17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentence and Prayer:

United with Christians around the world, we acknowledge one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God as our Father. We worship as one family, and pray for greater charity and love among all believers.
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O God, You open wide Your hand, giving us food in due season. Out of Your never-failing abundance, satisfy the hungers of body and soul and lead all peoples of the earth to the feast of the world to come. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.
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A Reading from the Old Testament: 2 Kings 4:42-44 (NLT)
[Elisha insists that the people be fed, and God multiplies the food so that all can share in it.]

One day a man from Baal-shalishah brought the man of God a sack of fresh grain and twenty loaves of barley bread made from the first grain of his harvest. Elisha said, “Give it to the people so they can eat.”

“What?” his servant exclaimed. “Feed a hundred people with only this?”

But Elisha repeated, “Give it to the people so they can eat, for this is what the Lord says: Everyone will eat, and there will even be some left over!” And when they gave it to the people, there was plenty for all and some left over, just as the Lord had promised.
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A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 145:10-11, 15-18 (NLT)

All of your works will thank you, Lord, and your faithful followers will praise you. They will speak of the glory of your kingdom; they will give examples of your power.
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The eyes of all look to you in hope; you give them their food as they need it. When you open your hand, you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.

The Lord is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness. The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth.
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A Reading from the Letters: Ephesians 4:1-6 (NLT)
[Paul writes from prison, calling Christians to greater unity and charity.]

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.

There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.
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A Reading from the Gospels: John 6:1-15 (NLT)
[Between now and the end of August, the Gospel each weekend will be from Chapter Six of John’s Gospel, which presents Jesus as the Bread of Life. In today’s opening section, Jesus feeds the five thousand.]

After this, Jesus crossed over to the far side of the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberias. A huge crowd kept following him wherever he went, because they saw his miraculous signs as he healed the sick. Then Jesus climbed a hill and sat down with his disciples around him. (It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration.) Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.

Philip replied, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!”

Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?”

“Tell everyone to sit down,” Jesus said. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered about 5,000.) Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted. After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, “Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.” So they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves.

When the people saw him do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!” When Jesus saw that they were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself.
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Intercessions:

God is aware of the needs of all people: let us present our concerns with confidence –

+ For all the followers of Jesus – that we may grow in unity and charity…. Lord, hear us.
+ For our brothers and sisters who are hungry – that the generosity of Christians may ensure there is food for the starving…. Lord, hear us.
+ For farmers and bakers, and all who provide bread for the world – that they may be blessed by God, who feeds people through their work…. Lord, hear us.
+ For our communities of faith that gather to worship God – that we may treat each other with care and respect…. Lord, hear us.
+ For the faithful departed, especially those who have died violently at the hands of others – that eternal peace and light may be theirs…. Lord, hear us.

You open wide Your hand, O Lord, and grant our desires: hear the cries of Your people and be with us in our needs, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hymn:

Benediction:

This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all…. If we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. (1John 1:5,7)

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen