∫ [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 17th 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.
∫ here in this place, new light is streaming. ∫
∫ now is the darkness vanished away. ∫
∫ see in this space our fears and our dreamings, ∫
∫ brought here to you in the light of this day. ∫
∫ gather us in, the lost and forsaken. ∫
∫ gather us in, the blind and the lame. ∫
∫ call to us now and we shall awaken. ∫
∫ we shall arise at the sound of our name. ∫
Together we gather round the table of the Lord
To celebrate the Eucharist.
To give thanks to our 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, as we gather each time we pause for a moment.
We count the blessings that God has given to us.
We acknowledge our faults and failings
And we ask God for forgiveness.
Lord Jesus you are the way that leads us to the Father.
Lord have mercy.
-Lord have mercy.
Lord Jesus your word, your truth reveals God’s love for us.
Christ have mercy.
-Christ have mercy.
Lord Jesus through your own life and death and Resurrection,
We find a new life in you.
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, protector of those who hope in you,
Without whom nothing has a firm foundation and nothing is holy.
Bestow in abundance your mercy upon us
And grant that with you at our ruler and as our guide.
We may use the good things that pass in such a way
As to hold fast even now to those things
That endure forever.
Through our Lord, Jesus Christ your Son
Who lives and reigns with us in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God forever and ever.
-Amen.
A reading from the First Book of Kings.
The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night.
God said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.”
Solomon answered, “O Lord my God, you have made me,
Your servant, king to secede my Father David.
But I am a mere youth not knowing at all how to act.
I serve you in the midst of the people whom you have chosen,
A people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted.
Give your servant therefore an understanding heart
To judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.
For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?”
The Lord was pleased that Solomon made this request.
So God said to him, “Because you have asked for this,
Not for a long life for yourself, not for riches,
Not for the life of your enemies,
But for understanding that so you may know what is right,
I do as you requested.
I give you a heart so wise in understanding
That there has never been anyone like you up to now
And after you there will come no one to equal you.”
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ Lord, I love your commands. ∫
∫ Lord, I love your commands. ∫
∫ I have said, O Lord, ∫
∫ “My portion is to obey your words.” ∫
∫ the law from your mouth means more to me ∫
∫ than large quantities of silver and gold. ∫
∫ Lord, I love your commands. ∫
A reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Romans.
Brothers and sisters,
We know that all things work for good
For those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
For those he foreknew, he also predestined
To be conformed to the image of his Son,
So that he might be the firstborn
Among many brothers and sisters.
And those he predestined, he also called.
And those he called, he also justified.
And those he justified, he also glorified.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. ∫
∫ Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. ∫
∫ blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, ∫
∫ for you have revealed to little ones ∫
∫ the mysteries of the Kingdom. ∫
∫ 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.
Jesus said this to his disciples,
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
Which a person finds and hides again.
And out of joy goes and sells all
That they have and buys the field.”
Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant
Searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price,
He goes and he sells all that he has and buys it.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
So I know as I preach this homily,
And if my sister hears it, I’ll be getting a phone call.
But it’s a true story, and it’s one of my
Favorite stories about my oldest sister, Kathy.
Now I’m blessed.
I have two older sisters and a younger brother,
Four of us in our family.
And we really are a very tight family,
And I love my siblings.
And from that, all the nieces and nephews
And grand nieces and nephews.
Now it’s wonderful.
When we were younger, I remember this moment very clearly.
My dad had passed away, and my mother had decided
That it was time to sell the house.
We had all moved out and gone to college
And were working in our livelihoods.
And so when it was time to sell everything
Or get rid of the stuff in the house,
We helped my mom move,
My sister Kathy and I were up in the attic.
And we were sitting in the attic
And we were just going through things,
What to keep, what to get rid of, what to give away.
And my sister comes across my grandfather’s suitcase.
So I watch her open the suitcase, and she opens it,
And I noticed she kind of shifted her body,
And so I couldn’t see what was in the suitcase.
So I knew it had to be something good.
So I watched her, and sure enough,
She reaches into the suitcase and she pulled out a ring box.
I went, “Oh, this is good.”
