∫ [Piano music] ∫
The following presentation is made possible
By the generosity of the viewers
Of Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls in Chicago.
Good morning, and welcome
To Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
Today we celebrate the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
My name is Dan Riley.
I am joined by Tom McNamara and Molly Riley,
And our celebrant is Father Scott Donahue,
President of Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
∫ Creator of the stars of night, ∫
∫ your people’s everlasting light, ∫
∫ o Christ, redeemer of us all, ∫
∫ we pray you hear us when we call. ∫
∫ in sorrow that the ancient curse ∫
∫ should be doomed to death a universe. ∫
∫ you came, o savior, to set free ∫
∫ your own in glorious liberty. ∫
We gather together as a community of believers
Around the table of the Lord to celebrate the Eucharist.
To give thanks to God as together we praise God.
And we do so in the name of the Father,
And of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
-Amen.
The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ,
And the love of God,
And the communion of the Holy Spirit
Be with each of you.
-and with your spirit.
My friends, we pause for a moment.
We give gratitude to God.
We also acknowledge our faults and failings,
And we seek the Lord’s merciful and loving forgiveness.
Lord Jesus, you are the Son of God, and the Son of Mary.
Lord, have mercy.
-Lord, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you are the prince of peace and the king of kings.
Christ, have mercy.
-Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you are God’s Word made flesh,
And the splendor of the Father.
Lord, have mercy.
-Lord, have mercy.
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us of our sin,
And bring us to life everlasting.
-Amen.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ glory to God in the highest, ∫
∫ and on earth peace to people of good will. ∫
∫ glory to God in the highest, ∫
∫ and on earth peace to people of good will. ∫
My friends, let us pray.
O God, who show the light of your truth
To those who go astray,
So that they may return to the right path.
Give all those for the faith that they profess,
And are accounted as Christians,
The grace to reject whatever is contrary to the name of Christ,
And to strive after all that does it honor.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God forever and ever.
-Amen.
A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
“thus says the Lord,
Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down,
And do not return there till they have watered the earth,
Making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one
Who sows and bread to the one who eats,
So shall my Word be that goes forth from my mouth.
My Word shall not return to me, void,
But shall do my will, achieving the end of which I sent it.”
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ the seed that falls on good ground ∫
∫ will yield a fruitful harvest. ∫
∫ the seed that falls on good ground ∫
∫ will yield a fruitful harvest. ∫
∫ you visit the earth, give it water. ∫
∫ you fill it with riches. ∫
∫ God’s ever flowing river brims over to prepare the grain. ∫
∫ the seed that falls on good ground ∫
∫ will yield a fruitful harvest. ∫
A reading from the letter of St. Paul to the romans.
Brothers and sisters, I consider that the sufferings
Of this present time are as nothing compared
With the glory to be revealed for us.
For creation awaits with eager expectation,
The revelation of the children of God.
For creation was made subject to futility,
Not of its own accord,
But because of the one who subjected it,
In hope that creation itself would be set free
From slavery to corruption
And share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know that all creation is groaning
In labor pains even until now.
And not only that, but we ourselves,
Who have the first fruits of the spirit,
We also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption
The redemption of our bodies.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ∫
∫ alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ∫
∫ the seed is the Word of God, Christ is the sower. ∫
∫ all who come to him will have life forever. ∫
∫ alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ∫
The Lord be with each of you.
-and with your spirit.
Ours is a reading taken from the Holy Gospel,
According to St. Matthew.
-glory to you, O Lord.
On that day, Jesus went out of the house
And he sat down by the sea.
Such a large crowd gathered around him
That he got into a boat and he sat down.
And the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables saying,
“a sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path.
The birds came and they ate it up.
Some seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep.
But when the sun rose, it was scorched
And it was withered for lack of roots.
Some of the seed fell among the thorns
And the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit
A hundred or sixty or thirty-fold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.
The Gospel of the Lord.
-praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Yesterday I had a wonderful privilege
Of baptizing a little boy by the name of Cormac.
Now Cormac is the fourth generation of this family
That I’ve known ever since I was ordained a deacon.
Forty-two years ago.
I knew Cormac’s great grandparents very well.
They were in the parish community.
And they had a deep and a full faith.
They were there every Sunday
And they were there with their children.
And through that experience I came to know
The children as well.
And some of them became very good friends of mine.
In fact, one of them is on our board here,
At Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
I baptized their children as well.
One of their daughters, third generation,
Has worked here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls
And she worked here for a while.
And now is exploring a fuller career.
And yesterday I baptized her son
And her husband’s son Cormac.
Four generations.
And what a privilege that’s been for me.
What a privilege it is to participate
In the life of a family.
As I read the Gospel,
It’s all about what the Gospel is saying today.
It’s about a deep faith with firm roots
Planted strongly into the ground
And nurtured by faith, by hope, by love.
That’s what the Lord is encouraging us and inviting us
To have a strong faith that is rooted deeply in the ground.
The soil of his heart and of his love.
To be nourished by the Lord.
To come to know the Lord.
To spread the good news of being disciples of the Lord.
You know, faith is a wonderful gift
And it’s a gift from God.
There’s nothing we do to earn our faith.
It simply comes as gift from God.
And we’re invited to embrace that faith,
To nurture and nourish that faith,
And then to share that faith with others.
So that seed that is planted,
Talking four, five, six generations about this family
All the way back to Ireland and more.
It’s been nurtured over time.
I’m sure it had ups and downs in the genealogy of the family.
Every family has its ups and downs.
But they nurtured it over time.
It didn’t wither.
It didn’t dry up.
It didn’t get carried away by a bird.
It was a faith that was rooted in the love of Christ
And in the love of the Gospel
And is passed on from generation to generation.
We’re all called to do that.
Let’s profess what it is we believe:
I believe in one God, Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
Of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
The only begotten Son of God,
Born of the Father before all ages,
God from God, light from light,
True God from true God,
Begotten not made,
Consubstantial with the Father,
Through him all things were made.
