Building up the Body of Christ with welcoming arms, loving hearts and joyful worship.
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2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Please join us in this prayer service patterned after the rhythm of the Mass. It is another way to unite us to Christ and to each other at Saint Hubert.
Opening Our Heart to God
In the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Lord, I know you are with me, always. Your servant is listening.
As I begin, I recall the times I have not embraced the word of God in my life and ask for pardon and mercy.
Lord Jesus, you are the Son of the Most High, Lord have mercy.
Christ Jesus, you are the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, Christ have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you intercede for us at the right hand of the Father, Lord have mercy.
Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth, peace to people of good will.
Opening Prayer
Almighty ever-living God,
who govern all things,
both in heaven and on earth,
mercifully hear the pleading of your people
and bestow your peace on our times.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
The Word of God: The Words of Life
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time | USCCB
First Reading: 1 Samuel 3:3b-10, 19
Samuel thinks his mentor, Eli, is calling him in the night, only to discover it was God himself.
Responsorial: Psalm 40
Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 6:13c-15a, 17-20
Paul enlightens us to see that our own bodies are to be respected because they are temples of the Holy Spirit who is within us.
Gospel: John 1:25-42
John the Baptist points out Jesus to Andrew and John, who go to follow him.
A Reflection by Fr. Mike
One of the great life lessons we learn over time, is that we never really can understand who we are—what we’re about, what allows us to find true meaning—all by ourselves. If we sit down and truly think about it, we are who we are because we’ve been loved and cared for by someone else—and hopefully not just someone, but many “someones” over the course of our lifetime.
Of course, at some point, we do need to find self-acceptance and self-assurance. That’s very important. We need to know we have what it takes to make it in this world and that we have something to contribute. But what we learn from our faith, is we don’t stop at ourselves. We need to love ourselves, but also, at the same time, to love our neighbor as ourselves. And all of that comes about because we love God fully with all we’ve got.
What our Catholic faith links us to is the value of walking the journey—not alone--but in the context of relationship, our relationships to others around us and ultimately to God. So, we rarely find ourselves all on our own. Someone has usually taken us under the wing to help us along the way.
It seems that’s one of the dynamics taking place in the readings today. We’re seeing people on a journey of discovering insight and meaning. They’re learning how to discover God in their lives; how to hear his voice; where to look; what to see. And in each of the readings they realize the discovery through someone who has helped them discern it.
In the first reading about Samuel, we learn three important things: First, Samuel wasn’t responding to an inner call from God, but something very real that was outside himself. And that’s one way we discover our vocation—whether it’s to be married, to enter the religious life, or to stay single. God finds a way to plant a seed which we find external to our own thoughts. Second, God knew Samuel’s name, just like God knows our name and wants to be part of our understanding of who we are. And third, Samuel needed Eli, his rabbi—his teacher—to help him figure it out. Otherwise, he would keep looking in the wrong place, or maybe even miss it.
In the gospel, it’s Andrew and John who were looking for the Messiah, the Anointed One. Their search first brought them to John the Baptist, but it was John the Baptist—their mentor, their teacher—who led them to Jesus. And so, this passage leads to a couple more insights. First, Andrew and John didn’t necessarily want to find answers to specific questions; they weren’t coming to Jesus like reporters at a press conference. They were looking for a way to live their lives; they were looking to discover how to follow God more fully—or to sing a new song as we heard the psalm; a way to discover how best to do God’s will in our world. So when Jesus asked them what they were looking for, they responded by asking Jesus where he was staying. It’s in staying with Jesus, in living with and having him in our lives that insight comes and we truly begin to know how to live well.
The second insight, is that John the Baptist was there to help Andrew and John in their search. As a mentor, he led them to where they need to be and then he let them go so they could fly. He didn’t hold onto them, but let them go. Good mentors in our lives do the same thing. They lead us and let us go.
What these scripture passages reveal, is a basic truth: that to discover God in our life, to see ourselves as we truly are and truly could be—to discover what it is we’re looking for—we need one another. We need role models and mentors who have discovered it on their own and are willing to pay it forward and pass it onto us. And that’s why today may be the perfect opportunity to reflect on the mentors and role models who have allowed us to discover God in our own lives. To thank God for those who have shown us or inspired us how to hear his voice, how to live the gospel, how to get through adversity and very difficult times, how to discover how being Catholic is a fulfilling way to discover what is true and good.
In these dark days, we need to remember and hold onto those who have showed us how our faith can help us get through; those who enlighten us and have shown us how to cope; those who have pointed out God to us or helped us not only hear his voice, but how to respond—like paying what we’ve learned forward and being a spiritual mentor to others. That’s how we become light within a darkened world. We guide each other and find our way to God, the very rock on which we stand and need right now.
Now, take some time to share your own insights and thoughts about the scripture readings. Who are some of your spiritual mentors that have taught you about faith, how to hear God's voice, or how to look for God in our world?
