Through a
Year 36 No. 6
T oday’s First Reading offers
a vision of hope for all
humanity. The image given
by the prophet Isaiah is that
of God gathering the peoples
of every nation and tongue.
This image is connected
with his description of God
as a mother who comforts
her children. God offers
consolation and hope by
gathering the dispersed
children of Israel from every
nation and tongue. And
God does even more. God
brings all peoples together
into one. The gathering of
all peoples and nations is
God’s marvelous work. God
is making a new heaven and
a new earth, and all those
who belong to God will enjoy
eternal joy and salvation.
This promise of hope and
salvation is a call to return
to the Lord, an invitation
to belong to God’s people
by acknowledging God
as creator and Lord of all.
This will be a time of great
rejoicing, of celebration and
worship of our God.
In the Gospel, the
j oy f u l a n d f e s t ive m o o d
of this gathering is greatly
enhanced by the scene of
meal fellowship with Israel’s
ancestors and prophets in the
kingdom of God. Jesus says,
“And people will come from
the east and the west and
from the north and the south
and will recline at table in the
kingdom of God.” The way
to the kingdom of God is a
narrow door. Jesus exhorts
his listeners to strive to enter
through it.
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (C) — Green
Narrow Door
by Sr. Anicia Co, RVM
To the one who asks him
if only a few people will be
saved, Jesus gives an indirect
reply. He points not to the
few but to the many who
will attempt to enter but are
not strong enough. Once
the door is shut, no one may
enter. The way to the kingdom
of God requires a decision
here and now, a moment-
by - m o m e n t d e c i s i o n . I t
calls for commitment and
perseverance.
The way to the kingdom of
God is the way of discipleship,
following Jesus in integrity
of heart manifested in the
consistency of one’s words
and actions. To follow Jesus
is to listen to his words and to
live them in one’s daily life.
Perseverance is also the
message of the Second
Reading from the Letter
to the Hebrews. Here the
author offers encouragement
to those who experience
pains, trials, and afflictions.
He invites them to fix their
August 21, 2022
eyes on Jesus who endured
the cross. Jesus’ example
of endurance of suffering
and opposition will be our
strength in bearing our pains
and sorrows. We are invited
to consider our trials not as
punishment from God but as
a form of discipline that trains
us in righteousness and leads
us to share in God’s holiness.
Let us not allow the pains that
we bear to separate us from
God; rather let us cling closer
to God, for God is closer to
us in these moments than we
can ever imagine.
Luke shows us that
Jesus continues to teach
his disciples and all those
who care to join him as he
makes his way to Jerusalem.
Jesus walks with us here and
now on the way to the full
revelation of the mystery of
God’s kingdom, a kingdom of
truth and justice, of love and
peace, characterized by God’s
immeasurable goodness,
mercy, and faithfulness.
 THE INTRODUCTORY RITES
Entrance Antiphon
(Cf. Ps 86 (85):1–3)
(Recited when there is no opening song)
Turn your ear, O Lord, and
answer me; save the servant
who trusts in you, my God.
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for
I cry to you all the day long.
Greeting
(The sign of the cross is made here)
P—The Lord be with you.
All—And with your spirit.
Introduction
(The priest addresses the assembly with
these or other similar words)
P—Our Gospel today is a
wake-up call. Knowing the
Lord and the Gospel is not
enough. It is necessary to live
the life that Jesus lived and put
his word into practice. Entrance
into God’s kingdom is not easy.
We have to pass through the
narrow door.
May we have the humility
to see that God’s kingdom is a
gift which we have to accept
with joy and courage, so that
it may bear fruit in our lives.
Penitential Act
P—Brethren (brothers and
sisters), let us acknowldge our
sins, and so prepare ourselves
to celebrate the sacred mystery.
(Pause)
P—You were sent to heal the
contrite of heart: Lord, have
mercy.
All—Lord, have mercy.
P—You came to call sinners:
Christ, have mercy.
All—Christ, have mercy.
