This section, provided by Fr. Bernard Cotter of Cloyne diocese, offers useful material for the celebrant, on Sundays and Feasts: alternative prayers, introductions, intercessions etc.
God calls us together for praise and worship today. As weak and sinful people, we gather to ask the Lord’s mercy. We know that divine grace is sufficient for us. Together, we praise and thank our God for the constant care we receive.
As summer takes hold of us, we give thanks to God for all the gifts we enjoy. We rejoice in God’s saving power: death itself is in his hand and all the living depend on God alone.
We have nothing to be afraid of, no matter what storm threatens to overwhelm us, God is with us. We need to trust in Christ’s calming presence — and not to be afraid to ask for help.
• And on this Father’s Day, we honour the presence and memory of our fathers — and those who have played a father’s role……]
Throughout these summer months, trees, plants and grasses grow and flourish. Our faith is also to grow and flourish during these Sundays of Ordinary Time. The green vestments worn by the celebrant signify continuing growth in faith.
Today we honour the Body and Blood of Christ, the food that sustains us on our pilgrimage through life. Even if in pandemic times we have not received Holy Communion as often as we would have liked, we have learned to appreciate this gift all the more.
We celebrate Trinity Sunday today. The feast gives us an opportunity to reflect on the mystery of God, who creates, redeems and makes us holy.
Today is Pentecost Sunday, the second climax of the Easter season. We celebrate ‘the great beginning of the Church’, the day the Holy Spirit first came to confused and frightened disciples.
The Ascension of the Lord is celebrated today, ‘World Communications Day’. As he left his disciples, Jesus sent them out to spread the Good News. This is our task too. We ask for the grace we need.
We gather in the love of God, redeemed in the death and resurrection of Jesus. We are people with a mission, challenged to grow in love each day. We ask God for divine help with this mission, today and during the coming week.
Like branches of one tree, we are held together by our faith in Christ. Because we are all part of this one living plant, we come together in thanksgiving and praise.
The fourth Sunday of Easter is often called Good Shepherd Sunday, because the readings are about the care we receive from Christ, our true shepherd. We rejoice that this pastoral care continues, in the loving tenderness extended by many Christian women and men today. Today is the day of prayer for vocations.
During the Easter season the Church continues to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, even in these pandemic days. Today, we join together to worship God, who has brought about the great victory over sin and death in which we hope.
This Easter morning we gather for a most unusual Easter celebration. Pandemic threatens to overwhelm, yet the Church insistently proclaims: Christ is risen! We still celebrate the central mystery of our faith, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. He suffered on the cross and died for us, but now he has conquered death and fear! Filled with the spirit of Easter joy, let us proclaim the might and glory of God.
The liturgy that begins this Thursday evening continues until we reach Easter. We are at the start of a three-day celebration of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. We journey from the Last Supper to Gethsemane tonight, from there to Calvary tomorrow, and from the tomb to resurrection and new life at the Vigil of Easter Sunday.
Today’s liturgy gives a preview of the events we will celebrate between Holy Thursday and Easter Sunday: the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. These events are also the focus of this and every Sunday celebration. We ask for God’s help in understanding their significance.
In just over ten days time, the Easter Triduum will begin, at sunset on Holy Thursday. Today we pray for all the believers all over the world for whom Easter brings renewal: may we be fit and ready to make a new start when this Lent is over.
Today, we pause from our lenten penances to honour Patrick, our national apostle. In our celebration of this solemn feast, we worship God, creator, redeemer and sanctifier, who brought our ancestors into the Christian fold through the preaching of St Patrick.
[In this year’s Mass we remember especially the irish diaspora, those exiled abroad, and especially those members of our families who would love to be at home with us today.]
This Sunday we come to the midpoint of Lent. The season is half over, and the celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus is nearer to us. On this midway Sunday, it is traditional to honour mothers, praying for those still with us and remembering those who have died.
We gather in continuing lockdown on this first Sunday of March in Ireland, praying that God will keep our hope alive during the Lenten spring. The Lord has the message of eternal life: we come to know this message during the Sunday online gathering and deepen our relationship with our Saviour.
As we continue to celebrate Lent, we keep the goal of our journey before us. The gospel of the transfiguration is read on this lenten Sunday each year, to remind us to hold firm to a vision of glory, even on dark days. Easter will follow this season of penance, just as freedom will eventually replace this tough time of lockdown. Hope keeps us going.
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