Liturgy Alive Easter Feria
Introduction
“May they all be one… May the love with which you loved me be in them, so that I may be in them.” There is perhaps no stronger witnessing—that the world would believe that Jesus is the one sent—than that those who believe in Christ would also be united in one love by the bond of love which is the Holy Spirit. But, the tragic reality is that, Christians are divided in many denominations and sects. Even in our Church, there are different groups, usually people of good will and full of good intentions. We need ecumenism not only between Churches but also in our Church. Is the love with which the Father has loved Christ not in us?
Opening Prayer
Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ,
and Father of all people,
we believe in you
and we know that you loved Jesus
with a deep and trusting, lasting love.
Let your Holy Spirit pour out this love
into the hearts of all those
who believe in Jesus, our Savior and Shepherd.
Let this love unite us in one common bond
of understanding and respect for one another
and let that love dispose us
to live for one another and to serve one another
for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
General Intercessions
– Lord Jesus, that in the land where you walked the roads, Palestinians and Jews may come to respect one another and seek peace, we pray:
– Lord Jesus, different as we are in our faces and characters, let the Holy Spirit bind us together in one love, we pray:
– Lord Jesus, however difficult it is, let the Holy Spirit make our communities one heart and one soul, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
at his invitation,
we gather at the table of your Son
and we prepare ourselves to share in his meal.
As he has united us as his brothers and sisters,
may the Holy Spirit keep us united
in the life of every day.
Let him bind us together
in strong and dedicated communities,
in which we accept one another,
notwithstanding all our differences.
Unite us in the one love
of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
the Psalmist rejoices
when even our brothers and sisters
can live together in one love.
Let this be a reality among us
who believe in our one Lord, Jesus Christ.
Let the deepest witnessing of our faith be
that we live for one another in the same unity,
that united your Son Jesus with you,
our living and loving God,
now and for ever.
Blessing
The best witnessing that the Father sent Jesus and that we believe in him and he is alive in us is that we are one. Division and quarrels between Churches and different communities are the opposite of witnessing to Christ and his Gospel. May God’s Spirit unite you and may Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
