Second Sunday of Easter
Daily Easter Prayer“Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise.”
Collect:
God of everlasting mercy,
who in the very recurrence of the paschal feast
kindle the faith of the people you have made your own,
increase, we pray, the grace you have bestowed,
that all may grasp and rightly understand
in what font they have been washed,
by whose Spirit they have been reborn,
by whose Blood they have been redeemed.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. *
Today's Readings
Acts 4:32-35; Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24; 1 John 5:1-6; John 20:19-31
Daily Meditation:
Kindle the faith of your people!On this Second Sunday of Easter – Divine Mercy Sunday –
we recall the great events of God’s everlasting mercy
which we have celebrated over the past two weeks,
through Holy Week and this past week’s accounting of
the stories of the Resurrection.
We are reminded today that
the effect of the Resurrection on the first community
is seen in the love they have for one another
and the freedom they have
to care for the least among them so generously.
We can pray for that grace for our time.The Thomas story is powerful.
Jesus invites Thomas, in the midst of his doubts,
to enter his wounds to know who he is, for Thomas and for us.
We are invited today to contemplate those wounds, to enter them,
to experience the power of God’s everlasting mercy for us, in Jesus, and to be grateful.
Believing is seeing – seeing that we have nothing to fear
when we recognize our Lord and our God.
Intercessions:
God the almighty Father raised Jesus as the firstborn from the dead,
and made him our savior.
Let us call upon him, saying:
Give us, Lord, the glory of your Son.
All-holy Father, you brought your beloved son Jesus
from the darkness of death into the splendor of your glory,
- bring us also into your marvelous light.
You have given us faith to save us,
- may we live today by the faith of our baptism.You command us to seek the things that area above,
where Christ is seated at your right hand,
- do not let us be deceived by the allurements of sin.
May our life, hidden with Christ in you, our Father, shine before the world,
- foreshadowing a new heaven and a new earth.
Closing Prayer:
Loving and merciful God,
may the Easter fires of this season set my heart aflame
and be the fire that starts other fires in this world.
Hold my heart close and sing your love to me
so my doubts don't fill my head and make me afraid.
May I recognize your face in those around me
and enter into their wounds.
Give me the gift of your compassion
to love them as you love me.May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
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Daily Easter Prayer
“Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise.”
Prayer for the Solemnity of the Annunciation of Our Lord
Collect:
Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that we, who have been renewed by paschal remedies,
transcending the likeness of our earthly parentage,
may be transformed in the image of our heavenly maker.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever *
Today's Readings
Acts 4:23-31; Psalms 2:1-3, 4-7a, 7b-9; John 3:1-8Daily Meditation:
Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.
The Apostles continue to be filled with the Holy Spirit "and to speak the Word of God with boldness."
Now we go back into the Fourth Gospel and read about Jesus' meeting with Nicodemus.
I can be asking how my encounter with Jesus in this Easter time is a re-birth.
How is his Spirit renewing me, filling me and allowing me to be joyful and share that joy with new boldness?The Paschal Myteries of celebrating his death and resurrection offer us remedies for our healing and
help with our transformation so that our heart might be like his.Today, we let our desiring be renewed.
If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Col 3:1
Intercessions:
God the Father was glorified in the death and resurrection of his Son. Let us pray to him with confidence, saying:
Lord, enlighten our minds.Father of lights, you bathed the world in splendor when Christ rose again in glory,
- fill our minds today with the light of faith.Through the resurrection of your Son you opened for us the way to eternal life,
- as we work today sustain us with the hope of glory.Through your risen son you sent the Holy Spirit into the world,
- set our hearts on fire with spiritual love.May Jesus Christ, who was crucified to set us free,
- be today our salvation and redemption.
Closing Prayer:
Loving God,
I feel myself being renewed by your life,
yet I hesitate to upend my lfe.
Help me this day to speak with boldness
and take refuge in you.
Help me to trust that your Spirit
is in the wind that touches me each day
and remind me of the Easter joy
that gives me new strength to serve you.
May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
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Daily Easter Prayer
“Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise.”
Collect:
Enable us, we pray, almighty God,
to proclaim the power of the risen Lord,
that we, who have received the pledge of his gift,
may come to possess all he gives
when it is fully revealed.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. *
Today's Readings
Acts 4:32-37; Pslams 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5; John 3:7b-15
Daily Meditation:
There was no needy person among them.
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.Jesus helps Nicodemus understand this re-birth.
It has to do with believing in Jesus, lifted up on the Cross and raised from the dead.
