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in Ordinary Time
4 October 2009
“It is not good for the man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). The passage we
hear from the Old Testament Book of Genesis is the first of a set of read-
ings from Sacred Scripture that tell us of the wonders of (1) Creation, and (2)
Communion. All four of today’s passages from Sacred Scripture--Genesis
2:18-24, Psalm 128, Hebrews 2:9-11, and Mark 10:2-16--teach us about hu-
man and Communion. First, after creating Adam in His own likeness (Genesis
1:26), God said “it is not good for the man to be alone.” In other words, man
was intended not for isolation, but for Communion with God.
This passage is often proclaimed at celebrations of the Sacrament of Holy
Matrimony, since it directly explores the sacred bond between a man and a
woman, joined together in “the one blessing that was not forfeited by original
sin or washed away in the flood” (Nuptial Blessing). However, the phrase: “it
is not good for the man to be alone” takes on a ‘resurrective’ meaning when
it is applied to our relationship with Jesus, the Christ. For example, Pope
Benedict XVI reflects on loneliness, pointing out that “in truth--one thing is
certain: there exists a night into whose solitude no voice reaches; there is a
door through which we can only walk alone--the door of death” (Introduction
to Christianity, 301).
However gloomy and macabre this reality might be, it helps us to focus
our hope on the Messiah’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection. When we pro-
fess our faith using the words of the Nicene Creed, we state that “[Christ]
suffered, died, and was buried,” meaning that God the Son--the Savior of
the universe--entered death, loneliness, hell. The Holy Father goes on to say
that “where no voice can reach us any longer, there is He. Hell is thereby
overcome.... Death, which was previously hell, is hell no longer. Neither is
the same any longer because there is life in the midst of death, because Love
dwells in it.”
With this in mind, by virtue of the Messiah’s Sacred Passion, Death, and
Resurrection, we might be able to rephrase “it is not good for the man to be
alone” as “it is not good for the man to die.” Thanks be to God for sending His
only-begotten Son into the world so that man not be alone, that man not die,
but be in Communion with God in Heaven.
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Hymn at the Procession - 668
I Sing the Mighty Power of God Tune: ELLACOMBE
Jesus
Lord GloChrist, ALL:
-ryto God and tohispeo
in the high - est
ALL: peace
-ple on earth.
only Son of the Father,
LordGod, God,are the Ho
Lamba-oflone - ly One,
Lord,
take
For you
the you a - lone arethe
sins of the world:
you away
have
mer
- cy on us.
Lord God, heav'n -ly King, al - might- y God and Fa- ther,
have mer - cy on us.
we
ALL:
ALL:
you
a
Cantor/Choir alone:
-
lone are the High,
Most
Je - sus
with
Christ,
the
You
are seated at the
wor re- ceive our prayer. for your glo - ry.
- ship you, we give you thanks,
right hand of the Father:
re - ceive
we praise ouryou prayer.
ALL:
Ho - ly Spi - rit in the glo - ry of God the
Fa - ther.
For you a-lone are the Ho - ly One, you a - lone arethe Lord,
A -
-
men.
A -
-
men.
you a - lone are the Most High, Je - sus Christ, with the
A
- - - men.
ALL:
Ho -rit in the glo - ry of God the Fa - ther.
- ly Spi
mer- cy on
have us.
ALL:
A - - men. A - - men.
re - ceive our prayer.
A - - - men.
ALL:
Opening Collect
The priest prays the collect. All respond Amen.
ALL:
re - ceive our prayer.
LITURGY OF THE WORD
Reading I Genesis 2:18-24
General Intercessions
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Preparation of the Altar and Gifts
Richard Proulx
Ho - ly, ho - ly, ho - ly Lord, God of pow - er and might.
Hea - ven and earth are full of your glo - ry. Ho -
san - na, ho - san - na, ho - san -na in the high - est. Bless -ed is
2.
he who comes in the name of the Lord. Ho - san na, ho -
1.
san - na, ho - san -na in the high - est. Ho - high - est.
Dy - ing you des - troyed our death, ris - ing you re -
stored our life. Lord Je - sus, come in
glo - ry, Lord Je - sus, come in glo - ry.
Great Amen Mass for the City
Richard Proulx
A - men, a - men, a - - men!
COMMUNION RITE
The Lord’s Prayer traditional chant
Our
Fa
- ther,
who art
in heav
- en,
- lowed
hal be name;
thy
Our
Fa- ther, who art in heav - en, hal bethyname;
-lowed
thy - dom
king come; bedone
thywill on as it is in heav
earth - en.
thy -dom come;
king
thywill bedone on earth as it is in heav - en.
Give this
us day
our -ly bread;
dai and for us
-give our - pass
tres -es
Give
us this day our dai -ly bread; usour tres- pass
andfor-give -es
aswe forgive those who tres-pass us;
a - gainst and us
lead not
in - to
aswe forgive
those
who tres -pass a - gainst us; and lead us not in - to
temp
- ta - tion,
de
but - er us
- liv from e - vil.
temp
- tion,
- taPriest: Deliver de - livSavior
usbutLord...our - er us fromChrist.
Jesus e - vil.
For
king
the - dom,
power
the
and
the
For
the king
- dom,
power
the and
the
- ry are
glo
yours, and
now for
ev -
er.
mer - cy on us. Lamb of God, you take a- way the
sins of the world: grant us peace, grant us peace.
Communion
heart is full of joy. I re - ceived the liv - ing
God, and my heart is full of joy.
CONCLUDING RITES
Final Blessing and Dismissal
Organ Postlude
________________________________________________________________
Musical Remarks
This week our parish choir has begun to sing at the 10:30am Mass on Sun-
days. The ensemble prepares music from all time periods and appropri-
ate genres, from Gregorian Chant -- the official music of the Church -- to
liturgical music of the present-day. This week at Communion, the choir
sings the ancient Latin hymn Ave verum Corpus (“Hail, true Body”), which
is a short Eucharistic hymn from the 14th century attributed to Pope In-
nocent VI. In addition to this traditional Gregorian Chant setting sung by
the parish choir, the hymn text has been set to music by great composers
such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Edward Elgar, and William Byrd. -B. G.
Permissions: Glory to God music by Calvin M. Bower. All rights reserved, reprinted with permission of the composer. Psalm 128:
May the Lord bless and protect us all the days of our life music by A. Gregory Murray © GIA Publication, Inc. All rights reserved,
reprinted with permission under Onelicense.net #A-715895. Gospel Acclamation music by A. Gregory Murray © GIA Publication,
Inc. All rights reserved, reprinted with permission under Onelicense.net #A-715895. Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation, and Great
Amen from Mass for the City. Music by Richard Proulx © GIA Publication, Inc. All rights reserved, reprinted with permission
under Onelicense.net #A-715895. Lamb of God music by Richard Proulx © GIA Publication, Inc. All rights reserved, reprinted
with permission under Onelicense.net #A-715895. I Received the Living God music by Richard Proulx © GIA Publication, Inc.
All rights reserved, reprinted with permission under Onelicense.net #A-715895. All other selections in the public domain.