∫ [Piano music] ∫
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 First Sunday of Advent.

My name is Dan Riley.
I am joined by Tom McNamara and Maudette Carr.
And our celebrant is Father Carl Morello.

∫ Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty. ∫
∫ Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee. ∫
∫ Holy, Holy, Holy, merciful and mighty. ∫
∫ God in three Persons, Blessed Trinity. ∫

In the name of the Father
And of the Son
And of the Holy Spirit.
-Amen.

The grace, the peace, the love of God be with each of you.
-And with your Spirit.

On this First Sunday of Advent
We remember that we wait with hope in the coming of God
Who is with us and coming for us.

And so, trusting in God’s mercy and love,
We call to mind our sins.

Lord Jesus, You came as the Son of God and the Son of Mary.
Lord, have mercy.
-Lord, have mercy.

Christ Jesus, You come with reconciliation and healing for all sinners.
Christ, have mercy.
-Christ, have mercy.

And Lord Jesus, out of love You gather us around this table
Where You strengthen us today
In the gifts of faith, hope, and love.
Lord, have mercy.
-Lord, have mercy.

May Almighty God, who loves us, have mercy on us,
Forgive us any of our sins, and one day bring us
To the promise and joy of everlasting life.
-Amen.

Let us pray.

Grant Your faithful, we pray, Almighty God,
The resolve to run forth to meet Your Christ
With righteous deeds at His coming,
So that gathered at His right hand they may be worthy
To possess the heavenly Kingdom.

Through our Lord, Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God forever and ever.
-Amen.

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.

This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz,
Saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

In days to come, the mountain of the Lord’s house
Shall be established as the highest mountain
And raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it;
Many peoples shall come and say:

“Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain, to the house
Of the God of Jacob, that He may instruct us
In His ways, and we may walk in His paths.”

For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

He shall judge between the nations
And impose terms on many peoples.

They shall beat their swords into plowshares
And their spears into pruning hooks.
One nation shall not raise the sword against another,
Nor shall they train for war again.

O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

The word of the Lord.
-Thanks be to God.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ Let us go rejoicing to the house, ∫
∫ To the house of the Lord. ∫
∫ Let us go rejoicing to the house, ∫
∫ To the house of the Lord. ∫
∫ I rejoiced when they said to me, ∫
∫ “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” ∫
∫ And now our feet are standing ∫
∫ Within your gates, O Jerusalem. ∫
∫ Let us go rejoicing to the house, ∫
∫ To the house of the Lord. ∫

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans.

Brothers and sisters:
You know the time;
It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep.

For our salvation is nearer now
Than when we first believed;

The night is advanced, the day is at hand.
Let us then throw off the works of darkness
And put on the armor of light;

Let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day

Not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and lust,
Not in rivalry and jealousy.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ,
And make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

The word of the Lord.
-Thanks be to God.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ∫
∫ Show us, Lord, Your love; ∫
∫ And grant us Your salvation. ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ∫

Brothers and sisters in faith, the Lord be with you.
-And with your Spirit.

This is a reading now from the Holy Gospel
According to Matthew.
-Glory to You, O Lord.

Jesus said to His disciples,
“As it was in the days of Noah,
So it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

In those days before the flood,
They were eating and drinking,
Marrying, and giving in marriage,
Up to the day that Noah entered the ark.

They did not know until the flood came
And carried them all away.
So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.

Two men will be out in the field,
One will be taken, and one will be left.

Two women will be grinding at the mill,
One will be taken, and one will be left.

Therefore, stay awake.
Stay awake.

For you do not know on which day the Lord will come.

Be sure of this:
If the master of the house had known the hour of night
When the thief was coming,
He would have stayed awake
And not let his house be broken into.

So, too, you must be prepared,
For at an hour you do not expect,
The Son of Man will come.”

The Gospel of the Lord.
-Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.

Stay awake.
Stay awake to the hope that is offered to us
In the readings today.

But do you ever feel as if hope is stuck in the murk
Of all the problems that we face in our country today,
In the world, even within the Church?

This First Sunday of Advent reminds us
That we are back in this time
Of waiting, of watching, of hope.

But this is not the kind of waiting that we do in traffic
Or sitting at the doctor’s office.

Advent waiting is active waiting.
Active waiting.
It’s hopeful.

It’s the kind of waiting that looks toward
The future with trust—
Trust that God is at work even when it feels
Like we are living in uncertain times
And hope may feel uncertain.

And so we look at the First Reading today from Isaiah.
He gives us this stunning vision:

We hear, “They shall beat their swords into plowshares.
One nation shall not rise against another.”

This is a dream of peace,
Of people walking together in God’s light.

We need to recall that this reading from Isaiah,
When he spoke these words,
He was speaking to a world torn by fear and conflict,
Not so much different from our world today.

And yet he still dared to believe that God’s promise
Was stronger than the words of division.

And this is what Advent hope looks like:
Trusting that peace—peace in our day—is possible
Because God is faithful.

And then in the Gospel, Jesus clearly says:
“Stay awake, because you do not know
Which day the Lord will come.”

He isn’t saying this to make us feel fear—
He’s urging us to pay attention,
To notice now that God is already showing up
In that kind word, in forgiveness offered,
In the quiet strength someone shows
Trying to work toward peace, never giving up.

A favorite Saint of mine, Augustine, once said:
“Hope has two beautiful daughters, anger and courage.
Anger at the way things are,
And courage to see that they don’t remain that way.”

That is real Advent hope.
It’s not wishful thinking,
But courage that leads to action.