And she opens the ring box, and the next thing I know,
She screams and she throws it across the attic.
I thought, “What in the world?”
So I got up and I looked in the ring box,
And what was in there was my grandfather’s
Glass eye, his eyeball.
I said, “Oh, you were hoping for a little diamond
Or something, weren’t you, sis?”
You know, but she got the glass eyeball,
The treasure, the pearl of great price, not.
I tease her about that all the time.
That pearl of great price, that treasure that
We’re willing to sell everything for so that we might own it.
The pearl or the treasure.
This Gospel passage is a wonderful Gospel passage
For all of us to reflect on
And truly to spend some time with.
What is the pearl of great price in your life?
What is the treasure that you’re willing to sell
Everything for and to buy the fields
So that you might possess the treasure?
You know, initially the Gospel is talking about things.
It’s talking about a piece of jewelry,
Or it’s talking about treasure, gold in a chest.
When we really spend time with ourselves
And do some reflection,
We know what the true treasure in our life is.
We know what the pearl of great price is for all of us.
We know that which funds and deepens our faith in the Lord.
I call it the four pillars of what holds all of us up.
Our faith.
Our faith is one of those great treasures in our life.
It truly is the pearl of great price.
And where would we be without our faith?
Our families.
Our families are a great treasure to us.
And the truth of the matter is
Every family has its ups and downs.
My family, your family, all families.
But how important it is that we have family members
That we know that love us and that we can love in return.
And generation after generation, and my family now,
It’s four generations that I’ve come to know and to love.
But our faith, our family.
And what would we do without our friends?
Those people who choose to be friends with us,
And we choose to be friends with.
People that we have similar interests or not.
People that we can laugh with and share our stories with.
People who are with us in the ups and the downs of life.
How blessed we are.
They are truly a treasure and pearl in our life.
Faith, family, friends, and the last of the four
Is work that contributes.
That we find in all of our lives
The gifts that God has given to us.
Simply as gift not to keep, but to share with others.
Faith, family, friends, and meaningful work
To build up the Kingdom of God here and now.
Let us profess what it is we believe:
I believe in one God, Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth,
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.
Consistent with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven.
And by 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 accordance with 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 will there be no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
Who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is adored and glorified.
Who has spoken through 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 own prayers
And our hopes and our dreams,
For our own families, for our community,
For our Church and for the world.
Before the Lord who loves us dearly.
Our response to each prayer will be: ‘Lord hear our prayer.’
For our holy Father and Church leaders,
May their words inspire people to use their spiritual gifts.
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord hear our prayer.
For the leaders of all nations,
May they work in solidarity for world peace.
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord hear our prayer.
For the youth of Mercy Home, may their summer break
Help them continue their path to healing.
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord hear our prayer.
For those who love and care for us,
May we return that same love and care to them.
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord hear our prayer.
We pray too, always the prayer of the angels in heaven.
That there might be peace on earth and good will towards all.
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord hear our prayer.
Gracious, loving God, giver of every good gift.
Help us to appreciate the gifts that you’ve given to us.
And help us to share them freely 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.
Accept, O Lord, we pray, the offerings which we bring
From the abundance of your many gifts.
That through the powerful working of your grace,
These most sacred mysteries may be
Simultaneously our gift and our present
To you and our way of life that leads us to eternal gladness.
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 salvation,
Always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Father most holy,
Through your beloved Son, Jesus Christ
Your word through whom you made all things.
Whom you sent as our savior and redeemer,
Incarnate by the Holy Spirit and born by the Virgin Mary.
Fulfilling your will and gaining for you a holy people
He stretched out his hands as he endured his Passion.
So as to break the bonds of death
And to manifest the Resurrection.
And so with the angels and with all the Saints
We declare your glory as with one voice 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 that you’ve held us worthy
To be in your presence and minister to you.
Humbly we pray that partaking in the Body and Blood of Christ
We may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.
Remember Lord your Church spread throughout the world,
Bring her to the fullness of charity.
Together with Leo our Pope,
Blas… 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. ∫
And gathered with his friends,
With his Apostles, with his disciples,
Jesus taught them and teaches us how to pray:
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,
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.
