WORSHIP@HOME
Preparation
- We recommend glancing through the whole service before you start. Adapt the service for your family, especially so it will be age-appropriate.
- Prepare a bowl of water and a sprig of a plant for the sprinkling rite.
- You could make the setting special by using a white table cloth and setting some candles out. Get the whole family involved in the preparations.
- Place your family Bible on the table, if you have one, opened up to the Gospel reading of the day (John 20:1-9).
- The script has leader and various reader parts. Anyone old enough to read well can perform these roles.
- An iPad/tablet computer or large phone could work well for reading the script. It would would be helpful to have two devices so you can display the gospel slide show and/or for multiple people to read.
- Don't worry, you don't have to do this perfectly. Have some fun with it. Let's pray!
Just Before You Begin
- Silence and set aside all phones or other devices that may interrupt you.
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Opening Song
Greeting
Leader:
┼ In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.
Leader:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father
and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be God forever.
The response is: Blessed be God forever.
All: Blessed be God forever.
Leader:
We gather together as a family to celebrate Easter,
the greatest day of the Church year
One with all of our sisters and brothers throughout the world,
let us now listen to God's Word and join in prayer.
All: Amen.
Sprinkling Rite
Leader:
God has given us new birth by water and the Holy Spirit.
May we stay faithful to Jesus for ever and ever.
All: Amen.
Opening Prayer
Leader: Let us pray
Leader:
Gracious God,
By raising Jesus from the dead you conquered death.
Hear us as we ask your blessing
for all those who are sick in our world today.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
All: Amen.
LITURGY OF THE WORD
Alleluia
Gospel
Reader 1:
The first disciples did not understand what we do.
They thought Jesus was dead and buried in a tomb.
We know that Jesus is risen! Alleluia!
Reader 1:
We now do this action prayer together:
May the Lord be on my mind, ┼
on my lips, ┼
and in my heart ┼
as we hear the Gospel today.
A reading from the holy Gospel of John.
If you'd like to read the Gospel as a group, click on the "Parts" tab. Or read out of your own Bible (John 20:1-9).
Narrator:
Early in the morning on the third day after Jesus died, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb.
She had oils to anoint his body and prepare it to be buried.
Mary Magdalene: Someone has removed the stone! I need to tell Peter.
Narrator: Mary Magdalene hurried to find Peter and the other disciples.
Mary Magdalene:
Quick! Come and see! Someone has moved the stone.
The Lord has been taken away from his tomb
and we don’t know where they have taken him.
Peter: Come with me! Let’s go and see.
Narrator:
Peter and John, the disciple that Jesus loved, ran to the tomb.
Peter was the slower runner. When he finally got there he said,
Peter:
Look! Jesus is not here, but there are pieces of cloth that wrapped his body.
There is the cloth that covered his face.
John: I have seen this with my own eyes and I believe that Jesus is risen.
Reader 1:
Early in the morning on the third day after Jesus died, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb.
She had oils to anoint his body and prepare it to be buried.
She saw that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.
Mary Magdalene hurried to find Peter and the other disciples.
"Quick! Come and see!" she said.
"Someone has moved the stone.
The Lord has been taken away from his tomb
and we don’t know where they have taken him."
Peter and the disciple that Jesus loved ran to the tomb.
Peter was the slower runner.
The first disciple bent over and saw the strips of linen cloth lying inside the tomb,
but he did not go in.
When Peter finally got there, he went into the tomb and saw the strips of cloth.
He also saw the piece of cloth that had been used to cover Jesus' face.
The other disciple then went into the tomb, and when he saw it, he believed.
Reader 2:
On the first day of the week,
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead.
Reader 2: The Gospel of the Lord.
All: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Gospel Slideshow
) to enlarge.
Or access full slideshow online
Gospel Illustration
) to enlarge.
Reflection on the Readings
On Easter Sunday we celebrate the greatest mystery of our Christian faith—that Jesus, who was crucified and died on the cross, rose again from the dead.
- Let’s imagine that it was your family who went to the tomb to anoint the body of your friend Jesus. Who would be the first one to get to the tomb? What would you feel when you got there and discovered the stone had been rolled away and Jesus’ body was gone? Scared? Confused? Excited? What would you do then? Mary Magdalen ran to tell Peter and the other apostles that Jesus had risen. Who would you run to with the news? Would they believe you?
- Many things in our everyday world remind us of this amazing mystery: a seed, caterpillar and butterfly, popcorn kernel, a sunrise, an egg, a baby, and springtime. How is each of these a symbol of new life that can come out of darkness, suffering, and death?
- Jesus’ family and friends and disciples didn’t understand that he was going to rise from the dead until after it happened. We probably wouldn’t believe a seed can turn into a plant, a caterpillar can turn into a butterfly, or a popcorn kernel can turn into something good to eat if we hadn’t seen it happen or had someone else who we trust tell us that it happens. When have you had to trust someone else that things would get better?
- Even though most people have to stay in their homes now and be very careful because of the coronavirus, what can you do today to celebrate and remind yourselves—and others—that life always comes after death?
General Intercessions
Leader: Now let’s pray together to God for what we need.
Reader 2:
For all those who are sick now,
especially with the coronavirus,
that they may know that God is with them
and they are not alone,
let us pray to the Lord.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Reader 2:
For everyone helping the sick now,
especially those on the front lines of this crisis,
that God will give them wisdom for how best to help,
let us pray to the Lord.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Reader 2:
For those who are worried, lonely, or scared now,
let us pray to the Lord.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Reader 2: For what else and for who else shall we pray?
Lord's Prayer
Leader: Jesus taught us to call God our Father, and so we have the courage 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.
Sign of Peace
Leader: Let us now offer each other a sign of peace.
A Litany for Spiritual Communion
Leader: The response is: Lord, bring us closer to you!
All: Lord, bring us closer to you!
Leader:
Lord our God,
we wish we could gather today with our parish community,
but we gather here out of love and concern for others.
You teach us that when two or three are gathered in your name,
you are there.
Together, we pray:
All: Lord, bring us closer to you!
Leader:
Christ Jesus, you are present in a special way
when bread and wine are turned into your Body and Blood.
Since we cannot receive you in this way today,
We ask that you enter our hearts
so that we may receive you spiritually.
Together, we pray:
All: Lord, bring us closer to you!
Leader:
Lord our God,
watch over your family
and keep us safe in your care,
for all our hope is in you.
All: Lord, bring us closer to you!
Concluding Rite
Blessing & Dismissal
Leader: Christ is risen, alleluia, alleluia!
All: Thanks be to God, alleluia, alleluia!
Closing Song
Join us again next Sunday for another prayer service!
After the Service
Parent Reflection
- Easter Sunday: God Is With Us (Bringing Home the Gospel)
- Easter Sunday: Could It Be True? (Word of the Week)
Share Your Experience
Take a picture of your family in your worship area and share it on social media (tag it with #WorshipAtHome).
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The Pastoral Center is a small, family-based ministry and business (pictured: Paul, Madeleine, Ann, and Rachel). This is our full-time job and ministry, and it's the way we pay our bills. We do not receive funding from any parish or diocese, except through resource sales (which are now largely suspended indefinitely). You are under no obligation, but we are very grateful for any contributions!
Portions excerpted from or adapted from Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest: Leader's Guide © 1993 United States Catholic Conference (USCC), 3211 Fourth Street, NE, Washington, DC 20017-1194 USA. All rights reserved.
© 2020 The Pastoral Center. All rights reserved.