And so when we work for peace,
When we comfort the lonely,
When we keep ourselves believing
That love is stronger than hate,
We are living Advent hope.
We are living Advent hope.

So as we have lit the first candle today,
Let that small flame of faith wake us up—
Wake us up to what God is doing
And to what God is still wanting to do.

To have us walk in the light, to live with courage,
And to keep hope alive for ourselves,
For our world, for one another.

I invite us all to take a big, deep breath in

Giving thanks for life and for this day,
And then remembering that breath that God gives us.
Remember God’s promise of hope.
It is still alive in us.
In that breath that we take in,
Hope is alive in us.

And friends, we are a people of faith, hope, and love.
And so we profess together now
In the Apostles’ Creed, what we believe:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of Heaven and Earth,
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
Born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into Hell.
On the third day, He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into Heaven
And is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty.
From there, He will come to judge the living and the dead.

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.

And now it is with that faith, hope, and love
That we bring our many needs and cares
For one another and the world and place them before God.

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

For all members of the clergy,
As we enter this Advent season,
May their words of Christ’s peace and love
For all people be heard around the world.
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who are overly busy
Preparing for the celebration of Christmas,
May they find moments for gratitude,
Prayer, and reflection
On God’s beautiful gift of Christ’s Birth.
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord, hear our prayer.

For the youth of Mercy Home,
May this Advent season be a safe and holy time in their lives.
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord, hear our prayer.

For those living in oppression and poverty,
May the compassion and generosity of others
During this season of giving
Bring them hope and opportunity for an improved life.
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord, hear our prayer.

And loving God,
As we are in this time of waiting and hope,
Strengthen us, trusting that You hear our many needs
Spoken out loud and held in our hearts
As we pray through Christ our Lord.
-Amen.

∫ [Piano music] ∫

Blessed are You, Lord, God of all creation.
Through Your goodness we have bread to offer
Which Earth has given, human hands have made.
May it become for us the Bread of Life.
Blessed be God forever.

Blessed are You, Lord, God of all creation.
Through Your goodness we have this wine to offer,
Fruit of the vine, work of human hands.
May it become our spiritual drink.
Blessed be God forever.

Lord, wash away my iniquities and cleanse me of all sin.

∫ [Piano music continues] ∫

We pray now in faith that the gifts of bread and wine
Offered be acceptable to our almighty and loving God.

May the Lord accept the sacrifice at our hands
For the praise and glory of God’s Name,
For our good and the good of all God’s Holy Church.

Accept, we pray, O Lord, these offerings that we make,
Gathered from among Your gifts to us.
And may what You grant us to celebrate devoutly here below
Gain for us the prize one day of eternal redemption.
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, almighty and eternal God,
Through Christ our Lord.

For He assumed at His First Coming
The lowliness of human flesh,
And so fulfilled the design You formed long ago
And opened for us the way to eternal salvation,
That when He comes again in glory and majesty,
And all is at last made manifest,
We who watch for that day may inherit the great promise
In which now we dare to hope.

And so with all the Angels and Saints,
With all the Hosts and Powers of Heaven,
We sing this hymn to Your glory:

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ 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,
That they may become for us the Body and Blood
Of our Lord Jesus Christ.

At the time He was betrayed
And entered willingly into His Passion,
He took bread and, giving thanks, broke it.
He gave it to the disciples saying,
“Take this, all of you, eat of it.
This is My Body given up for you.”

In a similar way, when the supper ended,
He took the chalice and once more giving thanks,
He gave it to the disciples saying,
“Take this, all of you, drink from it,
For this is the chalice of My Blood,
The Blood of the new and eternal Covenant.
It will be poured out for you and for many
For the forgiveness of sin.
Do this in memory of Me.”

The Mystery of our Faith.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ When we eat this bread and drink this cup ∫
∫ We proclaim Your death, O Lord, ∫
∫ Until You come again. ∫

Therefore, as we celebrate now the memorial
Of His 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
And bring her to the fullness of charity,
Together with Leo, our Pope,
Blas… our Archbishop,
And all who minister in Your Church everywhere.

We pray for all who have died in Your mercy.
Welcome them into the light of Your face.

Have mercy on us all, we pray,
That with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
With Joseph, her spouse,
With the blessed Apostles and all the Saints
Who have pleased You throughout the ages,
We may merit to be co-heirs to eternal life,
And one day there praise and glorify You
Through Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Through Him, with Him, and in Him,
O God, Almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
All glory and honor are Yours forever and ever.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ Amen, Amen, Amen. ∫

We pray now as disciples of Jesus, as He taught us:

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,
And graciously grant us peace this day.
In Your mercy, keep us free from sin.
Protect us from anxiety and despair,
As we await the blessed hope,
The coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are Yours,
Now and forever.

Lord Jesus Christ, 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.

We acknowledge each other with some gesture of peace.

And friends, from all of us here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls,
To all of you at home,
We extend the peace of Christ.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ 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. ∫

We behold now in faith, Jesus,
The One who gives us our Advent hope,
Strengthened are we as we share the Supper now of the Lamb.

-Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof,
But only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

May the Body of Christ, may the Blood of Christ
Keep us safe for everlasting life.
-Amen.

∫ [Piano music] ∫

For those of you at home,
Please turn to page six in your TV Mass guide
And join in singing our Communion song, “Like a Bird.”

