At the end of the fourth Gospel, St. John's Gospel, we are told that if everything Christ did during his brief earthly life were written down, the entire world would not contain the books.

We can infer, therefore, that many - maybe even the majority - of Christ's miracles and encounters were not recorded in the New Testament.

So why did St. Luke include this one? Clearly because of the lesson that Christ teaches us by it: the beauty of gratitude. The one leper who came back to thank Jesus is praised for this gratitude. We can almost hear the sadness in Christ's heart at the lack of gratitude in the other nine who were healed.

Why does Christ value gratitude so much? Is he vain? Is his self-esteem so weak that he gets depressed if we don't praise and thank him? No. He values gratitude because gratitude is valuable - it's valuable for us, for the health of our souls.

In the first place, gratitude keeps us grounded in the truth, which is key for our ongoing relationship with God. To be ungrateful to God is not only unjust, but it's also living an illusion. The simple fact is that everything we have is a gift from God: creation, life, talents, opportunities, hope in heaven, the grace that helps us persevere in doing what is right - these are all God's gifts. We don't create ourselves!

In the second place, gratitude is the perfect antidote to sin. Sin turns us in on ourselves, like an ingrown toenail; gratitude opens us up to God and neighbor.

It directly contradicts self-centeredness, self-indulgence, and self-absorption. It builds bridges, unites communities, and softens hearts. It counteracts depression and releases anxiety.

Gratitude is one of the most beautiful flowers in the garden of virtue - what a pity that it's so rare!

Physical and Moral Leprosy

Christ's encounter with these lepers is so powerful partly because leprosy itself was so terrible. Leprosy was and still is an incurable and deadly disease. Leprosy is a bacterial infection that causes the extremities of the body - fingers and toes, hands and feet, nose, ears, and mouth - to die and slowly rot away, even while the person remains alive.

It was so contagious that even the lepers' closest relatives did not dare to come near them. In ancient times, lepers were required to live in isolated colonies.

If they had to travel, the law required them to ring a bell wherever they went, shouting out, "Unclean! Unclean!" This explains why these ten lepers addressed Christ "from a distance", as St Luke points out.

On top of the isolation, lepers had to live with the almost unbearable pain and stench of their own decaying bodies. Leprosy was a long, humiliating, and dismal agony, the most horrible of ancient diseases.

Jesus frees these ten lepers entirely from their agony, giving them a brand-new life. And yet, only one of them takes the trouble to thank him for it - and that one happens to be a Samaritan, the one least likely to respect a Jewish rabbi.

We are all moral lepers. The whole human race was infected with mortal selfishness by original sin, a selfishness that rots our souls and societies just as leprosy rots the body.

Christ saved us. He opened the floodgates of God's grace through his incarnation, passion, and resurrection. And then he gave us constant access to that grace through the Church, the sacraments, and his many other gifts.

We all recognize what Christ has done for us - that's why we are here today. Christ's message today is that he wants our recognition to go deeper, to become an attitude of gratitude.

The First Four Commandments

God wants us to develop the virtue of gratitude because he wants us to experience the joy that comes from knowing we are loved by him without limits or conditions. It is such an important virtue, that God built it into four of the Ten Commandments - the first four, in fact.

The First Commandment enjoins us to love and worship the one true God and none other. Worship starts by recognizing God's greatness, praising him for it, and thanking him for his benefits. The heart of worship is gratitude.

This is why Naaman the Syrian, whom we heard about in the First Reading, changed his religion after being cured. He wanted to give the prophet Elisha a gift, to show his gratitude to Israel's God. But Elisha wouldn't accept it.

So instead, Naaman loads up two mules with sacks full of soil taken from around the Jordan River.Naaman wanted to build an altar back home on top of some land that was connected to the God of Israel, and worship there. He says, "I will no longer offer... sacrifice to any other god except the Lord."

He was fulfilling the First Commandment, because he was grateful to God. The Second and Third Commandments help specify the first one: they enjoin us to keep God's name holy, and to keep the Lord's Day holy too. These are other ways to show and grow our gratitude to God, acknowledging that he is the source of all good things.

The Fourth Commandment enjoins us to always be grateful to our parents, through whom God has given us so many gifts: life, education, faith...

Truly, the virtue of gratitude is at the very core of our spiritual lives.

Today, as Jesus renews his gifts to us in the Holy Eucharist, let's promise him that this week we will unclog the pipeline of gratitude, so that we can be filled with lasting joy. 

IV. THE DISTRIBUTION OF DUTIES AND THE PREPARATION OF THE CELEBRATION

108. One and the same priest celebrant must always exercise the presidential office in all of its parts, except for those parts which are proper to a Mass at which the Bishop is present (cf. no. 92).

