PRIEST: There are many ways of meeting the Risen Christ: one of the most life-giving encounters is to touch the world in mission. Today, we hear how Jesus re-affirms the apostles in their mission, after their experience of failure around the Calvary event. Strengthened and healed, we then hear how they find new courage in obeying God’s voice rather than human voices in bearing witness to Jesus. He challenges us with his repeated question to Peter: ‘do you love me…?’ Do we love him enough to give ourselves to his world and its needs in the mission of the Resurrection?
READER: When we put obedience to human voices before obedience to God;
when we want human acceptance and respect
more than Gospel integrity…
LORD HAVE MERCY…
When we do not accept one another’s failures;
when we do not give each other a second chance;
when we do not affirm each other in our ministries
CHRIST HAVE MERCY…
When our love for the Lord is not enough to give us new priorities;
not strong enough to change the way
we use our time and energy to serve his world
LORD HAVE MERCY…
PRIEST: May the Lord of mercy bring us to new beginnings;
may our Redeeming Jesus heal our every failure;
may the Spirit of divine love empower us to be moments
of Resurrection for our world
so that God might bring us all to everlasting life…
AMEN!