∫ [Piano music] ∫

∫ Like a bird that spreads her wings ∫
∫ To gather in her young, ∫
∫ So You open wide Your arms ∫
∫ To gather in Your own. ∫
∫ For our free response You wait, ∫
∫ Early morning, noon and late. ∫
∫ Come and wake us, ∫
∫ Come and wake us, ∫
∫ Come and wake us to Your welcome. ∫
∫ Maranatha, come. ∫

∫ [Piano music] ∫

∫ From the ends of Earth You call ∫
∫ Your sons and daughters home, ∫
∫ Saying, “Gather now from far and near, ∫
∫ My people, come.” ∫
∫ For our simple trust You yearn, ∫
∫ Till at last in love we turn. ∫
∫ Come and wake us, ∫
∫ Come and wake us, ∫
∫ Come and wake us to Your welcome. ∫
∫ Maranatha, come. ∫

We pray, may these Mysteries, O Lord,
In which we have participated, profit us.
For even now, as we walk amid passing things,
You teach us by them to love the things of Heaven
And hold fast to what truly endures
Through Christ our Lord.
-Amen.

During this beautiful season of Advent,
We offer our continued prayer for the children
Of Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
I invite you to join me in the prayer:

Our Lady of Mercy,
We pray that You will guide, protect,
And bless all boys and girls who this day
Have a home called Mercy.

May they find the Father’s Mercy
As we offer them our hearts
In the Name of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
May they see God’s Mercy in action
Through our love, prayers, and sacrifices.

And once again, I remind you, as we go through the day,
To take that deep breath in, to give thanks to God
For the breath of life that we are given this day,
And also in that breath to see that Hope is alive
In each and every one of us.

The Lord be with you.
-And with your Spirit.

We bow our heads and ask God’s blessing as we go forward.

As we begin this season of Advent,
As we have lit the first candle on our wreath,
We ask You, God, to give us wisdom, courage, and strength
To always be signs of Your love, Your presence,
Your Hope in the darkness of our world.

We go forward to live out Faith, Hope, and Love
In the Name of the Father,
And of the Son,
And of the Holy Spirit.
-Amen.

We go in peace to love and serve God
By our continued care for each other.
-Thanks be to God.

∫ [Piano music] ∫

∫ Come, you thankful people, come, ∫
∫ Raise the song of harvest home. ∫
∫ All is safely gathered in ∫
∫ Ere the winter storms begin. ∫
∫ God, our Maker, does provide ∫
∫ For our wants to be supplied… ∫

Hello, my friends.
As you know, as I know,
This TV ministry at Mercy Home is so important.
It allows us to gather wherever you may be
To participate in the Prayer of the Church.

It allows us to pray for one another—
And how important it is.
It allows you and me to pray for the children
Here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.

We’re nourished by our presence together
And by the celebration of the Eucharist.

I just want to take this opportunity
To thank you so very much
For the ways in which you support this Mass
Here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.

Please consider doing that going forward as well.

May God bless you and your family and your friends
For all you do for the TV Mass
At Mercy Home, and for our children.

∫ [Piano music] ∫

The music for the broadcast of Sunday Mass at Mercy Home
Is generously provided by G-I-A Publications, Incorporated,
And its World Library Publications division.

∫ [Piano music] ∫

∫ [Piano music] ∫
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 First Sunday of Advent.

My name is Dan Riley.
I am joined by Tom McNamara and Maudette Carr.
And our celebrant is Father Carl Morello.

∫ Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty. ∫
∫ Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee. ∫
∫ Holy, Holy, Holy, merciful and mighty. ∫
∫ God in three Persons, Blessed Trinity. ∫

In the name of the Father
And of the Son
And of the Holy Spirit.
-Amen.

The grace, the peace, the love of God be with each of you.
-And with your Spirit.

On this First Sunday of Advent
We remember that we wait with hope in the coming of God
Who is with us and coming for us.

And so, trusting in God’s mercy and love,
We call to mind our sins.

Lord Jesus, You came as the Son of God and the Son of Mary.
Lord, have mercy.
-Lord, have mercy.

Christ Jesus, You come with reconciliation and healing for all sinners.
Christ, have mercy.
-Christ, have mercy.

And Lord Jesus, out of love You gather us around this table
Where You strengthen us today
In the gifts of faith, hope, and love.
Lord, have mercy.
-Lord, have mercy.

May Almighty God, who loves us, have mercy on us,
Forgive us any of our sins, and one day bring us
To the promise and joy of everlasting life.
-Amen.

Let us pray.

Grant Your faithful, we pray, Almighty God,
The resolve to run forth to meet Your Christ
With righteous deeds at His coming,
So that gathered at His right hand they may be worthy
To possess the heavenly Kingdom.

Through our Lord, Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God forever and ever.
-Amen.

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.

This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz,
Saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

In days to come, the mountain of the Lord’s house
Shall be established as the highest mountain
And raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it;
Many peoples shall come and say:

“Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain, to the house
Of the God of Jacob, that He may instruct us
In His ways, and we may walk in His paths.”

For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

He shall judge between the nations
And impose terms on many peoples.

They shall beat their swords into plowshares
And their spears into pruning hooks.
One nation shall not raise the sword against another,
Nor shall they train for war again.

O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

The word of the Lord.
-Thanks be to God.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ Let us go rejoicing to the house, ∫
∫ To the house of the Lord. ∫
∫ Let us go rejoicing to the house, ∫
∫ To the house of the Lord. ∫
∫ I rejoiced when they said to me, ∫
∫ “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” ∫
∫ And now our feet are standing ∫
∫ Within your gates, O Jerusalem. ∫
∫ Let us go rejoicing to the house, ∫
∫ To the house of the Lord. ∫

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans.

Brothers and sisters:
You know the time;
It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep.

