A Spiritual Communion

The 5^th Sunday of Lent 

In absence of the celebration of Mass, please join us in this prayer
which unites us to Christ and to each other at Saint Hubert.
 
You, O God, are my strength.  --Psalm 43:2 

Opening Our Heart to God

In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
 
Lord, when I call out to you, I know you are with me.  You call my name.
 
I believe in your infinite mercy and your love for me. 
So as I acknowledge my faults and sins, create a clean heart within me.

Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy. 
 

Opening Prayer

By your help, we ask you, Lord our God,
may we walk eagerly in that same charity
with which, out of love for the world,
your Son handed himself over to death.
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.
Amen. 

The Word of God: The Words of Life

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/032920.cfm
 
First Reading: Ezekiel 37:12-14
God saves our life to fully live with him.  His spirit is with us and our life with him isn’t meant to end.

Psalm 130  
With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
 
Second Reading: Romans 8:8-11
God places his spirit within us. Paul encourages us to discover it by looking to see what’s important, which is found in the things of faith and the good we bring into our life and the life of others.  In Jesus Christ, our soul finds its worth.  We find life. 

Gospel: John 11:1-45
Jesus’ friend Lazarus died.  Jesus went to be with Lazarus’ sisters and the community, but not to mourn with them.  He went to bring Lazarus back to life.  Jesus freed Lazarus from death by calling out his name.  Lazarus responded, was unbound, and was free to live again.
 
Here's a link to a word-by-word translation of this passage as depicted in the film, The Gospel of John:

A Reflection by Fr. Mike

As we find ourselves staying at home, and adjusting to new ways of living and coping, in some ways we can relate to Lazarus who was entombed, isolated and removed from the community. (Sometimes that can even happen in a house filled with people.)
 
In the midst of that darkness, though, Lazarus wasn’t forgotten.  He was waiting to hear Jesus Christ call his name—when the time was right—to come out of that place of darkness and to live life again the way he did before.  And even if Lazarus was separated from the world, his family and friends didn’t abandon him.  They were outside—concerned about him and showing their love for him; they were mourning for him and wanting him back in their lives again, just like before.
 
It was God’s desire—and the community’s desire—to bring Lazarus back to life.  And Jesus did it in the simplest of ways—he prayed to his Father whom he trusted.  In the midst of that trust—which came first—he called out Lazarus’ name and simply said, “Come out!”  And as John put it: “The dead man came out” bound and tied up.  That’s when Jesus told everyone to untie him, so that he could be truly free.
 
It’s the longing so many of us may feel—the longing to get “back to life” the way we’ve known it, to be free to get out there again, but also knowing the time has to be right.  And so, until it is right, we trust and find ways to cope.  But to build trust, we need to keep praying and putting our lives and the world into God’s hands, the place it needs to be—not just in times of crisis, as we may be concluding, but always.
 
And we count on the community to do the same because we know we’re not alone.  Our parish community is “out there” but “with us” at the same time praying and trusting and wanting the same thing.
 
Yesterday a parishioner inspired me with a great question: How do we love our neighbor when we have to stay at home and at least six feet apart?  In light of the gospel, maybe the question is how does the community help the person in darkness and isolated?
 
I think the answer is we do it creatively, because St. Hubert parishioners are emailing each other, texting, taking food and supplies (an essential task) to Church of the Holy Spirit’s food pantry, donating blood if they are healthy enough, finding creative ways to pray together (over the phone or through FaceTime or another service), calling neighbors once a day who are vulnerable and feel isolated, and volunteering to say “I can give someone a helping hand if anyone needs medicine, or groceries, or basic needs.”
 
In other words, they’re saying call my name. “I’m here and I care.” And believe it or not, in the goodness and kindness of people looking out for others, God gives us a kind of peace we won’t get from the world.
 
God enriches our lives, when we come out of ourselves and love others.  We haven’t forgotten it; it’s the movement of the spirit that is within each of us.  Our hands aren’t bound or tied.  We’re free because Jesus Christ is in our life, and he’s the one who lifts us into the hands of God.  He is in our life to give us life.
 
Consider sharing some of your own perspectives or spend some time in personal reflection.
 
For further inspiration if you desire it: A Catholic High School in New Jersey shows us that one voice, connected to another’s, creates music and harmony even when we are apart in our own homes.  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWQfMte7GcE

The Prayers of the Faithful

Good and gracious God, in union with my brothers and sisters at St. Hubert, we bring our prayers to you.

• For the world and each one of us to come to know that Christ calls us to new life in Him each day, each moment, each encounter, each struggle, each joy, we pray to the Lord.

 

• For Pope Francis, the bishops, the clergy, religious sisters, and lay leaders, that during this worldwide health crisis, they draw strength for their ministry from Jesus’ model of tireless prayer, merciful love, and devoted service, we pray to the Lord.

 

• For leaders in government all around the world, that as we learn more about the coronavirus, they will lead with compassionate courage to work for the common good of all, including the most vulnerable and most affected by the crisis, we pray to the Lord.

