MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE!
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress appropriately - switch off your phones...).
We cannot gather as usual for the Eucharist. But 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: Today is Justice Sunday. The basis for justice is respect for all reality. The present crises we face—humanitarian, political, economic, ecological—are largely because we do not respect the “other”. We pray that we may choose to respect one another.
Penitential Rite
L: For the times we have not respected the other and have made wrong choices, we ask for mercy.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you are the living bread that came down from heaven:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you give us your body and blood to strengthen us:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you promise to raise us up on the last day:
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: God of the nations,
to your table all are invited
and in your family no one is a stranger.
Satisfy the hunger
of those gathered in this house of prayer,
and mercifully extend to all the peoples on earth
the joy of salvation and faith.
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 Proverbs 9:1-6
Psalm Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
Response Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Response 1 or Response 2 or Response 3
Reading 2 Ephesians 5:15-20
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
remains in me and I in him, says the Lord.
Gospel John 6:51-58
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Imagine you are among the crowd. What are your thoughts and feelings when Jesus says, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world”?
Sunday Snippets
In 1982, Johnson & Johnson learned that bottles of Tylenol sold in Chicago had been laced with cyanide and had left seven dead. CEO James Burke chose to pull every bottle of Tylenol off the shelves nationally and design a tamper-proof bottle. He did not have to do it; he could have pulled only the bottles in Chicago. That move cost J&J $100 million but won them scores of loyal customers.
Our choices affect our destiny!
The first reading portrays wisdom as a woman who sends her servants to invite people to her banquet. Subsequent verses describe Dame Folly who invites passers-by to her meal of stolen bread and water of deceit. Banqueting at the feast of Lady Wisdom brings life and new perception; eating at the table of Dame Folly brings death.
In the second reading, St Paul gives the Ephesians three “be-attitudes”: be wise, be sober, and be thankful.
On Justice Sunday, these are “be-attitudes” we must choose: be wise to understand that the cause of injustice and oppression is our selfish quest to grab more for ourselves; be sober in using the goods of the world so that there is an equitable distribution of the world’s resources; be thankful for God’s blessings.
In the gospel, Jesus contrasts the manna in the desert with the bread that he gives: the manna not eaten within the day had to be thrown away; it was no longer good. After Jesus fed the five thousand, the disciples gathered twelve baskets of fragments; Jesus gives (and is) bread which lasts. He is the new manna that lasts forever and gives us everlasting life. “Whoever eats this bread (a choice!) will live forever.”
What are the choices I make: Am I wise, sober and thankful? Am I satisfied with the junk food with “empty calories” the world offers or do I feast on Jesus the living bread?
May you and I make the right choices; they affect our destiny!
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: Does wisdom invite or demand? What hungers does it satisfy? What is the difference between knowledge and wisdom? How does the latter help us in difficult situations?
Reading 2: The reading tells us to give thanks always and everywhere. Is it possible? If giving thanks for painful situations is too difficult, what might be other ways to handle them?
Gospel: When people love each other they want to be together. How can I understand “whoever eats my flesh remains in me and I in him” in this light?
What are some of the ways we might see Jesus “remaining” in us when we eat his flesh and drink his blood?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: Jesus reminds us that he is the bread of life and everyone who believes and follows his word will have eternal life. We pray that we may resist the onslaught on our faith in a hostile material world and remain loyal to our baptismal commitments: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that as we eat Jesus’ body and drink his blood, we may recognize ourselves as part of the Body of Christ and continue his mission to bring life to others, we pray…
R: For leaders of nations and organizations: that they may be led by the wisdom of God to choose good rather than evil, honesty rather than deceit, and service rather than greed, we pray…
R: For all who hunger for freedom, for respect, and for meaning in life: that through Christ’s words and Christian witness, they may find fulfilment for the longings of their hearts, we pray…
R: For all who are recovering from disasters and for those who are assisting them: that God may give them strength, ease their suffering, and fill their hearts with hope, we pray…
R: For greater care and respect for God’s creation: that the Spirit may guide our choices in the use and protection of earth’s resources, we pray…
R: For ourselves: that partaking of Wisdom’s table of the word, we may grasp the meaning and purpose of the life that God offers us, we pray…
L: God our Father, give us your wisdom that we may advance in the way of understanding you and your will for us. May we feast on the bread of life so that we may, one day, experience eternal life. 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
Pray:
Lord,
you invite us to partake of your wisdom:
the ability to discern between
the real goods and the shiny fakes;
the very best of the real goods is your goodness.
Help me to discern your goodness in my life.
May I taste and see that you, the Lord, are good!
Wisdom lies in this!
or Watch:
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: God, Father of life,
you let us taste and see how good you are
by giving us your Son Jesus Christ
as the bread and drink of life.
Give him to us today as our daily bread,
that with him we may pass from death to life.
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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