PENITENTIAL RITE Leader/                      Grace and peace be with you from God the Father                  and from Jesus Christ who loved us                  and as he did to the lepers in today’s gospel,                  washed away all pain and sinfulness in us.                  Brothers, God calls us to conversion;                  let us therefore ask our God for the grace of sincere repentance.

RESPONSE     Create in me, O God, a new heart.

Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offence.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. R/

For I acknowledge my offence, and my sin is
before me always: Against you only
have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight. R/

A clean heart create for me, O God, and a
steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your holy spirit take not from me. R/

Give me back the joy of your salvation and a
willing spirit sustain in me. O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise R/

                Glory to you ...

Prayer:  Almighty and merciful God, you have brought us together in the name of our brother Jesus, your Son, to receive your mercy and grace in our times of need.

 

Open our eyes to see what we have done with our lives, and draw us to be converted to a newness of life. Give us a new heart to love you, and our brothers and sisters, so that we may reflect in our daily lives the image of Jesus.

It happened that as he made his way toward Jerusalem, he crossed over the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten men, all lepers, met him. They kept their distance but raised their voices, calling out, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" Taking a good look at them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." They went, and while still on their way, became clean. One of them, when he realized that he was healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God. He kneeled at Jesus' feet, so grateful. He couldn't thank him enough--and he was a Samaritan.
 

Jesus said, "Were not ten healed? Where are the nine? Can none be found to come back and give glory to God except this outsider?" Then he said to him, "Get up. On your way. Your faith has healed and saved you."

Each one in turn lights an incense stick and places it in the holder. While doing so, he prays for one thing that he asks God this day to assist and help him to attain, as the lepers did in today’s gospel story.

As a sign of our brotherhood we each pray in turn this commitment while holding the incense:

I accept responsibility this morning to become a reconciling person each and every day. I accept my need for ongoing conversion and seek the support and encouragement of all my brothers, and with them I pledge and sign myself with this offering of incense.

Psalm 82         Blessed is the one who is gracious and lends a hand to those in need.
    God calls the judges into his courtroom, he puts all the judges in the dock.

    "Enough! You've corrupted justice long enough, you've let the wicked get away with murder.

    You're here to defend the defenceless, to make sure that underdogs get a fair break;

    Your job is to stand up for the powerless, and prosecute all those who exploit them."

    Ignorant judges! Head-in-the-sand judges! They haven't a clue to what's going on. And now everything's falling apart, the world's coming unglued.

    "I commissioned you judges, each one of you, deputies of the High God,
But you've betrayed your commission and now you're stripped of your rank, busted."

    O God, give them their just deserts! You've got the whole world in your hands!

Blessed is the one who is gracious and lends a hand to those in need.

    Father, our source of life,

    you know our very selves, our strength and our weakness.

    May we reach out with joy to grasp your hand

    and walk more readily in your ways this day.

    We ask this through Christ our Brother. Amen.

OFFERTORY AND COMMUNION      ( The service may end at this point, or continue with a eucharistic service.)

L/ 0 God, look how your prayerful people makes song ring out in your temple to honour the feast we gather to celebrate.

A/ This scared space is rightly dedicated to you, here your people receive from the table your body and blood.

L/ Here, the waters wash away the failures of those who have erred and wipe away their pain.

A/ Here, the sick are made healthy the weak find strength and sight is given to the blind; here, 0 Christ, you free us from all guilt; every fear and sadness is cast away.

L/ Therefore, we thank you for your love which gives our life meaning and direction. You bless us with your divine restlessness. You support us with fellow-travellers who bolster us when we despair, who refresh and renew us when we think our last step is just that.

A/ On the night before he died, Jesus took bread and blessed you, God. He gave it to his friends with these words:

Here is food for the journey.

Later he took a cup of wine. Again he blessed you and gave it to his friends with these words:

L/ Drink from this cup, all of you. This is the new covenant in my blood,

poured out for the forgiveness of sins.

A/ Gratefully, we remember Jesus’ life among us, a life of light and love. We remember in Jesus’ suffering and death the cost of being a light for one another. And finally, we constantly call to mind the hope of a new and fuller life where darkness is dispelled forever. And so together we proclaim our paschal faith:

Christ has died,

L/ Send us, the Spirit Jesus promised us: the Spirit that gives direction to our weary feet and light to our pilgrim path.

A/ Help us discover the places where you dwell. Open our eyes to your presence in us, our brothers, our sisters, and our world.

L/ And so loving God, we thank you for the words and example of your pilgrim, Jesus. By his life he teaches us to believe in you and life’s journey. By his death he shows us the meaning of hope when we lose everything.

A/ And by his resurrection he proclaims your love which makes all weary, wrinkled pilgrims new. Let no storm disturb our life; may our days be glad and our nights serene. On this day when you look upon this sacred space dedicated to you, bestow your joy on us forever.

CLOSING PRAYER
Lord, when I look at life
may I see through your eyes, sensitively.

Lord, when I hear your people speak
may I listen with your ears, attentively.

Lord, when I speak
may I use your words, thoughtfully.

Lord, when I use my hands
may I give your hands, carefully.

Lord, as I live today
may I walk with you, lovingly.