SPIRITUAL COMMUNION FOR THOSE UNABLE TO ATTEND MASS TODAY
also for those who wish to continue the celebration of Sunday through the week.
✠ In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lord Jesus, I come to you in sorrow for my
failings, and confess to you my weakness
and unbelief.
A brief pause for silence follows
I confess to almighty God
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,
and all the Angels and Saints,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.
May almighty God have mercy on us, ✠
forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting
life. Amen.
THE GLORIA Glory to God in the highest,
and 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 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. Amen.
THE COLLECT FOR THE DAY
Show favour, O Lord, to your servants and mercifully increase the gifts of your grace, that, made fervent in hope, faith and charity, they may be ever watchful in keeping your commands. 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.
FIRST READING: Ephesians 2:13-18 . In Christ Jesus, you that used to be so far apart from us have been brought very close, by the blood of Christ. For he is the peace between us, and has made the two into one and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart, actually destroying in his own person the hostility caused by the rules and decrees of the Law. This was to create one single New Man in himself out of the two of them and by restoring peace through the cross, to unite them both in a single Body and reconcile them with God. In his own person he killed the hostility. Later he came to bring the good news of peace, peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near at hand. Through him, both of us have in the one Spirit our way to come to the Father
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 22 (23)
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
He guides me along the right path; he is true to his name.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff;
with these you give me comfort.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil; my cup is overflowing.
Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Alleluia, alleluia!
The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me.
Alleluia!
GOSPEL Mark chapter 6, verses 30 to 34.
The apostles re-joined Jesus and told him all they had done and taught. Then he said to them, “You must come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while”; for there were so many coming and going that the apostles had no time even to eat. So they went off in a boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. But people saw them going, and many could guess where; and from every town they all hurried to the place on foot and reached it before them. So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length.
The Gospel of the Lord.
HOMILY
In our Gospel-reading today, we hear about Jesus, who, when He saw the people crowding in on Him, had compassion for them,
because they were like sheep without a shepherd;
and that compassion moved Him to teach them many things.
Sheep without a Shepherd….. Jesus talked in terms of Himself as Shepherd, and us as sheep. The Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep; The Shepherd who looks for the lost….
The much-loved Twenty-third Psalm tells us much about the Good Shepherd, and how best we, the sheep of His pasture might learn the “flock-rules”.,
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want
He leads me in right paths
…..We must put our whole trust in the Lord,
The Good Shepherd who leads us at all times in the right direction.
We must be attentive to His voice at all times;
He leads me beside still waters
He calls us to be “content”. Are we?
Are we people who display contentment, or contention?
He calls us to be still. Are we? Or do we think it is a sin to stop?
Do we encourage stillness in others?
Or are we so chaotic or “busy” ourselves
that we exhaust others just by our “being”?
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me;
We are not going to enjoy a trouble-free life:
even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I need not be afraid
You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me.
There will always be people and situations around that are troublesome.
The Lord provides for us in abundance, especially in the presence of the troublesome situations and people!
The valley of the shadow of death is still there to be walked;
the enemies are still there to trouble me,
but the promise of the Shepherd - is to be with us,
in the midst of all of this…..
and he will lead us, that we may
…..dwell in the house (the fold) of the Lord for ever.
There’s a word that the early Christians used
to describe the way a Christian should be
around the Good Shepherd……… It’s the word “docile.”
A “sheep” who is in the presence of The Good Shepherd
is at peace; is content; is docile; ever-ready to be led without complaint
to wherever the Good Shepherd leads.
Pray that we might be attentive always to His voice…
“docile”, a witness to Christlike contentment
in our discontented world.