109. If there are several persons present who are able to exercise the same ministry, nothing forbids their distributing among themselves and performing different parts of the same ministry or duty. For example, one deacon may be assigned to take the sung parts, another to serve at the altar; if there are several readings, it is well to distribute them among a number of lectors. The same applies for the other ministries. But it is not at all appropriate that several persons divide a single element of the celebration among themselves, e.g., that the same reading be proclaimed by two lectors, one after the other, except as far as the Passion of the Lord is concerned.

110. If only one minister is present at a Mass with a congregation, that minister may exercise several different duties.

111. Among all who are involved with regard to the rites, pastoral aspects, and music there should be harmony and diligence in the effective preparation of each liturgical celebration in accord with the Missal and other liturgical books. This should take place under the direction of the rector of the church and after the consultation with the faithful about things that directly pertain to them. The priest who presides at the celebration, however, always retains the right of arranging those things that are his own responsibility.[90]

CHAPTER IV

The Different Forms of Celebrating Mass

112. In the local Church, first place should certainly be given, because of its significance, to the Mass at which the Bishop presides, surrounded by his presbyterate, deacons, and lay ministers,[91] and in which the holy people of God participate fully and actively, for it is there that the preeminent expression of the Church is found.
At a Mass celebrated by the Bishop or at which he presides without celebrating the Eucharist, the norms found in the Caeremoniale Episcoporum should be observed.[92]

113. Great importance should also be attached to a Mass celebrated with any community, but especially with the parish community, inasmuch as it represents the universal Church gathered at a given time and place. This is particularly true in the communal Sunday celebration.[93]

114. Among those Masses celebrated by some communities, moreover, the conventual Mass, which is a part of the daily Office, or the community Mass, has a particular place. Although such Masses do not have a special form of celebration, it is nevertheless most proper that they be celebrated with singing, especially with the full participation of all members of the community, whether of religious or of canons. In these Masses, therefore, individuals should exercise the office proper to the Order or ministry they have received. It is appropriate, therefore, that all the priests who are not bound to celebrate individually for the pastoral benefit of the faithful concelebrate at the conventual or community Mass in so far as it is possible. In addition, all priests belonging to the community who are obliged, as a matter of duty, to celebrate individually for the pastoral benefit of the faithful may also on the same day concelebrate at the conventual or community Mass.[94] For it is preferable that priests who are present at a Eucharistic Celebration, unless excused for a good reason, should as a rule exercise the office proper to their Order and hence take part as concelebrants, wearing the sacred vestments. Otherwise, they wear their proper choir dress or a surplice over a cassock.

From: GENERAL INSTRUCTION OF THE ROMAN MISSAL 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the Apostles did the right thing this time. They had been traveling with Jesus for more than a year: living with him, hearing him preach, watching him perform miracles, and changing people's lives.

They had been his disciples long enough to start realizing that they weren't very good disciples at all. They still didn't understand many things that Jesus said. They still couldn't help people as much as Jesus did.

It would have been tempting for them, at that point, to get discouraged. But instead, they go up to Jesus one afternoon during a lull in their activities, and they ask for his help. They ask him to increase their faith.

Jesus' answer is mysterious. He looks at them and smiles. He must have been glad that they had asked for help instead of abandoning the mission. Then he tells them that they don't need more faith, they just need to use the faith they already have.

He explains that a tiny little bit of faith, the size of a mustard seed - which is about as small as something can be without getting microscopic - is enough to do marvelous things.

We are all like the Apostles. We know in our hearts that we are capable of doing much more, that we were made for greater things. But we don't realize that God has already given us everything we need to achieve them.

He has already planted in our souls the seed of faith, of divine life - he did so at baptism. Now it's up to us to exercise it. If we do, it will grow. And the more it grows, the more room God will have to do truly wonderful things in us and through us.

III. PARTICULAR MINISTRIES

The Ministry of the Instituted Acolyte and Lector

98. The acolyte is instituted to serve at the altar and to assist the priest and deacon. In particular, it is his responsibility to prepare the altar and the sacred vessels and, if it is necessary, as an extraordinary minister, to distribute the Eucharist to the faithful.[84]

In the ministry of the altar, the acolyte has his own functions (cf. nos. 187-193), which he must perform personally.

99. The lector is instituted to proclaim the readings from Sacred Scripture, with the exception of the Gospel. He may also announce the intentions for the Prayer of the Faithful and, in the absence of a psalmist, proclaim the Psalm between the readings.

In the Eucharistic Celebration, the lector has his own proper office (cf. nos. 194-198), which he must exercise personally.

