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 66:4
All the earth shall bow down before you, O God, and shall
sing to you,
shall sing to your name, O Most High!
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.
The Greeting:We are welcomed in God's name. Our response
unites us to our
neighbor, to the priest and to God. (The priest may
select from several
forms of greeting).
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: Almighty ever-living God, who
govern all things,
both in heaven and on earth, mercifully hear the pleading of
your people and
bestow your peace on our times. 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 62:1-5
For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, for Jerusalem’s
sake I will not be
quiet, until her vindication shines forth like the dawn and
her victory like a
burning torch.
Nations shall behold your vindication, and all the kings
your glory; you
shall be called by a new name pronounced by the mouth of the
Lord. You
shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the Lord, a royal
diadem held by your
God. No more shall people call you “Forsaken,” or your
land “Desolate,”
but you shall be called “My Delight,” and your land
“Espoused.” For the
Lord delights in you and makes your land his spouse. As
a young man
marries a virgin, your Builder shall marry you; and as a
bridegroom rejoices in
his bride so shall your God rejoice in you.
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 96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10
Cantor: Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the
nations. All: R/. Proclaim his marvelous
deeds to all the
nations. Cantor: Sing to the Lord a new song; song to
the Lord, all you
lands. Sing to the Lord; bless his name. All: R/. Proclaim his marvelous
deeds to all the
nations. Cantor: Announce his salvation, day after
day. Tell his
glory among the nations; among all peoples, his wondrous
deeds. All: R/. Proclaim his marvelous
deeds to all the
nations. Cantor: Give to the Lord, you families of
nations, give to the
Lord glory and praise; give to the Lord the glory due his
name! All: R/. Proclaim his marvelous
deeds to all the
nations. Cantor: Worship the Lord in holy attire.
Tremble before
him, all the earth; say among the nations: The Lord is
king. He governs
the peoples with equity. All: R/. Proclaim his marvelous
deeds to all the
nations.
Second Reading
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
Brothers and sisters: There are different kinds of
spiritual gifts
by the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but
the same Lord;
there are different workings but the same God who produces all
of them in
everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the
Spirit is given for
some benefit. To one is given through the Spirit the
expression of
wisdom; to another, the expression of knowledge according to
the same Spirit;
to another, faith by the same Spirit; to another, gifts of
healing by the one
Spirit; to another, mighty deeds; to another, prophecy; to
another, discernment
of spirits; to another varieties of tongues; to another,
interpretation of
tongues. But one and the same Spirit produces all of
these, distributing
them individually to each person as he wishes.
The Alleluia:An
ancient expression
of joy anticipating the Lord's message we will hear in the
Gospel.
Cantor: Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
All: Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Cantor: God has called us through the
Gospel to
possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. All: 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 our spirit. Priest/Deacon: Areading from the holy
Gospel according
to St. John. All:Glory to you, Lord.
The Gospel John 2:1-11
John wrote to show that Christ was
the Messiah, the Divine Son of God.
There was a wedding
at Cana in Galilee,
and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his
disciples were also
invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the
mother of Jesus said
to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her,
"Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has
not yet
come." His mother said to the servers, "Do whatever he
tells
you." Now there were six stone water jars there for
Jewish
ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty
gallons. Jesus told
them, "Fill the jars with water." So they filled them
to the
brim. Then he told them, "Draw some out now and take
it to the
headwaiter.” So
they took it. And
when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine,
without knowing
where it came from - although the servers who had drawn the
water knew -, the
headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, "Everyone
serves good
wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an
inferior one; but you
have kept the good wine until now." Jesus did this as
the beginning
of his signs at Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory,
and his disciples
began to believe in him.
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: We believe in one God,
the Father, the
Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and
unseen. We
believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of
the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true
God, begotten,
not made, one in Being with the Father. Through him all
things were
made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from
heaven: by the
power of the Holy Spirit He was born of the Virgin Mary, and
became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he
suffered, died, and was
buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of
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. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord,
the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the son. With the
Father and the Son he
is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the
Prophets. We
believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We
acknowledge one
baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We 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: Grant us, O Lord, we pray, that we may
participate
worthily in these mysteries, for whenever the memorial of this
sacrifice is
celebrated the work of our redemption is accomplished.
Through our Lord.