For us, for our salvation, he came down from heaven.
And by the power of the Holy Spirit
Was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man.
For our sake, he was crucified under Pontius Pilate.
He suffered death and was buried and rose again on the third day
In fulfillment of the scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
And is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
To judge the living and the dead.
And of his kingdom there will be no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
The Lord, the giver of life,
Who proceeds from the Father and Son,
With the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
Who has spoken to the prophets.
I believe in one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
I look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
And the life of the world to come.
Amen.
We take this opportunity now
As we place our hopes and dreams
Before the Lord who loves us dearly.
Our response to each prayer will be,
‘Lord, hear our prayer.’
For leaders of the Catholic Church,
May they be guided by the Holy Spirit
In wisdom and compassion,
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord, hear our prayer.
For leaders of world nations,
May they work to relieve poverty and justice,
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord, hear our prayer.
For the children of Mercy Home,
May they enjoy a happy and healthy summer,
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord, hear our prayer.
For those who have not heard the Gospel message,
May their ears and hearts be open to God,
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord, hear our prayer.
Gracious and loving God, we trust, we know
That you hear all of our prayers,
The prayers we pray out loud,
And those prayers that rest in the quiet of our hearts.
Give us the grace and the strength and the courage
To share our faith with others through Christ, our Lord.
-Amen.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ [piano music continues] ∫
Pray, my friends, my sisters and brothers,
That this our sacrifice may be acceptable to God,
The Father almighty.
-may the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands
For the praise and glory of his name,
For our good and the good of all his holy Church.
Look upon the offering of the Church, O Lord,
As she makes her prayer to you.
And grant that when consumed by those who believe
They may bring everlasting greatness and holiness
And share it with others through Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
The Lord is with you.
-and with your spirit.
Lift up your hearts.
-we lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God.
-it is right and just.
It is truly right and just,
Our duty and our salvation,
Always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God,
Through Christ, our Lord.
For out of compassion for the waywardness that is ours,
He humbled himself,
And he was born of the Virgin Mary.
By the passion of the cross,
He freed us from unending death.
By rising from the dead,
He has given us life eternal.
And so with the angels and with the archangels,
With thrones and dominions,
With all the hosts and the powers of heaven,
We sing the hymn of your glory,
As without end we acclaim:
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ holy, holy, holy ∫
∫ Lord God of hosts. ∫
∫ heaven and earth are full of your glory. ∫
∫ hosanna in the highest. ∫
∫ blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. ∫
∫ hosanna in the highest. ∫
You are indeed holy, O Lord, the fount of all holiness.
Make holy therefore these gifts, we pray,
By sending down your spirit upon them like the dew falls,
So that they become for us the body and blood
Of our Lord Jesus Christ.
At the time that he was betrayed
And entered willingly into his passion,
He took bread and giving thanks, he broke it.
He gave it to his disciples saying,
“take this, all of you, and eat of it,
“for this is my body which will be given up for you.”
In a similar way when the supper was ended,
He took the chalice, and once more giving thanks,
He gave it to his disciples saying,
“take this, all of you, and drink from it,
“for this is the chalice of my blood,
“the blood of the new and the eternal covenant,
“which will be poured out for you and for many
“for the forgiveness of sins.
“do this in memory of me.”
The mystery of faith.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ when we eat this bread and drink this cup, ∫
∫ we proclaim your death, O Lord, ∫
∫ until you come again. ∫
Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial of his death
And his resurrection, we offer to you, Lord,
The bread of life and the chalice of salvation,
Giving thanks, you’ve held us worthy
To be in your presence and minister to you.
Humbly, we pray that partaking of the body and blood of Christ,
We may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.
Remember, Lord, your Church, spread throughout the world
And bring her to the fullness of charity.
Together with Leo, our Pope, Blasé…, our Bishop,
And with all your faith-filled people.
Remember also our sisters and our brothers
Who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection
And all of those who have died in your mercy.
Welcome them into the light of your presence.
Have mercy on us all, we pray,
That with the blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of God,
With her blessed spouse, Joseph,
With the blessed Apostles and with the martyrs,
With all the saints that have pleased you
Throughout the ages, that we may merit to be coheirs
To eternal life and may praise and glorify you
Through your Son, Jesus Christ.
Through him and with him and in him,
O God, almighty Father,
In the unity of the Holy Spirit,
All glory and honor is yours forever and ever.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ Amen, Amen, Amen. ∫
One of my favorite passages in the scripture
Is when Jesus’ disciples came up to him
And they said, “Lord, teach us how to pray.”
And he said to them and he says to us,
“when you pray, pray like this:”
Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil
And graciously grant peace in our day,
That by the help of your mercy,
We may be freed from sin and saved from all distress
As we await the blessed hope
And the coming of our savior, Jesus Christ.
-for the kingdom, the power,
And the glory are yours now and forever.
Lord Jesus Christ, who said to his Apostles,
Peace I leave you, it is my peace that I give to you.
Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church,
And graciously grant her peace and unity
In accordance with your will,
Who lives and reigns forever and ever.
-Amen.
The peace of the risen Lord be with each of you.
-and with your spirit.
For those of you who are at home
Celebrating this Eucharist with us here
At Mercy Home for Boys and Girls,
We wish you God’s choicest blessings in life
And the peace of Christ.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ Lamb of God; ∫
∫ you take away the sins of the world, ∫
∫ have mercy on us. ∫
∫ Lamb of God; ∫
∫ you take away the sins of the world, ∫
∫ have mercy on us. ∫
∫ Lamb of God; ∫
∫ you take away the sins of the world, ∫
∫ grant us peace. ∫
And my friends, behold Jesus, the Lamb of God,
Who takes away the sins of the world,
The bread of life that comes down from heaven.