P—You are seated at the right
hand of the Father to intercede
for us: Lord, have mercy.
All—Lord, have mercy.
P—May almighty God have
mercy on us, forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
All—Amen.
Gloria
All—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)
O God, who cause the
minds of the faithful to unite
in a single purpose, grant
your people to love what you
command and to desire what
you promise, that, amid the
uncertainties of this world,
our hearts may be fixed on
that place where true gladness
is found.
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 (Is 66:18–21) (Sit)
The prophet Isaiah foresees the day
when all nations will come and
worship the Lord in his holy city.
Jesus underlines the same message
when he says that people from the
ends of the earth will take their place
at the feast in the kingdom of God.
A reading from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah
THUS SAYS the LORD: I know
their works and their thoughts,
and I come to gather nations
of every language; they shall
come and see my glory. I will
set a sign among them; from
them I will send fugitives to the
nations: to Tarshish, Put and
Lud, Mosoch, Tubal and Javan,
to the distant coastlands that
have never heard of my fame,
or seen my glory; and they shall
proclaim my glory among the
nations. They shall bring all
your brothers and sisters from
all the nations as an offering
to the LORD, on horses and in
chariots, in carts, upon mules
and dromedaries, to Jerusalem,
my holy mountain, says the
LORD, just as the Israelites bring
their offering to the house of the
LORD in clean vessels. Some of
these I will take as priests and
Levites, says the LORD.
—The word of the Lord.
All—Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm (Ps 117)
R—Go out to all the world and
tell the Good News.
Sr. Ma. C. A. Parco, FSP
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C Em
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Go out to all the world and
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G7 C
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4
tell the Good News.
1. Praise the L ORD , all you
nations;/ glorify him, all you
peoples! (R)
2. For steadfast is his kindness
toward us,/ and the fidelity of
the LORD endures forever. (R)
Second Reading
(Heb 12:5–7, 11–13)
Trials and sufferings can be means
of purifying the faithful and instilling
discipline. The author of the Letter
to the Hebrews invites Christians to
stand fast and endure their trials.
A reading from the Letter to
the Hebrews
BROTHERS AND SISTERS: You
have forgotten the exhortation
addressed to you as children:
“My son, do not disdain the
discipline of the Lord or lose
heart when reproved by him;
for whom the Lord loves, he
disciplines; he scourges every
son he acknowledges.” Endure
your trials as “discipline”; God
treats you as sons. For what
“son” is there whom his father
does not discipline? At the time,
all discipline seems a cause not
for joy but for pain, yet later
it brings the peaceful fruit of
righteousness to those who are
trained by it.
So strengthen your drooping
hands and your weak knees.
Make straight paths for your
feet, that what is lame may
not be disjointed but healed.
—The word of the Lord.
All—Thanks be to God.
Alleluia (Jn 14:6) (Stand)
All—Alleluia, alleluia. I am the
way, the truth, and the life,
says the Lord; no one comes
to the Father, except through
me. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel (Lk 13:22–30)
P—A reading from the holy
Gospel according to Luke
All—Glory to you, O Lord.
JESUS passed through towns
and villages, teaching as he
went and making his way to
Jerusalem. Someone asked him,
“Lord, will only a few people
be saved?”He answered them,
“Strive to enter through the
narrow gate, for many, I tell
you, will attempt to enter but
will not be strong enough. After
the master of the house has
arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside
knocking and saying, ‘Lord,
open the door for us.’ He will
say to you in reply, ‘I do not
know where you are from.’
And you will say, ‘We ate and
drank in your company and you
taught in our streets.’ Then he
will say to you, ‘I do not know
where you are from. Depart
from me, all you evildoers!’
And there will be wailing and
grinding of teeth when you see
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and
all the prophets in the kingdom
of God and you yourselves cast
out. And people will come from
the east and the west and from
the north and the south and will
recline at table in the kingdom
of God. For behold, some are
last who will be first, and some
are first who will be last.”
