the
last of her food, does not run out
of flour and oil. And despite the
many who put large sums in the
treasury (and make a show of it), it
was the poor widow in the Temple
that Jesus noticed, for it was her
sincere way and the giving of her
entire livelihood, that shone light
Giving
OF
by Michael George Villasis
on what giving truly means. In
food, as in money, the little that
is offered is found to be enough.
For what they give out of poverty
is all they have.
Perhaps, these offerings are
worthless when viewed from a
practical point of view. But God
pragmatic, for love is not practical
or pragmatic. God does not count,
for love does not count. Love,
instead, goes beyond accounting,
beyond the world's standard of
worth; love flows from and ends
up in utter self-giving.
And so, the measure of
Christian giving is not in usefulness
or practicality. Rather, it is in the
amount of trust and self-giving that
love can shine forth in generosity.
Indeed, it is this trusting and self-
giving love that makes any offering
worth anything. “If I… do not have
love, I am nothing,” writes St. Paul
(1 Cor 13:2).
In recognizing the smallness
of what we can offer, our poverty
before God, and yet offering
ourselves anyway, we are opened
to his grace. For God, whose
generous loving gave us the Son,
will not leave us abandoned. His
grace takes our flour and oil and
makes these overflow, takes our
few cents and makes them into
treasure beyond counting. And in
this, we find that our generosity is
only made possible by the absolute
generosity of this God who gives
us all that he is. We are taken up
into the greater generosity of God,
who provides for all our needs.

PASTORAL CATECHESIS FOR THE YEAR OF MISSIO AD GENTES

Celebrating Mercy and Compassion
Fr. James H. Kroeger, MM
Pope Francis came to our beloved country on January
15-19, 2015; it was the fourth papal visit to the Philippines
(1970, 1981, 1995, 2015). He captured the hearts and minds
of millions of Filipinos, emphasizing the theme of mercy and
compassion. He said: “I greet all of you with great affection,”
noting that “all pastoral ministry is born of love…. Like Saint
Therese, in the variety of our vocations, each of us is called,
in some way, to be love in the heart of the Church.”
The Pope emphasized that every Christian is called to
become an ambassador for Christ, through “our personal
encounter with him.” Responding to this invitation “must be
at the core of your commemoration of the evangelization of
the Philippines.” It must also focus on solidarity with the poor,
because “the poor are at the center of the Gospel; if we take
away the poor from the Gospel, we can’t understand the whole
message of Jesus Christ.”
Pope Francis further asserted: “Only by becoming poor
ourselves, by stripping away our complacency, will we be able
to identify with the least of our brothers and sisters. We will
see things in a new light and thus respond with honesty and
integrity to the challenge of proclaiming the radicalism of the
Gospel.” Indeed, this is “mercy and compassion” in action!

THE INTRODUCTORY RITES
Entrance Antiphon
(Cf. Ps 88 [87]:3)
(Recited when there is no opening song.)
Let my prayer come into your
presence. Incline your ear to
my cry for help, O Lord.
Greeting
(The sign of the cross is made here.)
P—The grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, and the love of God, and
the communion of the Holy
Spirit be with you all.
All—And with your spirit.
Introduction
(These [or similar words] may be used
to address the assembly.)
P—Jesus praises the humble
contribution of the widow
because it represents all she
has. She gives not just her
money but her whole heart
to the Lord, and this is most
pleasing to him. In the First
Reading, another widow shares
from her dwindling resources
to feed the prophet Elijah. Her
generosity is amply rewarded:
her meager supply of flour and
oil does not run out.
Are we also generous with
what we can offer to the Lord
and to our brothers and sisters
in need?
Penitential Act
P—Brethren (brothers and
sisters), let us acknowledge our
sins, and so prepare ourselves to
celebrate the sacred mysteries.
(Pause)
All—I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and
sisters, that I have greatly sinned
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and in
what I have failed to do, (Strike
your breast) through my fault,
through my fault, through my
most grievous fault; therefore I
ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all
the Angels and Saints, and you,
my brothers and sisters, to pray
for me to the Lord our God.
P—May almighty God have
mercy on us, forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
All—Amen.
P—Lord, have mercy.
All—Lord, have mercy.
P—Christ, have mercy.
All—Christ, have mercy.
P—Lord, have mercy.
All—Lord, have mercy.
Gloria
Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to people
of good will. We praise you, we
bless you, we adore you, we
glorify you, we give you thanks
for your great glory, Lord God,
heavenly King, O God, almighty
Father. Lord Jesus Christ, Only
Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb
of God, Son of the Father, you
take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us; you take away
the sins of the world, receive
our prayer; you are seated at
the right hand of the Father,
have mercy on us. For you alone
are the Holy One, you alone
are the Lord, you alone are the
Most High, Jesus Christ, with
the Holy Spirit, in the glory of
God the Father. Amen.
Collect
P—Let us pray. (Pause)
Almighty and merciful God,
graciously keep from us all
adversity, so that, unhindered in
mind and body alike, we may
pursue in freedom of heart the
things that are yours.
Through our Lord Jesus
Christ, your Son, who lives and
reigns with you in the unity of
the Holy Spirit, God, for ever
and ever.
All—Amen.
Liturgy of the word
First Reading (1 Kgs 17:10–16)
(Sit)
Because the widow of Zarephath
shared food with the prophet Elijah,
she and her son survived the time
of famine. This action of the pagan
widow mirrors the generosity of the
widow in today’s Gospel.
A reading from the first Book
of Kings
IN THOSE DAYS, Elijah the
prophet went to Zarephath. As
he arrived at the entrance of
the city, a widow was gathering
sticks there; he called out to her,
“Please bring me a small cupful
of water to drink.” She left to
get it, and he called out after
her, “Please bring along a bit of
bread.” She answered, “As the
LORD, your God, lives, I have
nothing baked; there is only a
handful of flour in my jar and
a little oil in my jug. Just now I
was collecting a couple of sticks,
to go in and prepare something
for myself and my son; when we
have eaten it, we shall die.” Elijah
said to her, “Do not be afraid.
Go and do as you propose. But
first make me a little cake and
bring it to me. Then you can
prepare something for yourself
and your son. For the LORD,
the God of Israel, says, ‘The jar
of flour shall not go empty, nor
the jug of oil run dry, until the
day when the LORD sends rain
upon the earth.’” She left and
did as Elijah had said. She was
able to eat for a year, and he
and her son as well; the jar of
flour did not go empty, nor the
jug of oil run dry, as the LORD
had foretold through Elijah.
—The word of the Lord.
All—Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm (Ps 146)
R—Praise the Lord, my soul!
E. C. Marfori

