A Light Has Dawned
Greeting
May Christ, the true light of the world, always brighten and inspire our lives. May our faces reflect his warmth and love, and may the Lord always be with you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the CelebrantWe are convinced that the coming of Jesus was a radical change for the world. With him God’s light began to shine on a world plunged in the dark. Today, is all darkness gone from our world? Even from his Church and the Churches? Is Jesus still our light today? Our lives should reflect God's light on all people far and near. We acclaim Jesus here among us as the light of our life. Penitential Act
Let us ask pardon from the Lord for all the times when our sins kept us from letting the light of Christ shine. (pause)
Lord Jesus, let your light shine in the darkness of our world: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, let your light shine in us and drive all our sins away: Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, let your light shine on the Churches that profess your name and make them all one in you: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy. Lord, let your forgiving love drive away all sin from our hearts and let your light shine in us. Lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray that we may follow Jesus all the way (pause)
God our Father, your Son invites us, gently but insistently, to follow him as faithful disciples. Open our minds to his light, make us respond to his love and entrust our whole being to him. May his kingdom grow in each of us and in the whole world, that he may lead us in hope to the joy you have prepared for us in your home. We ask you this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
First Reading: God Promises Light to His People
In their dark days of oppression and deportation, God promises his people the light of joy and salvation.
Second Reading: Be United in Christ!
The Christians of Corinth are divided into factions, each with a personality cult around those who preached the Gospel: to them. Paul tells them: do not divide Christ; be united in him!
Gospel: Christ, Light for All in Darkness
Jesus fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah: he is the promised light, for he brings the Good News of salvation.
Commentary: Today’s gospel is made up of three parts. First of all, with a quotation from the prophet Isaiah, Jesus’ activity in Galilee is introduced (vv. 12-17). Then there is the vocation story of the first four disciples (vv. 18-22). Finally, the activity of Jesus is summed up in one sentence (v. 23). Converting oneself is not equivalent to “becoming a little better, praying better, doing more good work” but “to radically change the way of thinking and acting.” Who has cultivated projects of death must open oneself to the choices of life. Who moved in darkness must turn towards the light. Only if one is willing to carry out this change then one can enter into the kingdom of heaven (not in paradise, but in the new condition of one who chooses to risk his life on the word of Christ).
Intercessions
Let us pray to God our Father that the light of his Son Jesus Christ may bring hope and salvation to all. Let us pray:
R/ Let the light of Christ shine on us.
– That the People of God may in this world be like a great light shining in the darkness; that they may be men and women and children committed to build up a better world, let us pray: R/ Let the light of Christ shine on us.
– That the leaders of the world may bring rays of hope into the lives of those who suffer by giving justice to the oppressed, human dignity to every person, aid and comfort to those who cannot help themselves, let us pray: R/ Let the light of Christ shine on us.
– That peace and unity may brighten our homes, all our human communities, our nation, and that there may be no polarizations in the Christian community, let us pray: R/ Let the light of Christ shine on us.
– That those who search and grope in life may discover Christ as the answer to their quest for love, goodness and truth, let us pray: R/ Lord, let the light of Christ shine on us.
– That we here and all Christian communities may be to all who see us like a light on a mountain top, guiding people to God’s love, let us pray: R/ Let the light of Christ shine on us.
God our Father, do not allow those who believe in your Son to live in the darkness of evil. Let Jesus be the guide to you, our God for ever and ever. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God, creator of light and light itself, let your Son come among us as a pathway of life towards you. Open our blind eyes that we may discover him as your light that beckons us. May we also begin to see the people around us and the hopes and pleas that glow in their eyes, and lead them to your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Preface
Now we thank our loving Father for having called us through Christ into his own wonderful light.
Invitation to the Lord’s Prayer
Led by Jesus himself, we pray his trusting prayer to God our Father. R/ Our Father...
Deliver Us
Deliver us, Lord, from the darkness of sin and evil and show us the peace and light of Jesus your Son. Remove from our hearts the gloom of all fear and anxiety and lead us forward to the joy and the light of the full coming among us of our Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus the Lord, who said of himself: ”I am the light of the world.” Happy are we to follow him, for we will have the light of life. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God, you have enlightened us with the word of your Son and strengthened us with the food of his body on the way to you. Let him make us like himself, a light to the world, bringing a spark of hope where there is despair, the radiance of joy where there is sadness, a glow of love where there is indifference. We ask you this in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
Go and take the light of Christ with you that it may shine in the world. Speak with your lives his message of hope and joy, and show by what you are and do that Christ is alive in you. And may almighty God accompany you and bless you: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen. Walk in the light of Christ. R/ Thanks be to God.
