Friday, March 15, 2024

prayers of the faithful - 31 March 2024 - Easter Morning

Introduction - We rejoice that this is the day the Lord has made. God’s love reaches out to all of us today on Easter morning. By Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, he has conquered sin and defeated death. A new life has dawned, as God’s love survives sin and overcomes death. Jesus has shown us the way to the Father. May the promise of the resurrection fill us with hope and lead us to eternal life.

Lord Jesus, you are the risen Christ.

Christ Jesus, you were anointed by God with the Holy Spirit. Lord Jesus, you will come again to judge the living and the dead.

Priest: Filled with joy by the promise of the resurrection, we bring our prayers to God with hope and trust:

1. That by our mercy and compassion we in the Church may raise our brothers and sisters out of their pain and suffering, sharing the good news of the risen Christ with them, we pray to the Lord.

2. That the peace that Christ brings may extend to the nations of the world, filling their hearts with justice and healing, we pray to the Lord.

3. For all who entered the Church at the Easter vigil Mass yesterday evening, that they may grow in love of the Lord as they live as children of the light, we pray to the Lord.

4. For all who suffer from illness, hunger, isolation, or neglect, that their burdens may be lifted by Christ’s continuing mission in the world, we pray to the Lord. 5. For the sick and shut-in, for all who cannot be at Mass with us today, that they may feel our love and prayers reaching out to them, we pray to the Lord. 6. May our Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, and work of charity continue in our daily lives in the joyful Easter season, we pray to the Lord.

7. For the repose of the souls of the faithful departed. For their entry into eternal life. We pray to the Lord.

8. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts, for our intentions spoken and unspoken, we pray to the Lord.

Priest: God of creation, out of love, you have given us your only begotten son and you have raised him from the dead. We make our prayers today through your son Jesus Christ, for he is our Lord forever and ever. AMEN. 

Prayers of the faithful - Easter Vigil Mass - 30 March 2024

Priest: Our joy on this holy night gives us the confidence to place our trust in God for all things. Let present our prayers for our needs, the needs of the Church, and the needs of the world.

1. For the holy Church, that by word and example, we may always proclaim the glory of the resurrection of the Lord in the midst of our lived reality, we pray to the Lord.

2. That the peace that God has willed from the very moment of creation may grow in our hearts, in our families, in our community, and in the whole world, we pray to the Lord.

3. For the newly baptized and the newly initiated members of our Christian family here and throughout the world, that they may grow in our new life in Christ Jesus, we pray to the Lord.

4. For Christians around the world, that our faith in the resurrection may lead us to seek true unity in Christ, we pray to the Lord.

5. For all of us gathered at Mass this evening, that just as Christ was raised from the dead, that we too might live in newness of life, we pray to the Lord.

6. For the repose of the souls of the faithful departed. For healing for the sick and the shut-in. We pray to the Lord.

7. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts, for our intentions spoken and unspoken, we pray to the Lord.

Priest: God of love and mercy, you raised your only begotten son from the dead to eternal life with you. Raise us out of sin and death into new life with you. We present our prayers to you this evening through your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN.

Bulletin reflection - Easter Weekend - 30 March 2024 and 31 March 2024

Easter has arrived! It is wonderful to celebrate Holy Week and the Easter season as a community of faith. I want to welcome all of you to Mass this weekend, especially our out-of-town guests and family members. I have enjoyed journeying through the Lenten season with all of you as we have explored the theme of gratitude. I have enjoyed praying the stations of the cross on Friday evenings and the Lenten meals we have had together as a parish faith community. We look forward to a joyful Easter season together as we celebrate Easter weekend and as we journey toward the celebration of Pentecost.

The disciples tried to make sense of what they encountered in the empty tomb on Easter morning. We must make sense of the resurrected Christ in the reality of our lives and our world, especially with all the confusing messages and noise that we hear in our secular world. We are called to live out the reality of the resurrection in our lives each day. Our celebration of the Easter season will help us make sense of this reality. Blessings to all of you - Father Lincoln.

Prayers of the faithful - Holy Thursday - 28 March 2024

Introduction: We begin the Paschal Triduum this evening, the three-day remembrance of Christ's passion, crucifixion, and resurrection. We are called to remember how Christ’s life ended here on earth, in triumph disguised as defeat. This evening on Holy Thursday we hear how Jesus gave his disciples a model for the mission of the Church, as he came to them as a servant on his knees to wash their feet. May Jesus’ lesson be a model for us as proclaim his passion, death, and rising to the world. May we continue to be of service to our neighbor.

Penitential rite - Priest

Lord Jesus, you washed the feet of your disciples.

Christ Jesus, you gave us the Eucharist as the everlasting memorial of your light and life.

Lord Jesus, you summon us to your table of reconciliation and peace.

Priest: Animated by the love that Jesus shows humanity as he washed the feet of the disciples and commanded us to do likewise, we turn to God with our needs and the needs of the world:

1. For the Church, that with love and compassion, we may serve those in need just as Jesus served his disciples at the Last Supper, we pray to the Lord.

2. For those who are suffering in pain, in grief, or from want, that their burden may be lifted through God’s mercy, we pray to the Lord.

3. For all who dedicate their lives to both ordained and lay ministry, that they may be renewed in mind and spirit as they serve God’s mission, we pray to the Lord.