Other Ministries

100. In the absence of an instituted acolyte, lay ministers may be deputed to serve at the altar and assist the priest and the deacon; they may carry the cross, the candles, the thurible, the bread, the wine, and the water, and they may also be deputed to distribute Holy Communion as extraordinary ministers.[85]

101. In the absence of an instituted lector, other laypersons may be commissioned to proclaim the readings from Sacred Scripture. They should be truly suited to perform this function and should receive careful preparation, so that the faithful by listening to the readings from the sacred texts may develop in their hearts a warm and living love for Sacred Scripture.[86]

102. The psalmist's role is to sing the Psalm or other biblical canticle that comes between the readings. To fulfill this function correctly, it is necessary that the psalmist have the ability for singing and a facility in correct pronunciation and diction.

103. Among the faithful, the schola cantorum or choir exercises its own liturgical function, ensuring that the parts proper to it, in keeping with the different types of chants, are properly carried out and fostering the active participation of the faithful through the singing.[87] What is said about the choir also applies, in accordance with the relevant norms, to other musicians, especially the organist.

104. It is fitting that there be a cantor or a choir director to lead and sustain the people's singing. When in fact there is no choir, it is up to the cantor to lead the different chants, with the people taking part.[88]

105. The following also exercise a liturgical function:

The sacristan, who carefully arranges the liturgical books, the vestments, and other things necessary in the celebration of Mass.

The commentator, who provides the faithful, when appropriate, with brief explanations and commentaries with the purpose of introducing them to the celebration and preparing them to understand it better. The commentator's remarks must be meticulously prepared and clear though brief. In performing this function the commentator stands in an appropriate place facing the faithful, but not at the ambo.

Those who take up the collection in the church.

Those who, in some places, meet the faithful at the church entrance, lead them to appropriate places, and direct processions.

106. It is appropriate, at least in cathedrals and in larger churches, to have some competent minister, that is to say a master of ceremonies, to oversee the proper planning of sacred actions and their being carried out by the sacred ministers and the lay faithful with decorum, order, and devotion.

107. The liturgical duties that are not proper to the priest or the deacon and are listed in nos. 100-106 may also be entrusted by a liturgical blessing or a temporary deputation to suitable lay persons chosen by the pastor or rector of the church.[89] All should observe the norms established by the Bishop for his diocese regarding the office of those who serve the priest at the altar. 

From: GENERAL INSTRUCTION OF THE ROMAN MISSAL

The updated arrangements of the Vaccine Pass scheme will be in effect from Sep 30^th till Nov 29^th.

The following persons may enter / allowed to remain in religious premises:

1. Persons aged 12+ who have received the 3^rd dose of vaccine or those who have received the 2^nd dose of vaccine for not more than five months; 
2. Persons aged 5-11 who have received the 2^nd dose of vaccine or who have received the 1^st dose of vaccine for not more than three months.

For further details, please refer to the Chancery Notice (dated 22 Sep) on the bulletin board.  

1. Sep 25^th is observed as Education Day.  There will be a second collection to be taken up for the promotion of Catholic education at all public Masses on this occasion.  
   
2. Registration for the Adult Catechism Class in Chinese is now open. The 2022-24 class will start on 2 October. There are leaflets and registration forms on the bookshelf at the back of the church. Please share these with your family members or friends who might be interested. 
3. Taizé prayer will be held on Friday, Sep 30^th at 8:00 PM at St. Anne's Church.  There will be synchronized playback on Facebook.  We welcome all brothers and sisters to participate! 
   
4. The youth group meeting will resume on the second Friday of October (14 Oct), at 7:.30-8:30 PM in the parish hall. All youth are welcome to attend the meeting.
   
5. Hong Kong Sea School is recruiting parishioners and friends to act as Mentors for their students. A valuable opportunity to share our faith and love. English- and/or Chinese-speaking mentors are welcome.  Please contact Sophia 9667-8186 for participation.
   
6. Due to the epidemic situation, St. Stephen's College is still unable to accept parking applications until further notice.  
7. Renovation and upgrade are needed to keep the old building and amenities of St. Anne's Parish alive.  All parishioners are called upon to continue their support for this important piece of work.  [To date, total donation towards the Renovation Fund amounts to HK$ 1,717,805.50.]  Please note that church renovation started on 13 Sep and hopefully will be completed before Christmas. We apologize for any inconvenience that might arise because of this.

Catechism classes (in English) start on Sep 25^th. Enrollment for Catechism is still open for all those born between 2009 to 2015. 

Kindly enroll on our St Anne's CCD online platform (www.stannes.hk/ccd/student-registration) with the necessary documentation required. 

We look forward to welcoming our current as well as new students to the program.

