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 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time. My name is Dan Riley. I am joined by Tom McNamera and Maad Carr. And our celebrant is Father Carl Morello.

Hail the day that sees him rise. Alleluia.

To his throne above the skies. Alleluia.

Christ the Lamb for sinners given. Alleluia.

Now ascends the highest heaven. Alleluia.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The grace, the peace, the love of God be with each of you. And with your spirit. As we remember God’s mercy and love, with confidence we call to mind our sins. Lord Jesus, you raise us to new life. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord Jesus, you forgive us our sins. Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord Jesus, you feed us with your Body and Blood. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. And may almighty God who loves us have mercy on us, forgive us any of our sins, and one day bring us to what the Eucharist points toward, the banquet of everlasting life. Amen.

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.

Let us pray. Almighty ever-living God, increase our faith, hope, and charity, and make us love what you command, so that we may merit what you promise, through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A reading from the Book of Exodus. Thus says the Lord: You shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt. You shall not wrong any widow or orphan. If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry. My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword; then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans. If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people, you shall not act like an extortioner toward him by demanding interest from him. If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, you shall return it to him before sunset; for this cloak of his is the only covering he has for his body. What else has he to sleep in? If he cries out to me, I will hear him, for I am compassionate. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

I love you, I love you, Lord, my strength. I love you, I love you, Lord, my strength. I love you, Lord, my strength. O Lord, my rock, my fortress, my Savior, my God, my rock where I take refuge, my shield, my saving strength, my stronghold. I cry out, “Praised be the Lord,” and I am saved from my foes.

I love you, I love you, Lord, my strength.

A reading from the First Letter of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians. Brothers and sisters: You know what sort of people we were among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, receiving the Word in great affliction with joy from the Holy Spirit, so that you became a model for all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For from you the Word of the Lord has sounded forth not only in Macedonia and in Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything. For they themselves openly declare about us what sort of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to await his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the coming wrath. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Alleluia.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Alleluia.

Brothers and sisters in faith, the Lord be with you. And with your spirit. This is a reading now from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew. Glory to you, O Lord. When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law, testing him, asked, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to them, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Well, Jesus asked a question that people are still asking even today, even if we don’t always say it out loud. What matters most? Out of everything that we could believe, everything that we could do, what’s at the center? And Jesus answers them with stunning simplicity. Love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself. Not 10 things, not a complicated system, just this. Love God and your neighbor. And he says the second is like the first. In other words, you cannot separate them. If we claim to love God, it has to show up in how we treat the people in front of us.

But here’s where it gets real. Because loving God can sometimes feel so abstract. Loving our neighbor is not. It’s concrete. It’s daily. And sometimes, often, it’s hard.

I’ll give you a little simple but real example. I was at the Jewel one late afternoon. The store was crowded, and I was in line with a few things that I needed to pick up for the rectory. And there was a woman in front of me with her cart that had quite a few groceries in it. And in front of her there was an elderly man with a small basket. He had milk, bread, and a frozen pizza. And that man kept fumbling with his credit card, which kept getting declined for whatever reason. And you could just start to feel the tension in the line growing. I could see that the woman was annoyed, and I was looking at my watch thinking, “Let’s get moving here.” And the poor man, you could tell he was embarrassed, and he was about to leave and go to the back of the line when this woman stepped forward quietly and said to the cashier, “I’ve got this.” And she paid for his groceries. It wasn’t a huge amount, but she paid for his groceries. And the man was stunned. I’m sure he didn’t know what to say, and all he could say was, “Thank you,” as he left.

Now, that didn’t change the world. It didn’t solve the problem of poverty or erase all suffering. But at that very moment, what I saw was love of neighbor become very real. It looked like patience instead of irritation. And I think that’s exactly what Jesus is talking about today. Loving neighbor isn’t always dramatic. Most of the time, it’s quiet. It’s choosing kindness when we could choose indifference. It’s listening when we’d rather move on. It’s forgiving when it’s easier to hold a grudge. It’s noticing the person who is overlooked.

When we live in this way, something happens. Our love for God stops being just words or rituals. It becomes visible. It becomes flesh. It becomes a way of life for us. And so today, friends, I encourage you, don’t try to do everything. Just look for one moment, one person, one opportunity to love the neighbor in front of you. Why is that important? Because in that moment, you’re not just being kind. You are living the greatest commandment. You’re living the greatest commandment to love God and neighbor.

