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 98:1-2 O
sing a
new song to
the Lord, for he has worked wonders; in the sight of the nations
he has shown
his deliverance, 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.
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 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: Almighty ever-living God, constantly accomplish the Paschal
Mystery within
us, that those you were pleased to make new in Holy Baptism may,
under your
protective care, bear much fruit and come to the joys of the
eternal.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your son, who lives and reigns
with you in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever 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 Acts
of the
Apostles.
First Reading: Acts 6:1-7
As the number of disciples continued to grow, the
Hellenists complained
against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in
the daily
distribution. So the Twelve called together the community
of the
disciples and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word
of God to serve
at table. Brothers,
select from among
you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom
we shall
appoint to this task, whereas we shall devote ourselves to
prayer and to the
ministry of the word.” The proposal was acceptable to the
whole
community, so they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and
the Holy Spirit,
also Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas
of Antioch, a
convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the
apostles who prayed
and laid hands on them. The word of God continued to
spread, and the
number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly; even a
large group of
priests were becoming obedient to the faith.
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 33:22, Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19
Cantor: Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in
you. All: Lord, let your mercy be on us,
as we place our
trust in you. Cantor: Exult, you just, in the Lord; praise
from the
upright is fitting. Give thanks to the Lord on the harp;
with the
ten-stringed lyre chant his praises. All:Lord, let your mercy be on us,
as we place our
trust in you. Cantor: Upright is the word of the Lord, and
all his works
are trustworthy. He
loves justice and
right; of the kindness of the Lord the earth is full. All:Lord, let your mercy be on us,
as we place our
trust in you. Cantor:See, the eyes of the Lord are
upon those who
fear him, upon those who hope for his kindness, to deliver them
from death and
preserve them in spite of famine.
All: Lord, let your mercy be on us, as
we place our
trust in you.
The Second Reading:Taken from the New Testament, often from a letter
written by St. Paul.
Priest/Reader: A Reading from a letter of St. Peter.
Second Reading: 1 Peter 2:4-9
Beloved: Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human
beings but chosen
and precious in the sight of God, and, like living stones, let
yourselves be
built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer
spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it
says in
Scripture: Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a
cornerstone, chosen and
precious, and whoever believes in it shall not be put to
shame.
Therefore, its value is for you who have faith, but for
those without
faith: The stone that the builders rejected has become the
cornerstone,
and A stone that that make people stumble, and a rock that
will make them
fall.
They stumble by disobeying the word, as is their
destiny. You are “a
chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his
own, so that
you may announce the praises” of him who called you out of
darkness into his
wonderful light.
The Alleluia:An ancient expression of joy anticipating the Lord's
message we will hear
in the Gospel.
John 14:6
Cantor: Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
All: R/. Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Cantor: I am the way, the truth, and the
life, says the
Lord; no one comes to the Father, except through me. 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. Priest/Deacon: Areading from the holy Gospel according
to John. All:Glory to
you, Lord.
The Gospel: John 14:1-12
John wrote to show that Christ was
the Messiah, the Divine Son of God.
Jesus said to his
disciples: “Do not
let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have
faith also in
me. In my father’s house there are many dwelling
places. If there
were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a
place for
you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
back again and
take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.
Where I am going
you know the way.” Thomas
said to him,
“Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the
way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the
life. No one comes
to the Father except through me. If know me, then you will
also know my Father.
From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip
said to him,
“Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for
us.” Jesus said
to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still
do not know me,
Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show
us the Father’?
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in
me? The
words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The
Father who dwells
in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the
Father and the Father
is in me, or else, believe because of the works
themselves. Amen, amen, I
say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,
and will do
greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.”
Priest/Deacon: 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: O God, who by the
wonderful exchange
effected in this sacrifice have made us partakers of the one
supreme Godhead,
grant, we pray, that, as we have come to know your truth, we may
make it ours
by a worthy way of life. Through Christ 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, O Lord, but in this
time above all to
laud you yet more gloriously, when Christ our Passover has been
sacrificed.
For, with the old order destroyed, a universe cast down is
renewed, and
integrity of life is restored to us in Christ.
Therefore, overcome with paschal joy, every land, every
people exult 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 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.
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.
The Mystery of Faith
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: 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 Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, forever 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 forever 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: John
15:01, 05
I am the true vine, and you are the branches, says the
Lord. Whoever
remains in me, and I in him, bears fruit in plenty, 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:Graciously
be present
to your people, we pray, O Lord, and lead those you have imbued
with heavenly
mysteries to pass from former ways to newness of life.
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 God, who by the Resurrection of his Only Begotten Son
was pleased to
confer on you the gift of redemption and of adoption, give you
gladness by his
blessing. All: Amen. Priest: May he, 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 forever.
All: Amen.
Dismissal:
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.
Priest:
