WHAT GOOD DID IT DO?
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress appropriately - switch off your phones...).
We are conscious that Christ is present not only in the Blessed Sacrament but also in the Scriptures and in our hearts. Even when we are on our own, we remain part of the Body of Christ.
Place lighted candles, a crucifix, and the Bible on a covered table. These remind us of the sacredness of our time of prayer and could help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.
You may sing or play an appropriate hymn. For instance:
The Sign of the Cross
Greeting and Introductory Words
L: The Lord invites us to the table of his Word: let us bless him for his goodness.
A: Blessed be God forever.
L: We could go through our prayer and practices of piety; they have zero impact on our lives. Today’s readings remind and challenge us: any encounter with the risen Lord must change us, must do us some “good”. We pray that our encounters with Jesus in prayer and in others may change us for the better.
Penitential Rite
L: For the times, our prayer encounters with the Lord have not done us any good, we ask him to pardon us.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you bring us the peace of your forgiveness:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you give us your Spirit who is truth:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you make us one heart and mind:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
Gloria
Opening Prayer
L: Lord God, source of all faith,
day by day refine our faith,
that we who have not seen the Christ
may truly confess him as our Lord and God
and share the blessedness of those who believe.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
The readings are those assigned for the day in the Lectionary.
Preferably use a Bible/ Lectionary for reading.
Reading 1 Acts 4:32-35
Psalm Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24
Response Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or: Alleluia.
Reading 2 1 John 5:1-6
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me, says the Lord;
Blessed are they who have not seen me, but still believe!
Gospel John 20:19-31
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Put yourself in the place of one of the apostles. Reflect on your thoughts and feelings as you experience the presence of the risen Jesus in the room.
Sunday Snippets
One Sunday, a butcher decided to hear a noted preacher. When he returned, his wife questioned him about the service: “What hymns did they sing?” The butcher couldn’t remember. “What was his text?” He couldn’t remember! Exasperated, his wife asked: “What good did it do for you to go to church?”
The butcher was quiet for a moment. Then he said: “What good? I will tell you what good it did. You know the scales in the shop that weigh 900 grams to the kilo? Before we open for business tomorrow, I am going to correct those scales to weigh the correct 1000 grams to the kilo.”
Going to church did the butcher good. It transformed him. So it was with the disciples who encountered the risen Lord!
The gospel portrays Thomas’ radical transformation from one who doubted Jesus’ resurrection to the first one who courageously acknowledged Jesus as God!
The first reading describes the early Christian community. The disciples were transformed from people fearfully behind shut doors to people who testified to the resurrection with power; from people who fought for position and greatness to people who were of one heart and one soul… that’s the good that came from their encounter with the risen Lord (and the outpouring of the holy spirit).
It doesn’t matter if we cannot remember the hymns sung at the Eucharist or the readings (and the homily!). If our lives are radically transformed by our encounter with Jesus, that’s a load of “good”.
May our encounter with the risen Lord transform you and me.
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: The early Church’s response to Christ’s life, death, and resurrection was their treatment of their possessions. Let me compare my attitude toward possessions with theirs.
Reading 2: What makes me a Christian: what I have done or what Christ has done?
Gospel: When do I keep my faith locked inside me instead of sharing it? When have my words and actions pushed people away from God?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: Jesus remained with his disciples after his resurrection, and taught them to love all people. As his disciples in this age, we offer our prayers for the world and for people with whom we share it: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that, like the early church, we may see the needs of others as our needs and open our hearts and resources to assist them, we pray…
R: For our world: that the Spirit may open dialogue and new understanding amongst nations, communities, and families who are in conflict, we pray…
R: For all who are questioning their faith or God’s presence in their lives: that the Spirit may guide them to new insights and help them recognize God’s presence through the witness of Christian love and service, we pray…
R: For all who are ill: that the Risen Lord may give them hope, healing, and new life, we pray…
R: For all who have died: that Christ may welcome them into the eternal light and joy of God’s presence and
For all who are grieving: that God may give them peace and hope as they hear the Good News of Christ’s resurrection, we pray…
R: For ourselves: that God may give us the grace and strength to love him with all our hearts and keep his commandments, we pray…
L: Loving God, give us your Spirit and strengthen our faith that people may see that we are a community of brothers and sisters. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
The Lord’s Prayer
Spiritual Communion
A: Jesus, I know and believe in your real presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is you I desire to love and receive above all things. As I am unable to receive your sacramental presence now, come and be with me in heart and soul. Let my entire self be united with you as I welcome you again and know your loving embrace. Amen.
Post Spiritual Communion Reflection
Lord,
in the early Christian community,
no one owned anything;
they shared all they had.
There was no person in need.
One heart and one mind was theirs.
Lord,
let our love for you bind us to each other,
so that there is not one person left needy in this world.
Through your death and resurrection
you made peace with the world.
By your grace let us love you,
and love one another,
and spread your peace throughout the world.
Fill us with your very own life
so we can take your love and forgiveness
to every single person on earth.
- Anne Osdieck (slightly adapted )
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: Lord our God, loving Father,
we have not seen your risen Son
nor placed our hands into his side,
but we believe that he is our Lord.
May this faith unite us in love
and make us responsible
for anyone in need among us. Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
Blessing
L: The Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
L: Go in the peace of Christ.
A: Thanks be to God.
Conclude with a hymn. For instance:
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