SUNDAY ASSEMBLY OF WORD AND COMMUNION
Sunday in Ordinary Time
INTRODUCTORY RITES
GATHERING
A hymn expressing the unity of the community and is a song of praise is sung as the first act of worship of the assembly. The leaders move to the front as the hymn is ending.
GREETING
All make the sign of the cross.
Leader 1:In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
All:Amen.
The leader addresses the people.
Leader 2:Blessed be God, in the Church
and in Christ Jesus for all generations,
who has strengthened us with power in the Spirit.
Bless the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
All:Blessed be God for ever.
Leader 1:Today, we, the people of God,
gather to hear and respond to God’s word,
to return praise and thanks,
and to share in Communion.
We look forward to the time
when we will once more celebrate the Eucharist,
as Christ commanded us to do in his memory.
Our community makes its worship
in union with the Church throughout the world,
with Benedict our Pope, Peter Connors our Bishop,
with our priest who is unable to be with us,
and with our brothers and sisters in other parts of our parish
and in neighbouring parishes who keep holy this day
in the celebration of the Lord’s sacrifice and supper.
opening rite
Choose either the following Penitential Rite or the Glory to God for the Opening Rite.
Penitential Rite
Leader 2:Before listening to the Word of God
let us ask for Christ’s mercy.
All pause in silence for a moment of personal prayer.
Leader 1:Lord Jesus, you came to gather the nations
Into the peace of God’s kingdom:
Lord, have mercy.
All:Lord, have mercy.
Leader 1:You come in word and sacrament
To strengthen us in holiness:
Christ, have mercy.
All:Christ, have mercy.
Leader 1:You come in glory with salvation for your people:
Lord, have mercy.
All:Lord, have mercy.
Glory to God
Leader 1:With people everywhere, let us glorify our God in joyful praise
Glory to God in the highest,
All:and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.
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. Amen.
OPENING PRAYER
Leader 1:Let us pray.
Pause for brief silent prayer.
The Opening Prayer will be the one for the particular Sunday in Ordinary Time
which is found in the Altar Missal. The following prayer may be used as an alternative
for the Sundays of Ordinary Time:
Almighty God,
Fix our hearts on what is right and true,
That we may please you always
By observing your will in both word and deed.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
LITURGY OF THE WORD
The Readings and the Responsorial Psalm will be the Readings of the Sunday found in the Lectionary for the Sundays of Ordinary Time, Year A.
FIRST READING:Reading of the Day
A period of silence, about one or two minutes, is recommended at the conclusion of each reading.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM:Psalm and Response of the Day
SECOND READING:Reading of the Day
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION:As in the Lectionary
GOSPEL:Gospel of the Day
One of the leaders goes to the lectern.
Leader:The Lord be with you.
All:And also with you.
Leader:A reading from the holy gospel according to ......
The leader makes the sign of the cross on the book, then on forehead, lips and breast.
All:Glory to you, Lord.
At the end of the gospel:
Leader:This is the gospel of the Lord.
All:Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
SHARED REFLECTION
A shared reflection explaining the meaning which these readings had for their original hearers, and indicating how these readings apply to this particular community, should now be given.
* If this is not done, the following should be said:
Leader: Let us now reflect in silence on the words of the Gospel and take them to our hearts.
A silence of several minutes should follow. Leaders then stand for the Profession of Faith.
PROFESSION OF FAITH
Leader 1:Sisters and brothers, let us now stand and reaffirm our faith, the faith of the Church:
Allow time for the Assembly to stand then say:
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, of one being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate:
he suffered, died and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in fulfilment of 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.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
GENERAL INTERCESSIONS
The people are invited to pray; after the intercessions, the concluding prayer is said.
It is desirable that the individual intercessions be given by someone other than the leader.
Invitation to Prayer:
Leader 2:My brothers and sisters
let us place before the God of all life
our own needs and those of the whole world.
Intercessions as prepared by the community. It is recommended that a petition for vocations to the Priesthood be included in the General Intercessions.
Concluding Prayer:
Leader 2:Loving God,
hear these prayers which we ask in faith
and place before you through Christ our Lord. R. Amen.
COLLECTION
Leader 1:Please be seated as we now take up the collection which is part of our contribution to the life and work of the Church.
As the collections are being gathered, a hymn could be sung.
As the offerings are brought forward, the leader prays in these or similar words as the collection is placed at the foot of the altar.
Leader 2:Loving God, we give from our hearts, in the name of Jesus, your Son,
who calls us into unity by the gift of the Holy Spirit,
who lives and reigns with you, Father, now and for ever.
All:Amen.
After leaving the offerings in the accustomed place, the ushers return to their place in the assembly.
PRAYER OF PRAISE
Leader 1:Please stand as we prepare to praise God who is the source of our faith.
There follows a brief silent pause for reflection.
Leader 1: We raise our hearts and words to you O God,
for you are the Creator of all life.
who made the universe and sustains all creatures.
