Liturgy Guide
3rd Sunday of Lent (Year B)

 

Greeting

Blessed be the Lord Jesus
who is the power and the wisdom of God.
May his grace and peace be with you all.

Introduction and Litany of Praise

Option A

In today's Gospel, Jesus cleanses God's temple of people who
have turned it into a marketplace.
Let us now ask the Lord to cleanse us of our selfishness and sin as we
begin this Eucharist. (pause)

Option B

In today's Gospel we see Jesus upturn tables in the temple as
he drives out the traders and the cattle. In the process,
Jesus upturns oppressive customs and shows that
true worship is from the heart.
Let us ask the Lord to drive out the sin and selfishness in our own
lives, so that we can become living temples of God's Holy Spirit. (pause)


Option A & B

Lord Jesus, zeal for your Father's house consumes you:
Lord, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, your body is the true temple of God:
Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you are the power and wisdom of God:
Lord, have mercy.

 

Opening Prayer

Option A

Holy God,
the scandal of the cross confounds our human wisdom,
and the weakness of the crucified Christ puts worldly power to shame.
Banish from our hearts
every illusion that power and knowledge will save us.
Grant this through Christ, our liberator from sin,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. AMEN.


Option B

O God, whose foolishness is wise,
and whose weakness is strong,
by the working of your grace
during this holy season of Lent
cleanse the Church from evil
and purify our hearts
so that we may become living temples of your love.
Grant this through Christ, our liberator from sin,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. AMEN.


PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL

Presider

"I am the Lord your God.
You shall have no other gods before me." (pause)
We pray to the one God,
whose jealous love looks for our faithfulness,
whose commandments give light to our eyes.

CM      Our response is: Save us Lord, in your mercy.

Please repeat:

  1. For the leaders of the Church:
    that they may teach God's people to obey the commandments out of love
    and not out of fear. We pray:

  2. As the Lord purified the temple,
    may he purify the whole people of God during this Season of Lent: We pray:

  3. May the Lord give healing to the sick,
    comfort to the dying , conversion to sinners,
    and light to those experiencing darkness in their lives. We pray:

  4. That Christians who work in the marketplace
    may always witness to the truth of the commandments,
    and be models of honesty and respect for the poor. We pray:

  5. Because we are the temples of the Holy Spirit
    may we treat our bodies with respect. We pray:

    [The Presider may add a Petition that is local / relevant]

Presider

Loving Father,
we acknowledge your Son as our Lord and Savior.
Renew our confidence in you,
for your power manifests itself in our weakness.
and the foolishness of your wisdom in our strength.
This we ask in the name of Jesus the Lord. AMEN.

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord, look upon the face of Christ your Son,
who gave himself up as a ransom for all,
so that from the rising of the sun to its setting
your name may be great among the nations
and one sacrifice may be offered to your glory.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. AMEN.

Invitation to the Lord's Prayer

Jesus said:
"My Father's house is a house of prayer."
With confidence, therefore, we pray to our Father as Jesus taught us:

Deliver us Lord

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil,
and grant us the peace
that comes from following your commandments.
In your mercy keep us free from sin
that we may not be a stumbling block to others
as we wait in joyful hope
for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Prayer for Peace

Lord Jesus Christ,
You summed up the whole law and the prophets
in two great commandments?
that we should love God and love one another.
Lord, touch our hearts
so that we may be people who are able to love
and enjoy the peace and unity of your kingdom
where you live for ever and ever.

Exchange of Peace

Jesus has made our peace by his death on the cross.
Let us now greet each other in that peace.

Optional

Prayer to accompany the Breaking of Bread
We partake of this bread, heavenly Father,
as a sign of our unity.

May this cup, which we drink,
be a sign of the kingdom hidden in our hearts.

Invitation to Communion

This is Jesus, the power and wisdom of God.
Blessed are we who are being saved by the power of God

Prayer after Communion

Source of life and goodness,
your love has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
May we, who have been saved by the power of God,
proclaim Christ crucified
so that many will believe in his name.
This we ask through the same Christ our Lord. AMEN.

Blessing

Option A

May you be filled with zeal for your Father's house. AMEN.

May you always regard your body as a true temple of God. AMEN.

May you always remember that you are being saved by the power of God. AMEN.

Option B

Through your service of God and neighbor
may you receive God's countless blessings. AMEN

You believe that by his dying Christ destroyed death forever.
May he give you eternal life. AMEN.

Christ humbled himself for our sake.
May you follow his example and share his glory. AMEN.

Dismissal

Go in peace,
knowing that you are the dwelling place of the Living God.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Related Resources
 
Daily Scripture Readings
from the United States Conference
of Catholic Bishops
   www.usccb.org
Liturgy Alive
Models of Liturgical Celebration                         
  www.bibleclaret.org
 
About the Author
Fr. Kevin McHugh
is a Columban Missionary from Ireland
who has served in the Philippines for many years.
He has devoted much of his time and efforts to make the liturgical participation
come alive in our Christian communities.

For inquiries, you can email Fr Kevin at
mchughkaymac1@gmail.com

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