A reading of the holy gospel according to Saint Matthew. Jesus said to his disciples, as you go, make this announcement. The reign of god is at hand. Cure the sick. Raise up the dead.
Heal the leprous. Expel demons. The gift you have received, give as a gift. Provide yourselves with neither gold, nor silver, nor copper in your belts. No traveling bag, not even a change of shirt.
No sandals. No walking staff. The workman, after all, is worthy of his keep. Look for a worthy citizen in every town or village that you come to, and then stay with him until you leave. As you enter the man's house, bless it.
If the home is deserving of your blessing, your blessing will descend upon it. If it is not, your blessing will return to you. And this is the gospel of the lord. In the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit. Amen.
I want to call your attention simply to this fact, how the great emphasis of our blessed lord's life and his teaching and what he bequest what he left to his disciples was to give and spread to communicate the good news. He didn't say anything about creating dialogue. He said, go out and teach what I have taught you. He gave them content, substance. He didn't tell them to go out and preach their own opinions or the opinions of the learned or the dumb or the ignorant or the wise.
No. None of that. He said, you go out and you teach what I've given you, content. And then in conclusion, I always say this, did you read the article in the front page of the post yesterday upon Gonzaga High School where it says the word Catholicism is scarcely ever mentioned in the school. In the name of the father, of the son, and of the holy spirit.
Amen. Now take I think we have a the same document this morning. This is a substitution for the prayer that would you please rise. If we have come together this morning in the power of the spirit to give thanks to our father in heaven for his great love for us, a love revealed in Jesus and symbolized by his sacred heart. As we prepare to unite our hearts, that means our love, with his, meaning his love, in offering this Eucharistic sacrifice, let us pray for ourselves and for all the children of God.
And if you're a child, you are among the children of God. For our holy father in Rome, for the bishops of the world, and for all the people of God, let us pray to the Lord. For the world you came to save, that all may open their ears to your gospel, to your good news, and open their hearts to your love. Let us pray to the lord. For the church sprung from your side as you died upon the cross that it may be a beacon of the way, the truth, and the life.
Let us pray to the lord. Lord, mercy, hear our prayer. For all who are in any way afflicted, that they may find comfort for their spirits in the tender love that wells from your sacred heart. Let us pray to the lord. Now for ourselves that we may be ever faithful to our baptismal commitment to yourself and bring your word and your love to the world in which we live.
Let us pray to the lord. Lord, hear our prayer. And now altogether. Lord Jesus Christ, you have called us to share your saving mission. We accept this mission, and we renew today our baptismal commitment and all that we do to be united with your eucharistic offering to our father in heaven.
That we may serve you with greater fidelity, we ask you, our divine mediator, to obtain for us the favors we ask in this novena. Deepen our faith and touch fire to our hearts that we may respond with love to the great love for us and for all men that fills your sacred heart.