Blessed are those invited to the supper of the Lamb.
-Lord, I’m not worthy that you should enter under my roof,
But only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
∫ [piano music] ∫
For those of you at home,
Please turn to page six in your TV Mass guide
And join in singing our communion song,
‘Not for tongues of heaven’s angels.’
∫ not for tongues of heavens angels, ∫
∫ not for wisdom to discern, ∫
∫ not for faith at master’s mountains, ∫
∫ for this better gift we yearn: ∫
∫ may love be ours, Lord; ∫
∫ may love be ours. ∫
∫ may love be ours, O Lord. ∫
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ love is humble, love is gentle, ∫
∫ love is tender, true, and kind; ∫
∫ love is gracious, ever patient, ∫
∫ generous of heart and mind. ∫
∫ may love be ours, Lord; ∫
∫ may love be ours. ∫
∫ may love be ours, O Lord. ∫
I invite you to turn to page six of the TV Mass guide
That we have here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
And please pray with me the prayer
That we have for the children:
Our Lady of Mercy, we pray that you will guide, protect,
And bless all boys and girls
Who this day have a home called mercy.
May they find the Father’s mercy
As we offer them our hearts.
In the name of your Son, Jesus Christ,
May they see God’s mercy in action
Through our love, prayer, and sacrifices.
We continue our prayer.
Having consumed these gifts, we pray, O Lord,
That by our participation in this holy mystery,
Its saving effects upon us may grow
Through Christ our Lord.
-Amen.
And before the final blessing,
I want to thank all of you for the ways in which
You support our home here
At Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
Through your prayers and your generosity,
The ways in which you pray for our children
And for my coworkers, it is so deeply appreciated.
And so the Lord is with you.
-and with your spirit.
May the many blessings of almighty God,
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
Come upon all of you, your family members and friends,
And remain with you forever.
-Amen.
Our Mass has ended, go in peace.
-thanks be to God.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ sent forth by God’s blessing, ∫
∫ our true faith confessing, ∫
∫ the people of God from this dwelling take leave. ∫
∫ our prayer here has ended, ∫
∫ o now be extended, ∫
∫ the fruits of our worship in all who believe, ∫
∫ the seed of Christ teaching, ∫
∫ our inner souls reaching, ∫
∫ shall blossom in action for God and for all. ∫
∫ God’s grace shall incite us, ∫
∫ in love shall unite us, ∫
∫ to further God’s kingdom and answer the call. ∫
∫ with praise and thanksgiving to God who is living, ∫
∫ the tasks of our everyday life we embrace. ∫
∫ our faith ever sharing… ∫
Hello my friends, as you know, as I know,
This tv ministry at Mercy Home is so important.
It allows us to gather wherever you may be
To participate in the prayer of the Church.
It allows us to pray for one another
And how important it is.
It allows you and me to pray for the children
Here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
We’re nourished by our presence together
And by the celebration of the Eucharist.
I just want to take this opportunity
To thank you so very much for the ways in which you support
This Mass here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
Please consider doing that going forward as well.
And may God bless you and your family and your friends
For all you do for the tv Mass
At Mercy Home and for our children.
The music for the broadcast of Sunday Mass at Mercy Home
Is generously provided by GIA publications incorporated
And its world library publications division.
∫ [piano music] ∫

∫ [Piano music] ∫
The following presentation is made possible
By the generosity of the viewers
Of Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls in Chicago.
Good morning, and welcome
To Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
Today we celebrate the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
My name is Dan Riley.
I am joined by Tom McNamara and Molly Riley,
And our celebrant is Father Scott Donahue,
President of Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
∫ Creator of the stars of night, ∫
∫ your people’s everlasting light, ∫
∫ o Christ, redeemer of us all, ∫
∫ we pray you hear us when we call. ∫
∫ in sorrow that the ancient curse ∫
∫ should be doomed to death a universe. ∫
∫ you came, o savior, to set free ∫
∫ your own in glorious liberty. ∫
We gather together as a community of believers
Around the table of the Lord to celebrate the Eucharist.
To give thanks to God as together we praise God.
And we do so in the name of the Father,
And of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
-Amen.
The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ,
And the love of God,
And the communion of the Holy Spirit
Be with each of you.
-and with your spirit.
My friends, we pause for a moment.
We give gratitude to God.
We also acknowledge our faults and failings,
And we seek the Lord’s merciful and loving forgiveness.
Lord Jesus, you are the Son of God, and the Son of Mary.
Lord, have mercy.
-Lord, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you are the prince of peace and the king of kings.
Christ, have mercy.
-Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you are God’s Word made flesh,
And the splendor of the Father.
Lord, have mercy.
-Lord, have mercy.
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us of our sin,
And bring us to life everlasting.
-Amen.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ glory to God in the highest, ∫
∫ and on earth peace to people of good will. ∫
∫ glory to God in the highest, ∫
∫ and on earth peace to people of good will. ∫
My friends, let us pray.
O God, who show the light of your truth
To those who go astray,
So that they may return to the right path.
Give all those for the faith that they profess,
And are accounted as Christians,
The grace to reject whatever is contrary to the name of Christ,
And to strive after all that does it honor.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God forever and ever.
-Amen.
A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
“thus says the Lord,
Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down,
And do not return there till they have watered the earth,
Making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one
Who sows and bread to the one who eats,
So shall my Word be that goes forth from my mouth.
My Word shall not return to me, void,
But shall do my will, achieving the end of which I sent it.”
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ the seed that falls on good ground ∫
∫ will yield a fruitful harvest. ∫
∫ the seed that falls on good ground ∫
∫ will yield a fruitful harvest. ∫
∫ you visit the earth, give it water. ∫
∫ you fill it with riches. ∫
∫ God’s ever flowing river brims over to prepare the grain. ∫
∫ the seed that falls on good ground ∫
∫ will yield a fruitful harvest. ∫
A reading from the letter of St. Paul to the romans.
