Liturgy Alive 4th Sunday of Easter

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Sunday, April 26, 2015

 

Greeting

There is no other name
by which we are saved
than the name of Jesus Christ,
crucified but risen from the dead.
May the risen Lord Jesus be always with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

 Shepherd with a Heart 
We expect of people in charge of others, especially in tasks of leadership and service, that they are dedicated to those who rely on them: doctors, social workers, priests and ministers. For those who are Christians, the model is no other than Jesus, the Good Shepherd. He had a heart for people and was willing to go as far as laying down his life for them. All those responsible for others should be like him: not functionaries, not people who just do their job, but, whether lay or ordained, pastors, that is, literally, shepherds, shepherds with a heart, totally dedicated even at great cost to themselves. And let us not forget that we are all entrusted with and to one another. May Jesus among us inspire and guide us.

 

Penitential Act

Let us pray to our Good Shepherd to forgive us.
He looks for the lost sheep and does not condemn it.
We rely on his loving mercy.
         (PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, our Good shepherd,
you laid down your life for your sheep,
for all the people you came to save:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd,
you know your sheep, all your people,
and those who accept you know you:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, our Good Shepherd,
you still have other sheep who are outside
and you want them to belong in your flock:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Have mercy on us, Lord,
seek us out and bring to us all
the peace of your forgiveness and love.
Lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer

Let us pray
that Jesus may be the shepherd of our lives
        (PAUSE)
God our Father,
by his own free will
Jesus gave his life for us
that we might live and be saved.
Give us the courage to listen to his voice
and to follow him on the way to you.
May we also reflect the love he has shown us
by caring for one another
with the same self-forgetting kindness
he has shown to us.
We ask you this in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.

 

General Intercessions

We are saved in the name of Jesus, our Good Shepherd who is alive and prays for us to the Father. Let us say to him: R/ Lord, keep us in your love.

- For all ministers of the Church, that they may care for those entrusted to them with unselfish dedication, we pray: R/ Lord, keep us in your love.

- For the leaders of nations and all public servants, that they may place the interests of those entrusted to them above private gain and their own comfort, let us pray: R/ Lord, keep us in your love.

- For all Christian Churches, that they work untiringly to become one under the one Shepherd, Jesus Christ, let us pray; R/ Lord, keep us in your love.

- For those who do not yet know Christ that they may encounter him and hear his voice through missionaries and other people who make Christ visible by the way they live his life, let us pray: R/ Lord, keep us in your love.

- For those abandoned by others, for victims of injustice and poverty and for all others who suffer, that they may encounter dedicated people who give them hope and leadership, let us pray: R/ Lord, keep us in your love.

- For all our Christian communities, that we may live as we believe and make the gospel credible in our time, let us pray: R/ Lord, keep us in your love.

Lord Jesus, our shepherd and brother, keep us in your love. May we always know you and respond to you, for you are our Lord for ever. R/ Amen.

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God, loving Father,
your Son Jesus Christ gave his life for us
as the Good Shepherd;
he will give himself again to us
in these signs of bread and wine.
May we recognize his voice
in the cry of our neighbor in need
and give the best of ourselves to them
as he has done for us,
for he is your Son and our Lord for ever. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

In the Eucharistic Prayer we thank God for having made us his sons and daughters through Jesus, our Good Shepherd, who died for us to be our light and our life. It is a joy for us to say a hearty "Thank you!"

Introduction to the Lord's Prayer

As God's beloved sons and daughters
we pray to our Father
the prayer of Jesus, our Good Shepherd: R/ Our Father...

Deliver Us

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil,
for you have given us your Son as our shepherd
to free us from sin and anxiety
and to unite us as your people.
Keep us in your love,
as we wait in joyful hope
for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...

At the Breaking of Bread

Jesus was broken for us
that we might be one in him.
Like him, we ought to share ourselves
with one another.

Invitation to Communion

This is the Good Shepherd
who laid down his life for us
and who knows us by name.
Happy are we to be invited to his table. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

Prayer after Communion

Lord God, loving Father,
we thank you for the bread of himself
which our Good Shepherd has given us.
May he be the cornerstone, the foundation,
on which we build our lives
and your kingdom on earth,
a kingdom of justice and love,
of brotherhood and peace.
And may we learn from him
to live for one another.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.

Blessing

God loves us. Of this we are sure.
We are no strangers to him.
He is near to us in all we do.
Let us not be strangers to one another
but people who build up one another
with the blessing of almighty God:
the Father who loves us,
his Son who leads us as our shepherd,
and the Holy Spirit who unites us. R/ Amen.

Let us go in peace
to love and serve the Lord in the people around us.
R/ Thanks be to God.


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