Sign of the Cross

Greeting  

The Word of God is in your hearts and on your lips.
May it bear fruit in your lives
and remain always with you.

Introduction and Litany of Praise

Option A
Jesus compared the Word of God to a seed.
However, if a seed is to produce a harvest it must be planted in good soil. What kind of soil have we prepared for the Word of God? (pause)

Let us now examine ourselves. (pause)
Lord, through Jesus, your Word made flesh
you reveal to us the mysteries of the kingdom:
Lord, have mercy.

Lord, your Word is like rain that
makes our lives fertile and fruitful:
Christ, have mercy.

Lord, your Word is like a two-edged sword
that penetrates the core of our being:
Lord, have mercy.

Option B
In today's Mass we will listen to the parable of the sower.
We are invited to reflect on the importance of the
Word of God to help us grow
and bring forth fruit in our lives.
We cannot live without it.
Let us open our minds
and hearts to what Jesus wants to say to us. (pause)

You are the Word who came forth from the mouth of God
and dwelt among us:
Lord, have mercy.

You carry out the will of the Father:
Christ, have mercy.

You accomplish what you were sent to do:
Lord, have mercy.

Opening Prayer

God of the heavens,
God of the earth,
all creation awaits your gift of new life.
Prepare our hearts to receive the word of your Son,
that we may hear it and understand it,
bear fruit a hundredfold.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. AMEN.

Liturgy of the Word

Homily

PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL

P        We have listened to the word of God and renewed our faith.
          With confidence we bring before our heavenly Father
          our many needs and the needs of all the world.

             With confidence we pray:

CM     Open our hearts to your word, O Lord. (Please repeat)

1. For those who spread the word of God: (pause)
   priests, religious and missionaries,
   catechists and teachers,
   that they may keep sowing the seed in season
   and out of season. We pray:
   
2. For those who have remained deaf to the word of God: (pause)
   that they may be moved by it when
   they see it flowering and bearing fruit
   in the lives of good Christians. We pray:
   
3. For this assembly: (pause)
   that we may take care of the life of the Spirit within us,
   and not allow it to be choked by materialism
   and worldly concerns. We pray:
4. For all those who work on the land: (pause)
   May the Lord drench its furrows,
   bless its yield and crown the year with his bounty.
   We pray:

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

P     Lord, may your word not return to you
       without carrying out your will in us;
       and may our prayers not return to us
       without having been answered by you.
       This we ask through Jesus our Lord. AMEN.

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord, may your word not return to you
without carrying out your will in us;
and may our prayers not return to us
without having been answered by you.
This we ask through Jesus our Lord. AMEN.

Invitation to the Lord’s Prayer

Nourished by the word of God we are enabled to say:
Our Father ...

Deliver us Lord  

Deliver us, Lord,
from words that are empty,
and promises that are false.
Keep us free from everything
that would prevent your word
from bearing fruit in our lives,
as we wait in joyful hope
for the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Prayer for Peace

Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles:
"Blessed are your eyes, for they see,
and your ears, for they hear."
We have been blind and deaf to the power of your word
so we ask you to heal us
and grant to us the peace and freedom of your kingdom
where you live for ever and ever. AMEN

Exchange of Peace
We can show that God's word has taken root within us
by sharing a sign of peace with one another.

Optional Prayer to accompany the ‘Breaking of Bread’

P      It takes many grains of wheat to make this bread.
        It is one yet many.
        To live as community
        we must be one though many.
        And so in the breaking and sharing
        we recognize the presence of the Lord Jesus
        making us one.
A     LAMB OF GOD.....

Invitation to Communion

Behold the Sower who sows the seed of eternal life.
Blessed are we who are called to share at his table
where we enjoy the glorious freedom of the children of God.
Lord, I am not worthy…

Prayer after Communion   

Creator God,
we know that the sufferings of this present time
are not worth comparing with the glory
that has been revealed to us.
Open our hearts to your good news;
fill us with your word
so that it will accomplish your will within us,
and bear fruit that will yield a hundredfold.
All this we ask in the name of Jesus the Lord. AMEN.

Solemn Blessing

May the Word of God find a welcome in your heart. AMEN.

May God's word accomplish within you
the purpose for which it was sent. AMEN.

May you enjoy the blessed hope and glorious freedom
of the reign of God. AMEN.

And may almighty God bless you,
+ Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. AMEN.

Dismissal     

Let us go now to proclaim the Word made flesh
by the lives we lead.
Thanks be to God.