 

• For public health officials, vaccine developers, healthcare workers, first responders, caregivers, and all those who are at risk as they work to serve our needs, that they may receive the strength they need to persevere and stay healthy, and for the grace we all need to handle our hardships with courage and trust, we pray to the Lord.

 

• For those who are suffering with the coronavirus, and for those in our parish who are facing their own health issues, that they find strength and comfort in Jesus who loves and cares for them, including Jerry Koncel, Saul Danza, Dan Kutt, Yumi Dupont, John Norkus, Debbie O’Connor, Helen Ngoy, Charlene Perri, Nancy Early, Mary Stump, Peter Jaeger, Mary Walsh, Kathy Murtha, Patrick Tan, (please add the names of those you offer today in prayer), we pray to the Lord.

 

• For those who have died, that they will experience eternal life through Jesus Christ, especially the victims of the coronavirus, victims of violence and natural disasters, and for Herminio Nicolas, Joanne Icenogle, and (please add the names of those you offer today in prayer), we pray to the Lord.

 

• For those our community remembers today in prayer: Brian Woytek, Keith Wilson, Catalina Co, Greg Carlstedt, Nancy Early, Antoinette Czajka, Al & Helene LaRoche, Vince Doyle, Pablito Gumnad, and all our St. Hubert Parishioners, we pray to the Lord.

 

• For the prayers written in our Book of Prayer Intentions, and for the prayers we have for others: (please add the names of those you offer today in prayer), we pray to the Lord.

 
May these prayers be answered according to your will, O God. 
We ask them all through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

A Spiritual Offering

During the Mass, we bring up gifts of bread and wine and thank God for them, because he gave them to us. Those gifts are then returned to us. God gives himself to us through Jesus Christ.  What do you offer to God today of yourself, that can be returned as a gift to others?  Who would you like to remember or offer this time of prayer for?

Longing for Communion

As we contemplate our desire to have Jesus Christ in our life, we prepare our hearts—knowing the angels and the saints are in communion with the One we long to be with.  Let us lift up our hearts to the Lord.
 
It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God,
through Christ our Lord.
 
For as true man he wept for Lazarus his friend,
and as eternal God, raised him from the tomb,
just as, taking pity on the human race,
he leads us by sacred mysteries to new life.
 
Through him the host of Angels adores your majesty
and rejoices in your presence forever.
May our voices, we pray, join with theirs
in one chorus of exultant praise, as we acclaim:
 
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

The Prayer that Unites Us

United with my brothers and sisters at St. Hubert and with Catholics around the world, with one voice we pray the prayer Jesus teaches us to pray together.

Our Father, who art in heaven… 

A Time for Peace

Lord, Jesus Christ,
You said to your apostles, “Peace I leave you, my peace I give you”.
Please graciously grant peace to us
and to all those in our family and in our parish.
Allow us to be of one mind and heart.
Allow us to be an instrument of your peace.
 
(If praying with others, offer a sign of peace to one another.) 

A Time for Spiritual Communion

As we long for the Eucharist, we long to be with Christ and share in his life.  Let us spend some moments now in prayer uniting our life to the life of Jesus Christ.  (You may even want to look upon a crucifix or hold it, or look upon an image or statue of Jesus Christ.)

Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O Good Jesus, hear me.
Within your wounds hide me.
Permit me not to be separated from you.
From the wicked foe, defend me.
At the hour of my death, call me
and bid me come to you,
that with your saints, I may praise you
for ever and ever.
Amen.
 
An alternate suggestion, among many, for those who may want to experience a more contemplative form of prayer is to be conscious of your breathing.  Slowly breath in.  As you hold your breath for a second or two, picture Jesus Christ or even his name in your mind.  Then slowly breathe out. You can repeat this type of spiritual exercise until you are ready to close in prayer. This can be done as easily with children as with adults.
 
If you want to reflect using music, consider listening to this song that we hear often at St. Hubert: God So Loved the World.

A Closing Prayer

God of all,
As we seek communion and your presence through
our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
we pray, that you will protect us in these uncertain times,
give us the hope we need day by day,
strengthen our desire to help one another,
and keep our St. Hubert Parish community close to You.
We long to be together again to worship you
at your altar of praise.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.  

Pope Francis’ Blessing to the World from St. Peter’s Square in Rome

March 27, 2020  
From this colonnade that embraces Rome and the whole world, may God’s blessing come down upon you as a consoling embrace.
 
Lord, may you bless the world, give health to our bodies and comfort our hearts. You ask us not to be afraid. Yet our faith is weak and we are fearful. But you, Lord, will not leave us at the mercy of the storm.
 
Tell us again: “Do not be afraid” (Mt 28:5). And we, together with Peter, “cast all our anxieties onto you, for you care about us” (cf. 1 Pet 5:7).
 
(To receive the blessing, make the sign of the cross.)  

Going Forth

Thank you, Lord. I know you are with me.
 
Send me to be a light in the midst of darkness
and an instrument of your peace.
 
In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.