Liturgy

John the Baptist is the focus of the Gospel reading on the Second Sunday of Advent each year. His words challenge and inspire. We worship God who uses many messengers to call us from darkness to light.

The season of Advent begins today. During the next 24 days we will look forward in hope. We will watch for the end times, when Christ will come in glory, Christ whose birthday we will celebrate very soon.

We celebrate the feast of Christ the King this Sunday, remembering that our king’s life ended on a cross. Today we worship this wounded and resurrected God, who promises us a place in Paradise.

The readings this Sunday focus on the end of the world, though we are also reassured that people of faith have nothing to fear.
Today is World Day of the Poor, an annual day of significance established by Pope Francis in 2016.

At this time of remembrance, our dead are often in our minds. Today’s readings challenge us to believe in eternal life after death. We worship God who sustains us in this life and promises us a share in the resurrection.

• Today is Prisoners’ Sunday

Zacchaeus is the star of today’s Gospel, the man who has been called ‘everybody’s favourite underdog’. Zacchaeus took Jesus at his word and changed his life. We worship God, whose mercy for all people never fails, a mercy on which we rely as we remember our dead….

Today and tomorrow we remember all the dead, those in heaven and those still be on the way there: God alone knows where each soul is. Today’s feast celebrates the saints in heaven, the holy men and women of every time and place: we hope some of our people are among them.

Today is World Mission Sunday, which this year has the theme: “TOGETHER WE ARE MISSION, changing the lives of others!” The readings point to the value of persistent prayer, which can be a real support to missionaries in their work. If you want results, pray without ceasing, says Jesus. God will listen and help.

The Gospel gives the story of the ten lepers, of whom only one came back to thank Jesus. We praise and thank God who continues to do great things for all peoples.

The Spirit of God lives in us, inspiring us and guarding us. In the Spirit, we worship our creator and entrust ourselves to the Lord’s loving care.

• ‘Day for Life’ is celebrated today by the Church in Ireland, focussing on the theme: ‘The Scourge of Domestic Abuse’.

We gather to worship the Lord of glory, asking for help to be God’s servants before all else.

We gather to listen to God’s challenging words and to ask the grace of repentance from God who loves us first.

Who gets the places of honour in God’s house, the pushy or the humble? The Word of God in this Sunday’s Mass teaches us that the humble are the ones who find favour with God.

Our God is a gracious God, who throws open the doors to the Kingdom to all of humanity. We gather to worship this compassionate king

Following Jesus may not bring us happiness in this life, but we are challenged to follow him nevertheless. We come together to worship our gracious God and to ask for help in our Christian life this week.

We are challenged by today’s Gospel to stand ready for our Master’s return in glory. We gather to worship God who sustains us all the days of our life, and beyond.

Now that the great feasts of Easter and the Sundays following it are behind us, we return to Ordinary Time and reflect on the challenges to disciples found in the Gospel of Luke. At today’s gathering, we’re challenged us to look carefully at our commitment to our faith. We worship God who gives us the grace we need.