Liturgy Guide
7th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

 

Sign of the Cross

Greeting 

May the Lord who is merciful, gracious,
and abounding in kindness.
be with you all.


Option A

Introduction

Jesus tells us that God loves all of his children, deserving and undeserving. And he urges us to imitate this all-embracing love of God. We know how difficult this can be especially in relation to people we don't like. (pause)

Option B

Introduction

Jesus says to us today,
'Be compassionate… Do not condemn… Treat others as you would
like them to treat you.'
How many of us could say that we live up to this Gospel command?
(pause)

Litany of Praise

Lord Jesus,
you told us to love our enemies and do good to them:
Lord, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you told us to be compassionate
as our heavenly Father is compassionate:
Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you told us not to condemn but to forgive others:
Lord, have mercy.


Option A

Opening Prayer

Compassionate God and Father,
you are kind to the ungrateful
and merciful even to the wicked.

Pour out your love upon us,
that with good and generous hearts
we may keep from judging others
and learn your way of compassion.

We make our prayer 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.


Option B

Opening Prayer

In Jesus, your Son,
broken and humiliated on the cross,
you have revealed, O God,
the unconquerable power of love.

Open our hearts to the gift of your spirit,
and break within us the chains of violence and hatred,
so that, free to love even our enemies,
we may share in the triumph of good over evil
and bear witness with our very lives
to the gospel of peace.

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

Credo

 

PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL

P        Let us pray that we may become who we are - daughters and sons of the Father - who are called to mirror his compassion.
With confidence we pray:

             With confidence we pray:

CM     Lord, teach us to be merciful. (Please repeat)

1 That the church on earth may be a living example of the compassion shown by Jesus. We pray:

2 That we may heal those alienated from the church
by seeking their forgiveness for the past hurts inflicted upon them.
We pray:

3 May the Holy Spirit renew us with the spirit of perfect love for others so that we may overcome evil with good. We pray:

4 May we know and experience the gift of forgiveness in our lives so that we, in turn, may become more forgiving. We pray:

5 For IRAQ, SUDAN, and all countries where there is war or civil strife: (pause)
that their leaders may choose the path of peace and reconciliation. We pray:

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

P      Compassionate Father,
        we thank you for the forgiveness you have offered through your Son.         Help us to show this to others.
        We make our prayers through Christ our Lord
. AMEN

Prayer over the Gifts

God of mercy and compassion,
you set before us the table of your Son.

Through him we bring before you
the joys and sorrows of all humankind.

May our lives be precious in your sight
as we make our prayer through Christ our Lord
. AMEN.

Invitation to the Lord’s Prayer

As we forgive others,
we now ask God's forgiveness for ourselves
as we pray with Jesus:
Our Father ...

Deliver us Lord

Deliver us, Lord, from the temptation
to do good only to those who do good to us.
Help us so that we can love our enemies,
bless those who curse us
and pray for those who abuse us,
as we wait in joyful hope
for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ

Prayer for Peace

Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your disciples:
'Love your enemies;
pray for those who persecute you."
Help us to be merciful and forgiving
towards those who make life difficult for us,
and thus we will promote the peace and unity of your kingdom
where you live for ever and ever.


The peace of the Lord be always with you.

Exchange of Peace
Let us greet Christ in each other, as we offer our sign of peace.

Optional Prayer to accompany the ‘Breaking of Bread’

P      By sharing this meal we meet Christ our Lord.
        In him peoples of all nations will sit down at table
        as children of the Most High God.

A     LAMB OF GOD.....

Invitation to Communion

This is Jesus who gathers people
from east and west,
from north and south.
Blessed are we
who are invited to join him at his banquet table.
Lord, I am not worthy…

Prayer after Communion

Lord God,
you have nourished us with Word of God and the Bread of Life.

May the Spirit of God, living within us,
give us the strength
to love our enemies,
to do good,
and to be compassionate, Father,
as you are compassionate.
Grant this through Christ our Lord
. AMEN.

Solemn Blessing

Do not judge, and you will not be judged. AMEN.

Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. AMEN

Do to others as you would have them do to you. AMEN.

And may the blessing of God,
the Father, + and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
come down upon you and remain with you for ever
. AMEN.

Dismissal      

Our celebration is ended.
Go and be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.


Related Resources
 
Daily Scripture Readings
from the United States Conference
of Catholic Bishops
   www.usccb.org
Liturgy Alive
Models of Liturgical Celebration                         
  www.bible.claret.org/liturgy/
 
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.

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