EUCHARISTIC ADORATION
THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR (Vol. 3, n. 23)
5th Sunday of Easter, Year C
May 6-12, 2007
“What God Has Done With Them …”
(+) In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
(A moment of silence)
SONG: Any Eucharistic hymn, Easter hymn or any appropriate song may be sung.
WORDS OF ST. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA
I give you a new commandment, said Jesus: love one another. But how, we might ask, could he call this commandment new? … To understand the full force of these words, we have to consider how Christ loved us. Then it will be easy to see what is new and different in the commandment we are now given … The law commanded people to love their brothers and sisters as they love themselves, but our Lord Jesus Christ loved us more than himself. He who was one in nature with God the Father and his equal would not have descended to our lowly estate, nor endured in his flesh such a bitter death for us, nor submitted to the blows given him by his enemies, to the shame, the derision, and all other sufferings that could not possibly be enumerated; nor being rich, would he have become poor, had he not loved us far more than himself. It was indeed something new for love to go as far as that!
SILENT ADORATION
OPENING PRAYER
Leader: Let us pray that we may enjoy true freedom.
(Silent prayer)
God our Father,
look upon us with love.
You redeem us and make us your children in Christ.
Give us true freedom
and bring us to the inheritance you promised.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Assembly: Amen.
Part I
JESUS MASTER TRUTH
Listening to the Word
FIRST READING: Acts 14:21-27
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
GOSPEL READING: Jn 13:31-33a, 34-35
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 5, n. 23]: 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, Easter hymn or song of praise may be sung.
Part II
JESUS MASTER WAY
POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART
A. What insights can you glean from the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas? How would you characterize the work of evangelization they carried out to various peoples and cultures? What trials and difficulties did they experience in their proclamation of the Good News? How did Paul and Barnabas confirm the faith of the disciples? How did they install elders in each church? What is the role of prayer and fasting in the rite of installation of elders?
B. How did the apostles Paul and Barnabas feel about the missionary tasks they had accomplished? What did they report to the congregation in Antioch? What role did they attribute to God in their work of evangelization? What were the marvels God had done through these apostles?
C. What is Christ’s ultimate testament? Why is the love of Christ the absolute identity of Christian discipleship? What do we do to make the love of Christ real and effective in our lives? Is our love of Christ and neighbor total and sacrificial, universal and without restrictions? Do we try to reveal in our daily life the love of Christ, the Risen Lord, for the world?
PRAYING WITH THE WORD
Leader: Loving Father,
through the work of your apostles Paul and Barnabas
in proclaiming the Good News of your Son’s death and resurrection,
the power of Easter has been unleashed in the Gentile world.
Help us to be ardent missionaries in today’s world.
May we energize with Easter joy the aching hearts
of those who are in darkness and are seeking the light of truth.
Grant us the grace to be faithful to the apostolic witnessing
and continue to proclaim the marvels
you had accomplished in Christ Jesus and in his apostles.
You live and reign forever and ever.
Assembly: Amen.
Part III
JESUS LIFE
Acting upon the Word
PERSONAL PRAYER
CONTEMPLATING WITH MARY THE FACE OF CHRIST: The Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary may be prayed in part or in full.
THE WAY OF SOLIDARITY: PRAYER OF INTERCESSION
Priest: With trust and confidence, let us present our petitions to our loving God who gave us his Son Jesus Christ, as our Good Shepherd. Let us say to him:
(R.) LORD, HEAR OUR PRAYER.
1. For the Holy Father’s General Intention for this month of May: That following the example of the Virgin Mary, all Christians should allow themselves to be guided by the word of God and always remain attentive to the signs of the Lord in their own lives. We pray: (R.)
2. For the Holy Father’s Mission Intention for this month of May: That in mission territories there may be sufficient numbers of good and enlightened teachers in the major seminaries and in the institutes of consecrated life. We pray: (R.)
3. That the community of believers may proclaim and witness more effectively the power, joy and beauty of the Easter mystery in today’s world. We pray: (R.)
4. That those ordained to guide and shepherd the Christian communities may have the grace to carry out their ministry to the full and in accordance with God’s saving will. We pray: (R.)
5. That the high school students of Roger Bacon school who made a missionary journey to Jamaica may be blessed abundantly in their effort to share the Easter joy and continue to proclaim with joy and in their lives “what God had done with them”. We pray: (R.)
6. That all of us may endeavor to share the Good News, especially to the poor and marginalized, and to those who are seeking the light of truth. We pray: (R.)
(Other prayers may be added.)
THE LORD’S PRAYER
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Leader: O gracious Lord,
may we continue to rejoice in the Easter mystery
and share its beauty and power
to a suffering world that needs healing.
May the Holy Spirit,
the gift of the Risen Lord Jesus to the Church,
transform us into a community of disciples
marked with the sacrificial love of Christ.
May our life of service to the poor
be a witness of all “what God had done with us”.
We ask this in the name of Jesus our Lord.
Assembly: Amen.
FINAL SONG: Any Eucharistic hymn, Easter 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