Liturgy Alive Weekday before Epiphany

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Saturday, January 6, 2018

 

Introduction by the Celebrant

Today, the Gospel gives us Mark's account of the baptism of Jesus. We look at it in the spirit of the Christmas season. On Christmas, he manifested himself as a child, God as human in his weakness, though he was the Son of God. At the Epiphany, he manifested himself to the Gentiles as the Savior of all of humankind. Today, he manifests himself as the Son intensely loved by the Father, with the Spirit resting on him and guiding him. This scene is the inaugural vision of his public life. Now, he can begin his mission. For us, too, it is a reminder that in Jesus, we become God's beloved sons and daughters, and in our baptism began our mission as Christians.

Opening Prayer

God, our Father,
with your whole people reborn in baptism
we give you thanks and praise
that in Jesus each of us has become
your beloved son or daughter.
Fill us with the fire of the Holy Spirit
who guided Jesus in life and death.
Let this Spirit set us free for our mission
to serve you and one another
with unselfish, grateful love.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, the Lord.

General Intercessions

– For the Church and its leaders, that all of us may not seek compromises with wealth and power but learn to commit ourselves in love and to help the poor, we pray:
– For Christians and for all people, that the Holy Spirit may guide us to respect what is little and defenseless, that we may not crush them but give them justice, we pray:
– For us and for all our Christian communities, that the Eucharist may strengthen in us the gifts of the Holy Spirit and make us ever more faithful to our vocation as God's beloved children, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Our God and Father,
these gifts of bread and wine
will become your beloved Son, Jesus,
on whom your favor rests.
Strengthen us with his body and blood
and let his Holy Spirit renew us
as people who live without compromise
the message of justice and love
and the very life of your Son.
In this way, may we truly be
your beloved sons and daughters
on whom your favor rests,
now and for ever. R/ Amen.

Prayer after Communion

Our God and Father,
you have opened heaven to us
to strengthen us with the bread of life
and to fill us with the Holy Spirit.
Make us new and call us away
from our certainties and attachments.
Send us out to go forward without fear
on the road of justice and peace,
that we may be your beloved children
together with your faithful Son, 
Jesus Christ, our Lord. R/ Amen.

Blessing

At his baptism, Jesus saw his vocation to serve God and people. At our baptism, we were given our vocation. It is in a small way, the vocation of Jesus. Let each of us become a faithful servant and a son or daughter of the Father, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Thanks be to God.

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