Second Sunday of Easter
Divine Mercy Sunday
April 8, 2018 Cycle B
White priestly vestments symbolize purity and integrity of the
life of faith.
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Liturgical
Year Cycle B 2017-2018
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
1
Peter 2:2 Like newborn infants, you
must long for the pure, spiritual milk, that in him you may grow to salvation,
alleluia.
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.
Priest / 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 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 thinks, 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: God, of everlasting mercy, who in the very recurrence
of the paschal feast kindle the faith of the people you have made your own,
increase, we pray, the grace you have bestowed, that all may grasp and rightly
understand in what font they have been washed, by whose Spirit they have been
reborn, by whose Blood they have been redeemed. 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 New Testament.
Acts of the Apostles 4:32-35
The community of believers
was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was
his own, but they had everything in common. With great power the apostles bore
witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them
all. There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or
houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet
of the apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need.
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 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24
Cantor: Give thanks to the Lord
for he is good, his love is everlasting.
All: R/. Give
thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.
Cantor: Let the house of Israel say, “His mercy endures
forever.” Let the house of Aaron say, “His mercy endures forever.” Let those
who fear the Lord say, “His mercy endures forever.”
All: R/. Give
thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.
Cantor: I was hard pressed and was falling, but the Lord
helped me. My strength and my courage is the Lord, and he has been my savior.
The joyful shout of victory in the tents of the just:
All: R/. Give
thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.
Cantor: The stone which the builders rejected has become the
cornerstone. By the Lord has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes. This
is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it.
All: R/. Give
thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.
The Second Reading:
Taken from the New Testament,
from a letter written by St. John.
1 John 5:1-6
Beloved: Everyone who
believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God, and everyone who loves the
Father loves also the one begotten by him. In this way we know that we love the
children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God
is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not
burdensome, for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory
that conquers the world is our faith. Who indeed is the victor over the world
but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
This is the one who came through water and
blood, Jesus Christ, not by water alone, but by water and blood. The Spirit is
the one that testifies, and the Spirit is truth.
The Alleluia:
An ancient expression of joy anticipating
the Lord's message we will hear in the Gospel.
John 20:29
Cantor: Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia!
ALL: R/. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Cantor: You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen
me, says the Lord; blessed are those who have not seen me, but still believe!
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. Through the words of the Gospel may our sins be wiped away.
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: And with your spirit.
Deacon: A
reading from the holy Gospel according
to John.
All: Glory
to you, Lord.
The Gospel: John
20:19-31
John wrote to show that Christ was
the Messiah, the Divine Son of God.
On
the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the
disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and
said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his
hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said
to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the
Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you
retain are retained.”
On the evening of that
first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for
fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace
be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace
be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said
this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose
sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”
Thomas called Didymus, one
of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said
to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of
the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand
into his side, I will not believe.”
Now a week later his
disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the
doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then
he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand
and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas
answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you
come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen
and have believed.”
Now Jesus did many other signs in the
presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are
written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
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 m 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,
O Lord, we pray, the oblations of your people and of those you have brought to
new birth, that, renewed by confession of your name and by Baptism, they may
attain unending happiness. 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, at all times to acclaim you, O Lord, but in this time above all
to laud you yet more gloriously, when Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.
For he is the rue Lamb who has taken away the sins of the world; by dying he
has destroyed our death, and by rising, restored our life.
Therefore, overcome with paschal joy, every
land, every people exults in your praise and even the heavenly Powers, with the
angelic hosts, sing together the unending hymn of your glory, as they 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:
For on the night he was betrayed he himself
took bread, and, 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.
All: We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your
Resurrection until you come again.
Memorial Prayer:
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 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.
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 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.
Priest 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.
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:
Communion Antiphon:
John 20:27
Bring your hand and feel the place of the nails, and do not be unbelieving
but believing, alleluia.
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, almighty God, that our reception of this paschal Sacrament ma have a
continuing effect in our minds and hearts. 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.
Blessing: (The priest may select
from several forms)
Priest: May God, who by the
Resurrection of his Only Begotten Son was pleased to confer on you the gift of
redemption and of adoption, give your gladness by his blessing.
All: Amen.
Priest: May he, who by whose redeeming work you have received the
gift of everlasting freedom, make you heirs to an eternal inheritance.
All: Amen.
Priest: And may you, who have already risen with Christ in Baptism
through faith, by living in a right manner on this earth, be united with him in
the homeland of heaven.
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.
Dismissal:
Priest: Go forth, the Mass is ended, alleluia, alleluia.
All: Thanks be to God, Alleluia, alleluia.
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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Year Cycle B 2017-2018