Brothers and sisters, I consider that the sufferings
Of this present time are as nothing compared
With the glory to be revealed for us.
For creation awaits with eager expectation,
The revelation of the children of God.
For creation was made subject to futility,
Not of its own accord,
But because of the one who subjected it,
In hope that creation itself would be set free
From slavery to corruption
And share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know that all creation is groaning
In labor pains even until now.
And not only that, but we ourselves,
Who have the first fruits of the spirit,
We also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption
The redemption of our bodies.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ∫
∫ alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ∫
∫ the seed is the Word of God, Christ is the sower. ∫
∫ all who come to him will have life forever. ∫
∫ alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ∫
The Lord be with each of you.
-and with your spirit.
Ours is a reading taken from the Holy Gospel,
According to St. Matthew.
-glory to you, O Lord.
On that day, Jesus went out of the house
And he sat down by the sea.
Such a large crowd gathered around him
That he got into a boat and he sat down.
And the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables saying,
“a sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path.
The birds came and they ate it up.
Some seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep.
But when the sun rose, it was scorched
And it was withered for lack of roots.
Some of the seed fell among the thorns
And the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit
A hundred or sixty or thirty-fold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.
The Gospel of the Lord.
-praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Yesterday I had a wonderful privilege
Of baptizing a little boy by the name of Cormac.
Now Cormac is the fourth generation of this family
That I’ve known ever since I was ordained a deacon.
Forty-two years ago.
I knew Cormac’s great grandparents very well.
They were in the parish community.
And they had a deep and a full faith.
They were there every Sunday
And they were there with their children.
And through that experience I came to know
The children as well.
And some of them became very good friends of mine.
In fact, one of them is on our board here,
At Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
I baptized their children as well.
One of their daughters, third generation,
Has worked here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls
And she worked here for a while.
And now is exploring a fuller career.
And yesterday I baptized her son
And her husband’s son Cormac.
Four generations.
And what a privilege that’s been for me.
What a privilege it is to participate
In the life of a family.
As I read the Gospel,
It’s all about what the Gospel is saying today.
It’s about a deep faith with firm roots
Planted strongly into the ground
And nurtured by faith, by hope, by love.
That’s what the Lord is encouraging us and inviting us
To have a strong faith that is rooted deeply in the ground.
The soil of his heart and of his love.
To be nourished by the Lord.
To come to know the Lord.
To spread the good news of being disciples of the Lord.
You know, faith is a wonderful gift
And it’s a gift from God.
There’s nothing we do to earn our faith.
It simply comes as gift from God.
And we’re invited to embrace that faith,
To nurture and nourish that faith,
And then to share that faith with others.
So that seed that is planted,
Talking four, five, six generations about this family
All the way back to Ireland and more.
It’s been nurtured over time.
I’m sure it had ups and downs in the genealogy of the family.
Every family has its ups and downs.
But they nurtured it over time.
It didn’t wither.
It didn’t dry up.
It didn’t get carried away by a bird.
It was a faith that was rooted in the love of Christ
And in the love of the Gospel
And is passed on from generation to generation.
We’re all called to do that.
Let’s profess what it is we believe:
I believe in one God, Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
Of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
The only begotten Son of God,
Born of the Father before all ages,
God from God, light from light,
True God from true God,
Begotten not made,
Consubstantial with the Father,
Through him all things were made.
For us, for our salvation, he came down from heaven.
And by the power of the Holy Spirit
Was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man.
For our sake, he was crucified under Pontius Pilate.
He suffered death and was buried and rose again on the third day
In fulfillment of the scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
And is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
To judge the living and the dead.
And of his kingdom there will be no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
The Lord, the giver of life,
Who proceeds from the Father and Son,
With the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
Who has spoken to the prophets.
I believe in one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
I look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
And the life of the world to come.
Amen.
We take this opportunity now
As we place our hopes and dreams
Before the Lord who loves us dearly.
Our response to each prayer will be,
‘Lord, hear our prayer.’
For leaders of the Catholic Church,
May they be guided by the Holy Spirit
In wisdom and compassion,
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord, hear our prayer.
For leaders of world nations,
May they work to relieve poverty and justice,
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord, hear our prayer.
For the children of Mercy Home,
May they enjoy a happy and healthy summer,
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord, hear our prayer.
For those who have not heard the Gospel message,
May their ears and hearts be open to God,
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord, hear our prayer.
Gracious and loving God, we trust, we know
That you hear all of our prayers,
The prayers we pray out loud,
And those prayers that rest in the quiet of our hearts.
Give us the grace and the strength and the courage
To share our faith with others through Christ, our Lord.
-Amen.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ [piano music continues] ∫
Pray, my friends, my sisters and brothers,
That this our sacrifice may be acceptable to God,
The Father almighty.
-may the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands
For the praise and glory of his name,
For our good and the good of all his holy Church.
Look upon the offering of the Church, O Lord,
As she makes her prayer to you.
And grant that when consumed by those who believe
They may bring everlasting greatness and holiness
And share it with others through Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
The Lord is with you.
-and with your spirit.
Lift up your hearts.
-we lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God.
-it is right and just.
It is truly right and just,
Our duty and our salvation,
Always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God,
Through Christ, our Lord.
For out of compassion for the waywardness that is ours,
He humbled himself,
And he was born of the Virgin Mary.
By the passion of the cross,
He freed us from unending death.
By rising from the dead,
He has given us life eternal.
And so with the angels and with the archangels,
With thrones and dominions,
With all the hosts and the powers of heaven,
We sing the hymn of your glory,
As without end we acclaim:
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ holy, holy, holy ∫
∫ Lord God of hosts. ∫
∫ heaven and earth are full of your glory. ∫
∫ hosanna in the highest. ∫
∫ blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. ∫
∫ hosanna in the highest. ∫
You are indeed holy, O Lord, the fount of all holiness.
