Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Monday, 1st Week of Advent

Theme: UNIVERSAL SALVATION

Readings:
Is 2:1-5 [Yrs B, C;] Is 4:2-6 [Yr A]; Mt 5:8-11

Introduction

Today's message speaks of universal salvation. Isaiah preaches that all are called to believe in God, to worship him, to live according to God's plans and laws, and to enjoy his peace. Jerusalem stands here for God's believing people. (In year A, another reading from Isaiah is taken, so as not to duplicate that of the first Sunday A: God will protect the remnant that has been faithful to him and live among his people.)

The centurion's faith is remarkable. He is symbolic of the gentiles who will be called, for the kingdom is open to all, without any privilege of race or culture. With Christ, salvation has become available to anyone of good will.

Opening Prayer

Lord God, Father of all,
in your Son Jesus Christ
you invite everyone and all to know and love you
and to live in your unending peace.
Keep alive in us the zeal
to bring the light of your truth
and the riches of your life and love to all,
without any distinction
of race, language or culture.
May everyone on earth come to know you
as the merciful Father of all
through our brother and Savior,
Jesus Christ our Lord.

General Intercessions

Let us pray that the Lord Jesus may be known and accepted by all. We say: Lord, hear our prayer.

- For people who drift through life without someone to believe in, that they may discover God and his Messiah, we pray:

- For the many cultures all over the world, that the gospel may enrich them, we pray:

- For peace and lasting friendship among nations, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord God, bread and wine
food and drink, life and joy -
these you have destined for all
through your Son Jesus Christ.
Let it be a life and a joy
that cannot be taken away
and that we can make real among us
by the strength of him
who is our food and drink,
Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord, God of the promise,
you have nourished us
with the body of your Son.
By the strength of this food
make us the body of your Son to the world,
not on account of our merits
but for the sake of what you do in us.
Make visible in us
the mercy and justice of Jesus Christ,
that people may recognize his presence among us
and through him give you all honor and praise
now and for ever.

Blessing

"Many will come from east and west and eat with us at the table of the kingdom." This is happening much in our day. Are we ready to respect and welcome them as equals with us before God? May almighty God bless you and them, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

TOP

Theme: THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD

Readings:
Is 1:1-10; Lk 10:21-24

Introduction

God will make a new beginning with people in the Messiah, in Jesus. He is the young shoot sprouting from the roots of the stump from the line of David and God's Spirit rests on him. He will bring peace - not the peace of resignation and the status quo, but the peace and harmony in the world that comes even to the poorest from justice, loyalty and integrity. In his own self he will show us what we are meant to be and what we can do with our human potentials if we let God work in us, if God's spirit is present in us, if we learn to think with God's wisdom and insight, if we act with his power, if we respect God's order.

It is those who realize their own indigence, says Jesus, who are receptive to God's gifts. With such people, Jesus can make his new beginning, also today, in this Advent.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
you never give up on people.
Again and again you want to make
a new beginning with us.
You showed us in Jesus your Son
the kind of people you want us to be.
As your Spirit rested on him,
pour out on us the same Spirit,
that we may see our mission in life
with your wisdom and insight
and that we may have the strength
to live as we believe and hope.
Grant us this through Christ our Lord.

General Intercessions

Let us pray that the Spirit of God may work in us: Lord, fill us with your Spirit.

- Give us your Spirit of understanding, that we may know and understand you, our world and ourselves, we pray:

- Give us your Spirit of wisdom, that we may see even the wisdom of the cross and of suffering and grow through it, we pray:

- Give us the Spirit of justice and love, that we may honestly serve people, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
we bring before you
this bread and this wine.
Change these gifts through your Holy Spirit
into the body and blood of your Son
and change us into a people
in whom your Son dwells
with all his faithfulness and justice,
that we may live in your peace
now and for ever.

