Gathering Song: Gather Your People
Refrain: Gather your people, O Lord.
Gather Your People, O Lord.
One bread, one body, one spirit of love.
Gather your people, O Lord.
Draw us forth to the table of life:
brothers and sisters, each of us called to walk in your light.
Gather your people, O Lord. Gather Your People,
O Lord. One bread, one body, one spirit of love.
Gather your people, O Lord.
We are parts of the body of Christ,
needing each other, each of the gifts the Spirit provides.
Gather your people, O Lord. Gather Your People,
O Lord. One bread, one body, one spirit of love.
Gather your people, O Lord.
No more harm on the mountain of God;
swords into plowshares.
Free us, O lord, from hardness of heart.
Gather your people, O Lord. Gather Your People,
O Lord. One bread, one body, one spirit of love.
Gather your people, O Lord.
Greeting
Penitential Act: Confiteor
I confess to almighty God and to you,
my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned
in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done
and in what I have failed to do,
through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;
Therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints; and you,
my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.
-AND/OR-
Lord have Mercy,
Christ have Mercy,
Lord have Mercy
Gloria
Glory to God, Glory to God,
Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace on earth,
peace to people of good will.
We praise You, we bless You, we adore You,
we glorify You, we give You thanks
for your great glory, Lord God,
heavenly King, O God, almighty Father.
Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son,
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us;
you take away the sins of the world,
receive our prayer; you are seated
at the right hand, the right hand of the Father,
have mercy on us.
For You alone are the Holy One,
You alone are the Lord, You alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father.
Glory to God, Glory to God,
Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace on earth,
peace to people of good will.
~ Amen.
Liturgy of the Word
1st Reading EX 22:20-26
Thus says the LORD:
"You shall not molest or oppress an alien,
for you were once aliens yourselves
in the land of Egypt.
You shall not wrong any widow or orphan.
If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me,
I will surely hear their cry.
My wrath will flare up,
and I will kill you with the sword;
then your own wives will be widows,
and your children orphans.
"If you lend money to one of your poor
neighbors among my people,
you shall not act like an extortioner toward him
by demanding interest from him.
If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge,
you shall return it to him before sunset;
for this cloak of his is the only covering
he has for his body.
What else has he to sleep in?
If he cries out to me, I will hear him;
for I am compassionate."
The Word of the Lord,
~Thanks be to God
Responsorial Psalm PS 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51
R. (2) I love you, Lord, my strength.
I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
The LORD lives and blessed be my rock!
Extolled be God my savior.
You who gave great victories to your king
and showed kindness to your anointed.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
2nd Reading 1 THES 1:5C-10
Brothers and sisters:
You know what sort of people we were
among you for your sake.
And you became imitators of us
and of the Lord,
receiving the word in great affliction,
with joy from the Holy Spirit,
so that you became a model for
all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.
For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth
not only in Macedonia and in Achaia,
but in every place your faith in God has gone forth,
so that we have no need to say anything.
For they themselves openly declare about us
what sort of reception we had among you,
and how you turned to God from idols
to serve the living and true God
and to await his Son from heaven,
whom he raised from the dead,
Jesus, who delivers us from the coming wrath.
The Word of the Lord,
~Thanks be to God
Alleluia JN 14:23
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word,
says the Lord,
and my Father will love him
and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel MT 22:34-40
When the Pharisees heard that
Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,
they gathered together, and one of them,
a scholar of the law tested him by asking,
"Teacher, which commandment
in the law is the greatest?"
He said to him,
"You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and
the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets
depend on these two commandments."
The Gospel of the Lord,
~Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ
Homily
Profession of Faith:
I believe in one God, the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God, begotten,
not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through Him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
He came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was
incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
For our sake He was crucified under
Pontius Pilate, He suffered death
and was buried, and rose again
on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven and
is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge
the living and the dead and His kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son
is adored and glorified, who has
spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Universal Prayer: Prayers of Petition
~ Lord, hear our prayers
Liturgy of the Eucharist
Eucharistic Acclamations:
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When we eat this bread and drink this cup,
we proclaim your death oh Lord, until you come again.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Amen, Amen, A----men
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us. Lamb of God,
you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us. Lamb of God,
you take away the sins of the world,
grant us peace.
Communion Song: Only This I Want
Refrain: Only this I want: but to know the Lord,
and to bear his cross, so to wear the crown he wore.
All but this is loss, worthless refuse to me,
for to gain the Lord is to gain all I need.
Refrain: Only this I want: but to know the Lord,
and to bear his cross, so to wear the crown he wore.
I will run the race; I will fight the good fight,
so to win the prize of the kingdom of my Lord.
Refrain: Only this I want: but to know the Lord,
and to bear his cross, so to wear the crown he wore.
Let your heart be glad, always glad in the Lord,
so to shine like stars in the darkness of the night.
Refrain: Only this I want: but to know the Lord,
and to bear his cross, so to wear the crown he wore.
Spiritual Communion:
My Jesus, I believe that you are present
in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love you above all things,
and I desire to receive you into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally,
Come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace You as if You were already there
And unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.
Concluding Rite
Closing Song: City of God
Awake from your slumber! Arise from your sleep!
A new day is dawning for all those who weep.
The people in darkness have seen a great light.
The Lord of our longing has conquered the night.
Refrain: Let us build the city of God.
May our tears be turned into dancing for the Lord,
our light and our love, has turned the night into day.
We are sons of the morning; we are daughters of day.
The one who has loved us has brightened our way.
The Lord of all kindness has called us to be a light
for his people to set their hearts free.
Refrain: Let us build the city of God.
May our tears be turned into dancing for the Lord,
our light and our love, has turned the night into day.
God is light; in him there is no darkness.
Let us walk in his light, his children, one and all.
O comfort my people; make gentle your words.
Proclaim to my city the day of her birth.
Refrain: Let us build the city of God.
May our tears be turned into dancing for the Lord,
our light and our love, has turned the night into day.
O city of gladness, now lift up your voice!
Proclaim the good tidings that all might rejoice.
Refrain: Let us build the city of God.
May our tears be turned into dancing for the Lord,
our light and our love, has turned the night into day.
Vocations Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Bless our diocese with the grace of many vocations
to the priesthood, diaconate and to religious life.
Through the intercession of the Blessed Mother,
grant to those You have called
the willingness and the generosity of spirit
to give of themselves in devoting their lives and their talents
to the service of our Lord and to His Church.
Increase the faith of all within our diocese,
and especially the faith of those You are calling.
We ask this through Christ, Your Son our Lord. ~ Amen
