Greeting (See First Reading)
"Seek the Lord while he is still to be found, call to
him while he is still near," says the prophet. God himself goes out to
seek you, says the message of today. May the Lord find you and stay always with
you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
A. An Unbelievably Good God
When you come to think of it, often we cannot understand
God's goodness. Why is he so patient with sinners? Why does he give his gifts
to people who, in our opinion, do not deserve them, or waste them? But God's
ways are not our ways, his thoughts are not always our thoughts. Let us ask the
Lord Jesus in this eucharist that our thoughts and actions may become more like
those of God.
B. God Is Grace
God is scandalously just and good, because God is grace. He
is so good that at times we cannot understand him. Why is he so lenient with
notorious sinners? We forget how lenient he is with us, sinners too. Let us
open our hearts to his mercy and goodness. He gives without our asking. He
gives for free. He gives more richly than we dare to expect. The first and the
last receive his love. The first and the last are invited to his table. Let us
join Jesus in thanksgiving.
Penitential Act
We may have questioned at times God's generosity and
merciful love and envied the gifts he gave to others. Let us ask the Lord to
forgive us. (PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, in your mercy you keep forgiving sinners: Lord,
have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, in your generosity you keep giving rich gifts
to us and to others, knowing well that often we will not use them: Christ, have
mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, in your patience you keep inviting us to think
and act in your own inimitable ways: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have
mercy.
Forgive us, Lord, that all too often we fail to understand
your astonishing goodness. Be patient with us, Lord, and lead us to everlasting
life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray to God that he may attune our thoughts and
actions to his own (PAUSE)
Lord our God, you say of yourself that you are good with a
love that surpasses even justice. Thank you for accepting the little ones as
much as the great, those who turn to you at the last hour as well as the
laborers who have toiled all their lives. Open us more to the free gifts of
your grace, make us accept them with gratitude and appreciate how liberally you
give to others. Turn our ways into your ways of love. We ask this through
Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Liturgy of the Word First Reading Introduction: Seek
the ways of the Lord
God is high above us, yet very close to us. We should seek
him and learn to think and act in God's ways. Gospel Introduction: God
is generous to all
God's generosity surpasses our human reasoning. He gives
everybody a chance to enter his kingdom; he lets us share in his life, not
because we deserve it but because he is good.
General Intercessions
Let us pray to God our Father whose generosity is always
greater than we expect or can imagine. Let us say: R/ Lord, your love
is everlasting.
- That the fresh faith of new converts may wake up and
inspire those born in Christian families, let us pray: R/ Lord, your
love is everlasting.
- That there may be more justice in our world but that
justice may always be imbued with much love, let us pray: R/ Lord, your
love is everlasting.
- That Christians may contribute to our world a sense of
giving out of pure generosity and goodness, and a sense of joyful celebration,
let us pray: R/ Lord, your love is everlasting.
- That in our human community everyone may be accepted as he
or she is; that we may not exclude anyone from our love and that we may learn
to forgive everyone, let us pray: R/ Lord, your love is everlasting.
- That in our Christian communities we may not be jealous of
each other's gifts and talents but use ours and let others use theirs in the
service of the unity and growth of all, let us pray: R/ Lord, your love
is everlasting.
Lord, we still have to learn very, very much from you. Make
us generous like you, that we may live fully and bring others to life, through
Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
Generous Father, in these signs of bread and wine you give
us, weak and tired as we are, your Son as our companion. We open ourselves to
his strength and love. May he help us in the heat of the day to bear the
burdens of our struggles and to seek your will in all we do. Grant this through
Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
Our own hands are empty as we stand before God. But he is
good and loves us. He has given us his Son Jesus Christ who brought us God's
mercy. Through him we now give thanks to our Father.
Invitation to the Lord's Prayer
We rely on the generosity of our Father in heaven as we pray
to him in the words of Jesus. : R/ Our Father...
Deliver Us
Deliver us, Lord, from the evil of sin and keep us from
applying to you our human thoughts and norms. Enlarge our hearts to the
dimensions of your own generosity without limits, that we may prepare with hope
and joy the full coming among us of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/
For the kingdom..
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus the Lord, who gives himself freely to the
strong and the weak. Happy are we that he is our life and joy. R/ Lord, I am
not worthy...
Prayer after Communion
Generous Father, in this eucharist we have experienced again
that life and all that we are is nothing else that a gift from you. May the
challenging word of your Son stir us to accept and serve our neighbor as you
have accepted and loved us without any merit on our part. And may the body of
your Son give us the courage to put his word into practice. Grant us through
Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
In this eucharist we have been with Jesus. He spoke to us, we
sat with him at table, and if we are open to him, he has filled us with his
gifts of strength and compassion and the power to forgive, he has made us
capable of love. All for free. Let us be thankful for these gifts and use them.
May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the
Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Let us go in peace and seek the ways of the Lord. R/ Thanks be to God.