PRIEST: On this ‘Joy of the Gospel’ Sunday, Jesus challenges us to be a community of endless forgiveness, ever opening the gates of mercy to all peoples. For His Gospel of Joy is news of limitless forgiveness. Broken, hurting and embittered people need to know a community that will go the extra mile to understand and forgive, before they will discover a God they need never fear and can bring them a joy beyond compare. Does our forgiveness of each other and ourselves speak the love of Christ to others? Do we open the gates of mercy to another?
READER: When we deprive another of freedom by withholding forgiveness;
when we are held captive by an unbending and unforgiving heart;
when we reject others through our prejudices and harm their growth
LORD HAVE MERCY…
When we are slow to forgive those who have hurt us,
slow to forgive ourselves our weakness and failure,
when our parish fails to be a place of reconciliation
and therefore fails to be a place of evangelisation
CHRIST HAVE MERCY…
Because your mercy is endless, your love is healing,
your Gospel is joyful Good News of New Beginnings for everyone
LORD HAVE MERCY…
PRIEST: May the God of Forgiveness embrace us in mercy,
fill us with the joy of the Gospel of unconditional love,
and send us to our nation as bearers of reconciliation, healing and hope,
offering to all the Good News of everlasting life
AMEN!