Great Gifts for Catholic Grandparents
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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 learn how to better love those around 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.
Leader:
On this special day
when we remember and honor all those who have gone before us in faith,
we ask the saints to pray for us and our world.
Leader: Let us pray
Leader:
God of Love,
in your wisdom you gathered a church
so that we as members can strengthen each other.
Help us to learn from the examples
of all the holy people in our lives
as well as the lives of all the holy people who went before us.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
Reader 1:
In today’s reading, Jesus tells us how we are blessed in this reading that we call the Beatitudes (part of the Sermon on the Mount).
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:
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the side of a mountain and sat down.
Jesus' disciples gathered around him, and he taught them:
God blesses those people who depend only on him.
They belong to the kingdom of heaven!
God blesses those people who grieve.
They will find comfort!
God blesses those people who are humble.
The earth will belong to them!
God blesses those people who want to obey him more than to eat or drink.
They will be given what they want!
God blesses those people who are merciful.
They will be treated with mercy!
God blesses those people whose hearts are pure.
They will see him!
God blesses those people who make peace.
They will be called his children!
God blesses those people who are treated badly for doing right.
They belong to the kingdom of heaven.
God will bless you when people insult you, mistreat you,
and tell all kinds of evil lies about you because of me.
Be happy and excited! You will have a great reward in heaven.
Reader 1:
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.”
Reader 1: The Gospel of the Lord.
All: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
We have a couple video options for you this week. Watch whatever is helpful. First, here's a pretty fun kid's rap for learning the Beatitudes:
Here's a seven minute video for kids that connects this Gospel reading to... Groundhog's Day?!
Leader: Now let’s pray together to God for what we need.
Reader 2:
We pray for all those who are lonely during this time,
that they may be able to still feel a sense of community and God's embrace,
let us pray to the Lord.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Reader 2:
We pray for those without enough money for food, shelter, or medical care,
that the community can ensure that everyone in need is cared for,
let us pray to the Lord.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Reader 2:
We pray for the Church, that we may continue to be God's love and presence in the world,
even when we are unable to gather physically in our parishes,
let us pray to the Lord.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Reader 2: For what else and for who else shall we pray?
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.
Leader: Let us now offer each other a sign of peace.
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!
Leader: Go in the peace of Christ.
All: Thanks be to God.
Great Gifts for Catholic Grandparents
Support us by buying a book or two!
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!
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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.
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