Liturgy Alive Wednesday, June 14, 2023

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
you have taken the initiative of loving us
and bringing us your freedom 
through your Son, Jesus Christ.
Enrich us with the Spirit of Jesus, 
pour him out generously, without measure, 
that we may no longer hide 
behind traditions and the letter of the law, 
to extinguish the Spirit of freedom. 
Let him enlarge our hearts 
and stimulate our fantasy 
to discover love's numerous ways 
to fulfill the law to perfection.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading Introduction
     Paul, defending his ministry against Jewish converts who insist on their prerogatives, states that the new covenant is superior to the old one as the life-giving Spirit is superior to the death-bringing law.

Gospel Introduction

      Jesus says something similar in words that at first sight seem to say the opposite: he has come not to abolish the law but to fulfill it, that is, to give it deeper dimensions. What matters for us especially is that we must be aware that we live under the new law of love and that we are guided by the liberating Holy Spirit from servitude to the law.

General Intercessions

– For all of us in the Church, that we may have enough love to obey the commandments, to know and practice, that they show our love of God and of neighbor, we pray:
– For priests, that in the sacrament of reconciliation, they may let sinners feel the patience and the compassion of God, we pray:
– For all of us, that we may ask ourselves not what we are obliged to do, but what we can do for God and one another, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

God our Father,
in this Eucharist, we celebrate the new covenant 
brought us by your Son, Jesus Christ.
All that we can offer you 
is our openness to your initiative of love, 
freely given and shared. 
Make us ministers
of your adventure with us
of intimate and lasting friendship.
We ask you this in the name of Jesus, the Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
we have listened to the Word of your Son
and eaten his refreshing bread.
As he was not afraid
of committing himself to fickle people, 
we ask you to liberate our faith 
from banality and routine 
and to help us to commit ourselves to others 
without fear or conditions.
For you loved us first
in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Blessing

We live under the law of the new covenant, where the key to all laws and observances is love. May we understand and live by this love, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.