EUCHARISTIC ADORATION
THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR (# 19)
A Weekly Pastoral Tool for the YEAR OF THE EUCHARIST
2nd Sunday of Easter, Year A
April 3-9, 2005
“Do Not Be Unbelieving, But Believe”
(+) In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
(A moment of silence)
SONG: Any suitable Eucharistic hymn or Easter song may be sung.
INTRODUCTION
In the saving events that we contemplate in the Easter season, we have a glimpse of the apostle Thomas as he journeys from doubt to faith. He had been faith-shattered by the travails of the Lord’s passion and death. He was so broken-hearted by the events of Good Friday that the Easter news of the Lord’s rising seemed to him remote and too good to be true. But the Risen Lord condescended to redeem him from his incredulity. Confronted by the fullness of the Easter revelation concretized in the resurrected Jesus, the incredulous Thomas surrendered to his saving love and wholeheartedly avowed: “My Lord and my God!” Indeed, our faith as Church, the community of believers who believe “without seeing”, is rooted in the presence of the Risen Lord who lives on in the Church today through the Holy Spirit, the Easter gift.
SILENT ADORATION AND PRAYER
OPENING PRAYER
Leader: Blessed are you, God our Father.
You have raised Jesus from the dead.
Keep us firm in the faith that Jesus is our Lord and God.
Make us encounter him in our everyday life
and always live in his peace.
Open our eyes to see the wounds that need healing
and the sufferings of those who yearn for the joy of Easter.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, our Risen Lord,
who bestows upon us the renewing Holy Spirit
for he lives forever and ever.
Assembly: Amen.
Part I
JESUS MASTER TRUTH
Listening to the Word
GOSPEL READING: Jn 20:19-31
PERSONAL REFLECTION
(As a tool for personal reflection, please visit the PDDM Website: www.pddm.org // www.pddm.us for BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD [# 19]: A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy. The Biblico-Liturgical Reflections are an aid for a deeper understanding of the Gospel reading.)
SONG: Any suitable hymn of praise or Easter song may be sung.
Part II
JESUS MASTER WAY
Confrontation with the Word
POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART
Leader: Faith in the Risen Lord is a gift, impossible without God’s gracious giving, as well as a response to God’s self-revealing. Let us look into our hearts and see our faith journey from unbelief to belief, from incredulity to total surrender to Jesus Christ and the divine saving plan.
1. Do we allow the Easter apparition to dispel the gloom and anguish of the “Good Friday” experience in our lives? Do we allow the Risen Lord to touch us with the healing power of God’s love?
2. Are we like Thomas in his incredulity concerning the reality of the Lord’s resurrection and his transforming presence in our lives? When the promise of Easter glory is given to us, are we skeptical and negate it with the pessimistic stance: “It is too good to be true”?
3. How are we instruments in making the Risen Lord’s presence real and palpable in the lives of the people around us?
PENITENTIAL PRAYER
(Cf. Roman Missal)
Leader: You raise the dead to life in the Spirit: Lord, have mercy
Assembly: Lord, have mercy.
Leader: You bring pardon and peace to the sinner: Christ, have mercy.
Assembly: Christ, have mercy.
Leader: You bring light to those in darkness: Lord, have mercy.
Assembly: Lord, have mercy.
SONG: Any suitable song may be sung.
Part III
JESUS LIFE
Acting upon the Word
PERSONAL PRAYER
PRAYING WITH THE WORD
(Adapted from P. Claudel, Corona benignitatis anni Dei; cited by the authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 3, p. 88)
I am ready to believe what you say,
if only it may be certain.
I am ready to open myself completely
if you will force into this hard heart,
harder than an oak stump or firm chestnut wood,
an axe with so strong and deep a blow that it may stay there!
I am even ready to die
but only if you die first
and all the passion and everything it entails be fulfilled,
and if again you will rise from the tomb and say to me: “Thomas!”
I am ready to believe in you, Lord, and do what you wish,
if I may for but one moment
touch the holes in your hands and feet.
And I will acknowledge you and call you, “My Lord and my God!”
if you will let me touch you
and put my hand into your heart!
CONTEMPLATING WITH MARY THE FACE OF CHRIST: The Mysteries of the Rosary may be prayed in part or in full.
THE WAY OF SOLIDARITY: PRAYER OF INTERCESSION
(Adapted from Pastoral Service, n. 275 b, April 1993, p. 48-49)
Leader: Without having seen him, we love our Lord Jesus Christ. With all trust we pray to him:
(R.) LORD, MAKE OUR FAITH GROW.
1. For those called to faith and life who have not yet responded to our Lord’s invitation, that they may believe in God’s Son and may have life in him. Let us pray to the Lord: (R.)
2. For those whose faith is tested in trials, that their sufferings may end and their hope and trust stay alive. Let us pray to the Lord: (R.)
3. For those imprisoned in sin, that they may receive peace and forgiveness from God and from people and forgive those who have hurt them. Let us pray to the Lord: (R.)
4. For the lonely and the abandoned, for the sick and the dying, and for all those who look forward to the resurrection. Let us pray to the Lord: (R.)
5. For the community to which we belong, our parish, our town, our country, that we may help one another grow in love and unity and faith, and that we may be attentive to each other’s needs and desires. Let us pray to the Lord: (R.)
6. For the Holy Father’s General Intention for the month of April: FOR ALL CHRISTIANS: That they live Sunday truly as the Lord’s Day, dedicated to God and neighbor. Let us pray to the Lord: (R.)
7. For the Holy Father’s Mission Intention for the month of April: FOR CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES: That filled with burning zeal for holiness, they kindle numerous missionary vocations. Let us pray to the Lord: (R.)
(Other prayers may be added.)
THE LORD’S PRAYER
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Leader: God of mercy,
you wash away our sins in water,
you give us new birth in the Spirit,
and redeem us in the blood of Christ.
As we celebrate Christ’s resurrection
increase our awareness of these blessings,
and renew your gift of life within us.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Assembly: Amen.
FINAL SONG: Any suitable Eucharistic hymn or Easter song may be sung.
Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
60 Sunset Ave., Staten Island, NY 10314
Tel. (718) 494-8597 // (718) 761-2323
Website: WWW.PDDM.US