Our Sunday Supplication

Sunday, June 21, 2020

Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ

Holy Mass is at the very core of our worship as a Catholic community. Nothing can ever be substituted for the celebration of the Eucharist. But in this exceptional time of difficulty for our communities, our nation, and even the whole world, this order of prayer can be offered by individuals and families and engages us in our Sunday celebration of the Word of God. We can pray this prayer in our homes—the “domestic churches” which help build up the Body of Christ on earth—and thus be connected to the entire Church at prayer.

During this time of prayer, we include the opportunity to make a Spiritual Communion, since we are presently unable to receive Holy Communion. Making a Spiritual Communion is a worthy practice, recommended by innumerable saints throughout the ages, which unites our whole selves to God and his Church. For, despite not being able to celebrate Mass together, this is certainly not a time to abandon the praise and supplication of almighty God, for he never abandons us! Now is the time to love and serve the Lord as best we can in our limited capacities.

Order of Prayer

Taken from the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours

Introduction

Leader: God, ✠ come to my assistance.
Response: Lord, make haste to help me.

Leader: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
Response: as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Hymn

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him,
for he is your health and salvation.
All you who hear, now to his temple draw near.
Praise him in glad adoration.

Praise to the Lord,
who will prosper your work and defend you;
Surely his goodness and mercy
shall daily attend you.
Ponder anew, what the Almighty can do,
Who with his love does befriend you.

Praise to the Lord!
O let all this is in me adore him!
All that has life and breath,
come now with praises before him!
Let the “Amen” sound from his people again!
Gladly with praise we adore him!

Act of Contrition

Leader: Let us acknowledge our sins, and seek the Lord’s pardon and peace.

Together: I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,
through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;
therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.

Leader: Father, guide and protector of your people,
grant us an unfailing respect for your name,
and keep us always in your love.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Together: Amen.

The Sunday Readings

A reading from the book of Prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 20:10-13)

Jeremiah said: “I hear the whisperings of many: ‘Terror on every side! Denounce! let us denounce him!’ All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine. ‘Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail, and take our vengeance on him.’ But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph. In their failure they will be put to utter shame, to lasting, unforgettable confusion. O LORD of hosts, you who test the just, who probe mind and heart, let me witness the vengeance you take on them, for to you I have entrusted my cause. Sing to the LORD, praise the LORD, for he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!”

The Word of the Lord.
―Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35)

Reader: Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Together: Lord, in your great love, answer me.

Reader: For your sake I bear insult,
and shame covers my face.
I have become an outcast to my brothers,
a stranger to my children,
Because zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.
Together: Lord, in your great love, answer me.

Reader: I pray to you, O LORD,
for the time of your favor, O God!
In your great kindness answer me
with your constant help.
Answer me, O LORD, for bounteous is your kindness;
in your great mercy turn toward me
Together: Lord, in your great love, answer me.

Reader: “See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.
Let the heavens and the earth praise him,
the seas and whatever moves in them!’‘
Together: Lord, in your great love, answer me.

A Reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans (Romans 5:12-15)

Brothers and sisters: Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned—for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world, though sin is not accounted when there is no law. But death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin after the pattern of the trespass of Adam, who is the type of the one who was to come.

But the gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for the many.

The word of the Lord.
―Thanks be to God.

Gospel Verse (John 15:26B, 27A)

Reader: The Spirit of truth will testify to me, says the Lord;
Together: and you also will testify.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Matthew 10:26-33)

Jesus said to the Twelve: “Fear no one. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”

The Gospel of the Lord.
―Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

For Reflection:

1. “Testifying to the Spirit of truth” – bearing witness to the Gospel – takes courage given to us by the Holy Spirit, especially when the message we are asked to share may not be well-received by others. Have you ever felt like Jeremiah, mocked and derided for testifying to the Spirit of truth? What was the result of your testimony? Was it worth the challenge and effort, and why?
2. Have you ever avoided bearing witness to the Gospel out of fear of what others might say or think of you? What did you learn from this experience? What may God, who is rich in mercy, be saying to you now as you reflect upon this experience?
3. How has the experience of not receiving the Eucharist during these months impacted your relationship with God?
4. In the Gospel, Jesus affirms our eternal destiny and tells us, “Do not be afraid.” What is Jesus be calling you to witness to right now – in thought, word, or action? What fears or challenges must you overcome to answer his call?

Response to the Word

Leader: We give thanks to you, O God, as we call upon your name.
Response: We give thanks to you, O God, as we call upon your name.

Leader: We cry aloud how marvelous you are,
Response: as we call upon your name.

Leader: Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Response: We give thanks to you, O God, as we call upon your name.

Prayer of the Faithful

Leader: Open your hearts to praise the God of power and goodness for he loves us and knows our needs:
Response: We praise you, Lord, and trust in you.

Leader: We bless you, almighty God, King of the universe, because you called us while we were yet sinners, to acknowledge your truth and to serve your majesty.
Response: We praise you, Lord, and trust in you.

Leader: O God, you opened the gates of mercy for us, let us never turn aside from the path of life.
Response: We praise you, Lord, and trust in you.

Leader: As we celebrate the resurrection of your beloved Son, help us to spend this day in the spirit of joy.
Response: We praise you, Lord, and trust in you.

Leader: Give to your faithful, O Lord, a prayerful spirit of gratitude, that we may thank you for all your gifts.
Response: We praise you, Lord, and trust in you.

Leader: O God, Creator of life, guide your Church and all people of goodwill to testify to the dignity of every human person, and through your mercy bring peace and justice to all your children.
Response: We praise you, Lord, and trust in you.

Leader: In your abundant love, continue to sanctify all who are afflicted from the present pandemic, and draw us all closer to you, and to one another, in this time of suffering.
Response: We praise you, Lord, and trust in you.

The Lord's Prayer

Leader: Let us pray together as Jesus taught us:
Together: Our Father, who art in heaven …

Spiritual Communion

Leader: You have given us bread from heaven, alleluia, alleluia.
Response: Containing in itself all delight, alleluia, alleluia.
Together: My Jesus,
I believe that you are present
in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
I love you above all things,
and I desire to receive you into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment 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,
my Lord and my God!
Amen.

Canticle of Praise

Canticle of Zechariah (Luke 1:68-79)
Together: ✠ Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.

Conclusion

Leader: ✠ May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
Together: Amen.