>>(Announcer) The following presentation is made possible by the generosity of the viewers of Sunday mass at mercy home for boys and girls in Chicago. 

 

>>Good Morning and welcome to Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.  Today we celebrate the 5th Sunday of Lent.  My name is Dan Riley.  I am joined by Patrick Holland and our celebrant is Father Jason Malave. 

 

There’s a wideness in God’s mercy Like the wideness of the sea; 

There’s a kindness in God’s justice Which is more than liberty. 

There is plentiful redemption In the blood that has been shed; 

There is joy for all the members In the sorrows of the Head. 

 

>>Friends, we mark our prayer on this 5th Sunday of the Lenten Season together; in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 

AMEN. 

Friends, the Lord be with you. 

>>And with your spirit. 

>>Let us call to mind any ways, any things we’d like to place before the Lord and ask for pardon and peace, hope and forgiveness.  Lord Jesus, you heal those who are suffering and sick.  Lord have mercy. 

>>LORD HAVE MERCY. 

>>You comfort the downtrodden.  Christ have mercy. 

>>CHRIST HAVE MERCY.  

>>You welcome us to everlasting life.  To be with you forever in paradise.  Lord have mercy. 

>>LORD HAVE MERCY. 

>>May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. 

>>AMEN. 

>>Let us pray. 

By your help, we beseech you, Lord our God,
may we walk eagerly in that same charity
with which, out of love for the world,
your Son handed himself over to death.
We make this prayer through Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. 

>>AMEN. 

>>The first reading is a reading from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel.                            

Thus says the Lord GOD:  

O my people, I will open your graves  

and have you rise from them,  

and bring you back to the land of Israel. 

Then you shall know that I am the LORD,  

when I open your graves and have you rise from them,  

O my people! 

I will put my spirit in you that you may live,  

and I will settle you upon your land;  

thus you shall know that I am the LORD. 

I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD. 

The word of the Lord. 

>>THANKS BE TO GOD. 

 

[piano playing] 

 

>>With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption. 

With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption. 

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice!
O let your ears be attentive to the sound of my pleadings. 

With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption. 

 

>>The second reading is a reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans.  

Brothers and sisters: 

Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 

But you are not in the flesh;  

on the contrary, you are in the spirit,  

if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. 

Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 

But if Christ is in you,  

although the body is dead because of sin,  

the spirit is alive because of righteousness. 

If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,  

the one who raised Christ from the dead  

will give life to your mortal bodies also,  

  through his Spirit dwelling in you. 

The word of the Lord. 

>>THANKS BE TO GOD. 

 

[piano playing] 

 

>>Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ!  

Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ!  

I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord;  

whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will never die. 

Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ! 

 

>>Sisters and brothers, friends – the Lord be with you. 

>>AND WITH YOUR SPIRIT. 

>>A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John. 

GLORY TO YOU, O LORD. 

The word of God be on our minds, on our lips, and in our hearts. 

The sisters of Lazarus sent word to Jesus, saying,  

“Master, the one you love is ill.” 

When Jesus heard this he said, 

“This illness is not to end in death,  

but is for the glory of God,  

that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 

So when he heard that he was ill,  

he remained for two days in the place where he was. 

Then after this he said to his disciples,  

“Let us go back to Judea.” 

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus  

had already been in the tomb for four days. 

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, 

she went to meet him;  

but Mary sat at home. 

Martha said to Jesus,  

“Lord, if you had been here, 

my brother would not have died. 

But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, 

God will give you.” 

Jesus said to her, 

“Your brother will rise.” 

Martha said, 

“I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” 

Jesus told her, 

“I am the resurrection and the life;  

whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,  

and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. 

Do you believe this?” 

She said to him, “Yes, Lord. 

I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, 

the one who is coming into the world.” 

He became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said,  

“Where have you laid him?” 

They said to him, “Sir, come and see.” 

And Jesus wept. 

So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.” 

But some of them said,  

“Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man  

have done something so that this man would not have died?” 

So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. 

It was a cave, and a stone lay across it. 

Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” 

Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him,  

“Lord, by now there will be a stench;  

he has been dead for four days.” 

Jesus said to her, 

“Did I not tell you that if you believe  

you will see the glory of God?” 

So they took away the stone. 

And Jesus raised his eyes and said,  

“Father, I thank you for hearing me. 

I know that you always hear me;  

but because of the crowd here I have said this,  

that they may believe that you sent me.” 

And when he had said this, 

He cried out in a loud voice,  

“Lazarus, come out!” 

The dead man came out, 

tied hand and foot with burial bands,  

and his face was wrapped in a cloth. 

So Jesus said to them, 

“Untie him and let him go.” 

Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary 

and seen what he had done began to believe in him. 

The Gospel of the Lord. 

PRAISE TO YOU, LORD JESUS CHRIST. 

>>So today we have our third installment of a series of three homilies I wanted to talk to you about, in terms of what it means to evangelize and then therefore what it means to be disciples of Jesus. In fact, missionary disciples of Jesus.  

And we pushed on, the first Sunday of Lent, we pushed on what it means to pray. How praying with others is something we’re called to do through our baptism. Praying with others in gatherings. Praying with others when they ask for our prayers. Praying with others in the community of the church. Knowing that those prayers are heard.  

Two weeks ago, we talked about serving, not volunteering, serving in the name of Jesus. What it means to be a disciple is somebody who serves generously, always with Jesus at the core of our soul, serving our serving our brothers and sisters in Jesus’ name. We serve others when it’s uncomfortable and it leads us into humility.  

Today, I’d like to talk about the third of what it means to be a disciple. The third characteristic: pray, serve, share. Share. What does it mean to share? What it means to share is sharing with others, talking with others about how our friendship with Jesus has changed our lives. That’s pretty powerful stuff.  

When we share, we share with others how our friendship with Jesus has changed our lives. Really quick, I want to do that in three quick ways.  

First of all, these past few months, my mom has been struggling and I’ve been worried about her. My brothers and sisters, I have been worried about her. And so, my prayer to Jesus has been so powerful. You know, I’ve really been asking for Jesus healing power in my mom’s life. And slowly but surely, after a bad infection, she’s regaining her strength and she’s doing much better. Thanks be to God. But you better believe that my prayer to Jesus, and his – and my petition for his healing touch was really strong. I’m happy to share that with you.  

Secondly, the past six years, my role, my job, my ministry has been a really tough one. And I’ve been praying a lot over the last six years for perseverance. Have you ever prayed for perseverance? Lord, help me to persevere. Whatever situation you find yourself in, in this particular moment, with a family, with a loved one who’s sick, with the situation that’s difficult, doesn’t seem to be able to be resolved. We’ve prayed, I’ve prayed for perseverance. And I felt Jesus’s guiding, supporting hand in persevering in very difficult times over the last six years as parishes across the diocese have united and some have closed. I’m happy to share with you what I’ve heard and how I’ve been strengthened through my friend Jesus, through our generous God, and through the Holy Spirit. I’m happy to share that with you. That’s what it means to share.  

And then lastly, our world, the world around us, especially having gone through the election cycle a few months ago, is very divided and polarized. Huh? Where do you find hope? I find hope in Jesus. I find hope in Jesus who promised us, promises us to walk with us always. I find hope in that.  

Sharing means your time, talent, and treasure for sure, but also sharing what it means to be friends with Jesus and how our prayer with Jesus accompanies us and supports us in our journey of faith. Martha, Mary, Lazarus and Jesus were good friends. And you better believe that Martha and Mary Lazarus shared a great deal about what happened in their friendship with Jesus. Don’t you think? Don’t you think the whole town came to know about Lazarus rising from the dead? The gospel tells us so.  

Let us continue our journey as missionary disciples, praying deeply with others, serving generously – even when it’s uncomfortable – serving generously and sharing our friendship with Jesus with others in unique and beautiful and humble and sometimes intimate ways. Let us share how our friendship with Jesus has changed our lives. In doing so, we are evangelizing.  

We’re sharing Jesus with others. Amen? Amen. 

