Mary Grace Melcher - Intercessions for Mass

INTERCESSIONS

FOR MASS

MARY GRACE MELCHER, OCD

LITURGICAL PRESS

Collegeville, Minnesota

www.litpress.org

Nihil Obstat: Reverend Robert Harren, Censor deputatus.

Imprimatur: Most Reverend John F. Kinney, J.C.D., D.D., Bishop of St. Cloud, Minnesota, October 12, 2012.

Cover design by Ann Blattner. Holy Mother Church icon by Deacon Charles Rohrbacher. Used with permission.

2013 by Order of Saint Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, microfilm, microfiche, mechanical recording, photocopying, translation, or by any other means, known or yet unknown, for any purpose except brief quotations in reviews, without the previous written permission of Liturgical Press, Saint Johns Abbey, PO Box 7500, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321-7500. Printed in the United States of America.

The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013930546

ISBN 978-0-8146-3481-3

ISBN 978-0-8146-3482-0 (ebook)

CONTENTS

PROPER OF TIME

SUNDAYS, SOLEMNITIES, FEASTS

YEAR A

SEASON OF ADVENT

1st Sunday of Advent

Isa 2:1-5, Ps 122, Rom 13:11-14, Matt 24:37-44

For the whole church, summoned again to wake from sleep, to throw off the works of darkness and to put on the armor of light, that we may respond joyously to this message

That the Lords house may be established on the highest peak, and all nations stream toward Him for instruction and counsel

That we may stay awake, ready and watching for the coming of our Lord and Master, that His arrival may not be a disruption of our lives, but the goal of all our desires

For the grace to keep our souls in silence and vigilance, alert to the many small arrivals of the Lord that come through events and circumstances, and through those we love

For those whose Advent is full of pain, illness, loneliness, hunger, and poverty, that we may be willing to reach out to them and assist them in their every need

For our faithful departed, who have set foot within the gates of the heavenly Jerusalem, that they may enjoy everlasting peace

2nd Sunday of Advent

Isa 11:1-10, Ps 72, Rom 15:4-9, Matt 3:1-12

That the spirit of the Lord may rest upon all who are entrusted with authority in the church, giving them wisdom, counsel, and strength

That God may raise up sovereigns in every nation who will judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the oppressed and afflicted

That in keeping with Christ Jesus, we may learn to think in harmony with one another, welcoming one another for the glory of God

That John the Baptist, the thundering preacher of Advent repentance, may cry out again in the desert of our secular world, compelling us to make straight the way of the Lord

That the God of endurance and encouragement may lift up and console those who are weighed down with poverty, disease, or grief, especially those who have asked for our prayers

That Jesus, who has baptized us with the Holy Spirit and with fire, may take our faithful departed like chosen wheat into His barn, to be safe in heaven forever

3rd Sunday in Advent

Isa 35:1-6a, 10, Ps 146, Jas 5:7-10, Matt 11:2-11

That our holy shepherds in the church may prolong in our midst the role of John the Baptist, preparing the way of the Lord in our hearts by their preaching and the witness of their lives

For the prophets of our own day, especially those who suffer for their stance on justice and morality, that they may have the faith in Jesus which will see them through their time of trial

For the grace of patience in our relations with ourselves, with one another, and with our God; for the gift of graceful waiting during the slow process of growth and progress

That we may enlarge our expectations of God, who promises more joy and glory than we know how to imagine, and that our faith may create the space God looks for to fill with His blessing

That Jesus, who gave sight to the blind and cured lepers and made the deaf hear, may also hear us when we intercede for those who are most in need of healing and mercy

That our faithful departed may be among Gods ransomed ones who enter Zion singing and crowned with everlasting joy

4th Sunday in Advent

Isa 7:10-14, Ps 24, Rom 1:1-7, Matt 1:18-24

For our holy shepherds, that like St. Joseph they may be righteous and ready to do all that the Lord commands them, thus sheltering and protecting the church

For all the nations, that they may be brought into the obedience of faith in God and the justice of His holy laws

That we may not weary God through resistance and unbelief, but like Mary and Joseph bring Him submissive hearts and trusting spirits, ready to rejoice in the wonders He wishes to work for us

That Marys flame of virginal love and purity may illuminate and stand guard over our Advent prayers and preparations for the coming of her divine Son

For all who suffer, those who are lonely and hungry, homeless and abandoned, that our love may comfort them and they may receive a blessing of grace from the Lord

That Jesus, established as Son of God in power through His resurrection from death, may purify our faithful departed and bring them to His heavenly home

SEASON OF CHRISTMAS

Nativity of the Lord, at the Vigil

Isa 62:1-5, Ps 89, Acts 13:16-17, 22-25, Matt 1:18-25

For the church, Gods chosen people, His virgin bride, that her rejoicing may be in her bridegroom, who took flesh in Jesus and came to dwell among us

That Gods covenant of love may stand firm with all nations as they again seek to know His justice, obey His laws, and experience His peace

That we may imitate St. Josephs faith and obedience, as He quietly left behind His own doubts and took Mary into His home, giving Jesus His name and the shelter of protecting love

That we may greet the birth of our divine Savior with the humility of John the Baptist, and herald His new coming into our lives with reverent joy

For those who are forsaken and desolate, that they may be called by a new name, and become a glorious crown in the hand of the Lord as He fills them with His joy

For all who have completed their course, who have passed beyond the gates of death, that they may be celebrating this Christmas in the exultation of the heavenly kingdom