Offer one another a sign of the Lord’s peace.
And with those of you who are celebrating this Mass,
With us here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls,
We pray that you receive God’s choicest blessings
And the peace of Christ in your lives.
∫ [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. ∫
My friends, behold Jesus.
Behold 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 masters mountains, ∫
∫ for this better gift we yearn. ∫
∫ may love be ours Lord, may love be ours, ∫
∫ may love be ours O Lord. ∫
∫ [piano music] ∫
And we continue our prayer.
We have consumed, O Lord, this divine sacrament,
The perpetual memorial of the Passion of your Son.
Now grant, we pray, that this gift which he himself
Gave us with the love beyond all telling,
May profit us for our salvation through Christ our Lord.
-Amen.
For the final blessing, I just want to thank
All of our folks who support Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
I want to thank all of you who celebrate this Eucharist
With us in your own homes
Throughout the Chicagoland area and beyond.
I want to thank all of my co-workers
Who are really the backbone of Mercy Home –
Working with our children, day in and day out.
As I offer this final blessing, 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 down upon all of you, your family members,
And with your friends, and remain with you forever.
-Amen.
Our Mass has ended. Go in peace.
-Thanks be to God.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ I know that my redeemer lives! ∫
∫ what joy this blest assurance gives! ∫
∫ he lives, he lives who once was dead; ∫
∫ he lives… ∫
My friends, I just want to thank you for the ways
In which you support the TV Mass here
At Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
Let us continue to pray for one another.
Please consider making an offering
So that we can keep the TV Mass on the air.
May God bless you, your family members, and your friends.
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 17th 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.
∫ here in this place, new light is streaming. ∫
∫ now is the darkness vanished away. ∫
∫ see in this space our fears and our dreamings, ∫
∫ brought here to you in the light of this day. ∫
∫ gather us in, the lost and forsaken. ∫
∫ gather us in, the blind and the lame. ∫
∫ call to us now and we shall awaken. ∫
∫ we shall arise at the sound of our name. ∫
Together we gather round the table of the Lord
To celebrate the Eucharist.
To give thanks to our 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, as we gather each time we pause for a moment.
We count the blessings that God has given to us.
We acknowledge our faults and failings
And we ask God for forgiveness.
Lord Jesus you are the way that leads us to the Father.
Lord have mercy.
-Lord have mercy.
Lord Jesus your word, your truth reveals God’s love for us.
Christ have mercy.
-Christ have mercy.
Lord Jesus through your own life and death and Resurrection,
We find a new life in you.
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, protector of those who hope in you,
Without whom nothing has a firm foundation and nothing is holy.
Bestow in abundance your mercy upon us
And grant that with you at our ruler and as our guide.
We may use the good things that pass in such a way
As to hold fast even now to those things
That endure forever.
Through our Lord, Jesus Christ your Son
Who lives and reigns with us in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God forever and ever.
-Amen.
A reading from the First Book of Kings.
The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night.
God said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.”
Solomon answered, “O Lord my God, you have made me,
Your servant, king to secede my Father David.
But I am a mere youth not knowing at all how to act.
I serve you in the midst of the people whom you have chosen,
A people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted.
Give your servant therefore an understanding heart
To judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.
For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?”
The Lord was pleased that Solomon made this request.
So God said to him, “Because you have asked for this,
Not for a long life for yourself, not for riches,
Not for the life of your enemies,
But for understanding that so you may know what is right,
I do as you requested.
I give you a heart so wise in understanding
That there has never been anyone like you up to now
And after you there will come no one to equal you.”
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ Lord, I love your commands. ∫
∫ Lord, I love your commands. ∫
∫ I have said, O Lord, ∫
∫ “My portion is to obey your words.” ∫
∫ the law from your mouth means more to me ∫
∫ than large quantities of silver and gold. ∫
∫ Lord, I love your commands. ∫
A reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Romans.
Brothers and sisters,
We know that all things work for good
For those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
For those he foreknew, he also predestined
To be conformed to the image of his Son,
So that he might be the firstborn
Among many brothers and sisters.