Prayer after Communion

God, in this eucharist
we have offered you our good will
and you have given us your Son.
Make us aware of the indigence of our hearts,
that we may see the great things
you can do in us and through us,
and that we may be open to your gifts.
Help us to grow to full stature
and to give the full measure
of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Blessing

If only Christ would be more alive among us! If only we would truly and fully live his message! If we would only let his Holy Spirit animate us! How all these would change us and our world! May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

TOP

Theme: BREAD FOR THE POOR

Readings:
Is 25:6-10; Mt 15:29-37

Introduction

For Isaiah the sign of the messianic times is that through the Messiah God will give to his people an abundance of food and drink. People long for life, for peace. Prisoners want to be free, the blind want to see, the hungry want bread. But likewise, people hunger for consolation, friendship, forgiveness, understanding, acceptance, and justice. These desires are fulfilled when Jesus, the Messiah comes. He gives food to his hungry people. And we, his disciples, have to satisfy the hunger of God's people today. For he acts through us.

Opening Prayer

God of all people,
you know how people hunger and thirst
for truth, love and acceptance.
If we accept you and believe in you
we see our deepest trust and aspirations
being fulfilled by you
as we work for the coming of your kingdom.
Help us to let the cup that you pour for us
overflow on all your people,
that all may praise you
now and for ever.

General Intercessions

- That people everywhere may have open eyes to see and alleviate the miseries and hungers of others, we pray:

- That we may give not only bread or rice to the hungry, but love and justice, we pray:

- That the Lord may help us to look up to him for the food that makes us richer persons, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

God of all people,
Jesus is among us
and he sets for us the bread and the wine
of his total self-giving.
May this holy meal fill us with his Spirit
and make us people
who live not for themselves
but, like Jesus, for others,
even when the cost is high.
May this be our offering to you
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

God, our Father,
The Lord for whom we were waiting
has been with us, Jesus, your Son.
He has filled us with rich food
and the joyful wine of himself.
May he put us back on our feet,
that strengthened by this food
we may go out to the poor,
the lame and the weak of our day
to give them the food of our understanding,
of our compassion and our love,
by the power of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Blessing

The sign that Jesus, the Messiah, is present among his people is that the hungry are fed. Among us today, do we feed them? Do we care for people and give them what they need? May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

TOP

Theme: GOD, OUR ROCK

Readings:
Is 26:1-6; Mt 7:21, 24-27

Introduction

The first reading comes from an insert in Isaiah that was written in a later period. It speaks of God's judgment and the victory of God over "cities" of sin. But Jerusalem, God's community, God's city, will stand. Those faithful to God can rely on him: he is faithful and solid as a rock.

Those who accept the call and challenge of Jesus' words by living as his disciples are building on rock. This is true both for the individual disciple and for the community of the Church.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
to those who trust in you
and live the gospel of your Son,
you are a dependable rock.
In the storms and tensions of our times,
may our faith never waver,
but give us the courage
to live as we believe,
consistently, radically,
that with your Son we may do your will
and live in your love now and for ever.

General Intercessions

- That people may find in the faith and love of our Christian communitiesthe support to be faithful to God and to one another, we pray:

- That people who suffer may keep putting their hope in God and find strength in the crucified Christ, we pray:

- That we may learn to trust and rely on one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
accept this bread and this cup
as a token that with your Son
we wish to rely on you.
Give us the Spirit of your Son,
that we may not be swept away
by every fad or novelty.
Keep our faith and trust rooted in you,
and help us to live accordingly,
through Jesus Christ.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
thank you for speaking to us
in the words and deeds of your Son
and strengthening us with his body.
Grant us the wisdom
of a quiet, solid faith
that makes us live as we believe
and which prompts us to support one another
on the way to you.
May we thus give a bit of certainty
to those among us who waver and seek.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

Blessing

Build your house on rock. Build your life on the Lord and the gospel and you will never be disappointed, for God loves you and stays with you. May God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

TOP

Theme: THE BLIND WILL SEE

Readings:
Is 29:17-24; Mt 9:27-31

Introduction

In this season of hope, Advent, the word of God gives us a vision of hope. The mighty who rely on their own political power and alliances will be crushed, but the poor, the deaf, the blind, that is, those who still believe in God's presence and action in the world, will see salvation. So promises Isaiah in the name of God.

