Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion Prayer

Heavenly Father,
I thank you for calling me to serve You and Your people
in this community as an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist.
You know that I could never be worthy of such honor.
Help me to be less unworthy by remaining free of sin.
Let me nourish Your people with the witness of my life
as I feed them with the Body of Christ.
Grant Your strength and holiness to all Your extraordinary ministers
and make them worthy to bring Christ to others.  
Amen

A PRAYER FOR ALTAR SERVERS

Loving Father, creator of the universe,
you call your people to worship,
to be with you and with one another at Mass.
I thank you for having called me
to assist others in their prayer to you.
May I be worthy of the trust placed in me
and through my service bring others closer to you.
I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ,
who is Lord for ever and ever.
Amen.

A PRAYER FOR LECTORS

Praise to you, Lord God,
king of the universe,
and all glory to your name.
I praise you and thank you for calling me
to proclaim your word to your beloved people.

Open the hearts of all who worship with us,
so that they may hear your voice when I read.
Let nothing in my life or manner disturb your people
or close their hearts to the action of your Spirit.

Cleanse my heart and mind,
and open my lips so that I may proclaim your glory.
All praise to you, heavenly Father,
through the Lord Jesus in the Holy Spirit,
now and forever.
Amen.

A PRAYER FOR USHERS AND GREETERS

Lord Jesus, You welcome those who seek you
with a kindness and gentleness that wins souls.
You welcomed conversation with the Samaritan woman.
You welcomed the lame, the blind, the broken.
You were a friend of sinners that the self-righteous people rejected.
You displayed the greatest love of all,
that you laid down your life for your friends.

As people come to church, help me to be kind to them.
Help me to give them a welcome that is worthy of your Name.
Help me to display kindness in a way that will prepare the way for them
to encounter Jesus in his word, body and blood.
Help me to set aside my preoccupations and worries and focus on them.

Allow kindness to show forth in me,
blocking all negative judgment because of what a guest wears,
apparent social status, or ethnic background.
Allow kindness to show forth in as I greet each and every person who walks in the door.
Allow kindness to help me see an unspoken need and meet it today.

Let my ways be pleasing in your sight.
May the kindness I share help a person calm down from a stressful morning,
a nervous first time visitor to feel safe,
and share an expression of Your love for someone who needs it today.
May the kindness I show help everyone who enters today be at peace.

As I walk in kindness today,
I will bless each guest and member who walks into our church.
I want to help them to experience your presence.
In Your Name,
Amen.

31st SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, year C (readings)

Wisdom 11:22–12:2
Psalm 145: “I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.”
2 Thessalonians 1:11–2:2
Luke 19:1-10

Wisdom 11:22-12:2

Before the Lord the whole universe is as a grain from a balance or a drop of morning dew come down upon the earth. But you have mercy on all, because you can do all things; and you overlook people's sins that they may repent. For you love all things that are and loathe nothing that you have made; for what you hated, you would not have fashioned. And how could a thing remain, unless you willed it; or be preserved, had it not been called forth by you? But you spare all things, because they are yours, O Lord and lover of souls, for your imperishable spirit is in all things! Therefore you rebuke offenders little by little, warn them and remind them of the sins they are committing, that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in you, O Lord!

Responsorial Psalm 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13, 14
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God

I will extol you, O my God and King,
and I will bless your name forever and ever.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God

The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The Lord is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God

Let all your works give you thanks, O Lord,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God

The Lord is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The Lord lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God

2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2

Brothers and sisters: We always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith, that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, in accord with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ. We ask you, brothers and sisters, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling with him, not to be shaken out of your minds suddenly, or to be alarmed either by a "spirit," or by an oral statement, or by a letter allegedly from us to the effect that the day of the Lord is at hand.

Luke 19:1-10

At that time, Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house." And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner." But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost."

30th SUNDAY OF THE YEAR, YEAR C (Readings)

Sirach 35:12-14,16-18
Psalm 34 “The Lord hears the cry of the poor”
2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18
Luke 18:9-14

Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18

The Lord is a God of justice, who knows no favorites. Though not unduly partial toward the weak, yet he hears the cry of the oppressed. The Lord is not deaf to the wail of the orphan, nor to the widow when she pours out her complaint. The one who serves God willingly is heard; his petition reaches the heavens. The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds; it does not rest till it reaches its goal, nor will it withdraw till the Most High responds, judges justly and affirms the right, and the Lord will not delay.

Psalm 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor

I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the Lord;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

The Lord confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the Lord hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
The Lord redeems the lives of his servants;
no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor

2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

Beloved: I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance. At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Luke 18:9-14

Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. "Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity – greedy, dishonest, adulterous -- or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.' I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."