TRANSFORMED!
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: When Jesus said: ‘It is finished’ and gave up his spirit, what could his followers possibly have felt? Despair? Heartache? Anger? But on Sunday morning, that changed!
Easter is a celebration that the most hopeless of circumstances can be revived. Jesus’ resurrection is the heart of the Gospel: there is hope always – no matter what – that life, its circumstances, and we can change.
We pray that we may experience the transformation of Easter.
Penitential Rite
L: For the times we have not been an Easter people, for the times we have despaired at the empty tomb, we ask the Lord to pardon us.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you raise us to new life in the Spirit:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you bring light to those in darkness:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you are the Good Shepherd, leading us into everlasting life:
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,
through the triumph of your Son
you have shattered the gates of death
and opened the way to everlasting life.
Grant, we beseech you,
that we who celebrate the festival of the Lord’s resurrection
may rise to a new and glorious life
through the power of your Spirit.
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 10:34a, 37-43
Psalm Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
Response This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or: Alleluia.
Reading 2 Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed;
let us then feast with joy in the Lord.
Gospel John 20:1-9
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Put yourself in the stead of one of the characters of the Easter story: Mary of Magdala, Peter, the beloved disciple. Reflect on your thoughts and feelings when you find the tomb empty.
Sunday Snippets
In one of his lighter moments, Benjamin Franklin penned his own epitaph:
The body of B. Franklin, printer, like the cover of an old book
its contents torn out, and stripped of its lettering and gilding,
lies here, food for worms.
But the work shall not be wholly lost:
for it will, as he believ’d, appear once more
in a new and more perfect edition,
corrected and amended by the author.
Franklin’s epitaph is a near-perfect summary of the transformation that the resurrection brings!
Recall the transformation that happened to Jesus. His resurrected body was radically different from his earthly body! It was so radically different that his own disciples could not recognise him, and he was able to move about as he desired, and through closed doors.
We will experience this radical transformation of our bodies on the last day; our bodies, as Ben Franklin wrote, will appear in a new and more perfect edition.
There is another transformation that happens now, at the personal level. Look at the transformation in the disciples!
- from fear to joy and bold proclamation
- from doubt to belief
- from people who fought for position and greatness to people who were of one heart and one soul
After the resurrection, in the words of the second reading, they became “a fresh batch of dough”!
What about me? Do I live like an Easter person with joy and in solidarity with others? If not, what are my fears and doubts that keep me from living as an Easter person and witnessing to the resurrection? What must I do to become “a fresh batch of dough”?
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: Peter proclaims: “We are witnesses of all that he did…” What has the Lord done in my life? How do I witness to what he has done for me?
Reading 2: Paul challenges the Colossians: “If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above.” Do I seek what is above or do I yearn for “what is on earth”? Have I used the Lenten season to “clear out the old yeast”?
Gospel: The same women who came to anoint his body in the morning had been with Jesus when he died. Contrast their behaviour with some of Jesus’ other disciples. Like whom am I: the women or the disciples?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: To God our Father, who has raised his Son, Jesus, from the dead, we pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that we may radiate the light of Christ each day and confidently live as daughters and sons of God, we pray…
R: For our world: that God may break the cycles of violence and discord, end acts of revenge, protect the innocent, and help leaders to establish peace in areas of conflict, we pray…
R: For all who find themselves walking in darkness or doubting their faith: that they may encounter the Risen Lord who brings light to their journey and peace to their hearts, 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 greater stewardship of God’s creation: that we may work to use earth’s resources prudently and preserve them for the good of future generations, we pray…
R: For ourselves: that the Lord may pour out the Spirit upon us to transform us and enable us to continue the mission of bringing hope, meaning, and love to our society, we pray…
L: Our God and Father, you call us your sons and daughters and that is what we really are. Make us gratefully cooperate with you in the works of your creating and serving love, so as to look forward in hope to joy without end. 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
The boulder upheaved;
the burial head cloth rolled up;
an empty tomb.
Women running to tell disciples;
the disciples racing to see for themselves.
He was not there!
The one who loved us into wholeness
is alive and with us now… in a new way.
Lord,
your resurrection transformed your disciples:
Peter,
who, in fear, could not admit he knew you,
now fearless, proclaimed you boldly.
Thomas,
who wanted to touch your hands and your side,
affirmed his faith.
Lord,
change me:
let me seek what is above;
make me a fresh batch of dough;
let me put on love,
and find ways to transform my world.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: God of life and of love,
we rejoice that Jesus is risen
and that he has begun
to raise us up with him in baptism.
Continue in us the work of the resurrection,
lift us above our faults and our mediocrity,
to joy and unselfish love
as we serve you in one another. 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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