PRIEST: We celebrate today that Jesus calls and makes disciples: people who will follow him anywhere, do whatever he tells them, share the work with him. Disciples are not some elitist group in the Church – they are you and me. And when he calls, it involves leaving something behind so that we can give ourselves to mission, to action. What is our answer to the call of Christ? What do we need to leave behind?
READER: For protecting ourselves against the challenging call of Christ,
for reckoning that it is always someone else who is called, and not me
LORD HAVE MERCY …
For being afraid of holiness, for being afraid of the God who is Holy,
for counting ourselves as unworthy of his work…
CHRIST HAVE MERCY …
For wanting to ‘do our own thing’ and being unwilling
to work with others for the sake of the Gospel:
for not considering the work and the love of Christ
important enough to change our lives…
LORD HAVE MERCY …
PRIEST: May the God of Holiness purify our hearts with his mercy;
may the Redeemer who calls, summon us to work for the
world’s healing and reconciliation;
may the Spirit empower us with compassion
that sets us free to liberate others
and bring us all to everlasting life…
AMEN!