—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—The way to your Kingdom,
Father, requires a decision here
and now; a decision we must
make moment - by - moment,
always and everywhere. Help us
commit and persevere towards
this difficult but fulfilling choice
as we say:
R—Faithful God, sustain us.
C—Loving Father, empower and
guide Pope Francis, bishops,
priests, deacons, and the lay
people, that through your Spirit,
we may make the best choices
for the Church even if such
choices are difficult to make.
We pray: (R)
C—Loving Father, illumine
those who govern that they
may manifest your will for us
in their crafting of policies
that protect and promote
human dignity and in their
compassionate implementation
of the Constitution. We pray: (R)
C—Loving Father, may those
of us who are currently
undergoing great suffering,
materially, emotionally, or
spiritually, find consolation
in our faithfulness to love and
serve one another. Help us to
always choose you, to always
choose Love, most especially
in difficult times. We pray: (R)
C—Loving Father, embrace
those who have gone ahead
of us especially those who are
dear to our hearts. We pray: (R)
C—Let us pray for the urgent
concerns of our community
and our personal intentions
(pause). We pray: (R)
P—Father, may we seek first
your Kingdom, here and now,
that, like your Son, our lives too
may become a consolation for
each other as we journey back
into our heavenly homeland,
in your Spirit, 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—O Lord, who gained for
yourself a people by adoption
through the one sacrifice
offered once for all, bestow
graciously on us, we pray, the
gifts of unity and peace in your
Church.
 Through Christ our Lord.
All—Amen.
Preface (Ordinary Time III)
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 salvation, always and
everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and
eternal God.
For we know it belongs
to your boundless glory, that
you came to the aid of mortal
beings with your divinity and
even fashioned for us a remedy
out of mortality itself, that the
cause of our downfall might
become the means of our behold him who takes away you and in his kindness pour
salvation, through Christ our the sins of the world. Blessed out upon you the gifts of his
Lord. are those called to the supper blessing.
Through him the host of of the Lamb. All—Amen.
Angels adores your majesty All—Lord, I am not worthy
and rejoices in your presence that you should enter under P—May God keep your hearts
for ever. May our voices, we my roof, but only say the word attentive to his words, that they
and my soul shall be healed. may be filled with everlasting
pray, join with theirs in one
chorus of exultant praise, as gladness.
Communion Antiphon All—Amen.
we acclaim: (Cf. Ps 104 [103]:13–15)
All—Holy, Holy, Holy Lord P—And so, may you always
God of hosts. Heaven and earth The earth is replete with the
fruits of your works, O Lord; understand what is good
are full of your glory. Hosanna and right, and be found ever
you bring forth bread from
in the highest. Blessed is he the earth and wine to cheer hastening along in the path
who comes in the name of the the heart. of God’s commands, made
Lord. Hosanna in the highest. coheirs with the citizens of
(Kneel) Prayer after Communion heaven.
(Stand) All—Amen.
Acclamation (Stand)
P—Let us pray. (Pause) P—And may the blessing of
All—We proclaim your Death, Complete within us, O Lord,
O Lord, and profess your almighty God, the Father, and
we pray, the healing work of the Son, (†) and the Holy Spirit,
Resurrection until you come your mercy and graciously
again. come down on you and remain
perfect and sustain us, so that with you for ever.
THE COMMUNION RITE in all things we may please you. All—Amen.
Through Christ our Lord.
The Lord’s Prayer All—Amen. Dismissal
All—Our Father…
P—Deliver us, Lord… THE CONCLUDING RITES P—The Mass has been offered.
All—For the kingdom, the Go in peace, glorifying the Lord
P—The Lord be with you. by your life.
power, and the glory are yours
All—And with your spirit. All—Thanks be to God.
now and for ever.
Invitation to Peace Prayer over the People
P—Bow down for the blessing.
Invitation to Communion
(Kneel) (Pause) All for the Gospel
May almighty God always
P—Behold the Lamb of God, keep every adversity far from