|

Presider’s Page for 29 March (Palm Sunday)

Opening Comment (for Mass without Procession or Solemn Entrance)
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.

Alternative Opening Prayer (from 1998 ICEL Missal)
O God of eternal glory,
you anointed Jesus, your servant,
to bear our sins,
to encourage the weary,
to raise up and restore the fallen.
Keep before our eyes
the splendour of the paschal mystery of Christ,
and, by our sharing in the passion and resurrection,
seal our lives with the victorious sign
of his obedience and exaltation.
We ask this through Christ, our liberator from sin,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
holy and mighty God for ever and ever.

Introduction to the Scripture Readings
Isaiah 50:4-7 — Describes someone putting up with a lot of suffering. Our tradition teaches us that these lines apply to Jesus.
Philippians 2:6-11 — An ancient hymn about Christ, which tells us that Jesus achieved glory through suffering.
Mark 14:1 to 15:47 — Mark’s account of the passion is in a lively style which relishes detail and doesn’t avoid what might appear offensive. His message is that Jesus freely gives up control.

BIDDING PRAYERS

Introduction (by the Presider) Brothers and sisters, let us pray to God who saves us.

  1. For all who take up the cross as followers of Christ (pause for silent prayer). Lord, hear us.
  2. For the courage never to be afraid to speak up for justice (pause for silent prayer). Lord, hear us.
  3. For people who feel tired and weary from the struggles of life (pause for silent prayer). Lord, hear us.
  4. For the sick and all who care for them (pause for silent prayer). Lord, hear us.

The presider prays for the dead, especially N & N (pause for silent prayer). Lord, hear us.

Conclusion (by the Presider) God of our salvation, your love for the world has no end: hear the prayers your faithful people make, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

SONGS AT MASS (Suggestions)‘All Glory Praise and Honour’; ‘Jesus Remember Me’ (Taizé); ‘Hail Redeemer, King Divine’.

Similar Posts

Young people and the Liturgy

Articles, Liturgy
5 Comments

I was never too happy with herding the entire school community into a church for a beginning of year or end of year liturgical extravaganza.
A youth liturgy group was set up; not a children’s liturgy group, by the way, as the members range in age from sixteen to the mid twenties. This group was given the responsibility of organizing liturgies on five or six occasions during the liturgical year.

Join the Discussion

Keep the following in mind when writing a comment

  • Your comment must include your full name, and email. (email will not be published). You may be contacted by email, and it is possible you might be requested to supply your postal address to verify your identity.
  • Be respectful. Do not attack the writer. Take on the idea, not the messenger. Comments containing vulgarities, personalised insults, slanders or accusations shall be deleted.
  • Keep to the point. Deliberate digressions don't aid the discussion.
  • Including multiple links or coding in your comment will increase the chances of it being automati cally marked as spam.
  • Posts that are merely links to other sites or lengthy quotes may not be published.
  • Brevity. Like homilies keep you comments as short as possible; continued repetitions of a point over various threads will not be published.
  • The decision to publish or not publish a comment is made by the site editor. It will not be possible to reply individually to those whose comments are not published.