Wednesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening sentence and prayer:
My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready.
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Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In His great mercy, He gave us new birth into a living hope by His Son’s resurrection from the dead. Father, give us Your strength.
+ Turn my eyes to Jesus Christ Your Son – may He lead me in my faith and bring it to perfection.
+ I pray for cheerfulness and a generous heart – may I bring joy to my family, to my work, and to all whom I meet.
+ I pray for all who are working today – be with them at home and in town, in the factory and in the fields.
+ I pray for those who have no work – for the disabled and the sick, for those who cannot find work, and for those who are retired.
Remember, Lord, Your solemn covenant, renewed and consecrated by the blood of the Lamb, so that we, Your people, may obtain forgiveness for our sins and a continued growth in grace. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
A Reading from Psalms: 79:8, 9, 11, 13 (NLT)
Do not hold us guilty for the sins of our ancestors! Let your compassion quickly meet our needs, for we are on the brink of despair.
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Help us, O God of our salvation! Help us for the glory of your name. Save us and forgive our sins for the honor of your name.
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Listen to the moaning of the prisoners. Demonstrate your great power by saving those condemned to die.
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Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will thank you forever and ever, praising your greatness from generation to generation.
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The Son of Man came to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)
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A Reading from the Gospels: Mark 10:32-45 (NLT)
They were now on the way up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were filled with awe, and the people following behind were overwhelmed with fear. Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus once more began to describe everything that was about to happen to him. “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die and hand him over to the Romans. They will mock him, spit on him, flog him with a whip, and kill him, but after three days he will rise again.”
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do us a favor.”
Marcella Paliekara
“What is your request?” he asked.
They replied, “When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”
But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with?”
“Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!”
Then Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup and be baptized with my baptism of suffering. But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. God has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.”
When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
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Canticle
Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
Blessing:
May the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
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