Liturgy Alive Monday of the 4th Week of Lent

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Monday, March 7, 2016

Introduction

For people who believe, the golden age lies in the future, not in the past, says the third section of the book of Isaiah. Before the exile, the Jews and their prophets looked to the beginnings, to the past, as the golden era from which humankind had declined. Now, the prophet turns to the future. For the believer, there is a new world to be built as a sign of the new heaven. Life lies in the future.
The building up of this new world began seriously in Christ. His word renews people. Faith in him brings life and healing, something to live for and joy—now and even more, so in the future: a new world, a new relationship with God, a new People of God.

Opening Prayer

Lord, our God, almighty Father,
you want us not to turn to the past
to regret it and to mourn over it,
but to hope in the future,
in the new earth and the new heaven.
Give us a firm faith
in your Son, Jesus Christ,
that notwithstanding the shortcomings of our time
we may have faith in the future,
which you want us to build up
with your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

General Intercessions

–    Lord, speak only your Word and we shall be healed, we pray:
–    Lord, touch us with your grace and we shall become new and courageous people, we pray:
–    Lord, give us yourself again, and you shall make us capable of giving ourselves to others, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord, our God, these are our gifts:
no more than a little bread and wine,
ordinary bread, a simple drink of joy,
but they become among us
the signs of a great future.
Give us faith, Lord,
a faith strong enough to believe
with absolute certainty
that everything becomes possible,
that we can build up
a new heaven and a new earth
in and through your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord, God of our future,
we believe in your Son, Jesus Christ,
who has been with us
in this Eucharistic celebration.
On account of him, we are convinced
that even death leads to life,
that there are no barriers
to what you can do with us,
unreliable as we are at times,
that all our dreams can come true
beyond all our expectations
in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Blessing

Every year, the Church gives us this Lent as an opportunity to become the kind of followers of Christ we were meant to be: courageous, close to God, thinking of others rather than of ourselves and our own petty interests. Continue to let the Lord renew you, with the blessings of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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