Greeting (See First Reading)
"Seek the Lord while he is still to be found, call to him while he is still near," says the prophet. God himself goes out to seek you, says the message of today. May the Lord find you and stay always with you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
A. An Unbelievably Good God
When you come to think of it, often we cannot understand God's goodness. Why is he so patient with sinners? Why does he give his gifts to people who, in our opinion, do not deserve them, or waste them? But God's ways are not our ways, his thoughts are not always our thoughts. Let us ask the Lord Jesus in this eucharist that our thoughts and actions may become more like those of God.
B. God Is Grace
God is scandalously just and good, because God is grace. He is so good that at times we cannot understand him. Why is he so lenient with notorious sinners? We forget how lenient he is with us, sinners too. Let us open our hearts to his mercy and goodness. He gives without our asking. He gives for free. He gives more richly than we dare to expect. The first and the last receive his love. The first and the last are invited to his table. Let us join Jesus in thanksgiving.
Penitential Act
We may have questioned at times God's generosity and merciful love and envied the gifts he gave to others. Let us ask the Lord to forgive us. (PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, in your mercy you keep forgiving sinners: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, in your generosity you keep giving rich gifts to us and to others, knowing well that often we will not use them: Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, in your patience you keep inviting us to think and act in your own inimitable ways: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Forgive us, Lord, that all too often we fail to understand your astonishing goodness. Be patient with us, Lord, and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray to God that he may attune our thoughts and actions to his own (PAUSE)
Lord our God, you say of yourself that you are good with a love that surpasses even justice. Thank you for accepting the little ones as much as the great, those who turn to you at the last hour as well as the laborers who have toiled all their lives. Open us more to the free gifts of your grace, make us accept them with gratitude and appreciate how liberally you give to others. Turn our ways into your ways of love. We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Liturgy of the Word First Reading Introduction: Seek the ways of the Lord
God is high above us, yet very close to us. We should seek him and learn to think and act in God's ways. Gospel Introduction: God is generous to all
God's generosity surpasses our human reasoning. He gives everybody a chance to enter his kingdom; he lets us share in his life, not because we deserve it but because he is good.
General Intercessions
Let us pray to God our Father whose generosity is always greater than we expect or can imagine. Let us say: R/ Lord, your love is everlasting.
- That the fresh faith of new converts may wake up and inspire those born in Christian families, let us pray: R/ Lord, your love is everlasting.
- That there may be more justice in our world but that justice may always be imbued with much love, let us pray: R/ Lord, your love is everlasting.
- That Christians may contribute to our world a sense of giving out of pure generosity and goodness, and a sense of joyful celebration, let us pray: R/ Lord, your love is everlasting.
- That in our human community everyone may be accepted as he or she is; that we may not exclude anyone from our love and that we may learn to forgive everyone, let us pray: R/ Lord, your love is everlasting.
- That in our Christian communities we may not be jealous of each other's gifts and talents but use ours and let others use theirs in the service of the unity and growth of all, let us pray: R/ Lord, your love is everlasting.
Lord, we still have to learn very, very much from you. Make us generous like you, that we may live fully and bring others to life, through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
Generous Father, in these signs of bread and wine you give us, weak and tired as we are, your Son as our companion. We open ourselves to his strength and love. May he help us in the heat of the day to bear the burdens of our struggles and to seek your will in all we do. Grant this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
Our own hands are empty as we stand before God. But he is good and loves us. He has given us his Son Jesus Christ who brought us God's mercy. Through him we now give thanks to our Father.
Invitation to the Lord's Prayer
We rely on the generosity of our Father in heaven as we pray to him in the words of Jesus. : R/ Our Father...
Deliver Us
Deliver us, Lord, from the evil of sin and keep us from applying to you our human thoughts and norms. Enlarge our hearts to the dimensions of your own generosity without limits, that we may prepare with hope and joy the full coming among us of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom..
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus the Lord, who gives himself freely to the strong and the weak. Happy are we that he is our life and joy. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...
Prayer after Communion
Generous Father, in this eucharist we have experienced again that life and all that we are is nothing else that a gift from you. May the challenging word of your Son stir us to accept and serve our neighbor as you have accepted and loved us without any merit on our part. And may the body of your Son give us the courage to put his word into practice. Grant us through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
In this eucharist we have been with Jesus. He spoke to us, we sat with him at table, and if we are open to him, he has filled us with his gifts of strength and compassion and the power to forgive, he has made us capable of love. All for free. Let us be thankful for these gifts and use them.
May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Let us go in peace and seek the ways of the Lord. R/ Thanks be to God.
