CTK English Mass – 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A (12 Jul 2026)

CTK English Mass – 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A (12 Jul 2026)
 
 

Prayer for the 80th Anniversary of the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong

Messengers of Hope

 

O Lord, You are the source of all blessings and you guide the course of human history by your Providence.

With gratitude we thank you for the establishment of our Diocese eighty years ago.

In the footsteps of our predecessors, we have steadfastly kept the heritage of our Faith over the years and so have been able

to experience your unfailing help in the face of challenges;

to regain strength in our weakness;

to restore hope in our discouragement;

to look for your direction when we have lost our way.

As your children, may we always entrust ourselves to you in humility. May we always respond to your calling for us to carry on our mission to spread the Gospel and bear witness to our faith in Hong Kong, sowing the seeds of love and hope while living in joy and peace. 

We ask this in the name of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

 
 
ENTRANCE HYMN
 
Fill My House
 
1. Fill my house unto the fullest.
Eat my bread and drink my wine
The love I bear is held from no one.
All I have and all I do I give to you.
 
2. Take my time unto the fullest.
Find in me the trust you seek.
Take my hands to you outreaching.
All I have and all I do I give to you.
 
3. Christ our Lord, with love enormous,
from the cross this lesson taught.
Love all men as I have loved you.
All I have and all I do I give to you.
 
4. Join with me, as one in Christ love.
May our hearts al beat as one.
May we give ourselves completely
All I have and all I do I give to you.
 
Sign of the cross
Priest ✠ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.
Greeting
P✠: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
All: And with your spirit.
 
Penitential Act
P✠: Brethren (brothers and sisters), let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.
All: I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, (striking their breast) through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.
P✠: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
All: Amen.
 
 
Kyrie Eleison
Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison, eleison
Christe eleison, Christe eleison, Christe eleison, eleison
Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison, eleison
 
Gloria
Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to people of good will.
We praise You. We bless You. We adore you. We glorify You. We give You thanks for Your great glory. Lord God, heavenly King, O God almighty Father. 
 
Lord Jesus Christ, Only-begotten Son. Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father: you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. You take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. You are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.
 
For you alone are the Holy One. You alone are the Lord. You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
 
 
Collect 
Let us pray (pause)
O God, who show the light of your truth to those who go astray, so that they may return to the right path, give all who for the faith they profess are accounted Christians the grace to reject whatever is contrary to the name of Christ and to strive after all that does it honor.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
All: Amen.
 
 
1st Reading – Isaiah 55:10-11
Thus says the LORD: Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; my word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.  – The Word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
 
 
Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14
R. The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
 
You have visited the land and watered it; greatly have you enriched it. God's watercourses are filled; you have prepared the grain.
R. The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
 
Thus have you prepared the land: drenching its furrows, breaking up its clouds, softening it with showers, blessing its yield.
R. The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
 
You have crowned the year with your bounty, and your paths overflow with a rich harvest; the untilled meadows overflow with it, and rejoicing clothes the hills.
R. The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
 
The fields are garmented with flocks and the valleys blanketed with grain. They shout and sing for joy.
R. The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
 
 
2nd Reading – Romans 8:18-23
Brothers and sisters: 
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us. For creation awaits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God; for creation was made subject to futility, not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it, in hope that creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now; and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.  – The Word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
 
 
Alleluia 
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The seed is the word of God, Christ is the shower. All who come to him will have life forever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
 
 
Gospel –
 
(Long Form) - Matthew 13:1-23
On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear."
 
The disciples approached him and said, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" He said to them in reply, "Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand. Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and be converted, and I heal them. 
 
"But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
 
"Hear then the parable of the shower. The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit. But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold."  – The Gospel of the Lord. 
 
OR
 
(Short Form) - Matthew 13:1-9
On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear." – The Gospel of the Lord. 
All: Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.
 
 
Nicene Creed
 
I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
 
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made.
For us men 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 his kingdom will have no end.
 
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son 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 and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
 
 
Prayer of the Faithful
P✠: Let us pray to the Lord.
 
All: We ask you Lord, listen to our prayer, we ask you Lord, listen to our prayer
 
 
OFFERTORY HYMN
 
Take My Hands
 
1. Take my hands and make them as your own,
And use them for your Kingdom here on earth.
Consecrate them to your care,
Anoint them for your service where
You may need your gospel to be sown.
 
