SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER; DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY
1. The Risen Lord Present among His People2. See, I Am Alive;
3. Peace Be with You
Greeting (See Second Reading)
We are gathered in the name of Jesus, the First and the Last, the Living One who lives forever, our Lord and our God. May his peace and joy be always with you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
- The Risen Lord Present among His People
Why do we gather every Sunday to celebrate the Eucharist of the Lord? For the same reason that the first Christians changed their day of worship from the Jewish Sabbath to the Christian Sunday. For Christ rose from the dead on Sunday, the first day of the week. It became “the Lord’s day,” the day on which they began to celebrate that Christ is risen and alive in the community of his faithful, as he is present among us now. He is real and alive among us, he is our companion on the road of life and we recognize him in the community of the Church. May the Lord Jesus give us faith to sense his presence.
- See, I Am Alive
We accept in faith, perhaps with difficulty and hesitation, that Jesus is alive among his people today. Yes, he lives in his communities and he is right here among us. Yet like the apostles we too would like very much to see the Lord, to become more aware and more convinced that he is here, alive, standing by our side, moving us forward by his Holy Spirit. But we don’t see him except with eyes of faith. That is what real, deep faith is all about: not seeing and yet believing. We recognize Jesus as our Lord and God and with him we thank our Father.
- Peace Be with You
When are you at peace in life? I hope it is not when nobody disturbs but when you are living in the right relationship with God and yourself and with your neighbor. It is not always a peace easy to find. The key to all real peace is the peace Jesus offers us; he states this even three times today: It is the peace of forgiveness, the peace of his nearness, the peace of your faith. Then all the rest will follow. Let us ask our Lord here in this Eucharist for that peace that no one can take away from us.
Penitential Act
First of all, let us ask the Lord to give us the peace of his forgiveness. (pause)
Lord Jesus, you offer to all humanity the peace of reconciliation with God: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, you want us to be reconciled with all our brothers and sisters: Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you want us to find genuine peace with ourselves: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Open us to the fullness of life, Lord, and forgive us all our sins. Bring us to the joys of everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray that our faith in the risen Lord may be the moving force of our lives (pause)
God of life and our loving Father, our eyes have not seen your Son Jesus Christ and our fingers have not touched the scars of his wounds, yet we have come together here in his name. Make our faith in him deep and strong and lasting, that the Spirit of Jesus may breathe new life in us and make us look with new eyes at our world and at people, so that we can bring them the peace of the love and the justice of Jesus. Let people see and taste in us that Jesus is alive as our risen Lord, now and forever. R/ Amen.
First Reading (Acts 5:12-16): Many Came to Believe in the Lord
Because Jesus was alive in the apostles, he continued his work of healing through them. Because he was alive in the Christian community, many came to believe in Jesus.
1 Reading: Acts 5:12-16
Second Reading (Rev 1:9-13,17-19): Do Not Be Afraid: I Am the Living One
The apostle John was encouraged in his faith by a vision of the risen Lord. In his message to the seven churches, symbolic of the universal Church, he encourages the persecuted Christians to be without fear and to be firm in the faith.
2 Reading: Rev 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19
Gospel (Jn 20:19-31): Doubt No Longer But Believe Without Seeing
Like Thomas before the Lord appeared to him, we have not seen Jesus in the flesh. Happy are we if we have enough faith to recognize the Lord in our lives and in our neighbor.
Gospel: Jn 20:19-31
Intercessions
The Lord Present and Alive
Let us pray to our Lord Jesus Christ for a living faith not merely in his truths but in his person and at his presence among us, and let us say: R/ Lord, help us grow in faith.
– For our shepherds in the faith, that they may place the powers of healing, pardon and peace, entrusted to them by Jesus, in the service of the people of God and of all who seek the truth, let us pray: R/ Lord, help us grow in faith.
– For all those whose faith is tested in darkness and in doubt, that they may encounter the living Lord in their everyday work, in the events of life and in the love and trust of their neighbor, let us pray: R/ Lord, help us grow in faith.
– For the sick and the persecuted and for all who are tried in life, that they may keep trusting in a Lord who heals and gives life, let us pray: R/ Lord, help us grow in faith.
– For those who work for peace and justice in the world and in our country, that the Lord may give them courage and that he may bless their efforts, let us pray: R/ Lord, help us grow in faith.
