5 Sunday C - Liturgical Prayers

Greetings (See Second Reading)

By God's grace we are what we are.
May his grace not remain fruitless in us.
What matters is that we spread the Good News.
May the Lord Jesus be always with you. 
R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

A. We Are Called And Sent

If our faith is truly an integral part of our lives, we should be so much aware of its riches that we cannot keep it to ourselves. What we see in it, what we live in it, we want to share with others. If it makes us feel happy and secure in God, we realize it is given not only for ourselves. Let us make others happy and rich in faith: that is the vocation of every Christian. Let us ask the Lord here in the Eucharist that we may bring him to others, at least by the way we live.

B. The Rich Word Of God

It is fortunate that the new liturgy has opened the Bible for us. Not only do we hear it now in our own language but also the number and selection of texts read to us has improved immensely. No wonder many people now have a Bible and regularly read from it. Why do we read the Bible? Is it only to seek consolation in it or is it that we want to know God better, especially through encountering Jesus and his message? When we know God better, do we bring others closer to God? Jesus asks of us today to spread his word and message. Let us listen to him as he speaks to us.

Penitential Act

Before the all-holy God we are only sinners.
We ask him to cleanse our lips and our hearts
and to send us to make him known as our healing God.
(pause)
Lord Jesus, you died for our sins
according to the Scriptures:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, on the third day
you rose to life to bring us your life:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, by your grace you call us
to be apostles of your Good News:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
In your mercy, Lord, forgive us
and let your grace not be fruitless in us.
Lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer

Let us pray
that God may make us capable
of making his Gospel credible
(pause)
Holy God of our happiness,
you entrust your Good News of life
to weak and fallible people.
Keep us from discouragement
and give us the strength to speak your message
with the language of our life.
Let Jesus your Son work with us and in us,
that each of us may have the courage to say:
Here I am, Lord,
send me as your messenger
to share your glad tidings of happiness
with all willing to listen.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

General Intercessions

As the people chosen by God, let us bring before our Father in heaven the needs and prayers of all people, and let us say: R/ Listen to your people, Lord.
• For the pope and all bishops, called by God to be "fishers of people," that they may face with courage and hope the stormy waves of our time of renewal and continue without fear to preach the gospel of Christ, let us pray: R/ Listen to your people, Lord.
• For missionaries, and all who spread the Gospel, that by their own evangelical living and their openness to all they may bear witness to the universality and beauty of the message of Christ, we pray: R/ Listen to your people, Lord.
• For those called by the Lord to his special service as priests or religious, that their own experience of Christ may be the source of their strength to remain faithful to God's call, let us pray: R/ Listen to your people, Lord.
• For all Christians, that they may have the courage to risk their comfort and personal peace to help prisoners and refugees, old parents, the sick and strangers, let us pray: R/ Listen to your people, Lord.
• For our Christian communities, that the celebration of the Eucharist may commit us more and more to one another and give us the strength to work together to make our communities alive in Christ, let us pray: R/ Listen to your people, Lord.
Lord our God, we are but weak people. Make us fit to carry out any task you wish us to do, by the strength of Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Prayer over the Gifts

God our Father,
in these signs of bread and wine
we celebrate the central event
that sums up our faith
and gives meaning to what we are and do:
the death and resurrection of your Son.
Purify our lips and hearts
with his body and blood
and send us to proclaim with our lives
that Jesus is our living Lord
and that you are our Father
now and for ever. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

We praise God for the apostles, his privileged witnesses who became fishers of people, and with them we are willing to spread the Good News. In the "Holy, holy" we echo the words of the angels, whom Isaiah heard singing God's praise.

Invitation to the Lord's Prayer

In the words of Jesus who saved us
let us pray to the Father who calls and loves us
through the Spirit who guides us: R/ Our Father...

Deliver Us

Deliver us Lord, from every evil
and meet us in the humility
of our sinful human condition.
Take away from us the fear
that we are too inadequate
to be messengers and instruments
of your forgiveness and love,
since it is you who call us.
Send us out to prepare in joyful hope
the coming in glory among his people
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 
R/ For the kingdom...

Invitation to Communion

This is the Lamb of God
who saved us from sin
by his death and resurrection.
We are not worthy to receive him,
but he purifies us and sends us
to proclaim his love.
R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
in your love you have called each of us
to a task of life and a place in your plan
which no one else can fulfill for us;
you have chosen your Church
to be the irreplaceable sign and witness
of the death and resurrection of your Son.
Make each and all of us
capable of our mission
and send us out into the deep
by the strength of the body and blood
of our unique Savior,
Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Blessing

The Lord entrusts to you
his Word and his Body.
Go now, speak his Word
and be his Body to the world.
May the Lord bless you,
that you may be a blessing to all,
in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go in the peace of the Lord. R/ Thanks be to God.