EUCHARISTIC ADORATION
THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR (Vol. 2, n. 15)
First Sunday of Lent, Year B
March 5-11, 2006
“The Rainbow of God’s Covenant”
(+) 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 any appropriate song may be sung.
INTRODUCTION
(Cf. Days of the Lord, vol. 2, Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1993, p. 49)
When Noah and his family and the animals leave the ark to take possession of the land, God concludes a covenant with them. This covenant comes after a period when sin had become universal; therefore it is a covenant of mercy and forgiveness that sets in relief God’s goodness, undiminished by numberless human sins. It is a cosmic covenant that reaches every living creature that was with you: all the birds and the various tame and wild animals that were with you and came out of the ark. It is a covenant by which God himself guarantees the permanence of life on earth, no matter what may happen through human fault … This first explicit covenant will undergo developments throughout salvation history. With Abraham, it will become the election of a people chosen to keep and transmit divine blessings and promises constantly repeated in wider and wider perspectives. Finally, Christ will come, in whom and through whom the covenant will embrace all humans of all races and peoples.
SILENT ADORATION
OPENING PRAYER
Leader: Father in heaven,
when your strength takes possession of us
we no longer say: Why are you cast down, my soul?
So now that the surging waves of our indignation have passed over us,
let us feel the healing calm of your forgiveness.
Inspire us to yearn for you always
and enable us to spread the beautiful rainbow of your love and forgiveness
upon the troubled horizon of today’s world.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, the Noah of the end time,
for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Assembly: Amen.
Part I
JESUS MASTER TRUTH
Listening to the Word
FIRST READING: Gn 9:8-15
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
GOSPEL READING: Mk 1:12-15
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 [Series 4, n. 15]: 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 Eucharistic hymn or suitable song of praise may be sung.
Part II
JESUS MASTER WAY
Confrontation with the Word
POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART
Leader: We open our hearts to listen to the promptings of the living Word. Let us ask ourselves with limpid honesty:
A. Do we believe in faith that when floodwaters of evil and destruction reach high, the Father’s rainbow of reconciliation and covenant love arches in the horizon of our human history to console and strengthen us?
B. Do we experience the intensity and recognize the immensity of God’s covenant love? Do we acknowledge that the magnanimity of God’s love encompasses his entire creation? What are our endeavors to promote the integration of creation?
C. How do we carry out the Father’s saving will to spread by our means the rainbow of his covenant of reconciliation? What are some of our Lenten practices to promote this?
PRAYING WITH THE WORD
Leader: O Lord Jesus Christ, faithful to your baptismal covenant and totally consecrated to the Father’s saving will:
Assembly: Help us to spread the rainbow of the Father’s covenant of love.
Leader: O Lord Jesus Christ, from your side opened like a fountain came out blood and water, which was the price of salvation.
Assembly: Help us to spread the rainbow of the Father’s covenant of reconciliation.
Leader: O Lord Jesus Christ, the Noah of the end time who saves believers in the ark of the Church through the waters of baptism:
Assembly: Help us to spread the rainbow of the Father’s care and compassion.
SONG: Any suitable song may be sung.
Part III
JESUS LIFE
Acting upon the Word
PERSONAL PRAYER
CONTEMPLATING WITH MARY THE FACE OF CHRIST: The Mysteries of Light of the Rosary may be prayed in part or in full.
THE WAY OF SOLIDARITY: PRAYER OF INTERCESSION
Leader: Our Lord Jesus Christ has saved us from our sins. As his people, let us call out to him:
(R.) JESUS, THE NOAH OF THE END TIME, HAVE MERCY ON US.
1. Lord Christ, we pray for your holy Church; you gave yourself up to make it holy, cleansing it with water and the life-giving word. Renew it constantly, and purify it by penance. (R.)
2. Good Master, show young people the way you have chosen for each of them. May they walk in it, and find fulfillment. (R.)
3. In your compassion you healed all forms of sickness. Bring hope to the sick and raise them up. Teach us to love and care for them. (R.)
4. Make us mindful of the dignity you gave us in baptism. May we live for you at every moment and continue to spread the rainbow of God’s covenant love and reconciliation. (R.)
5. May the dead rise to glory in your peace. Grant us with them a share in your kingdom. (R.)
(Other prayers may be added.)
THE LORD’S PRAYER
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Leader: Father, creator,
you made the rainbow in the sky
as a symbol of your covenant of love and mercy
on behalf of every living creature and the entire creation.
May we, the community of baptized believers saved in the ark of salvation,
grow in your life
and endeavor to spread your loving plan of reconciliation to all.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son,
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God forever and ever.
Assembly: Amen.
FINAL SONG: Any suitable Eucharistic hymn or song of praise 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