LITURGY
WORD OF GOD
It was only right that we should celebrate and rejoice, because your brother here was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found.
(Luke 15:32)
WORD FOR TODAY
We take it for granted that God will forgive us if we ask for pardon. We sometimes find it harder for other people to be forgiven and we think that they are getting off lightly. But do we ever think of “rejoicing” in the fact of forgiveness? Or is it just a given thing?
WORDS FOR WORSHIP
Let us pray for the Church that in all aspects of its mission it may show the forgiving face of God to those whom it seeks to serve and to
evangelise. Show us, Lord, your mercy: Hear and grant our prayer!
Let us pray for those who have been away from the family of the Church for some time and for whom this Lent is a period of homecoming, that they may experience the forgiveness of God and the support of the Christian community.
Show us, Lord…
Let us pray for members of our own family from whom we may be estranged that we may have the courage to take the first steps in healing any breach and offering the hand of God’s forgiveness.
Show us, Lord…
Let us pray for all catechumens and candidates who shortly will be received into the Catholic Church at Easter, that they may find delight in their growing faith in Jesus as
Saviour of the world.
Show us, Lord…
FAITH IN FOCUS: PARTY MOOD
When the prodigal son came home they held a party to celebrate the fact that he was part of the fold once more. But there was an empty seat at the party; the older brother refused to come and take part.
The liturgy, and especially the Mass, is the continuation of that party and festivity. At the eucharist we celebrate the fact that in Jesus Christ we have been redeemed and forgiven, that we are already experiencing a share in the eternal life that God has promised us and that one day we will enjoy seeing God face to face in the never-ending celebration of bliss and happiness in heaven. In the meantime we eat and drink the body and blood of Jesus Christ that was given up and shed for us so that sins may be forgiven.
As you sit in your pew in church, are there any empty seats? It would be surprising if there weren’t! Most churches struggle to fill their seats except at the great feasts of the year.
Who belongs in those seats? It’s tempting to say that they are older brothers’ seats, people who have had some sort of gripe with the church and have decided to give Sunday worship a wide berth. To an extent this is true. We are a fallible group of people and we’re quite capable of failing each other at crucial times, and of even putting off people to the extent that they no longer darken our doors. What would happen if we reached out to family and neighbours, to friends who feel that the Church has failed them? Is it worth taking the risk of inviting them to the feast, or should we just write them off as a dead loss? Would it shock us if they said yes?
And what about the person who’s sitting in your seat? Yes, you. Are you the life and soul of the party or are you something of a party-pooper? We never find out whether the father finally managed to get the older brother to enter into the spirit. He could have just gone and sat there with a long face. Just turning up isn’t enough. Are you glad to be able to celebrate with your whole being, singing and praying, giving thanks for the forgiveness that God has lavished upon you through no merit of your own? Or should we put the fatted calf on the back burner?
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