Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Israelites camp before Sinai; Moses goes up; Lord: you have seen how I treated Egypt and bore you on eagle wings and brought you to myself; if you keep my covenant you shall be my special possession dearer than all peoples; you shall be kingdom of priests holy nation. Know that Lord is God; he made us and we are his people; his kindness endures forever. While still helpless Christ died for ungodly; only with difficulty does one die for just person; God proves love while we were still sinners Christ died; now justified by blood saved from wrath; while enemies reconciled through death of Son; now reconciled we shall be saved by his life; boasting in God through Lord Jesus. Jesus saw crowds and heart moved with pity like sheep without shepherd; harvest abundant laborers few; ask master to send laborers; summoned Twelve gave authority over unclean spirits and to cure; sent: proclaim kingdom of heaven is at hand; cure sick raise dead cleanse lepers drive out demons; freely received freely give.

At Sinai, the Lord tells Moses to tell Israel: you have seen how I treated Egypt and bore you on eagle wings, bringing you to myself; if you keep my covenant you shall be my special possession, dearer than all peoples, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. The psalm: know that the Lord is God, he made us, we are his people, his kindness endures forever. Paul explains: while we were still helpless Christ died for the ungodly - God proves his love in that while we were still sinners Christ died; now justified we shall be saved from wrath; while enemies we were reconciled through his death; now reconciled we shall be saved by his life; we boast in God through Lord Jesus. In the Gospel, Jesus sees the crowds and his heart is moved with pity - they are troubled and abandoned like sheep without a shepherd; the harvest is abundant but laborers are few; ask the harvest master to send laborers; he summons the Twelve, gives them authority over unclean spirits and sickness, and sends them: proclaim the kingdom of heaven is at hand; cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons; freely you received, freely give.

DEACON/PRIEST: Lord Jesus, your heart was moved with pity at the sight of the crowds - troubled and abandoned like sheep without a shepherd - and you sent laborers into that harvest. PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON/PRIEST: Christ Jesus, while we were still sinners and enemies you died for us - God proves his love in the timing, before we had anything to offer. PEOPLE: Christ, have mercy.

DEACON/PRIEST: Lord Jesus, you bore us on eagle wings and brought us here to yourself - the destination of all your carrying is not a place but your own presence. PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST: His heart was moved with pity. Let us bring our prayers before the God whose heart moves first.

DEACON/LECTOR:

1. That those who see the harvest - our Holy Father, our bishop, every pastor who stands before a congregation - would see it with pity rather than management and let the pity move before the strategy forms, we pray to the Lord.
2. Where people are troubled and abandoned like sheep without a shepherd, that laborers would be sent to them from this specific parish, from these specific people, we pray to the Lord.
3. For those who have been reconciled from being enemies - brought to the Lord on eagle wings they did not ask for - that the boasting in God would be their natural posture, we pray to the Lord.
4. For this parish, that we would see the harvest in our specific neighborhood and ask the master to send us into it before the season passes, we pray to the Lord.
5. In this Sacred Heart month, for the heart that sent his Son while we were still sinners and is still sending laborers into the abundant harvest, we pray to the Lord.
6. They have arrived at the destination: brought here to myself - we give thanks for the faithful departed and ask that we join them when the course is finished, we pray to the Lord.

PRIEST: Lord, your heart was moved with pity. Let this parish be moved too - by the troubled and abandoned in our neighborhood, by the harvest that is abundant and the laborers that are few. Freely we received; let us freely give. Sacred Heart of Jesus, we trust in you. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.