Greeting (See Second Reading)
United in mind and voice we give glory to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord be with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant (Two Options)
A. Baptized with the Spirit of Fire
On this Second Sunday of Advent, we are preparing for the
fuller coming of Christ in our communities and in the world. We need to be
people full of the Spirit of Christ. The Savior was announced by Isaiah and
John the Baptist as a man completely filled with God’s Spirit. He would baptize
us with the Spirit of fire John says to us: Let this Spirit of fire change your
mentality, your attitudes, your ways, so that Jesus can really live among us to
make this world a place of unity and integrity, of justice and peace. Let Jesus
pour out this Spirit among us here. (or)
B. Prepare the Way Of The Lord
Has Jesus Christ come or is he still to come? For many he
has not yet come, for most of the world does not follow him. Even among us,
many do not live the way he taught us. The world he wanted us to build up is
still a dream of the future, not the reality of the present. What are we going
to do about it? We must change, and then our world will change. We ask the Lord
Jesus in this Eucharist to prepare his deeper coming among us.
Penitential Act
Let us ask the Lord to forgive us that we have failed to
bring Jesus and his message to a waiting world. (PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, we have not prepared well the way for your
coming in our world. Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, we have said we are Christians, but do not
always live your life. Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, we have received the Holy Spirit, but his fire
is not burning bright in us. Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Lord, let your forgiving mercy convert us to your ways. Lead us to everlasting
life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray that we may hasten the deeper coming of Jesus
our Savior (PAUSE)
God our Father, you sent your Messiah into our world with
the power and the fire of love. May all your people accept him in faith so that
he can grow in us. Keep your Church faithful to the gospel of justice and peace
and hasten the time of joy when you gather into your kingdom all who will
believe in your love. We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
General Intercessions (Two Options)
A. Baptized with the Spirit of Fire
Let us pray to our brother and Lord Jesus that he may share
his own Spirit with us, that our Lord himself may become visible and alive
among us, his disciples today.
Let us say: R/ Lord, live among us.
• That the Spirit of insight may guide the Church to
proclaim always the Good News of the Kingdom forcefully, fearlessly, and with
great compassion, let us pray: R/ Lord, live among us.
• That the Spirit of wisdom may inspire the leaders of
nations and all public officials with a vision of peace and justice for their
people, let us pray: R/ Lord, live among us.
• That the Spirit of counsel may animate all lawmakers to
enrich their nation with just and fair laws, and that the courts may apply them
with integrity, let us pray: R/ Lord, live among us.
• That the Spirit of power may strengthen us to protect all
that is weak and brittle and give us prophets to be the voice of the poor, let
us pray: R/ Lord, live among us.
• That the Spirit of knowledge may give us a deep insight in
our faith and in our hearts, that we may learn to see and appreciate what God
wants us to do to make his kingdom real, let us pray: R/ Lord, live
among us.
• That the Spirit of reverence of the Lord may induce us to
respect and love one another out of respect for the Lord himself, let us
pray: R/ Lord, live among us. Lord Jesus be fully alive among us,
that with your help we bring about that harmony with God, with one another, and
with ourselves which is the sign that you are present. Be our Lord for ever and
ever. R/ Amen. (or)
B. Prepare the Way of The Lord
Let us pray to the Lord Jesus that we may prepare his deeper
coming in the Church and the world of today. Let us say: R/ Come, Lord
Jesus, wait no longer.
• Lord Jesus, help your ministers and all in positions of
authority, that by their gentleness, understanding and serving love they may
reflect better your face, we pray: R/ Come, Lord Jesus, wait no longer.
• Lord Jesus, dispose all leaders and people in power to
bring your peace and your justice to a world dominated by strife and
exploitation, we pray: R/ Come, Lord Jesus, wait no longer.
• Lord Jesus, make our Christian communities pay more
attention to the sick and the elderly, the unemployed and the lonely, we
pray: R/ Come, Lord Jesus, wait no longer.
• Lord Jesus, teach each and every one of us to free
ourselves from greed and the hunger for power, that we may be more open to the
people around us, we pray: R/ Come, Lord Jesus, wait no longer.
• Lord Jesus, help all of us here in the Eucharist to
prepare ourselves for the celebration of Christmas, that we may do away with
all that stands in the way of your deeper coming in our hearts and in our
community, we pray: R/ Come, Lord Jesus, wait no longer.
Lord Jesus, fill us with the joy of your presence. Stay with
us, now and for ever. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father, these are only small gifts, a piece of
bread, a bit of wine. Accept them and give us instead your own Son Jesus
Christ. Through his Spirit and his fire change us, timid people, into signs to
everyone and all of your tenderness and mercy, your justice and your peace. We
ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
We voice our praise and thanks to the Father for the coming
of his Son among us and we pray that we may receive him more deeply.
Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer
Let the Spirit of Jesus pray in us to our Father in heaven:
Deliver Us
Deliver us, Lord, from the fear of letting your Son and his
Gospel change our hearts and minds. Keep us free from sin and give us the peace
that comes from integrity and justice. Help us to be in hope and joy the way
that prepares for the coming among all humanity of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus, the Lamb of God, announced by the prophets as
the Savior of all. Happy are we that he invites us to prepare the way for his
coming.
Prayer after Communion
Our God and Father, your Spirit of wisdom and strength was
alive in Jesus, your Son. Pour out the same Spirit on us, that we may bear
witness today to your faithfulness and love. And give us always people inspired
by you, prophets like John the Baptist, to wake us up when we are
self-satisfied, and to inspire us to prepare the way for the full coming of
Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
May God, the source of all fortitude and all encouragement
make you capable of living in perfect harmony with one another according to the
Spirit of Jesus Christ. R/ Amen. May God, the source of hope, fill you with all
joy and peace, until, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you overflow with hope.
R/ Amen. May the God of peace be with you all. R/ Amen. And may Almighty God
bless you: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen. Go in peace,
to love and serve the Lord in the people around you. R/ Thanks be to God.