Make holy therefore these gifts, we pray,
By sending down your spirit upon them like the dew falls,
So that they become for us the body and blood
Of our Lord Jesus Christ.
At the time that he was betrayed
And entered willingly into his passion,
He took bread and giving thanks, he broke it.
He gave it to his disciples saying,
“take this, all of you, and eat of it,
“for this is my body which will be given up for you.”
In a similar way when the supper was ended,
He took the chalice, and once more giving thanks,
He gave it to his disciples saying,
“take this, all of you, and drink from it,
“for this is the chalice of my blood,
“the blood of the new and the eternal covenant,
“which will be poured out for you and for many
“for the forgiveness of sins.
“do this in memory of me.”
The mystery of faith.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ when we eat this bread and drink this cup, ∫
∫ we proclaim your death, O Lord, ∫
∫ until you come again. ∫
Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial of his death
And his resurrection, we offer to you, Lord,
The bread of life and the chalice of salvation,
Giving thanks, you’ve held us worthy
To be in your presence and minister to you.
Humbly, we pray that partaking of the body and blood of Christ,
We may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.
Remember, Lord, your Church, spread throughout the world
And bring her to the fullness of charity.
Together with Leo, our Pope, Blasé…, our Bishop,
And with all your faith-filled people.
Remember also our sisters and our brothers
Who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection
And all of those who have died in your mercy.
Welcome them into the light of your presence.
Have mercy on us all, we pray,
That with the blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of God,
With her blessed spouse, Joseph,
With the blessed Apostles and with the martyrs,
With all the saints that have pleased you
Throughout the ages, that we may merit to be coheirs
To eternal life and may praise and glorify you
Through your Son, Jesus Christ.
Through him and with him and in him,
O God, almighty Father,
In the unity of the Holy Spirit,
All glory and honor is yours forever and ever.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ Amen, Amen, Amen. ∫
One of my favorite passages in the scripture
Is when Jesus’ disciples came up to him
And they said, “Lord, teach us how to pray.”
And he said to them and he says to us,
“when you pray, pray like this:”
Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil
And graciously grant peace in our day,
That by the help of your mercy,
We may be freed from sin and saved from all distress
As we await the blessed hope
And the coming of our savior, Jesus Christ.
-for the kingdom, the power,
And the glory are yours now and forever.
Lord Jesus Christ, who said to his Apostles,
Peace I leave you, it is my peace that I give to you.
Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church,
And graciously grant her peace and unity
In accordance with your will,
Who lives and reigns forever and ever.
-Amen.
The peace of the risen Lord be with each of you.
-and with your spirit.
For those of you who are at home
Celebrating this Eucharist with us here
At Mercy Home for Boys and Girls,
We wish you God’s choicest blessings in life
And the peace of Christ.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ Lamb of God; ∫
∫ you take away the sins of the world, ∫
∫ have mercy on us. ∫
∫ Lamb of God; ∫
∫ you take away the sins of the world, ∫
∫ have mercy on us. ∫
∫ Lamb of God; ∫
∫ you take away the sins of the world, ∫
∫ grant us peace. ∫
And my friends, behold Jesus, the Lamb of God,
Who takes away the sins of the world,
The bread of life that comes down from heaven.
Blessed are those invited to the supper of the Lamb.
-Lord, I’m not worthy that you should enter under my roof,
But only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
∫ [piano music] ∫
For those of you at home,
Please turn to page six in your TV Mass guide
And join in singing our communion song,
‘Not for tongues of heaven’s angels.’
∫ not for tongues of heavens angels, ∫
∫ not for wisdom to discern, ∫
∫ not for faith at master’s mountains, ∫
∫ for this better gift we yearn: ∫
∫ may love be ours, Lord; ∫
∫ may love be ours. ∫
∫ may love be ours, O Lord. ∫
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ love is humble, love is gentle, ∫
∫ love is tender, true, and kind; ∫
∫ love is gracious, ever patient, ∫
∫ generous of heart and mind. ∫
∫ may love be ours, Lord; ∫
∫ may love be ours. ∫
∫ may love be ours, O Lord. ∫
I invite you to turn to page six of the TV Mass guide
That we have here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
And please pray with me the prayer
That we have for the children:
Our Lady of Mercy, we pray that you will guide, protect,
And bless all boys and girls
Who this day have a home called mercy.
May they find the Father’s mercy
As we offer them our hearts.
In the name of your Son, Jesus Christ,
May they see God’s mercy in action
Through our love, prayer, and sacrifices.
We continue our prayer.
Having consumed these gifts, we pray, O Lord,
That by our participation in this holy mystery,
Its saving effects upon us may grow
Through Christ our Lord.
-Amen.
And before the final blessing,
I want to thank all of you for the ways in which
You support our home here
At Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
Through your prayers and your generosity,
The ways in which you pray for our children
And for my coworkers, it is so deeply appreciated.
And so the Lord is with you.
-and with your spirit.
May the many blessings of almighty God,
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
Come upon all of you, your family members and friends,
And remain with you forever.
-Amen.
Our Mass has ended, go in peace.
-thanks be to God.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ sent forth by God’s blessing, ∫
∫ our true faith confessing, ∫
∫ the people of God from this dwelling take leave. ∫
∫ our prayer here has ended, ∫
∫ o now be extended, ∫
∫ the fruits of our worship in all who believe, ∫
∫ the seed of Christ teaching, ∫
∫ our inner souls reaching, ∫
∫ shall blossom in action for God and for all. ∫
∫ God’s grace shall incite us, ∫
∫ in love shall unite us, ∫
∫ to further God’s kingdom and answer the call. ∫
∫ with praise and thanksgiving to God who is living, ∫
∫ the tasks of our everyday life we embrace. ∫
∫ our faith ever sharing… ∫
Hello my friends, as you know, as I know,
This tv ministry at Mercy Home is so important.
