Introductory Acts of Worship The Entrance Prayers:On Sunday, usually a hymn praising God is sung in place
of reciting a
Psalm from the Bible which invites us to enter more deeply
into the mystery of
God's love for us. The recited weekday Psalm expresses
a youthful heart
and spirit, delighted that we may come before the living
God. Entrance Song / Entrance Psalm (Antiphon) Psalm 48:10-11
Your merciful love, O God, we have received in the midst of
your
temple. Your praise, O God, like your name, reaches the
ends of the
earth; your right hand is filled with saving justice.
The Priest Approaches and Kisses the Altar:The
altar is a symbol
of Christ. In it are cut five crosses to recall the
five wounds of
Christ. The altar also represents the Church and has
embedded in it the
relics of her saints. The priest comes to the altar to
celebrate the
Sacrifice in the Church's name. Because of the glory
surrounding the
altar upon which the divine Sacrifice will be made, the kiss
of the priest
unites the Church to Christ, its Redeemer.
Priest:In the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the
Holy Spirit. All:Amen. Priest: The Lord be with you. All: And with your spirit.
The Penitential Prayers:We
recognize our
guilt for past sins, express our sorrow for them, and ask
that Mary, the
angels, the saints, and our brothers and sisters in Christ
pray for the Lord
God's mercy. (The priest may select from several
forms).
Priest: Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge
our sins, and
so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries. Priest: You were sent to heal the contrite of
heart: Lord,
have mercy.
All: Lord, have mercy.
Priest: You came to call sinners: Christ, have
mercy.
All: Christ, have mercy.
Priest: You are seated at the right hand of the
Father to intercede
for us: Lord, have mercy. All: Lord, have mercy.
The Absolution:
Priest: May almighty God have mercy on us,
forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life. All:Amen.
The Gloria:The Glory of God prayers have existed from the second
century. They
repeat the angels praise of God which
heralded the birth of Christ on earth.
Our praise is lifted again through the years as we rejoice
at His coming as
Lord, God, the most high Jesus Christ, who at Christmas took
on our human
nature while at the same time being the son of Man. This
ancient hymn expresses
our recognition of God's glory and love. It calls upon
Christ as our holy
and divine mediator, and the Holy Spirit who forever binds
us together in God's
love.
Priest and All: Glory to God in the
highest, and peace
to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty
God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your
glory. Lord
Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you
take away the
sins of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right
hand of the
Father: receive our prayer. 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.
The Collect:The
priest lifts the
united prayers and petitions of the congregation to God the
Father through the
merits of Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit.
Priest: Let us pray. Priest: O God, who in the abasement of your
Son have raised
up a fallen world, fill your faithful with holy joy, for on
those you have
rescued from slavery to sin you bestow eternal gladness.
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. Liturgy
of the Word
Christ
is made known
to us through the Old Testament which prepares us to
recognize Him. In
those days, God inspired men who spoke His message.
Now, the New Testament Gospel reading announces His presence
to us directly
through His Son. Both readings bring God's message to
us. Our
responsibility is to respond.
The First Reading:From the Old Testament. Isaiah 66:10-14c
Thus says the Lord: Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad
because of her, all
you who love her; exult, exult with her, all you who were
mourning over her! Oh,
that you may suck fully of the milk of her
comfort, that you may nurse with delight at her abundant
breasts! For
thus, says the Lord: Lo, I will spread prosperity over Jerusalem
like a river,
and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing torrent.
As nurslings,
you shall be carried in her arms and fondled in her lap; as a
mother comforts
her child, so will I comfort you; in Jerusalem you shall find
your
comfort. When you see this, your heart shall rejoice and
your bodies
flourish like the grass; the Lord’s power shall be known to his
servants.
Priest/Reader:The Word of the Lord. All:Thanks
be to God. The Responsorial Psalm:This Psalm praising God is a prayer to God; or
recommends the practice of
virtue. It is sung as an interlude between the
scriptural readings.
It provides yet another instructional setting and invites
the assembly to
imitate the cantor, who sings a repeated response to the
verses of an ancient
Psalm, many of which are attributed to King David. The
verses are sung
first by a cantor (song leader) accompanied by instruments,
the refrain is sung
by the people.
