Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle B

Celebrant: Called to belong to the Kingdom of God, we are called to intercede for all its members. Therefore, let us now pray with confidence.

Deacon/Lector:

For the Church, that as she advances the Kingdom of God, she may be always secure from the deceitful snares of the devil, we pray to the Lord…

For unity among the People of God, that by our obedience to the Word of God, we may be always drawn closer to one another and to him, we pray to the Lord…

That God, and we his people, may protect the poor who are in danger of neglect, the weak who are in danger of exploitation, and the unborn who are in danger of abortion, we pray to the Lord…

That married couples may grow in their love for one another and in openness to the new life that God plans to entrust to them, we pray to the Lord…

That all who are ill, especially those in our parish and in our families, may be strengthened by God's grace, healed according to his will, and comforted by all of us, we pray to the Lord…

That all who have died may experience the forgiveness of their sins and the joy of seeing God face to face, we pray to the Lord…

Celebrant:

Lord, from the beginning of history,
You promised the triumph of good over evil,
And of your Kingdom over that of Satan.
In your love, continue to show us that victory
As you answer the prayers we have placed before you.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Pope Francis: Protect Life!

"In the end, everything has been entrusted to our protection, and all of us are responsible for it. Be protectors of God’s gifts! Whenever human beings fail to live up to this responsibility, whenever we fail to care for creation and for our brothers and sisters, the way is opened to destruction and hearts are hardened. Tragically, in every period of history there are “Herods” who plot death, wreak havoc, and mar the countenance of men and women. Please, I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: let us be “protectors” of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment." -- Homily of Pope Francis at his Mass of Installation, March 19, 2013

Gen 3:9-15
2 Cor 4:13 - 5:1
Mark 3:20-35

Watch a video with homily hints

Two kingdoms are at war. One has already been defeated, yet still exercises a harmful though limited power. The strife between the kingdoms is described in the first reading, as is the outcome. The serpent is striking against the heel of the seed of the woman.

The seed of the woman is Christ, into whom we are all incorporated by our obedience to the word of God. As Jesus explains in the Gospel, that obedient union with his will is what makes us his brothers, sisters, and mothers. And this is precisely how he (and we in him) cast out devils and crush the head of the serpent: obedience, leading to unity, is what undoes the disobedience of Adam and Eve, which led to chaos and strife.

The fight over abortion is not simply a worldly struggle between philosophies or political parties. It is the embodiment of the Biblical struggle laid out in today's readings, and the promised solution to it is the same. Abortion is a great "NO" to the will of God, expressed in every child. Abortion brings division within the most basic relationship, a mother and her child, and spreads more division throughout the human family. The culture of Life, on the contrary, is a great "YES" to God, spoken in Christ, marked by obedience to his will, and by the fruit of that obedience, which is the unity of all God's children and, as the second reading indicates, life eternal, both in body and soul.