This is the gift which pledges life now and eternal life, as the lasting gift.We see what it looks like in the life of the early community: no one is in need.
Only a community that has faith in the gift of everylasting life could be that free and generous.We can proclaim the power of the risen Lord in our lives today by living with more Easter joy
and sharing it with greater Easter freedom and love..The Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, and so enter into his glory, alleluia.
Intercessions:
The spotless Lamb of God takes away the sins of the world. Let us give thanks to the Father, and say:
Source of all life, raise us to life.Source of all life, remember the death and resurrection of the Lamb slain on the cross.
- listen to his voice as he lives for ever, making intercession for us.Now that the old leaven of wickedness and evil is destroyed,
- may we always feed on the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.Grant that today we may put aside all friction and jealousy,
- and show greater concern for the needs of others.Send into our hearts the spirit of the Gospel,
- that we may walk in the way of your commandments, today and forever.
Closing Prayer:
Risen Jesus, help me to proclaim your loving power.
You have pledged me a gift - now help me to share it.
May my heart always long for sincerity and truth.
May I be inspired by the earliest apostles
to share what I have and to share what you have given me
with joy and a love for the needs of others.
My heart longs to open my ears
and listen for your words in my life today
so that I might lift my voice in praise of you.
May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
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Daily Easter Prayer“Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise.”
Collect:
As we recall year by year the mysteries
by which, through the restoration of its original dignity,
human nature has received the hope of rising again,
we earnestly beseech your mercy, Lord,
that what we celebrate in faith
we may possess in unending love.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. *
Today's Readings
Acts 5:17-26; Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9; John 3:16-21
Daily Meditation:
Tell the people everything about this life. Acts 5
God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. John 3:16Jesus tells Nicodemus and us that if we believe in him we will have eternal life.
The world around us prefers darkness to the Light. We choose the life and its life.
We can reflect today on how we can better shun the darkness and
"come to the light," in concrete ways in our life.
With the resurrection, we have new hope, and we live blessed by his mercy.
We are the poor whose cry he has heard.
And, in our joy we share this good news with those suffering in the darkness.The Lord hears the cry of the poor. Psalm 34:7
Intercessions:
By the gift of the Father, the risen Christ was seen by the apostles. Let us pray to the Father, and say:
Give us, Lord, the glory of your Son.Father of lights, today we offer you our thanks and praise for calling us into your marvelous light,
- to receive your mercy.May the efforts of mankind to make the world more human,
- be purified and strengthened by the power of your Spirit.May we be so dedicated to the service of others,
- that the whole human family may become a pleasing sacrifice in your honor.At the dawn of a new day, fill us with your mercy,
- that the whole day may be a day of joy and praise..
Closing Prayer:
God of Light, you came to share your presence
and call us into the light of the world.
With your grace, we can restore the dignity of our human nature;
By following your light we will possess
an unending love for the poor.
We have been called to take our place as your followers
and tell people everything about this life --
a life calling us to dedicate ourselves
to the service of others.May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
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Daily Easter Prayer“Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise.”
Collect:
O God, who for the salvation of the world
brought about the paschal sacrifice,
be favorable to the supplications of your people,
so that Christ our High Priest, interceding on our behalf,
may by his likeness to ourselves
bring us reconciliation,
and by his equality with you
free us from our sins.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. *
Today's Readings
Acts 5:27-33; Psalm 34:2 and 9, 17-18, 19-20; John 3:31-36
Daily Meditation:
God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.
We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.Give us the joy of this feast.Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.
The Collect prayer helps us reflect on how we are saved. Through his incarnation - becoming one with us -
we have reconciliation. Through his oneness with the Father, we have freedom from our sins.The Apostles are told not to talk about Jesus and his resurrection. They proclaim that they must obey their mission.
We can reflect on how we are called to live our faith in the choices we make, in the mercy we share, and in the
witness we give in our ability to hear and respond to the cries of the poor.The Lord hears the cry of the poor. Psalm 34:7
Intercessions:
God the Father has given us his Son for the resurrection of his people. Let us turn with confidence to the Father and say:
May the Lord Jesus be our very life.As a pillar of fire, you lighted the way for your people in the desert,
- through his resurrection may Christ be today the light of our life.Through the voice of Moses you taught your people from the mountain,
- through his resurrection may Christ be today the light of our life.You fed your pilgrim people with your gift of manna,
- through his resurrection may Christ be today the light of our life.You gave your people water from the rock,
- through his resurrection may Christ be today the light of our life.
Closing Prayer:
Loving God, hear my call to you.
You have responded to my needs over and over.
