Liturgy Alive Saturday 17th Week in Ordinary Time Year 1

print
Saturday, August 3, 2019

Opening Prayer

Lord our God, merciful Father,
you always give new chances
to the people you love.
Again and again, you want to make
a new beginning with us.
God, how good you are to us.
Yes Lord, we want to try again
to live at peace with you and each other
and to offer to each and everyone
our willingness to accept all,
to forget the mistakes of the past,
and to become new
in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading Introduction: In the year of the jubilee you shall return, everyone of you, to your own property.
           When the Jews celebrated the jubilee year every fiftieth year, slaves were supposed to be set free, land alienated through debts, to be returned to its original owner. The idea was to allow for a radically new beginning, with respect for human rights and dignity. It was an attempt to bring about a more equitable distribution of goods within the people of God. The Christian Holy Year takes its inspiration from the Jewish Jubilee Year. For us, then, should the jubilee year not mean to create more justice within the Church, with a new start to be made, new chances offered to start from scratch? Is this not the image of the Christian life? A clean slate to start with, new reconciliation?

General Intercessions

–    Lord God, dispose us to leave behind without regret what has become an obstacle to the Gospel, that we may boldly renew our life in Christ, we pray:
–    Lord God, that even in the sacrament of reconciliation, we may not so much mourn the past because with your help we learn to do better in the future, we pray:
–    Lord God, let all of us grow in closeness to you and in unity and friendship with one another, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

God our Father,
in Jesus Christ you invite us
to treat one another fairly, without prejudice.
Help us to let bygones be bygones
and make the body and blood of your Son
the seed of new life and strength,
of peace and unity among people.
We offer you this bread and wine
as the signs of the new life
we want to live, with the help
of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord God,
you are the beginning and the end,
the origin, the present, and the future
of all creation and of every person.
Through the body and blood of your Son,
lead us to a new beginning.
Shape us in your Son’s image and likeness
that we may become new,
courageous enough to leave the past behind
and to walk forward expectantly
toward the reconciliation of all our differences
and the fulfillment of your and our plans,
for peace without boundaries
and happiness without end,
in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Blessing

We should appreciate jubilees. We are accustomed to consider them as conclusions of a long era, a crowning event. In fact, a jubilee is meant to be a new starting point. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

share :