WORSHIP@HOME

February 14, 2021 • 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Parish or Diocesan Leaders, please read this!

Preparation

Just Before You Begin

INTRODUCTORY RITES

Opening Song

Introduction

Leader: Today we gather together to continue hearing stories
from the early days of Jesus' ministry.

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 learn how to live more like Jesus.
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 is love. Lord Jesus, you know that we don't always act out of love:
Lord, have mercy.

All: Lord, have mercy.

Leader: Lord Jesus, you know that sometimes we don’t speak up when we see something wrong:
Christ, have mercy.

All: Christ, have mercy.

Leader: Lord Jesus, we don’t always have the courage to do the right thing:
Lord, have mercy.

All: Lord, have mercy.

Opening Prayer

Leader: Let us pray

Leader: God of Love,
you stand for justice and peace
and ask for our help in building your Kingdom in this world. May we work peacefully toward a better world,
seeking what is best for all,
And having the courage to act and respond out of love. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

LITURGY OF THE WORD

Alleluia

Gospel

Reader 1: In today’s reading, we again hear about Jesus healing someone. 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 Mark.

Reader 1: A man with leprosy came to Jesus and knelt down.
He begged, “You have the power to make me well, if only you wanted to.” Jesus felt sorry for the man.
So he put his hand on him and said,
“I want to! Now you are well.”
At once the man’s leprosy disappeared, and he was well. After Jesus strictly warned the man, he sent him on his way.
He said, “Don’t tell anyone about this.
Just go and show the priest that you are well.
Then take a gift to the temple as Moses commanded,
and everyone will know that you have been healed.” The man talked about it so much and told so many people,
that Jesus could no longer go openly into a town.
He had to stay away from the towns,
but people still came to him from everywhere.

Reader 1: A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said,
“If you wish, you can make me clean.”
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched him, and said to him,
“I do will it. Be made clean.”
The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.
Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once. He said to him, “See that you tell no one anything,
but go, show yourself to the priest
and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them.” The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter.
He spread the report abroad
so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.
He remained outside in deserted places,
and people kept coming to him from everywhere.

Reader 1: The Gospel of the Lord.

All: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Gospel Video Retelling

Reflections on the Readings

  1. In Bible times, there was a lot of emphasis on how your skin looked. If you had a scab or a blotch or a sore or anything unusual, the laws said that you were "unclean," which meant you couldn’t be near other people because you might make them unclean. No one was supposed to touch you, and you weren’t supposed to touch anyone. In fact, lepers were supposed to live away from other people, outcast from their community. Who are the people in today’s world (at school, in our work places, or in our towns) who other people keep at a distance and try to stay away from?
  2. In this story, Jesus shows he doesn’t care what the laws said, and he wasn’t scared to touch a leper. Who do you know or who have you heard about who isn’t scared to be close to or touch outcasts in our society today?
  3. After Jesus healed the leper he told him not to tell anyone that he was healed, but the man was so excited, he couldn’t help himself and he told lots of people. Why do you think Jesus didn’t want him to tell anyone? (Parents, there are no right or wrong answers here.)

General Intercessions

Leader: Now let’s pray together to God for what we need.

Reader 2: We pray for the United States government, its elected officials, and everyone who works for it,
that they may be servant leaders who seek the good of all,
let us pray to the Lord.

All: Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader 2: We pray for all those who are sick,
and for all the doctors, nurses, caregivers and essential workers
who are caring for them, that they remain healthy,
let us pray to the Lord.

All: Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader 2: We pray for all those in public safety—police, fire, and other security—
that they can remain safe as they protect us,
let us pray to the Lord.

All: Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader 2: We pray for students who are struggling to learn or stay connected to friends
while the coronavirus keeps some schooling virtual,
that they can stay focused until they can gather in person again,
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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