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
Matthew 3:16-17 After the Lord was baptized, the
heavens were opened,
the heavens opened, and the Spirit came down like a dove to
rest on him. The
voice of the Father thundered: This is my beloved Son, with
him I am well
pleased.
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: Grace to you and peace
from God our
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 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: Have mercy on us, O Lord.
All: For we have sinned against you.
Priest: Show us, O Lord, your mercy.
All: And grant us your salvation.
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 on
earth peace to people of good will. We praise you, we
bless you, we adore
you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great
glory. Lord God,
heavenly King, O God, almighty Father. Lord Jesus
Christ, Only Begotten
Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away
the sins of the
world, have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world,
receive your
prayer; you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have
mercy on us.
For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you
alone are the most
High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God
the Father.
Amen.
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, when
Christ had been
baptized in the River Jordan and as the Holy Spirit descended
upon him,
solemnly declared him your beloved Son, grant that your
children by adoption,
reborn of water and the Holy Spirit, may always be well
pleasing to you.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns
with you in the
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
Priest/Reader: A reading from the
prophet Isaiah.
First Reading: Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7
Thus says the Lord: Here is my servant whom I
uphold, my chosen one
with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit; he
shall bring forth
justice to the nations, not crying out, not shouting, not
making his voice
heard in the street. A bruised reed he shall not break,
and a smoldering
wick he shall not quench, until he establishes justice on the
earth; the
coastlands will wait for his teaching.
I, the Lord, have called you for the victory of justice,
I have grasped
you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant of
the people, a light
for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out
prisoners from
confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.
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 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10
Cantor: The Lord will bless his people with peace. All: R/. The Lord will
bless his people
with peace. Cantor: Give to the Lord, you sons
of God, Give to
the Lord glory and praise, give to the Lord the glory due his
name; adore the
Lord in holy attire. All: R/. The Lord will
bless his people
with peace. Cantor: The voice of the Lord is over the
waters, the Lord,
over vast waters. The voice of the Lord is mighty; the
voice of the Lord
is majestic. All: R/. The Lord will
bless his people
with peace. Cantor: The God of glory thunders, and in
his temple all
say, "Glory!" The Lord is enthroned above the flood; The
Lord
is enthroned as king for ever. All: R/. The Lord will bless his
people with peace.
The Second Reading:Taken from the New Testament, often from a letter
written by St. Paul.
Priest/Reader: A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles by Luke.
Second Reading: Acts 10:34-38
Peter proceeded to speak to those gathered in the house
of Cornelius,
saying: “In truth, I see that God shows no partiality.
Rather, in every
nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to
him. You
know the word that he sent to the Israelites as he proclaimed
peace through
Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all, what has happened all over
Judea, beginning
in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, how God
anointed Jesus of
Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about
doing good and
healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with
him.”
The Alleluia:An ancient expression of joy anticipating the Lord's
message we will hear
in the Gospel. Mark 9:7 Cantor: Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
All: R/.
Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Cantor: The heavens were opened and the
voice of the
Father thundered: This is my beloved Son, listen to him. 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 also with you. Priest/Deacon: Areading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew. All:Glory
to you, Lord.
The Gospel: Matthew 3:13-17
Matthew wrote to show that Christ was the Messiah and
fulfilled the Jewish
prophecies.
Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be
baptized by him.
John tried to prevent him, saying, “I need to be baptized by
you, and yet you
are coming to me?” Jesus said to him in reply, “Allow it
now, for thus it
is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he
allowed
him. After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water
and behold, the
heavens were opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God
descending like a
dove and coming upon him. And a voice came from the
heavens, saying, “This
is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
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
Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is visible
and
invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only
Begotten Son of
God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God,
Light from Light, true
God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the
Father; through
him all things were made. For us men and for our
salvation he came down
from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the
Virgin Mary, and
became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius
Pilate, he
suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day
in accordance
with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is
seated at the right
hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge
the living and
the dead and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in
the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and
the Son, who with
the Father and the Son he is adored and glorified, who has
spoken through the
prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic
Church. I
confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look
forward to the
resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to
come. Amen.
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, through your goodness we have this bread to offer,
which earth has
given and human hands have made. 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:Lord
God, we ask you
to receive us and be pleased with the sacrifice we offer you
with humble and
contrite hearts.
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:Lord, wash away my
iniquity; 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, the offerings we have
brought to honor
the revealing of your beloved Son, so that the oblation of
your faithful may be
transformed into the sacrifice of him who willed in his
compassion to wash away
the sins of the world. Who lives and reigns for ever and
ever. All:Amen.
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 God,
almighty and eternal God.
For in the waters
of the Jordan you
revealed with signs and wonders a new Baptism, so that through
the voice that
came down from heaven we might come to believe in your Word
dwelling among us,
and by the Spirit's descending in the likeness of a dove we
might know that
Christ your Servant has been anointed with the oil of gladness
and sent to
bring the good news to the poor. And so, with the Powers
of heaven, we
worship you constantly on earth, and before your majesty
without end we
acclaim:
Acclamation:
Priest and 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: 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.
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: Onthe day
before he was to
suffer, he took bread in his holy and venerable hands, and
with eyes raised to
heaven to you, 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: Let us proclaim the
mystery of faith: Priest and All: Save us, Savior of the world, for by
your Cross and
Resurrection you have set us free.
Memorial Prayer:
Priest: 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 Abel 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 that
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 sing 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, in
the unity of the
Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father,
for ever and
ever. 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: Let us
ask our Father
to forgive our sins and to bring us to forgive those who sin
against us. 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 for ever.
Prayer for Peace:
Priest:Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your
apostles: I leave
you peace, my peace I give you. Look not on our sins, but on
the faith of your
Church, and grant us peace and unity of your kingdom where you
live for ever
and ever. Amen. Priest:Let us offer each other the sign of
peace.
Breaking of the Bread:
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: May this mingling of the body and blood
of our Lord
Jesus Christ bring eternal life to us who receive it.
Communion of the Priest: PriestlyPreparation: 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 theLamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
Happy are those
who are called to his supper.
Priest and All:Lord, I am not worthy to receive you,
but only say the
word and I 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 Prayer: John 1:32, 34
Priest: Behold the One of whom John said: I
have seen and
testified that this is the Son of God.
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:Lord, may I receive
these gifts in
purity of heart. May they bring me healing and strength,
now and for
ever.
Prayer after Communion:
Priest:Let us
pray. Priest: Nourished with these sacred gifts, we
humbly entreat
your mercy, O Lord, that, faithfully listening to your Only
Begotten Son, we
may be your children in name and in truth. 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)
Priest: Bow your heads and pray for God's
blessing. Priest: May God, the source and origin of
all blessing,
grant you grace, pour out his blessing in abundance, and keep
you safe from
harm throughout thee year. All:Amen. Priest: May he
give you
integrity in the faith, endurance in hope, and perseverance in
charity with
holy patience to the end. All:Amen. Priest: May he order your days and your
deeds in his peace,
grant your prayers in this and in every place, and lead you
happily to eternal
life. 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.
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.
Doxology:
