MISSION SUNDAY
Let Your Faith Be Contagious
Greeting (See 1 Thes 1:4)
God loves you and has chosen you and had the Good News
brought to you. May the grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ be with you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
As we celebrate Mission Sunday today, we are reminded that
our faith is not something just to be kept to ourselves but to be shared with
all the world. The reason is that Christ suffered and died for all and rose
from the dead for all. The forgiveness that Jesus brought and the new life he
came to give is to be preached in his name to all nations. Jesus adds that all
of us have to be witnesses to this. Only a few of us can go to the mission
field to make Christ known there. What we all can do is to pray for the
evangelization of peoples and support missionaries, but certainly also to let
our faith radiate in our lives. It should be a contagious faith that enlightens
and inspires others.
Penitential Act How much thought have we given to
those who do not know Christ? Let us examine ourselves before the Lord. (pause)
Lord Jesus, you prompt us to go out to the whole world and
to teach all peoples how much you love them: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have
mercy.
Jesus Christ, you have made us a light to shine on all
nations: Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, the Good News of the love of the Father and of
your death and resurrection is destined to be known by all: Lord, have mercy.
R/ Lord, have mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord, and forgive us all our sins. Do not
allow us to hide your light and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray that all may come to know and love Christ (pause)
God, you love all nations and people, for they are your creation, your sons and
daughters. Let all come to know Christ and his message, that they may become
aware of how much you love them and what they are called to become by growing
toward the adulthood of your Son. May the day come when all peoples praise you through
Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen. First Reading • Is 56:1, 6-7:
My House Is A House Of Prayer For All Peoples Christ is not just
for the People of God but for all peoples who accept the invitation to accept
him and attach themselves to him.
Second
Reading • Rom: 10:9-18: All Should Hear About Christ: Christ
is our Lord, but he is destined to be the Lord of all. How will people know him
if we do not preach him to them?
Gospel • Mk 16:15-20: Proclaim The Good News To All
The proclamation of the Good News of Christ should cover the whole world to
bring it the Lord’s healing. Jesus himself will help them do that work
Intercessions
Let us pray to God, who wants every person on earth to
receive the Good News of Jesus, and let us say:
R/ Lord, may all people praise you.
For all whom God has called to reap a rich harvest for
Christ, that their idealism may be lasting, their service unselfish, and their
faith constant, let us pray:
R/ Lord, may all peoples praise you.
For those who have committed themselves to the task of the
development of peoples, that adversity and opposition may not discourage them
and that their work may contribute to the growth of happy communities and to
giving the Gospel a human face today, let us pray:
R/Lord, may all peoples praise you.
For all Churches and missionary societies, that they may
proclaim Christ to the world not by power and prestige but by humble service,
let us pray: R/ Lord, may all peoples praise you.
For our Christian communities, that we all may hear the
cries of the poor, the humble, the downtrodden, and that we may not be slow to
help them, let us pray:
R/ Lord, may all peoples praise you.
And for all of us, that we may not keep Christ to ourselves
but try to share him with all whom we meet with love and enthusiasm, for Christ
belongs to the whole world, let us pray to the Lord: R/ Lord, may all peoples
praise you. This is our prayer, Father, through Jesus Christ your Son,
who is the forgiveness and life of all, now and for ever. R/ Amen.
Prayer Over the Gifts
Lord our God, what
riches we discover in the various cultures and peoples of this earth! As we
bring before you these humble gifts of bread and wine we pray you that all the
nations may offer to you the treasures of their talents and lifestyle made holy
by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. E/Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
As we join Jesus in his sacrifice, we dream of the day and
pray for it that all peoples and nations may be united with us to praise God
with one voice.
Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer
Let us pray to the Father of all that all may know that God
is their Father and that his kingdom may come to them. R/ Our Father...
Prayer for Peace
Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles: “I leave you
peace, my peace I give you.” Make all peoples aware that they belong together as
your brothers and sisters, under the one Father of all. May they know then that
they are called to live in the peace and unity of the kingdom of justice and
peace and love where you live with us forever and ever. R/ Amen.
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus our Lord, the Savior who came to bring happiness
and healing to all. Many do not yet know or accept him. May the day come that
people from the whole wide world sit with us at the Lord’s table and that he
may become their nourishment too. R/Lord, lam not worthy...
Prayer after Communion God our Father, we have sat at
the table of Jesus your Son, we have listened to his challenging word and have
eaten his bread of life and strength. We pray you to hasten the day when people
from all nations and cultures may sit with us at the same table and be one with
us in your Son and sing together to you with our many voices one harmonious
symphony of praise. We ask you this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing Saint Paul says emphatically that where
people accept the Risen Lord Jesus, there is no more pagan or Jew, no more
slave or free person, male or female, for the same Spirit is alive in all and
we are all one in Christ, with one Father for all. But that day is not yet with
us. Let us pray for that day and contribute to it by the way we live.
May Almighty God bless you all: the Father, and the Son, and
the Holy Spirit. R/Amen.
Let us go in the peace of the Lord. R/ Thanks be to God.
****
Mission Sunday
Today’s passage from Mark’s Gospel indicates the mission we
are called upon to perform: “Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good
News to all creation.” The good news should be announced, “to every creature.”
It is the message of life and love. On this Mission Sunday, let us remember our
mission towards the universe – our common home. That is why Climate Action
should be considered an integral part of our life as Christians. Destroying
nature is a sin, and caring for nature is our mission. In the second part of the passage (vs. 17-18)
Mark lists five signs through which the Risen Christ manifests his presence:
“Those who have believed will cast out demons and speak new languages; they
will pick up snakes and if they drink anything poisonous, they will be
unharmed; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.” These unusual wonders seem strange, difficult
to see and extremely rare to happen. The prophets used these and such other
images as symbolisms to describe the messianic times and the new world. We hear
in the prophecy of Isaiah: “The wolf will dwell with the lamb, the leopard will
rest beside the kid. By the cobra’s den, the infant will play” (Is 11:6-8).
Isaiah did not intend to announce a phenomenal change of the aggressive and
dangerous nature of animals. He promised the end of the struggles and enmities
that exist in the world. In the kingdom of God, there would be no place for
hostility, rivalry, or mutual aggression among people. The concluding sentence of Mark’s Gospel: “…
The Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that
accompanied it” (v. 20) testifies to the belief of the first disciples of not
being alone, but always having the Lord Jesus next to them. World Mission Sunday brings us three points
to reflect: 1. Remember with gratitude all the past and present missionaries
for their commitment to the cause of the Gospel and pray for them. 2. Join
hands supporting the mission through prayers and material help. 3. The Church
reminds us: “You are a missionary.”
