ENTRANCE HYMN: (new, p.

193, #251)
*Glory and praise to our God who alone gives light to our
days. Many are the blessings He bears to those who trust in
His ways.
In His wisdom He strengthens us like gold that's tested in
fire. Though the power of sin prevails our God is there to
save. (*)
We the daughters and sons of Him who built the valleys and
plains. Praise the wonders our God has done in every heart
that sings. (*)

PENITENTIAL RITES
Ma Iki na e, kia fakalofa mai (3x)
Ma Keriso na e, kia fakalofa mai (3x)
Ma Iki na e, kia fakalofa mai (3x)
GLORIA (old p.118 #202c)
REF: Glory to God in the highest, and peace to His people
on earth! Glory to God in the highest, and peace to His
people on earth.
1 Lord, God, Heavenly King! Almighty God and Father. We
worship You, we give You thanks, we praise You for Your
Glory! (ref)
2 Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father! Lord God,
Lamb of God, You take a-way the sins of the world, have
mercy on us, have mercy on us. You are seated at the right
hand of the Father, Receive our prayer! Receive our prayer
(ref)
3 For You alone are the Holy One. You a-lone are the Lord!
You alone are the most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy
Spirit, in the glory of God the Father, Amen!(Ref)
FIRST READING: SIR 35:12-14, 16-18
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
SECOND READING: 2 TM 4:6-8, 16-18
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Allelu--ia, allelu--ia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia alle-luia
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
and entrusting to us the message of salvation.
Allelu--ia, allelu--ia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia alle-luia

GOSPEL: LK 18:9-14
CREED:
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: by the power of the Holy Spirit he was incarnate of the
Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under
Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died 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 he 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. I look forward to
the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
Amen.

PRAYER FOR THE JUBILEE YEAR OF MERCY

Lord Jesus Christ, You have taught us to be merciful like the
heavenly Father, and have told us that whoever sees You sees Him.
Show us your face and we will be saved. Your loving gaze freed
Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved by money; the
adulteress and Magdalene from seeking happiness only in created
things; made Peter weep after his betrayal and assured Paradise to
the repentant thief. Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us,
the words that you spoke to the Samaritan woman; If you knew the
gift of God! you are the visible face of the invisible Father, of the
God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and mercy:
let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and
glorified. You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in
weakness in order that they may feel compassion for those in
ignorance and error: let everyone who approaches them feel sought
after, loved, and forgiven by God. Send your spirit and consecrate
every one of us with its anointing, so that the Jubilee of Mercy may
be a year of grace from the Lord, and your Church, with renewed
enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to
captives and the oppressed, and restore sight to the blind. We ask
this through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy, you who live
and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever.
Amen.

OFFERTORY (#315, p.240)

Lord, what You will let it be so. Where You will there we will
go. What is Your will help us to know
Lord, when You will the time is right. In You there's joy in
strife. For Your will I'll give my life
To ease Your burden brings no pain. To forego all for You is
gain as long as I in You remain
Because You will it, it is best. Because You will it, we are
blest. Till in Your hands our hearts find rest. Our hearts find
rest. Till in Your hands our hearts find rest)

HOLY:
Let all that is within me cry holy. Let all that is within me cry
holy. Holy, holy, holy is the lamb that was slain.
Let all that is within me cry Jesus. Let all that is within me
cry Jesus. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus is the lamb that was slain.
Let all that is within me cry mighty. Let all that is within me
cry mighty. Mighty, mighty, mighty is the lamb that was
slain.

MYSTERY OF FAITH: (old, p.120 #205b)

Dying You destroyed our death, rising You restored our
lives. Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus come in glory.

GREAT AMEN: (old, p.28, #7a)

Amen, Amen, A-men, Amen, Alleluia!
Sing praise to the Lord (2x). Amen Alleluia.
Amen, Amen, A-men, Amen, Alleluia.

OUR FATHER (new, p.161, 207b)

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in
heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our
trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

LAMB OF GOD (old, p.122, #208b)

Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world. Have
mercy on us. Lamb of God, You lay down Your life for the
world. Have mercy on us. Praise to You, Saviour King, feed
us with the life You bring.
Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world. Have
mercy on us. Lamb of God, You lay down Your life for the
world. O grant us, O grant us Your peace.

HOLY COMMUNION (new, p.201, #268)

*I love the Lord, He is filled with compassion. He turned to
me on the day that I called. From the snares of the dark, O,
Lord, save my life, be my strength.
Gracious is the Lord, and just. Our God is mercy, rest to the
weary. Return my soul to the Lord our God who bids tears
away. I love the Lord. (*)
How can I repay the Lord for all the goodness He has
shown me? I will raise the cup of salvation and call on His
name. I love the Lord. (*)
I shall live my vows to You before Your people, I am Your
servant. I will offer You my sacrifice of praise and of prayr. I
love the Lord. (*)

Post Communion (new, p.355, #702)

Ave Maria, gratia plena. Dominus tecum benedictatu.
Benedictatu in mulieribus, et benedictus frutas ventres tui
Jesu.
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus. Nunc
et in hora mortis nostrae.