THE PROFESSION OF FAITH
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son,
our Lord, who was conceived by the
Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
He ascended into heaven,
He is seated at the right hand of the Father,
And he will come to judge the living
and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
THE PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL
Compassionate God, You have compassion enough for all. Lord in your mercy, Have compassion for us. Jesus, out of your compassion for us, you invite us to come away with you to a place of rest and quiet. Help us to say yes and then to be able to come away with you. Lord in your mercy, Have compassion for us. Lord, out of your compassion you care for Those who are harassed, helpless, and Lost. Sometimes we feel that way ourselves Lord in your mercy, Have compassion for us. Lord in your compassion teach us to follow you, to trust you, to love you and to love as you love. Lord in your compassion feed us who are hungry; Physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Lord in your compassion heal us in the places we need healed. Lord in your mercy, Have compassion for us. And Lord in your having compassion for us Teach us to have compassion for others as you do. Help us to show compassion in action the way you did. And remind us when it is time to come away with you for quiet and rest. Lord in your mercy, Have compassion for us.
For the vulnerable and the fearful, for the gravely ill, the dying, and all who have died, that they may know your comfort and peace: ✠ Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord,
and let light perpetual shine upon them.
Pray with us, Mary,
Mother of God,
to the Father,
through your Son,
in the Holy Spirit:
Hail, Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee;
blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of our death
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God;
for it is right and just.
It is truly right and just to give you thanks
and raise to you a hymn of glory and praise,
O Lord, Father of infinite goodness.
For by the word of your Son’s Gospel
you have brought together one Church
from every people, tongue, and nation, and,
having filled her with life by the power of your Spirit,
you never cease through her
to gather the whole human race into one.
Manifesting the covenant of your love,
she dispenses without ceasing the blessed hope of your Kingdom
and shines bright as the sign of your faithfulness,
which in Christ Jesus our Lord you promised
would last for eternity.
And so, with all the Powers of heaven,
we worship you constantly on earth,
while, with all the Church, as one voice we acclaim:
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.
At the Saviour’s command and formed by
divine teaching, we dare to say: Our Father…..
…..but deliver us from evil.
Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,
graciously grant peace in our days, that, by the
help of your mercy, we may be always free
from sin and safe from all distress, as we await
the blessed hope and the coming of our
Saviour, Jesus Christ.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory
are yours now and for ever.
Jesus my Lord and my brother,
who brought divine Life out of human death,
you are meeting me here and now in this place,
in this moment.
I pause to remember
that the one thing I desire above all others
is for you to be with me.
Though I cannot receive you here and now
in the Mass, come into my heart,
and open my eyes to your sacred presence…
I offer myself to you in service.
Time to receive the Lord’s Presence spiritually.
God our Father, you fill the hungry with good things and send the self-satisfied away empty. Fill us now with the Presence of your Son. Fill us with his spirit of service and self-forgetting love, that through us, he may come near
to the people we name before Him now (………).
Eternal God, in Christ you make yourself a guest.
Amid all my cares and concerns
make me attentive to your voice
and alert to your presence,
that I may know your love
that surpasses all else,
and share it with others.
Almighty Compassionate God,
You care for all people everywhere,
whether they believe in you or not.
You care about Gaza, Syria, Afghanistan, The Lebanon;
an endless list of countries in deeper need than our own. You care about those who are sick, in pain, in the hospital,
the housebound and those in nursing homes,
your compassion extends to them.
You care about those who carry heavy burdens, broken hearts, grieving,
lonely and anxious, your compassion extends to them. You care for the great number of people losing their jobs,
losing their homes, losing their bank accounts,
and those with no financial resources behind them. Lord we thank you for your presence with us now;
we thank you for your compassion, your care, your mercy,
which you so lavishly give to us and through us.
THE ANGELUS
The angel of the Lord brought tidings unto Mary
And she conceived by the Holy Ghost.
Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners
now, and at the hour of our death.
Behold the handmaid of the Lord;
be it unto me
according to thy word. Hail Mary….
And the Word was made flesh.
And dwelt amongst us. Hail Mary….
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. That we may
be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
We beseech thee, O Lord, pour thy grace into our
hearts, that as we have known the Incarnation of
thy Son Jesus Christ by the message of an angel,
so by his ✠ Cross and Passion we may be brought
unto the glory of his Resurrection; through the
same Christ our Lord. Amen.
BLESSING May the Lord bless us and keep us; May
the Lord make his face shine on us and be gracious
to us; may the Lord smile upon us and give us
peace, now and for ever. Amen.
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