Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jul 21

Written By Ed Kless

Processional Hymn - 688 - O God, Our Help in Ages Past

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home:

Under the shadow of your throne
Your saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is your arm alone,
And our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received its frame,
From everlasting you are God,
To endless years the same.

A thousand ages in your sight
Are like an evening gone,
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.

Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all our years away;
They fly forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the op’ning day.

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Still be our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home!

First Reading - Genesis 18:20-32

In those days, the LORD said:
“The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their sin so grave, that I must go down and see whether or not their actions fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me.
“I mean to find out.”
While Abraham's visitors walked on farther toward Sodom, the LORD remained standing before Abraham.
Then Abraham drew nearer and said:
“Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty?
“Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city; would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it?
“Far be it from you to do such a thing, to make the innocent die with the guilty so that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike!
“Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?”
The LORD replied, “If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
Abraham spoke up again:
“See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord,
though I am but dust and ashes!
“What if there are five less than fifty innocent people?
“Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?”
He answered, “I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there.”
But Abraham persisted, saying “What if only forty are found there?”
He replied, “I will forbear doing it for the sake of the forty.”
Then Abraham said,
“Let not my Lord grow impatient if I go on.
“What if only thirty are found there?”
He replied, “I will forbear doing it if I can find but thirty there.”
Still Abraham went on, “Since I have thus dared to speak to my Lord, what if there are no more than twenty?”
The LORD answered, “I will not destroy it, for the sake of the twenty.”
But he still persisted:
“Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time.
“What if there are at least ten there?”
He replied, “For the sake of those ten, I will not destroy it.”

Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 139

R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart, you have heard the words of my mouth;
In the presence of the angels I praise you;
I bow down toward your holy temple.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

I give thanks to your name
for your merciful love and your faithfulness.
You have exalted your name over all.
On the day I called, you answered me;
you increased the strength of my soul.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

The LORD is high, yet he looks on the the lowly, and the haughty he knows from afar.
You give me life though I walk amid affliction; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my
foes.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

With your right hand you save me.
The LORD will accomplish this for me;
O LORD, your merciful love is eternal;
discard not the work of your hands.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

Second Reading - Colossians 2:12-14

Brothers and sisters:
You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
And even when you were dead in transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he brought you to life along with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions; obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims, which was opposed to us, he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross.

Gospel - Luke 11:1-13

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”
He said to them, “When you pray, say:
“Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.
“Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.”
And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,’ and he says in reply from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed.
‘I cannot get up to give you anything.’
“I tell you, if he does not get up to give the visitor the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.
“And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
“For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
“What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish?
“Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
“If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

Prayer for Our Lady of Angels Parish

Heavenly Father, we thank you for gathering us together and calling us to serve as your disciples.
You have charged us through your Son, Jesus, with the great mission of evangelizing and witnessing your love to the world.
Send your Holy Spirit to guide us as we discern your will for the spiritual renewal of our parish.
Give us strength, courage, and clear vision as we use our gifts to serve you.
We entrust our parish family to the care of Mary, our mother, and ask for her intercession and guidance, as we strive to build a parish that loves God, embraces all people, and shares the Gospel joyfully.

Offertory Hymn - 658 - Seek Ye First

Seek ye first the kingdom of God
And His righteousness
And all these things shall be added unto you
Allelu, alleluia

Ask, and it shall be given unto you
Seek, and you shall find
Knock, and the door shall be opened unto you
Allelu, alleluia

You do not live by bread alone,
But by every word,
That comes forth from the mouth of God
Allelu, alleluia