Liturgy Alive Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
the present renewal in the Church
and the changes in the world
have upset many of our certainties,
and at times, we don't know where we stand.
Give us a great faith and a deep trust,
and the wisdom of your Spirit.
Help us to retain our critical sense,
that we may not run after false prophets
and yet remain open to all true renewal
that brings us closer to you
and helps us to bear good fruit
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading Introduction
      The certainty of faith is always a search for a fuller reality, which we do not yet possess. We have to learn to live with partial visions and to place ourselves trustingly into the hands of the God of the covenant, like Abraham.

Gospel Reading Introduction
     Christ is our real tree of life. If we pluck the fruits of his message and life, we too, can become trees of life that produce good fruits. It is not enough for us to take pride in being the People of God and in boasting that we are disciples of Christ. We must also effectively follow him and lead the life of people of the covenant.

General Intercessions

– That we may not be afraid when we meet difficulties, but keep always trusting in God who loves us and wants us to be happy, we pray:
– That the Gospel and the life of Christ may be our guide in all the choices we face, we pray:
– That with all our heart and soul, we may love the Lord, who has made with us a covenant uniting us with himself and with one another, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

God our Father,
in these signs of bread and wine,
signs of communion and sharing,
you let us renew the covenant
made once and for all in the blood of your Son.
All we ask of you Lord is:
let your Son be the living bond
between you and us, between us and people.
Then, it will be easy to respond to your love
and to bear good fruit
in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
through your Son in our midst,
help us rediscover what it means
to be loved by you.
Let our whole lives be a disclosure and deepening
of the riches and the potentials
of our faith, of hope and love,
that we may bear lasting fruits
of goodness and justice,
in response to your love that lasts for ever.

Blessing

A tree that bears good fruit is a good tree. Let the sap of Jesus' Gospel and his union with us and our closeness to him flow in us, and we shall bear fruits of justice, mercy and love, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.