Liturgy Alive Lent Feria

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Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Introduction

Even for pagans, even for those known for their cruelty, like the people that enslaved the Jews, it is possible to be converted. When the author of the Book of Jonah told this to the Jews, it was an astonishing message to them. For Jews, yes, but for pagans? Jesus seems to turn things around: pagans turn to God, but you, God’s people, don’t. Aren’t we Christians perhaps, too smug too, thinking that we are God’s people, and therefore, need no conversion?

Opening Prayer

Forgiving, merciful God,
we pray to you for a good measure
of humility and honesty
to acknowledge before you and people,
that we are weak and fallible men and women,
who often try to turn a blind eye
to our shortcomings and our sins.
Strong with the grace won in the hard way
by your Son on the cross,
we beg you for the courage
to seek your forgiveness
and to turn and return wholeheartedly to you
and to serve you and people.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.

General Intercessions

–    That God may give to the Church the courage to hear God’s call to constant conversion and renewal, we pray:
–    That we may hear the call of the Lord to become ever more faithful to the Gospel, we pray:
–    That the Church and each of us may receive the call of being prophets to change what is to be changed, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord, our God,
your Son, Jesus, prayed for forgiveness
for those who tortured him.
He invited sinners to his table
as he invites us now.
Let him restore us
and make us receive humbly and graciously
his forgiving love.
May we too, restore others
by sharing your mercy with them.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Merciful God,
may we leave this Eucharistic celebration
as people changed by the Word of Jesus,
knowing where he wants us to go.
And may his bread of life be our strength
to follow the path he has shown us,
the way to you and to people.
For he is our way and our life,
now and for ever.

Blessing

The trouble with us is that we sometimes congratulate ourselves on how good we are. Yet, we are called to live the Gospel more deeply, that it may be indeed Good News for us and for the people around us. May God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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