Leader
The bishops of Australia have invited us to
celebrate a Year of Grace from this
Pentecost until next Pentecost. During this
coming year we will ‘start afresh from
Christ’. We will focus on Christ and draw our
life and inspiration from him. Let us begin
this Year of Grace by praying together.
OPENING PRAYER
All: Loving God,
pour your grace
over the whole earth
and fill our hearts with love
for Jesus Christ, your Son.
May we find in him our way,
our truth and our life.
OPENING PRAYER
All: May we see in his face
a reflection of what we
are called to be:
Your sons and daughters,
filled with grace and truth.
We make our prayer
with confidence in your love,
through Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
FIRST READING
Ephesians 2: 8
For by grace you have been saved
through faith,
and this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God.
The Word of the Lord
All: Thanks be to God
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Ps 5: 11–12
Leader:
All:
Hope in the Lord forever
Hope in the Lord forever
Reader:
All:
O Lord, my heart is not lifted up,
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvellous for me.
Hope in the Lord forever
Reader:
All:
But I have calmed
and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
my soul is like the weaned child
that is with me.
Hope in the Lord forever
Reader:
All:
O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time on and for evermore.
Hope in the Lord forever
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of Your Son.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL
John 1: 14–15, 16–18
And the Word became flesh and lived among
us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of
a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. …
From his fullness we have all received, grace
upon grace.
The law indeed was given through Moses;
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No
one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son,
who is close to the Father’s heart, who has
made him known.
Reader: The Gospel of the Lord
All:
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ
GENERAL INTERCESSIONS
Leader:
All grace flows from God. Let us now
turn to God, confident that our prayers
will be answered.
Reader:
We pray that in all we do we may start
afresh from Jesus Christ, contemplating
his face and learning from his teachings.
Lord, hear us.
All:
Let the light of your face shine on us.
GENERAL INTERCESSIONS
Reader:
All:
We pray that all Australians may
become more deeply aware of the
grace of God in their lives.
Lord, hear us.
Let the light of your face shine on us.
GENERAL INTERCESSIONS
Reader:
All:
We pray that we will grow as
disciples of Jesus during this Year of
Grace. Lord, hear us.
Let the light of your face shine on us.
GENERAL INTERCESSIONS
Leader:
All:
O God, transform the Church in
Australia by the power of your grace.
We make these prayers with
confidence in you, through
Christ our Lord.
Amen
LIGHTING OF THE
YEAR OF GRACE CANDLE
Leader:
As we light the Year of Grace candle,
we gaze at its light which is a sign of
Christ’s presence among us.
Let us pray in silence
for a few moments.
[silent prayer]
PRAYER FOR THE YEAR OF GRACE
Leader:
Gracious God,
You have blessed this ancient land
with many gifts, especially its people.
All:
We thank you for the Year of Grace,
a time to start afresh from Christ.
Leader:
You invite us to contemplate
the face of Jesus your Son,
that we may experience
a new wave of grace,
and that the light of Christ may burn
more brightly in our lives.
All:
Attune our hearts and minds
to the presence of your Holy Spirit,
that our Church may be transformed,
our relationships be healed,
and our nation grow in compassion
and justice.
Leader: With the intercession of
St Mary MacKillop, who showed
us new ways of living the Gospel,
we make our prayer through
Christ our Lord.
All:
Amen.
Leader: Mary, Help of Christians,
All:
Pray for us.
HYMN: Shine, Jesus, Shine
Lord, the light of your love is shining,
in the midst of the darkness shining;
Jesus, light of the world,
shine upon us,
set us free by the truth
you now bring us.
Shine on me, shine on me.
Shine, Jesus, shine;
fill this land with the Father’s glory;
blaze, Spirit, blaze,
set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river, flow;
flood the nations with grace and mercy;
Send forth your word, Lord,
and let there be light.
Lord, I come to
your awesome presence,
from the shadows into your radiance;
by the blood I may enter
your brightness,
search me, try me,
consume all my darkness.
Shine on me, shine on me.
Shine, Jesus, shine;
fill this land with the Father’s glory;
blaze, Spirit, blaze,
set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river, flow;
flood the nations with grace and mercy;
Send forth your word, Lord,
and let there be light.
As we gaze on your kingly brightness,
so our faces display your likeness,
ever changing from glory to glory;
mirrored here may our lives
tell your story,
Shine on me, shine on me.
Shine, Jesus, shine;
fill this land with the Father’s glory;
blaze, Spirit, blaze,
set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river, flow;
flood the nations with grace and mercy;
Send forth your word, Lord,
and let there be light.
Shine, Jesus, shine;
fill this land with the Father’s glory;
blaze, Spirit, blaze,
set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river, flow;
flood the nations with grace and mercy;
Send forth your word, Lord,
and let there be light.