For our salvation is nearer now
Than when we first believed;

The night is advanced, the day is at hand.
Let us then throw off the works of darkness
And put on the armor of light;

Let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day

Not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and lust,
Not in rivalry and jealousy.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ,
And make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

The word of the Lord.
-Thanks be to God.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ∫
∫ Show us, Lord, Your love; ∫
∫ And grant us Your salvation. ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ∫

Brothers and sisters in faith, the Lord be with you.
-And with your Spirit.

This is a reading now from the Holy Gospel
According to Matthew.
-Glory to You, O Lord.

Jesus said to His disciples,
“As it was in the days of Noah,
So it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

In those days before the flood,
They were eating and drinking,
Marrying, and giving in marriage,
Up to the day that Noah entered the ark.

They did not know until the flood came
And carried them all away.
So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.

Two men will be out in the field,
One will be taken, and one will be left.

Two women will be grinding at the mill,
One will be taken, and one will be left.

Therefore, stay awake.
Stay awake.

For you do not know on which day the Lord will come.

Be sure of this:
If the master of the house had known the hour of night
When the thief was coming,
He would have stayed awake
And not let his house be broken into.

So, too, you must be prepared,
For at an hour you do not expect,
The Son of Man will come.”

The Gospel of the Lord.
-Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.

Stay awake.
Stay awake to the hope that is offered to us
In the readings today.

But do you ever feel as if hope is stuck in the murk
Of all the problems that we face in our country today,
In the world, even within the Church?

This First Sunday of Advent reminds us
That we are back in this time
Of waiting, of watching, of hope.

But this is not the kind of waiting that we do in traffic
Or sitting at the doctor’s office.

Advent waiting is active waiting.
Active waiting.
It’s hopeful.

It’s the kind of waiting that looks toward
The future with trust—
Trust that God is at work even when it feels
Like we are living in uncertain times
And hope may feel uncertain.

And so we look at the First Reading today from Isaiah.
He gives us this stunning vision:

We hear, “They shall beat their swords into plowshares.
One nation shall not rise against another.”

This is a dream of peace,
Of people walking together in God’s light.

We need to recall that this reading from Isaiah,
When he spoke these words,
He was speaking to a world torn by fear and conflict,
Not so much different from our world today.

And yet he still dared to believe that God’s promise
Was stronger than the words of division.

And this is what Advent hope looks like:
Trusting that peace—peace in our day—is possible
Because God is faithful.

And then in the Gospel, Jesus clearly says:
“Stay awake, because you do not know
Which day the Lord will come.”

He isn’t saying this to make us feel fear—
He’s urging us to pay attention,
To notice now that God is already showing up
In that kind word, in forgiveness offered,
In the quiet strength someone shows
Trying to work toward peace, never giving up.

A favorite Saint of mine, Augustine, once said:
“Hope has two beautiful daughters, anger and courage.
Anger at the way things are,
And courage to see that they don’t remain that way.”

That is real Advent hope.
It’s not wishful thinking,
But courage that leads to action.

And so when we work for peace,
When we comfort the lonely,
When we keep ourselves believing
That love is stronger than hate,
We are living Advent hope.
We are living Advent hope.

So as we have lit the first candle today,
Let that small flame of faith wake us up—
Wake us up to what God is doing
And to what God is still wanting to do.

To have us walk in the light, to live with courage,
And to keep hope alive for ourselves,
For our world, for one another.

I invite us all to take a big, deep breath in

Giving thanks for life and for this day,
And then remembering that breath that God gives us.
Remember God’s promise of hope.
It is still alive in us.
In that breath that we take in,
Hope is alive in us.

And friends, we are a people of faith, hope, and love.
And so we profess together now
In the Apostles’ Creed, what we believe:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of Heaven and Earth,
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
Born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into Hell.
On the third day, He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into Heaven
And is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty.
From there, He will come to judge the living and the dead.

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.

And now it is with that faith, hope, and love
That we bring our many needs and cares
For one another and the world and place them before God.

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

For all members of the clergy,
As we enter this Advent season,
May their words of Christ’s peace and love
For all people be heard around the world.
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who are overly busy
Preparing for the celebration of Christmas,
May they find moments for gratitude,
Prayer, and reflection
On God’s beautiful gift of Christ’s Birth.
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord, hear our prayer.

For the youth of Mercy Home,
May this Advent season be a safe and holy time in their lives.
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord, hear our prayer.

For those living in oppression and poverty,
May the compassion and generosity of others
During this season of giving
Bring them hope and opportunity for an improved life.
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord, hear our prayer.

And loving God,
As we are in this time of waiting and hope,
Strengthen us, trusting that You hear our many needs
Spoken out loud and held in our hearts
As we pray through Christ our Lord.
-Amen.

∫ [Piano music] ∫

Blessed are You, Lord, God of all creation.
Through Your goodness we have bread to offer
Which Earth has given, human hands have made.
May it become for us the Bread of Life.
Blessed be God forever.

Blessed are You, Lord, God of all creation.
Through Your goodness we have this wine to offer,
Fruit of the vine, work of human hands.
May it become our spiritual drink.
Blessed be God forever.

Lord, wash away my iniquities and cleanse me of all sin.

∫ [Piano music continues] ∫

We pray now in faith that the gifts of bread and wine
Offered be acceptable to our almighty and loving God.

May the Lord accept the sacrifice at our hands
For the praise and glory of God’s Name,
For our good and the good of all God’s Holy Church.

Accept, we pray, O Lord, these offerings that we make,
Gathered from among Your gifts to us.
And may what You grant us to celebrate devoutly here below
Gain for us the prize one day of eternal redemption.
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, almighty and eternal God,
Through Christ our Lord.

