Liturgy Alive Lent Feria

Introduction

Often, we blame the community and “the system” for the evils of society and for the sins we commit. This shrugging off of responsibility is a timeless device of escape. Christ dealt with it and so did Ezekiel before him. Ezekiel tells us: you are personally responsible for your sins and you must repent; if so, God takes you back in his love. Jesus tells us: not the law but your personal attitude and intention counts. True worship does not consist in private, self-centered religious practice but in being committed to Christ’s task of reconciliation and service of people.

Opening Prayer

God of mercy and compassion,
you challenge us to be responsible
for the good and the evil we do
and you call us to conversion.
God, help us to face ourselves,
that we may not use flimsy excuses
for covering up our wrongs.
Make us honest with ourselves,
and aware that we can always count on Jesus Christ,
to be our guide and strength on the road to you,
now and for ever.

General Intercessions

–    For the Church, that it may be a merciful Church that takes its task of reconciliation seriously and keeps forgiving its erring members with patience, we pray:
–    For all of us, that we dare to take the first step to forgive when others have hurt us, we pray:
–    For our communities, that the Eucharist may prompt us to forgive one another and to care for people who go astray, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Merciful Father,
your Son, Jesus, comes among us
to reconcile us with you.
May he stay with us
to carry out in the world
your mission of reconciling people
with you and with one another.
Give us the courage of the humility
to seek pardon and peace
from anyone we may have offended,
in the strength of Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord for ever.

Prayer after Communion

Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ,
you ask us to be personally responsible
for our own deeds
and for our share in those of the community.
May this Eucharistic celebration
be a source of insight and strength
to take up our tasks as followers of Jesus.
May our deeds match our words
and may we thus express
our thanks and love to you,
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Blessing

Resentment and grudge-bearing is not for us Christians, however, much we may have been hurt. We are forgiven people, and therefore, we should be forgiving people, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.