As we strive to live by the simple commandment of Jesus to love God and neighbor, let us profess in the Apostles’ Creed. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

And now, as a people of faith, hope, and love, we bring our many needs and cares and place them in the heart of God. Our response to each prayer will be, “Lord, hear our prayer.”

For the Holy Father and all clergy who proclaim Christ’s love and mercy. May their words and actions inspire those searching for hope in their lives. We pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who have recently moved into assisted living facilities. May the Lord’s presence bring them peace in this time of transition. We pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.

For the children and benefactors of Mercy Home. May they feel the Lord’s unending love in their lives. We pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.

For those mourning the loss of a loved one. May they be comforted by the promise of the Resurrection and life eternal in God’s Kingdom. We pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.

Loving God, hear the prayers we speak out loud and all that we carry deep in our hearts as we strive to follow that commandment of Jesus in our prayers, to love God and neighbor as self, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Through the mingling of water and wine, we come to share the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share our humanity.
Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation, for through your goodness we have bread to offer, which earth has given, human hands have made. May it become for us the Bread of Life. Blessed be God forever. Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation, for through your goodness we have wine to offer, fruit of the vine, work of human hands. May it become our spiritual drink. Blessed be God forever.
Lord, wash away my iniquities and cleanse me of all sin.

Pray with me in faith that these gifts of bread and wine offered be acceptable to our almighty and loving God. May the Lord accept the sacrifice at our hands for the praise and glory of God’s name, for our good and the good of all God’s Holy Church. May these sacrificial offerings, O Lord, become for you a pure oblation and for us a holy outpouring of your mercy, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Lord be 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, almighty and eternal God, through Christ our Lord. For out of compassion for the waywardness that is ours, he humbled himself and was born of the Virgin. By the Passion of the Cross, he freed us from unending death, and by rising from the dead, he gave us life eternal. Now with all the Angels and Saints, the hosts and Powers of heaven, we sing this hymn to your glory.

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 font of all holiness. Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. At the time he was betrayed and entered willingly into his Passion, he took bread and, giving thanks, broke it. He gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this, all of you, eat of it. This is my Body, which will be given up for you.”

In a similar way, when the supper ended, he took the chalice and, once more giving thanks, he gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this, all of you, drink from it. For this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the new eternal covenant. It will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sin. Do this in memory of me.”

The mystery of our faith. When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
Now, as we celebrate the memorial of his Death and Resurrection, we offer you, Lord, the Bread of Life, the Chalice of Salvation, giving thanks that you have 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; bring her to the fullness of charity, together with Leo our Pope, Blase our Archbishop, and all who minister in your Church everywhere. We pray for all who have died in your mercy; welcome them into the light of your face. Have mercy on us all. We pray that with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with Joseph, her Spouse, with the blessed Apostles, and all the Saints who have pleased you throughout the ages, we may merit to be coheirs to eternal life and one day there praise and glorify you through your Son, Jesus Christ. Through him, with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor are yours, forever and ever.

Amen. Amen. Amen.

We pray together now as Jesus taught us. 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 this day. In your mercy, keep us free from sin. Protect us from anxiety and despair 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 your friends, “I leave you peace, my peace I give 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 live and reign forever and ever. Amen. The peace of the Lord be with you always. And with your spirit. Let us share with each other some gesture of peace. And friends, to all of you at home, from all of us here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, we extend the peace and the love of Jesus.

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.
We behold now in faith Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away our sins and the sin of the world. He calls us to remember the great commandment: love God and neighbor. Strengthened are we, sharing now the supper of the Lamb. Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed. May the Body of Christ, may the Blood of Christ, keep us safe for everlasting life. Amen. Amen.

For those of you at home, please turn to page six in your TV Mass guide and join in singing our Communion song, “Come to Me.”
[Communion song: “Come to Me”]

Let us pray. May the working of your power, O Lord, increase in us, we pray, so that, renewed by these heavenly Sacraments, we may be prepared by your gift for receiving what they promise, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

I invite you now to please join me in our special prayer for the children of Mercy Home. 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, prayers, and sacrifices.
I’d ask you in the week ahead to think about and pray over this simple command of Jesus, but one that is often difficult to follow: love God and neighbor as yourself. And let us remember, the smallest thing that we do for another helps us to live that great commandment of Jesus.