And those he predestined, he also called.
And those he called, he also justified.
And those he justified, he also glorified.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. ∫
∫ Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. ∫
∫ blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, ∫
∫ for you have revealed to little ones ∫
∫ the mysteries of the Kingdom. ∫
∫ 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.
Jesus said this to his disciples,
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
Which a person finds and hides again.
And out of joy goes and sells all
That they have and buys the field.”
Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant
Searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price,
He goes and he sells all that he has and buys it.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
So I know as I preach this homily,
And if my sister hears it, I’ll be getting a phone call.
But it’s a true story, and it’s one of my
Favorite stories about my oldest sister, Kathy.
Now I’m blessed.
I have two older sisters and a younger brother,
Four of us in our family.
And we really are a very tight family,
And I love my siblings.
And from that, all the nieces and nephews
And grand nieces and nephews.
Now it’s wonderful.
When we were younger, I remember this moment very clearly.
My dad had passed away, and my mother had decided
That it was time to sell the house.
We had all moved out and gone to college
And were working in our livelihoods.
And so when it was time to sell everything
Or get rid of the stuff in the house,
We helped my mom move,
My sister Kathy and I were up in the attic.
And we were sitting in the attic
And we were just going through things,
What to keep, what to get rid of, what to give away.
And my sister comes across my grandfather’s suitcase.
So I watch her open the suitcase, and she opens it,
And I noticed she kind of shifted her body,
And so I couldn’t see what was in the suitcase.
So I knew it had to be something good.
So I watched her, and sure enough,
She reaches into the suitcase and she pulled out a ring box.
I went, “Oh, this is good.”
And she opens the ring box, and the next thing I know,
She screams and she throws it across the attic.
I thought, “What in the world?”
So I got up and I looked in the ring box,
And what was in there was my grandfather’s
Glass eye, his eyeball.
I said, “Oh, you were hoping for a little diamond
Or something, weren’t you, sis?”
You know, but she got the glass eyeball,
The treasure, the pearl of great price, not.
I tease her about that all the time.
That pearl of great price, that treasure that
We’re willing to sell everything for so that we might own it.
The pearl or the treasure.
This Gospel passage is a wonderful Gospel passage
For all of us to reflect on
And truly to spend some time with.
What is the pearl of great price in your life?
What is the treasure that you’re willing to sell
Everything for and to buy the fields
So that you might possess the treasure?
You know, initially the Gospel is talking about things.
It’s talking about a piece of jewelry,
Or it’s talking about treasure, gold in a chest.
When we really spend time with ourselves
And do some reflection,
We know what the true treasure in our life is.
We know what the pearl of great price is for all of us.
We know that which funds and deepens our faith in the Lord.
I call it the four pillars of what holds all of us up.
Our faith.
Our faith is one of those great treasures in our life.
It truly is the pearl of great price.
And where would we be without our faith?
Our families.
Our families are a great treasure to us.
And the truth of the matter is
Every family has its ups and downs.
My family, your family, all families.
But how important it is that we have family members
That we know that love us and that we can love in return.
And generation after generation, and my family now,
It’s four generations that I’ve come to know and to love.
But our faith, our family.
And what would we do without our friends?
Those people who choose to be friends with us,
And we choose to be friends with.
People that we have similar interests or not.
People that we can laugh with and share our stories with.
People who are with us in the ups and the downs of life.
How blessed we are.
They are truly a treasure and pearl in our life.
Faith, family, friends, and the last of the four
Is work that contributes.
That we find in all of our lives
The gifts that God has given to us.
Simply as gift not to keep, but to share with others.
Faith, family, friends, and meaningful work
To build up the Kingdom of God here and now.
Let us profess what it is we believe:
I believe in one God, Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth,
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.
Consistent with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven.
And by 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 accordance with 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 will there be no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
Who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is adored and glorified.
Who has spoken through 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 own prayers
And our hopes and our dreams,
For our own families, for our community,
For our Church and for the world.
Before the Lord who loves us dearly.
Our response to each prayer will be: ‘Lord hear our prayer.’