Dear brothers and sisters, how many times during this past week did you think about heaven? Most of us would probably say, not too many. And yet, that's where we're going. That's our destination, as St. Paul energetically reminds Timothy in today's Second Reading.

If we were on a family vacation, traveling to some beautiful mountain resort, or to the Grand Canyon, wouldn't it be strange if we never spoke or thought about where we were going while we were on our way? Yes, very strange.

And yet, often that's exactly what we do in relation to heaven. And that's extremely dangerous, because it makes us vulnerable to temptations. We more easily turn off the right road when we see an attractive billboard if we aren't thinking about our destination.

This is very much the context of St. Paul's advice to the young bishop, Timothy. Paul has just warned him about the dangers of money. In fact, the previous verses contain that famous phrase: "The desire for money is the root of all evil."

The desire for money can distract us from our destination. Money is a means for achieving worldly success, stability, and pleasure. But all of those things will pass away.

And so, St. Paul exhorts his friend to keep his sights set on heaven, to keep his destination in mind at all times. He encourages Timothy to "compete well for the faith" and "to keep the commandment without stain or reproach" until Christ comes again.

If the rich man in today's Gospel passage had followed Paul's advice, maybe he would have ended up in better shape. But instead, he forgot his destination.

He "received what was good during his lifetime", in Abraham's words. In other words, he let wealth and pleasures distract him from his true mission in life: to love God and neighbor.

St. Joan Schools King Charles

In the 1400s, St. Joan of Arc saved France from being conquered by England. She was just a teenager when God entrusted her with this task. St. Catherine, St. Michael the Archangel, and other saints were sent by God to guide and encourage her. When she prayed, she would hear these saints speaking to her in her heart.

She referred them as "her voices". Finally, she obtained an audience with the rightful King of France, Charles, who had not yet even had a chance to be crowned - that's how badly the war was going.

During this interview she explained her mission, and "her voices". The King didn't believe her at first, but eventually she mentioned some things that only he would know, and she said that her voices had told her about them.

As the King began to believe that she really was sent from God, he became irritated. He told her that if God wanted to save France, he should send the voices to him, the King, not to a mere subject, an ignorant peasant girl.

St. Joan answered, "They do come to you; but you do not hear them. If you prayed from your heart and listened, you would hear the voices as well as I do."

The King wasn't in tune with God. He wasn't listening. He had lost sight of his true destination, and it took an unlettered peasant girl performing a few miracles to get him back on track.

Praying a Morning Offering

How can we do a better job at keeping our sights set on heaven? One simple way is to do what faithful Christians have done for centuries: start each day by offering our works, sufferings, and successes to God, and asking him for guidance.

This is traditionally called doing a "morning offering". It can take less than a minute. But it's a minute well-spent - just as a morning glance at the compass is a wise move for a ship's captain.

A sincere morning offering has two results. First, it gives the right orientation to our minds, our intellects. When you're on a journey, you begin each day by looking at the map, so that you know where to go.

The morning offering does that for our spiritual journey. It reminds us of our destination: communion with God, starting here on earth and lasting forever in heaven.

Second, a sincere morning offering strengthens the decision of our will to pursue that destination. Daily life is challenging. Following Christ has its difficulties. Unless we consciously renew our decision to stay faithful to him and follow him, our resolve will wither away.

Most of us probably learned a morning offering prayer when we were children. Maybe it's time to relearn it, or else to start really meaning it again. It's even something that can be done as a family because the family that prays together stays together.

When we roll out of bed each morning, Jesus is already thinking of us and watching over us with an intense, personal love. Returning the favor by thinking of him is a sure way to build our friendship, even as it helps keep our sights set on our true destination.

The Duties and Ministries in the Mass

91. The Eucharistic celebration is an action of Christ and the Church, namely, the holy people united and ordered under the Bishop. It therefore pertains to the whole Body of the Church, manifests it, and has its effect upon it. It also affects the individual members of the Church in different ways, according to their different orders, offices, and actual participation.[75] In this way, the Christian people, "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people," expresses its cohesion and its hierarchical ordering.[76] All, therefore, whether they are ordained ministers or lay Christian faithful, in fulfilling their office or their duty, should carry out solely but completely that which pertains to them.[77]

I. THE DUTIES OF THOSE IN HOLY ORDERS

92. Every legitimate celebration of the Eucharist is directed by the Bishop, either in person or through priests who are his helpers.[78]

Whenever the Bishop is present at a Mass where the people are gathered, it is most fitting that he himself celebrate the Eucharist and associate priests with himself as concelebrants in the sacred action. This is done not to add external solemnity to the rite, but to express in a clearer light the mystery of the Church, "the sacrament of unity."[79]