The Lord be with you. And with your spirit. May almighty God bless and strengthen us as we go forward to live out faith, hope, and love, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. We go in peace to love and serve God by our care for one another. Thanks be to God.

Come down, O Love divine, seek thou this soul of mine, and visit it with thine own ardor glowing.
O Comforter, draw near, within my heart appear, and kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing.
And so the yearning strong, with which the soul will long…

So 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.

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 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time. My name is Dan Riley. I am joined by Tom McNamera and Maad Carr. And our celebrant is Father Carl Morello.

Hail the day that sees him rise. Alleluia.

To his throne above the skies. Alleluia.

Christ the Lamb for sinners given. Alleluia.

Now ascends the highest heaven. Alleluia.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The grace, the peace, the love of God be with each of you. And with your spirit. As we remember God’s mercy and love, with confidence we call to mind our sins. Lord Jesus, you raise us to new life. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord Jesus, you forgive us our sins. Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord Jesus, you feed us with your Body and Blood. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. And may almighty God who loves us have mercy on us, forgive us any of our sins, and one day bring us to what the Eucharist points toward, the banquet of everlasting life. Amen.

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.

Let us pray. Almighty ever-living God, increase our faith, hope, and charity, and make us love what you command, so that we may merit what you promise, through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A reading from the Book of Exodus. Thus says the Lord: You shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt. You shall not wrong any widow or orphan. If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry. My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword; then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans. If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people, you shall not act like an extortioner toward him by demanding interest from him. If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, you shall return it to him before sunset; for this cloak of his is the only covering he has for his body. What else has he to sleep in? If he cries out to me, I will hear him, for I am compassionate. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

I love you, I love you, Lord, my strength. I love you, I love you, Lord, my strength. I love you, Lord, my strength. O Lord, my rock, my fortress, my Savior, my God, my rock where I take refuge, my shield, my saving strength, my stronghold. I cry out, “Praised be the Lord,” and I am saved from my foes.

I love you, I love you, Lord, my strength.

A reading from the First Letter of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians. Brothers and sisters: You know what sort of people we were among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, receiving the Word in great affliction with joy from the Holy Spirit, so that you became a model for all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For from you the Word of the Lord has sounded forth not only in Macedonia and in Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything. For they themselves openly declare about us what sort of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to await his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the coming wrath. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Alleluia.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Alleluia.

Brothers and sisters in faith, the Lord be with you. And with your spirit. This is a reading now from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew. Glory to you, O Lord. When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law, testing him, asked, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to them, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Well, Jesus asked a question that people are still asking even today, even if we don’t always say it out loud. What matters most? Out of everything that we could believe, everything that we could do, what’s at the center? And Jesus answers them with stunning simplicity. Love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself. Not 10 things, not a complicated system, just this. Love God and your neighbor. And he says the second is like the first. In other words, you cannot separate them. If we claim to love God, it has to show up in how we treat the people in front of us.

But here’s where it gets real. Because loving God can sometimes feel so abstract. Loving our neighbor is not. It’s concrete. It’s daily. And sometimes, often, it’s hard.

I’ll give you a little simple but real example. I was at the Jewel one late afternoon. The store was crowded, and I was in line with a few things that I needed to pick up for the rectory. And there was a woman in front of me with her cart that had quite a few groceries in it. And in front of her there was an elderly man with a small basket. He had milk, bread, and a frozen pizza. And that man kept fumbling with his credit card, which kept getting declined for whatever reason. And you could just start to feel the tension in the line growing. I could see that the woman was annoyed, and I was looking at my watch thinking, “Let’s get moving here.” And the poor man, you could tell he was embarrassed, and he was about to leave and go to the back of the line when this woman stepped forward quietly and said to the cashier, “I’ve got this.” And she paid for his groceries. It wasn’t a huge amount, but she paid for his groceries. And the man was stunned. I’m sure he didn’t know what to say, and all he could say was, “Thank you,” as he left.