2. Take my hands. They speak now for my hearts,
And by their actions they will show their love.
Guard them on their daily course,
Be their strength and guiding force
To ever serve the Trinity above.
 
3. Take my hands. I give them to you, Lord.
Prepare them for the service of your name.
Open them to human need
And by their love they’ll sow you rseed
So all may know the love and hope you give.
 
Take my hands, take my hands, O Lord.
 
 
Preparation of the Altar and the Gifts
 
P✠: Pray, brethren (brothers and sisters), that my sacrifice and yours be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.
All: 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. 
 
P✠: The Lord be with you.
All: And with your spirit.
P✠: Lift up your hearts.
All: We lift them up to the Lord.
P✠: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
All: It is right and just.
 
P✠: It is truly right and just,.... , as with one voice we acclaim:
 
 
Sanctus
 
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. 
 
P✠: You are indeed Holy, O Lord, the…. 
 
At the time he was betrayed and entered willingly into his Passion, he took bread and, giving thanks, broke it, and 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.
 
P✠: In a similar way, when 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 ETERNAL COVENANT, WHICH WILL BE POURED OUT FOR YOU AND FOR MANY
FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS.
DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME.
 
P✠: The mystery of faith.
All: When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
 
P✠: Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial of his Death and Resurrection,.....
 
P✠: 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, for ever and ever.
All: Amen.
 
 
Lord’s Prayer
P✠: At the Savior’s command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say:
 
All: 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.
 
P✠: Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant peace in our days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
All: For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever.
 
P✠: Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles: Peace I leave you, 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 for ever and ever.
All: Amen.
P✠: The peace of the Lord be with you always.
All: And with your spirit.
P✠: Let us offer each other the sign of peace.
 
 
Agnus Dei
 
All: 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.
 
P✠: Lord Jesus Christ,....
 
P✠: Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
All: Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
 
 
COMMUNION HYMN
 
Eye Has Not Seen
 
* Eye has not seen, ear has not heard
what God has ready for those who love him;
Spirit of love, come, give us the mind of Jesus,
teach us the wisdom of God.
 
1. When pain and sorrow weigh us down,
be near to us, O Lord,
forgive the weakness of our faith,
and bear us up within your peaceful word. *
 
 
2. Our lives are but a single breath,
we flower and we fade,
yet all our days are in your hands,
so we return in love what love has made. *
 
3. To those who see with eyes of faith,
the Lord is ever near,
reflected in the faces
of all the poor and lowly of the world. *
 
4. We sing a mystery from the past
in halls where saints have trod,
yet ever new the music rings
to Jesus, Living Song of God. *
 
 
To Be Free
 
1. In this world of confusion,
discontent, disillusion
Do you have what it takes to be free
Are you free from disaster,
do you know what you're after
Do you have what it takes to be free. *
 
To be free, to be free
Do you have what it takes to be free
 
Are you free from disaster,
do you know what you're after
Do you have what it takes to be free
 
2. There's a life that's worth living.
There's a way of forgiving.
All your sins, grief and trouble you'd seen
Just let Christ be your Master
and you'll know what you're after
And you'll have what it takes to be free.
 
To be free, to be free
Do you have what it takes to be free
 
Just let Christ be your Master
and you'll know what you're after
And you'll have what it takes to be free
 
 
Prayer After Communion
P✠: Let us pray.  ….. 
….. 
All: Amen.
 
P✠: The Lord be with you.
All: And with your spirit.
P✠: May almighty God bless you, ✠ the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen
P✠: Go forth, the Mass is ended.
All: Thanks be to God.
 
 
RECESSIONAL HYMN
 
Heal Our Land
 
1. If My people will humble themselves, humble themselves and pray
If they seek My face and humble themselves and turn from their wicked ways
I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin
I will hear from heaven and heal their land
 
* Lord, heal our land, Father, heal our land
Hear our cry and turn our nation back to You
Lord, heal our land, hear us, O Lord, and heal our land
Forgive our sin and heal our broken land
 
2. Lord, we bow our knee, we humble ourselves, humble ourselves and pray
Lord, we seek Your face, and we humble ourselves and turn from our wicked ways
Father, in Your mercy, forgive our sin
Father, in Your mercy, come, heal our land*