For He assumed at His First Coming
The lowliness of human flesh,
And so fulfilled the design You formed long ago
And opened for us the way to eternal salvation,
That when He comes again in glory and majesty,
And all is at last made manifest,
We who watch for that day may inherit the great promise
In which now we dare to hope.

And so with all the Angels and Saints,
With all the Hosts and Powers of Heaven,
We sing this hymn to Your glory:

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ 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,
That they may become for us the Body and Blood
Of our Lord Jesus Christ.

At the time He was betrayed
And entered willingly into His Passion,
He took bread and, giving thanks, broke it.
He gave it to the disciples saying,
“Take this, all of you, eat of it.
This is My Body given up for you.”

In a similar way, when the supper ended,
He took the chalice and once more giving thanks,
He gave it to the disciples saying,
“Take this, all of you, drink from it,
For this is the chalice of My Blood,
The Blood of the new and eternal Covenant.
It will be poured out for you and for many
For the forgiveness of sin.
Do this in memory of Me.”

The Mystery of our Faith.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ When we eat this bread and drink this cup ∫
∫ We proclaim Your death, O Lord, ∫
∫ Until You come again. ∫

Therefore, as we celebrate now the memorial
Of His 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
And bring her to the fullness of charity,
Together with Leo, our Pope,
Blas… our Archbishop,
And all who minister in Your Church everywhere.

We pray for all who have died in Your mercy.
Welcome them into the light of Your face.

Have mercy on us all, we pray,
That with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
With Joseph, her spouse,
With the blessed Apostles and all the Saints
Who have pleased You throughout the ages,
We may merit to be co-heirs to eternal life,
And one day there praise and glorify You
Through Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Through Him, with Him, and in Him,
O God, Almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
All glory and honor are Yours forever and ever.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ Amen, Amen, Amen. ∫

We pray now as disciples of Jesus, as He taught us:

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,
And graciously grant us peace this day.
In Your mercy, keep us free from sin.
Protect us from anxiety and despair,
As we await the blessed hope,
The coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are Yours,
Now and forever.

Lord Jesus Christ, 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.

We acknowledge each other with some gesture of peace.

And friends, from all of us here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls,
To all of you at home,
We extend the peace of Christ.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ 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. ∫

We behold now in faith, Jesus,
The One who gives us our Advent hope,
Strengthened are we as we share the Supper now of the Lamb.

-Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof,
But only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

May the Body of Christ, may the Blood of Christ
Keep us safe for everlasting life.
-Amen.

∫ [Piano music] ∫

For those of you at home,
Please turn to page six in your TV Mass guide
And join in singing our Communion song, “Like a Bird.”

∫ [Piano music] ∫

∫ Like a bird that spreads her wings ∫
∫ To gather in her young, ∫
∫ So You open wide Your arms ∫
∫ To gather in Your own. ∫
∫ For our free response You wait, ∫
∫ Early morning, noon and late. ∫
∫ Come and wake us, ∫
∫ Come and wake us, ∫
∫ Come and wake us to Your welcome. ∫
∫ Maranatha, come. ∫

∫ [Piano music] ∫

∫ From the ends of Earth You call ∫
∫ Your sons and daughters home, ∫
∫ Saying, “Gather now from far and near, ∫
∫ My people, come.” ∫
∫ For our simple trust You yearn, ∫
∫ Till at last in love we turn. ∫
∫ Come and wake us, ∫
∫ Come and wake us, ∫
∫ Come and wake us to Your welcome. ∫
∫ Maranatha, come. ∫

We pray, may these Mysteries, O Lord,
In which we have participated, profit us.
For even now, as we walk amid passing things,
You teach us by them to love the things of Heaven
And hold fast to what truly endures
Through Christ our Lord.
-Amen.

During this beautiful season of Advent,
We offer our continued prayer for the children
Of Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
I invite you to join me in the prayer:

Our Lady of Mercy,
We pray that You will guide, protect,
And bless all boys and girls who this day
Have a home called Mercy.

May they find the Father’s Mercy
As we offer them our hearts
In the Name of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
May they see God’s Mercy in action
Through our love, prayers, and sacrifices.

And once again, I remind you, as we go through the day,
To take that deep breath in, to give thanks to God
For the breath of life that we are given this day,
And also in that breath to see that Hope is alive
In each and every one of us.

The Lord be with you.
-And with your Spirit.

We bow our heads and ask God’s blessing as we go forward.

As we begin this season of Advent,
As we have lit the first candle on our wreath,
We ask You, God, to give us wisdom, courage, and strength
To always be signs of Your love, Your presence,
Your Hope in the darkness of our world.

We go forward to live out Faith, Hope, and Love
In the Name of the Father,
And of the Son,
And of the Holy Spirit.
-Amen.

We go in peace to love and serve God
By our continued care for each other.
-Thanks be to God.

∫ [Piano music] ∫

∫ Come, you thankful people, come, ∫
∫ Raise the song of harvest home. ∫
∫ All is safely gathered in ∫
∫ Ere the winter storms begin. ∫
∫ God, our Maker, does provide ∫
∫ For our wants to be supplied… ∫

Hello, my friends.
As you know, as I know,
This TV ministry at Mercy Home is so important.
It allows us to gather wherever you may be
To participate in the Prayer of the Church.

It allows us to pray for one another—
And how important it is.
It allows you and me to pray for the children
Here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.

We’re nourished by our presence together
And by the celebration of the Eucharist.

I just want to take this opportunity
To thank you so very much
For the ways in which you support this Mass
Here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.

Please consider doing that going forward as well.