Now, that didn’t change the world. It didn’t solve the problem of poverty or erase all suffering. But at that very moment, what I saw was love of neighbor become very real. It looked like patience instead of irritation. And I think that’s exactly what Jesus is talking about today. Loving neighbor isn’t always dramatic. Most of the time, it’s quiet. It’s choosing kindness when we could choose indifference. It’s listening when we’d rather move on. It’s forgiving when it’s easier to hold a grudge. It’s noticing the person who is overlooked.

When we live in this way, something happens. Our love for God stops being just words or rituals. It becomes visible. It becomes flesh. It becomes a way of life for us. And so today, friends, I encourage you, don’t try to do everything. Just look for one moment, one person, one opportunity to love the neighbor in front of you. Why is that important? Because in that moment, you’re not just being kind. You are living the greatest commandment. You’re living the greatest commandment to love God and neighbor.

As we strive to live by the simple commandment of Jesus to love God and neighbor, let us profess in the Apostles’ Creed. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

And now, as a people of faith, hope, and love, we bring our many needs and cares and place them in the heart of God. Our response to each prayer will be, “Lord, hear our prayer.”

For the Holy Father and all clergy who proclaim Christ’s love and mercy. May their words and actions inspire those searching for hope in their lives. We pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who have recently moved into assisted living facilities. May the Lord’s presence bring them peace in this time of transition. We pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.

For the children and benefactors of Mercy Home. May they feel the Lord’s unending love in their lives. We pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.

For those mourning the loss of a loved one. May they be comforted by the promise of the Resurrection and life eternal in God’s Kingdom. We pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.

Loving God, hear the prayers we speak out loud and all that we carry deep in our hearts as we strive to follow that commandment of Jesus in our prayers, to love God and neighbor as self, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Through the mingling of water and wine, we come to share the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share our humanity.
Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation, for through your goodness we have bread to offer, which earth has given, human hands have made. May it become for us the Bread of Life. Blessed be God forever. Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation, for through your goodness we have wine to offer, fruit of the vine, work of human hands. May it become our spiritual drink. Blessed be God forever.
Lord, wash away my iniquities and cleanse me of all sin.

Pray with me in faith that these gifts of bread and wine offered be acceptable to our almighty and loving God. May the Lord accept the sacrifice at our hands for the praise and glory of God’s name, for our good and the good of all God’s Holy Church. May these sacrificial offerings, O Lord, become for you a pure oblation and for us a holy outpouring of your mercy, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Lord be 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, almighty and eternal God, through Christ our Lord. For out of compassion for the waywardness that is ours, he humbled himself and was born of the Virgin. By the Passion of the Cross, he freed us from unending death, and by rising from the dead, he gave us life eternal. Now with all the Angels and Saints, the hosts and Powers of heaven, we sing this hymn to your glory.

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 font of all holiness. Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. At the time he was betrayed and entered willingly into his Passion, he took bread and, giving thanks, broke it. He gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this, all of you, eat of it. This is my Body, which will be given up for you.”

In a similar way, when the supper ended, he took the chalice and, once more giving thanks, he gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this, all of you, drink from it. For this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the new eternal covenant. It will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sin. Do this in memory of me.”

The mystery of our faith. When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
Now, as we celebrate the memorial of his Death and Resurrection, we offer you, Lord, the Bread of Life, the Chalice of Salvation, giving thanks that you have 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; bring her to the fullness of charity, together with Leo our Pope, Blase our Archbishop, and all who minister in your Church everywhere. We pray for all who have died in your mercy; welcome them into the light of your face. Have mercy on us all. We pray that with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with Joseph, her Spouse, with the blessed Apostles, and all the Saints who have pleased you throughout the ages, we may merit to be coheirs to eternal life and one day there praise and glorify you through your Son, Jesus Christ. Through him, with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor are yours, forever and ever.

Amen. Amen. Amen.

We pray together now as Jesus taught us. 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 this day. In your mercy, keep us free from sin. Protect us from anxiety and despair 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 your friends, “I leave you peace, my peace I give 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 live and reign forever and ever. Amen. The peace of the Lord be with you always. And with your spirit. Let us share with each other some gesture of peace. And friends, to all of you at home, from all of us here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, we extend the peace and the love of Jesus.

