LIVE FULLY… NOW
INTRODUCTORY RITES
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:
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’s world has troubles unique to its time: from financial crises to technological meltdowns to a computerized global war. Observing the convergence of such events, today’s prophets suggest that these might be signs of the end of the world. This is not something new: there have been doomsday predictors from Montanus in the second century to David Meade in 2017.
The readings of today urge us to not speculate about when the world will end but to live fully now! We pray that we may trust God so that we may live full lives today.
Penitential Rite
L: For the times our worry and preoccupation about the end of the world has prevented us from living fully, we ask the Lord for forgiveness.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you came that we have life in all its fullness:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you raise us to new life:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you bring light to those in darkness:
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 of all the ages,
the One who is, who was, and who is to come,
stir up within us a longing for your kingdom,
steady our hearts in time of trial,
and grant us patient endurance
until the sun of justice dawns.
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 Malachi 3:19-20a
Psalm Psalm 98:5-6, 7-8, 9
Response The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Reading 2 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
Stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.
Gospel Luke 21:5-19
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Imagine you are with the people who were “speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings.” What are your thoughts and feelings when you hear them and when you hear Jesus’ response about the signs of the end time?
Sunday Snippets
A warrior was struck by a poisonous arrow. His companions wanted to remove the arrow. But he would not allow them until he had answers to his questions: the characteristics of the shooter and his origins; the wood of the arrow; the bird from which the feathers came; the type of bow; the material of the bowstring. His companions cried out in frustration: “For heaven’s sake! Stop speculating and pull out the arrow!”
In this Sunday’s gospel, there is the speculative warrior in the people: they live in a present which is tense, and they want to know when the end will happen and what signs will indicate the end.
Jesus lists three phenomena which people might assume are indicators of the end: persecution, the appearance of false messiahs, disasters. But he indicates that it is pointless to speculate when and how the end will happen; it will happen “whenever”.
What is more important is our response when these things happen!
We need not be afraid because the Lord will be with us; we ought not to be attached to transient structures. We need to live fully with and for God always, to lead lives of perseverance. Then, it will be future perfect! “There will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays” (first reading). In the second reading, St Paul gives us another response: hard work. Some people in the church at Thessalonica were unwilling to work and were becoming a burden to others. Paul presents himself as a model and advises all to work hard and quietly!
Am I going to allow the speculative warrior in me to “wonder” about the future and the end of the world or will I “pull out the arrow” by working hard and living a full life?
Let us not re-live the past; not pre-live the future; let us live fully now. As Joan Borysenko writes: “The question is not whether we will die, but how we will live!”
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: Do I fear death and/or the end of time? Why/ why not?
Reading 2: What is my attitude to work? When I am involved in ministry, do I have a sense of entitlement or do I see my ministry as a God-given vocation?
Gospel: In times of trial, do I believe in Jesus’ promise of divine assistance? How do I use times of conflict or turmoil as opportunities to witness?
Does my attitude to death/ the end time help/hinder me from living life fully?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: Sisters and brothers, let us ask the Lord to set us free from all fear of the future so that we can live full lives, as we pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that we may offer hope and vision to all the human family in times of confusion and offer support to those who are searching for God, we pray to the Lord…
R: For the world: that God may bring an end to wars and protect the human family from weapons of mass destruction, we pray to the Lord…
R: For all who are experiencing an “end of their world”: that those who are ill, have lost employment, or are grieving the death of a loved one may know God’s comforting presence this day and be strengthened by his Spirit, we pray to the Lord…
R: For a spirit of stewardship: that we may protect and care for all creation which God has made and which reflects God’s glory, we pray to the Lord…
R: For ourselves: that God may drive disabling fear from our hearts and help us live fully with confidence and trust that God is always with us and will never abandon us, we pray to the Lord…
L: Lord of life, in the face of shocking events, help us not to panic but to keep our inner serenity, and to go through the joys and pains of life with a firm hope in you. 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 foresaw terrible times ahead:
a day when not one stone of the temple would rest on another.
You warned of other signs:
clashes, wars, insurrections;
mighty quakes, plague, famine;
rejection and even persecution for believers.
But Lord,
has there ever been an age without such trial and turmoil?
And so you offer this advice:
“Do not be perturbed. These things are bound to happen.”
Life is bound to be this way!
Each day is the last; each time is the end time;
each human being faces the end of the world in the span of a life.
Through all the turmoil, you offer a new saving birth.
With this assurance,
let me live each day and each moment FULLY.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: God our Father,
we believe that your plans for us
are for peace and not for disaster and fear.
Help us to commit ourselves untiringly
to the growth of the kingdom among us
by carrying out your plans for peace and love.
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:
