Liturgy Alive Saturday, February 5, 2022
Opening Prayer
All wise and loving God,
grant that we may always seek
the things that really matter:
light for our consciences,
understanding and love for people,
loyalty to your will
and concern for your kingdom.
Let all these be inspired
by the Gospel and the life
of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
First Reading Introduction
As a young and inexperienced king, Solomon prays to the Lord for practical wisdom in leading his people and dispensing justice. His people is after all God's people. Moved by Solomon's unselfish request, God promises him not only wisdom but riches and glory as well.
Gospel Introduction
What a pity if our world would become so heartless as to do away with compassion? We hear in today's Good News that God shows in Jesus that he cares for us with a love deeper and more tender than that of a mother for the child to which she had given life. He is particularly close to those who need him most: the weak, those who suffer, the abandoned, and those who count for nothing. That is the love he showed us in Jesus; that is the love he invites us to have for one another: deep, tender, lasting, and not afraid of showing itself.
General Intercessions
– Lord, give us the wisdom to trust in you, for you know where you lead us, we pray:
– Lord, pour out on us your Holy Spirit of wisdom, that we may see what you expect of us and have the courage to do it, we pray:
– Lord, give us the wisdom of accepting the cross, to let us grow as human beings and Christians, so that we can really learn from Jesus to put ourselves in the service of others, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
to be wise with your wisdom
we have to accept you on your own terms
and to abandon our own limited insights.
We celebrate in this bread and wine
what is foolish to the world:
the wisdom of the cross of your Son.
Confirm our faith in Jesus,
that is, in the surprising presence of you, our God,
who became one of us in our weakness,
in Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord, our God,
you turn our thinking upside down.
With you, suffering leads to joy,
awareness of our poverty of heart
opens us to your gifts;
our weakness attracts your strength.
Accept our thanks for our faith
in which all this makes sense
and thank you for him
who taught us this wisdom
by his word, example and his nourishing bread,
your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
Wisdom we all seek, but God's wisdom goes much deeper than our human wisdom, though it comprises it and enriches it very much with aspects we could not find by ourselves, like the wisdom of the cross. May God give you his wisdom and bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
