Liturgy Alive Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
the word of your Son was mighty
for he lived as he taught
and he was a free person.
And he could heal the sick
and raise the dead to life.
Give to your Church credible leaders
who lead in living the life of your Son.
Let their words and deeds stir our hearts
and bring us the new life
of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading Introduction
        St Paul writes to Timothy on people fit to be ministerial leaders in the Church: bishops, priests, and deacons. He presupposes that they are from the people and close to the people, as they still were in those days. Then, aside from having some leadership qualities, they must first of all be good Christians themselves, who are credible because they live as they teach. Then their word will be as mighty as that of Christ, who could raise the dead to life.

Gospel Introduction

        In today's gospel, Luke tries to tell us that the time of salvation has come, for with Jesus, the blind begin to see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, and yes, the dead come back to life. With him, a new era has begun - God's era. It is the erain which we live. Do we make it an era of resurrection and life, in which our hands that reach out raise up our neighbors above their miseries? Do we make it an era in which we bring dead love back to life in Christ?

General Intercessions

- That the Lord may give to our leaders in the Church and in the state the qualities to be good, dedicated leaders, we pray:

- For our leaders in the Church, that they may be close to the people and speak to them in a language the people can understand, which makes the gospel familiar to them we pray:

- That the pope, bishops, priests and religious may make the gospel credible by living sincerely and generously what they preach, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
people entrusted themselves to your Son
because he was everything to all.
He gives himself again to us now
in these signs of bread and wine.
Make the ministers of your word and life
close and available to their people.
May they learn from your Son
to give themselves without regrets
as a piece of bread broken and shared
and a cup of gladdening wine
passed from hand to hand.
We ask this through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
your Son has spoken his word in our midst
and broken for us the bread of himself.
Send us people who keep reminding us
of his words of life and hope
and of his deeds of saving love.
Let them bring us together
as a community of service
in which your Son is alive,
he who is our Lord for ever.

Blessing

Paul is expecting much of the ministers of Christ, for the best way they can lead and teach the community will be as the persons they are and the way they live. May the Lord give you good shepherds and may he bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.