Liturgy Alive Monday, September 25, 2023

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
you want our faith to be
a lamp placed on a lamp-stand,
so that people might see your light
and not stumble in the dark.
Speak your word to us,
give us the life-giving Spirit of your Son,
his Spirit of unity and freedom,
that we may be to the world
the new humanity of Jesus Christ,
who lives with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading Introduction
With the proclamation of Cyrus, king of Persia, who freed the exiles, the Jews could return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple, sign of God's presence, and to become the community of God's people. Thus they themselves would be a living temple given the task of bearing witness to the God of Israel.

Gospel Introduction

Christ speaks of the word of God as a light that cannot remain hidden; it should shine in the lives of those who believe in the gospel, so that they can bear witness to Christ and his message.

General Intercessions

- That the light of our love may shine and bear witness to Christ in our friendliness and understanding and our sharing with the needy, we pray:

- That the light of our justice may shine in our efforts to respect the rights of everyone and in our work to bring equity and justice to all, we pray:

- That the light of our joy may shine in our sympathy and affection for one another, in our faithfulness to our friends, in our liturgical celebrations and in our sense of community, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
accept these gifts of bread and wine
and let them become for us
the body and blood of your Son.
May he nourish our faith
and make us capable of bearing witness
that in him we can become one
and live for one another,
for he is our Lord for ever.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
in this eucharistic celebration
you have let us encounter your Son.
Let him stay with us this day,
that people may discover
how much he means to us
and what he can do with us
notwithstanding our limitations.
Not to us, Lord,
but to you and to your Son,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit
be all honor and praise for ever.

Blessing

To bear witness consists in calling attention not to ourselves but to God and what he can do in us, poor instruments. We can only propose what we believe and live and then leave the rest to God's grace. May God give you this attitude and bless you, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.