LITURGY FOR MISSION SUNDAY 2014 Readings: Is 2:1-5; Acts 1:3-8; Mt 28:16-20 (The readings are those suggested for Year A by the Bishops Conference of the Philippines.) Greeting: (See 1 Thes 1:4) God loves you and has chosen you and has 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: Today s celebration of Mission Sunday deeply concerns all of us, for mission is the task given to all. The whole Church is mission. We want Christ to be brought to all peoples, that all may be united with him and through him praise the Father of all. The Church will enrich the nations by giving them Christ and his Good News and they will enrich us with the gifts of their culture which they have received from the Lord. Then together we can praise the Lord with one symphony of many voices. 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.
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. LITURGY OF THE WORD: First Reading (Is 2:1-5): All Peoples Will Seek and Find the Lord The day will come when all nations will find the Lord and then there will be no more wars, for the ways of the Lord are peace. The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In days to come the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. Many peoples shall come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD! Responsorial Psalm: (Ps 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8) I lift up my eyes toward the mountains; whence shall help come to me? My help is from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. May he not suffer your foot to slip; may he slumber not who guards you: indeed he neither slumbers nor sleeps, the guardian of Israel. The LORD is your guardian; the LORD is your shade; he is beside you at your right hand. The sun shall not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
The LORD will guard you from all evil; he will guard your life. The LORD will guard your coming and your going, both now and forever. Second Reading (Acts 1:3-8): Be My Witnesses to the Whole Earth Jesus sends his disciples out: by the power of the Holy Spirit they and we will become his witnesses to the whole world. After his passion, he presented himself to them, giving many signs that he was alive; over a period of forty days he appeared to them and taught them concerning the kingdom of God. Once when he had been eating with them, he told them, "Do not leave Jerusalem but wait for the fulfilment of the Father's promise about which I have spoken to you: John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit within a few days." When they had come together, they asked him, "Is it now that you will restore the Kingdom of Israel?" And he answered, "It is not for you to know the time and the steps that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the earth." Gospel Acclamation (Phil 2:15-16) Alleluia, alleluia! Shine on the world like the bright stars; you are offering it the word of life. Alleluia! Gospel Reading (Mt 28:16-20): Make Disciples of All Nations The disciples of Jesus are sent out to win other disciples for him everywhere on earth. He assures them that that he will always be with them in this task. As for the eleven disciples, they went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw Jesus, they bowed before him, although some doubted. Then Jesus approached them and said, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples from all nations. Baptize them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to fulfil all that I have commanded you. I am with you always until the end of this world." PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL: Celebrant: The love of Christ gathers us together in communion this Mission Sunday so that we might be renewed through this celebration of our faith and in our commitment to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth and so we make our prayer to our loving Father: 1. We pray for all Christian communities throughout the world who gather to celebrate the Eucharist today. Being nourished by the Word the Body and the
Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, may we be joyful witnesses of the loving presence of God to all we meet. Lord, hear us. 2. We pray for those who are suffering today. Lord, you know our weaknesses and our temptations and were no stranger to suffering. Be merciful to all who are struggling with heavy burdens. Lord, hear us. 3. In our journey of faith, let us have no ambition other than to be servants to one another in the spirit of Christ. Let us bear one another s burdens, bringing the gifts of healing, peace and justice to our troubled world. Lord, hear us. 4. We thank God for our missionaries and for the peoples among whom we work. In the spirit of love and generosity, may we reach out in love to all missionaries throughout the world and to the communities we serve, especially to those in most need. Lord, hear us. 5. We pray for the sick, the lonely, the elderly and all who are bereaved. May they be comforted as they unite their suffering with the Risen Christ. Lord, hear us. Celebrant: Father, you sent your Son among us as a missionary to reveal your wonderful plan of salvation. Through our sharing of the gifts you give us, may we continue to grow in communion with our brothers and sisters throughout the world. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 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. Preface VII of the Sundays in Ordinary Time: It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, Holy Father, almighty and eternal God. For you so loved the world that in your mercy you sent us the Redeemer, to live like us in all things but sin, so that you might love in us what you loved in your Son, by whose obedience we have been restored to those gifts of yours that, by sinning, we had lost in disobedience. And so, Lord, with all the Angels and Saints, We, too, give thanks, as in exultation we acclaim: Holy, holy, holy 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 for ever and ever. Communion Antiphon: Go into the entire world, and proclaim the Gospel, says the Lord. I am with you always. [Mark 16:15] 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. SOLEMN BLESSING - May the mission of our Lord Jesus Christ be our constant hope. Amen. - May the Lord help us to reach out with love. Amen. - May he grant us the strength to proclaim his Good News. Amen. - And may almighty God bless you all: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Let us go in peace to love and serve God and one another. R/ Thanks be to God.