May God bless you and your family and your friends
For all you do for the TV Mass
At Mercy Home, and for our children.

∫ [Piano music] ∫

The music for the broadcast of Sunday Mass at Mercy Home
Is generously provided by G-I-A Publications, Incorporated,
And its World Library Publications division.

∫ [Piano music] ∫

∫ [Piano music] ∫
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 First Sunday of Advent.

My name is Dan Riley.
I am joined by Tom McNamara and Maudette Carr.
And our celebrant is Father Carl Morello.

∫ Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty. ∫
∫ Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee. ∫
∫ Holy, Holy, Holy, merciful and mighty. ∫
∫ God in three Persons, Blessed Trinity. ∫

In the name of the Father
And of the Son
And of the Holy Spirit.
-Amen.

The grace, the peace, the love of God be with each of you.
-And with your Spirit.

On this First Sunday of Advent
We remember that we wait with hope in the coming of God
Who is with us and coming for us.

And so, trusting in God’s mercy and love,
We call to mind our sins.

Lord Jesus, You came as the Son of God and the Son of Mary.
Lord, have mercy.
-Lord, have mercy.

Christ Jesus, You come with reconciliation and healing for all sinners.
Christ, have mercy.
-Christ, have mercy.

And Lord Jesus, out of love You gather us around this table
Where You strengthen us today
In the gifts of faith, hope, and love.
Lord, have mercy.
-Lord, have mercy.

May Almighty God, who loves us, have mercy on us,
Forgive us any of our sins, and one day bring us
To the promise and joy of everlasting life.
-Amen.

Let us pray.

Grant Your faithful, we pray, Almighty God,
The resolve to run forth to meet Your Christ
With righteous deeds at His coming,
So that gathered at His right hand they may be worthy
To possess the heavenly Kingdom.

Through our Lord, Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God forever and ever.
-Amen.

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.

This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz,
Saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

In days to come, the mountain of the Lord’s house
Shall be established as the highest mountain
And raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it;
Many peoples shall come and say:

“Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain, to the house
Of the God of Jacob, that He may instruct us
In His ways, and we may walk in His paths.”

For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

He shall judge between the nations
And impose terms on many peoples.

They shall beat their swords into plowshares
And their spears into pruning hooks.
One nation shall not raise the sword against another,
Nor shall they train for war again.

O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

The word of the Lord.
-Thanks be to God.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ Let us go rejoicing to the house, ∫
∫ To the house of the Lord. ∫
∫ Let us go rejoicing to the house, ∫
∫ To the house of the Lord. ∫
∫ I rejoiced when they said to me, ∫
∫ “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” ∫
∫ And now our feet are standing ∫
∫ Within your gates, O Jerusalem. ∫
∫ Let us go rejoicing to the house, ∫
∫ To the house of the Lord. ∫

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans.

Brothers and sisters:
You know the time;
It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep.

For our salvation is nearer now
Than when we first believed;

The night is advanced, the day is at hand.
Let us then throw off the works of darkness
And put on the armor of light;

Let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day

Not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and lust,
Not in rivalry and jealousy.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ,
And make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

The word of the Lord.
-Thanks be to God.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ∫
∫ Show us, Lord, Your love; ∫
∫ And grant us Your salvation. ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ∫

Brothers and sisters in faith, the Lord be with you.
-And with your Spirit.

This is a reading now from the Holy Gospel
According to Matthew.
-Glory to You, O Lord.

Jesus said to His disciples,
“As it was in the days of Noah,
So it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

In those days before the flood,
They were eating and drinking,
Marrying, and giving in marriage,
Up to the day that Noah entered the ark.

They did not know until the flood came
And carried them all away.
So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.

Two men will be out in the field,
One will be taken, and one will be left.

Two women will be grinding at the mill,
One will be taken, and one will be left.

Therefore, stay awake.
Stay awake.

For you do not know on which day the Lord will come.

Be sure of this:
If the master of the house had known the hour of night
When the thief was coming,
He would have stayed awake
And not let his house be broken into.

So, too, you must be prepared,
For at an hour you do not expect,
The Son of Man will come.”

The Gospel of the Lord.
-Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.

Stay awake.
Stay awake to the hope that is offered to us
In the readings today.

But do you ever feel as if hope is stuck in the murk
Of all the problems that we face in our country today,
In the world, even within the Church?

This First Sunday of Advent reminds us
That we are back in this time
Of waiting, of watching, of hope.

But this is not the kind of waiting that we do in traffic
Or sitting at the doctor’s office.

Advent waiting is active waiting.
Active waiting.
It’s hopeful.

It’s the kind of waiting that looks toward
The future with trust—
Trust that God is at work even when it feels
Like we are living in uncertain times
And hope may feel uncertain.

And so we look at the First Reading today from Isaiah.
He gives us this stunning vision:

We hear, “They shall beat their swords into plowshares.
One nation shall not rise against another.”

This is a dream of peace,
Of people walking together in God’s light.

We need to recall that this reading from Isaiah,
When he spoke these words,
He was speaking to a world torn by fear and conflict,
Not so much different from our world today.

And yet he still dared to believe that God’s promise
Was stronger than the words of division.

And this is what Advent hope looks like:
Trusting that peace—peace in our day—is possible
Because God is faithful.

And then in the Gospel, Jesus clearly says:
“Stay awake, because you do not know
Which day the Lord will come.”

He isn’t saying this to make us feel fear—
He’s urging us to pay attention,
To notice now that God is already showing up
In that kind word, in forgiveness offered,
In the quiet strength someone shows
Trying to work toward peace, never giving up.

