FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD

For the model of this celebration, see for the Sundays of  years, A, B, or C.

Note. As a feast of the Lord now, no longer directly of Our Lady, this February 2 celebration replaces the Sunday in Ordinary Time with which it concurs. On weekdays, one of the first two readings is dropped.

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February 5

ST. AGATHA, Virgin and Martyr   

Introduction

St. Agatha, “the good one,” patroness of Sicily, refused marriage to dedicate herself to her fellow Christians by doing diaconal work at a time of persecution, especially care of the sick and of the poor. She was denounced and tortured to death in 251, at the time of Emperor Decius. Threats and torture could not sway her.

Opening Prayer

Lord God,
your Son Jesus warned his followers
that for his sake they would be persecuted.
But he told us not to be afraid,
for he would let his Spirit
put in our mouths what to say.
May we, like St. Agatha,
bear witness to our faith
with our whole being,
without hesitation or doubt or fear,
for you are with us through Jesus Christ our Lord.

*Prayer over the Gifts

Lord, our faithful God,
with bread and wine we celebrate
that we want to be faithful to you
as you are close and faithful to us
in the new covenant you have made with us
through your Son Jesus Christ.
Through him, give us, weak people,
the foolish wisdom and the strength
to give you honor and praise
now and for ever.

*Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
Jesus called us not only servants
but friends in whom he lives.
Like Saint Agatha,
may we serve you in people,
especially in the sick and the poor,
for you have entrusted their care to us.
In them, let us grow closer to you
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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February 6

STS. PETER BAUTISTA, PAUL MIKI AND COMPANIONS, Martyrs

Introduction

In 1597, twenty-six Christians were nailed to crosses at Nagasaki, Japan. The best-known among them was Paul Miki, but there was also a Spanish Franciscan who had worked about ten years in the Philippines, Pedro Bautista. Their feast reminds us that the gospel is not destined merely for traditionally Christian countries. Everywhere in the world there are people who can follow Christ in a radical way, perhaps more consistently than we are willing to do. The Church is destined for all people.

Opening Prayer

God, Father of all,
we honor today missionaries and their flock
in whom Christ lived
and in whom he was crucified.
Give that messengers and teachers
of the good news of Jesus
may be one with their people
in life and in death
and dedicated to one another
and to you, our loving God,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

*Prayer over the Gifts

God, our Father,
from the rising of the sun to its setting
let your faithful people celebrate
the holy sacrifice of Jesus your Son.
Let this be a living witness
that you are the Father of all
and that Jesus lived and died for all
to make us all one,
now and for ever.

*Prayer after Communion

God our Father,
your Son Jesus invites all to his table,
however different we may be
in faces, character, personality, nationality.
May we dream and work with Jesus
for a new humanity everywhere
where we learn to encounter all people
in their multifaceted human dignity
and in the riches of their culture.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

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February 10

ST. SCHOLASTICA, Virgin, Religious

Introduction

Not much is known about St Scholastica, the sister of the great St. Benedict, in whose shadow she lived. Dedicating her virginity to God, she first lived a life of prayer at home, then stayed near her brother at Subiaco, then Monte Cassino, until Benedict put her in charge of a community of women.

We know from history how Benedictine monasteries of men and women not only radiated peace, but were in many regions the civilizers and the main witnesses to Christ’s presence in the world.

Opening Prayer

God our Father,
we thank you for saints
like St. Scholastica;
they remind us that a life
of prayer and community
bears witness to your presence in this world.
Make us too see clearly
that it is ultimately you who count
and you who are the meaning of our lives
and that the bond that unites us
with people anywhere
is Jesus Christ our Lord.

*Prayer over the Gifts

God our Father,
by the signs of food and drink
your Son Jesus gives himself to us
and gathers us together as a community
of love and service.
Make the communities
of religious men and women
a sign for all to see
that you want us to be one
as the people you have liberated
and bound to you in a covenant
through the death and risen life
of Jesus Christ our Lord.

*Prayer after Communion

God our Father,
we give you thanks for this eucharist
and for all the good done
in the Church and for the world
by religious men and women.
Let them be living witnesses
that the gospel is worth living for.
Through the body and blood of your Son
strengthen them to be to everyone
worshippers in spirit and in truth
who, on account of you,
are concerned about people
with Jesus Christ our Lord.

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February 11

OUR LADY OF LOURDES,
World Day of the Sick

Optional Memorial

Introduction

On February 11, 1858, our Lady appeared at Lourdes to a simple girl, Bernadette Soubirous. Since then millions of pilgrims have flocked to this town and have experienced there a renewal of their faith and for some of their health. Pilgrimages are a sacred tradition for God’s pilgrim people; very many of these pilgrim journeys are to Marian sanctuaries, where many seek the restoration of their health and their faith. The greatest miracle of Lourdes lies perhaps not so much in its spectacular cures but in the atmosphere of the trusting prayer of the pilgrims and in the unity of faith of the poor and the rich, the healthy and the sick.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
the Mother of Jesus was one with her Son
in the mystery of pain
when he saved people by his suffering,
his death and resurrection.
Through her prayers help those
who journey to her sanctuaries
because their bodies are racked with pain
and their hearts are pierced with a sword.
Give them the courage of faith
to keep hoping in you,
our God for ever and ever.

Intercessions

–          For those who restlessly seek to encounter God more deeply, that they may experience God’s nearness in prayer and in good people, we pray:

–          For our Christian families, that husbands and wives may take Christ as their companion through life and show their children the way to the Lord, we pray:

–          For the sick and all those who suffer, that in their suffering they may be aware that God knows and that Jesus is near to them, we pray:

–          For all of us, that we may remain all throughout life pilgrims on the way to God and one another, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Our compassionate God,
with these gifts of bread and wine
we come to the table of your Son
to express our faith and trust in you.
through the prayers of Mary.
May those who flock to her
find faith and health of mind and body,
strength in their weakness
and joy in your love.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion (Thanks to Liturgical Team, Heeswijk)

God, our Father
in your kindness you hear the prayers
of all who entrust to you with faith
their cares and their needs.
We unite ourselves in prayer with her
whom you chose to be
the mother of your Son.
Let her prayers lead us nearer to him
who came to bring us home
in the kingdom of your justice
now and for ever and ever.

Blessing

When we go on life’s pilgrimage to our permanent land and home, we are sure to arrive safely if we journey with the faith and spirit of service of Mary, and we may count on the blessing of almighty God: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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February 14

STS. CYRIL, Monk & METHODIUS, Bishop, Missionaries

Introduction

The liturgy celebrates today two great missionaries from the Eastern Church, the monk Cyril and his brother, Methodius, bishop. Born in Thessalonica in Greece, they evangelized the Bulgarians, Moravians and Bohemians in the 9th Century. They created the Slavonic (Slavic) alphabet – called “Cyrillic” – translated the scriptures and prepared liturgies in Slavonic. On account of this inculturation of the liturgy, they met with much opposition, but Rome approved what they had done.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
you inspired your missionaries
Saints Cyril and Methodius
to be inventive and adaptive
in proclaiming your good news to people.
Make all Christians aware, we pray you,
that your Son Jesus Christ
should be recognizable in us
and help us to renew ourselves again and again
that we may bear the true face of Christ,
who is your Son and our Lord for ever.

*Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God, we are gathered here
with your Son in our midst.
May we celebrate this eucharist
in spirit and in truth
and express in it what we live in everyday life.
May thus our friendship and love
for you and for everyone
become deeper and more real
every time we come together
in Jesus Christ our Lord.

*Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
Jesus has spoken to us here
his word that has to become flesh and blood
in the life of each of us
and in our Christian communities.
Help us to see that word always
as a challenge to us today,
a challenge to which we can respond
by the strength of the bread of life.
And let the Church and its pastors
do all they can to bring the liturgy
close to the life of the people.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

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February 22

ST. PETER’S CHAIR, Feast

Introduction

The liturgy celebrates today not so much that Peter was the bishop of Rome than what his function is. In answer to Peter’s profession of faith, Jesus appoints him the Rock on which the Church is built. As Peter himself knew very well, the shepherd is the model of his flock, dedicated to the service of   the people of God.

Opening Prayer

Almighty God,
you have given us the witnessing of the apostles
as the firm rock on which we can rely.
Where Peter is, there is the Church.
But we see today that the bark of Peter is rocked;
we are often like capricious children
unused to our newfound freedom.
Make us use this freedom responsibly
and do not allow us to lose our composure.
Reassure us that you are always with us
and keep us optimistic about the future,
for it is your future
and you are our rock for ever.

Intentions

–          For the Church in our day, that the Holy Spirit may guide it through the present pains of renewal, keep it faithful to the gospel and speak its message in the language of our time, we pray: Lord, remember your Church.

–          For the Pope, Peter’s successor, that he may be our rock of faith and the sign of unity of the Church, we pray:

–          For our bishops, that they may exercise their authority as a service to building community; for priests and religious, that they may bear witness to what they preach by their way of living the gospel, we pray:

–          For missionaries, that they may proclaim the gospel as good news for all and help each people and culture to encounter Christ all in their own way, we pray:

Lord, be with the Church until the end of time, as promised by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer over the Gifts

Accept our prayer and gifts, Lord God,
and guide your Church to your safe port.
Help us to rid ourselves of the dead-weight
of cumbersome, self-made human traditions
and teach us, in a way adapted to our times,
to seek the ageless renewal given us in the gospel
of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord for ever.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
on this feast of your apostle Peter
you have nourished us
with the body and blood of Christ.
We pray you today:
May the unifying force of the eucharist
dispel all unhealthy division in the Church.
May there be no unbridgeable chasms between us
but may legitimate differences of thought
lead to a deepening of our faith.
May all co-exist in peace and unity
as we seek to understand your message better.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.

Blessing

Who do we say who Christ is? With Peter we profess that he is the Christ, the Son of the living God. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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February 23

ST. POLYCARP OF SMYRNA

Introduction

St Polycarp of Smyrna was a disciple of John the Evangelist and one of the most renowned of the early bishops of Asia. He died a martyr at the age of 86, offering his death as a eucharist of thanksgiving. He declared to his judges: “How could I become disloyal to my King, to whom I owe my salvation?” He is venerated both in the East and in the West. Let us celebrate his and our faithfulness.

Opening Prayer

“True God in whom there is no lie,”
we admire St Polycarp and we thank you
for the example of his deep faith and courage.

Like him, may we live our life
as a sacrifice that pleases you.
Help us to face with him
contradictions and difficulties in life
with great serenity and trust in you.
Keep us always faithful to you
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

*Prayer over the Gifts

Our faithful God,
we bring this bread and this wine before you,

as the signs that we are willing to follow Jesus

if need be even on the way of the cross.
Let no difficulties or contradictions
ever separate us from him
but make us grow more like him
and closer to him,

who is our Lord for ever.

*Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
let this holy eucharist
confirm and strengthen our faithfulness
to your Son Jesus Christ.
Make us servants of one another
who try day after day
to become more like Jesus your Son,
who lives with you and with us for ever.

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