Our God is the God of the living. As we remember the faithful departed today, we bring before the Lord of life the prayers of our heart.
We pray for Pope Leo and all the bishops and priests of our Church. May they sustained in their ministry of proclaiming the Gospel and shepherding the souls in their care.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for world leaders, that they may seek first the kingdom of heaven.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for our own faith community. May we receive a fresh outpouring of Christian hope in the eternal life that Christ promised.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for the sick of our parish and for all who have asked for our prayers.
We pray for those who have died recently and for those whose anniversaries occur at this time. May they find repose and rest in the pastures of the Lord.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
Psalm 26 (27)—CWB 469, 470
Numbers 21:4b–9
Psalm 78:1bc–2, 34–35, 35–37, 38
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
Philippians 2:6–11
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your Cross you have redeemed the world.
John 3:13–17
The Son of Man
must be lifted up.
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son. Confident in this love, we pray for our needs and the needs of the whole Church.
We pray for Pope [insert] and all the bishops and priests of our Church. May they boldly proclaim the death and resurrection of our Lord for all peoples.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for world leaders at all levels, but especially those who exercise power in our own country. May they make of their office a gift, so that they can serve others in love and contribute to the building of God’s kingdom.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for those who do not believe in the Gospel, especially among our families and communities. May they experience the love of the Father who gave his only Son.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for our own faith community. This jubilee year, may we strive to be pilgrims of hope and be a light shining for those in need.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for the sick of our parish and for all who have asked for our prayers.
We pray for those who have died recently and for those whose anniversaries occur at this time. May they be raised in the Spirit of Jesus to share eternal life with him.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
God of love, hear our prayers this day. May we see in the cross of your Son a sign of your unfailing love for us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
One of the most famous conversations Jesus has with anyone in the gospels is with the Pharisee called Nicodemus. Nicodemus, a leader in his circles, is fascinated with Jesus, and yet, for fear of social reprise, comes under the cover of night to meet with him. During their conversation, Jesus says some cryptic things, including about how ‘the Son of Man must be lifted up’ so that ‘everyone who believes may have eternal life’ (Jn 3:13-14). This is a veiled reference to his death on the cross.
As many have pointed out, this is a strange way to speak of one’s own crucifixion. In the ancient world, crucifixion was not a source of life or blessing or even a symbol of love. It was a symbol of horror, of what happens when a person defies Roman authority. Yet Jesus suggests the opposite: the most terrifying image in the world will be a sacrifice of love, a gift held up for the salvation of the world.
‘Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life’ (Jn 3:16). It can be uncomfortable to speak of people being ‘lost’ and in need of saving, yet Jesus’ words assume that the world is in such a situation.
The Church celebrates many different martyrs, those who have given up their life for the sake of the gospel.
In the Gospel reading Jesus uses the image of Moses lifting up the serpent in the desert to help us understand the cross. This story is recounted in Numbers 21:4-9, and everybody who looked upon the bronze serpent fashioned by Moses was healed of their venomous snakebite. Mysteriously, it is the symbol of their own affliction by which they are saved. Likewise, it is by Jesus entering into death and suffering, our own affliction, that we are saved.
Exaltation
Responsorial psalm (see music overview for Ordinary Time)
Gospel acclamation
John 3:13-17
Alleluia, Alleluia!
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you,
because by your cross you have redeemed the world.
Alleluia!
Procession of the gifts/offertory
Communion
Thanksgiving hymn/song/canticle (optional, sung by all)
Sending forth
Acts 3:1-10
What I have, I give to you: in the name of Jesus stand up and walk.
Psalm 18:2-5
R. Their message goes out through all the earth.
Galatians 1:11-20
God chose me while I was still in my mother's womb.
cf. John 21:17
Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.
John 21:15-19
Feed my lambs, feed my sheep.
The proper celebration of the liturgy, in accord with the norms of the Church, is essential to passing on the apostolic faith, since the rule of prayer (lex orandi) corresponds to her rule of belief (lex credendi).
Furthermore, the principle shall be respected according to which each particular Church must be in accord with the universal Church not only regarding the doctrine of the faith and sacramental signs, but also as to the usages universally handed down by apostolic and unbroken tradition. These are to be maintained not only so that errors may be avoided, but also so that the faith may be passed on in its integrity, since the Church’s rule of prayer (lex orandi) corresponds to her rule of belief (lex credendi).
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal §397
The solemnity of Sts Peter and Paul is a reminder of our solid apostolic foundations, and the need to remain faithful to the Word that has been handed on through the life of the Church.
The God of love, who founded his Church upon the ministry of the apostles, is with us. We pray confidently in Jesus’ name.
We pray for Pope Leo and all the bishops and priests of our Church. May the Holy Spirit keep them faithful to their apostolic mission to proclaim Christ as the Messiah, the Son of the living God, to all peoples.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for world leaders at all levels. May they seek not to their own interests but to do the will of the heavenly Father.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for those who do not believe in the Gospel. May the heavenly Father reveal in their hearts the saving truth of his Son.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for our own faith community. This jubilee year, may we strive to be pilgrims of hope and be a light shining for those in need.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for the sick of our parish and for all who have asked for our prayers.