Humbly we come before the Lord and we profess our faith in God, whos’s father, son, and spirit.  We pray the Apostle’s Creed: 

I believe in God, 

the Father almighty, 

creator of heaven and earth, 

I believe in Jesus Christ, 

his Only Son, our Lord, 

He was conceived by the Holy Spirit;  

Born of the Virgin Mary;  

Suffered under Pontius Pilate;  

Was crucified, died and buried;  

He descended to the dead;  

On the third day He rose again;  

He ascended into heaven;  

And is seated at the right hand of the Father;  

He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 

And I believe in the Holy Spirit;  

The Holy Catholic Church,  

The Communion of Saints;  

The Forgiveness of sins;  

The Resurrection of the body;  

And life everlasting. Amen.  

With great humility we present our prayers and petitions before our generous and loving God. 

>>Our response to each prayer will be, “Lord, hear our prayer.” 

For the Church, may she be a sign of God’s light and goodness in the world, and a beacon of hope for the most vulnerable.  We pray to the Lord. 

>>Lord, hear our prayer. 

>> For those who are preparing for Baptism this Lent, may they be filled with the Holy Spirit and live the Gospel message daily. We pray to the Lord. 

>>Lord, hear our prayer. 

>>For the boys and girls of Mercy Home, may they experience Christ’s love in their lives.  We pray to the Lord. 

>>Lord, hear our prayer. 

>>For peace in the world.  We pray to the Lord. 

>>Lord, hear our prayer. 

>>Generous and compassionate God, hear the prayers of your faithful people.  In mercy and in love, grant these our humble prayers. We ask this through Christ our Lord. 

AMEN. 

 

[piano playing] 

 

>>Blessed are you Lord, God of all creation for through your goodness we have received the  bread.  The bread we offer you. Fruit of the earth, work of human hands; it will become for us the bread of life. 

 

[piano continues to play] 

 

Blessed are you Lord, God of all creation for through your goodness we have received the wine we offer you.  Fruit of the vine, work of human hands; it will become our spiritual drink. 

 

With humble spirit and contrite heart may we be accepted by you, O Lord, may our sacrifice in your sight this day be pleasing to you, Lord God.  

Lord wash away my iniquities.  Cleanse me from all my sinfulness.   

 

[piano continues to play] 

 

And so, friends pray that my sacrifice – in fact, your sacrifice may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father. 

MAY THE LORD ACCEPT THE SACRIFICE AT YOUR HANDS FOR THE PRAISE AND GLORY OF HIS NAME, FOR OUR GOOD AND THE GOOD OF ALL OF HIS HOLY CHURCH. 

Hear us, almighty God,
and, having instilled in your servants
the teachings of the Christian faith,
graciously purify them
by the working of this sacrifice.
Through Christ our Lord. 

AMEN. 

>>The Lord be with you. 

>>AND WITH YOUR SPIRIT. 

>>Lift up your hearts. 

>>WE LIFT THEM UP TO THE LORD. 

>>Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. 

>>IT IS RIGHT AND JUST. 

>>It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, through Jesus our Lord.
For as true man he wept for Lazarus his friend
and as eternal God raised him from the tomb,
just as, taking pity on the human race,
he leads us by sacred mysteries to new life.
Through him the host of Angels adores your majesty
and rejoices in your presence forever.
May our voices, we pray, join with theirs
in one chorus of exultant praise, as we acclaim:  

 

[piano playing] 

 

>>Holy, holy, holy Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory. 

Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest. 

 

>>You are indeed holy, O Lord.  The fount of all holiness.  Make holy therefore these gifts we pray, by sending down your spirit upon them like the dewfall so that they may become for us the body and blood of your son, our Lord, Jesus Christ.  At the time he was betrayed and entered willingly into his passion, He took bread and giving thanks broke it.  And gave it to his disciples saying: “Take this all of you, and eat of it, for this is my body, which will be given up for you.”  In a similar way, when supper was ended, he took the chalice and once more giving thanks, he gave it to his disciples saying: “Take this all of you and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my blood.  The blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.  Do this in memory of me.”  The mystery of faith. 

