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Opening Prayer
God, our Father,
we are your people,
at times paralyzed by our fears
and our fascination with sin.
Let your Son speak among us
his mighty words of forgiveness and courage,
to raise us above ourselves,
above our cowardice and compromises,
that we may go resolutely
the way to you and to one another
by the power of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading Introduction
The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews tells the Jewish Christians, dispersed on account of their faith, not to seek to return to the city of rest, Jerusalem and to Palestine, but rather to seek the rest and peace of living in the love of God; they are on the march to the promised land of heaven. They should not seek the "rest" of being installed securely in their home country. Likewise, we should not seek our "rest" and security in the things we have, the place we live, but be constant seekers of the rest of being at peace with God and people.
Gospel Introduction
Miracles are called "signs" in the Bible. They are, like the cure of the paralytic, visible manifestations that something has happened inside the person. The paralytic can walk. He can stand up and move as a human being, as a person who is forgiven and can get up from the paralysis of sin. Could not we, too, give "signs" to the people around us by raising them above their miseries, that God is alive in us?
General Intercessions
– That the Church, aware of its own shortcomings and missed chances, may humbly offer forgiveness and new chances to all who err, and become in the world a sign of forgiveness and reconciliation, we pray:
– That our homes may be places of mutual understanding and reconciliation; that the young may learn from their parents and each other to forget injuries and hurts, we pray:
– For all Christian communities, that we may be less concerned about our rights and injured pride and learn Christ's way of reconciliation and creating one another anew, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God, our Father,
let your Son come here among us
to take us by the hand
and to order us to get back on our feet
with joy and courage.
Renew us, with his body and blood,
that we too, may be to one another
his uplifting word and helpful hands,
that people may praise you,
now and for ever.
Prayer after Communion
God, our Father,
your Son was attentive to people,
to their ills and their needs.
May he live in us today
and make us his voice
that brings reconciliation and peace,
his heart that loves without boundaries,
his hands that build up a world
of justice, dignity, and service.
We ask you all this, in the name of Jesus, the Lord.
Blessing
Let us try with all that is in us to put back on their feet those paralyzed by their own fears, limitations, and condemnations and to accompany them on their journey to God and to one another, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
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