All I Believe
As an alternative to the Nicene Creed, the Church also encourages Catholics around the world to profess the most ancient creed of our faith, The Apostle’s Creed.
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son Our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from there he shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body
and life everlasting.
Amen.
The Prayers of the Faithful
Good and gracious God, in union with my brothers and sisters at St. Hubert, we bring our prayers to you.- For the Church, that we all listen for the Lord and heed his call, especially those who are considering a religious vocation, we pray to the Lord.
- For all nations to work toward a more peaceful and compassionate world, and to find a lasting cure for the coronavirus, we pray to the Lord.
- For our nation, that those taking elected offices will protect the sanctity of life from conception to natural death, work for racial equality, and seek justice for the oppressed, we pray to the Lord.
- For those mentioned in our book of Prayer intentions and for the sick, the injured and the suffering, that they will receive the peace that comes to us through faith, especially Ron Pilipuf, Cati Rawers, Rachel Salinas, David Catrone, Debbie O’Connor, Frank Teresa, Clare Kanofsky, Teresa McCutchan, all those struggling with the Coronavirusm and for your own intentions, we pray to the Lord.
- For those who go before us, that they will experience eternal joy with God, especially Pat Kolvec, Mary DeAngelis, victims of violence and natural disasters, and for those you would like to remember, we pray to the Lord.
- For those for whom we are offering Masses for this weekend: Lou Buchenot, Joseph McCormack, Maria Senner, Ronald Czajka, Bill Henningand our St. Hubert Parishioners. We also pray forthe prayers we keep in your heart, we pray to the Lord.
A Spiritual Offering
During the Mass, we bring up gifts of bread and wine and thank God for them, because he gave them to us. Those gifts are then returned to us. God gives himself to us through Jesus Christ. What do you offer to God today of yourself, that can be returned as a gift to others? Who would you like to remember or offer this time of prayer for?
Longing for Communion
As we contemplate our desire to have Jesus Christ in our life, we prepare our hearts—knowing the angels and the saints are in communion with the One we long to be with. Let us lift up our hearts to the Lord.
It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, Holy Father, almighty and eternal God
through Christ our Lord.
For in you we live and move and have our being,
and while in this body we not only experience the daily effects of your care,
we even now possess the pledge of eternal life.
For having received the first fruits of the Spirit,
through whom you have raised up Jesus from the dead,
we hope for an everlasting share in the Paschal Mystery.
And so, with all the Angels we praise you,
as in joyful celebration we acclaim:
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
The Prayer that Unites Us
United with my brothers and sisters at St. Hubert and with Catholics around the world, with one voice we pray the prayer Jesus teaches us to pray together.
Our Father, who art in heaven…
A Time for Peace
Lord, Jesus Christ,
You said to your apostles, “Peace I leave you, my peace I give you”.
Please graciously grant peace to all of us,
to those in our family
and to everyone in our parish.
Allow us to be of one mind and heart.
Allow us to be an instrument of your peace.
(If praying with others, offer a sign of peace to one another.)
A Time for Spiritual Communion
As we long for the Eucharist, we long to be with Christ and share in his life. Let us spend some moments now in prayer uniting our life to the life of Jesus Christ. (You may even want to look upon a crucifix or hold it, or look upon an image or statue of Jesus Christ.)
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.
We Are One With You
O God, we are one with you. You have made us one with you.
You have taught us that if we are open to one another, you dwell in us.
Help us to preserve this openness and to fight for it with all our hearts.
Help us to realize that there can be no understanding where there is mutual rejection.
O God, in accepting one another wholeheartedly, fully, completely, we accept you, and we thank you,
and we adore you, and we love you with our whole being, because our being is your being, our spirit is rooted in your spirit.
Fill us then with love, and let us be bound together,
united in this one spirit, which makes you present in the world, and
which makes you witness to the ultimate reality that is love.
Love has overcome. Love is victorious.
--Thomas Merton
Pastoral Note:
For those who may want to experience a more contemplative form of prayer, allow the Holy Spirit to pray within you. One way is to center ourselves by being conscious of our own breathing. Slowly breathein. As you hold your breath for a second or two, picture Jesus Christ or even his name in your mind. Then slowly breathe out. You can repeat this type of spiritual exercise until you are ready to close in prayer. This can be done as easily with children as with adults. It can be very comforting, peaceful and a way to find communion with God by feeling His presence.
A Closing Prayer
Lord,
As we seek this spiritual communion
and desire Your presence,
we pray, that You will protect us in these uncertain times.
Please give us the hope we need day by day,
strengthen our desire to help one another,
and keep our St. Hubert Parish community close to You.
We long to gather together again
without fear and uncertainty;
one family of faith, united, and of one mind and heart,
worshipping You at your altar of praise.
In the meantime, please give us the strength
and connection we need
as we seek to be with you and one another.
We ask all our prayers, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Going Forth
Thank you, God, for this time we have shared.
I know you are with me.
Send me forward to go
and announce the Gospel of the Lord.
In the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
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