In these extraordinary times when we cannot gather as a Christian Community to celebrate Mass, let us unite ourselves spiritually to the Mass as it is being celebrated in our churches.

One way you can do this by joining broadcast Masses on radio, television, or via the internet.

This resource is offered to provide a ritual by which families, "the domestic church," can keep the Lord's day holy by joining together to celebrate part of the Church's liturgy at home. Ideally, the head of the family will lead the service; other members of the family should take on roles as readers.

It would be appropriate to celebrate this service at the usual time the family would attend Mass. If possible, prepare a suitable prayer space with a crucifix, holy picture and/or a candle or two. If the family is blessed with musical talent, hymns would be appropriate.

• Leader:
• In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
• All:
• Amen.

GREETING

• Leader:
• We gather together to keep holy the Lord's Day. Sunday has been called the Lord's Day because it was on this day, on the first Easter, that Jesus conquered sin and death and rose to new life. Although public Mass has been restored, the threat of the transmission of COVID-19 continues, the Archbishop is continuing the dispensation from the Sunday Mass obligation, and those who are not yet comfortable with the potential risk of returning to Sunday Mass still strive through these prayers to be united in the spirit of Christ with the Church around the world and celebrate our redemption in Christ's suffering, death and resurrection
• Leader:
• Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be God for ever.
• All:
• Blessed be God for ever.

PENITENTIAL ACT

• Leader:
• Coming together as God's family, with confidence let us acclaim the
  Father's forgiveness, for God is full of gentleness and compassion.

After a pause for silent reflection, the leader continues.

• Leader:
• Lord Jesus, you perform miracles for your people.
  Lord, have mercy.

• All:
• Lord, have mercy.
• Leader
• Christ Jesus, you are the Lamb of God.
  Christ, have mercy.

• All:
• Christ, have mercy.
• Leader
• Lord Jesus, you make us holy in body and spirit.
  Lord, have mercy.

• All:
• Lord, have mercy.

GLORY TO GOD

• All:

• Glory to God in the highest,
  and on earth peace to people of good will.
  

  We praise you, we bless you
  we adore you, we glorify you,
  we give you thanks for your great glory,
  Lord God, heavenly King,
  O God, almighty Father.
  

  Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son,
  Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
  you take away the sins of the world,
     have mercy on us;
  you take away the sins of the world,
     receive our prayer;
  you are seated at the right hand of the Father,
     have mercy on us.
  

  For you alone are the Holy One,
  you alone are the Lord,
  you alone are the Most High, (Jesus),
  Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
  in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
  

COLLECT

• Leader:
• Let us pray.
  

  Almighty ever-living God,
  direct our actions according to your good pleasure,
  that in the name of your beloved Son
  we may abound in good works.
  Through our 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.
  

• All:
• Amen.
  

FIRST READING

• Reader:
• A reading from the Prophet Samuel
  

  The word of the Lord came to Jonah, saying: "Set out for the
  great city of Nineveh, and announce to it the message that I
  will tell you." So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh, according
  to the Lord's bidding. Now Nineveh was an enormously large city;
  it took three days to go through it. Jonah began his journey
  through the city, and had gone but a single day's walk announcing,
  "Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed," when the people
  of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them,
  great and small, put on sackcloth.
  

  When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil
  way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to
  them; he did not carry it out.
  

  The Word of the Lord.
  

• All:
• Thanks be to God.
  

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

• Reader:
• Teach me your ways, O Lord.

• All:
• Teach me your ways, O Lord.
  
• Reader:
• Teach me your ways, O Lord.
  Your ways, O Lord, make known to me;
  teach me your paths,
  guide me in your truth and teach me,
  for you are God my savior.
  
• All:
• Teach me your ways, O Lord.
• Reader:
• Remember that your compassion, O Lord,
  and your love are from of old.
  In your kindness remember me,
  because of your goodness, O Lord.
  
• All:
• Teach me your ways, O Lord.
• Reader:
• Good and upright is the Lord;
  thus he shows sinners the way.
  He guides the humble to justice
  and teaches the humble his way.
  
• All:
• Teach me your ways, O Lord.
  

SECOND READING

• Reader:
• A reading from St. Paul to the Corinthians.

  I tell you, brothers and sisters, the time is running out. From now on, let those having wives act as not having them, those weeping as not weeping, those rejoicing as not rejoicing, those buying as not owning, those using the world as not using it fully. For the world in its present form is passing away.

  The Word of the Lord.
  

• All:
• Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

• Cantor:
• Alleluia, alleluia.
• All:
• Alleluia, alleluia.
• Cantor:
• The kingdom of God is at hand.
  Repent and believe in the Gospel.

• All:
• Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL

• Leader:
• A reading from the Gospel according to Mark:

  After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."

  As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." Then they abandoned their nets and followed him. He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him.

  The Gospel of the Lord.

• All:
• Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

REFLECTION

• Reader:
• Daily Meditation: Mark 1:14-20

  Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming. . . . "Repent, and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:14,15)

  Today, as we near the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the Church also celebrates the Sunday of God's Word. How fitting, then, that the readings today look at two proclaimers of God's word: Jonah and Jesus. Both proclaimed God's word, and both witnessed the power of that word to unite the people who heard it.