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.
We behold now in faith Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away our sins and the sin of the world. He calls us to remember the great commandment: love God and neighbor. Strengthened are we, sharing now the supper of the Lamb. Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed. May the Body of Christ, may the Blood of Christ, keep us safe for everlasting life. Amen. Amen.

For those of you at home, please turn to page six in your TV Mass guide and join in singing our Communion song, “Come to Me.”
[Communion song: “Come to Me”]

Let us pray. May the working of your power, O Lord, increase in us, we pray, so that, renewed by these heavenly Sacraments, we may be prepared by your gift for receiving what they promise, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

I invite you now to please join me in our special prayer for the children of Mercy Home. 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, prayers, and sacrifices.
I’d ask you in the week ahead to think about and pray over this simple command of Jesus, but one that is often difficult to follow: love God and neighbor as yourself. And let us remember, the smallest thing that we do for another helps us to live that great commandment of Jesus.

The Lord be with you. And with your spirit. May almighty God bless and strengthen us as we go forward to live out faith, hope, and love, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. We go in peace to love and serve God by our care for one another. Thanks be to God.

Come down, O Love divine, seek thou this soul of mine, and visit it with thine own ardor glowing.
O Comforter, draw near, within my heart appear, and kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing.
And so the yearning strong, with which the soul will long…

So 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.

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 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time. My name is Dan Riley. I am joined by Tom McNamera and Maad Carr. And our celebrant is Father Carl Morello.

Hail the day that sees him rise. Alleluia.

To his throne above the skies. Alleluia.

Christ the Lamb for sinners given. Alleluia.

Now ascends the highest heaven. Alleluia.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The grace, the peace, the love of God be with each of you. And with your spirit. As we remember God’s mercy and love, with confidence we call to mind our sins. Lord Jesus, you raise us to new life. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord Jesus, you forgive us our sins. Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord Jesus, you feed us with your Body and Blood. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. And may almighty God who loves us have mercy on us, forgive us any of our sins, and one day bring us to what the Eucharist points toward, the banquet of everlasting life. Amen.

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.

Let us pray. Almighty ever-living God, increase our faith, hope, and charity, and make us love what you command, so that we may merit what you promise, through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A reading from the Book of Exodus. Thus says the Lord: You shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt. You shall not wrong any widow or orphan. If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry. My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword; then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans. If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people, you shall not act like an extortioner toward him by demanding interest from him. If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, you shall return it to him before sunset; for this cloak of his is the only covering he has for his body. What else has he to sleep in? If he cries out to me, I will hear him, for I am compassionate. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

I love you, I love you, Lord, my strength. I love you, I love you, Lord, my strength. I love you, Lord, my strength. O Lord, my rock, my fortress, my Savior, my God, my rock where I take refuge, my shield, my saving strength, my stronghold. I cry out, “Praised be the Lord,” and I am saved from my foes.

I love you, I love you, Lord, my strength.

A reading from the First Letter of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians. Brothers and sisters: You know what sort of people we were among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, receiving the Word in great affliction with joy from the Holy Spirit, so that you became a model for all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For from you the Word of the Lord has sounded forth not only in Macedonia and in Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything. For they themselves openly declare about us what sort of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to await his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the coming wrath. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Alleluia.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Alleluia.

Brothers and sisters in faith, the Lord be with you. And with your spirit. This is a reading now from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew. Glory to you, O Lord. When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law, testing him, asked, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to them, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Well, Jesus asked a question that people are still asking even today, even if we don’t always say it out loud. What matters most? Out of everything that we could believe, everything that we could do, what’s at the center? And Jesus answers them with stunning simplicity. Love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself. Not 10 things, not a complicated system, just this. Love God and your neighbor. And he says the second is like the first. In other words, you cannot separate them. If we claim to love God, it has to show up in how we treat the people in front of us.

But here’s where it gets real. Because loving God can sometimes feel so abstract. Loving our neighbor is not. It’s concrete. It’s daily. And sometimes, often, it’s hard.

