s a m p l e l i t u r g y Eucharistic Prayers for Inclusive Communities Volume II Possibilities for the Liturgical Year |
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Edited by: Sheila Durkin Dierks and Bridget Mary Meehan |
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EUCHARISTIC PRAYER FOR BAPTISM OF JESUS
Celebrant: It is truly right and just that we praise you, God of all the living, the ground of our being, the One who lovingly creates all that is. Today we celebrate the coming of the spirit upon Jesus as he is baptized in the river Jordan. That same spirit comes to us today as we are commissioned to go forth and bring the good news. We welcome the spirit who challenges us in new directions, who heals our wounds and gives us comfort in all our needs, who gives us renewed strength to become all that we can be. Together, we say come, come and melt whatever is frozen, bend what is stubborn witihin us, be our guide all along our journey. Give us joys that never end so that we, too, along with all the angels and saints here with us today will always sing your praises. And the people say: Holy, holy, holy. Celebrant: As we come to the table of the Lord, let us be thankful. We remember all the gifts of love that have been offered us through the eons of faithful believers. We stand today on their shoulders and acknowledge how they have formed us and brought us to this moment. We give profound thanks to you, our Creator, for not only our own precious life, but also for all of the created world. We embrace the beauty of each creation, and especially the beauty of all gathered here. In the gospel today, we remeber how Jesus in his baptism was empowered by the Creator's message of love. So, may we, too, receive and believe that message. We know that Jesus began his ministry of healing and releasing from fears and any kind of imprisonment, and how he recognized the Divine in one and all. He chose to love, to forgive, and to bring joy. We remember how, on the night before he died, while Jesus was at a table with his friends he took bread, and raised his eyes toward the one who has sent him and blessed him and empowered him. He took up the loaf from the table and looked around at his friends and said, "This is my Body. Take it and share it and eat. It will be given up for you." And then he took the cup, filed with wine, and, lifting it up, he said, "This is my Blood, the cup of the new and forever Covenant. It will be shed for each of you and for everyone so that healing may happen. Do this in memory of me." Let us proclaim the mystery of our belief: And the people say: Through this death of the body, by this resurrection of the spirit, we know that you will come for us in glory. Celebrant: In memory of the baptism in the Jordan, the teaching by the sea, the death and resurrection, we offer you, Mighty Creator, this life-filled bread, and this holy cup. We thank you for including us here, and now we ask that we be united by the Spririt. Reader 1: In this banquet of life and love, we are transformed by this sacrament into the people of God, commissioned to be the loving presence of the Divine in our everyday. We join together to offer our prayers for all in need. Reader 2: We ask the spirit of God to breathe upon all the churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples everywhere. May there be peace within all peoples and within all who lead. Reader 1: We ask the Spirit to fill the hearts of all who govern in every country in our world. May all be treated with dignity and grace, justice and understanding. Reader 2: We pray as well for all who are ill ______________, for all who have died _____________, may we one day know our oneness with all. And now we offer our own gifts along with all the blessed in union with our God and say together.... Doxology: And the people say: Through Jesus our brother, with Jesus our companion, and through Jesus our Savior, all glory and honor is yours, Wonder Counsellor, forever and ever. Amen
_______________________________________ Eucharistic Prayers for Inclusive Communities Volume II Possibilities for the Liturgical Year ISBN:9780981576640 |
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