A favorite Saint of mine, Augustine, once said:
“Hope has two beautiful daughters, anger and courage.
Anger at the way things are,
And courage to see that they don’t remain that way.”

That is real Advent hope.
It’s not wishful thinking,
But courage that leads to action.

And so when we work for peace,
When we comfort the lonely,
When we keep ourselves believing
That love is stronger than hate,
We are living Advent hope.
We are living Advent hope.

So as we have lit the first candle today,
Let that small flame of faith wake us up—
Wake us up to what God is doing
And to what God is still wanting to do.

To have us walk in the light, to live with courage,
And to keep hope alive for ourselves,
For our world, for one another.

I invite us all to take a big, deep breath in

Giving thanks for life and for this day,
And then remembering that breath that God gives us.
Remember God’s promise of hope.
It is still alive in us.
In that breath that we take in,
Hope is alive in us.

And friends, we are a people of faith, hope, and love.
And so we profess together now
In the Apostles’ Creed, what we believe:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of Heaven and Earth,
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
Born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into Hell.
On the third day, He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into Heaven
And is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty.
From there, He will come to judge the living and the dead.

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.

And now it is with that faith, hope, and love
That we bring our many needs and cares
For one another and the world and place them before God.

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

For all members of the clergy,
As we enter this Advent season,
May their words of Christ’s peace and love
For all people be heard around the world.
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who are overly busy
Preparing for the celebration of Christmas,
May they find moments for gratitude,
Prayer, and reflection
On God’s beautiful gift of Christ’s Birth.
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord, hear our prayer.

For the youth of Mercy Home,
May this Advent season be a safe and holy time in their lives.
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord, hear our prayer.

For those living in oppression and poverty,
May the compassion and generosity of others
During this season of giving
Bring them hope and opportunity for an improved life.
We pray to the Lord.
-Lord, hear our prayer.

And loving God,
As we are in this time of waiting and hope,
Strengthen us, trusting that You hear our many needs
Spoken out loud and held in our hearts
As we pray through Christ our Lord.
-Amen.

∫ [Piano music] ∫

Blessed are You, Lord, God of all creation.
Through Your goodness we have bread to offer
Which Earth has given, human hands have made.
May it become for us the Bread of Life.
Blessed be God forever.

Blessed are You, Lord, God of all creation.
Through Your goodness we have this wine to offer,
Fruit of the vine, work of human hands.
May it become our spiritual drink.
Blessed be God forever.

Lord, wash away my iniquities and cleanse me of all sin.

∫ [Piano music continues] ∫

We pray now in faith that the gifts of bread and wine
Offered be acceptable to our almighty and loving God.

May the Lord accept the sacrifice at our hands
For the praise and glory of God’s Name,
For our good and the good of all God’s Holy Church.

Accept, we pray, O Lord, these offerings that we make,
Gathered from among Your gifts to us.
And may what You grant us to celebrate devoutly here below
Gain for us the prize one day of eternal redemption.
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, almighty and eternal God,
Through Christ our Lord.

For He assumed at His First Coming
The lowliness of human flesh,
And so fulfilled the design You formed long ago
And opened for us the way to eternal salvation,
That when He comes again in glory and majesty,
And all is at last made manifest,
We who watch for that day may inherit the great promise
In which now we dare to hope.

And so with all the Angels and Saints,
With all the Hosts and Powers of Heaven,
We sing this hymn to Your glory:

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ 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,
That they may become for us the Body and Blood
Of our Lord Jesus Christ.

At the time He was betrayed
And entered willingly into His Passion,
He took bread and, giving thanks, broke it.
He gave it to the disciples saying,
“Take this, all of you, eat of it.
This is My Body given up for you.”

In a similar way, when the supper ended,
He took the chalice and once more giving thanks,
He gave it to the disciples saying,
“Take this, all of you, drink from it,
For this is the chalice of My Blood,
The Blood of the new and eternal Covenant.
It will be poured out for you and for many
For the forgiveness of sin.
Do this in memory of Me.”

The Mystery of our Faith.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ When we eat this bread and drink this cup ∫
∫ We proclaim Your death, O Lord, ∫
∫ Until You come again. ∫

Therefore, as we celebrate now the memorial
Of His 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
And bring her to the fullness of charity,
Together with Leo, our Pope,
Blas… our Archbishop,
And all who minister in Your Church everywhere.

We pray for all who have died in Your mercy.
Welcome them into the light of Your face.

Have mercy on us all, we pray,
That with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
With Joseph, her spouse,
With the blessed Apostles and all the Saints
Who have pleased You throughout the ages,
We may merit to be co-heirs to eternal life,
And one day there praise and glorify You
Through Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Through Him, with Him, and in Him,
O God, Almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
All glory and honor are Yours forever and ever.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ Amen, Amen, Amen. ∫

We pray now as disciples of Jesus, as He taught us:

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,
And graciously grant us peace this day.
In Your mercy, keep us free from sin.
Protect us from anxiety and despair,
As we await the blessed hope,
The coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are Yours,
Now and forever.

Lord Jesus Christ, 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.

We acknowledge each other with some gesture of peace.

And friends, from all of us here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls,
To all of you at home,
We extend the peace of Christ.

∫ [Piano music] ∫
∫ 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. ∫

We behold now in faith, Jesus,
The One who gives us our Advent hope,
Strengthened are we as we share the Supper now of the Lamb.

-Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof,
But only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

May the Body of Christ, may the Blood of Christ
Keep us safe for everlasting life.
-Amen.

∫ [Piano music] ∫

For those of you at home,
Please turn to page six in your TV Mass guide
And join in singing our Communion song, “Like a Bird.”

