THE UNITED CATHOLIC CHURCH

    Ecumenical, Inclusive, Non-Judgmental, and Independent;       

Presider (P):       The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

All:       And also with you.

 P:    Hear what the Holy Spirit said by the Apostle St. John: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us;  but if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Let us therefore take a moment to examine our conscience, and to repent of our past sins.    (moment of reflective silence)

All:   O Lord, You have created man to be immortal, and made him to be an image of your own eternity; yet often we forget the glory of our heritage, and wander from the path which leads to righteousness. But you, O Lord, have made us for yourself, and our hearts are ever restless till they find their rest in you.   Look with the eyes of your love upon our manifold imperfections, and pardon all our shortcomings, that we may be filled with the brightness of your everlasting light, and become the unspotted mirror of your power and the image of your goodness.  Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

P:   God, who is both power and love,  forgive us and free us from our sins, heal and strengthen us by his Spirit, and raise us to new life in Christ our Lord.

All:   Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;  as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

Lector:   The word of the LORD came to Elijah....

Here ends the reading.

(The Psalm may be read by the Lector with a response from the congregation, in its totality by the congregation or in an alternating manner as shown below.)

All:  Hallelujah!
Praise the LORD, O my soul! 
I will praise the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

L:   Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, 
for there is no help in them.

When they breathe their last, they return to earth, 
and in that day their thoughts perish.

All:  Happy are they  ...

L:   He gives justice to those who are oppressed...   
 

All:  The LORD shall reign for ever,  your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.  Hallelujah!

L:  Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. ...

Here ends the Epistle reading.

All:   Alleluia, alleluia

P:          Happy are they who fear the Lord and walk in his ways. 

All:   Alleluia, alleluia.

P:    Teaching in the temple, Jesus said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces”  ...  

(Lifting the Book of The Gospels)

These are the words of the Holy Gospel, the are words of eternal life.

All:  Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us pray to the Lord our God and give him our needs and thanksgivings.   Almighty and ever living God, who in your holy Word has taught us to make prayers and supplications, and to give thanks for all men:  Receive these our prayers which we offer unto your divine majesty, beseeching you to inspire continually the Universal Church with the spirit of truth, unity and concord; and grant that all those who do confess your holy name may agree in the truth of your holy word, and live in unity and godly love.

1:    We pray for peace in the world; for goodwill among nations; and for the well-being of all people.   (All:)  Lord hear our prayer.

2:   We pray for the poor, the sick, the hungry, the oppressed, and those in difficulties of any kind.   Lord hear our prayer.

3:   (If in a specialized setting)  We pray for those here present and for all those at this facility, for their families and loved ones.   Lord hear our prayer.

4:   We pray for all who seek God, or a deeper knowledge of him, for all who have lost their faith, And for those whose faith has grown tepid.  Lord hear our prayer.

5:    5:   We pray for all of God's people; grant that we may be delivered from hardness of heart and show forth your glory in all our actions.  Lord hear our prayer.

6:    6:   We pray for the special needs and concerns held in the hearts of each person in this  congregation.  Lord hear our prayer.

7:   We thank you Lord  for this day and for all the blessings you have given us and our loved ones in this life.   Lord receive our thanks.

P:   Grant these our prayers, O Father, for Jesus Christ's sake, our only Mediator and Advocate.  Amen.

P:   May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  The peace of the Lord be with you all.  (Handshake of peace given here if this action is customary for the congregation.)

All:  And also with you

(Gifts are received and prepared by the Presider.)

(As the water and wine are mixed:  By the mingling of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity.

....  The presider then symbolically washes his/her hands: Lord, wash away my inequity, cleanse me of my sins.

 ...   (With hands pointing to the chalice and paten)  Blessed are you Lord God of all creation.  It is through your goodness we have this bread and this wine to offer, gifts of the earth and work of human hands.  Through your mercy and grace they will become for us the gifts of life.

P:  Pray my brothers and sisters that our gifts be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.

All:  Faithful God, your Son calls us to his table and gathers us to the fellowship of his supper. Grant us what these gifts of bread and wine signify, the life that never dies, Christ our Lord.

P:           The Lord be with you.

All:       And also with you.

P:           Lift up your hearts.

All:       We lift them to the Lord

P:           Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

All:       It is right to give him thanks and praise.

P:  It is indeed right, and a good and joyful thing, to thank you, Father in heaven, and to praise you with all creation through our Lord Jesus Christ.  He suffered the darkness of this world and of death, but you raised him to new life.  Therefore in him we are a new creation.  Through him we bless your mercy now and forever and join with all the heavenly host in singing the praise of your glory:

All:      Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of  power and might,

            Heaven and earth are full of your glory.

            Hosanna in the highest!

            Blessed in he who comes in the name of the Lord.

            Hosanna in the highest!

P:    We give you thanks, O God, our Father, through your beloved Son Jesus, the Christ. You sent him in the fullness of time to be our saviour and redeemer, as the angel of your holy will. He is your eternal Word, inseparable from you. Through him you created everything, and you saw that it was good. He became human by the power of the Holy Spirit and was born of the Virgin Mary. You revealed him as your Son. To accomplish your will and to gather a holy people for you, he stretched out his hands in suffering, to bring release to those who place their hope in you. He gave himself freely to death to break the power of death, to shatter the chains of evil, to banish the darkness and to reveal the resurrection.

On the night he was betrayed, he took bread and gave you thanks.  He broke the bread and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take this, all of you and eat it:  this is my body which will be given up for you. After supper he like wise took the cup, and when he had given thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, saying, Take this, all of you and drink it:  this is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant.  It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven. Do this in memory of me.

Let us proclaim the mystery of our faith:

All:   Christ has died.  Christ is risen.  Christ will come again.

And we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to you, O Lord of all, presenting to you, from your creation, this bread and this wine.  We pray you, gracious God, to send your Holy Spirit upon these gifts and upon this celebration of your Church.  Gather it to unity at your Table.  Strengthen it by your Spirit in its faith in you, and keep us in the truth, that we may praise you and give you glory through your Son Jesus, the Christ though whom you give us everything that is good.

(Presider takes the chalice and paten and lifts them up and says with the congregation)

All:  Through him and with him and in him, in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Let Let us now pray as the Lord taught us to pray:

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 from every evil, and grant us peace in our day.  In your mercy keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the return of our Savior, Jesus Christ,

All:  For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, now and forever.  Amen.

P:  Son of God, in token of your great Sacrifice, we break this your Body.  And in token of your triumph over death, the reuniting of your soul and body, and your glorious resurrection, we unite this Body with this your blood, praying that we may be one with you even as you are one with the Father, and this action ordained from of old may be to us and to all the world a means of grace everlasting.

All:   The lamb that was slain and reconciled us to God by his blood, is worthy to receive all glory and honor, and thanksgiving, and praise.

P:  Draw near and receive this most Precious of Gifts; the Bread of Life and the Cup of Salvation.

P:   Let us pray.  Gracious God, you have strengthened us with the bread of life and the cup of salvation.  May your power work in us, and enable us to spend our lives following your Son who lives and gives life with you, now and forever.

A:   Amen.

P:    The Lord be with you.

A:   And also with you.           

P:   May the Lord bless you and keep you.  May the Lord make his face to shine upon you.  And may he show you his loving kindness and bring you peace.  May almighty God bless you, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

P:   Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

A:   In the name of Christ.  Amen.  

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