Liturgy
of the WordFirst Sunday of Advent
November 30, 2014, Cycle B
Purple priestly vestments symbolize penance and preparation.
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Liturgical
Church Year Cycle B14-15
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)
Entrance Song
Psalm 25:1-3 To you, I lift
up my soul O my God. In you, I have trusted; let me not be put to shame.
Nor let my enemies exult over me; and let none who hope in you be put to shame.
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 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.
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.
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, 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.
The Absolution:
Priest: May almighty God have
mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
All:
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: Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God, the resolve
to run forth to meet your Christ with righteous deeds at his coming, so that,
gathered at his right hand, they may be worthy to possess the heavenly Kingdom.
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.
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 Book of the prophet Isaiah
Isaiah 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7
You, Lord, are our father, our redeemer you are named forever. Why do you let us wander, O Lord, from your ways, and harden our hearts so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage. Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, with the mountains quaking before you, while you wrought awesome deeds we could not hope for, such as they had not heard of from of old. No ear has ever heard, no eye ever seen, any God but you doing such deeds for those who wait for him. Would that you might meet us doing right, that we were mindful of you in our ways! Behold, you are angry, and we are sinful; all of us have become like unclean people, all our good deeds are like polluted rags; we have all withered like leaves, and our guilt carries us away like the wind. There is none who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to cling to you; for you have hidden your face from us and have delivered us up to our guilt. Yet, O Lord, you are our father; we are the clay and you the potter: we are all the work of your hands.
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.
Psalm 80
Cantor: Lord, make us turn to
you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
All: R/. Lord,
make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
Cantor: O shepherd of Israel, harken, from your throne upon
the cherubim, shine forth. Rouse your power, and come to save us.
All: R/. Lord,
make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
Cantor: Once again, O Lord of hosts, look down from heaven,
and see; take care of this vine, and protect what your right hand has planted
the son man whom you yourself made strong.
All: R/. Lord,
make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
Cantor: May your help be with the man of your right hand,
with the son of man whom you yourself made strong. Then we will no more
withdraw from you; give us new life, and we will call upon your name.
All: R/. Lord,
make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
The Second Reading:
Taken from the New Testament, often
from a letter written by St. Paul.
Priest/Reader: A Reading
from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians.
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Brothers and sisters: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Priest/Reader: The word
of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
The Alleluia:
An ancient expression of joy anticipating
the Lord's message we will hear in the Gospel.
Psalm 85:8
Cantor: Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia!
ALL: R/. Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Cantor: Show us, Lord, your love; and grant us your
salvation.
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.
Priest: Cleanse my heart and
my lips, almighty God, that I may worthily proclaim your holy Gospel.
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: And with our spirit.
Priest/Deacon: A
reading from the holy Gospel according
to Mark.
All: Glory
to you, Lord.
The Gospel: Mark 13:33-37
Mark wrote to explain Christ
to the new Gentile converts.
Jesus
said to his disciples: “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time
will come. It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his
servants in charge, each with his own work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on
the watch. Watch, therefore; you do not know when the Lord of the house is
coming, whether in the evening, or a midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the
morning. May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I
say to all: ‘Watch!’”
Priest: The
Gospel of the Lord.
All: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Priest: Through the words of the Gospel may our sins be wiped
away.
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.
(A priestly reflection upon this Gospel)
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: Accept, we pray, O Lord, these offerings we make, gathered from among your gifts to us, and may what you grant us to celebrate devoutly here below gain for us the prize of eternal redemption. 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:
Priest: 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 through Christ our Lord. For he assumed at his first coming the lowliness of human flesh, and so fulfilled the design you formed long ago, and opened for us the way to eternal salvation, that, when he comes again in glory and majesty and all is at last made manifest, we who watch for that day may inherit the great promise in which now we dare to hope. And so, with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominions, and with all the hosts and Powers of heaven, we sing the hymn of your glory, as without end we acclaim:
Acclamation:
Priest / All: Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might, 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.
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's Supper: On the day before he was to suffer, he took bread in his holy and venerable hands, and with eyes raised to heaven to you, O God, his almighty Father, giving you thanks, he said the blessing, broke the bread 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 precious chalice in his holy and venerable hands, and once more giving you thanks, he said the blessing and gave the chalice 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: We proclaim you Death, O Lord, and profess your
Resurrection until you come again.
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 with Saint ____, and 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.
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.
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.
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 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: May the receiving of your Body and Blood, Lord
Jesus Christ, not bring me to judgment and condemnation, but through your loving
mercy be for me protection in mind and body and a healing remedy.
All: Amen.
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 word 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 85:13 The Lord
will bestow his bounty, and our earth shall yield its increase.
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: May these mysteries, O Lord, in which we have
participated, profit us, we pray, for even now, as we walk amid passing things,
you teach us by them to love the things of heaven and hold fast to what endures.
Through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
Concluding Rite
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)
Greeting:
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: And
with your spirit.
Priest: Bow
down for the blessing.
Blessing:
Priest: May the almighty and merciful God, by whose grace you have
placed your faith in the First Coming of his Only Begotten Son and yearn for his
coming again, sanctify you by the radiance of Christ's Advent and enrich you with
his blessing.
All: Amen.
Priest: As you run the race of this present life, may he make you
firm in faith, joyful in hope and active in charity.
All: Amen.
Priest: So that, rejoicing now with devotion at the Redeemer's
coming in the flesh, you may be endowed with the rich reward of eternal life
when he comes again in majesty.
All: Amen.
Priest: And my 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.
Dismissal Prayer:
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.
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins.
Save us from the fires of hell.
Lead all souls to heaven,
especially those in most need of your mercy.
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