For our holy Father and Church leaders,
May their words inspire people to use their spiritual gifts.
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord hear our prayer.
For the leaders of all nations,
May they work in solidarity for world peace.
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord hear our prayer.
For the youth of Mercy Home, may their summer break
Help them continue their path to healing.
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord hear our prayer.
For those who love and care for us,
May we return that same love and care to them.
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord hear our prayer.
We pray too, always the prayer of the angels in heaven.
That there might be peace on earth and good will towards all.
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord hear our prayer.
Gracious, loving God, giver of every good gift.
Help us to appreciate the gifts that you’ve given to us.
And help us to share them freely 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.
Accept, O Lord, we pray, the offerings which we bring
From the abundance of your many gifts.
That through the powerful working of your grace,
These most sacred mysteries may be
Simultaneously our gift and our present
To you and our way of life that leads us to eternal gladness.
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 salvation,
Always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Father most holy,
Through your beloved Son, Jesus Christ
Your word through whom you made all things.
Whom you sent as our savior and redeemer,
Incarnate by the Holy Spirit and born by the Virgin Mary.
Fulfilling your will and gaining for you a holy people
He stretched out his hands as he endured his Passion.
So as to break the bonds of death
And to manifest the Resurrection.
And so with the angels and with all the Saints
We declare your glory as with one voice 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 that you’ve held us worthy
To be in your presence and minister to you.
Humbly we pray that partaking in the Body and Blood of Christ
We may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.
Remember Lord your Church spread throughout the world,
Bring her to the fullness of charity.
Together with Leo our Pope,
Blas… 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. ∫
And gathered with his friends,
With his Apostles, with his disciples,
Jesus taught them and teaches us how to pray:
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,
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.
Offer one another a sign of the Lord’s peace.
And with those of you who are celebrating this Mass,
With us here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls,
We pray that you receive God’s choicest blessings
And the peace of Christ in your lives.
∫ [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. ∫
My friends, behold Jesus.
Behold 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 masters mountains, ∫
∫ for this better gift we yearn. ∫
∫ may love be ours Lord, may love be ours, ∫
∫ may love be ours O Lord. ∫
∫ [piano music] ∫
And we continue our prayer.
We have consumed, O Lord, this divine sacrament,
The perpetual memorial of the Passion of your Son.
Now grant, we pray, that this gift which he himself
Gave us with the love beyond all telling,
May profit us for our salvation through Christ our Lord.
-Amen.
For the final blessing, I just want to thank
All of our folks who support Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
I want to thank all of you who celebrate this Eucharist
With us in your own homes
Throughout the Chicagoland area and beyond.
I want to thank all of my co-workers
Who are really the backbone of Mercy Home –
Working with our children, day in and day out.
As I offer this final blessing, 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 down upon all of you, your family members,
And with your friends, and remain with you forever.
-Amen.
Our Mass has ended. Go in peace.
-Thanks be to God.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ I know that my redeemer lives! ∫
∫ what joy this blest assurance gives! ∫
∫ he lives, he lives who once was dead; ∫
∫ he lives… ∫
My friends, I just want to thank you for the ways
In which you support the TV Mass here
At Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
Let us continue to pray for one another.
Please consider making an offering
So that we can keep the TV Mass on the air.
May God bless you, your family members, and your friends.
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 17th 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.
∫ here in this place, new light is streaming. ∫
∫ now is the darkness vanished away. ∫
∫ see in this space our fears and our dreamings, ∫
∫ brought here to you in the light of this day. ∫
∫ gather us in, the lost and forsaken. ∫
∫ gather us in, the blind and the lame. ∫
∫ call to us now and we shall awaken. ∫
∫ we shall arise at the sound of our name. ∫
Together we gather round the table of the Lord
To celebrate the Eucharist.
To give thanks to our 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, as we gather each time we pause for a moment.
We count the blessings that God has given to us.
We acknowledge our faults and failings
And we ask God for forgiveness.
Lord Jesus you are the way that leads us to the Father.
Lord have mercy.
-Lord have mercy.
Lord Jesus your word, your truth reveals God’s love for us.
