Liturgy Alive Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
we say that authority means service,
but we experience that it is very hard
to make this beautiful principle work.
Keep always before our eyes
the example of your Son, Jesus Christ.
His authority was healing and saving,
respectful of people and yet committing us
to get out of our mediocrity.
May all authority among us
be humble, dedicated, self-effacing,
willing to serve to the end,
and patterned after that of Jesus,
your Son and our Lord for ever.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading Introduction
Divine wisdom is a gift from the Spirit. The Spirit gives us discernment. Wisdom does not come from the human reasoning of gnosis and initiation in mystery religions. We should be spiritual people, men and women of the Spirit.
Gospel Introduction
The people and Jesus’ own disciples were often struck by the authority of Jesus. Here was someone higher than a mere human being. There was authority in his teaching—he had something to say that challenged men and confronted them with themselves and with God. He had authority over the law, which he wanted to trim from its man-made trappings. By his authority, he overcame the powers of evil and sin. He claimed to judge people. He used his authority for the good of people—it was a power of salvation. Yet, it was a power that came in humility and weakness, an authority of service that brought faith, that gave hope, that expressed and created love. And when the time came, he used it to lay down his life and to take it up again, to pass it on to his disciples, and then to leave.
General Intercessions
– That the Church may speak with authority about Jesus because it knows him by living his life, we pray:
– That we may be close to Jesus because we try to respond deeply to his challenge of loving people, we pray:
– That the world may be a little better because we try to live according to the Good News of Jesus, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
we say that authority means service,
but we experience that it is very hard
to make this beautiful principle work.
Keep always before our eyes
the example of your Son, Jesus Christ.
His authority was healing and saving,
respectful of people and yet committing us
to get out of our mediocrity.
May all authority among us
be humble, dedicated, self-effacing,
willing to serve to the end,
and patterned after that of Jesus,
your Son and our Lord for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
your Son, Jesus Christ left his authority
to his apostles and disciples
as a unifying bond and a legacy of service.
Grant that your Church may use his power
to bind people together and to heal their wounds,
to speak in the name of those without voice,
and to lead us forward to the genuine freedom
that you brought us in Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
May our authority as Christians consist in doing good and serving people in love. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
