MISSION SUNDAY
Let Your Faith Be Contagious
Greeting (See 1 Thes 1:4)
God loves you and has chosen you and had the Good News brought to you. May the grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
As we celebrate Mission Sunday today, we are reminded that our faith is not something just to be kept to ourselves but to be shared with all the world. The reason is that Christ suffered and died for all and rose from the dead for all. The forgiveness that Jesus brought and the new life he came to give is to be preached in his name to all nations. Jesus adds that all of us have to be witnesses to this. Only a few of us can go to the mission field to make Christ known there. What we all can do is to pray for the evangelization of peoples and support missionaries, but certainly also to let our faith radiate in our lives. It should be a contagious faith that enlightens and inspires others.
Penitential Act How much thought have we given to those who do not know Christ? Let us examine ourselves before the Lord. (pause)
Lord Jesus, you prompt us to go out to the whole world and to teach all peoples how much you love them: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, you have made us a light to shine on all nations: Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, the Good News of the love of the Father and of your death and resurrection is destined to be known by all: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord, and forgive us all our sins. Do not allow us to hide your light and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray that all may come to know and love Christ (pause) God, you love all nations and people, for they are your creation, your sons and daughters. Let all come to know Christ and his message, that they may become aware of how much you love them and what they are called to become by growing toward the adulthood of your Son. May the day come when all peoples praise you through Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen. First Reading • Is 56:1, 6-7: My House Is A House Of Prayer For All Peoples Christ is not just for the People of God but for all peoples who accept the invitation to accept him and attach themselves to him.
Second Reading • Rom: 10:9-18: All Should Hear About Christ: Christ is our Lord, but he is destined to be the Lord of all. How will people know him if we do not preach him to them?
Gospel • Mk 16:15-20: Proclaim The Good News To All The proclamation of the Good News of Christ should cover the whole world to bring it the Lord’s healing. Jesus himself will help them do that work
Intercessions
Let us pray to God, who wants every person on earth to receive the Good News of Jesus, and let us say:
R/ Lord, may all people praise you.
For all whom God has called to reap a rich harvest for Christ, that their idealism may be lasting, their service unselfish, and their faith constant, let us pray:
R/ Lord, may all peoples praise you.
For those who have committed themselves to the task of the development of peoples, that adversity and opposition may not discourage them and that their work may contribute to the growth of happy communities and to giving the Gospel a human face today, let us pray:
R/Lord, may all peoples praise you.
For all Churches and missionary societies, that they may proclaim Christ to the world not by power and prestige but by humble service, let us pray: R/ Lord, may all peoples praise you.
For our Christian communities, that we all may hear the cries of the poor, the humble, the downtrodden, and that we may not be slow to help them, let us pray:
R/ Lord, may all peoples praise you.
And for all of us, that we may not keep Christ to ourselves but try to share him with all whom we meet with love and enthusiasm, for Christ belongs to the whole world, let us pray to the Lord: R/ Lord, may all peoples praise you. This is our prayer, Father, through Jesus Christ your Son, who is the forgiveness and life of all, now and for ever. R/ Amen.
Prayer Over the Gifts
Lord our God, what riches we discover in the various cultures and peoples of this earth! As we bring before you these humble gifts of bread and wine we pray you that all the nations may offer to you the treasures of their talents and lifestyle made holy by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. E/Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
As we join Jesus in his sacrifice, we dream of the day and pray for it that all peoples and nations may be united with us to praise God with one voice.
Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer
Let us pray to the Father of all that all may know that God is their Father and that his kingdom may come to them. R/ Our Father...
Prayer for Peace
Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles: “I leave you peace, my peace I give you.” Make all peoples aware that they belong together as your brothers and sisters, under the one Father of all. May they know then that they are called to live in the peace and unity of the kingdom of justice and peace and love where you live with us forever and ever. R/ Amen.
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus our Lord, the Savior who came to bring happiness and healing to all. Many do not yet know or accept him. May the day come that people from the whole wide world sit with us at the Lord’s table and that he may become their nourishment too. R/Lord, lam not worthy...
Prayer after Communion God our Father, we have sat at the table of Jesus your Son, we have listened to his challenging word and have eaten his bread of life and strength. We pray you to hasten the day when people from all nations and cultures may sit with us at the same table and be one with us in your Son and sing together to you with our many voices one harmonious symphony of praise. We ask you this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing Saint Paul says emphatically that where people accept the Risen Lord Jesus, there is no more pagan or Jew, no more slave or free person, male or female, for the same Spirit is alive in all and we are all one in Christ, with one Father for all. But that day is not yet with us. Let us pray for that day and contribute to it by the way we live.
May Almighty God bless you all: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/Amen.
Let us go in the peace of the Lord. R/ Thanks be to God.
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Mission Sunday
Today’s passage from Mark’s Gospel indicates the mission we are called upon to perform: “Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation.” The good news should be announced, “to every creature.” It is the message of life and love. On this Mission Sunday, let us remember our mission towards the universe – our common home. That is why Climate Action should be considered an integral part of our life as Christians. Destroying nature is a sin, and caring for nature is our mission. In the second part of the passage (vs. 17-18) Mark lists five signs through which the Risen Christ manifests his presence: “Those who have believed will cast out demons and speak new languages; they will pick up snakes and if they drink anything poisonous, they will be unharmed; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.” These unusual wonders seem strange, difficult to see and extremely rare to happen. The prophets used these and such other images as symbolisms to describe the messianic times and the new world. We hear in the prophecy of Isaiah: “The wolf will dwell with the lamb, the leopard will rest beside the kid. By the cobra’s den, the infant will play” (Is 11:6-8). Isaiah did not intend to announce a phenomenal change of the aggressive and dangerous nature of animals. He promised the end of the struggles and enmities that exist in the world. In the kingdom of God, there would be no place for hostility, rivalry, or mutual aggression among people. The concluding sentence of Mark’s Gospel: “… The Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it” (v. 20) testifies to the belief of the first disciples of not being alone, but always having the Lord Jesus next to them. World Mission Sunday brings us three points to reflect: 1. Remember with gratitude all the past and present missionaries for their commitment to the cause of the Gospel and pray for them. 2. Join hands supporting the mission through prayers and material help. 3. The Church reminds us: “You are a missionary.”