With Jesus interceding on my behalf,
help me bring forgiveness to those in my life who need reconciliation.
Peter and the apostles witnessed your wonders
as do I each day in my life.
When I look, I can see your healing and love
You show me how to feed those who are hungry
and you do not ration the overflowing gift of your Spirit.
Help me to remember how grateful I am.May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
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Daily Easter Prayer“Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise.”
Collect:
O God, hope and light of the sincere,
we humbly entreat you to dispose our hearts
to offer you worthy prayer
and ever to extol you
by dutiful proclamation of your praise.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. *
Today's Readings
Acts 5:34-42; Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14; John 6:1-15
Daily Meditation:
If this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself.
But, if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them;
you may even find yourselves fighting against God. John 6We now begin to reflect upon the sixth chapter of the Fourth Gospel - on the Bread of Life.
Jesus feeds a vast crowd with five barley loves. We will chew the mystery of this act for us in the days ahead.Today, we can get in touch with our hunger as we ask that our hearts will be disposed to offer worthy prayer and praise.
I can ask how I can try to fill myself with what fails to satisfy (Isaiah 55).
I can ask the Holy Spirit to bring new life to my heart so I can be open to receiving the bread that gives life.One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Alleluia
Intercessions:
God the Father raised up Christ through the Spirit, and will also raise up our mortal bodies. Let us cry out to him:
Lord, raise us to life through your Holy Spirit.All-holy Father, you accepted the holocaust of your Son in raising him from the dead,
- accept the offering we make today, and lead us to eternal life.Look with favor on all we do today,
- that it may be for your glory and the sanctification of the world.May our work today not be in vain but for the good of the whole world,
- and through it lead us to your kingdom.Open our eyes today to recognize our brothers and sisters, and our hearts to love them,
- so that we may love and serve each other.
Closing Prayer:
Wonderous God, who watches me with loving eyes,
please help me to make this day
one of honor and glory for you.
Help me to recognize my brothers and sisters
in those you put in my life today.
Open my eyes and heart that all that I do today
may be for the good of the world
and for your greater glory.
May I remember that all that I do today is prayer.May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
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of Baptismal Promises | Lent/Easter Site Index
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U. Online Ministries Home Page
Daily Easter Prayer
“Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise.”
Collect:
Set aside, O Lord,
the bond of sentence written for us by the law of sin,
which in the Paschal Mystery you canceled
through the Resurrection of Christ your Son.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.Or:
O God, who willed that through the paschal mysteries
the gates of mercy should stand open for your faithful,
look upon us and have mercy,
that as we follow, by your gift, the way you desire for us,
so may we never stray from the paths of life.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. *
Today's Readings
Acts 6:1-7; Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5,18-19; John 6:16-21Daily Meditation:
Lord, let your mercy be on us as we place our trust in you.It is I. Do not be afraid.
As a prelude to what Jesus will tell us about the bread that gives life, we have this scene of a storm at sea.
The message for us in the beginning of this Easter Season: "Do not be afraid" even when you are
"in a storm" and "at sea." As the Prayer says, Jesus is offering us the path of life. Our sins are forgiven.
We can reflect on how we are invited to surrender our fears and place our trust in the mercy and new life
we have received. We can ask how the enemy gets in the way of our trust, our joy and our freedom.The Apostles appoint seven from their group to care for the widows, to ensure they are not neglected.
We can reflect upon what ways we need to ensure those most in need are not neglected.Lord, let your mercy be on us as we place our trust in you.
Intercessions:
Christ has made known to us the life that lasts for ever. With faith and joy let us cry out to him, saying:
Lord, may your resurrection bring us the riches of your grace.Eternal shepherd, look on your flock as it rises from sleep,
- feed us with the word of life and the bread from heaven.Keep us safe from wolf and hireling,
- and make us faithful in listening to your voice.You are present to all who preach your Gospel, and give power to their words,
- make us today preachers of your resurrection by our holiness of life.Be our great joy that no one can take from us,
- so that we may reject sin with its sadness, and reach out to eternal life.
Closing Prayer:
Creator God, I count on the mercy in your loving gaze.
I can be unreliable in my faith and I need your mercy daily.
Too often, like the apostles,
I think I can make it through storms and challenges alone,
afraid of your presence in my life.
Thank you for the ways you are always in my life, whether I notice or not.
Help me to reflect on those who are neglected or in need
and may my life be a way to preach your Ressurection without words.
Be my great and unshakable joy.May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
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* New English translation according to the Third Typical Edition of the Roman Missal. 2010,
Copyright International Commission on English in the Liturgy.