PRIEST: Last Sunday we heard Peter’s great act of faith in Jesus as the Christ of God: today we hear how weak his and our faith can be, how shallow his vision and understanding of Jesus. Peter cannot cope with a Messiah who would suffer, a Saviour who is a humble servant. As we begin our celebration of Faith in this Eucharist let us recognise how weak we are, how difficult we find the radical love of God and how much we need the strength that comes with God’s mercy.
READER: For enthusiasms that quickly disappear;
for commitments easily broken;
for good intentions not acted upon
LORD HAVE MERCY…
For the shallowness of our understanding of the Gospel,
for our resistance to its radical demands of love
CHRIST HAVE MERCY…
For everyday refusals to carry the small crosses of love;
for not bearing the burdens of others;
for the ambitions and greed that damage ourselves and others
LORD HAVE MERCY…
PRIEST: May God fill us with his mercy that we may think his thoughts;
may Jesus who carries the cross of our sin set us free for love;
may the Spirit who reconciles and heals
send us out to be bearers of forgiveness
and bring all the world to everlasting life
AMEN!