  Although Jesus and Jonah were similar, their differences are even more significant. Unlike Jonah, Jesus was no reluctant prophet. On the contrary, he moved with determination from village to village in his desire to preach God's word (Mark 1:38-39). Also unlike Jonah, Jesus didn't preach only repentance. He also announced that God's time of redemption had finally come. In Jesus, we see the Word of God himself breaking into history and gathering all God's children into one. As Jesus would later say, "Something greater than Jonah [is] here" (Matthew 12:41).

  How amazing it must have been to see and hear Jesus, the Word of God, walking this earth! But our celebration of God's word today reminds us that we have that same powerful Word available to us every time we read the Scriptures or hear them proclaimed at Mass. Jesus is always speaking to us.

  So just as God's word touched the hearts of people in Nineveh and Galilee, it can move us to repentance and faith. Just as Jesus' words moved Simon and Andrew to leave their nets and follow him, they can move us to reorder our priorities and follow Jesus more closely. And just as Jesus' words called both Jews and Gentiles into one Church, God's word can bring us to unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ. As Pope Francis said when instituting Word of God Sunday, "The word of God unites believers and makes them one people" (Aperuit Illis, 4).

  "Lord, change us by your word, and make us one so that the world might believe."

• All:

• I believe in one God,
  the Father almighty,
  maker of heaven and earth,
  of all things visible and invisible.
  

  I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
  the Only Begotten Son of God,
  born of the Father before all ages,
  God from God, Light from Light,
  true God from true God,
  begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
  through him all things were made,
  For us men and for our salvation
     he came down from heaven:
  

  [All bow during these two lines:]
  and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
     and become man.
  

  For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
  he suffered death and was buried,
  and rose again on the third day
     in accordance with the Scriptures.
  He ascended into heaven
     and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
  He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
  and his kingdom will have no end.
  

  I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
  who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
  who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
  who has spoken through the Prophets.
  

  I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
  I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
  and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
     and the life of the world to come. Amen.
  

GENERAL INTERCESSIONS

• Leader:
• With confidence in our God,
  let us present our prayers with faith and hope.
  
• Reader:
• The response will be: Lord, hear our prayer.
  
• Reader:
• For the Church, (pause)
  that we may hear God's call to be salt for the earth,
  instruments of God's love, and faithful witnesses
  to God's message to our families, co-workers, and communities.

  We pray to the Lord.

• All:
• Lord, hear our prayer.
• Reader:
• For Congress and the new Administration, (pause)
  that God will inspire their understanding of the
  current issues and guide them in addressing the economic,
  healthcare, and safety issues of our society.

  We pray to the Lord.

• All:
• Lord, hear our prayer.
• Reader:
• For Christian Unity, (pause)
  that God will heal the wounds and misunderstandings of the past,
  lead all the baptized to offer a more united witness to the Gospel,
  and offer greater service to our suffering and vulnerable neighbors.

  We pray to the Lord.

• All:
• Lord, hear our prayer.
• Reader:
• For the leadership of Churches throughout the world, (pause)
  that they witness to Christ's prayer "That All May Be One".

  We pray to the Lord.

• All:
• Lord, hear our prayer.
• Reader:
• For all who are alienated or disconnected from God: (pause)
  that the Spirit will redirect their hearts
  to the life and wholeness that is found in a relationship with God.

  We pray to the Lord.

• All:
• Lord, hear our prayer.
  
• Reader:
• For a deeper appreciation of life, (pause)
  that the Spirit of God will guide us in supporting women
  who have difficult pregnancies and open ways
  to address the many issues that make them consider abortion.

  We pray to the Lord.

• All:
• Lord, hear our prayer.
  
• Reader:
• For the sick, especially those for whom we have been asked to pray,
  and, particularly, those who are placed in quarantine and isolation, (pause)
  that God's healing touch may bring them comfort and peace.

  We pray to the Lord.

• All:
• Lord, hear our prayer.
  
• Reader:
• For all our sisters and brothers who have died, especially
  those who have died from the coronavirus pandemic,
  (pause)
  
  that they experience the joy of God's heavenly family for all eternity.

  We pray to the Lord.

• All:
• Lord, hear our prayer.
• Reader:
• For the prayers we now make in the silence of our hearts, (pause)

  We pray to the Lord.

• All:
• Lord, hear our prayer.
• Leader:
• Gracious Lord, listen to the prayers we present to you.
  Change our hearts by the power of your Spirit,
  through Jesus our Lord.

• All:
• Amen.

LORD'S PRAYER

• Leader:
• Let us pray with confidence to the Father in the words our Savior gave us.
• All:

• 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.
  

  Amen.
  

SPIRITUAL COMMUNION

• All:

• My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed
  Sacrament.
  I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into
  my soul.
  Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally,
  come at least spiritually into my heart.
  I embrace You as if You were already there,
  and unite myself wholly to You.
  Never permit me to be separated from You.
  

  Amen.
  

PRAYER OF BLESSING

• Leader:
• St Michael, the Archangel, Protect and Pray for us.
• All:
• Amen.
• Leader:
• The Lord bless us and keep us; the Lord make his face shine on us and be gracious to us; the Lord turn his face toward us and give us his peace both now and forever.
• All:
• Amen.
• Leader:
• In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
• All:
• Amen.

Lectionary for Sunday Mass
© 1998, 1997, 1970, Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, DC

Prayers at Home When Gathering for Mass Is Not Possible
© 2020, the Diocese of Clonfert and the Diocese of Elphin, Ireland

The Roman Missal © 2011, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC

Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest: Leader's Edition
© 2007, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC

The Word Among Us, © 2020 The Word Among Us.