Even if the Bishop does not celebrate the Eucharist but has assigned someone else to do this, it is appropriate that he should preside over the Liturgy of the Word, wearing the pectoral cross, stole, and cope over an alb, and that he give the blessing at the end of Mass.[80]

93. A priest also, who possesses within the Church the power of Holy Orders to offer sacrifice in the person of Christ,[81] stands for this reason at the head of the faithful people gathered together here and now, presides over their prayer, proclaims the message of salvation to them, associates the people with himself in the offering of sacrifice through Christ in the Holy Spirit to God the Father, gives his brothers and sisters the Bread of eternal life, and partakes of it with them. When he celebrates the Eucharist, therefore, he must serve God and the people with dignity and humility, and by his bearing and by the way he says the divine words he must convey to the faithful the living presence of Christ.

94. After the priest, the deacon, in virtue of the sacred ordination he has received, holds first place among those who minister in the Eucharistic Celebration.For the sacred Order of the diaconate has been held in high honor in the Church even from the time of the Apostles.[82] At Mass the deacon has his own part in proclaiming the Gospel, in preaching God's word from time to time, in announcing the intentions of the Prayer of the Faithful, in ministering to the priest, in preparing the altar and serving the celebration of the Sacrifice, in distributing the Eucharist to the faithful, especially under the species of wine, and sometimes in giving directions regarding the people's gestures and posture.

II. THE DUTIES OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD

95. In the celebration of Mass the faithful form a holy people, a people whom God has made his own, a royal priesthood, so that they may give thanks to God and offer the spotless Victim not only through the hands of the priest but also together with him, and so that they may learn to offer themselves.[83] They should, moreover, endeavor to make this clear by their deep religious sense and their charity toward brothers and sisters who participate with them in the same celebration.

Thus, they are to shun any appearance of individualism or division, keeping before their eyes that they have only one Father in heaven and accordingly are all brothers and sisters to each other.

96. Indeed, they form one body, whether by hearing the word of God, or by joining in the prayers and the singing, or above all by the common offering of Sacrifice and by a common partaking at the Lord's table. This unity is beautifully apparent from the gestures and postures observed in common by the faithful.

97. The faithful, moreover, should not refuse to serve the People of God gladly whenever they are asked to perform some particular ministry or function in the celebration.

From: GENERAL INSTRUCTION OF THE ROMAN MISSAL

Jesus is incredibly realistic. He knows the human heart entirely because he is fully God and fully man. And so, he knows that it's impossible for us to serve two masters.

And so, Jesus puts it bluntly: "No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon."

"Mammon" was a term used in ancient Israel to signify riches. In modern terms, we might say that you can't have two full-time careers without prioritizing one over the other.

Therefore, in today's Gospel Jesus asks us to check our hearts. Whom do we serve? Do we serve God or have we made ourselves slaves of material possessions?

Money is not a bad thing. In fact, the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that differences in levels of wealth "belong to God's plan, who wills that each receives what he needs from others and that those endowed with particular 'talents' share the benefits with those who need them" (CCC 1937).

Those who have been given the gift of wealth have a duty to use it wisely for the good of their brothers and sisters. So, money is not in itself a bad thing. But the love of money is destructive. It takes our minds off of heaven. It hardens our hearts to the needs of our brothers and sisters. It makes us anxious and unsettled, terrified that we might lose our nest egg of security.

Jesus wants us to be free to love him and others. In another gospel passage he tells us "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest."

We choose where we want to dedicate our hearts. In today's Gospel, Jesus invites us to dedicate them to God above all else. If we do that, we find the joyful freedom that only he can give.

Zacchaeus Makes the Right Choice

The Gospel of Luke offers us the story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector who chose God over money.

He was greedy and had defrauded many people. And yet something in his heart was restless. He wanted more. And Jesus offered that to him. He offered him forgiveness and a new life.

It's important to note that Jesus didn't ask Zacchaeus to give up all his money. But he did ask him to be generous with what he had, and to stop cheating people.

Zacchaeus illustrates the fact that we can't serve both God and money. When we choose to serve God, money finds its proper role in our life.

Examine our Anxiety

I'd like to invite all of us to reflect on who our God is. Is it the Living God, or is it money?

St Francis De Sales said that an accurate way to gauge our attachment to money is to ask one simple question. "Am I filled with excessive anxiety at financial setbacks – or even at the mere thought of them?"

That could be a good question to ask the Lord now in Mass. And if we ask him, he will show us where we may have put material possessions ahead of him.

He wants to set our hearts free, so we're not enslaved to anything. He wants to be our great treasure, because only in him can our souls truly be at rest. 

Care should be taken that singers, too, can receive Communion with ease.