4. For our Jewish brothers and sisters, that our prayers to God be united with their prayers, we pray to the Lord.

5. For our faith communities of Holy Savior and Immaculate Conception, especially for those who will be received into the Church on this upcoming Easter weekend, that our participation during these holy days renew in us our mission to serve one another, we pray to the Lord.

6. For the repose of the souls of the faithful departed. For healing for the sick and the shut-in. We pray to the Lord.

7. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts, for our intentions spoken and unspoken, we pray to the Lord.

Priest: God of the eternal covenant, you so loved the world that you gave us your only son to live for us, to die for us, and to guide us to you. We ask that you inspire us to serve one another. We make our prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN.

Prayers of the faithful - Wednesday of Holy Week - 27 March 2024

Lord Jesus - you reach out to us in our brokenness. 

Christ Jesus - you bring us that hope of our faith. 

Lord Jesus - you call us to conversion and renewal. 

PRIEST: In faith and trust, we present our prayers to our heavenly Father as we journey with Jesus during Holy Week: 

1. That God will lead us to forgiveness and healing in our live. 

2. For those who are struggling on their journey of faith, that our commemoration of Holy Week touch their hearts and encourage them on their journey. 

3. For our first responders, for our medical professionals, for veterans, and for the men and women serving in the military. 

4. For our sick and shut-in: that God’s love will renew them and strengthen them and bring them healing in body, mind, and spirit. 

5. For the faithful departed, for their entry into eternal life.  And for the souls in a process of purification in purgatory. 

6. For the prayers we hold in our hearts today. 

PRIEST: With humble hearts, we present these prayers through your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN.  

Prayers of the faithful - Tuesday of Holy Week - 26 March 2024

Lord Jesus - you call us to reconciliation and healing . 

Christ Jesus - you bring us hope. 

Lord Jesus - you call us to conversion. 

In faith and trust, we present our prayers to our heavenly Father as we commemorate Holy Week: 

1. That our journey of faith will inspire us to reach out to others in spiritual and corporal works of mercy.

2. That we will work toward forgiveness and healing in our own lives and in our community.  

3. That we in the Church may be witnesses to the truth and freedom of our faith. 

4. For healing for the sick and the shut-in, for those in the hospital, hospice, and nursing home.  

5. That God will strengthen all our families in faith, hope, and love. 

6. For the prayers we hold in our hearts today. 

With humble hearts, we present these prayers through your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN.   

30 March 2024 - Easter Vigil Mass - Mark 16:1-7 - Exodus 14:15—15:1 - Isaiah 55:1-11 - Baruch 3:9-15 and 32--4:4

The liturgy of the Easter Vigil Mass is symbolized by the darkness of the night. The darkness represents the darkness in the world, the darkness in the universe, the darkness in our human hearts. But there is power and hope in the darkness as a light is struck. The darkness is broken by Christ the light. 

The symbolism of a light in the midst of darkness speaks to us at our Easter Vigil mass. As the Easter fire spread throughout our community with the lighting of our individual candles, as the Easter proclamation is sung while the Paschal candle came front and center in the church, we saw how the light of Christ enters our world. The light that God sends into the world is present in different ways that we hear in our readings tonight. God sent his light into the world when he created it. He lit the way for the people of Israel to be liberated from slavery and oppression. God sends us life giving water to refresh us and bring us new life through the message of the prophet Isaiah and through the passion, death, and resurrection of his Son.

Tonight, we celebrate the Easter mysteries in a special way with our catechumen and our candidates who are entering the Church and whole will received first Holy Eucharist for the first time. This is an exciting evening for all of us as we celebrate our Catholic faith and the resurrection of our Lord.

From the beginning of time, human beings have searched for meaning and for something greater than themselves. The search can bring us some wonderful, unexpected joys. But, unfortunately, that search can also lead us to some dark, foreboding places as well. Tonight, we know that this search that we undertake as Catholics is to lead us to only one place: to the salvation, redemption, and new life that we have in our Lord.  The saints have accompanied us on our journey this evening and we invoke their presence through the litany of saints.  The saints are here in their prayers and intercessions, uniting with us around the altar of the Lord on this joyful night. With us tonight are saints who accompanied Jesus during his earthly journey – John the Baptist, Joseph, the Virgin Mary, and Mary of Magdala.  With us tonight are saints who were preachers of the word: Paul, Francis of Assisi, and Pope John XXIII. With us tonight are holy men and women who lived their faith in the reality of their world: Teresa of Avila, Benedict, and Elizabeth Ann Seton.  We unite our prayers with those of the saints and we ask for their continued help on our journey.

The Easter Vigil mass fills our hearts with joy tonight with the light of the paschal candle, the smell of the incense and the sounds of the bells, the joyful Easter hymns sung by the choir, and the Gospel message of Christ’s resurrection, of the ladies who come to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body only to find the tomb empty. The stone has been rolled back from the entrance to the tomb. Jesus has risen! May the joy of the Easter season that fills our hearts help us remove those stone that are holding us down. Tonight is not an end. As we continue our journey through the Easter season in the upcoming weeks, may we continue to allow the Easter mysteries to convert our heart and live in our daily lives.