Christ have mercy.
-Christ have mercy.
Lord Jesus through your own life and death and Resurrection,
We find a new life in you.
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, protector of those who hope in you,
Without whom nothing has a firm foundation and nothing is holy.
Bestow in abundance your mercy upon us
And grant that with you at our ruler and as our guide.
We may use the good things that pass in such a way
As to hold fast even now to those things
That endure forever.
Through our Lord, Jesus Christ your Son
Who lives and reigns with us in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God forever and ever.
-Amen.
A reading from the First Book of Kings.
The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night.
God said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.”
Solomon answered, “O Lord my God, you have made me,
Your servant, king to secede my Father David.
But I am a mere youth not knowing at all how to act.
I serve you in the midst of the people whom you have chosen,
A people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted.
Give your servant therefore an understanding heart
To judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.
For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?”
The Lord was pleased that Solomon made this request.
So God said to him, “Because you have asked for this,
Not for a long life for yourself, not for riches,
Not for the life of your enemies,
But for understanding that so you may know what is right,
I do as you requested.
I give you a heart so wise in understanding
That there has never been anyone like you up to now
And after you there will come no one to equal you.”
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ Lord, I love your commands. ∫
∫ Lord, I love your commands. ∫
∫ I have said, O Lord, ∫
∫ “My portion is to obey your words.” ∫
∫ the law from your mouth means more to me ∫
∫ than large quantities of silver and gold. ∫
∫ Lord, I love your commands. ∫
A reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Romans.
Brothers and sisters,
We know that all things work for good
For those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
For those he foreknew, he also predestined
To be conformed to the image of his Son,
So that he might be the firstborn
Among many brothers and sisters.
And those he predestined, he also called.
And those he called, he also justified.
And those he justified, he also glorified.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. ∫
∫ Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. ∫
∫ blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, ∫
∫ for you have revealed to little ones ∫
∫ the mysteries of the Kingdom. ∫
∫ 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.
Jesus said this to his disciples,
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
Which a person finds and hides again.
And out of joy goes and sells all
That they have and buys the field.”
Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant
Searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price,
He goes and he sells all that he has and buys it.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
So I know as I preach this homily,
And if my sister hears it, I’ll be getting a phone call.
But it’s a true story, and it’s one of my
Favorite stories about my oldest sister, Kathy.
Now I’m blessed.
I have two older sisters and a younger brother,
Four of us in our family.
And we really are a very tight family,
And I love my siblings.
And from that, all the nieces and nephews
And grand nieces and nephews.
Now it’s wonderful.
When we were younger, I remember this moment very clearly.
My dad had passed away, and my mother had decided
That it was time to sell the house.
We had all moved out and gone to college
And were working in our livelihoods.
And so when it was time to sell everything
Or get rid of the stuff in the house,
We helped my mom move,
My sister Kathy and I were up in the attic.
And we were sitting in the attic
And we were just going through things,
What to keep, what to get rid of, what to give away.
And my sister comes across my grandfather’s suitcase.
So I watch her open the suitcase, and she opens it,
And I noticed she kind of shifted her body,
And so I couldn’t see what was in the suitcase.
So I knew it had to be something good.
So I watched her, and sure enough,
She reaches into the suitcase and she pulled out a ring box.
I went, “Oh, this is good.”
And she opens the ring box, and the next thing I know,
She screams and she throws it across the attic.
I thought, “What in the world?”
So I got up and I looked in the ring box,
And what was in there was my grandfather’s
Glass eye, his eyeball.
I said, “Oh, you were hoping for a little diamond
Or something, weren’t you, sis?”
You know, but she got the glass eyeball,
The treasure, the pearl of great price, not.
I tease her about that all the time.
That pearl of great price, that treasure that
We’re willing to sell everything for so that we might own it.
The pearl or the treasure.
This Gospel passage is a wonderful Gospel passage
For all of us to reflect on
And truly to spend some time with.
What is the pearl of great price in your life?
What is the treasure that you’re willing to sell
Everything for and to buy the fields
So that you might possess the treasure?
You know, initially the Gospel is talking about things.
