Presider: Fr. Chuck Hanel
Parish: Queen of Apostles
Choir: Family of Four Parishes

TEXT FROM THE HOMILY

I'd like to begin by thinking a little bit about the first reading. We don't normally do that. We usually concentrate more on the gospel but the first reading caught my imagination. From wisdom, talking about God and you know how often do we really reflect upon God and who God is? It says "Before the Lord the whole universe is as a grain from a balance or a drop of morning dew." the whole universe! Think of it. Think of the universe. I mean it's beyond most of our imaginations, the galaxies and the all the light years and all that. We barely know what's going on in the moon. You know that orbits the earth. The whole universe. God knows as a grain. A grain! On the balance, that doesn't affect the balance on a balance thing. And that's just our universe. In the imagination of God there are billions of universes that he God I should say, can imagine but for whatever reason decided not to create those. He may have created a bunch of them. Some he didn't because you know he only creates those things that he loves. And so if something is something he abhors I believe it says, he will not create it. So just for starters, my goodness, it's mind blowing to think about God. And then not only that but the unlimited nature of the universe and universes even that God is capable of creating. It says that he loves them all! He loves everything. If he didn't love it he wouldn't have created it. And then it comes to us. That part of God's creation that the only the only creature that we know of that can sin. Did you ever think of that? A dog, a cat, an ameba can't sin. Only we can. But how does God deal with that? He, it says in the reading, that he overlooks our sins so that we may repent. He doesn't overlook them because he doesn't care about them. He overlooks them with the hope that we will repent. And what beautiful more beautiful story of that is our gospel from Zaccaeus. Zaccaeus climbs that sycamore tree Jesus knows Zaccaeus. The crowd knows Zaccaeus. He's sitting there in that tree in a very vulnerable position. Is he not? I mean if the Lord saw him and decided to tell him all of his sins. Can you imagine? He was a sitting duck right there. But that's not what Jesus says. Jesus overlooked his sins and said, “Zaccaeus, I’m coming over.” And um, and that's where Zaccaeus repents. He doesn't repent because Jesus gives him a guilt trip. He repents because Jesus showed him love. And then he comes down and then performs a penance that I have never given in my whole life of hearing confessions. He says, I'm going to give half my belongings away to the poor and if I've cheated anyone, I'll pay it back fourfold. A tougher penance was never given by a confessor. But here Zaccaeus is so joyful that he does this extra wonderful thing with joy. Our God is a wonderful God and we can praise him for his mercy and love.

Entrance: I Come With Joy
Text: Brian Wren, b.1936, © 1971, 1995, Hope Publishing Co.
Tune: LAND OF REST, CM; American; harm. by Annabel M. Buchanan, 1888-1983

Psalm 145: I Will Praise Your Name
Text: Psalm 145:1–2, 8–9, 10–11, 13cd–14; The Revised Grail Psalms, © 2010, Conception Abbey and The Grail, admin. by GIA Publications, Inc.
Music: Paschal Jordan, OSB, © 1986, GIA Publications, Inc.

Preparation: Amazing Grace
Text: St. 1-4, John Newton, 1725-1807; st. 5, attr. to John Rees, fl.1859
Tune: NEW BRITAIN, CM; Virginia Harmony, 1831; harm. by Edwin O. Excell, 1851-1921

Communion: Draw Near
Text: Sancti, venite, Christi corpus sumite, 7th C.; tr. by John M. Neale, 1818–1866, alt.
Tune: NEALE, 10 10 10 10 with refrain; Steven R. Janco, b.1961, © 1992, World Library Publications, a division of GIA Publications, Inc.

Sending Forth: Glory and Praise To Out God
Text: Based on Psalms 65, 66. Text and music © 1976, OCP. All rights reserved.

Mass Setting: Mass of Joy and Peace
Text: ICEL, © 2010
Music: Mass of Joy and Peace, Tony Alonso, © 2010, GIA Publications, Inc.

Permission to podcast/stream the music in this liturgy obtained from ONE LICENSE, License No. A-718591.



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