All: You are blest, Lord God forever.
To you be glory and praise.
Leader 1: Blessed are you, O God, the Hope of all people,
who speaks the life-giving Word and brings forth the fruit of the earth.
All: You are blest, Lord God forever.
To you be glory and praise.
Leader 1: Blessed are you, O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who enriches our lives with love and surrounds our days with joy.
All: You are blest, Lord God forever.
To you be glory and praise.
Leader 1: Blessed are you, O God, the all holy One, who chose us in Christ
and anoints us with the Spirit of adoption.
All: You are blest, Lord God forever.
To you be glory and praise.
Leader 1: Blessed are you, O God, the Rock of our salvation,
who inspires our hymns and renews our youth.
All: You are blest, Lord God forever.
To you be glory and praise.
Leader 1: Blessed are you, O God, the Revelation of love,
who makes us one in Christ and gives us the crown of victory.
All: You are blest, Lord God forever.
To you be glory and praise.
Leader 1: Blessed are you, O God, the Healer of hearts,
who forgives our sins and binds up our wounds.
All: You are blest, Lord God forever.
To you be glory and praise.
Leader 1: Blessed are you, O God, the Guardian of your chosen ones,
who lives among us and leads us in all our ways.
All: You are blest, Lord God forever.
To you be glory and praise.
Leader 1: Blessed are you, O God, the Source of eternal light,
who calls us from darkness and clothes us with glory.
All: You are blest, Lord God forever.
To you be glory and praise.
Leader 1: Blessed are you, O God, the Provider of good gifts,
who raised us from death and crowns us with life.
All: You are blest, Lord God forever.
To you be glory and praise for all time. Amen.
SIGN OF PEACE
Leader 2:We now seal our prayer as we offer one another a sign of the peace of Christ who is in our midst.
COMMUNION RITE
The Rite of Communion begins with the Lord’s Prayer.
Leader 2:Taught by our Saviour’s command,
and formed by the Word of God,
we dare to say:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come, thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and forever.
The extraordinary minister of the Eucharist now moves to the sanctuary and washes his/her hands. He/she then goes to the tabernacle, opens it and removes the ciborium with hosts, leaves the lid at the tabernacle and moves to stand behind the leaders.
ADMONITION TO UNITY
Leader 2:Please kneel as we prepare to share in holy communion
in the body of the Lord.
Allow time for all to kneel.
We are part of the universal Church,
and all across the world on this day of the Lord,
Christ’s saving passover to the Father
is being recalled and made present.
We are in union with the whole Church.
We are in union with our Bishop, Bishop Connors,
and our parish community,
let us be one in mind and heart,
in prayer and service, now and always.
RECEPTION OF COMMUNION
The extraordinary minister of the Eucharist brings the Eucharist to the front of the Sanctuary, and, taking the host, raises it for all to see, saying aloud:
Extraordinary Minister:
This is the Lamb of God
who takes away the sins of the world.
Happy are those who are called to his supper.
All:Lord, I am not worthy to receive you,
but only say the word and I shall be healed.
The extraordinary minister of the Eucharist holds the host in the view of each person and says:
The body of Christ.
The communicant answers: Amen.
COMMUNION SONG
PERIOD OF SILENCE or COMMUNION REFLECTION
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
This prayer should be led by the Extraordinary minister of Communion as a conclusion to the Reception of Communion.
Extraordinary Minister:
Let us pray. Pause for moment of silent prayer.
Merciful God,
Let our sharing in communion
Deliver us from evil
And make us stand firm in the light of your truth.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, the Lord.
All:Amen.
CONCLUDING RITE
If there are announcements of note, this is the proper time for them to be made. If there is to be special hospitality following the liturgy, the leader will extend an invitation to all. In general, those who want announcements made should be invited to come forward at this point and make the announcements.
People should then be invited to stand if they have been seated for announcements.
GREETING and BLESSING
Leader 2:The Lord be with you.
All:And also with you.
Leader 2:Let us bow our heads in silence, and ask God to bless us.
Brief pause for silent prayer then the blessing follows. At the appropriate time during the blessing, the leader signs himself or herself with the sign of the cross and all follow.
Leader 1:May God, the source of every good,
Bless us and give success to our work,
So that we may rejoice in the gifts we have received
and praise God’s name now and forever.
All:Amen.
DISMISSAL
Leader 2:Let us go forth,
rejoicing in the power of the Spirit
All:Thanks be to God.
The leaders bow to the altar and return to their places in the assembly. An appropriate final hymn is sung.
Acknowledgements
Material for the Introductory Rites, Opening and Communion Prayers, Profession of Faith and the Praise Prayer have been taken from or adapted from Sunday Celebration of the Word and Hours, Catholic Conference of Canadian Bishops © Concacan Inc., 1995. All rights reserved. This material is used with permission for the purposes of Sunday Assemblies of Word and Communion in the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia only.
Excerpts from the English translation of the Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. (ICEL). All rights reserved.
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