It’s talking about a piece of jewelry,
Or it’s talking about treasure, gold in a chest.
When we really spend time with ourselves
And do some reflection,
We know what the true treasure in our life is.
We know what the pearl of great price is for all of us.
We know that which funds and deepens our faith in the Lord.
I call it the four pillars of what holds all of us up.
Our faith.
Our faith is one of those great treasures in our life.
It truly is the pearl of great price.
And where would we be without our faith?
Our families.
Our families are a great treasure to us.
And the truth of the matter is
Every family has its ups and downs.
My family, your family, all families.
But how important it is that we have family members
That we know that love us and that we can love in return.
And generation after generation, and my family now,
It’s four generations that I’ve come to know and to love.
But our faith, our family.
And what would we do without our friends?
Those people who choose to be friends with us,
And we choose to be friends with.
People that we have similar interests or not.
People that we can laugh with and share our stories with.
People who are with us in the ups and the downs of life.
How blessed we are.
They are truly a treasure and pearl in our life.
Faith, family, friends, and the last of the four
Is work that contributes.
That we find in all of our lives
The gifts that God has given to us.
Simply as gift not to keep, but to share with others.
Faith, family, friends, and meaningful work
To build up the Kingdom of God here and now.
Let us profess what it is we believe:
I believe in one God, Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth,
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.
Consistent with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven.
And by 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 accordance with 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 will there be no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
Who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is adored and glorified.
Who has spoken through 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 own prayers
And our hopes and our dreams,
For our own families, for our community,
For our Church and for the world.
Before the Lord who loves us dearly.
Our response to each prayer will be: ‘Lord hear our prayer.’
For our holy Father and Church leaders,
May their words inspire people to use their spiritual gifts.
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord hear our prayer.
For the leaders of all nations,
May they work in solidarity for world peace.
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord hear our prayer.
For the youth of Mercy Home, may their summer break
Help them continue their path to healing.
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord hear our prayer.
For those who love and care for us,
May we return that same love and care to them.
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord hear our prayer.
We pray too, always the prayer of the angels in heaven.
That there might be peace on earth and good will towards all.
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord hear our prayer.
Gracious, loving God, giver of every good gift.
Help us to appreciate the gifts that you’ve given to us.
And help us to share them freely 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.
Accept, O Lord, we pray, the offerings which we bring
From the abundance of your many gifts.
That through the powerful working of your grace,
These most sacred mysteries may be
Simultaneously our gift and our present
To you and our way of life that leads us to eternal gladness.
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 salvation,
Always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Father most holy,
Through your beloved Son, Jesus Christ
Your word through whom you made all things.
Whom you sent as our savior and redeemer,
Incarnate by the Holy Spirit and born by the Virgin Mary.
Fulfilling your will and gaining for you a holy people
He stretched out his hands as he endured his Passion.
So as to break the bonds of death
And to manifest the Resurrection.
And so with the angels and with all the Saints
We declare your glory as with one voice 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 that you’ve held us worthy
To be in your presence and minister to you.
Humbly we pray that partaking in the Body and Blood of Christ
We may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.
Remember Lord your Church spread throughout the world,
Bring her to the fullness of charity.
Together with Leo our Pope,
Blas… 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. ∫
And gathered with his friends,
With his Apostles, with his disciples,
Jesus taught them and teaches us how to pray:
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,
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.
Offer one another a sign of the Lord’s peace.
And with those of you who are celebrating this Mass,
With us here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls,
We pray that you receive God’s choicest blessings
And the peace of Christ in your lives.
∫ [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. ∫
My friends, behold Jesus.
Behold 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 masters mountains, ∫
∫ for this better gift we yearn. ∫
∫ may love be ours Lord, may love be ours, ∫
∫ may love be ours O Lord. ∫
∫ [piano music] ∫
And we continue our prayer.
We have consumed, O Lord, this divine sacrament,
The perpetual memorial of the Passion of your Son.
Now grant, we pray, that this gift which he himself
Gave us with the love beyond all telling,
May profit us for our salvation through Christ our Lord.
-Amen.
