A CHURCH ALIVE
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 Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica celebrates not just a building, but a profound truth: God chooses to dwell among his people. The Lateran Basilica, the cathedral of the Pope as Bishop of Rome, is the “mother and head of all churches.” Its dedication reminds us that every sacred space, from the grandest basilica to the humblest chapel, points to an even more sacred reality: we are living temples of God.
We pray that we may be a church that is alive
Penitential Rite
L: For the times, we have not been a people and church that is alive, we ask the Lord’s forgiveness.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you pitched your tent among us:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you had zeal for your Father’s house:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you asked the merchants to stop making your Father's house a marketplace:
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 majesty,
you choose living stones
to fashion for yourself an eternal dwelling place.
Increase the spiritual gifts you have given to your Church,
that your faithful people may continue to grow
and so build up the new and heavenly Jerusalem.
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 Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12
Psalm Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9
Response The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High!
Reading 2 Romans 5:5-11
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
I have chosen and consecrated this house, says the Lord,
that my name may be there forever.
Gospel John 2:13-22
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Imagine you are in the temple when Jesus drives out the people selling animals and the moneychangers. What are your thoughts and feelings when you witness his anger and when you hear him tell the Jews: “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up”?
Sunday Snippets
In 1953, reporters gathered at a Chicago railway station to meet the 1952 Nobel peace prize winner. Suddenly, during the welcome, the man excused himself and walked up to an elderly Afro-American woman struggling to carry her suitcases. He picked up her cases, escorted her to a bus, then returned to the waiting group, and apologised for keeping them waiting.
That was Dr Albert Schweitzer, the missionary-doctor who had spent his life helping the poor and the sick in Africa. A member of the reception committee remarked: “That’s the first time I ever saw a sermon walking.”
Dr Schweitzer understood the meaning of being church: being alive. He was also alive to the reality around him.
Benedict XVI reminded us that “the temple of stones is a symbol of the living church, the Christian community, which… is a ‘spiritual edifice,’ built by God with ‘living stones,’ namely, Christians themselves.”
The readings highlight this fact. Ezekiel emphasises that the temple is the source of life-giving water. St Paul reminds the Corinthians that they are God’s holy building with Christ as their foundation. Therefore, they need to build their lives carefully and live lives worthy of their calling. Through the cleansing of the temple, Jesus indicates that he is the new temple… the source of life and love. These are not separate truths but a movement: from the physical temple to the human heart to the divine presence among us, from structure to spirit.
Do I see myself—and other Christians—as church? Am I—and the community of believers to which I belong—a live church and a church that is alive to the realities around me? Am I a source of life and love?
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: How can I allow God’s living water to flow through me and bring life and healing to me and to others through me?
Reading 2: How does the awareness that God chooses to dwell within me impact how I live my life?
In what ways can I honour and care for the true and living “temple” that is both my body and my community, recognizing that God’s Spirit dwells within?
Gospel: What “tables” or worldly clutter in my heart does Jesus need to overturn? Are there attitudes, habits, or attachments that turn my inner temple away from true worship and love of God?
Prayer of the Faithful
L: Built on the foundation of Christ, we are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. With joy and faith, let us ask for God’s blessing on the whole human family as we pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For Pope Leo: that today’s feast of his cathedral church may grace him with joy and peace for his mission of shepherding God’s people, we pray to the Lord…
R: For the leaders of nations: that they may seek peace in the world and look for common solutions for common problems, while respecting each other’s rights and dignity, we pray to the Lord…
R: For Christians who have no place to worship because of violent destruction, climate change, or poverty: that they may gather in peace knowing that they are created as temples of the Holy Spirit, we pray to the Lord…
R: For the hungry, the poor, and the neglected: that they may receive food and safety, dignity and respect, care and love, we pray to the Lord…
R: For the participants of COP30 in Brazil: that they may agree on the urgent measures that must be taken to sustain life on earth, we pray to the Lord…
R: For ourselves: that we may cooperate better with one another so that by our teamwork and unity we become more the one body of Christ, we pray to the Lord…
L: God, our refuge and strength, you bring us to new birth in the waters of baptism and nourish us with the bread of life. Help us be life-giving to the world. 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,
we are living stones
and temples of the Holy Spirit.
Overturn the tables in our hearts and drive out the desires
that prevent us from being people alive to the reality around us.
Strengthen our unity with the universal Church,
and empower us to be instruments of your peace and truth in the world.
Revive our zeal for your mission
of spreading your values and message in a materialistic world.
May we live as true temples of your Holy Spirit,
for your glory, forever and ever. Amen.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: God our Father,
you have called us through your Son
to be a community of faith, love, and service.
Fill us with your Spirit,
that we may be your Church in word and deed.
Help us
to bring joy to all,
to love without excluding anyone
and to serve without demanding gratitude.
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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