Thursday, December 14, 2023

MEMORIAL OF SAINT JOHN OF THE CROSS, PRIEST

AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH
Entrance Antiphon
May I never boast,
except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
through which the world has been crucified to me,
and I to the world
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GREETING
P – In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
All– Amen
P – The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
All - And with Your Spirit.

PENITENTIAL RITE
P – Coming together as God’s family, with confidence let us ask the
Lord’s forgiveness, for he is full of gentleness and compassion.
(Pause)
All – 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; (striking the breast) 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.
P – May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring
us to everlasting life.
All – Amen!

P – Lord, have mercy, R. Lord Have Mercy.

Christ, have mercy, R. Christ Have Mercy.
Lord, have mercy, R. Lord Have Mercy.
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COLLECT
P- Let us pray,
O God, who gave the Priest Saint John an outstanding dedication
to perfect self-denial and love of the Cross, grant that, by imitating
him closely at all times, we may come to contemplate eternally your
glory.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns
with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
All – Amen!
LITURGY OF THE WORD
FIRST READING
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah Is 41:13-20
I am the LORD, your God, who grasp your right hand;
It is I who say to you, "Fear not, I will help you."
Fear not, O worm Jacob, O maggot Israel;
I will help you, says the LORD;
your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
I will make of you a threshing sledge,
sharp, new, and double-edged,
To thresh the mountains and crush them,
to make the hills like chaff.
When you winnow them, the wind shall carry them off
and the storm shall scatter them.
But you shall rejoice in the LORD,
and glory in the Holy One of Israel.
The afflicted and the needy seek water in vain,
their tongues are parched with thirst.
I, the LORD, will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
I will open up rivers on the bare heights,
and fountains in the broad valleys;
I will turn the desert into a marshland,
and the dry ground into springs of water.
I will plant in the desert the cedar, acacia, myrtle, and olive;
I will set in the wasteland the cypress,
together with the plane tree and the pine,
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That all may see and know, observe and understand,
That the hand of the LORD has done this,
the Holy One of Israel has created it.
The Word of the Lord!
All- Thanks be to God

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ps 96:1-2, 3 and 10ac, 11-12, 13

R – The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great
kindness.
1. I will extol you, O my God and King,
and I will bless your name forever and ever.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works. R.
2. Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might. R.
3. Let them make known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations. R.

Gospel Acclamation (Please stand)

Alleluia, alleluia
Let the clouds rain down the Just One,
and the earth bring forth a Savior.
Alleluia, alleluia.

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GOSPEL Mt 11:11-15
P – The Lord be with you!
All – And with your spirit!
P – A reading from the holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew
All – Glory to you, O Lord!

Jesus said to the crowds:

"Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
From the days of John the Baptist until now,
the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence,
and the violent are taking it by force.
All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John.
And if you are willing to accept it,
he is Elijah, the one who is to come.
Whoever has ears ought to hear."
The Gospel, of the Lord!
All – Praise to you Lord, Jesus Christ. (Please be seated)

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PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL (Please stand)
P - The Lord Jesus praised John the Baptist for bringing the people
to God by preaching repentance. In prayer, let us intercede for
the people of the world and their needs. For every petition, let
our response be:
R – God of forgiveness, hear us.
1. That the leaders of the Church may continue to call people to
sinful away from sinful ways. Let us pray to the lord.
2. That men and women who are entrusted with authority may
make justice flourish in our time. Let us pray to the lord.
3. That the poor and the downhearted may hear the Good News of
salvation. Let us pray to the Lord.
4. That we may hold on to what is good and avoid every form of
evil. Let us pray to the Lord.
5. That the faithful departed may see the salvation of God in his
Kingdom. Let us pray to the Lord. R.
6. For our personal intentions and the intentions offered in this
mass. (….), let us pray to the Lord. R.
P - Father, in your love, listen to our prayers and make us like John
the Baptist, fearless and humble witnesses of your Son's teaching
throughout the world. We ask this through Christ, our .
All- Amen.
PREPARATION OF THE GIFTS
P– Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your
goodness we have received the bread (the Wine) we offer you: fruit
of the earth (the Vine) and work of human hands, it will become for
us the bread of life (our spiritual drink)
All – Blessed be God for ever. (Please stand)
P – Pray, brothers and sisters, that our sacrifice may be acceptable
to God, the almighty Father.
All – May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands, for the praise
and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his holy Church.

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PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS
P – Look upon the sacrificial gifts we offer, almighty God, in
commemoration of Saint John of the Cross and grant that we, who
celebrate the mysteries of the Lord’s Passion, may imitate what we
now enact.
Through Christ our Lord.
All – Amen!
PREFACE
P – The Lord be with you!
All – And with your spirit!
P – Lift up your hearts!
All – We lift them up to the Lord!
P – Let us give thanks to the Lord our God!
All – It is right and just!
P- It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and
everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and
eternal God, through Christ our Lord.
For, as on the festival of Saint N. you bid your Church rejoice, so,
too, you strengthen her by the example of his holy life, teach her by
his words of preaching, and keep her safe in answer to his prayers.
And so, with the company of Angels and Saints, we sing the hymn
of your praise, as without end we acclaim:
All – Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest! (Please kneel.)

MEMORIAL ACCLAMATION
P – The mystery of faith!
All – We proclaim your Death, O Lord,
and profess your Resurrection until you come again.

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 COMMUNION RITE
P – At the Saviour’s command and formed by divine teaching we dare
to say:
All – Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy
kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us
this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we
forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil.
P – Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant
peace in our days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may be
always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the
blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ
All – For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and
for ever.

SIGN OF PEACE
P – Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles: Peace I leave you,
my peace I give you, look not on our sins, but on the faith of your
Church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance
with your will, who live and reign forever and ever.
All – Amen!
P – The peace of the Lord be with you always.
All – And with your spirit.
P – Let us offer each other the sign of peace.
BREAKING OF THE BREAD
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world:
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world:
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: grant us peace.
COMMUNION (Please kneel.)
P – Behold the Lamb of God behold him who takes away the sins of
the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb
All – Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof,
but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
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Communion Antiphon
Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me, says the Lord.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION (Please stand)

P- Let us pray,
O God, who in Saint John have wonderfully made known the
mystery of the Cross, graciously grant that, drawing strength from
this sacrifice, we may cling faithfully to Christ and labor in the
Church for the salvation of all.
Through Christ our Lord.
All – Amen!

CONCLUDING RITES
P- The Lord be with you.
All- And with your spirit!
P- May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son,
and the Holy Spirit.
All – Amen.
P- Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.
All- Thanks be to God!