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 16:21-27).
- 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 listen to God's Word and let it inspire us.
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 a story from our faith,
let us remember that God uses us and our gifts to make the world a better place.
Lord Jesus, you know that we are not perfect like you and don't always act out of love:
Lord, have mercy.
All: Lord, have mercy.
Leader:
Lord Jesus, you help us to grow closer to you and to each other:
Christ, have mercy.
All: Christ, have mercy.
Leader:
Lord Jesus, you guide us as to become better followers, walking in your footsteps:
Lord, have mercy.
All: Lord, have mercy.
Opening Prayer
Leader: Let us pray
Leader:
God of Love,
you have created us to live in love
and given us graces we can never earn.
May we be grateful, not taking our gifts for granted,
willing to share what we have,
especially with those who have less than we do.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
LITURGY OF THE WORD
Alleluia
Gospel
Reader 1:
In today’s reading, Jesus has a challenging message for us.
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:
From then on, Jesus began telling his disciples what would happen to him.
He said, “I must go to Jerusalem.
There the nation’s leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make me suffer terribly.
I will be killed, but three days later I will rise to life.”
Peter took Jesus aside and told him to stop talking like that.
He said, “God would never let this happen to you, Lord!”
Jesus turned to Peter and said,
“Satan, get away from me! You’re in my way because you think like everyone else and not like God.”
Then Jesus said to his disciples:
"If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself.
You must take up your cross and follow me. If you want to save your life, you will destroy it.
But if you give up your life for me, you will find it.
What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself?
What would you give to get back your soul?
"The Son of Man will soon come in the glory of his Father
and with his angels to reward all people for what they have done."
Reader 1:
Jesus began to show his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly
from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.
Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,
“God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.”
He turned and said to Peter,
“Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."
Then Jesus said to his disciples,
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
Or what can one give in exchange for his life?
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory,
and then he will repay all according to his conduct.”
Reader 1: The Gospel of the Lord.
All: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Gospel Video Reflection
Here's an eight minute video for kids that compares the sacrifices that athletes make to practice to what Jesus asks us to do as Christians.
Here's a thought-provoking and challenging song for adults and older children by our friend Bryan Sirchio. (You may want to come back and watch it after the service is done.) He points out that Jesus invites us to follow him 87 times in the Gospels, and asks why we focus so much on believing in Jesus and so little on following him, as he asked us to in today's reading and so many others.
Reflections on the Readings
- Peter was scared when Jesus told him he was going to be killed, and he exclaimed that God would never let that happen to Jesus. He wants to believe that nothing bad will ever happen to good people. But sometimes bad things do happen to good people. Can you think of some examples?
- Jesus said that if anyone wants to be his follower, they have to "take up their cross" to follow him. It was his way of saying that sometimes we have to do things that are hard if we want to follow him, or we have to give up something that is important to us so that we can do what is more important. Share about something you have given up sometime to do what you think Jesus was asking you to do. (For example, a child might give up some free time to help set the table for dinner, use some money from his piggy bank to buy a gift for the angel giving tree at Christmas, or give his favorite stuffy for a younger sibling to sleep with when the other one is really sad or scared; a parent gives up precious sleep to be there for a sick child, etc.)
- Jesus promised that even though we might "lose our life" we will save it. Think about a time when you gave up something precious to you, but you got something even better in return (ex: although the child gave up his stuffy for a night, it feels good to be a comfort to his sibling).
General Intercessions
Leader: Now let’s pray together to God for what we need.
Reader 2:
For all students, teachers, and others who work in education
as the school year begins,
that they may remain safe and be able to learn well this year,
let us pray to the Lord.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Reader 2:
We pray for all of those who are struggling during this pandemic time,
with health, finances, loneliness, or other challenges,
let us pray to the Lord.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Reader 2:
That we may have courage
to do what is right and what is most loving
during this challenging time,
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
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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.