– For this and all Christian communities, that our faith in Jesus may lead us to have faith in each other’s goodness and to be united in love, let us pray: R/ Lord, help us grow in faith.
Lord Jesus Christ, live among us and make us sensitive to your presence in our lives. And let our integrity and love be the sign to all that you are with us now and for ever. R/ Amen.
Peace Be with You
“Peace be with you” is Jesus’ wish to his disciples. Let us ask him to bring his peace to his Church and to people everywhere. Let us say: R/ Lord, give us your peace.
– Lord Jesus, give your peace to your Church. In all its variety, let it be united in one faith and love, and let it be an agent of reconciliation and peace among all countries and people, we pray: R/ Lord, give us your peace.
– Lord Jesus, give your peace to all those in search of truth, goodness and compassion, that they may discover these in you through the people who have found you and love you, we pray: R/ Lord, give us your peace.
– Lord Jesus, give your peace to all nations. Dispose divided and warring factions to dialogue and to look for ways to settle conflicts in a spirit of justice and cooperation, we pray: R/ Lord, give us your peace.
– Lord Jesus, give your peace to all who suffer. Give them a faith that is strong enough to rise above their fears and pains; and make us stand by their side as sympathetic friends, we pray: R/ Lord, give us your peace.
– Lord Jesus, give your peace to our communities. Make us aware of your presence among us, that our faith and love may keep growing and that we may share what we have and are, we pray: R/ Lord, give us your peace.
Risen Lord, let your joy and your peace be ours all the days you give us. Be with us now and forever. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father, your Son came among his disciples and brought them peace. In these signs of bread and wine let him come among us, his disciples today, to bring us the peace of his presence and to strengthen our faith. For he is our Lord and our God now and forever. R/ Amen.
Invitation to the Acclamation (After the Consecration)
We cannot see the Lord with our eyes nor can we touch him with our hands. But we know that he is alive and we proclaim the mystery of our faith:
Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer
With Jesus present among us we pray his prayer of trust to the Father: R/ Our Father...
Prayer for Peace
Lord Jesus Christ, in the evening of Easter you said to your apostles: ”I leave you peace, my peace I give you.” Look not on our sins of disbelief but on the faith of your Church, which always proclaims that you are risen. Stay always present among us to let us enjoy the peace you promised and lead your Church to perfect unity, now and forever. R/ Amen.
May the peace which the Lord brought to his apostles, be with you always. R/ And also with you.
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus, our risen Lord, whom we acclaim as our Lord and our God. Happy are we that he comes to us and stays with us. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...
Prayer after Communion
God our Father, we thank you for Jesus, your risen Son. He who loves us is alive. Give us eyes of faith to see that all that we are and do has a meaning and a purpose, and that your Son is with us and guides us through our darkness and hesitations to the fullness of love and joy. Let him stay with us now and forever. R/ Amen.
Blessing
If only we had a deep faith in the presence of the Lord among us, his people! How different our relationships would be with God, with one another, even with ourselves.
Then we would really have the peace of which Jesus insistently speaks in today’s gospel. Let this faith be alive in our community, with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go in the peace of Christ
and let the people around you share in it. Alleluia. R/ Thanks be to God. Alleluia.
***
Commentary
The Shape of Divine Mercy
Read:
The sick flock to the apostles for healing. In a vision, John meets Christ, the Alpha and the Omega. The Risen Christ keeps disciples within breathing distance and invites Thomas to feel his wounds.
Reflect:
You might have seen the classic painting that captures the essence of Revelation 3.20: Jesus stands at the door and knocks. But the door is painted without a knob. It seems Jesus cannot enter unless we open from within. But that is only half the truth. What if we are so worn out, depressed, wounded by life that we simply cannot get up and open? Does Jesus go away? If today’s gospel is any evidence, the answer is a resounding no! He will simply break through the walls and reach out to us, to breathe on us, to help us rise back to life, holding on to his wounds! The shape of his mercy is its shapelessness—it has no circumference, no borders. It just keeps flowing to us wherever we are, to defreeze us from our fears with the warmth of his breath and embrace.
Pray:
Pray for a heart rich in mercy and compassion, as of the Lord.
Act:
Do one of the corporal acts of mercy.
