Sunday April 24, 2022

SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER

 

1. The Risen Lord Present among His People
3. See, I Am Alive
5. Peace Be with You
6. 

 

Greeting (See Second Reading)

We are gathered in the name of Jesus,
the First and the Last,
the Living One who lives for ever,
our Lord and our God.
May his peace and joy be always with you. R/ And also with you.

 

Introduction by the Celebrant

1. The Risen Lord Present among His People

Why do we gather every Sunday to celebrate the Eucharist of the Lord? For the same reason that the first Christians changed their day of worship from the Jewish Sabbath to the Christian Sunday. For Christ rose from the dead on Sunday, the first day of the week. It became “the Lord’s day,” the day on which they began to celebrate that Christ is risen and alive in the community of his faithful, as he is present among us now. He is real and alive among us, he is our companion on the road of life and we recognize him in the community of the Church. May the Lord Jesus give us faith to sense his presence.

 

2. See, I Am Alive

We accept in faith, perhaps with difficulty and hesitation, that Jesus is alive among his people today. Yes, he lives in his communities and he is right here among us. Yet like the apostles we too would like very much to see the Lord, to become more aware and more convinced that he is here, alive, standing by our side, moving us forward by his Holy Spirit. But we don’t see him except with eyes of faith. That is what real, deep faith is all about: not seeing and yet believing. We recognize Jesus as our Lord and God and with him we thank our Father.

 

3. Peace Be with You

When are you at peace in life? I hope it is not when nobody disturbs but when you are living in the right relationship with God and yourself and with your neighbor. It is not always a peace easy to find. The key to all real peace is the peace Jesus offers us; he states this even three times today: It is the peace of forgiveness, the peace of his nearness, the peace of your faith. Then all the rest will follow. Let us ask our Lord here in this Eucharist for that peace that no one can take away from us.

 

Penitential Act

First of all, let us ask the Lord
to give us the peace of his forgiveness.
                        (pause)
Lord Jesus, you offer to all humanity
the peace of reconciliation with God:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, you want us to be reconciled
with all our brothers and sisters:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you want us to find
genuine peace with ourselves:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Open us to the fullness of life, Lord,
and forgive us all our sins.
Bring us to the joys of everlasting life. R/ Amen.

 

Opening Prayer

Let us pray
that our faith in the risen Lord
may be the moving force of our lives
                        (pause)
God of life and our loving Father,
our eyes have not seen your Son Jesus Christ
and our fingers have not touched the scars of his wounds,
yet we have come together here in his name.
Make our faith in him deep and strong and lasting,
that the Spirit of Jesus may breathe new life in us
and make us look with new eyes
at our world and at people,
so that we can bring them
the peace of the love and the justice of Jesus.
Let people see and taste in us
that Jesus is alive as our risen Lord,
now and for ever. R/ Amen.

 

First Reading (Acts 5:12-16): Many Came to Believe in the Lord

Because Jesus was alive in the apostles, he continued his work of healing through them. Because he was alive in the Christian community, many came to believe in Jesus.

Reading 1: Acts 5:12-16

Many signs and wonders were done among the people
at the hands of the apostles.
They were all together in Solomon’s portico.
None of the others dared to join them, but the people esteemed them.
Yet more than ever, believers in the Lord,
great numbers of men and women, were added to them.
Thus they even carried the sick out into the streets
and laid them on cots and mats
so that when Peter came by,
at least his shadow might fall on one or another of them.
A large number of people from the towns
in the vicinity of Jerusalem also gathered,
bringing the sick and those disturbed by unclean spirits,
and they were all cured.

 

Responsorial Psalm Ps 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-2

(1) Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the house of Israel say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
Let those who fear the LORD say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
R. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I was hard pressed and was falling,
but the LORD helped me.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
The joyful shout of victory
in the tents of the just:
R. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
R. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.

 

Second Reading (Rev 1:9-13,17-19): Do Not Be Afraid: I Am the Living One

The apostle John was encouraged in his faith by a vision of the risen Lord. In his message to the seven churches, symbolic of the universal Church, he encourages the persecuted Christians to be without fear and to be firm in the faith.

Reading 2: Rev 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19

I, John, your brother, who share with you
the distress, the kingdom, and the endurance we have in Jesus,
found myself on the island called Patmos
because I proclaimed God’s word and gave testimony to Jesus.
I was caught up in spirit on the Lord’s day
and heard behind me a voice as loud as a trumpet, which said,
“Write on a scroll what you see.”
Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me,
and when I turned, I saw seven gold lampstands
and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man,
wearing an ankle-length robe, with a gold sash around his chest.

When I caught sight of him, I fell down at his feet as though dead.
He touched me with his right hand and said, “Do not be afraid.
I am the first and the last, the one who lives.
Once I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever.
I hold the keys to death and the netherworld.
Write down, therefore, what you have seen,
and what is happening, and what will happen afterwards.”

 

Alleluia Jn 20:29

Alleluia, alleluia.
You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me, says the Lord;
blessed are those who have not seen me, but still believe!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel (Jn 20:19-31): Doubt No Longer But Believe Without Seeing

Like Thomas before the Lord appeared to him, we have not seen Jesus in the flesh. Happy are we if we have enough faith to recognize the Lord in our lives and in our neighbor.

Gospel: Jn 20:19-31

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
But he said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

 

Intercessions

1. and 2. The Lord Present and Alive

Let us pray to our Lord Jesus Christ for a living faith not merely in his truths but in his person and at his presence among us, and let us say: R/ Lord, help us grow in faith.