87. In the dioceses of the United States of America there are four options for the Communion chant: (1) the antiphon from The Roman Missal or the Psalm from the Roman Gradual as set to music there or in another musical setting; (2) the seasonal antiphon and Psalm of the Simple Gradual; (3) a song from another collection of psalms and antiphons, approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops or the diocesan Bishop, including psalms arranged in responsorial or metrical forms; (4) a suitable liturgical song chosen in accordance with no. 86. This is sung either by the choir alone or by the choir or cantor with the people.

If there is no singing, however, the Communion antiphon found in the Missal may be recited either by the faithful, or by some of them, or by a lector. Otherwise, the priest himself says it after he has received Communion and before he distributes Communion to the faithful.

88. When the distribution of Communion is finished, as circumstances suggest, the priest and faithful spend some time praying privately. If desired, a psalm or other canticle of praise or a hymn may also be sung by the entire congregation.

89. To bring to completion the prayer of the People of God, and also to conclude the entire Communion Rite, the priest says the Prayer after Communion, in which he prays for the fruits of the mystery just celebrated.

In the Mass only one prayer after Communion is said, which ends with a shorter conclusion; that is,

If the prayer is directed to the Father: Per Christum Dominum nostrum (Through Christ our Lord);

If it is directed to the Father, but the Son is mentioned at the end: Qui vivit et regnat in saecula saeculorum (Who lives and reigns forever and ever);

If it is directed to the Son: Qui vivis et regnas in saecula saeculorum (You live and reign forever and ever).

The people make the prayer their own by the acclamation, Amen.

D. The Concluding Rites

90. The concluding rites consist of

Brief announcements, if they are necessary;

The priest's greeting and blessing, which on certain days and occasions is enriched and expressed in the prayer over the People or another more solemn formula;

The dismissal of the people by the deacon or the priest, so that each may go out to do good works, praising and blessing God;

The kissing of the altar by the priest and the deacon, followed by a profound bow to the altar by the priest, the deacon, and the other ministers.

From: GENERAL INSTRUCTION OF THE ROMAN MISSAL 

The Parable of the Prodigal Son is like a kaleidoscope: it offers countless beautiful insights into what it means to follow Christ.

One of the insights we often overlook has to do with the greatest danger we face as so-called "practicing Catholics": the danger of living our faith only on the surface, of not letting it penetrate the depths of our hearts.

This parable teaches us that it is possible to live "in the Father's house" without really getting to know the Father. The younger son didn't really know his father. He didn't know how much his father loved him and how eagerly his father wanted to bequeath him prosperity and joy.

As a result, he paid his father a colossal insult by demanding his share of the inheritance while his father was still alive. It was a way of saying that his father would be of more use to him dead than alive. The older son was no better. On the surface, he seemed to do everything right, but he had no idea about how much his father cared for him, and so he resented the celebration at his brother's return.

Although they had lived their entire lives under the same roof, the two brothers had never opened their hearts to their father; they had closed themselves into the petty little world of their egoism.

We can easily do the same: spend our whole lives as "practicing" Catholics, going through all the right motions and looking great on the outside, but not opening our hearts to God, not getting to know him on a personal, intimate level.

That's a risky way to live our faith: we could easily end up separated from the Father for good, eating corn husks and missing out on the joyful celebration of the Father's love.

Too Busy for Christ

In July 2007, a group of Christian sociologists published the results of a study that they had been conducting over a five-year period called, "The Obstacles to Growth Survey." It was conducted on 20,009 Christians with ages ranging from 15 to 88 - the majority of whom came from the United States.

The survey found that on average, more than 4 in 10 Christians worldwide say they "often" or "always" rush from task to task. About 6 in 10 Christians say that it's "often" or "always" true that "the busyness of life gets in the way of developing my relationship with God."

According to the study, professionals whose busy-ness interferes with developing their relationship with God include lawyers (72 percent), managers (67 percent), nurses (66 percent), pastors (65 percent), teachers (64 percent), salespeople (61 percent), business owners (61 percent), and housewives (57 percent).

The authors of the study concluded that the accelerated pace and activity level of the modern day is distracting us from God.

Here was their line of reasoning:

• Christians are assimilating to a culture of busyness, hurry, and overload, which leads to
• God becoming more marginalized in Christians' lives, which leads to
• a deteriorating relationship with God, which leads to
• Christians becoming even more vulnerable to adopting secular assumptions about how to live, which leads to
• more conformity to a culture of busyness, hurry, and overload. And then the cycle begins again.

It is possible to ascribe too much weight to sociological studies, but this one certainly harmonizes with the experience of the two sons in the parable.

Something made them so self-centered and distracted that they were never able to get to know their father. Maybe it was busyness, maybe it was something else. If nothing else, the survey gives us food for thought.

Two Antidotes to Hypocrisy

It is frightening to think about the two brothers from this parable. Both of them thought that they knew their father. They didn't realize that they were blinded by self-centeredness.

How can we avoid falling into the same tragic situation, of living in the Father's house without really letting the Father's grace touch our hearts?

First of all, we need to humbly ask God to help us recognize our faults so that we can work to overcome them. One simple way to do this is to live our weekly celebration of the Eucharist consciously, to make a concerted effort to mean the words that we say during the Mass, and to mean the words that the priest says.

The words of the liturgy are full of the mystery of God. They are a template for a deep relationship with the Father. If we make a conscious effort to listen to them and to mean them, they become a source of enlightenment and renewal, not just a routine.

One way to help ourselves make that effort is to arrive a few minutes before Mass, so as to let the noise of life's busyness die down before the sacred celebration begins.

Secondly, if we truly want both to live in the Father's house and get to know the Father's heart, there are no better means to do so than regular and frequent confession.

This is the constant and undeniable experience of the saints. Confession forces us to exercise the virtue of humility, the unbreakable shield against superficiality and hypocrisy.

When we receive Christ today in Holy Communion, let's ask for the grace to stay always close to his heart, and let's promise him that we will do our best to make that grace take root.

The Communion Rite

80. Since the Eucharistic Celebration is the Paschal Banquet, it is desirable that in keeping with the Lord's command, his Body and Blood should be received as spiritual food by the faithful who are properly disposed. This is the sense of the fraction and the other preparatory rites by which the faithful are led directly to Communion.

The Lord's Prayer

81. In the Lord's Prayer a petition is made for daily food, which for Christians means preeminently the Eucharistic bread, and also for purification from sin, so that what is holy may, in fact, be given to those who are holy. The priest says the invitation to the prayer, and all the faithful say it with him; the priest alone adds the embolism, which the people conclude with a doxology. The embolism, enlarging upon the last petition of the Lord's Prayer itself, begs deliverance from the power of evil for the entire community of the faithful.

The invitation, the Prayer itself, the embolism, and the doxology by which the people conclude these things are sung or said aloud.

The Rite of Peace

82. The Rite of Peace follows, by which the Church asks for peace and unity for herself and for the whole human family, and the faithful express to each other their ecclesial communion and mutual charity before communicating in the Sacrament.

As for the sign of peace to be given, the manner is to be established by Conferences of Bishops in accordance with the culture and customs of the peoples. It is, however, appropriate that each person offer the sign of peace only to those who are nearest and in a sober manner.

The Fraction

83. The priest breaks the Eucharistic Bread, assisted, if the case calls for it, by the deacon or a concelebrant. Christ's gesture of breaking bread at the Last Supper, which gave the entire Eucharistic Action its name in apostolic times, signifies that the many faithful are made one body (1 Cor 10:17) by receiving Communion from the one Bread of Life which is Christ, who died and rose for the salvation of the world. The fraction or breaking of bread is begun after the sign of peace and is carried out with proper reverence, though it should not be unnecessarily prolonged, nor should it be accorded undue importance. This rite is reserved to the priest and the deacon.

The priest breaks the Bread and puts a piece of the host into the chalice to signify the unity of the Body and Blood of the Lord in the work of salvation, namely, of the living and glorious Body of Jesus Christ. The supplication Agnus Dei, is, as a rule, sung by the choir or cantor with the congregation responding; or it is, at least, recited aloud. This invocation accompanies the fraction and, for this reason, may be repeated as many times as necessary until the rite has reached its conclusion, the last time ending with the words dona nobis pacem (grant us peace).

Communion

84. The priest prepares himself by a prayer, said quietly, that he may fruitfully receive Christ's Body and Blood. The faithful do the same, praying silently.

The priest next shows the faithful the Eucharistic Bread, holding it above the paten or above the chalice, and invites them to the banquet of Christ. Along with the faithful, he then makes an act of humility using the prescribed words taken from the Gospels.

85. It is most desirable that the faithful, just as the priest himself is bound to do, receive the Lord's Body from hosts consecrated at the same Mass and that, in the instances when it is permitted, they partake of the chalice (cf. no. 283), so that even by means of the signs Communion will stand out more clearly as a participation in the sacrifice actually being celebrated.[73]

86. While the priest is receiving the Sacrament, the Communion chant is begun. Its purpose is to express the communicants' union in spirit by means of the unity of their voices, to show joy of heart, and to highlight more clearly the "communitarian" nature of the procession to receive Communion. The singing is continued for as long as the Sacrament is being administered to the faithful.[74] If, however, there is to be a hymn after Communion, the Communion chant should be ended in a timely manner.

