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Entrance

Responsorial psalm (see also music overview for Advent)

Common response (may be used all through Advent)

Gospel acclamation 

Luke 3:4, 6

Alleluia, Alleluia!
Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths:
all people shall see the salvation of God.
Alleluia!

Procession of the gifts/offertory 

Communion

Thanksgiving hymn/song/canticle (optional, sung by all)

Sending forth

Entrance

Responsorial psalm (see also music overview for Advent)

Common response (may be used all through Advent)

Gospel acclamation

Psalm 84:8

Alleluia, Alleluia!
Lord, show us your mercy and love,
and grant us your salvation.
Alleluia!

Procession of the gifts/offertory

Communion

Thanksgiving hymn/song/canticle (optional, sung by all)

Sending forth

Entrance

Responsorial psalm (see also the music recommendations tab)

Gospel acclamation (See Overview)

Mark 11:9, 10

Alleluia, Alleluia!
Blessed is he who inherits the kingdom of David our Father;
blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Alleluia!

Procession of the gifts/offertory 

Communion

Thanksgiving hymn/song/canticle (optional, sung by all)

Sending forth

Entrance

Responsorial psalm (see also the music recommendations tab)

Gospel acclamation 

Luke 21:36

Alleluia, Alleluia!
Be watchful and pray constantly,
that you may be worthy to stand before the Son of Man.
Alleluia!

Procession of the gifts/offertory 

Communion

Thanksgiving hymn/song/canticle (optional, sung by all)

Sending forth

Each year, the Church makes its pilgrimage to the cross and beyond—through the refining trials of the wilderness, to the heart-rending breakthrough of Calvary and into the expansive Easter hope that motivates and animates all that we do. This selection of useful and inspiring resources and articles from around the web has been collected to help you enter more deeply into the Lent and Easter seasons.

Lent in 3 minutes, produced by Busted Halo—a brief and engaging video explaining the basics of Lent 

The Pope’s messages for Lent, available in English and a range of other languages

What is Lent?—an overview of the season from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops 

Lent resources from Loyola Press, including:

Easter resources from Loyola Press, including Easter lesson plans for children and a range of Easter-themed articles

Paschale Solemnitatis—a circular letter concerning the preparation and celebration of the Easter feasts, from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 1988

The 2023 Triumph Lenten program from the Catholic Diocese of Wollongong—a popular and beautifully designed book of daily reflections for the season of Lent that can be ordered through the diocese’s website

From Ashes to Hope—a book of daily, Scripture-based reflections from Evangelisation Brisbane for Lent and Easter 2023, which can be ordered through their website and used by busy individuals or adapted for groups

The Jerusalemm Journey: the 2023 Lenten audio retreat from the popular Pray as you go devotional app, produced by Jesuit Ministries UK

A rich and comprehensive collection of Lenten prayer and devotional resources from Hallow, the popular subscription-based Catholic prayer app

Project Compassion—Caritas Australia’s annual Lenten fundraising and awareness-raising appeal

‘Lent and Social Justice’—an exploration of the Lenten call to recognise the face of Christ in all those in need, from the Justice and Peace Office of the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney

A free, video-based Way of the Cross from the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, using the Gospel of Mark and featuring the beautiful carved stations of the late Melbourne sculptor Leopoldine (Poldi) Mimovich that reside in the Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Deepdene

Laudato si’ Stations of the Cross—a free, downloadable liturgy booklet from the Columbans in Australia, and Lenten Odyssey: Our Human Calling in Christ Jesus, a series of reflections on the Sundays in Lent, Year C, also from the Columbans.

The Little Way of Lent, from Shalom Media—an Australian series of video reflections for kids, presented by Ann Rennie

‘Ave Explores: Lent’—a series of Lenten-themed conversations from the Ave Explores podcast, produced by Ave Maria Press

A Guide to Night Prayer for Lent, a free downloadable ‘Liturgy of the Hours’ resource for families, from the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame (USA)

‘The Triduum in Art’ (artwork-based reflections for each day of the Triduum) and ‘A Lenten Playlist: 40 songs in 40 days’, both also from the McGrath Institute for Church Life

Presider

Recognising that Christ is our wisdom, our virtue, our holiness and our freedom, we offer these prayers in the hope that we might serve God with our whole being.

Reader

We pray for Pope Leo and all those in ordained ministry. May they serve your people in a spirit of charity and love.

Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for all national leaders. In the spirit of justice, may they make their mark as peacemakers in our world.

Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for all who have responded to the Lord’s call, whether married, single, ordained to the priesthood or in religious life. May they grow in the grace of their vocations.

Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.

As we begin a new school year, we pray for all teachers that they may be blessed in their vocation, encouraging our young people to work to the best of their abilities and to enjoy success in their studies.

Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for our faith community as we share in this Eucharist. May we strive to use our God-given gifts in the service of others.

Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for …

Lord hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for sick parishioners, family members and friends, that they will find healing.
We pray for those who have died recently and those whose anniversaries we recall at this time. May they enter into the eternal life of God’s kingdom, as promised to us all.

Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.

Presider

Father in heaven, hear the prayers of all of us gathered here as we seek to more fully serve you. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

In September 2019, Pope Francis instituted the celebration of Word of God Sunday in the apostolic letter Aperuit Illis. The letter encourages ‘the celebration, study and dissemination’ of the Word of God.

The Catholic Church in Australia celebrates Word of God Sunday on the first Sunday in February each year, which will be on 5 February in 2023—the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A. (Many countries celebrate the occasion on the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.)