It allows us to gather wherever you may be
To participate in the prayer of the Church.
It allows us to pray for one another
And how important it is.
It allows you and me to pray for the children
Here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
We’re nourished by our presence together
And by the celebration of the Eucharist.
I just want to take this opportunity
To thank you so very much for the ways in which you support
This Mass here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
Please consider doing that going forward as well.
And may God bless you and your family and your friends
For all you do for the tv Mass
At Mercy Home and for our children.
The music for the broadcast of Sunday Mass at Mercy Home
Is generously provided by GIA publications incorporated
And its world library publications division.
∫ [piano music] ∫

∫ [Piano music] ∫
The following presentation is made possible
By the generosity of the viewers
Of Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls in Chicago.
Good morning, and welcome
To Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
Today we celebrate the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
My name is Dan Riley.
I am joined by Tom McNamara and Molly Riley,
And our celebrant is Father Scott Donahue,
President of Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
∫ Creator of the stars of night, ∫
∫ your people’s everlasting light, ∫
∫ o Christ, redeemer of us all, ∫
∫ we pray you hear us when we call. ∫
∫ in sorrow that the ancient curse ∫
∫ should be doomed to death a universe. ∫
∫ you came, o savior, to set free ∫
∫ your own in glorious liberty. ∫
We gather together as a community of believers
Around the table of the Lord to celebrate the Eucharist.
To give thanks to God as together we praise God.
And we do so in the name of the Father,
And of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
-Amen.
The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ,
And the love of God,
And the communion of the Holy Spirit
Be with each of you.
-and with your spirit.
My friends, we pause for a moment.
We give gratitude to God.
We also acknowledge our faults and failings,
And we seek the Lord’s merciful and loving forgiveness.
Lord Jesus, you are the Son of God, and the Son of Mary.
Lord, have mercy.
-Lord, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you are the prince of peace and the king of kings.
Christ, have mercy.
-Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you are God’s Word made flesh,
And the splendor of the Father.
Lord, have mercy.
-Lord, have mercy.
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us of our sin,
And bring us to life everlasting.
-Amen.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ glory to God in the highest, ∫
∫ and on earth peace to people of good will. ∫
∫ glory to God in the highest, ∫
∫ and on earth peace to people of good will. ∫
My friends, let us pray.
O God, who show the light of your truth
To those who go astray,
So that they may return to the right path.
Give all those for the faith that they profess,
And are accounted as Christians,
The grace to reject whatever is contrary to the name of Christ,
And to strive after all that does it honor.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God forever and ever.
-Amen.
A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
“thus says the Lord,
Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down,
And do not return there till they have watered the earth,
Making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one
Who sows and bread to the one who eats,
So shall my Word be that goes forth from my mouth.
My Word shall not return to me, void,
But shall do my will, achieving the end of which I sent it.”
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ the seed that falls on good ground ∫
∫ will yield a fruitful harvest. ∫
∫ the seed that falls on good ground ∫
∫ will yield a fruitful harvest. ∫
∫ you visit the earth, give it water. ∫
∫ you fill it with riches. ∫
∫ God’s ever flowing river brims over to prepare the grain. ∫
∫ the seed that falls on good ground ∫
∫ will yield a fruitful harvest. ∫
A reading from the letter of St. Paul to the romans.
Brothers and sisters, I consider that the sufferings
Of this present time are as nothing compared
With the glory to be revealed for us.
For creation awaits with eager expectation,
The revelation of the children of God.
For creation was made subject to futility,
Not of its own accord,
But because of the one who subjected it,
In hope that creation itself would be set free
From slavery to corruption
And share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know that all creation is groaning
In labor pains even until now.
And not only that, but we ourselves,
Who have the first fruits of the spirit,
We also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption
The redemption of our bodies.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ∫
∫ alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ∫
∫ the seed is the Word of God, Christ is the sower. ∫
∫ all who come to him will have life forever. ∫
∫ alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ∫
The Lord be with each of you.
-and with your spirit.
Ours is a reading taken from the Holy Gospel,
According to St. Matthew.
-glory to you, O Lord.
On that day, Jesus went out of the house
And he sat down by the sea.
Such a large crowd gathered around him
That he got into a boat and he sat down.
And the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables saying,
“a sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path.
The birds came and they ate it up.
Some seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep.
But when the sun rose, it was scorched
And it was withered for lack of roots.
Some of the seed fell among the thorns
And the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit
A hundred or sixty or thirty-fold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.
The Gospel of the Lord.
-praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Yesterday I had a wonderful privilege
Of baptizing a little boy by the name of Cormac.
Now Cormac is the fourth generation of this family
That I’ve known ever since I was ordained a deacon.
Forty-two years ago.
I knew Cormac’s great grandparents very well.
They were in the parish community.
And they had a deep and a full faith.
They were there every Sunday
And they were there with their children.
And through that experience I came to know
The children as well.
And some of them became very good friends of mine.
In fact, one of them is on our board here,
At Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
I baptized their children as well.
One of their daughters, third generation,
Has worked here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls
And she worked here for a while.
And now is exploring a fuller career.
And yesterday I baptized her son
And her husband’s son Cormac.
Four generations.
And what a privilege that’s been for me.
What a privilege it is to participate
In the life of a family.
As I read the Gospel,
It’s all about what the Gospel is saying today.
It’s about a deep faith with firm roots
Planted strongly into the ground
And nurtured by faith, by hope, by love.
That’s what the Lord is encouraging us and inviting us
To have a strong faith that is rooted deeply in the ground.
The soil of his heart and of his love.
To be nourished by the Lord.
To come to know the Lord.
To spread the good news of being disciples of the Lord.
You know, faith is a wonderful gift
And it’s a gift from God.
There’s nothing we do to earn our faith.