From: GENERAL INSTRUCTION OF THE ROMAN MISSAL 

My dear brothers and sisters, in this Sunday Gospel Jesus is making two things clear to us.

First, he wants us to have no illusions about following him. His path is a hard path. Our nature has fallen, and to get back up again, even with his grace helping us, is going to be hard. It will involve self-sacrifice and suffering: "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple."

That is the obvious lesson in this Gospel passage. We can never let ourselves forget it. But there is another lesson too, equally worth our attention.

Jesus is teaching us that following him involves more than feelings and vague inspirations. We are supposed to use our minds, to put our creativity and intelligence to work in the adventure of following Christ.

This is clear from the examples Jesus uses. The builder and the warring king had to channel their enthusiasm through the cool filter of reason. Christians must do the same. The emotional excitement that comes from a retreat or a pilgrimage or a special grace-filled encounter with the Lord is like the blossoms on a cherry tree.

They bloom quickly and fill our souls with a sweet aroma, but then the long summer comes, and we have to persevere patiently, following an intelligent plan of spiritual and apostolic work, before the fruit matures.

Love, even the lasting love that comes from friendship with Christ, is often born amidst intense emotions, but it matures through sweat and suffering, and those can only be endured with the aid of reason and conviction - both of which go deeper than mere passing emotions.

Following Christ is more than following a whim; it is a long-term project that deserves and engages the whole person.

The Prayer over the Offerings

77. Once the offerings have been placed on the altar and the accompanying rites completed, the invitation to pray with the priest and the prayer over the offerings conclude the preparation of the gifts and prepare for the Eucharistic Prayer.

In the Mass, only one Prayer over the Offerings is said, and it ends with the shorter conclusion: Per Christum Dominum nostrum (Through Christ our Lord). If, however, the Son is mentioned at the end of this prayer, the conclusion is, Qui vivit et regnat in saecula saeculorum (Who lives and reigns forever and ever).

The people, uniting themselves to this entreaty, make the prayer their own with the acclamation, Amen.

Christ is a King, and kings rule their kingdoms with laws. One of the most important laws in Christ's Kingdom is the law of humility. This law says that "everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and everyone who humbles himself will be exalted".

In other words, greatness in his Kingdom comes not from outdoing other people, outperforming them, and outdistancing them. Greatness in Christ's eyes comes from serving other people, from elevating them, helping them advance, and keeping oneself in the background.

In his very first sermon, Jesus had taught the same law with different words: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." It's the same law stated so directly in today's First Reading: "Conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved... Humble yourself... and you will find favor with God."

This law goes directly against everything this fallen world teaches us. It's extremely hard for us to swallow, which is why Jesus explained it by using this unambiguous parable. But even the parable wasn't enough. This law is so fundamental, that Jesus also taught it to us by living it out in an extreme way: through his passion and death.

Jesus, the Lord of heaven, came to earth and purposefully took the lowest place possible - that of a condemned criminal. He freely took on the most humiliating form of death - crucifixion. He allowed himself to be stripped of every honor. He allowed his reputation to be dragged through the mud by the lies and corruption of his enemies.

And yet, because he humbled himself so thoroughly, he has been glorified so magnificently. Such is the law of his Kingdom.

Nature Teaches Humility

The Law of Humility is written not only in the Gospel, but even in nature. Consider the tallest and most fruitful trees. How can they stand firm in spite of storms, wind, and earthquakes? What gives them the vitality to bear fruit year after year, spreading their own goodness to all living things around them?

Their roots. Without deep, strong roots, the tree would crash to the ground in the first summer storm. Without wide, expansive roots, they couldn't absorb the nourishment and moisture necessary for putting out leaves, buds, flowers, and fruit.

But these all-important roots are completely hidden. They really are in the "lowest place", where no one pays any attention to them. Without the root of humility, our lives cannot bear the fruit of authentic happiness for ourselves and those around us.

Consider also the mountains and the valleys. The majestic mountaintops pierce the brilliant sky with their jagged peaks. Impressive, visible from a distance, awe-inspiring - but also barren. The higher up you go on the mountain, the less life you find. The valleys beneath the mountaintops are hidden. You can't see them from far away. They draw no attention to themselves.

In this lowest place they receive the fresh water that flows down the mountainside from the melting ice on top, water full of nutrients from the eroding soil. So, the valleys overflow with life - flowers, grasses, trees, animals, streams, birds, and fish.

When we exalt ourselves, we become impressive to others, but barren of life, like mountaintops. When we humble ourselves, as Christ did, our lives become fruitful and vibrant, both here on earth and for all eternity in heaven.