A reading from the book of Leviticus:

The Lord said to Moses, “These are the festivals of the Lord which you shall
celebrate at their proper time with a sacred assembly. The Passover of the Lord
falls on the fourteenth day of the first month, at the evening twilight. The
fifteenth day of this month is the Lord’s feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven
days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first of these days you shall hold a
sacred assembly and do no sort of work. On each of the seven days you shall
offer an oblation to the Lord. Then on the seventh day you shall again hold a
sacred assembly and do no sort of work.”

The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you come
into the land which I am giving you, and reap your harvest, you shall bring a
sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest, who shall wave the sheaf
before the Lord that it may be acceptable for you.”

“Beginning with the day after the Sabbath, the day on which you bring the wave-
offering sheaf, you shall count seven full weeks, and then on the day after the
seventh week, the fiftieth day, you shall present the new cereal offering to the
Lord. The tenth of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement, when you shall
hold a sacred assembly and mortify yourselves and offer an oblation to the Lord.
The fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Lord’s feast of Booths, which shall
continue for seven days. On the first day there shall be a sacred assembly, and
you shall do no sort of work. For seven days you shall offer an oblation to the
Lord, and on the eight day you shall again hold a sacred assembly and offer an
oblation to the Lord. On that solemn closing you shall do no sort of work.”

“These, therefore, are the festivals of the Lord on which you shall proclaim a
sacred assembly, and offer as an oblation to the Lord holocausts and cereal
offerings, sacrifices and libations, as prescribed for each day.”

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm:

Sing with joy to God our help.

1. Take up a melody, and sound the timbrel,

The pleasant harp and the lyre.
Blow the trumpet at the new moon,
At the full moon, on our solemn feast.

2. For it is a statute in Israel,

An ordinance of the God of Jacob,
Who made it a decree for Joseph
When he came forth from the land of Egypt.

3. There shall be no strange god among you

Nor shall you worship any alien god.
I, the Lord, am your God
Who led you forth from the land of Egypt.
 August 2, 2019

PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL

Priest: Let us praise the Lord for his goodness to us all. He is our hope
and our guide. Let us offer our pleas and say:

Lord, show us the truth.

1. For our Pope, bishops and priests: may our Lord guide them and keep
them holy that they may serve whole-heartedly the church. Let us pray to
the Lord.

2. For all those who have a low regard for the honor and rights of others,
may they come to an immediate awareness of the truth that all of us are
created in the image of God and therefore deserving of worthy treatment.
Let us pray to the Lord.

3. For the Brothers of the Holy Family, Administration, Faculty and Staff:
may they perform, without any hesitation, the sacred task of spreading
the Good News and teachings of the Church in the mind and heart of the
youth hungry for knowledge about God through education, let us pray to
the Lord.

4. For all the students of GTCD, may we be enlightened by our learning

about the true purpose of this world and proclaim God’s glory. Let us pray
to the Lord.

5. For the birthday celebrants of this month of August, may the good Lord
give them good health and strength to continue pursuing their dreams,
with the company of those who love them. Let us pray to the Lord:

6. For the souls of all faithful departed, grant them light, happiness and
peace, Lord. Pardon their sins and give them eternal life in your Kingdom.
Let us pray to the Lord.

7. For all of us gathered here: may we become brave witnesses of our faith
by living truly Christian lives. Let us pray to the Lord.

Priest: God, our Lord, we acknowledge your wholehearted love. Through

the examples shown to us by your Son, Jesus, may we realize and
show respect for our fellow beings. This we ask in the name of
your Son, Jesus, together with the Holy Spirit, forever and ever.
Amen.
INTRODUCTION:

Brothers and sisters in Christ, good morning!

In the gospel of today, it is ironic that those who know Jesus best find it
most difficult to accept Him as the Messiah, the only begotten Son of God. The
people in his own native place, Nazareth, judge him from what they know of him
before. They think they know who he is, but they really do not. They are not
open to what he is offering them at present. They know him only as the
carpenter’s son. They do not realize that he is the Messiah, the Son of God.

Let us pray to God that may we not judge people only according to their
past. May we allow them, and even encourage them, to show abilities and
talents which they may not have shown.

With Father _______________________________, our mass presider, let

us begin our celebration by singing the entrance hymn. Please all stand.