Responsorial
Psalm 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20
Cantor: Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
All: Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Cantor: Shout joyfully to God, all the earth, sing
praise to the
glory of his name; proclaim his glorious praise. Say to
God, “How
tremendous are your deeds!” All: Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Cantor: Let
all on earth workshop
and sing praise to you, sing praise to your name!” Come
and see the works
of God, his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam. All: Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Cantor: He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they
passed on foot; Therefore, let us rejoice in him. He rules
by his might
forever. All: Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Cantor: Hear now, all you who fear God, while I
declare what he has
done for me. Blessed by God who refused me not my prayer
or his kindness! All: Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
The Second Reading:Taken from the New Testament. Second Reading Galatians 6:14-18
Brothers, and sister: May I never boast except in the cross
of our Lord
Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me,
and I to the
world. For neither does circumcision mean anything, nor
does
uncircumcision, but only a new creation. Peace and mercy
be to all who
follow this rule and to the Israel of God.
From now on, let no one make troubles for me; for I bear
the marks of
Jesus on my body.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit,
brothers and sisters,
Amen.
The Alleluia:An ancient expression of joy anticipating the Lord's
message we will hear
in the Gospel. Colossians 3:15a, 16a
Cantor: Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
All: R/.
Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Cantor: Let the peace of Christ
control your
hearts; let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
All: R/.
Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia!
The Gospel:The
Liturgy of the
Word is completed by the reading of the Gospel. Before
its reading, the
members of the assembly trace the sign of the cross upon the
forehead to
indicate their mental acceptance of the Truth, on the lips
to indicate their
readiness to announce it, and over the heart to indicate
their sincere desire
to accept it into their lives. The "Good News" of the
Gospel
tells that God's kingdom has come for all to hear, accept,
and announce to the
world for its salvation. It is God who is speaking to
us. Christ
comes to teach us by the example of His life and by His own
words.
The Gospel Luke
10:1-12,
17-20
Written to explain that
Christ came to save everyone.
At that time the Lord
appointed
seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every
town and place
he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is
abundant, but the
laborers are few; so, ask the master of the harvest to send out
laborers for
his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you,
like lambs among
wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet
no one along
the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace
to this
household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace
will rest on
him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same
house and eat
and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his
payment.
Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town
you enter, and
they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in
it and say to
them, ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.’ Whatever
town you enter,
and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say,
‘The dust of your
town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off against
you.’ Yet
know this: the kingdom of God is at hand. I tell you, it
will be more
tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town.”
The seventy-two returned rejoicing, and said, “Lord, even
the demons are
subject to us because of your name.” Jesus said, “I have
observed Satan
fall like lightning from the sky. Behold, I have given you
the power to
‘tread upon serpents and scorpions and upon the full force of
the enemy and
nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice
because the sprits
are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written
in heaven.”
Priest:The Gospel of the Lord. All:Praise
to you, Lord
Jesus Christ.
The Priest's Sermon:The
priest develops,
explains, and comments upon the Master's words, so our minds
may be
enlightened, and our hearts enriched.
Profession of Faith:We state
in the
Nicene Creed the principles of our faith in precise and
definite terms.
All: I believe in one God,
the Father, the
Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and
unseen. 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 for
the
resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to
come. Amen.
General Intercessions:We pray
for the needs
of the pope, civic leaders, our own needs, those of others,
the sick, the
dying, those who have died, the church, and the world.
The response of
all to each intercession: Lord, hear our prayer.
All:Lord,
hear our
prayer.
The Liturgy of the
Eucharist
Gifts of
bread and
wine symbolizing ourselves are presented to the priest who
will offer them to
God the Father. Through the Holy Spirit, they will
become the Body and
Blood of Jesus Christ whom we receive in Holy
Communion. Jesus unites
Himself with us for our spiritual nourishment and
strength. Today, when
individuals do not present their own personal offerings of
bread and wine, the
monetary contribution symbolizes the material of their
united sacrifice.
The priest makes and offering of the bread and wine to God.
Preparation of the Bread and Wine:
Priest: Blessed are you, Lord
God of all
creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread
we offer you:
fruit of the earth and work of human hands, it will become for
us the bread of
life. All:Blessed
be God for
ever.
