EUCHARISTIC ADORATION
THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR (Vol. 2, n. 18)
4rd Sunday of Lent, Year B
March 26 – April 1, 2006
“The Mercy of God Revealed …”
(+) 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.
WORDS OF ST. JOHN CHYSOSTOM
Although we praise our common Lord for all kinds of reasons, we praise and glorify him above all for the cross. It fills us with awe to see him dying like one accursed … The Lord himself spoke of his passion as his glory. Father, he prayed, the hour has come: glorify your Son. The disciple who wrote those words also told us that the Holy Spirit had not yet come to them because Jesus was not yet glorified, calling the cross glory. And when he wanted to show God’s love did he do so by referring to signs, wonders, or miracles of any sort? By no means: he pointed to the cross, saying: God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that all who believe in him might not perish but have eternal life.
SILENT ADORATION
OPENING PRAYER
(By Henri Nouwen)
Assembly: Dear Lord, help me keep my eyes on you.
You are the incarnation of Divine Love;
you are the expression of God’s infinite compassion;
you are the visible manifestation of the Father’s holiness.
You are beauty, goodness, gentleness, forgiveness, and mercy.
In you all can be found. Outside of you nothing can be found.
Why should I look elsewhere or go elsewhere?
You have the words of eternal life;
you are food and drink;
you are the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
You are the light that shines in the darkness,
the lamp on the lamp stand, the house on the hilltop.
You are the perfect Icon of God.
In and through you I can see the Heavenly Father,
and with you I can find my way to him.
O Holy One, be my Lord, my Savior, my Redeemer,
my Guide, my Counselor, my Comforter,
my Hope, my Joy and my Peace.
To you I want to give all that I am.
Let me be generous.
Let me give you all – all I have, think, do and feel.
Please accept it and make it your own.
Part I
JESUS MASTER TRUTH
Listening to the Word
FIRST READING: 2 Chr 36:14-16, 19-23
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
GOSPEL READING: Jn 3:14-21
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. 18]: 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. What are our experiences of alienation and desolation? What are the pain and desolation we undergo when God seems far away? What are the self-inflicted miseries that trouble us today?
B. How convinced are we that God really cares for us and that he merits our trust and surrender? Are we ready to let go and plunge into his loving arms? Do we believe that he is an all-loving, all-powerful, all-caring God and that he is absolutely in control?
C. Do we believe and live by the Gospel truth that God sent his Son so that the world might be saved through him? Do we make it an essential part of our spirituality and mission to contemplate Jesus Christ, the Son of God, “lifted up” for our healing and salvation? Do we offer a true sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for Jesus, the primordial sacrament of salvation and the ultimate revelation of the Father’s mercy and unmitigated love for us?
PRAYING WITH THE WORD
Leader: Father, our source of life, you know our weakness.
May we reach out with joy to grasp your rescuing hand.
You are merciful and kind.
Great is your love:
you gave your only Son to be “lifted up” on the cross
so that we might not perish, but might have eternal life.
We turn to you in our helplessness and distress
and dare entrust ourselves to your outstretched arms.
May we always proclaim with our lives,
in a suffering world that grovels in the wreckage of pride and sin,
this beautiful reality of your redeeming mercy:
“God loved us with so much love that he was generous with his mercy” (Eph 2:4).
You live and reign forever and ever.
Assembly: Amen.
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 Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary may be prayed in part or in full.
THE WAY OF SOLIDARITY: PRAYER OF INTERCESSION
Leader: Lifted up on the cross, the Son of God revealed the wonderful mystery of divine mercy and love. Let us turn to him in prayer and cry out with faith.
(R.) LORD JESUS, YOU ARE OUR SAVIOR!
1. When our faith is weakened and our hope dimmed, may we be able to hold firm and reach for your healing hand. (R.)
2. When our spirits are wounded and when we clamor for justice, may we be able to fight for justice and struggle along with the oppressed. (R.)
3. When we give in to weakness and the temptations of sin, may we open our arms to receive your sustaining embrace and dance to the rhythm of your forgiveness. (R.)
4. When we feel the pain of the world’s destitution, may we be able to share the bread of your compassion. (R.)
5. When the suffering of our brothers and sisters brings tears to our eyes, may we be able to pray before your redeeming cross. (R.)
6. When the darkness of death haunts our dreams, may we be able to surrender to the Easter mystery of death and life. (R.)
(Other prayers may be added.)
THE LORD’S PRAYER
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Leader: God of mercy,
may the Easter mystery we celebrate
be effective throughout our lives.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
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