         
C A7 Dm G C
 

Praise the Lord, my soul.
1. The L ORD keeps faith
forever,/ secures justice for
the oppressed,/ gives food to
the hungry./ The L ORD sets
captives free. (R)
2. The LORD gives sight to the
blind;/ the LORD raises up those
who were bowed down./ The
LORD loves the just;/ the LORD
protects strangers. (R)
3. The fatherless and the widow
he sustains,/ but the way of the
wicked he thwarts./ The LORD
shall reign forever;/ your God,
O Zion, through all generations.
Alleluia. (R)
Second Reading (Heb 9:24–28)
By his death and resurrection, Jesus
Christ, our high priest, did not
enter the sanctuary of the temple
of Jerusalem, but the heavenly
sanctuary itself. He thus makes
it possible for us to come before
God’s presence.
A reading from the Letter to
the Hebrews
CHRIST did not enter into a
sanctuary made by hands,
a copy of the true one, but
heaven itself, that he might
now appear before God on
our behalf. Not that he might
offer himself repeatedly, as the
high priest enters each year into
the sanctuary with blood that
is not his own; if that were so,
he would have had to suffer
repeatedly from the foundation
of the world. But now once
for all he has appeared at the
end of the ages to take away
sin by his sacrifice. Just as it is
appointed that human beings
die once, and after this the
judgment, so also Christ, offered
once to take away the sins of
many, will appear a second
time, not to take away sin but
to bring salvation to those who
eagerly await him.
—The word of the Lord.
All—Thanks be to God.
Alleluia (Mt 5:3) (Stand)
All—Alleluia, alleluia. Blessed
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Gospel (Mk 12:38–44)
P—A reading from the holy
Gospel according to Mark
All—Glory to you, O Lord.
IN THE COURSE of his teaching
Jesus said to the crowds,
“Beware of the scribes, who
like to go around in long robes
and accept greetings in the
marketplaces, seats of honor
in synagogues, and places of
honor at banquets. They devour
the houses of widows and, as a
pretext, recite lengthy prayers.
They will receive a very severe
condemnation.”
He sat down opposite the
treasury and observed how
the crowd put money into the
treasury. Many rich people put
in large sums. A poor widow
also came and put in two small
coins worth a few cents. Calling
his disciples to himself, he said
to them, “Amen, I say to you,
this poor widow put in more
than all the other contributors
to the treasury. For they have
all contributed from their
surplus wealth, but she, from
her poverty, has contributed all
she had, her whole livelihood.”
—The Gospel of the Lord.
All—Praise to you, Lord Jesus
Christ.
Homily (Sit)
Profession of Faith (Stand)
All—I believe in one God, the
Father almighty, maker of heaven
and earth, of all things visible
and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus
Christ, the Only Begotten Son of
God, born of the Father before
all ages. God from God, Light
from Light, true God from
true God, begotten, not made,
consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were
made. For us men and for our
salvation he came down from
heaven, (at the words that follow, up
to and including and became man, all
bow) and by the Holy Spirit was
incarnate of the Virgin Mary and
became man.
For our sake he was crucified
under Pontius Pilate, he suffered
death and was buried, and
rose again on the third day in
accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven and
is seated at the right hand of
the Father. He will come again
in glory to judge the living and
the dead and his kingdom will
have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life, who
proceeds from the Father and
the Son, who with the Father and
the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the
prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic,
and apostolic Church. I confess
one Baptism for the forgiveness
of sins and I look forward to the
resurrection of the dead and the
life of the world to come. Amen.
Prayer of the Faithful
P—Let us pray to God, our
Father, that we may become as
generous as the widow in the
