You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated
nation, a people set apart to praise God. May Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, be
always with you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
- Jesus
Is the Way
“Where are you going in life, or what are you living for?”
is the most important question to ask ourselves, one another, the Church, our
people. Many do not know what answer to give to this. Even we Christians at
times feel lost. Yet we shouldn’t, for we have Jesus who shows us the way, who
is our way to God, to ourselves, to people. Jesus is not only our way but he is
our companion on the road. Let him show us his way here in this Eucharist.
- The
Way to God, to People, to Ourselves
How sad when we have lost the way, looking for a person or
address we can’t find. Sadder even, we feel totally “lost” when we do not know
where we stand in life, when all looks confusing and senseless. Today someone
speaks to us, who says not only “I will show you the way”, but: “I AM THE WAY.”
Go with me, follow me, I will lead you to your goal in life. I will bring you
safely to the Father and to people, even to your own true self. Live as I have
lived, for I am the way and the truth and the life.
Penitential Act
When we knew the way to God and to people, we chose to go
our own selfish ways. We now ask the Lord to forgive and to correct us. (pause)
Lord Jesus, our way, you were always on the way to people. Take
us along with you on that road: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have
mercy.
Jesus Christ, our way, you went your painful way of the
cross. Give us the courage to follow you there. Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ,
have mercy.
Lord Jesus, our way, you are first of all our way to the
Father: Take us along with you on that road: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord,
have mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord, forgive us and keep us from devious
roads. Go with us the way to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray to our living God that in Jesus he may show us
the road of life (pause)
Lord, our living God, you are a God on the way with your
people; you led them through the desert to freedom, you sent us Jesus to be our
way to you. Let Jesus walk with us on the road to you, to our deepest selves,
to people. Quench your people’s thirst with the water of life, keep giving us
the food we need for the journey, the bread of life of Jesus himself, until we
reach your eternal home. We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
First Reading: Acts 6:1-7
A
Ministry of Service: When the Christian community grew,
it solved difficulties of organisation by creating new ministries of
service to assist the apostles and elders.
Second Reading: 1 Peter 2:4-9
A Priestly People: Christ our high
priest has made us a holy people of priests; our task is to continue the
mission of Christ by making God known to people and giving praise to God in the
name of all.
Gospel: John 14:1-12
Christ, Our Way, Truth and Life: Those
who believe in Christ can do what Christ did and go where he leads them, for
Christ is the way, the truth, and the life for us.
Prayers of the Faithful
Through Jesus, our way to the Father, let us bring before
God the needs of the Church and of the world, and let us pray: R/ Lord,
show us the way.
– Jesus, teach us and all your people your way,
that we may be sure where we are going and that we live your way, doing what is
right and good, we pray: R/ Lord, show us the way.
– Jesus, make our road through life smooth,
filled with justice, mercy and goodness, that it may be a way of peace for all,
we pray: R/ Lord, show us the way.
– Jesus, make all your people find the way to
one another’s life and heart, that we may no longer remain strangers, we pray:
R/ Lord, show us the way.
– Jesus, make us also discover the road to
ourselves, that we may know who we really are and what we want in life; let
what we want be what you want for us, we pray: R/ Lord, show us the
way.
– Jesus, make us build roads that are safe and
that lead people to one another rather than away from one another, we pray:
R/ Lord, show us the way.
– Jesus, inspire each of us and our communities
to become with you a way of light and love that leads people to God, we pray:
R/ Lord, show us the way.
Lord Jesus, we entrust ourselves to you. for we are sure
that you will lead us safely home to the house of the Father, for you are our
brother and friend now and forever. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord, our God and Father, your Son Jesus Christ showed us
what it means to be for us the way, the truth and the life by giving himself
for us on the cross and here in the Eucharist to us. May we learn from him to
give to one another our time, our compassion, our service and above all to give
ourselves, as Jesus did, your Son and our Lord, who lives with you and also
with us now, and we hope and pray, for ever. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
Through Christ we go to the Father and with him we offer his
sacrifice of praise. He has made us a chosen people to give thanks to the
Father in the name of all the world.
Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer
“No one can go to the Father except through me,” said Jesus.
Let us go then, with our prayer to the Father in the words of Jesus himself.
R/ Our Father...
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus our Lord, who said of himself: I am the Way
and the Truth and the Life; no one can come to the Father except through me. Happy
are we to receive him as our food on the road to the Father. R/ Lord, I
am not worthy...
Prayer after Communion
God our Father, you Son Jesus Christ said: he who sees me,
sees my Father. May the people around us see your Son and you, Father in
heaven, when we become to one another the way to hope, justice and love, the
truth that uplifts and reassures, the life that is given freely even when the
cost is high. May Christ thus become to all the way, the truth and the life for
ever. R/ Amen.
Blessing
In this Eucharist we have been the holy, priestly people of
God. In union with the whole Church and in the name of all people, we have
offered to our Father in heaven the sacrifice of his Son Jesus Christ. We will
go back to our homes, but the Mass is not really ended. It has to continue to
be offered, in everyday life. For it is there that we become with Christ the
way to God and one another, the credible, reliable truth, and the life of the
people around us. May you do so wholeheartedly, with the blessing of almighty
God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Let us go and take Christ to people.
R/ Thanks be to God.
***
REFLECTION: John 14:1-12
Please show us the Father
The passage in today’s Gospel is taken from the first of
three farewell speeches pronounced by Jesus at the Last Supper. Jesus today
speaks of the dwelling places that have been prepared for us. The entrance to
this dwelling place is Jesus himself. Thomas the Apostle asks Jesus for the way
to reach him. When we accept the person of Christ and his teaching—we have
accepted the way. Jesus is the Way to the Father
Tolle et legge! “Take up and read!” St. Jerome teaches that
to be ignorant of the scriptures is to be ignorant of Christ. One chapter each
day would take us less than a month to finish reading one Gospel prayerfully.
Responding to the Gospels in faith ultimately leads to that heavenly dwelling
that has been prepared for us.
“There are many places in my Father’s House”, says Jesus.
But this House of the Father is not a place where the Lord will take us after
our death, nor is it a faraway place. This house is not paradise but the
Christian community - the Church. In his Church, Jesus has prepared a place for
everyone who agrees to follow Jesus’ “way”.
His Church is where he lives today – his Father’s house. He
promises to take us to his Church so that we can be together with him, where he
is. The house has many places which refer to the many services and tasks that
need to be carried out there. The “many places” are nothing but the “various
ministries” of the Church and the many gifts received from God.
Many people in their lives echo Philip's request: “Show us
the Father.” Since God in himself is invisible and unseen, it is not unusual to
hear similar questions: “What is God like?” The truth of the matter is that for
us Christians, this question has already been answered. God is like Jesus. To
know the person and teaching of Jesus is to know God.
When Christians act Christ-like, they also reveal to us the face of the Father in different ways. The friend by our side in times of distress, the person who stays by our bedside in times of illness, and the one who forgives and does not condemn us when we make a grave mistake – they all reveal the merciful face of the Father. In the scriptures and our personal experience, there are countless ways in which we are being shown the face of the Father.
