Suggestions
for next Sunday’s Liturgy
John McKinnon now has an audio/visual commentary on
the readings for each Sunday in his web page:
http://www.johnmckinnon.org/
Twelfth
Sunday in Ordinary Time c 23 June 2013
These suggestions are intended mainly for those who prepare and lead
Sunday Liturgy in small communities in the absence of a priest. This situation
is occurring more often because of the decreasing number of priests.
If such small local communities have ready access to
helpful and relevant liturgical resources, so much the better. When such
resources are not available, or if they are not sufficient or too difficult to
follow in a small and perhaps remote community, then these suggestions might be
particularly helpful.
Before introducing a change in procedure in the
liturgical pattern followed by a community, before the liturgy starts, it is
advisable to offer some explanation. Explanations and directives given during
the liturgy can spoil the flow and prayerful mood of the liturgy.
Sometimes it is easier to see the gospel
truth in a reflection than in the gospel text itself. Sometimes it is easier to
hear it in something that is an echo of the gospel word than in the gospel text
itself. Having seen the message reflected in a life-situation that is familiar
to us, we can proceed to better appreciate the message in the gospel itself.
Facing a related reality, we can ask:
what is the inspiration of God saying to us through the scriptural word we have
just heard. In silent reflection, in sharing of thoughts we can ask: what might
God be revealing to us here and now, prompted by the proclaimed Word in the
Liturgy.
That is one reason why it is good to use stories in drawing attention to the
message of the gospel. It is good to ask: where is the echo of the scriptural
Word we read today in the world around us now?
Because it is often easier, and more realistic, for us
to enter into the Word through its echo.
An appropriate story or recounted experience or observation, with the connected
emotions, not only catches people’s attention, it can also illustrate the
message in a relevant way and lead them to consider, with fresh minds, the
deeper wisdom of the scriptural message.
A Suggested Procedure in the Liturgy
1. Announce
the action, or event, or situation or question that will be the background
theme of the day’s Liturgy.
2. In the
reflection following the readings, begin with the announced action or event or
situation or question, discuss it briefly, then refer to sentences or themes or
thoughts in the readings which throw light on the action, event, or situation
or question. In particular, try to discern what might be in the mind and heart
of Jesus as the matter is discussed. Invite the Spirit of Jesus to help in this
endeavour. Perhaps have a brief period of silence in the course of the
reflection to allow the Holy Spirit to guide and inspire us.
3. At the
conclusion of the Liturgy, as a part of the Dismissal-“Missioning” rite, refer again to the reality of the
background theme in the day’s Liturgy and call for suggestions indicating
action on the issue that the participants might undertake during the week.
Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time :: 23 June 2013
Gospel: Luke 9: 18 –
24
A Focus Point or theme in
today’s Liturgy:
Who is Jesus Christ for us? for others?
A phrase from today’s Liturgy for prayerful pondering:
Jesus, how do I spend my life for
your sake?
Related Reality:
Are people reluctant to talk
about the purpose of life, or the meaning of the word “God”, or the
place Jesus Christ has in their lives?
Are we interested in each
other’s answers?
Headings for the Sharing of Reflections. .
Who is Jesus Christ for me?
What sayings of Jesus do I
remember?
In what ways do I agree with
them?
What can we do in response to the
message in the Liturgy?
We
can clarify the convictions we have about Jesus Christ and the significance he
has for our living.
Points in the
Very rarely do we hear from the prophet Zechariah in
the Liturgy, as we do this Sunday, when the prophet says in the first reading:
They will look on the one they have pierced.
The psalm is a prayer of confidence in God.
The second reading, from Paul’s letter to the
Galatians, contains the now famous declaration: There are no more distinctions
between Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female, but all are one in
Christ Jesus.
We, like Peter as described in today’s gospel, acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ. This faith
makes demands on the way we live.
Introduction
to the Liturgy
If you are
using a data projector to help with the Liturgy and with the reflection on the
proclaimed Word, you might consider using the following frames.
Before the Liturgy begins
Who is Jesus Christ for us? for others?
Related Reality:
Are people reluctant to talk
about the purpose of life, or the meaning of the word “God”, or the
place Jesus Christ has in their lives?
Are we interested in each
other’s answers?
During the sharing of Reflections or homily
Who is Jesus Christ for me?
What sayings of Jesus do I
remember?
In what ways do I agree with
them?
What can we do in response to the
message in the Liturgy?
We
can clarify the convictions we have about Jesus Christ and the significance he
has for our living.
After the proclamation of the
scriptures
Some more thoughts on the Gospel
Following the way of Jesus Christ is not always easy
in a world that often places much value on a different vision.
Invite the congregation to talk about the difficulty
of being a Catholic/Christian in today’s world. Perhaps ask some
questions to probe into the essence of such difficulties: Why is it difficult?
How do we feel as we face such difficulties? How is it that we as
Catholic/Christians have different priorities from many other people? Or, how
is it that they have different priorities and different attitudes to what
constitutes a good, enjoyable and purposeful life.