∫ [Piano music] ∫

∫ Like a bird that spreads her wings ∫
∫ To gather in her young, ∫
∫ So You open wide Your arms ∫
∫ To gather in Your own. ∫
∫ For our free response You wait, ∫
∫ Early morning, noon and late. ∫
∫ Come and wake us, ∫
∫ Come and wake us, ∫
∫ Come and wake us to Your welcome. ∫
∫ Maranatha, come. ∫

∫ [Piano music] ∫

∫ From the ends of Earth You call ∫
∫ Your sons and daughters home, ∫
∫ Saying, “Gather now from far and near, ∫
∫ My people, come.” ∫
∫ For our simple trust You yearn, ∫
∫ Till at last in love we turn. ∫
∫ Come and wake us, ∫
∫ Come and wake us, ∫
∫ Come and wake us to Your welcome. ∫
∫ Maranatha, come. ∫

We pray, may these Mysteries, O Lord,
In which we have participated, profit us.
For even now, as we walk amid passing things,
You teach us by them to love the things of Heaven
And hold fast to what truly endures
Through Christ our Lord.
-Amen.

During this beautiful season of Advent,
We offer our continued prayer for the children
Of Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
I invite you to join me in the prayer:

Our Lady of Mercy,
We pray that You will guide, protect,
And bless all boys and girls who this day
Have a home called Mercy.

May they find the Father’s Mercy
As we offer them our hearts
In the Name of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
May they see God’s Mercy in action
Through our love, prayers, and sacrifices.

And once again, I remind you, as we go through the day,
To take that deep breath in, to give thanks to God
For the breath of life that we are given this day,
And also in that breath to see that Hope is alive
In each and every one of us.

The Lord be with you.
-And with your Spirit.

We bow our heads and ask God’s blessing as we go forward.

As we begin this season of Advent,
As we have lit the first candle on our wreath,
We ask You, God, to give us wisdom, courage, and strength
To always be signs of Your love, Your presence,
Your Hope in the darkness of our world.

We go forward to live out Faith, Hope, and Love
In the Name of the Father,
And of the Son,
And of the Holy Spirit.
-Amen.

We go in peace to love and serve God
By our continued care for each other.
-Thanks be to God.

∫ [Piano music] ∫

∫ Come, you thankful people, come, ∫
∫ Raise the song of harvest home. ∫
∫ All is safely gathered in ∫
∫ Ere the winter storms begin. ∫
∫ God, our Maker, does provide ∫
∫ For our wants to be supplied… ∫

Hello, my friends.
As you know, as I know,
This TV ministry at Mercy Home is so important.
It allows us to gather wherever you may be
To participate in the Prayer of the Church.

It allows us to pray for one another—
And how important it is.
It allows you and me to pray for the children
Here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.

We’re nourished by our presence together
And by the celebration of the Eucharist.

I just want to take this opportunity
To thank you so very much
For the ways in which you support this Mass
Here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.

Please consider doing that going forward as well.

May God bless you and your family and your friends
For all you do for the TV Mass
At Mercy Home, and for our children.

∫ [Piano music] ∫

The music for the broadcast of Sunday Mass at Mercy Home
Is generously provided by G-I-A Publications, Incorporated,
And its World Library Publications division.

∫ [Piano music] ∫

Stay awake.
Stay awake to the hope that is offered to us
In the readings today.

But do you ever feel as if hope is stuck in the murk
Of all the problems that we face in our country today,
In the world, even within the Church?

This First Sunday of Advent reminds us
That we are back in this time
Of waiting, of watching, of hope.

But this is not the kind of waiting that we do in traffic
Or sitting at the doctor’s office.

Advent waiting is active waiting.
Active waiting.
It’s hopeful.

It’s the kind of waiting that looks toward
The future with trust—
Trust that God is at work even when it feels
Like we are living in uncertain times
And hope may feel uncertain.

And so we look at the First Reading today from Isaiah.
He gives us this stunning vision:

We hear, “They shall beat their swords into plowshares.
One nation shall not rise against another.”

This is a dream of peace,
Of people walking together in God’s light.

We need to recall that this reading from Isaiah,
When he spoke these words,
He was speaking to a world torn by fear and conflict,
Not so much different from our world today.

And yet he still dared to believe that God’s promise
Was stronger than the words of division.

And this is what Advent hope looks like:
Trusting that peace—peace in our day—is possible
Because God is faithful.

And then in the Gospel, Jesus clearly says:
“Stay awake, because you do not know
Which day the Lord will come.”

He isn’t saying this to make us feel fear—
He’s urging us to pay attention,
To notice now that God is already showing up
In that kind word, in forgiveness offered,
In the quiet strength someone shows
Trying to work toward peace, never giving up.

A favorite Saint of mine, Augustine, once said:
“Hope has two beautiful daughters, anger and courage.
Anger at the way things are,
And courage to see that they don’t remain that way.”

That is real Advent hope.
It’s not wishful thinking,
But courage that leads to action.

And so when we work for peace,
When we comfort the lonely,
When we keep ourselves believing
That love is stronger than hate,
We are living Advent hope.
We are living Advent hope.

So as we have lit the first candle today,
Let that small flame of faith wake us up—
Wake us up to what God is doing
And to what God is still wanting to do.

To have us walk in the light, to live with courage,
And to keep hope alive for ourselves,
For our world, for one another.

I invite us all to take a big, deep breath in

Giving thanks for life and for this day,
And then remembering that breath that God gives us.
Remember God’s promise of hope.
It is still alive in us.
In that breath that we take in,
Hope is alive in us.