HOMECOMING
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather together 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: A few years ago, a gospel band organised a Lenten concert called “The Journey Home”. The title sums up what Lent, and our Christian life, is all about: our journey home to the Father. This Lent, let us return home, open ourselves to the merciful love of the Father, and allow him to envelope us his loving embrace.
Penitential Rite
L: For the times we have stayed away from the Father and from our “home”, we ask his pardon.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you welcomed sinners and ate with them:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you forgave the repentant Peter and entrusted your flock to him:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you forgive us, and give us yourself to heal us:
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.
Opening Prayer
L: God of compassion,
you await the sinner’s return
and spread a feast to welcome the lost.
Save us from the temptations that lead us away from you
and draw us back by your love
that we may take our place in your household
and share our inheritance with others.
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 Joshua 5:9a, 10-12
Psalm Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
Response Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Reading 2 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Acclamation
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.
I will get up and go to my Father and shall say to him:
Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
Gospel Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Imagine you are present when the Pharisees and scribes complain that “this man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” What are your thoughts and feelings when you hear this complaint?
What are your thoughts and feelings as you listen to Jesus’ parable of the two sons?
Sunday Snippets
On 18 March 2025, Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore returned to Earth after an extended nine-month mission aboard the ISS. Their planned eight-day mission was prolonged due to tech issues with the Boeing Starliner. They returned aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico. Their homecoming was celebrated globally.
Homecoming! This phrase sums up this Sunday’s readings.
In the first reading, Israel is on the threshold of the Promised Land. The old life—slavery in Egypt and their sojourn in the desert—is over; they are about to begin a new life in their homeland. This is signified by what they eat: not the manna they ate in the desert, but “the produce of the land… unleavened cakes and parched grain”. In their homecoming, they experience God’s mercy and love.
The gospel recounts the homecoming of the prodigal son. The old life of dissipation and of hard labour gives way to new life in his father’s home. His homecoming, too, is signified by what he eats: not the pods on which the swine fed, but a home-cooked family meal. The gifts and the feast signify the father’s happiness at having his son home. In his home-coming, the son experiences the father’s mercy and love. There is a homecoming also for the elder son! Though he has always been with his father, he has not lived at home. He, too, experiences the father’s mercy and love.
St Paul speaks of the ultimate homecoming: our reconciliation with God through Christ.
The thrust of the parable of the prodigal son: God waits for us to return home and to forgive us; he is not interested in our list of sins and our prepared lines. This is what happens when we approach the sacrament of reconciliation.
That’s the lesson from Jesus’ interaction with sinners: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them!” This is what happens at every Eucharist. He welcomes us, and not just eats with us but he gives us himself.
Will I, this Sunday and this Lent, “come home”; allow the Father to forgive me; and partake of the feast he has prepared for me? Is there anyone I need to welcome “home”?
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
The First Reading and the Gospel are about coming home. How does that idea relate to Lent? What is my spiritual home?
Reading 1: How does God take care of me in my daily life?
Reading 2: “Behold, new things have come.” Does God continue to do “new things” in my life/ in our world? What are the new things I have experienced?
Gospel: In the parable, did the son have to ask for forgiveness or did he just start on the road back home?
Do I forgive easily? Is it easy or difficult for me to ask for forgiveness?
What are my feelings about the behaviour of the father/ the older son/ the younger son in this parable?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: God our Father is patient and lovingly waits for us to return to him despite our failures. To our loving and merciful Father, we pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that we may witness to God’s compassion and mercy to all who are wounded or alienated, we pray…
R: For the leaders of nations: that God may give them the wisdom to understand the needs of those they serve and inspire them to advance the common good, we pray…
R: For young people who have run away from their families: that God may protect them from harm and give them the courage to make contact again, we pray…
R: For healing within families: that God may heal the wounds of words and actions so that families may love and support one another, we pray…
R: For better stewardship of creation: all might listen and respond to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor, we pray…
R: For ourselves: that we may be bound by neither our sins nor our self-righteousness but open ourselves to receive and celebrate God’s forgiving love each day, we pray…
L: Father, in your patient mercy you have prodigally poured out your love on us. When in moments of weakness we have turned away from you, let the memories of your kindness be stronger than our feelings of guilt, and help us to return to the joy of your home. 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,
you cared for the Israelites all through their desert sojourn,
and you brought them safely home.
You waited for the prodigal son,
and – overflowing with love –
you ran to meet him, embraced and kissed him,
and threw a feast for him.
Lord,
you wait for me to come home
and rejoice every time I return,
through your son Jesus,
in the sacrament of reconciliation.
Please walk with our brothers and sisters in “deserts”
and bring them safely home too.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: God our Father,
in the passion and death of Jesus, your Son,
you have made us aware
of how deeply you love us.
Make us also conscious of evil and sin,
and to keep believing in your love
when we have to bear our daily cross.
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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