Priest:By the
mystery of
this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of
Christ, who humbled
himself to share in our humanity.
Priest: Blessed are you, Lord God of all
creation, for through
your goodness we have received the wine we offer you; fruit of
the vine and
work of human hands it will become our spiritual drink. All:Blessed
be God for
ever.
Priest:With
humble spirit
and contrite heart may we be accepted by you, O Lord, and may
our sacrifice in
your sight this day be pleasing to you, Lord God.
The Priest's Hands are Washed: This act
was
traditionally necessary because the priest handled the
various gifts presented
by the people. Now, the cleansing act using water
reminds the priest and
ourselves of the need to cleanse not only the hands but the
soul. Soon,
the priest's hands will hold the actual body of Christ, and
we will become His
dwelling place.
Priest:Wash me O Lord, from my
iniquity and
cleanse me from my sin. Pray, brethren, that my sacrifice and yours may 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.
Prayer over the Gifts:Speaking
in our name,
the priest asks the Father to accept the gifts we offer
through him.
Priest: May this oblation dedicated to your name
purify us, O
Lord, and day by day bring our conduct closer to the life of
heaven.
through Christ our Lord.
Eucharistic Prayer:(Number Three: The priest may select from several
forms).
Priest:The Lord
be with you. All:And with your
spirit.
Priest:Lift up
your hearts. All:We lift
them up to
the Lord.
Priest:Let us give thanks to
the Lord, our
God. All:It is right and
just.
Preface Prayer:
It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and
everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and
eternal
God.
For when your children were scattered afar by sin, through
the Blood of
your Son and the power of the Spirit, you gathered them again to
yourself, that
a people, formed as one by the unity of the Trinity, made the
body of Christ
and the temple of the Holy Spirit, might, to the praise of your
manifold
wisdom, be manifest as the Church.
And so, in company with the choirs of Angels, we praise
you, and with joy
we proclaim:
Acclamation:
Priest and All: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.
Priest: You are indeed Holy, O Lord, and all you
have created
rightly gives you praise, for through your Son our Lord Jesus
Christ, by the
power and working of the Holy Spirit, you give life to all
things and make them
holy, and you never cease to gather a people to yourself, so
that from the
rising of the sun to its setting a pure sacrifice may be offered
to your name.
Priest: Therefore, O Lord, we humbly implore you: by the same
Spirit graciously
make holy these gifts we have brought to you for consecration,
that they may
become the Body and Blood of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, at
whose command
we celebrate these mysteries.
The priest repeats the words which Christ used at his
Last Supper when He
changed the bread into His Body and the wine into His
Blood. His Body and
Blood are truly present but under the appearance of bread
and wine. The
death of Christ is prolonged in each of those who receive
Him worthily.
We apply His death to ourselves so that we may share His
glory. This
moment is the most solemn on earth because it is Divine act
which enables us to
apply to ourselves the Cross which Christ willingly took
upon Himself.
We are called to die to sin and lift our very selves to
God so that we
become changed; to do as God would have us do, to become
what God would have us
become. Our own little cross can lift us into union
with Christ's Cross
so we may earn the joys of everlasting happiness with God
the Father.
The Lord'sSupper: 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.
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.
Memorial Acclamation:(The priest may
select from several
forms).
Priest:The
mystery of faith. Priest / All: When we eat this Bread and drink this
Cup, we proclaim
your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
Memorial Prayer:(The
priest may
select from several forms).
Priest: Recalls Christ's Passion, Resurrection, Ascension, the
Church, the dead,
and ourselves.
Therefore, O Lord, as we celebrate the memorial of the
saving Passion of
your Son, his wondrous Resurrection and Ascension into heaven,
and as we look
forward to his second coming, we offer you in thanksgiving this
holy and living
sacrifice.
Look, we pray, upon the oblation of your Church and,
recognizing the
sacrificial Victim by whose death you willed to reconcile us to
yourself, grant
that we, who are nourished by the Body and Blood of your Son and
filled with
his Holy Spirit, may become one body, one spirit in Christ.
May he make of us an eternal offering to you, so that we
may obtain an
inheritance with your elect, especially with the most Blessed
Virgin Mary,
Mother of God, with blessed Joseph, her Spouse, with your
blessed
Apostles and glorious Martyrs and with all the Saints, on whose
constant
intercession in your presence we rely for unfailing help.