Eucharistic Prayer:(Number
One: 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 through his Paschal Mystery, he accomplished the
marvelous deed, by
which he has freed us from the yoke of sin and death,
summoning us to the glory
of being now called a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, a people
for your own possession, to proclaim everywhere your mighty
works, for you have
called us out of darkness into your own wonderful light.
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 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: To you, therefore, most merciful
Father, we make humble
prayer and petition through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord:
that you accept
and bless these gifts, these offerings, these holy and
unblemished sacrifices,
which we offer you firstly for your holy catholic
Church. Be pleased to
grant her peace, to guard, unite and govern her throughout the
whole world,
together with your servant _____ our Pope, and _____ our
Bishop, and all those
who, holding to the truth, hand on the catholic and apostolic
faith.
Remember, Lord, your servants _____ and _____, and all
gathered here,
whose faith and devotion are known to you. For them, we
offer you this
sacrifice of praise or they offer it for themselves and all
who are dear to
them: for the redemption of their souls, in hope of health and
well-being, and
paying their homage to you, the eternal God, living and true.
In communion with those whose memory we venerate,
especially the glorious
ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of our God, and Lord, Jesus Christ,
and blessed
Joseph, her Spouse, your blessed Apostles and Martyrs, Peter
and Paul, Andrew,
James, John, Thomas, James, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew,
Simon and Jude;
Linus, Cletus, Clement, Sixtus, Cornelius, Cyprian, Lawrence,
Chrysogonus, John
and Paul, Cosmas and Damian and all your Saints; we ask that
through their
merits and prayers, in all things we may be defended by your
protecting
help. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Therefore, Lord, we pray; graciously accept this oblation
of our service,
that of your whole family; order our days in your peace, and
command that we be
delivered from eternal damnation and counted among the flock
of those you have
choosen. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Be pleased, O God, we pray, to bless, acknowledge, and
approve this
offering in every respect; make it spiritual and acceptable,
so that it may
become for us the Body and Blood of your most beloved Son, our
Lord Jesus Christ.
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:
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 this
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: Save us, Savior of the world, for by
your Cross and
Resurrection you have set us free.
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
blessed Passion,
the Resurrection from the dead, and the glorious Ascension
into heaven of
Christ, your Son, our Lord, we, your servants and your holy
people, offer to
your glorious majesty from the gifts that you have given us,
this pure victim,
this holy victim, this spotless victim, the holy Bread of
eternal life and the
Chalice of everlasting salvation.
Be pleased to look upon these offerings with a serene and
kindly
countenance, and to accept them, as once you were pleased to
accept the gifts
of your servant Able the just, the sacrifice of Abraham, our
father in faith,
and the offering of your high priest Melchizedek, a holy
sacrifice, a spotless
victim.
In humble prayer we ask you, almighty God: command these
these gifts be
borne by the hands of your holy Angel to your altar on high in
the sight of
your divine majesty, so that all of us, who through this
participation at the
altar receive the most holy Body and Blood of your Son, may be
filled with
every grace and heavenly blessing. Through Christ our
Lord. Amen.
Remember also, Lord, your servants _____ and _____, who
have gone before
us with the sign of faith and rest in the sleep of
peace. Grant them, O
Lord, we pray, and all who sleep in Christ, a place of
refreshment, light and
peace. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
To us, also, your servants, who though sinners, hope in
your abundant
mercies, graciously grant some share and fellowship with your
holy Apostles and
Martyrs: with John the Baptist, Stephen, Matthias, Barnabas,
Ignatius,
Alexander, Marcellinus, Peter, Felicity, Perpetua, Agatha,
Lucy, Agnes,
Cecilia, Anastasia and all your Saints; admit us, we beseech
you, into their
company, not weighing our merits, but granting us your pardon,
through Christ
our Lord. Through whom you continue to make all these
good things, O
Lord; you sanctify them, fill them with life, bless them, and
bestow them upon
us.
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: 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 23:5
You have prepared a table before me, and how precious is
the chalice that
quenches my thirst.
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:Pour on us, O Lord, the Spirit of your
love, and in your
kindness make those you have nourished by this one heavenly
Bread one in mind
and heart. Through Christ our Lord.
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)
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 forth, the Mass is ended. All: Thanks be to God.
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.