I’ll give you a little simple but real example. I was at the Jewel one late afternoon. The store was crowded, and I was in line with a few things that I needed to pick up for the rectory. And there was a woman in front of me with her cart that had quite a few groceries in it. And in front of her there was an elderly man with a small basket. He had milk, bread, and a frozen pizza. And that man kept fumbling with his credit card, which kept getting declined for whatever reason. And you could just start to feel the tension in the line growing. I could see that the woman was annoyed, and I was looking at my watch thinking, “Let’s get moving here.” And the poor man, you could tell he was embarrassed, and he was about to leave and go to the back of the line when this woman stepped forward quietly and said to the cashier, “I’ve got this.” And she paid for his groceries. It wasn’t a huge amount, but she paid for his groceries. And the man was stunned. I’m sure he didn’t know what to say, and all he could say was, “Thank you,” as he left.

Now, that didn’t change the world. It didn’t solve the problem of poverty or erase all suffering. But at that very moment, what I saw was love of neighbor become very real. It looked like patience instead of irritation. And I think that’s exactly what Jesus is talking about today. Loving neighbor isn’t always dramatic. Most of the time, it’s quiet. It’s choosing kindness when we could choose indifference. It’s listening when we’d rather move on. It’s forgiving when it’s easier to hold a grudge. It’s noticing the person who is overlooked.

When we live in this way, something happens. Our love for God stops being just words or rituals. It becomes visible. It becomes flesh. It becomes a way of life for us. And so today, friends, I encourage you, don’t try to do everything. Just look for one moment, one person, one opportunity to love the neighbor in front of you. Why is that important? Because in that moment, you’re not just being kind. You are living the greatest commandment. You’re living the greatest commandment to love God and neighbor.

As we strive to live by the simple commandment of Jesus to love God and neighbor, let us profess in the Apostles’ Creed. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

And now, as a people of faith, hope, and love, we bring our many needs and cares and place them in the heart of God. Our response to each prayer will be, “Lord, hear our prayer.”

For the Holy Father and all clergy who proclaim Christ’s love and mercy. May their words and actions inspire those searching for hope in their lives. We pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who have recently moved into assisted living facilities. May the Lord’s presence bring them peace in this time of transition. We pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.

For the children and benefactors of Mercy Home. May they feel the Lord’s unending love in their lives. We pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.

For those mourning the loss of a loved one. May they be comforted by the promise of the Resurrection and life eternal in God’s Kingdom. We pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.

Loving God, hear the prayers we speak out loud and all that we carry deep in our hearts as we strive to follow that commandment of Jesus in our prayers, to love God and neighbor as self, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Through the mingling of water and wine, we come to share the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share our humanity.
Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation, for through your goodness we have bread to offer, which earth has given, human hands have made. May it become for us the Bread of Life. Blessed be God forever. Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation, for through your goodness we have wine to offer, fruit of the vine, work of human hands. May it become our spiritual drink. Blessed be God forever.
Lord, wash away my iniquities and cleanse me of all sin.

Pray with me in faith that these gifts of bread and wine offered be acceptable to our almighty and loving God. May the Lord accept the sacrifice at our hands for the praise and glory of God’s name, for our good and the good of all God’s Holy Church. May these sacrificial offerings, O Lord, become for you a pure oblation and for us a holy outpouring of your mercy, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Lord be 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, almighty and eternal God, through Christ our Lord. For out of compassion for the waywardness that is ours, he humbled himself and was born of the Virgin. By the Passion of the Cross, he freed us from unending death, and by rising from the dead, he gave us life eternal. Now with all the Angels and Saints, the hosts and Powers of heaven, we sing this hymn to your glory.

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 font of all holiness. Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. At the time he was betrayed and entered willingly into his Passion, he took bread and, giving thanks, broke it. He gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this, all of you, eat of it. This is my Body, which will be given up for you.”

In a similar way, when the supper ended, he took the chalice and, once more giving thanks, he gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this, all of you, drink from it. For this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the new eternal covenant. It will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sin. Do this in memory of me.”

The mystery of our faith. When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
Now, as we celebrate the memorial of his Death and Resurrection, we offer you, Lord, the Bread of Life, the Chalice of Salvation, giving thanks that you have 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; bring her to the fullness of charity, together with Leo our Pope, Blase our Archbishop, and all who minister in your Church everywhere. We pray for all who have died in your mercy; welcome them into the light of your face. Have mercy on us all. We pray that with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with Joseph, her Spouse, with the blessed Apostles, and all the Saints who have pleased you throughout the ages, we may merit to be coheirs to eternal life and one day there praise and glorify you through your Son, Jesus Christ. Through him, with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor are yours, forever and ever.