May this Sacrifice of our reconciliation, we pray, O Lord,
advance the
peace and salvation of all the world. Be pleased to
confirm in faith and
charity your pilgrim Church on earth, with your servant, _____
our Pope and,
_____ our Bishop, the Order of Bishops, all the clergy, and the
entire people
you have gained for your own.
Listen graciously to the prayers of this family, whom you
have summoned
before you: in your compassion, O merciful Father, gather to
yourself all your
children scattered throughout the world.
To our departed brothers and sisters and to all who were
pleasing to you
at their passing from this life, give kind admittance to your
kingdom.
There we hope to enjoy for ever the
fullness of your glory
through Christ our Lord, through whom you bestow on the
world all that is good.
Doxology
Prayer of Praise:Through him, 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.
Communion Rite
In the Liturgy of the Eucharist, we symbolically offer
ourselves to the
Lord through the gifts of bread and wine. At the
Consecration, we offer
our very lives to be united the God the Father through the
Cross of
Christ. In Communion, we find that we have not died at
all, but have come
to life. We have surrendered ourselves to God through
His Divine Son,
Jesus Christ. In return we become ennobled and
enriched. We give up
time and we get eternity, we give up our sin and we receive
grace, we surrender
our self-will and receive the strength of the Divine Will,
we give up ourselves
and we receive everything. For the Son of God says to
us that unless we
receive Him we shall not have Divine life in us. But,
it is not really we
who receive Christ as it is Christ who receives us, bringing
us into Himself.
God makes His Cross the very means of our salvation and
our life.
While we have crucified Him, His eternal love cannot be
extinguished.
Christ willed to give us the very life we crucified in our
Redemption, the
Consecration of Holy Thursday into Communion, His death into
our everlasting
life.
The Lord's Prayer:
Priest: At the Savior's command and formed by divine teaching, we
dare to say: Priest and All:Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed
be they 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.
Priest: 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 forever.
Prayer for Peace:
Priest: 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.
Priest: The peace of the Lord be with you always.
All: And with your spirit.
Priest: Let us offer each other the sign of
peace.
Breaking of the Bread:
Priest: May this mingling of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus
Christ bring
eternal life to us who receive it.
Priest and 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.
Priestly Preparation: Lord
Jesus Christ,
Son of the living God, who, by the will of the Father and the
work of the Holy
Spirit, through your Death gave life to the world, free me by
this, your most
holy Body and Blood, from all my sins and from every evil; keep
me always faithful
to your commandments, and never let me be parted from you.
Priest: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. Priest and All:Lord, I am not worthy that you should
enter under my
roof, but only say the world and my soul shall be healed.
Priest:May the Body of Christ keep me safe for
eternal life. May
the
Blood of Christ keep me safe for eternal life.
Communion Antiphon:
Psalm 145:15
The eyes of all look to you Lord, and you give them their
food in due
season.
Communion of the Faithful:
Priest: The Body of Christ. The Faithful: Amen.
Priest/Deacon/
Extraordinary Eucharistic Minister: The Blood of Christ. The
Faithful: Amen.
Cleansing of the Vessels:
Priest: What has passed our lips as food, O Lord,
may we possess
in purity of heart, that what has been given to us in time may
be our healing
for eternity.
Prayer after Communion:
Priest:Let us
pray. Priest:Grant,
we pray, O
Lord, that, having been replenished by such great gifts, we may
gain the prize
of salvation and never cease to praise you. Through Christ
our Lord.
Concluding Rite
Greeting:
Priest:The Lord be with you. All:And with
your
spirit. Priest:Bow down
for the
blessing.
Dismissal Prayer: (The priest may
select from several
forms)
Priest: May the Lord bless you and keep you. All: Amen. Priest: May he let his face shine upon you
and show you his
mercy. All: Amen. Priest: May he turn his countenance towards
you and give you
his peace. All: Amen.
Final Blessing:
Priest: And may the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the
Son, and the
Holy Spirit, come down on you and remain with you for ever.
All: Amen.
Priest: Go and announce the Gospel of the
Lord.
All:Thanks be to God.