–          For our shepherds in the faith, that they may place the powers of healing, pardon and peace, entrusted to them by Jesus, in the service of the people of God and of all who seek the truth, let us pray: R/ Lord, help us grow in faith.

–          For all those whose faith is tested in darkness and in doubt, that they may encounter the living Lord in their everyday work, in the events of life and in the love and trust of their neighbor, let us pray: R/ Lord, help us grow in faith.

–          For the sick and the persecuted and for all who are tried in life, that they may keep trusting in a Lord who heals and gives life, let us pray: R/ Lord, help us grow in faith.

–          For those who work for peace and justice in the world and in our country, that the Lord may give them courage and that he may bless their efforts, let us pray: R/ Lord, help us grow in faith.

–          For this and all Christian communities, that our faith in Jesus may lead us to have faith in each other’s goodness and to be united in love, let us pray: R/ Lord, help us grow in faith.

Lord Jesus Christ, live among us and make us sensitive to your presence in our lives. And let our integrity and love be the sign to all that you are with us now and for ever. R/ Amen.

 

3. Peace Be with You

“Peace be with you” is Jesus’ wish to his disciples. Let us ask him to bring his peace to his Church and to people everywhere. Let us say: R/ Lord, give us your peace.

–          Lord Jesus, give your peace to your Church. In all its variety, let it be united in one faith and love, and let it be an agent of reconciliation and peace among all countries and people, we pray: R/ Lord, give us your peace.

–          Lord Jesus, give your peace to all those in search of truth, goodness and compassion, that they may discover these in you through the people who have found you and love you, we pray: R/ Lord, give us your peace.

–          Lord Jesus, give your peace to all nations. Dispose divided and warring factions to dialogue and to look for ways to settle conflicts in a spirit of justice and cooperation, we pray: R/ Lord, give us your peace.

–          Lord Jesus, give your peace to all who suffer. Give them a faith that is strong enough to rise above their fears and pains; and make us stand by their side as sympathetic friends, we pray: R/ Lord, give us your peace.

–          Lord Jesus, give your peace to our communities. Make us aware of your presence among us, that our faith and love may keep growing and that we may share what we have and are, we pray: R/ Lord, give us your peace.

Risen Lord, let your joy and your peace be ours all the days you give us. Be with us now and for ever. R/ Amen.

 

Prayer over the Gifts

God our Father,
your Son came among his disciples
and brought them peace.
In these signs of bread and wine
let him come among us,
his disciples today,
to bring us the peace of his presence
and to strengthen our faith.
For he is our Lord and our God
now and for ever. R/ Amen.

 

Invitation to the Acclamation (After the Consecration)

We cannot see the Lord with our eyes nor can we touch him with our hands. But we know that he is alive and we proclaim the mystery of our faith:

 

Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer

With Jesus present among us
we pray his prayer of trust to the Father: R/ Our Father…

 

Prayer for Peace

Lord Jesus Christ, in the evening of Easter
you said to your apostles:
”I leave you peace, my peace I give you.”
Look not on our sins of disbelief
but on the faith of your Church,
which always proclaims that you are risen.
Stay always present among us
to let us enjoy the peace you promised
and lead your Church to perfect unity,
now and for ever. R/ Amen.

 

May the peace
which the Lord brought to his apostles,
be with you always. R/ And also with you.

 

Invitation to Communion

This is Jesus, our risen Lord,
whom we acclaim as our Lord and our God.
Happy are we that he comes to us
and stays with us. R/ Lord, I am not worthy…

 

Prayer after Communion

God our Father,
we thank you for Jesus, your risen Son.
He who loves us is alive.
Give us eyes of faith to see
that all that we are and do
has a meaning and a purpose,
and that your Son is with us and guides us
through our darkness and hesitations
to the fullness of love and joy.
Let him stay with us
now and for ever. R/ Amen.

 

Blessing

If only we had a deep faith
in the presence of the Lord among us, his people!
How different our relationships would be
with God, with one another,
even with ourselves.

Then we would really have the peace
of which Jesus insistently speaks in today’s gospel.
Let this faith be alive in our community,
with the blessing of almighty God,
the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

 

Go in the peace of Christ

and let the people around you share in it. Alleluia.
R/ Thanks be to God. Alleluia.

 

Commentary

The Shape of Divine Mercy

Read:

The sick flock to the apostles for healing. In a vision, John meets Christ, the Alpha and the Omega. The Risen Christ keeps disciples within breathing distance and invites Thomas to feel his wounds.

 

Reflect:

You might have seen the classic painting that captures the essence of Revelation 3.20: Jesus stands at the door and knocks. But the door is painted without a knob. It seems Jesus cannot enter unless we open from within. But that is only half the truth. What if we are so worn out, depressed, wounded by life that we simply cannot get up and open? Does Jesus go away? If today’s gospel is any evidence, the answer is a resounding no! He will simply break through the walls and reach out to us, to breathe on us, to help us rise back to life, holding on to his wounds! The shape of his mercy is its shapelessness—it has no circumference, no borders. It just keeps flowing to us wherever we are, to defreeze us from our fears with the warmth of his breath and embrace.

 

Pray:

Pray for a heart rich in mercy and compassion, as of the Lord.

 

Act:

Do one of the corporal acts of mercy.

Reflection is taken from Bible Diary 2022;

written by Fr.Paulson Velyannoor, CMF