For Jesus, being the Christ was not a dignity to be
claimed but a mission to be fulfilled. So it is for us, being a
Catholic/Christian is not a privilege to brag about, but a purpose in life to
be fulfilled. It entails carrying our cross (and everybody has a cross) in a
particular, positive way. It means seeing ourselves within the community realm
of God’s wonder, beauty, life, freedom and love, rather than as
self-indulgent individuals.
As always, encourage the congregation to exchange
reflections on insights gained from the gospel, and also to mention
applications of these insights in our day-to-day living.
For good, well-informed, easy-to-read, briefly-stated
information about the scripture texts
go to the Center for Liturgy: http://liturgy.slu.edu/
choose the Sunday date
and click on Information about the
For good, well-informed, easy-to-read, briefly-stated
information about the scripture texts
go to the Center for Liturgy: http://liturgy.slu.edu/
choose the Sunday date
and click on Information about the
Other very useful background scriptural resources can be found
at:
http://catholic-resources.org/
If you decide to follow the pattern of
the Prayer of the Faithful suggested in these notes, it is important to explain
the change to the congregation beforehand. The reader of the petitions needs to
be especially careful to allow, what might seem like a very extended time (10
full seconds) to him/her, for silent prayer before declaring “Lord, hear
us” to conclude the petition.
In
explaining the change it is appropriate not only to describe the changed
procedure: a reason for the change can also be given, such as the following.
A good
model of petitionary prayer is the example of Mary as
indicated in the story of the wedding feast at
Mary
simply stated the problem to Jesus: “They have no wine”. She did
not point out what Jesus might or should do; she did not ask for a particular
favour. But she did say to the waiters: “Do whatever he tells you”.
Like
Mary, in our prayer of petition we can simply state the problem, or the issue
that is of concern to us, and leave time for silent prayer. The prayer happens
in the silence. The prayer of all those present is then gathered together in
the community response to the invocation: “Lord, hear us” …
“Lord, hear our prayer”. Hopefully, as a result of our prayer we
might be inspired to discern what Jesus is calling us to do in the situation.
For further information on the Prayer of the Faithful see
articles in the Index.
Suggested Text for
a Prayer of
the Faithful
General Intercessions
Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time ::
23 June 2013
Leader: We trust in God
who is interested in us
and who cares for us.
So we call
to mind our concerns in prayer.
Reader: Many people in the world
are deprived of basic necessities for
a decent life –
things like sufficient nourishing
food,
clean water, good education and
security.
We pray. (10
second pause for silent prayer) Lord, hear us.
(R: Lord, hear our prayer.)
Winter conditions
can be particularly difficult
for poor people and for the frail and
elderly.
We pray. (10
second pause for silent prayer) Lord, hear us.
(R: Lord, hear our prayer.)
With
humility and grace
the church community
has to exemplify and communicate
the vision of Jesus Christ.
We pray. (10
second pause for silent prayer) Lord, hear us.
(R: Lord, hear our prayer.)
We are
called to support each other
as we bear the burdens of life.
We pray. (10
second pause for silent prayer) Lord, hear us.
(R: Lord, hear our prayer.)
Local or personal issues.
Leader: God of all goodness,
you invite us to imitate your Son
Jesus Christ
in the way we face up to challenges
in our day-to-day living.
May the teaching and inspiration of Jesus
guide our decision-making and our
actions
now and always. Amen.
Thanksgiving Intentions
The Prayer of the Faithful is a prayer of
intercession or petition – a time to consider our needs and the needs of
others, and pray. It is inappropriate to include reasons for thanksgiving into
the Intercessory Prayers – the Prayer of the Faithful. To do so is to
confuse the rite (and the people present at the Liturgy).
Especially when we gather as a community on Sunday,
prayer of thanksgiving should be a feature of our community prayer.
This is the case when the Eucharist is celebrated:
Eucharist means Thanksgiving. In the Mass the
Eucharistic Prayer is basically prayer of thanks and praise.
In the absence of a priest a community can’t
celebrate the Mass: there is no Eucharistic Prayer. Nevertheless, in the
prayers provided for lay led Liturgy, there is often a Prayer of Thanksgiving
before the Lord’s Prayer (and Communion).
To make this Prayer of Thanksgiving (and even the
Eucharistic Prayer at Mass) more precise and relevant, particular reasons for
thanksgiving could be mentioned in introducing the prayer. It would be simple
and easy to do. Thanksgiving intentions probably fit in best at the end of the
introductory dialogue just before the beginning of the “Preface” or
its equivalent prayer of thanks and praise.
A thanksgiving intention: We give thanks
for the way Jesus fulfilled his
mission
as saviour
of the world,
and we
rejoice in being invited
to share in
that mission.
Introducing the
Concluding Rite
or
“Dismissal”
with
a “missioning” statement
With Christian confidence,
but with
humility and grace,
may we be
able to share with others
some of the
advantages
of living
within a Christian vision of the purpose of life.
Free Clipart for each Sunday
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Other
material for liturgy, including more clipart: www.textweek.com