Cycle B 23rd Sunday Ordinary

Twenty-Third Sunday of the Year [CYCLE B] MAIN MESSAGE

[This is for reference only. Please do not read it at Mass] The Word of God today strikes a note of joy and hope. It begins with the words of Isaiah: ‘Say to those of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God!”’ It goes on to speak of streams breaking out in the desert. The promise is wonderfully fulfilled with Jesus, who brings new hope to people who are suffering. Like a stream in the desert God comes to bring life and beauty to the world. At times when we are afraid, helpless, troubled or sad, we must turn to God in prayer and he will come to our help, bringing hope and new meaning to life. We tell the true story of a soldier who faced a ‘desert-like’ moment in the midst of World War II. He turned to God in prayer and experienced his marvellous intervention.

INTRODUCTION: Celebrant: • Children, do you know what a desert is?... It is a very hot dry land, where there is no water, no grass, or trees or flowers. Close your eyes. Imagine you are in a desert, all alone. The sand is burning hot under your feet. The sun is burning hot above your head. Your mouth is dry and you are very, very thirsty… But there is no water anywhere. There is nothing but sand and stones as far as you can see. Everything seems to be going round and round and you are about to fall, when you cry out, “God, help me!” Suddenly you hear a wonderful sound nearby. It is the sound of water. You look up and see a stream of water appear like magic from the ground… You run to the stream and drink its cool, fresh water. Then you jump into the stream and splash about in it, full of joy… • Look at the poster. It tells us that God comes to us like a stream in the desert. What does that mean? We will think about it today during this Mass. LITURGY OF THE WORD: Commentator: Listen now to the reading. It tells the people who are troubled and frightened that something good is going to happen. First Reading: Isaiah 35: 4a,b,d; 5-7a. Psalm: 146:6d-7, 7c-9a, 9bcd-10. Gospel: Mark 7:31-37.

Homily: • Can anyone explain to me why the Bible says that God is like a stream in the desert?.. It is because our life is sometimes like a desert. We feel helpless and all alone. Sometimes we are afraid. At such times God comes and makes us happy again. • A stream can turn a dry desert in to a beautiful garden. That is what Jesus did for the deaf man. He must have been so lonely and afraid, because he couldn’t hear any sounds, and he couldn’t hear what people were saying. Then Jesus opened his ears to hear and healed his tongue so that he could speak. • I’ll tell you a true story about a soldier who felt very helpless and afraid, and how God helped him. The soldier’s name was Spencer, and he belonged to the American army. They were fighting against the German enemy. Spencer and his division were given the work of destroying a factory where the enemy was making bombs and guns. They had to cross thick forests and at last they came to an open space, very near the factory. All they had to do now was cross the field and reach the forests on the other side of it. But as they came near the field, a shower of bullets came from behind a hill nearby. They realised that the enemy had big machine guns, ready to kill them if they tried to cross the field. The soldiers were trapped. They knew that if they crossed the open field the enemy guns would kill them very easily. But they had no other way of reaching the factory. Spencer lay back against a tree for a moment. He felt very helpless and frightened. He thought of his wife and his little baby whom he would probably never see again. Then he dropped down on his knees and prayed. “God, please do something!” The order came to move forward. As they left the forest and came to the edge of the field, Spencer looked up and stared with surprise. Out of nowhere a huge, white cloud had appeared and was moving towards them. It dropped down and covered the whole place. Quickly, the soldiers ran across the field and entered the forest on the other side. Not a single bullet was fired from the enemy. As the last soldier reached safely, the cloud disappeared. The sky became bright and clear again. Spencer could hardly believe what had happened. “This is surely God’s work!” he said to himself. Two weeks later, he received a letter from his mother. She wrote, “Do you remember the lady from our church who always prays for others? Well, one night she felt that you were in trouble and that she should pray for you. So she did. She prayed for five hours, till morning. The last thing she said was, “Lord, whatever danger Spencer is in, please cover him with a cloud to protect him.” At last Spencer knew for sure that it was God who had saved them from the enemy. He is the one who can help us, no matter where we are, or how bad things are. [Abridged from a story by Spencer January, Guidepost Magazine, August 1996] •

Let’s remember this when we are sad or frightened or lonely or in any kind of trouble. Let’s ask God to help us, just as Spencer and the deaf man did. God really is like a stream in the desert and he will make life beautiful again.

RECESSIONAL HYMN: Commentator: God wants us also to be like a stream in the desert for others, so let’s take his love and help to others. We’ll sing ‘Love is Flowing Like a River’

APPROPRIATE HYMNS FIR ST REA DING : A reading from the book of the prophetPREPARATION Isaiah:

REQUIRED:

ENTRANCE: WeThe Are people Children of the Lordso the Lord told •Isaiah Practice readings. were afraid, to say the to them: OFFERTORY: I Just Trusting Lord poster and put you.” up. “BeKeep strong, do notMy fear! Here is your God.• HeMake will come and save COMMUNION: Come to the River of Life OR Then Living On will see, theWaters eyes of Flow the blind RECESSIONAL: Love is Flowing a River And the earsLike of the deaf will be unstopped,

Then the lame will leap like deer, and the tongue of the dumb will sing for joy. For waters will break out of the dry land, Streams will flow in the desert; The burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground will become a spring of water. This is the Word of the Lord. NB. This reading is taken from the New RSV version, slightly adapted.

PSALM :

Response: Praise the Lord,

God always keeps his word. He gives justice to the poor and food to the hungry.

ALLELUIA : GOSPEL :

The Lord sets prisoners free and heals blind eyes. He gives a helping hand to everyone who falls. The Lord loves good people and looks after strangers.

my soul! He defends the rights of orphans and widows, but destroys the wicked. The Lord God of Zion will rule forever! Shout praises to the Lord!

Alleluia, alleluia. Jesus preached the good news of the kingdom and healed all who were sick. Alleluia. A reading from the holy Gospel according to St. Mark.

Jesus left the region around Tyre and went by way of Sidon toward Lake Galilee. He went through the land near the ten cities known as Decapolis. Some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk. They begged Jesus just to touch him. After Jesus had taken him aside from the crowd, he put his fingers in the man’s ears. Then he spit and put it on the man’s tongue. Jesus looked up towards heaven and with a groan said, “Effatha!” which means, “Open up!” At once the man could hear, and he had no more trouble talking clearly. Jesus told the people not to say anything about what he had done. But the more he told them, the more they talked about it. They were completely amazed and said, “Everything he does is good! He even heals people who cannot hear or talk.” This is the Gospel of the Lord.

NB. All Readings are taken from the ‘Lectionary for Masses with Children’ canonically approved for use in the USA.