Our Sunday Supplication
Sunday, March 22, 2020
The Fourth Sunday of Lent
Holy Mass is at the very core of our worship as a Catholic community. Nothing can ever be substituted for the celebration of the Eucharist. But in this exceptional time of difficulty for our communities, our nation, and even the whole world, precautions have been made to limit the exponential growth of COVID-19, including the suspension of public Masses in the Archdiocese. So, if we cannot attend Mass on Sundays, how then are we, as a Church, to pray? This resource, Our Sunday Supplication, is a recommended prayer of the Archdiocese. Unlike Mass, this order of prayer can be offered by individuals and families, without the presence of a priest, and engages us in our Sunday celebration of the Word of God. We can pray this prayer in our homes—the “domestic churches” which help build up the Body of Christ on earth—and thus be connected to the entire Church at prayer. During this time of prayer, we include the opportunity to make a Spiritual Communion, since we are presently unable to receive Holy Communion. Making a Spiritual Communion is a worthy practice, recommended by innumerable saints throughout the ages, which unites our whole selves to God and his Church. For, despite not being able to celebrate Mass together, this is certainly not a time to abandon the praise and supplication of almighty God, for he never abandons us! Now is the time to love and serve the Lord as best we can in our limited capacities.
Order of Prayer
Taken from the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours
Introduction
Leader: God, ✠ come to my assistance.
Response: Lord, make haste to help me.
Leader: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
Response: as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Hymn
Lord, who throughout these forty days, for us did fast and pray,
Teach us with you to mourn our sins, and close by you to stay.
As you with Satan did contend, and did the victory win,
O give us strength in you to fight, in you to conquer sin.
As you did hunger bear and thirst, so teach us, gracious Lord,
To die to self, and always live by your most holy word.
And through these days of penitence, and through your Passiontide,
Forevermore, in life and death, O Lord, with us abide.
Abide with us that when this life of suffering is past,
An Easter of unending joy we may attain at last!
Act of Contrition
Leader: Let us acknowledge our sins, and seek the Lord’s pardon and peace.
Together: I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,
through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;
therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.
Leader: Father of peace, we are joyful in your Word, your Son Jesus Christ, who reconciles us to you. Let us hasten toward Easter with the eagerness of faith and love. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Together: Amen.
The Sunday Readings
A reading from the first Book of Samuel (1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a)
The LORD said to Samuel: “Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen my king from among his sons.” As Jesse and his sons came to the sacrifice, Samuel looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is here before him." But the LORD said to Samuel: “Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature,
because I have rejected him. Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but
the LORD looks into the heart.”
In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD
has not chosen any one of these.” Then Samuel asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”
Jesse replied, “There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send
for him; we will not begin the sacrificial banquet until he arrives here.” Jesse sent and had the
young man brought to them. He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold and making a splendid
appearance. The LORD said, “There—anoint him, for this is the one!” Then Samuel, with the horn
of oil in hand, anointed David in the presence of his brothers; and from that day on, the spirit of
the LORD rushed upon David.
The Word of the Lord.
―Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6)
Reader: The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Together: The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Reader: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul.
Together: The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Reader: He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil;
for you are at my side with your rod and your staff that give me courage.
Together: The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Reader: You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Together: The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Reader: Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come.
Together: The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
A Reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians (Ephesians 5:8-14)
Brothers and sisters: You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children
of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth. Try to learn what
is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness; rather expose them, for it
is shameful even to mention the things done by them in secret; but everything exposed by the
light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore, it says: “Awake, O
sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”
The word of the Lord.
―Thanks be to God.
Gospel Verse (John 8:12)
Reader: I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
Together: whoever follows me will have the light of life.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (John 9:1-41)
As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him. We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes, and said to him, “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” —which means Sent. So he went and washed, and came back able to see. His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said, “Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is, “ but others said, “No, he just looks like him.” He said, “I am.” So they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?” He replied, “The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went there and washed and was able to see.” And they said to him, “Where is he?”
He said, “I don’t know.” They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees. Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath. So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.” So some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he does not keep the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a sinful man do such signs?” And there was a division among them. So they said to the blind man again, “What do you have to say about him, since he opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”
Now the Jews did not believe that he had been blind and gained his sight until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight. They asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How does he now see?” His parents answered and said, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. We do not know how he sees now, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him, he is of age; he can speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone acknowledged him as the Christ, he would be expelled from the synagogue. For this reason his parents said, “He is of age; question him.”
So a second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give God the praise! We know that this man is a sinner.” He replied, “If he is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see.” So they said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”
They ridiculed him and said, “You are that man’s disciple; we are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this one is from.” The man answered and said to them, “This is what is so amazing, that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him. It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything.” They answered and said to him, “You were born totally in sin, and are you trying to teach us?” Then they threw him out. When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered and said, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him. Then Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind.” Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not also blind, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
―Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ
For Reflection:
- What does it mean that the Lord “looks into the heart” when he looks at us?
- How might I live this week as a better example of a “child of the light”?
- What does Jesus mean when he says that he came into the world “so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind”?
Response to the Word
Leader: Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on us.
Response: Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on us.
Leader: You were wounded for our offenses,
Response: have mercy on us.
Leader: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Response: Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on us.
Prayer of the Faithful
Leader: Let us give glory to God, whose kindness knows no limit. Through Jesus Christ, who lives for ever to intercede for us, let us pray:
Response: Kindle in our hearts the fire of your love.
Leader: God of mercy, let today be a day rich in good works, a day of generosity to all we meet.
Response: Kindle in our hearts the fire of your love.
Leader: From the waters of the flood you saved Noah through the ark, from the waters of baptism raise up to new life those under instruction.
Response: Kindle in our hearts the fire of your love.
Leader: May we live not by bread only, but by every word falling from your lips.
Response: Kindle in our hearts the fire of your love.
Leader: Help us to do away with all dissension, so that we may rejoice in your gifts of peace and love.
Response: Kindle in our hearts the fire of your love.
Leader: Heal those who are sick, and keep safe those who are well.
Response: Kindle in our hearts the fire of your love.
Leader: Strengthen those who care for the sick.
Response: Kindle in our hearts the fire of your love.
Leader: Give hope to those whose livelihoods have been interrupted
by this health emergency.
Response: Kindle in our hearts the fire of your love.
Leader: Grant repose to all who have died in your friendship.
Response: Kindle in our hearts the fire of your love.
The Lord's Prayer
Leader: Gathering our prayers and praises into one,
let us offer the prayer which Christ himself taught us:
Together: Our Father, who art in heaven …
Spiritual Communion
Leader: You have given us bread from heaven.
Response: Containing in itself all delight.
Together: My Jesus,
I believe that you are present
in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
I love you above all things,
and I desire to receive you into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace you as if you were already there
and unite myself wholly to you.
Never permit me to be separated from you,
my Lord and my God!
Amen.
Canticle of Praise
Canticle of Zechariah (Luke 1:68-79)
Together: ✠ Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
Conclusion
Leader: ✠ May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil,
and bring us to everlasting life.
Together: Amen.
