Family Prayer for the Seventeenth Ordinary Sunday

A PRAYER SERVICE AT HOME
WHEN ATTENDANCE AT MASS IS NOT POSSIBLE

17^th Sunday of Ordinary Time — July 25, 2021

In these times when not all feel free to gather together as a Christian Community to celebrate Mass, let us unite ourselves spiritually to the Mass as it is being celebrated in our churches.

One way you can do this by joining broadcast Masses on radio, television, or via the internet.

This resource is offered to provide a ritual by which families, "the domestic church," can keep the Lord's day holy by joining together to celebrate part of the Church's liturgy at home. Ideally, the head of the family will lead the service; other members of the family should take on roles as readers.

It would be appropriate to celebrate this service at the usual time the family would attend Mass. If possible, prepare a suitable prayer space with a crucifix, holy picture and/or a candle or two. If the family is blessed with musical talent, hymns would be appropriate.

INTRODUCTORY RITES

Leader:

All:
Amen.

GREETING

Leader:

We gather together to keep holy the Lord's Day. Sunday has been called the Lord's Day because it was on this day, on the first Easter, that Jesus conquered sin and death and rose to new life. Although public Mass has been restored, the threat of the transmission of COVID-19 continues, the Archbishop is continuing the dispensation from the Sunday Mass obligation, and those who are not yet comfortable with the potential risk of returning to Sunday Mass still strive through these prayers to be united in the spirit of Christ with the Church around the world and celebrate our redemption in Christ's suffering, death and resurrection.

Leader:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be God for ever. All:
Blessed be God for ever.

PENITENTIAL ACT

Leader:

We assemble in faith, assured that God's gifts are abundant for all.

After a pause for silent reflection, the leader continues.

Leader:

All:

Lord, have mercy.

Leader

All:

Christ, have mercy.

Leader

All:

Lord, have mercy.

GLORY TO GOD

All:

Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to people of good will.

We praise you, we bless you
we adore you, we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory,
Lord God, heavenly King,
O God, almighty Father.

Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son,
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
you take away the sins of the world,
   have mercy on us;
you take away the sins of the world,
   receive our prayer;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father,
   have mercy on us.

For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High, (Jesus),
Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

COLLECT

Leader:

Let us pray.

O God, protector of those who hope in you,
without whom nothing has firm foundation, nothing is holy,
bestow in abundance your mercy upon us
and grant that, with you as our ruler and guide,
we may use the good things that pass
in such a way as to hold fast even now
to those that ever endure.
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. Amen.

All:

Amen.

THE LITURGY OF THE WORD

FIRST READING

Reader:

A Reading from the Book of Kings..

A man came from Baal-shalishah bringing to Elisha, the man of
God, twenty barley loaves made from the first fruits, and fresh
grain in the ear. Elisha said, "Give it to the people to eat."
But his servant objected, "How can I set this before a hundred
people?" Elisha insisted, "Give it to the people to eat. For
thus says the Lord, `They shall eat and there shall be some left
over.'" And when they had eaten, there was some left over, as
the Lord had said.

Reader:

The Word of the Lord.
All:
Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Reader:

The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.

All:
The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.

Reader:

Let all your works give you thanks, O Lord,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might.
All:
The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.

Reader:

The eyes of all look hopefully to you,
and you give them their food in due season;
you open your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
All:
The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.

Reader:

The Lord is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The Lord is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
All:
The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.

SECOND READING

Reader:

A reading from a letter to the Ephesians

Brothers and sisters: I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Leader:

The Word of the Lord.
All:
Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Cantor:

Alleluia! Alleluia! All:
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Cantor:

A great prophet has risen in our midst.
God has visited his people. Lk 7:16

All:

Alleluia! Alleluia!

GOSPEL

Leader:

Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. The Jewish feast of Passover was near. When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip, "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?" He said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "Two hundred days' wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little."

One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?" Jesus said, "Have the people recline."

Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted. When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, "Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted."

So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, "This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world." Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.

The Gospel of the Lord.

All:

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

REFLECTION

Reader:

Daily Meditation: John 6:1-15

Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted. (John 6:12)

In John's telling of the miracle of the loaves and fishes, Jesus says very little. Out of a story that is 310 words long, Jesus speaks only 25! But there is a whole world of meaning behind each word.

