Liturgy Alive FEAST OF STS. PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES
FEAST OF STS. PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES
Introduction
We honor today two apostles: Philip was one of the first disciples to be called by Jesus. James the lesser, brother of the apostle Jude, succeeded Peter as the head of the Church in Jerusalem and authored one of the epistles. Apostles are people who have to witness to others that the Lord is truly risen. They have to announce it all the world.
To them Jesus is also the way to God, the way to the Father. If they have seen Jesus, they have seen the Father and do know him. We too have the task of testifying to the risen Lord at least by our Christian living.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
we praise and thank you on the feast
of your apostles Philip and James.
Through them many have come to know
that Jesus is alive and risen.
May we too be good witnesses
to the risen Jesus
by the way we live his risen life,
even though we are flawed and weak,
that people may find through us
the way to the Father of Jesus our Lord.
Intentions
Let us pray to our Father in heaven that Christ, who is our way and truth and life, may still be among us today and that we may become the way to him, we pray:
- For the pope, bishops, priests and all who have a ministry of service in the Church, that the truth may become visible in them because of the way they serve, we pray:
- For public officials, that they may prepare for their people the way to justice, peace and unity, we pray:
- For the hungry and the lonely, for the poor and the little people, that we may restore their dignity and their hope in life, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
let Jesus your Son give us the living bread
that makes us more like him.
In this way may people around us
recognize that Jesus is alive in us
and follow him on the way to you,
our God and Father for ever.
Prayer after Communion
God our Father,
in his words and actions
and the person he was
Jesus revealed to us your goodness and love.
As Jesus has nourished us with himself,
may we become rich with his life
and show a bit in ourselves
who Jesus is and what his good news means
for each of us and for our community,
that we may show the way
to Jesus and to you,
our living God, for ever and ever.
Blessing
"Those who believe in me will do the same works as I do." They will show that the Lord is present in them and in what they do and that they are doing the work of the Lord. May you all do so, with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