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has developed a range of resources to help individuals, families, parishes, schools and other ministries commemorate Word of God Sunday. Among the ways Catholics and Catholic communities are being encouraged to mark the day are by organising a special display of Sacred Scripture or the Book of the Gospels, establishing Bible-study groups or adopting lectio divina, a common practice of reflection on Scripture.

The resources include:

You can also visit www.catholic.org.au/wordofgodsunday to access all these resources and for suggestions on how to better engage with Sacred Scripture in various ways and settings.

Presider

As Mary pondered in her heart the wonderful gifts of God, we bring the prayers we hold in our hearts, confident we shall be heard.

Reader

We pray for Pope Francis and all the bishops and priests of our Church. May they continue to follow the example of Mary, responding to God’s call with humility and whole-hearted devotion.

Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for those forced to separate from their families because of war, persecution or economic conditions. May their hope of being united with their loved ones become a reality.

Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for all mothers. May they be given strength, wisdom and courage to face the challenges that family life can bring, and may they also experience its deepest joys.

Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.

As we embark on a new year, we pray for our parish. May we hear and respond to the word of God, finding strength and unity in the Eucharist we share.

Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for …

Lord hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for all who have gone before us in death over the past year, especially family members and those who have died recently, and for those whose anniversaries occur at this time. May they be welcomed by God to the peace of their heavenly home.

Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.

Presider

Father, may we, like Mary, open our hearts to your transforming love, gratefully pondering in our hearts all that you have done. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Gospel

The shepherds hurried away to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds had to say. As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; it was exactly as they had been told.

When the eighth day came and the child was to be circumcised, they gave him the name Jesus, the name the angel had given him before his conception.

(Luke 2:16–21)

Did you know?

Exploring the Word

The scriptural presentations of Mary, the mother of Jesus, differ quite markedly across the four gospels. She, along with Jesus’ extended family, is portrayed quite negatively in Mark (Mark 3:21, 31) as thinking that Jesus has gone mad! In Matthew’s story of the birth of Jesus, the leading role is given to Joseph rather than to Mary; however, both Luke and John assign a place of honour and importance to the mother of Christ. In Luke, Mary is hailed as ‘blessed among women’ and is present at prayer with the twelve in the upper room after the death of Jesus on the cross, and so is also one who received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, just as she did at Jesus’ conception. Unfailingly in Luke’s Gospel, Mary is presented as a devout and pious Jew, who follows the Law but also, more importantly, cooperates fully with God’s plan of salvation. What is perhaps most touching in Luke’s presentation of Mary is the truly maternal image of a woman wondering about the future of this child she has just borne and pondering in her heart the things that are said about him. 

Making connections

Father, may the prayer of Mary and the gift of a mother’s love be your people’s joy through the ages. 
May her response to your call, born of a humble heart, draw your Spirit to rest on your people.

Sharing the tradition

One of the great devotions to Mary as the Mother of God and Queen of Peace is the daily recitation of the rosary. The word rosarycomes from the Latin rosarius, which means ‘a garland’ or ‘bouquet of roses’. The origins of the the rosary are clouded by time, but the practice is popularly attributed to St Dominic in the thirteenth century. The rosary combines both vocal and meditative prayer; while reciting prayers aloud, the supplicant meditates on particular events grouped in what are known as ‘the Mysteries’. There are four sets of Mysteries: the Joyful, the Sorrowful, the Glorious and—added most recently by the late Pope John Paul II—the Luminous Mysteries.

Symbols and images

Over the centuries, many titles have been given to the person of Mary, Mother of God. In some cases, there are particular titles that have meaning in certain places—for example, Our Lady of Guadalupe. Under the title of ‘Mary, Help of Christians’, Our Lady is the patroness of Australia. Do some research on the titles of Mary and their meanings.

Living the Word

Resources

Mass settings

It is useful to change the Mass setting from whatever is used in the season of Christmas to highlight the change in the liturgical year, while also matching the level of solemnity. A Mass setting that people can sing well and that is sung over time is preferable to changing Mass settings each week. The Mass setting chosen should also be engaging, both melodically and rhythmically, as this invites and sustains interest. The encouraged and supported participation of the people each week builds the confidence and capacity of the singing assembly. See also the ‘Mass Settings’ section in CWBII.

Some suggested settings are:

Psalms

Suggested psalm collections

Notes on seasonal psalms, common responsorial psalms and common responses

Seasonal psalms, common responsorial psalms and common responses are a resource for communities who wish to sing the responsorial psalm but find they cannot learn new music each week. These settings can be sung over some weeks: seasonal and common responsorial psalms are sung as they are written, and common responses allow for the use of a common antiphon and the psalm verses set for each week. By using the psalms suggested over time, a community can gradually build its repertoire and ensure that the sung responsorial psalm stays a regular part of the Liturgy of the Word.

Suggested Gospel acclamations 

Use the verse appropriate to the day. It is useful to use one Gospel acclamation consistently to support confident participation by the assembly.

Suggested entrance and Communion antiphon collection

Solo singing or instrumentals

The procession of the gifts or offertory is an appropriate time for a suitable piece from a solo singer, an instrumentalist or the choir. This piece may replace a communal hymn or song at this time.

After Communion

The GIRM (§88) instructs that when the distribution of Communion is finished, there is a time of silence and prayer. This period of silence may then be followed by a thanksgiving hymn, psalm or canticle that is to be sung by all.

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