First, Jesus sets the miracle in motion with a practical question: "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?" (John 6:5). Jesus knows what he is going to do, but he wants to prompt Philip and the other disciples to expand their expectations. He is pointing out a situation that is humanly impossible to solve so that they will begin to consider other, more divinely inspired options.

Next, he prepares everyone to receive the miracle he is about to perform: "Have the people recline" (John 6:10). They don't have to do much — just take a position of rest and trust. Of course, that may not be easy when you're hungry and you can't see any food readily available. But that's the way it is with the Lord: sometimes he asks you to rest and trust in his provision, even when you can't see any possible hope of a way out.

Finally, he brings the miracle to a close: "Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted" (John 6:12). Jesus is generous — exceedingly generous — but he is not wasteful. A lot was left over, and Jesus wanted to make sure it went to good use. These baskets of food — one for each apostle — were his way of telling us to be equally generous in sharing his blessings. Every gift he gives is meant not just for us; it's meant to shape how we speak and act so that we can become stronger witnesses to his love.

Like manna from heaven, Jesus' grace is always showering down on us. May we learn how to receive it and always be ready to offer it to the people around us!

"Thank you, Jesus, for always giving me what I need! Please show me how to share your blessings with everyone else."

PROFESSION OF FAITH

All:

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made,
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:

[All bow during these two lines:]
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and become man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the Prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

GENERAL INTERCESSIONS

Leader:

God, our provider who feeds us and blesses us,
we dare to raise our voice in supplication.

Reader:

The response will be: Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader:

For the Church: (pause)
that we may be open to God's generous love
and be filled with gratitude for all the ways God has provided for us.

We pray to the Lord.

All:

Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader:

For a spirit of generosity: (pause)
that we may be free to share the blessings, the wisdom, and the hope
God has given us with all who hunger and thirst for a fuller life.

We pray to the Lord.

All:

Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader:

For the grace to rely upon God's providence: (pause)
that we may entrust to God all our needs, large and small,
and rely upon God's abundant loving care for us.

We pray to the Lord.

All:

Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader:

For unity amongst all believers: (pause)
that the Spirit of God
who has brought us into the one body through baptism
will draw us into common prayer and service of God's reign.

We pray to the Lord.

All:

Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader:

For the courage to serve others: (pause)
that we may be open to opportunities to meet the needs of others
and to generously respond to them
even if our gifts or time seem too limited.

We pray to the Lord.

All:

Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader:

For the sick, especially those for whom
we have been asked to pray, particularly,
those who are placed in quarantine and isolation, (pause)
that God's healing touch may bring them comfort and peace.

We pray to the Lord.

All:

Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader:

For all our sisters and brothers who have died, especially
those who have died from the coronavirus pandemic,
(pause)

that they experience the joy of God's heavenly family for all eternity.

We pray to the Lord.

All:

Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader:

For the prayers we now make in the silence of our hearts, (pause)

We pray to the Lord.

All:

Lord, hear our prayer.

Leader:

God of abundant grace, you know our needs before we know them ourselves.
Look with favor on the prayers we offer through Christ our Lord.

All:
Amen.

LORD'S PRAYER

Leader:

Let us pray with confidence to the Father in the words our Savior gave us. All:

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Amen.

SPIRITUAL COMMUNION

All:

My Jesus, I believe that you are present
   in the most Blessed Sacrament.
I love You above all things
   and I desire to receive You into my soul.

Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally,
   come at least spiritually into my heart.

I embrace You as if You were already there,
   and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You.

Amen.

PRAYER OF BLESSING

Leader:

St Michael, the Archangel, Protect and Pray for us. All:
Amen.

Leader:

The Lord bless us and keep us; the Lord make his face shine on us and be gracious to us; the Lord turn his face toward us and give us his peace both now and forever. All:
Amen.

Leader:

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. All:
Amen.

SOURCES

Prayers at Home When Gathering for Mass Is Not Possible
© 2020, the Diocese of Clonfert and the Diocese of Elphin, Ireland

Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest: Leader's Edition
© 2007, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC