Greeting
We were darkness once but now we are light in the Lord. Wake up from your sleep, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. May the light of Christ be always with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant (Two Options)
A. Open Our Eyes, Lord
One of the most irritating things in life, in ourselves as well as in others, is when we and people seem blind to what is evident: Why don’t they see? Why didn’t I see this? We are Christians, people with faith, and in baptism Christ has given us eyes of faith. Yet too often we are blind to God, to people, to the things we should see about ourselves. We ask our Lord in this Eucharist to touch and open our eyes to the deeper and beautiful realities of our faith. (or)
B. Let The Lord’s Light Shine In You
In our Christian living we are often in the dark. At times we sin, and sin brings darkness. Other times we don’t understand very well what our faith asks of us and what God expects us to do, and so we are merely groping in the dark. Today we see how Jesus is looking for us to open our eyes, our minds and our hearts to himself and his Good News. He came into the world to be our light. Let us welcome him as the light of our eyes.
Penitential Act
Sometimes we even refuse to see or face the wrong we do to God and people Let us ask for forgiveness and reconciliation. (PAUSE)
-Lord Jesus, touch our eyes and open them to our failures and sins: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
-Jesus Christ, touch our ears and open them to the cries of the poor and the lonely: Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
-Lord Jesus, touch our hearts and open them to your love and trust: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord, forgive us all our sins and fully revive in us the faith of our baptism. Lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer Let us pray for the light of faith (PAUSE)
Father of light, you close the eyes of those who think they see because they rely only on their own insights; you let your Son open the eyes of those eager for your light. Let Jesus, the light of the world, heal us and give us faith and understanding. Let Jesus restore our sight that we may see the way that leads to you and to people, and at the end of our road we may see you, our God for ever. R/ Amen.
First Reading Introduction:
David’s Anointing
God does not judge a person according to appearances, but he looks at the heart. David, the youngest, is chosen and anointed king.
Second Reading Introduction:
Christ Will Shine On You
The light of Christ shines on us since baptism. We are therefore children of light, called to bring forth fruits of goodness, justice, and truth.
Gospel Introduction:
I Was Blind And Now I Can See
A man born blind encounters Christ and can see, first with his eyes and then with the eyes of faith. We are that person.
General Intercessions
Let us pray to Jesus our Lord, our true light, that he may instill in all of us a personal and committed faith, and let us say: R/ Lord, let your light shine on us.
• For the Church, the People of God, that we may help the light of our Lord shine in this world and proclaim his message of truth and love in the language of our time, let us pray: R/ Lord, let your light shine on us.
• For all those blinded by doubt or despair that they may see again the light of faith through the personal faith of dedicated Christians and the witnessing of the Christian community, let us pray: R/ Lord, let your light shine on us.
• For all who claim to follow Christ, that their eyes may be wide open to the injustice in which they share, and that they may help to restore the hopes of people in God’s values of truth, dignity, and justice, let us pray: R/ Lord, let your light shine on us.
• For victims of oppression and discrimination, for refugees and those struck by disasters, that we may not be blind to their needs but help them carry their burdens, let us pray: R/ Lord, let your light shine on us.
• For our beloved dead, that the Lord may take them into everlasting light and joy, let us pray: R/ Lord, let your light shine on us.
Lord Jesus Christ, let us live in your light. Make us see you, in things and the people around us. For you are our Lord for ever and ever. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts Father of light, make us see with eyes of faith your Son Jesus Christ coming soon among us in these humble signs of bread and wine. Help us to recognize him also in the blind beggar on the sidewalk, the handicapped in wheel chairs, the jobless from the slums. For these too are your Son among us today, Jesus Christ our brother and Lord. R/ Amen. Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
We thank and praise God our Father, who has given us in baptism his Son Jesus as the light of our lives.
Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer
With Jesus, the light of our lives, let us pray to God our Father to forgive our sins and to set us free from the darkness of sin. Deliver Us
Deliver us Lord, from the darkness of sin and evil and grant us the peace that comes from justice and friendship. Set us free from the prisons we have made for ourselves and for others by blind selfishness, and let the light of your Son shine on us as we prepare for the full coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus, the light of the world. He came and rubbed our eyes; we were washed in the font of baptism; then we could see and believe in him. Happy are we to be invited to see his light and eat his bread.
Prayer after Communion
God our Father, wake us up from the night of sin and the sleep of indifference by the power of Jesus, your Son. Let the light of Christ shine in us, that those around us may discover in us a bit of the goodness of your Son, of his compassionate love, of the truth he spoke and the new life he brought. May all people thus give you praise and see your light for ever and ever. R/ Amen. Blessing
God has called us through Christ to be children of light. May we bear witness in everyday life to the light of Christ, in goodness, justice and truth. And may God bless you for this mission, that you may be a blessing to all: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen. Let us go and be the light of Christ to all who are willing to see. R/ Thanks be to God.