 

>>When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, 

We proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again. 

 

>>Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we offer you Lord the bread of life and the chalice of salvation.  Giving thanks that you have held us worthy to be in your presence and minister to you.  Humbly we pray that partaking of the body and blood of Christ, we may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.  Remember Lord your church spread throughout the world.  Bring her to the fullness of charity together with Francis our Pope, Blasé our archbishop, and all the clergy. Remember especially our sisters and brothers who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection and all who have died in your mercy. Welcome them into the light of your face.  And have mercy on us all we pray that with the Blessed Virgin Mary mother of God, mother of mercy, with the blessed apostles, and all the saints who have pleased you throughout the ages; we may merit to be coheirs to eternal life and may praise and glorify you through your son, Jesus Christ.  Through Him and with Him and in Him. O God, Almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, forever and ever. 

 

[piano playing] 

 

>>Amen. Amen. Amen. 

 

>>At the saviors command and formed by divine teaching, we have the courage to pray together: 

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. 

Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil. Graciously grant peace in our days that by the help of your mercy we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our savior, Jesus Christ. 

FOR THE KINGDOM, THE POWER AND THE GLORY ARE YOURS NOW AND FOREVER. 

Lord Jesus, who said to your apostles, “Peace I leave you, my peace I give you.”  Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your church.  And graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will who live and reign forever and ever. 

>>AMEN. 

>>The peace of the Lord be with you always.  

>>AND WITH YOUR SPIRIT. 

>>Let us offer each other a sign of peace.  And on behalf of everyone here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls please know of our prayers for you, our prayer for peace for you, your family,  and all those you love.  Peace be with you. 

 

[piano playing] 

 

>>Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world:  have mercy on us. 

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world:  have mercy on us. 

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world:  grant us peace. 

 

>>Missionary disciples, behold the lamb of God. Behold him, who takes away the sins of the world.  Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.   

LORD, I AM NOT WORTHY THAT YOU MAY ENTER UNDER MY ROOF,  

BUT ONLY SAY THE WORD AND MY SOUL SHALL BE HEALED.   

May the body and blood of Christ keep us all safe for everlasting life.    

 

[piano playing] 

 

>>For those of you at home, please turn to page six in your TV Mass Guide and join in singing our communion song, ‘WE REMEMBER.’ 

 

We remember how you loved us to your death, 

And still we celebrate, for you are with us here; 

And we believe that we will see you when you come in your glory, Lord. 

We remember, we celebrate, we believe. 

See the face of Christ revealed In every person standing by your side: 

Gifts to one another, and temples of your love. 

We remember how you loved us to your death, 

And still we celebrate, for you are with us here; 

And we believe that we will see you when you come in your glory, Lord. 

We remember, we celebrate, we believe. 

 

>>Let us pray. 

We pray, almighty God,
that we may always be counted among the members of Christ Jesus,
in whose Body and Blood we have communion.
Who lives and reigns for ever and ever. 

AMEN. 

>>Please bow your heads and pray for God’s blessings. 

Bless, O Lord, your people, 

who long for the gift of your mercy, 

and grant that what, at your prompting, they desire, 

they may receive by your generous gift. 

Through Christ our Lord.  

Amen. 

The Lord be with you. 

>>And with your spirit. 

>>May our generous God bless you always; the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 

AMEN. 

Our beautiful prayer, our Lenten prayer has ended. Let us go in peace. 

THANKS BE TO GOD. 

 

[piano playing] 

 

>>In Christ there is no east or west, In him no south or north… 

 

>>Folks, I’m so fortunate that all of us pray together each Sunday.  Can you imagine what the power of prayer does for all those who are sick, elderly, and homebound?  I want to thank you for all that you do for the TV mass here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.  Please continue to support our good efforts and may God bless you for all you do. 

 

>>(Announcer) The music for the broadcast of ‘Sunday Mass at Mercy Home’ is generously provided by G-I-A Publications, Inc.  and its World Library Publications division.