It simply comes as gift from God.
And we’re invited to embrace that faith,
To nurture and nourish that faith,
And then to share that faith with others.
So that seed that is planted,
Talking four, five, six generations about this family
All the way back to Ireland and more.
It’s been nurtured over time.
I’m sure it had ups and downs in the genealogy of the family.
Every family has its ups and downs.
But they nurtured it over time.
It didn’t wither.
It didn’t dry up.
It didn’t get carried away by a bird.
It was a faith that was rooted in the love of Christ
And in the love of the Gospel
And is passed on from generation to generation.
We’re all called to do that.
Let’s profess what it is we believe:
I believe in one God, Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
Of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
The only begotten Son of God,
Born of the Father before all ages,
God from God, light from light,
True God from true God,
Begotten not made,
Consubstantial with the Father,
Through him all things were made.
For us, for our salvation, he came down from heaven.
And by the power of the Holy Spirit
Was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man.
For our sake, he was crucified under Pontius Pilate.
He suffered death and was buried and rose again on the third day
In fulfillment of the scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
And is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
To judge the living and the dead.
And of his kingdom there will be no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
The Lord, the giver of life,
Who proceeds from the Father and Son,
With the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
Who has spoken to the prophets.
I believe in one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
I look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
And the life of the world to come.
Amen.
We take this opportunity now
As we place our hopes and dreams
Before the Lord who loves us dearly.
Our response to each prayer will be,
‘Lord, hear our prayer.’
For leaders of the Catholic Church,
May they be guided by the Holy Spirit
In wisdom and compassion,
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord, hear our prayer.
For leaders of world nations,
May they work to relieve poverty and justice,
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord, hear our prayer.
For the children of Mercy Home,
May they enjoy a happy and healthy summer,
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord, hear our prayer.
For those who have not heard the Gospel message,
May their ears and hearts be open to God,
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord, hear our prayer.
Gracious and loving God, we trust, we know
That you hear all of our prayers,
The prayers we pray out loud,
And those prayers that rest in the quiet of our hearts.
Give us the grace and the strength and the courage
To share our faith with others through Christ, our Lord.
-Amen.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ [piano music continues] ∫
Pray, my friends, my sisters and brothers,
That this our sacrifice may be acceptable to God,
The Father almighty.
-may the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands
For the praise and glory of his name,
For our good and the good of all his holy Church.
Look upon the offering of the Church, O Lord,
As she makes her prayer to you.
And grant that when consumed by those who believe
They may bring everlasting greatness and holiness
And share it with others through Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
The Lord is with you.
-and with your spirit.
Lift up your hearts.
-we lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God.
-it is right and just.
It is truly right and just,
Our duty and our salvation,
Always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God,
Through Christ, our Lord.
For out of compassion for the waywardness that is ours,
He humbled himself,
And he was born of the Virgin Mary.
By the passion of the cross,
He freed us from unending death.
By rising from the dead,
He has given us life eternal.
And so with the angels and with the archangels,
With thrones and dominions,
With all the hosts and the powers of heaven,
We sing the hymn of your glory,
As without end we acclaim:
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ holy, holy, holy ∫
∫ Lord God of hosts. ∫
∫ heaven and earth are full of your glory. ∫
∫ hosanna in the highest. ∫
∫ blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. ∫
∫ hosanna in the highest. ∫
You are indeed holy, O Lord, the fount of all holiness.
Make holy therefore these gifts, we pray,
By sending down your spirit upon them like the dew falls,
So that they become for us the body and blood
Of our Lord Jesus Christ.
At the time that he was betrayed
And entered willingly into his passion,
He took bread and giving thanks, he broke it.
He gave it to his disciples saying,
“take this, all of you, and eat of it,
“for this is my body which will be given up for you.”
In a similar way when the supper was ended,
He took the chalice, and once more giving thanks,
He gave it to his disciples saying,
“take this, all of you, and drink from it,
“for this is the chalice of my blood,
“the blood of the new and the eternal covenant,
“which will be poured out for you and for many
“for the forgiveness of sins.
“do this in memory of me.”
The mystery of faith.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ when we eat this bread and drink this cup, ∫
∫ we proclaim your death, O Lord, ∫
∫ until you come again. ∫
Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial of his death
And his resurrection, we offer to you, Lord,
The bread of life and the chalice of salvation,
Giving thanks, you’ve held us worthy
To be in your presence and minister to you.
Humbly, we pray that partaking of the body and blood of Christ,
We may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.
Remember, Lord, your Church, spread throughout the world
And bring her to the fullness of charity.
Together with Leo, our Pope, Blasé…, our Bishop,
And with all your faith-filled people.
Remember also our sisters and our brothers
Who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection
And all of those who have died in your mercy.
Welcome them into the light of your presence.
Have mercy on us all, we pray,
That with the blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of God,
With her blessed spouse, Joseph,
With the blessed Apostles and with the martyrs,
With all the saints that have pleased you
Throughout the ages, that we may merit to be coheirs
To eternal life and may praise and glorify you
Through your Son, Jesus Christ.
Through him and with him and in him,
O God, almighty Father,
In the unity of the Holy Spirit,
All glory and honor is yours forever and ever.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ Amen, Amen, Amen. ∫
One of my favorite passages in the scripture
Is when Jesus’ disciples came up to him
And they said, “Lord, teach us how to pray.”
And he said to them and he says to us,
“when you pray, pray like this:”
Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil
And graciously grant peace in our day,
That by the help of your mercy,
We may be freed from sin and saved from all distress
As we await the blessed hope
And the coming of our savior, Jesus Christ.
-for the kingdom, the power,
And the glory are yours now and forever.
Lord Jesus Christ, who said to his Apostles,
Peace I leave you, it is my peace that I give to you.
Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church,
And graciously grant her peace and unity
In accordance with your will,
Who lives and reigns forever and ever.