Gospel. In confidence, we pray:
R—Lord, hear our prayer.
C—May bishops, priests, and
deacons rekindle the divine gift
they received at their ordination
by serving God’s people with
generous hearts. We pray: (R)
C—May our civil and political
leaders be selfless in their service
for integral development of the
whole society. We pray: (R)
C—May those who care for the
sick, especially our frontliners
who are fighting Covid-19, offer
their sacrifices to God and find
strength in his providence. We
pray: (R)
C—May philanthropists and
charitable institutions continue to
share their blessings and receive
their reward from God who is
never outdone in generosity.
We pray: (R)
C—May the dead be forgiven
of their sins and be welcomed
into God's eternal bosom. We
pray: (R)
C—Let us pray for the urgent
concerns of our community
and our personal intentions
(pause). We pray: (R)
P—O God, may these, our
prayers, help us to open our
hands to give our gifts from
our hearts and to share it to
those in need.
We ask this through Christ
our Lord.
All—Amen.
 Liturgy of
the eucharist
Presentation of the Gifts
(Stand)
P—Pray, brethren…
All—May the Lord accept the
sacrifice at your hands for the
praise and glory of his name,
for our good and the good of
all his holy Church.
Prayer over the Offerings
P—Look with favor, we pray, O
Lord, upon the sacrificial gifts
offered here, that, celebrating
in mystery the Passion of your
Son, we may honor it with
loving devotion.
Through Christ our Lord.
All—Amen.
Preface V
(Sundays in Ordinary Time)
P—The Lord be with you.
All—And with your spirit.
P—Lift up your hearts.
All—We lift them up to the Lord.
P—Let us give thanks to the
Lord our God.
All—It is right and just.
P—It is truly right and just,
our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give
you thanks, Lord, holy Father,
almighty and eternal God.
For you laid the foundations of
the world and have arranged the
changing of times and seasons;
you formed man in your own
image and set humanity over the
world in all its wonder, to rule
in your name over all you have
made and for ever praise you
in your mighty works, through
Christ our Lord.
And so, with all the Angels,
we praise you, as in joyful
celebration, we acclaim:
All—Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God
of hosts. Heaven and earth are
full of your glory. Hosanna in
the highest. Blessed is he who
comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.(Kneel)
Acclamation (Stand)
All—We proclaim your Death,
O Lord, and profess your Resur-
rection until you come again.
THE COMMUNION RITE
The Lord’s Prayer
All—Our Father…
P—Deliver us, Lord…
All—For the kingdom, the
power and the glory are yours
now and forever.
Invitation to Peace
Invitation to Communion
(Kneel)
P—Behold the Lamb of God,
behold him who takes away
the sins of the world. Blessed
are those called to the supper
of the Lamb.
All—Lord, I am not worthy
that you should enter under
my roof, but only say the word
and my soul shall be healed.
Communion Antiphon
(Cf. Ps 23 [22]: 1-2)
The Lord is my shepherd; there
is nothing I shall want. Fresh
and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose, near
restful waters he leads me.
Prayer after Communion
(Stand)
P—Let us pray. (Pause)
Nourished by this sacred
gift, O Lord, we give you thanks
and beseech your mercy, that,
by the pouring forth of your
Spirit, the grace of integrity may
endure in those your heavenly
power has entered.
Through Christ our Lord.
All—Amen.
THE CONCLUDING RITES
P—The Lord be with you.
All—And with your spirit.
Solemn Blessing
P—Bow down for the blessing.
(Pause)
P—May the Lord bless you and
keep you.
All—Amen.
P—May he let his face shine
upon you and show you his
mercy.
All—Amen.
P—May he turn his countenance
towards you and give you his
peace.
All—Amen.
P—And may the blessing of
almighty God, the Father, and
the Son, + and the Holy Spirit,
come down on you and remain
with you for ever.
All—Amen.
Dismissal
P—The Mass has been offered.
Go in peace, glorifying the Lord
by your life.
All — Thanks be to God.
Doing all for the Gospel