Church of the Sacred Heart
SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT (YEAR C) Weekend of 4 & 5 December 2021
Entrance Antiphon Cf. Is 30: 19, 30
O people of Sion, behold,
the Lord will come to save the nations,
and the Lord will make the glory of his voice heard
in the joy of your heart
First Reading Baruch 5:1-9
A reading from the Prophet Baruch.
God means to show your splendour to every nation
Jerusalem, take off your dress of sorrow and distress,
put on the beauty of the glory of God for ever,
wrap the cloak of the integrity of God around you,
put the diadem of the glory of the Eternal on your head:
since God means to show your splendour to every nation under heaven,
since the name God gives you for ever will be,
‘Peace through integrity, and honour through devotedness.’
Arise, Jerusalem, stand on the heights
and turn your eyes to the east:
see your sons reassembled from west and east
at the command of the Holy One, jubilant that God has remembered them.
Though they left you on foot,
with enemies for an escort,
now God brings them back to you
like royal princes carried back in glory.
For God has decreed the flattening
of each high mountain, of the everlasting hills,
the filling of the valleys to make the ground level
so that Israel can walk in safety under the glory of God.
And the forests and every fragrant tree will provide shade
for Israel at the command of God;
for God will guide Israel in joy by the light of his glory
with his mercy and integrity for escort.
The Word of the Lord.
Response: Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 125(126)
R. What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad.
When the Lord delivered Zion from bondage,
it seemed like a dream.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter,
on our lips there were songs.
R. What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad.
The heathens themselves said: ‘What marvels
the Lord worked for them!’
What marvels the Lord worked for us!
Indeed we were glad.
R. What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad.
Deliver us, O Lord, from our bondage
as streams in dry land.
Those who are sowing in tears
will sing when they reap.
R. What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad.
They go out, they go out, full of tears,
carrying seed for the sowing:
they come back, they come back, full of song,
carrying their sheaves.
R. What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad.
Second Reading Philippians 1:4-6,8-11
A reading from the Letter of St Paul to the Philippians.
May you become pure and blameless in preparation for the day of Christ
Every time I pray for all of you, I pray with joy, remembering how you have helped to spread the Good News from the day you first heard it right up to the present. I am quite certain that the One who began this good work in you will see that it is finished when the Day of Christ Jesus comes; and God knows how much I miss you all, loving you as Christ Jesus loves you. My prayer is that your love for each other may increase more and more and never stop improving your knowledge and deepening your perception so that you can always recognise what is best. This will help you to become pure and blameless, and prepare you for the Day of Christ, when you will reach the perfect goodness which Jesus Christ produces in us for the glory and praise of God.
The Word of the Lord.
Response: Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation Lk3:4,6
Alleluia, alleluia!
Prepare a way for the Lord,
make his paths straight,
and all mankind shall see the salvation of God.
Alleluia!
Gospel Luke 3:1-6
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke.
Response: Glory to you, O Lord.
All mankind shall see the salvation of God
In the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar’s reign, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judaea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the lands of Ituraea and Trachonitis, Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the pontificate of Annas and Caiaphas the word of God came to John son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. He went through the whole Jordan district proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the sayings of the prophet Isaiah:
A voice cries in the wilderness:
Prepare a way for the Lord,
make his paths straight.
Every valley will be filled in,
every mountain and hill be laid low,
winding ways will be straightened
and rough roads made smooth.
And all mankind shall see the salvation of God.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Response: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Prayer Of The Faithful
Introduction: God is always ready to comfort his people. Many personal and social sins have prevented Jesus from entering our lives. Let us ask our Father to help us correct our ways.
Response: Lord, hear our prayer.
1. For all Church leaders, as they endeavor to make the coming of Jesus more meaningful to each of us. Let us pray to the Lord.
2. For nations, that they may strive to bring the peace of Christ to all their people. Let us pray to the Lord.
3. For all those who are handicapped, that their faith in Jesus will give them joy and gladness and the strength to live with their restrictions. Let us pray to the Lord.
4. We pray for Fr. Michaelraj, that as he celebrates his birthday on the 5th December, we give thanks to the Lord for the blessings that the Lord has bestowed upon him. May the Lord grant Fr. Michaelraj peace and good health and guide him in his priestly ministry. May Fr. Michaelraj continue to find joy and blessings in his service to God and to the Church. Let us pray to the Lord.
5. We now pray in silence for other needs and intentions …
Let us pray to the Lord.
Conclusion: God, our Father, you have provided us with many gifts. Grant us a strong faith to help us make ready the way for Jesus’ coming. Grant this and all our prayers through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
