Liturgy Alive Pentecost Sunday

Greeting

May the Spirit of the Lord
make flexible what is rigid,
kindle what is frigid,
straighten what is wayward.
With his Spirit may the Lord be always with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

A. The Spirit of Renewal (Option 1)
There are days when life looks drab to us, too much like a repetitious, boring routine. Our faith too may impress us as unexciting, monotonous and tiring and cheerless. Today's feast of Pentecost reminds us: life, especially the life of faith, is marvelous, thanks to the Spirit of Jesus who wants to renew the Church and the whole world as he did on the first Pentecost. Let him bring us to life again with joy and peace and the fire of his love. Let him breathe on us the fresh air of the gospel and the life of Jesus. We ask Jesus here in this eucharist to pour out on us his invigorating Spirit.

B. The Spirit of Unity (Option 2)
On this beautiful day of Pentecost God lets his Spirit bring together again all that has been divided: our own selves, so often broken and ripped apart, our Church and its communities, nations. The Spirit unites in their diversity masters and servants, rich and poor, free people and those enslaved in any way, citizens and strangers, people of every race and tongue and color. All of us are called to hear in our own language the marvels God is doing among us. Wonder at all this, rejoice and celebrate the feast of the Spirit.

C. The Spirit of Courage (Option 3)
Prudence is a good virtue to have, but a quality that is much rarer is courage: the courage to make a long overdue change, the courage to speak up for the truth when silence can keep you out of trouble, the courage to act according to your conscience, the courage to commit yourself to people when it is much safer not to be involved. Often prudence is cited as a good reason for not being courageous, and that's bad. Courage and prudence should go hand in hand. The Holy Spirit can bring about the harmony between these two. He gave the apostles and the young Church the courage to risk their lives for the gospel. Today we ask Jesus the Lord to pour out on us his Sprit of courage.

Penitential Act

Too often we have practiced our faith
without enthusiasm, as a set of duties to comply with.
Let us ask the Lord to forgive us.
        (PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, without your Spirit
we cannot understand the Good News
of your life and message.
Give us your Spirit of understanding:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, without your Spirit
we cannot know the Father
and cannot pray well to him.
Give us your Spirit of wisdom:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, without your Spirit
we cannot love one another,
we cannot forgive or encourage each other.
Give us your Spirit of love:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Lord, heal us with your forgiveness
and let your Spirit of courage and joy lead us
on the road to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer

Let us pray that God may breathe his Spirit
on us and on the world
          (PAUSE)
God, Creator of all that is,
breathe your life-giving Spirit
on us and on our world
to refresh us and make us new and free.

Let him inflame us and our communities
with the fire of your love and freedom
and open for us his treasury of joy and youth,
of wisdom and peace and courage.

When we look back to the past,
may he surprise us with a view of your future.
May he lead us forward to follow in the footsteps
of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

General Intercessions (G. Pinckers, adapted)

Let us pray that today the Spirit may come for a new Pentecost in the Church and in the world. Let us say: R/ Pour out your Spirit, Lord.

- On the world and on the Church of our day in search of hope and a future to live for: R/ Pour out your Spirit, Lord.

- On the countries suffering hunger and war and in search of happiness and joy: R/ Pour out your Spirit, Lord.

- On us all, gathered here in the name of the Lord as the Body of Christ for the life of the world: R/ Pour out your Spirit, Lord.

- On all people who seek a grain of truth in the mist and chaos: R/ Pour out your Spirit, Lord.

- On all of us here listening to the Word, that it may let Christ's light shine in the night of the world's darkness. R/ Pour out your Spirit, Lord.

- On the leaders of the Church and the world in charge of guiding people: R/ Pour out your Spirit, Lord.

- On us humble people with little to boast of, to make us more the body of Christ to bring the world together: R/ Pour out your Spirit, Lord.

- On people who suffer, that they may be united with Christ and hope in him till the end of the world: R/ Pour out your Spirit, Lord.

- On all of us, gathered in prayer to bring about a new creation: R/ Pour out your Spirit, Lord.

Lord our God, let your Spirit unite us as the body of your Son and put on our lips and in our hearts words of praise and thanks to you, our God for ever and ever. R/ Amen.

Prayer over the Gifts

Loving Father,
the Holy Spirit has brought us together
around the table of your Son.
Let him heal us
from all that divides us
and set us free from hatred
and from all injustice,
that, one in heart and mind,
we may give all honor and praise
as the one body of your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

Let the Spirit of joy and love and gratitude prompt us to give wholehearted thanks to God, our creator and Father, for all his goodness and patience.

Introduction to the Lord's Prayer

We cannot say "Jesus is Lord"
except through the Spirit.
We cannot say "Father" to God,
except through the Spirit crying out in us.
With him, we can now say with complete trust
the prayer given us by Jesus: R/ Our Father...

Deliver Us

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil
and grant in our day the peace of Christ,
which is the work of your Spirit.
In your mercy keep us free from all the sins
which obstruct the unity
and the universality of your Church.
Protect us from all anxiety and reassure us
that even in the uncertainties of our time
the Spirit leads us forward in joyful hope
toward the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ. 
R/ For the kingdom...

Invitation to Communion (see Rev 22:17, 21)

The Spirit and the Church say: Come.
Let everyone who listens answer: Come.
Let all who are thirsty come.
All who want it may have the water of life
and have it for free.
This is the Risen Christ
whose Spirit moves us forward
to bear witness to God's love. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

Prayer after Communion

God our Father,
source of all love and joy,
the Holy Spirit has opened our hearts
to understand the Word of your Son.
May he give us the courage now
to bring the Good News to the poor
and to set one another free
from all injustice and hardness of heart,
that we may enjoy together
your forgiveness, your joy and your peace.
And at the end, welcome us into your home,
to be united forever with you,
Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Blessing

Pentecost does not belong to the past.
It is here with us today,
on condition we can overcome our reluctance
to be pushed forward by God's Spirit
and to do what we know and see to be
right and just and truthful.
Let the Spirit make you free
for God and people.
Overcome your fears,
with the blessing of almighty God:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

Go in peace and take with you
the love of the Holy Spirit. R/ Thanks be to God.