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.
- You could make the setting special by using a green 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 of the day (Matthew 10:26-33).
- 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 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 remember how Jesus gathered us around one table.
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.
Litany in Praise of God's Mercy
Leader:
As we prepare to hear about God's plan for the world,
let us remember that God works through us and through our love.
Lord Jesus, you take away our fear in times of trouble:
Lord, have mercy.
All: Lord, have mercy.
Leader:
Lord Jesus, you heal the wounds after we hurt each other:
Christ, have mercy.
All: Christ, have mercy.
Leader:
Lord Jesus, you remind us that every person is a child of God:
Lord, have mercy.
All: Lord, have mercy.
Opening Prayer
Leader: Let us pray
Leader:
God of Strength,
you have created us to live in freedom and joy
and given us all a dignity that can never be taken away.
May we be strong and courageous,
always working to lift others up
and living with compassion and justice.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
LITURGY OF THE WORD
Alleluia
Gospel
Reader 1:
In today's reading we hear Jesus telling us we do not need to live in fear of anyone.
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 Matthew.
Reader 1:
Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions:
Don’t be afraid of anyone!
Everything that is hidden will be found out, and every secret will be known.
Whatever I say to you in the dark, you must tell in the light.
And you must announce from the housetops whatever I have whispered to you.
Don’t be afraid of people. They can kill you, but they cannot harm your soul.
Instead, you should fear God who can destroy both your body and your soul in hell.
Aren’t two sparrows sold for only a penny? But your Father knows when any one of them falls to the ground.
Even the hairs on your head are counted.
So don’t be afraid! You are worth much more than many sparrows.
If you tell others that you belong to me, I will tell my Father in heaven that you are my followers.
But if you reject me, I will tell my Father in heaven that you don’t belong to me.
Reader 1:
Jesus said to the Twelve:
“Fear no one.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
Reader 2: The Gospel of the Lord.
All: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Gospel Video Reflection
Gospel Song Reflection
Reflections on the Readings
- What do you think Jesus means about every secret eventually being found out and what is told in the dark should be shared in the light? (There is no right or wrong answer here.)
- Jesus says we shouldn’t be afraid of anyone, not even people who could kill us, because they can’t kill our souls. Have you ever known anyone or heard stories of someone who was courageous and believed what Jesus said: that they were willing to die for doing the right thing? Share about them.
- How does it make you feel to know that God cares so much about you that God knows even how many hairs you have on your head?
General Intercessions
Leader: Now let’s pray together to God for what we need.
Reader 2:
For all those who are close to us and those who are far from us
who are still struggling because of the coronavirus pandemic,
that they may find new courage to continue the fight,
let us pray to the Lord.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Reader 2:
We pray for all those who are unjustly treated, hurt, or killed
because of discrimination or hatred,
that they may trust in God’s special care for them,
let us pray to the Lord.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Reader 2:
That we may have the strength and the courage
to speak up and act for the things that Jesus taught,
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: Go in the peace of Christ.
All: Thanks be to God.
Closing Song
After the Service
Give Us a Tip: Support Our Ministry
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!
Share Your Experience
Take a picture of your family in your worship area and share it on social media (tag it with #WorshipAtHome).
Please Support Your Local Parish
Your parish still has to pay the electric bill and your staff, even when public Masses are cancelled. If you haven't already, sign up for electronic payments or mail in a check today.
Give Us Feedback
How did it go? What would have made it better? Send us an email at resources@pastoralcenter.com to share feedback with us.
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.
