The Presider’s Page for Sundays. Suggested introduction to the Mass; prayers of the Faithful. Also, Resources for Weekdays and Sundays (the Readings plus homily ideas).
We gather around the Easter candle on this cold Easter night, celebrating the Lord’s resurrection. With that light to illumine our way and to warm our hearts, we listen to God’s word at the Easter Vigil and prepare to renew our baptism an make a new start in the Easter springtime.
The liturgy that begins with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday 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.
Chris McDonnell, writing in the Catholic Times. makes a few suggestions about how we pray the ‘prayers of the faithful’. “Too often the content of our Bidding Prayers seems to be disconnected from the Liturgy we are celebrating. Unless our liturgical actions have a real connection with the life we are living, they are hollow.”
Opening Comment (for Mass without Procession or Solemn Entrance) Today’s liturgy gives us a preview of the events we will celebrate in the Easter Triduum later this week. The passion,…
Opening Comment
In just over ten days time, the Easter Triduum will begin, on Holy Thursday evening. The time when baptism is celebrated is now very close. We ask God’s help for all the adults and children preparing for baptism this Easter, and pray that we may be fit and ready to renew our baptismal vows at the same feast.
Traditionally, this Sunday is called Laetare Sunday, which means ‘a day for joy’. Lent is half over, and the celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus is nearer. At this midpoint of Lent, it is traditional to honour mothers, treasuring those still with us and praying for those we have lost to death.
The readings in this Sunday’s celebration about water and thirst remind us that this is a baptismal season. During Lent, many people all over the world look forward to their baptism, while those already baptised prepare to renew their promises.
Chris McDonnell shares some thoughts on how we could use the ‘washing of the feet’.
“It is also a liturgy that can be shared without raising contentious issues in an ecumenical setting. There need be no divisions in this mutual giving, no barriers of race, age or social status. It fundamentally cuts through these restrictions and offers an example of Christian love in a simple yet powerful manner.”
“An intimate act of love” was first published in the Catholic Times on 10 March 2017
Now that we are ten days into the season of Lent, our goal is clarified in today’s liturgy. The Gospel of the Transfiguration reminds us that we are destined for glory. Like the disciples, we keep this glimpse of glory in our hearts in the dark days ahead. Resurection will follow, as surely as day follows night.
We celebrate the first Sunday of Lent. All over the world today, men and women are beginning a period of preparation for their baptism at the Easter Vigil. Like them, we spend Lent preparing to renew our baptismal vows at Easter, looking forward to our blessing with Easter water and to receiving the gift of a new start.
Welcome to the season of Lent. Today we begin the journey of penance and reflection that will bring us to the celebration of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus at Easter time. On Ash Wednesday, we pray for the grace to keep Lent faithfully.
The Lord gathers us in to his loving embrace, the Lord who invites us not to worry about tomorrow. Setting our hearts on his kingdom, we entrust all our tomorrows to him and ask him to help us live for this, his day.
Today, the last Sunday before Lent, is Temperance Sunday.
Loving the enemy and praying for those who make life difficult are two marks of a Christian, or so Jesus teaches us today. We gather, aware of how difficult love can be, yet united by the saving mercy of God, on which we rely.
Today’s readings ask for decisions, challenging Christians to choose the right path. We gather to worship God, who can help us in all our choices.
Over these Sundays, we listen to what Jesus taught in his Sermon on the Mount. In today’s liturgy, we hear that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Rejoicing in this calling, we praise God who sustains us all our days.
Catholics gather this Sunday to celebrate the resurrection of the Saviour and to remember his beautiful teachings. In the Beatitudes, which are read at Mass today, Jesus describes the kinds of people who are blessed in God’s eyes. We hope to join the company of all these saints in the heavenly liturgy.
The Christmas Season ended last Sunday, and we have entered Ordinary Time, moving slowly from winter to spring. The season of Lent begins on the first day of March: between now and then, we learn a little more each Sunday about the life and techings of Jesus.
Today is World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which this year focuses especially on children who migrate, vulnerable and voiceless.
An interesting report by Sandro Magister is being carried at Settimo Cielo, that ‘Liturgiam authenticam’ is to be revisited by Pope Francis. ‘Liturgiam authenticam’ was the criteria for the translation of liturgical texts from Latin into modern languages which led to the “new missal” with its beauties like ‘prevenient grace’, ‘consubstantial’, and had us praying for ‘the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ with righteous deeds’ at the start of Advent.
This feast of the Baptism of the Lord marks the last day of Christmas. At his baptism Jesus sees how much he is loved by God and is given the power to go out and spread the news. We share that power through our baptism.
On this feast of the Epiphany we celebrate the revelation of who Christ is. The visit of the wise men reminds us that Jesus came as the Saviour of all nations, including ours. We worship God who wants all people to be saved.
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