We pray for those who have died recently and for those whose anniversaries occur at this time. May they be raised in the Spirit of Jesus to share eternal life with him.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
Heavenly Father, giver of all good things, you gave us your apostles as a firm foundation and a model of faith. Increase within us this faith, we ask, through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Matthew 16:18
Alleluia, Alleluia!
You are Peter, the rock on which I will build my Church; the gates of hell will not hold out against it.
Alleluia!
• In the Bible, when God changes someone’s name it is usually because they are being given a new mission.
• Both Peter and Paul had their names changed. Simon became Peter, and Saul became Paul.
• The Nicene Creed professes the Church to be one, holy, catholic and apostolic. No matter how distant we are from the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth, Christ is present to us still—in a special way through the sacramental ministry of bishops, the successors to the apostles, and their co-workers, the clergy.
Everything hinges upon one critical question: who is Jesus? The famous ‘trilemma’ of CS Lewis was that either Jesus was who he said he was—the Son of God—or he was a dangerous liar or madman. The only thing he could not be, Lewis argued, was simply a great moral teacher.
In today’s Gospel, Peter reaches this crucial juncture. While many of Jesus’ listeners at the time considered him a prophet, it was Peter who spoke up with the truth: ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ What did this mean? Perhaps Peter himself did not realise the full implications of those words, but Jesus affirmed them. He said it was the heavenly Father who had directly revealed this to Peter. This confession of Christ’s identity is the foundational claim of Christianity and is what energises the missionary activity of the apostles throughout the New Testament. After all, it was not something that came from them: it was news from heaven.
Knowing the proclamation of this truth would be spread far and wide, Jesus does something else significant: he establishes apostolic authority. He begins to form his visible body on earth, which he calls ‘my church’, and which no powers of evil would overcome.
• Explore the relationship between the ‘Petrine’ mission of the Church (the structure) and the ‘Pauline’ mission (the evangelical).
• How do they work together to preach the Gospel to all nations?
• People today have many different images or understandings of Jesus. Some, perhaps, have received no understanding at all. Explore some of the common depictions of Jesus in popular culture.
• Have you had a significant turning point in your journey with faith, like Peter had when questioned by Jesus?
• Has anything ever been revealed to you that you know didn’t come from you?
• Have you ever experienced resistance to your inquiry into Christian faith?
• In today’s other readings, we see the challenges and imprisonment of both Peter and Paul for preaching the Gospel, but they both show trust in Christ’s promise that the gates of Hades would not prevail against them. This week, make the words from the psalm your daily prayer:
‘The angel of the Lord is encamped around those who fear him, to rescue them. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed the warrior who seeks refuge in him’ (Ps 34:8-9).
‘The word “Church” (Latin ecclesia, from the Greek ek-ka-lein, to “call out of”) means a convocation or an assembly … The equivalent Greek term Kyiake, from which the English word Church and the German Kirche are derived, means “what belongs to the Lord”’ (CCC §751).
• The desire to belong is a basic need of the human heart. Explore where people find belonging today, and what might be drawing them away from belonging totally to the Lord.
Jesus does not promise his disciples an easy time. Consistent with God’s approach in the Old Testament, he is honest about the opposition the Church will face in the world. But the words of St Paul should be our own: ‘The Lord will rescue me from all evil attacks on me, and bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom’ (2 Tim 4:18).
• Talk about what it means to trust in the Lord.
• Explore the different struggles Christians might have in their journey of faith. These might be larger, more dramatic struggles, or deeply personal and daily struggles to live out the faith.
The image of Christ handing Peter the ‘keys of the kingdom’ is a powerful one.
• Explore what this means.
• You might like to refer to the Catechism: ‘The “power of the keys” designates authority to govern the house of God, which is the Church … The power to “bind and loose” connotes the authority to absolve sins, to pronounce doctrinal judgements, and to make disciplinary decisions in the Church’ (CCC §553).
Jesus says that the gates of Hades will not prevail against the Church. We often take this to mean that no power of evil will ultimately overcome the Church, and that is true. The Church belongs to Christ, who already proved that the powers of death and evil were futile against him. But the language here is not primarily of the Church being defensive. It would be a strange thing for somebody to attack with their ‘gates’. No: the powers of hell are on the defensive. Wherever the Church extends its reach, wherever it ‘binds and looses’ through the grace of the sacraments, a spiritual revolution takes place that liberates souls from the enemy’s dominion.
Practical ideas for group leaders to employ in connecting Scripture and daily life, with suggestions for music and environment
• To belong to the Church is to belong to the Lord. No powers, human or spiritual, can tear us away from him. How can we encourage others this week to have faith in God?
• Conclude with the prayer of blessing in the RCIA at §97C.