Amen. Amen. Amen.

We pray together now as Jesus taught us. 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 this day. In your mercy, keep us free from sin. Protect us from anxiety and despair 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 your friends, “I leave you peace, my peace I give 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 live and reign forever and ever. Amen. The peace of the Lord be with you always. And with your spirit. Let us share with each other some gesture of peace. And friends, to all of you at home, from all of us here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, we extend the peace and the love of Jesus.

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.
We behold now in faith Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away our sins and the sin of the world. He calls us to remember the great commandment: love God and neighbor. Strengthened are we, sharing now the supper of the Lamb. Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed. May the Body of Christ, may the Blood of Christ, keep us safe for everlasting life. Amen. Amen.

For those of you at home, please turn to page six in your TV Mass guide and join in singing our Communion song, “Come to Me.”
[Communion song: “Come to Me”]

Let us pray. May the working of your power, O Lord, increase in us, we pray, so that, renewed by these heavenly Sacraments, we may be prepared by your gift for receiving what they promise, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

I invite you now to please join me in our special prayer for the children of Mercy Home. 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, prayers, and sacrifices.
I’d ask you in the week ahead to think about and pray over this simple command of Jesus, but one that is often difficult to follow: love God and neighbor as yourself. And let us remember, the smallest thing that we do for another helps us to live that great commandment of Jesus.

The Lord be with you. And with your spirit. May almighty God bless and strengthen us as we go forward to live out faith, hope, and love, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. We go in peace to love and serve God by our care for one another. Thanks be to God.

Come down, O Love divine, seek thou this soul of mine, and visit it with thine own ardor glowing.
O Comforter, draw near, within my heart appear, and kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing.
And so the yearning strong, with which the soul will long…

So 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.

Well, Jesus asked a question that people are still asking even today, even if we don’t always say it out loud. What matters most? Out of everything that we could believe, everything that we could do, what’s at the center? And Jesus answers them with stunning simplicity. Love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself. Not 10 things, not a complicated system, just this. Love God and your neighbor. And he says the second is like the first. In other words, you cannot separate them. If we claim to love God, it has to show up in how we treat the people in front of us.

But here’s where it gets real. Because loving God can sometimes feel so abstract. Loving our neighbor is not. It’s concrete. It’s daily. And sometimes, often, it’s hard.

I’ll give you a little simple but real example. I was at the Jewel one late afternoon. The store was crowded, and I was in line with a few things that I needed to pick up for the rectory. And there was a woman in front of me with her cart that had quite a few groceries in it. And in front of her there was an elderly man with a small basket. He had milk, bread, and a frozen pizza. And that man kept fumbling with his credit card, which kept getting declined for whatever reason. And you could just start to feel the tension in the line growing. I could see that the woman was annoyed, and I was looking at my watch thinking, “Let’s get moving here.” And the poor man, you could tell he was embarrassed, and he was about to leave and go to the back of the line when this woman stepped forward quietly and said to the cashier, “I’ve got this.” And she paid for his groceries. It wasn’t a huge amount, but she paid for his groceries. And the man was stunned. I’m sure he didn’t know what to say, and all he could say was, “Thank you,” as he left.

Now, that didn’t change the world. It didn’t solve the problem of poverty or erase all suffering. But at that very moment, what I saw was love of neighbor become very real. It looked like patience instead of irritation. And I think that’s exactly what Jesus is talking about today. Loving neighbor isn’t always dramatic. Most of the time, it’s quiet. It’s choosing kindness when we could choose indifference. It’s listening when we’d rather move on. It’s forgiving when it’s easier to hold a grudge. It’s noticing the person who is overlooked.

When we live in this way, something happens. Our love for God stops being just words or rituals. It becomes visible. It becomes flesh. It becomes a way of life for us. And so today, friends, I encourage you, don’t try to do everything. Just look for one moment, one person, one opportunity to love the neighbor in front of you. Why is that important? Because in that moment, you’re not just being kind. You are living the greatest commandment. You’re living the greatest commandment to love God and neighbor.