Liturgy

God’s Word this Sunday calls us to recognise the transience of life, to keep our eyes on what is lasting.

We can ask God for help whenever we need to, today or any day. This Sunday, we gather to worship God who is always concerned for us.

As we gather on this Summer Sunday, we are challenged to be hospitable, welcoming people. We worship the God who always has a welcome for us.

The beautiful story of the Good Samaritan is told again at today’s Mass, with its challenge to us to look after others, as the Good Samaritan did. We gather to worship God who showed us what love means.

On this first Sunday of July, we gather to praise God’s faithfulness, and to ask for grace in the work we’re called to do.

In this Sunday’s liturgy we pray that those on holidays may be refreshed, that those who travel may journey safely and that the blessing of God may be upon us all.

The love of the Lord is better than life, so we bring our needs into the divine presence, trustfully, at this Sunday’s Mass.

In this Sunday’s Mass, we bring our prayers to the Lord, who forgives the guilt of our sin: we are confident of God’s power to save us and raise us up.

Now that the special feasts are behind us (Trinity Sunday and the Body and Blood of Christ), the Church resumes its journey through Ordinary Time, imbuing it with the Spirit of Easter and Penetcost.

The feast of the Body and Blood of Christ was traditionally called ‘Corpus Christi’: today we celebrate the great gift we share in Holy Communion — the Bread of Life and the Cup of Eternal Salvation.

Today is Pentecost Sunday, the 50th day of Easter. We celebrate the completion of the Easter mystery in the coming of the Holy Spirit — and ask for the gift of that same Spirit as we gather today.

Remembering and celebrating Jesus’ ascension today, we worship the God of timeless glory.

Next Sunday the Church in Ireland will celebrate the Ascension of Jesus (other countries hold to the tradition of keeping ‘Ascansion Thursday’, as Catholics in Ireland once did). As the Easter season moves to its second climax at Pentecost, we take heed of the Lord’s final words to his disciples and look forward to the fresh coming of the Holy Spirit, renewing the hearts of believers.

We gather to praise God who raised his Son from the dead. We celebrate this victory over sin and death, and pray for enthusiasm as we try to pass on the Good News.

On the fourth Sunday of Easter each year, we honour the Risen Lord as our Good Shepherd. And we pray that God will give the Church men and women formed in the image of the Good Shepherd, who will be the priests, deacons and Religious of the future.

We’re two weeks into the Easter season now, but the Good News of the season continues to reverberate in the Liturgy. Joyfully we worship God who raised our Saviour from the dead.

A week from now, the Rising Sun will have dawned on Easter Sunday morning. But before we reach that feast, we recall the suffering and death of the Lord, believing his sufferings brought him glory, a destiny we share.

This weekend, the Church hears a call to rejoice: now that we have reached the midway point of Lent, the glory of Easter is so much closer. We renew our Lenten commitments and hasten towards the paschal celebrations.

Today, as we gather to listen to the Lenten call to repentance, we worship our God of kindness who, like a patient gardener, always gives people a second chance …

Bernard Cotter offers bidding prayers for use at masses next weekend. In his own parish of Newcestown, young people read out the intentions, so they are designed for this. Two young people read three intentions each.