Greetings (See Second Reading)
United in mind and voice we give glory to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord be with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant (Two Options)
A. Baptized with the Spirit of Fire
On this Second Sunday of Advent, we are preparing for the fuller coming of Christ in our communities and in the world. We need to be people full of the Spirit of Christ. The Savior was announced by Isaiah and John the Baptist as a man completely filled with God’s Spirit. He would baptize us with the Spirit of fire John says to us: Let this Spirit of fire change your mentality, your attitudes, your ways, so that Jesus can really live among us to make this world a place of unity and integrity, of justice and peace. Let Jesus pour out this Spirit among us here. (or)
B. Prepare the Way Of The Lord
Has Jesus Christ come or is he still to come? For many he has not yet come, for most of the world does not follow him. Even among us, many do not live the way he taught us. The world he wanted us to build up is still a dream of the future, not the reality of the present. What are we going to do about it? We must change, and then our world will change. We ask the Lord Jesus in this Eucharist to prepare his deeper coming among us.
Penitential Act
Let us ask the Lord to forgive us that we have failed to bring Jesus and his message to a waiting world. (PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, we have not prepared well the way for your coming in our world. Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, we have said we are Christians, but do not always live your life. Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, we have received the Holy Spirit, but his fire is not burning bright in us. Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy. Lord, let your forgiving mercy convert us to your ways. Lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray that we may hasten the deeper coming of Jesus our Savior (PAUSE)
God our Father, you sent your Messiah into our world with the power and the fire of love. May all your people accept him in faith so that he can grow in us. Keep your Church faithful to the gospel of justice and peace and hasten the time of joy when you gather into your kingdom all who will believe in your love. We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
General Intercessions (Two Options)
A. Baptized with the Spirit of Fire
Let us pray to our brother and Lord Jesus that he may share his own Spirit with us, that our Lord himself may become visible and alive among us, his disciples today.
Let us say: R/ Lord, live among us.
• That the Spirit of insight may guide the Church to proclaim always the Good News of the Kingdom forcefully, fearlessly, and with great compassion, let us pray: R/ Lord, live among us.
• That the Spirit of wisdom may inspire the leaders of nations and all public officials with a vision of peace and justice for their people, let us pray: R/ Lord, live among us.
• That the Spirit of counsel may animate all lawmakers to enrich their nation with just and fair laws, and that the courts may apply them with integrity, let us pray: R/ Lord, live among us.
• That the Spirit of power may strengthen us to protect all that is weak and brittle and give us prophets to be the voice of the poor, let us pray: R/ Lord, live among us.
• That the Spirit of knowledge may give us a deep insight in our faith and in our hearts, that we may learn to see and appreciate what God wants us to do to make his kingdom real, let us pray: R/ Lord, live among us.
• That the Spirit of reverence of the Lord may induce us to respect and love one another out of respect for the Lord himself, let us pray: R/ Lord, live among us. Lord Jesus be fully alive among us, that with your help we bring about that harmony with God, with one another, and with ourselves which is the sign that you are present. Be our Lord for ever and ever. R/ Amen. (or)
B. Prepare the Way of The Lord
Let us pray to the Lord Jesus that we may prepare his deeper coming in the Church and the world of today. Let us say: R/ Come, Lord Jesus, wait no longer.
• Lord Jesus, help your ministers and all in positions of authority, that by their gentleness, understanding and serving love they may reflect better your face, we pray: R/ Come, Lord Jesus, wait no longer.
• Lord Jesus, dispose all leaders and people in power to bring your peace and your justice to a world dominated by strife and exploitation, we pray: R/ Come, Lord Jesus, wait no longer.
• Lord Jesus, make our Christian communities pay more attention to the sick and the elderly, the unemployed and the lonely, we pray: R/ Come, Lord Jesus, wait no longer.
• Lord Jesus, teach each and every one of us to free ourselves from greed and the hunger for power, that we may be more open to the people around us, we pray: R/ Come, Lord Jesus, wait no longer.
• Lord Jesus, help all of us here in the Eucharist to prepare ourselves for the celebration of Christmas, that we may do away with all that stands in the way of your deeper coming in our hearts and in our community, we pray: R/ Come, Lord Jesus, wait no longer.
Lord Jesus, fill us with the joy of your presence. Stay with us, now and for ever. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father, these are only small gifts, a piece of bread, a bit of wine. Accept them and give us instead your own Son Jesus Christ. Through his Spirit and his fire change us, timid people, into signs to everyone and all of your tenderness and mercy, your justice and your peace. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
We voice our praise and thanks to the Father for the coming of his Son among us and we pray that we may receive him more deeply.
Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer
Let the Spirit of Jesus pray in us to our Father in heaven:
Deliver Us
Deliver us, Lord, from the fear of letting your Son and his Gospel change our hearts and minds. Keep us free from sin and give us the peace that comes from integrity and justice. Help us to be in hope and joy the way that prepares for the coming among all humanity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus, the Lamb of God, announced by the prophets as the Savior of all. Happy are we that he invites us to prepare the way for his coming.
Prayer after Communion
Our God and Father, your Spirit of wisdom and strength was alive in Jesus, your Son. Pour out the same Spirit on us, that we may bear witness today to your faithfulness and love. And give us always people inspired by you, prophets like John the Baptist, to wake us up when we are self-satisfied, and to inspire us to prepare the way for the full coming of Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
May God, the source of all fortitude and all encouragement make you capable of living in perfect harmony with one another according to the Spirit of Jesus Christ. R/ Amen. May God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace, until, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you overflow with hope. R/ Amen. May the God of peace be with you all. R/ Amen. And may Almighty God bless you: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen. Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord in the people around you. R/ Thanks be to God.
