Liturgy Lines

More New Lent Texts

Many people are asking where they can purchase a new Sunday Missal now that the Mass texts have been revised and their old ones are out-of-date.
A people’s Missal contains both the prayers and the scripture readings for Mass. Unfortunately there has been a delay in revising the Lectionary for Mass and no publisher will print a people’s Sunday Missal until that work is finalised. In the interim St Paul’s Publications are producing a yearly Missal that combines the new Mass texts with the current Jerusalem Bible readings.
An alternative to this for people who like to prepare for Mass by reading the prayers and scripture readings beforehand is to use The Liturgical Commission’s Daily Mass Book for the former and their current Sunday or Weekday Missals for the latter.
Those who do not have a Daily Mass Book might appreciate the opportunity to read through these ”proper” texts (those that change according to the feast or season) for the Fourth Sunday of Lent.

Collect:
O God, who through your Word
reconcile the human race to yourself in a wonderful way,
grant, we pray, that with prompt devotion and eager faith
the Christian people may hasten toward the solemn celebrations to come.

Prayer over the Offerings:
We place before you with joy these offerings,
which bring eternal remedy, O Lord,
praying that we may both faithfully revere them
and present them to you, as is fitting,
for the salvation of all the world.

Prayer after Communion:
O God, who enlighten everyone who comes into this world,
illuminate our hearts, we pray,
with the splendour of your grace,
that we may always ponder
what is worthy and pleasing to your majesty
and love you in all sincerity.

The complex structure and more formal tone of the new translation are very evident when this Prayer after Communion is compared with the one used for the last 40 years:
Father, you enlighten all who come into the world.
Fill our hearts with the light of your gospel,
that our thoughts may please you
and our love be sincere.

Prayer over the People:
Look upon those who call to you, O Lord,
and sustain the weak;
give life by your unfailing light
to those who walk in the shadow of death,
and bring those rescued by your mercy from every evil
to reach the highest good.

If the Gospel reading in your parish today is about the man born blind and not Jesus’ words to Nicodemus as your Missal indicates, it will be because the Church recommends using the Gospels of Year A on the 3rd, 4th and 5th Sundays of Lent every year when there are people at Mass who are preparing for baptism at Easter. The stories of the woman at the well, the man born blind and the raising of Lazarus are of major importance in regard to Christian initiation.