-Amen.
The peace of the risen Lord be with each of you.
-and with your spirit.
For those of you who are at home
Celebrating this Eucharist with us here
At Mercy Home for Boys and Girls,
We wish you God’s choicest blessings in life
And the peace of Christ.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ Lamb of God; ∫
∫ you take away the sins of the world, ∫
∫ have mercy on us. ∫
∫ Lamb of God; ∫
∫ you take away the sins of the world, ∫
∫ have mercy on us. ∫
∫ Lamb of God; ∫
∫ you take away the sins of the world, ∫
∫ grant us peace. ∫
And my friends, behold Jesus, the Lamb of God,
Who takes away the sins of the world,
The bread of life that comes down from heaven.
Blessed are those invited to the supper of the Lamb.
-Lord, I’m not worthy that you should enter under my roof,
But only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
∫ [piano music] ∫
For those of you at home,
Please turn to page six in your TV Mass guide
And join in singing our communion song,
‘Not for tongues of heaven’s angels.’
∫ not for tongues of heavens angels, ∫
∫ not for wisdom to discern, ∫
∫ not for faith at master’s mountains, ∫
∫ for this better gift we yearn: ∫
∫ may love be ours, Lord; ∫
∫ may love be ours. ∫
∫ may love be ours, O Lord. ∫
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ love is humble, love is gentle, ∫
∫ love is tender, true, and kind; ∫
∫ love is gracious, ever patient, ∫
∫ generous of heart and mind. ∫
∫ may love be ours, Lord; ∫
∫ may love be ours. ∫
∫ may love be ours, O Lord. ∫
I invite you to turn to page six of the TV Mass guide
That we have here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
And please pray with me the prayer
That we have for the children:
Our Lady of Mercy, we pray that you will guide, protect,
And bless all boys and girls
Who this day have a home called mercy.
May they find the Father’s mercy
As we offer them our hearts.
In the name of your Son, Jesus Christ,
May they see God’s mercy in action
Through our love, prayer, and sacrifices.
We continue our prayer.
Having consumed these gifts, we pray, O Lord,
That by our participation in this holy mystery,
Its saving effects upon us may grow
Through Christ our Lord.
-Amen.
And before the final blessing,
I want to thank all of you for the ways in which
You support our home here
At Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
Through your prayers and your generosity,
The ways in which you pray for our children
And for my coworkers, it is so deeply appreciated.
And so the Lord is with you.
-and with your spirit.
May the many blessings of almighty God,
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
Come upon all of you, your family members and friends,
And remain with you forever.
-Amen.
Our Mass has ended, go in peace.
-thanks be to God.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ sent forth by God’s blessing, ∫
∫ our true faith confessing, ∫
∫ the people of God from this dwelling take leave. ∫
∫ our prayer here has ended, ∫
∫ o now be extended, ∫
∫ the fruits of our worship in all who believe, ∫
∫ the seed of Christ teaching, ∫
∫ our inner souls reaching, ∫
∫ shall blossom in action for God and for all. ∫
∫ God’s grace shall incite us, ∫
∫ in love shall unite us, ∫
∫ to further God’s kingdom and answer the call. ∫
∫ with praise and thanksgiving to God who is living, ∫
∫ the tasks of our everyday life we embrace. ∫
∫ our faith ever sharing… ∫
Hello my friends, as you know, as I know,
This tv ministry at Mercy Home is so important.
It allows us to gather wherever you may be
To participate in the prayer of the Church.
It allows us to pray for one another
And how important it is.
It allows you and me to pray for the children
Here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
We’re nourished by our presence together
And by the celebration of the Eucharist.
I just want to take this opportunity
To thank you so very much for the ways in which you support
This Mass here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
Please consider doing that going forward as well.
And may God bless you and your family and your friends
For all you do for the tv Mass
At Mercy Home and for our children.
The music for the broadcast of Sunday Mass at Mercy Home
Is generously provided by GIA publications incorporated
And its world library publications division.
∫ [piano music] ∫

Yesterday I had a wonderful privilege
Of baptizing a little boy by the name of Cormac.
Now Cormac is the fourth generation of this family
That I’ve known ever since I was ordained a deacon.
Forty-two years ago.
I knew Cormac’s great grandparents very well.
They were in the parish community.
And they had a deep and a full faith.
They were there every Sunday
And they were there with their children.
And through that experience I came to know
The children as well.
And some of them became very good friends of mine.
In fact, one of them is on our board here,
At Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
I baptized their children as well.
One of their daughters, third generation,
Has worked here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls
And she worked here for a while.
And now is exploring a fuller career.
And yesterday I baptized her son
And her husband’s son Cormac.
Four generations.
And what a privilege that’s been for me.
What a privilege it is to participate
In the life of a family.
As I read the Gospel,
It’s all about what the Gospel is saying today.
It’s about a deep faith with firm roots
Planted strongly into the ground
And nurtured by faith, by hope, by love.
That’s what the Lord is encouraging us and inviting us
To have a strong faith that is rooted deeply in the ground.
The soil of his heart and of his love.
To be nourished by the Lord.
To come to know the Lord.
To spread the good news of being disciples of the Lord.
You know, faith is a wonderful gift
And it’s a gift from God.
There’s nothing we do to earn our faith.
It simply comes as gift from God.
And we’re invited to embrace that faith,
To nurture and nourish that faith,
And then to share that faith with others.
So that seed that is planted,
Talking four, five, six generations about this family
All the way back to Ireland and more.
It’s been nurtured over time.
I’m sure it had ups and downs in the genealogy of the family.
Every family has its ups and downs.
But they nurtured it over time.
It didn’t wither.
It didn’t dry up.
It didn’t get carried away by a bird.
It was a faith that was rooted in the love of Christ
And in the love of the Gospel
And is passed on from generation to generation.
We’re all called to do that.