Family Prayer for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time

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

Twenty-Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time

In these extraordinary times when we cannot gather 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:

Coming together as God's family, with confidence let us acclaim the Father's forgiveness, for God is full of gentleness and compassion.

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.

Almighty ever-living God,
grant that we may always conform our will to yours
and serve your majesty in sincerity of heart.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

All:

Amen.

THE LITURGY OF THE WORD

FIRST READING

Reader:

Thus says the Lord to his anointed, Cyrus,
whose right hand I grasp,
subduing nations before him,
and making kings run in his service,
opening doors before him
and leaving the gates unbarred:
For the sake of Jacob, my servant,
of Israel, my chosen one,
I have called you by your name,
giving you a title, though you knew me not.
I A.M. the Lord and there is no other,
there is no God besides me.
It is I who arm you, though you know me not,
so that toward the rising and the setting of the sun
people may know that there is none besides me.
I A.M. the Lord, there is no other.

The Word of the Lord.

All:

Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Reader:

Give the Lord glory and honor.

All:
Give the Lord glory and honor.

Reader:

Sing to the Lord a new song;

sing to the Lord, all you lands.

Tell his glory among the nations;

among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.

All:
Give the Lord glory and honor.

Reader:

For great is the Lord and highly to be praised;

awesome is he, beyond all gods.

For all the gods of the nations are things of nought,

but the Lord made the heavens.

All:
Give the Lord glory and honor.

Reader:

Give to the Lord, you families of nations,

give to the Lord glory and praise;

give to the Lord the glory due his name!

Bring gifts, and enter his courts.

All:
Give the Lord glory and honor.

Reader:

Worship the Lord, in holy attire;

tremble before him, all the earth;

say among the nations: The Lord is king,

he governs the peoples with equity.

All:
Give the Lord glory and honor.

SECOND READING

Reader:

A reading from Paul to the Thessalonians

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians

in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: grace to you and

peace. We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering

you in our prayers, unceasingly calling to mind your work of

faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus

Christ, before our God and Father, knowing, brothers and sisters

loved by God, how you were chosen. For our gospel did not come

to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit

and with much conviction.

The Word of the Lord.

All:

Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Cantor:

Alleluia, alleluia.
All:
Alleluia, alleluia.

Cantor:

Shine like lights in the world

as you hold on to the word of life.

All:

Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL

Leader:

The Pharisees went off and plotted how they might entrap Jesus
in speech. They sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians,
saying, "Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that
you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. And you
are not concerned with anyone's opinion, for you do not regard
a person's status. Tell us, then, what is your opinion: Is it
lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?"

Knowing their malice, Jesus said, "Why are you testing me,
you hypocrites? Show me the coin that pays the census tax."
Then they handed him the Roman coin. He said to them,
"Whose image is this and whose inscription?" They replied, "Caesar's."
At that he said to them, "Then repay to Caesar
what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God."

The Gospel of the Lord.

All:

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

REFLECTION

This reflection appears in The Word Among Us which is providing free access to their magazine content during this stage of the coronavirus crisis. Visit wau.org.

Reader:

Daily Meditation: Matthew 22:15-21

Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? (Matthew 22:18)

These Pharisees and Herodians thought they had come up with a foolproof plan to ensnare Jesus. If he said it was lawful to pay the census tax, the people would turn against him since they hated the tax. If he said it was not lawful, he would be in trouble with the Roman authorities. In order to look sincere, they prefaced their question by flattering Jesus. But Jesus saw right through their plan and called them on it.

Clearly, hypocrisy was something that angered Jesus. In a series of "woes," he called the religious leaders who opposed him hypocrites for not following the very precepts they were teaching (Matthew 23:13-29). And in his Sermon on the Mount, he warns people not to pray or fast like "the hypocrites" who do it just to look good in front of others (6:5, 16).

The word "hypocrisy" comes from the Greek word hypokrisis, which means acting on a stage. When we are hypocritical, we are putting on an act, saying one thing and then doing the opposite. But when our actions betray our words, we have to ask ourselves if we really believe what we say we do.

We are all susceptible to hypocrisy — it's one of those unfortunate consequences of our fallen human nature. For example, we might lecture our children about not spending too much time on their screens and then spend hours and hours watching TV. Or we may claim that we are a team player at work but then create division by criticizing a fellow coworker.

It can be a painful process to search our consciences and discover ways in which our actions aren't lining up with our beliefs. But the Lord understands our struggles and will forgive us and help us to change. Best of all, the more we are able to authentically live out our Christian beliefs, the more we can become living witnesses to Jesus — and the kingdom he has ushered in.

"Jesus, help me to act on what I say I believe."

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:

With thanksgiving for God's goodness, and with hope in God's
continued providence, let us offer our prayers:

Reader:

The response will be: Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader:

For the Church, (pause)
that we may manifest each day the work of faith,
the labor of love, and the endurance of hope
that is ours as God's people.

We pray to the Lord.

All:

Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader:

For all government officials and employees: (pause)
that they may wisely use their offices
to promote justice and the common good.

We pray to the Lord.

All:

Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader:

For civic leaders in places of unrest: (pause)
that God will inspire their efforts to communicate,
guide them in establishing just policies in their communities,
and help them recognize the giftedness and dignity of each person.

We pray to the Lord.

All:

Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader:

For all who will be voting: (pause)
that the Spirit of God will help them recognize
the critical issues before them
and guide them in applying the Gospel messages in their choices.

We pray to the Lord.

All:

Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader:

For growth in our commitment to God: (pause)
that we may know God as the one and only Lord in our lives
and fully dedicate ourselves to the service of God.

We pray to the Lord.

All:

Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader:

For the conversion of our hearts: (pause)
that the false gods of power, prestige, pleasure, and security
may be dethroned so that the God of mercy, compassion, forgiveness,
and justice may receive our service.

We pray to the Lord.

All:

Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader:

For greater respect for life: (pause)
that the Holy Spirit will open all to a deeper recognition
of the beauty and mystery of life in all its stages.

We pray to the Lord.

All:

Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader:

For all recovering from storms and wildfires: (pause)
that God will give them strength, a spirit of hope, and a supportive community so that they may rebuild their lives.

We pray to the Lord.

All:

Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader:

For an end to the coronavirus pandemic, (pause)
that the Spirit will bring healing to those who are ill,
protection for those who are vulnerable,
and inspiration to those working on a cure or a vaccine.

We pray to the Lord.

All:

Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader:

For the sick, especially those for whom we have been asked to pray,
and, 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:

Father, you are our beginning and end.
May our every prayer give you praise and glory.
We ask this 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