Greetings
Neither death nor life, neither the present nor the future nor any other creature can separate us from the love of God, the love he has made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord. May the Lord Jesus be always with you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
A. We Are People Of Hope
In all ages there have been "prophets of doom," as the good Pope John XXIII called them. They are people so scared by the problems of their time that they think the end of the world is near. Our day is one of the rapid changes, much violence and hunger and suffering. Now we know about them immediately via television and other media. No wonder many sects arise and speculate about the end of our world. The message of today's liturgy is: don't be afraid. Keep trusting in God, be a steadfast Christian and bear witness to God's love. You are in his hands, and Christ is here among us.
B. Good News Until The End
We call "gospel," that is, "Good News," the message brought us by Jesus Christ. Yet the part of the message that we hear today sounds more like bad news, about earthquakes and famine, wars and destruction. Yet what he tells us is still good news for Jesus wants to reassure us that in all miseries and troubles that beset us God is on our side and loves us, and that we should not listen to those who threaten us with a fearful end. We are, and should remain, people of hope. Let us ask Jesus, our Lord here among us, to fill us with trust and hope.
Penitential Act
Let us ask forgiveness from the Lord for our faith and trust are weak. (pause) Lord Jesus, you brought us pardon and peace. Why should we fear? Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy. Jesus Christ, we seek your face; you will never desert us: Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy. Lord Jesus, we trust in you, in your strength and your love: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Forgive us all our sins, Lord, and make us bold witnesses in this world of your faithful love. Lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray that we may expect God's future with trust and perseverance (pause) God our Father, we believe that your plans for us are for peace and not for disaster and fear. Keep us open-eyed to the signs of the constant coming of Jesus your Son. Help us to commit ourselves untiringly to the growth of the kingdom among us by carrying out your plans for peace and love. Help us to do what makes our world more your world and the way to your home. We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading Introduction: God's Sun Of Justice
When the Lord comes to judge, happy are those who have been found to be just.
Second Reading Introduction: Prepare For The Lord's Coming By Your Work
Do not prepare for the end of the world and Christ's return by talking about it and wasting your time, says St Paul. The best way to be ready is to continue working.
Gospel Introduction: Sure Of The Final Victory
The destruction of the Temple, calamities and persecution are images of the destruction of the old order and the beginning of a new one. Yet the person who perseveres in faith and hope has nothing to fear; such a one will live in the Lord.
General Intercessions
Let us ask the Lord to set all people free from all fear and danger, and let us say: R/ Lord, save us.
• From false prophets who mislead themselves, and notwithstanding their zeal, mislead those who follow them, protect us: R/ Lord, save us.
• From wars between nations and from civil strife, from worldwide conflicts and from nuclear arms, protect us: R/ Lord, save us.
• From catastrophes that kill people, from earthquakes, inundations, and epidemics, protect us: R/ Lord, save us.
• From famine and malnutrition, from the indifference of those who have all they need and more, protect us: R/ Lord, save us.
• From our refusal to take the risks of faith out of fear of persecution, protect us: R/ Lord, save us.
• From unemployment and misfortune, from injustice and guilty compromises, protect us: R/ Lord, save us.
Lord, you want us to be free. Help us to go through the joys and pains of life with a firm hope in you. We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God, accept this bread and wine as signs that we are committed to build up your kingdom in our world. May our attitudes and decisions in life be those of Jesus, your Son: to seek your dawn of love and service rather than self-destructive selfishness, to be constructive and creative in giving shape to a new earth rather than to be critical of the past. May we thus fully encounter you one day in the joys of a new heaven with Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
With Jesus, we thank God our Father for the trust and living hope he has given us through his risen Son, Jesus Christ.
Invitation to the Lord's Prayer
With the fullest hope and trust we pray to God our Father that when our faith is tested he may deliver us from all evil: R/ Our Father...
Deliver Us
Deliver us Lord, from every evil and from the fear of death. Grant us the serene peace of trust in the promise of Jesus, that he is the resurrection and the life and that he will raise us up on the last day. For we prepare with joy for the full coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...
Invitation to Communion
This is the Lamb of God, Jesus, the sun of justice. Every time that we eat his bread and drink his cup, we proclaim the death of the Lord and our hope in his coming. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God, your Son Jesus destroyed our death by dying, and by rising he restored our life. By the strength of this Eucharist, may we, and the whole of humanity grow up in Christ day after day through the pains and tensions of growth. But keep alive in us the joy of a firm hope that your dawn of justice is coming to make all things new, and that Jesus will return to make us share in his glory for good and for ever. R/ Amen.
Blessing
Much is changing today, some for the better, some for the worse. We seem to be at a turning point of history both in the Church and in the world. There is much anxiety among people. But the point is not: Is this the end of the world? We should leave that to the Lord. It is rather: What do we do to make this world human, livable, conformable to the message of the Gospel? May we prepare for the Lord's coming with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen. Let us go in peace, hoping and trusting in the Lord. R/ Thanks be to God.