For the final blessing, I just want to thank
All of our folks who support Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
I want to thank all of you who celebrate this Eucharist
With us in your own homes
Throughout the Chicagoland area and beyond.
I want to thank all of my co-workers
Who are really the backbone of Mercy Home –
Working with our children, day in and day out.
As I offer this final blessing, 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 down upon all of you, your family members,
And with your friends, and remain with you forever.
-Amen.
Our Mass has ended. Go in peace.
-Thanks be to God.
∫ [piano music] ∫
∫ I know that my redeemer lives! ∫
∫ what joy this blest assurance gives! ∫
∫ he lives, he lives who once was dead; ∫
∫ he lives… ∫
My friends, I just want to thank you for the ways
In which you support the TV Mass here
At Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
Let us continue to pray for one another.
Please consider making an offering
So that we can keep the TV Mass on the air.
May God bless you, your family members, and your friends.
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] ∫

So I know as I preach this homily,
And if my sister hears it, I’ll be getting a phone call.
But it’s a true story, and it’s one of my
Favorite stories about my oldest sister, Kathy.
Now I’m blessed.
I have two older sisters and a younger brother,
Four of us in our family.
And we really are a very tight family,
And I love my siblings.
And from that, all the nieces and nephews
And grand nieces and nephews.
Now it’s wonderful.
When we were younger, I remember this moment very clearly.
My dad had passed away, and my mother had decided
That it was time to sell the house.
We had all moved out and gone to college
And were working in our livelihoods.
And so when it was time to sell everything
Or get rid of the stuff in the house,
We helped my mom move,
My sister Kathy and I were up in the attic.
And we were sitting in the attic
And we were just going through things,
What to keep, what to get rid of, what to give away.
And my sister comes across my grandfather’s suitcase.
So I watch her open the suitcase, and she opens it,
And I noticed she kind of shifted her body,
And so I couldn’t see what was in the suitcase.
So I knew it had to be something good.
So I watched her, and sure enough,
She reaches into the suitcase and she pulled out a ring box.
I went, “Oh, this is good.”
And she opens the ring box, and the next thing I know,
She screams and she throws it across the attic.
I thought, “What in the world?”
So I got up and I looked in the ring box,
And what was in there was my grandfather’s
Glass eye, his eyeball.
I said, “Oh, you were hoping for a little diamond
Or something, weren’t you, sis?”
You know, but she got the glass eyeball,
The treasure, the pearl of great price, not.
I tease her about that all the time.
That pearl of great price, that treasure that
We’re willing to sell everything for so that we might own it.
The pearl or the treasure.
This Gospel passage is a wonderful Gospel passage
For all of us to reflect on
And truly to spend some time with.
What is the pearl of great price in your life?
What is the treasure that you’re willing to sell
Everything for and to buy the fields
So that you might possess the treasure?
You know, initially the Gospel is talking about things.
It’s talking about a piece of jewelry,
Or it’s talking about treasure, gold in a chest.
When we really spend time with ourselves
And do some reflection,
We know what the true treasure in our life is.
We know what the pearl of great price is for all of us.
We know that which funds and deepens our faith in the Lord.
I call it the four pillars of what holds all of us up.
Our faith.
Our faith is one of those great treasures in our life.
It truly is the pearl of great price.
And where would we be without our faith?
Our families.
Our families are a great treasure to us.
And the truth of the matter is
Every family has its ups and downs.
My family, your family, all families.
But how important it is that we have family members
That we know that love us and that we can love in return.
And generation after generation, and my family now,
It’s four generations that I’ve come to know and to love.
But our faith, our family.
And what would we do without our friends?
Those people who choose to be friends with us,
And we choose to be friends with.
People that we have similar interests or not.
People that we can laugh with and share our stories with.
People who are with us in the ups and the downs of life.
How blessed we are.
They are truly a treasure and pearl in our life.
Faith, family, friends, and the last of the four
Is work that contributes.
That we find in all of our lives
The gifts that God has given to us.
Simply as gift not to keep, but to share with others.
Faith, family, friends, and meaningful work
To build up the Kingdom of God here and now.