RECESSIONAL
(Ko e Tali) Ko Koe, ne moua, He koloa mitaki, Ma Atua
Fakaalofa, Ki a au ti foaki.
Ma Agaga Tapu na e, Ko e Lagomatai Mua ni,
He Tolutaha, kua ole Ki a au ke Haele mai.
Ti kua tufatufa ai, A Koe ke he tau tagata, E fakaalofa noa
Ke fagai e tau agaaga

REFLECTION
How can we know if our prayer is pleasing to God or not? The prophet
Hosea, who spoke in God's name, said: "I desire steadfast love and not
sacrifice" (Hosea 6:6). The prayers and sacrifices we make to God
mean nothing to him if they do not spring from a heart of love for God
and for one's neighbour. How can we expect God to hear our prayers if
we do not approach him with humility and with a contrite heart that
seeks mercy and forgiveness? We stand in constant need of God's
grace and help. That is why Scripture tells us that "God opposes the
proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). Jesus reinforced
this warning with a vivid story of two people at prayer. Why did the Lord
accept one person's prayer and reject the other's prayer? Luke gives
us a hint: despising one's neighbour closes the door to God's heart.
Expressing disdain and contempt for others is more than being meanminded. It springs from the assumption that one is qualified to sit in the
seat of judgment and to publicly shame those who do not conform to
our standards and religious practices. Jesus' story caused offense to
the religious-minded Pharisees who regarded "tax collectors" as
unworthy of God's grace and favour. How could Jesus put down a
"religious person" and raise up a "public sinner? Jesus' parable
speaks about the nature of prayer and our relationship with God. It
does this by contrasting two very different attitudes towards prayer. The
Pharisee, who represented those who take pride in their religious
practices, exalted himself at the expense of others. Absorbed with his
own sense of self-satisfaction and self-congratulation, his boastful
prayer was centred on his good religious practices rather than on
God's goodness, grace, and pardon. Rather than humbling himself
before God and asking for God's mercy and help, this man praised
himself while despising those he thought less worthy. The Pharisee
tried to justify himself before God and before those he despised; but
only God can justify us. The tax collector, who represented those
despised by religious-minded people, humbled himself before God
and begged for mercy. His prayer was heard by God because he had
true sorrow for his sins. He sought God with humility rather than with
pride. The ordinary interpretation of this parable of the Pharisee and
the Tax Collector takes its cue from the opening verse. It is addressed

to those who are convinced of their own righteousness and despise

everyone else. The parable itself uses the characters of a Pharisee and
a tax collector but the message is not directed especially against either
the Pharisee or the tax collector as such. Most of those who read the
parable are conditioned to criticize the Pharisee as a proud, selfrighteous, egoistic person and praise the tax collector as a humble
person. In fact the Pharisee is not self-righteous and he does what a
good Pharisee is supposed to do. The tax collector on the other hand
was a collaborator with the enemies of the land. The mistake of the
Pharisee is that he seems to credit his religious and personal success
to himself. If he is praying, the words seem to be directed towards him.
The tax collector simply asks for mercy, having admitted that he was a
sinner. In spite of this many in the audience of Jesus would have
expected Gods grace should go to the Pharisee and would have been
shocked to hear the justification of the tax collector. Indeed we are not
the judges of who is justified and who is not. Forgiveness and
justification is a divine gift which God bestows on his chosen ones.
What is expected of us is the submission of the tax collector and awaits
mercy of God.
No matter who we are, the only authentic prayer any of us can utter is
the one voiced by the tax collector. Even then there is no guarantee of
righteousness. Here Jesus speaks of simplicity and humility. He says
that all who humble themselves will be exalted. St Peter his letter tells
us that all of us must clothe ourselves with humility in our dealings with
one another, for 'God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the
humble.' Therefore we must humble ourselves under the mighty hand
of God, so that He may exalt us in due time. Again Paul speaking to the
Colossians says that as God's chosen ones, we must clothe ourselves
with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Thus as
Christians, we are called to humble ourselves as Jesus humbled
Himself. Jesus manifested his great love for each and every one of us
through his great act of humility. As a practical note we must realize
that the virtue of humility is essential in our daily lives. By placing
ourselves above all others, in truth, we are displeasing the Lord. When
we manifest our pride, the end result will be that we will be among the
last. If we practice humility in our daily lives supporting praising and
encouraging others we will receive favourable graces from the Lord.
The Lord God shall indeed exalt us because of our genuine humility. As
we live our Christian lives we ask the Holy Spirit to teach us true
humility so we may always be pleasing to the eyes of God.
One thing that we can learn from this sad story of the Pharisees is that
while God approves of no sin, his mercy and his forgiveness is
available to all sinners except the proud. It is not that God will not
forgive the sin of pride but that the proud man will not ask for Gods
forgiveness. This parable presents both an opportunity and a warning.
Pride leads to self-deception and spiritual blindness. True humility
helps us to see ourselves as we really are in God's eyes and it inclines
us to seek God's help and mercy. God dwells with the humble of heart
who recognize their own sinfulness and who acknowledge God's
mercy and saving grace. I dwell in the high and holy place, and also
with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit (Isaiah 57:15). God
cannot hear us if we boast in ourselves and despise others. Do you
humbly seek God's mercy and do you show mercy to others, especially
those you find difficult to love and to forgive?

ST. JOSEPH THE WORKER

320th day and 46th Sunday of
the Jubilee year of Mercy

Thirtieth Sunday in
Ordinary Time
YEAR C
23 OCTOBER 2016

Please PRAY the

Holy Rosary