When we celebrate the eucharist, we profess our faith that God, in fact, begins the fulfillment of this promise in Jesus. He restores the eyesight of the blind because they believe. God has committed himself to the world through Jesus Christ.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
you are our light and our help;
notwithstanding our limitations
and all our ambiguities,
we place all our hope in you.
We know that we are weak,
yet that our weakness can be constructive.
We realize that sin is not dead in us,
yet that sinners can serve you.
We are mortal, yet we can live with death
as a dimension of life,
but not as a final obstacle.
God, help us to live with these realities
in faith and hope,
in Jesus Christ our Lord.

General Intercessions

Let us ask the Lord that we may be always people of joy and hope who live in the love of God.

- That we may learn to see beyond the evils of our time the signs of goodness and mercy, we pray:

- That we may be people who can admire and appreciate whatever is good and beautiful and true, we pray:

- That we may be people who see the needs of others, even unspoken and hidden, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord, God in whom we trust,
in this bread and wine
we celebrate the memory of your Son.
He has shown us in his own life
that obstacles to life and love
cannot be overcome without suffering.
Through him, keep us hoping in you
and in your future for people and our world,
and reassure us that you prepare for us
a table and a feast of joy
that will last for ever.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
in the shadows and struggles of life,
let the body and blood of your Son
be to us a glimpse of light
that you are present in our world
and that you do not despair of people.
Help us to grow
in the new humanity of your Son,
that we may dare all and hope all
and commit ourselves to each other and to you,
who are our God for ever.

Blessing

That God may open our eyes to look at ourselves and this world with eyes of faith. Then there will be little that is dark in life. May the Lord touch the eyes of our hearts and bless us, the Father, and the Son, and the HolySpirit.

TOP

Theme: A COMPASSIONATE GOD

Readings:
Is 30:19-21, 23-26; Mt 9:35-10:1, 6-8

Introduction

      God is compassionate. He cannot let his people suffer. This compassion of God has become visible in the person of Christ.

The Old Testament text, perhaps an elaboration on Isaiah's thoughts by a later author, promises restoration to God's people after their conversion. God will take pity on his people. He promises freedom from evil, sickness, famine, violence, injustice, provided people realize their own poverty and inability to live as they should by their own powers, though God will work these things in people and with people.

     In the New Testament, Jesus will go out to encounter us and to help us out. He sends out his Church, even today, to encounter people in their miseries and to alleviate all suffering.

Opening Prayer

God of mercy and compassion,
in your Son Jesus Christ
you have revealed yourself
as a God of people.

Turn our empty hearts to you,
give us eyes to see the depth of our poverty
and our inability to build a better world
with our own resources,
and then come and build it with us
through your Son and our Savior
Jesus Christ, our Lord.

General Intercessions

Let us pray to the Lord that he may call many to become shepherds willing to continue his work in our Christian communities with zeal and patience.

- That leaders in our communities may be people with a heart, compassionate and patient, we pray:

- That they may proclaim the gospel as good news of joy, justice and love, we pray:

- That they may be living examples of what they preach and teach, so that the message may become credible through them, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord, merciful and loyal God,
at the table of your Son
you dress the wounds of your people
and you fill those who are poor of heart
with the strength of Jesus Christ.
Keep us going, in the certain hope
that with him we can rebuild
what our hands have destroyed
and that he can turn our miseries
into lasting happiness.
This is our prayer
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

God of tenderness and love,
you let your Son encounter us
in the inadequacy of our love.
Through him, present among us,
open our hearts and hands
to all ills and all needs,
to forgive, to bless, to uplift
and to be together the people
who live in your love
and who glory in the name
of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Blessing

Jesus had compassion on the leaderless crowd. May God give us compassionate hearts that care for people in patience and a spirit of service. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

TOP