Fifth Sunday of Lent Year C

Instruction before the Celebration
At the start of the celebration, the commentator says
Good morning/afternoon/evening, brothers and sisters.
We are now in the Fifth Sunday of Lent.

Our presider for this celebration is Fr. N.
Let us all stand and unite our hearts, minds and voices as we begin our celebration.

INTRODUCTORY RITES
Entrance
After the people have assembled, accompanied by a song, the presider and the ministers walk towards the sanctuary, reverence the altar and go to their places.

If there is no song, the antiphon is said

Is 66:10-11

Give me justice, O god, and defend my cause against the wicked; rescue me from deceitful and unjust men. You, O God, are my refuge.

Everyone remains standing and makes the sign of the cross, as the presider says
In the name of the Father + and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
The people answer
Amen.

Greeting
Then, the presider, facing the people, extends his hands and greets all present with
The Lord be with you.
The people answer
And also with you.

Introduction to the Celebration
The presider or deacon or other suitable minister may very briefly introduce the Mass of the day in these words
How many chances have we been given to change? We know that God is always ready to forgive. God buries the things of the past and makes us new. And yet, many times, we fall back into sin, and sometimes, we abuse God’s mercy. Sure, God forgives but it does not end there.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus saves a woman caught in adultery from an unforgiving crowd; he forgives her and he admonishes her not to sin anymore. Lent calls us to repent for our sins
and to become better persons. We are called to conform ourselves to Christ, and to the merciful Father who is forgiving.

Act of Penitence
The priest invites the people to recall their sins to repent of them in silence with
My brothers and sisters*,
to prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries,
let us call to mind our sins.
Please kneel.
After the silence, the presider leads the people in saying the Confiteor
I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do; and I ask Blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord, our God.
The presider then says
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
The people answer
Amen.

Kyrie
The presider says Lord, have mercy.
The people answer Lord, have mercy.
The presider says Christ, have mercy.
The people answer Christ, have mercy.
The presider says Lord, have mercy.
The people answer Lord, have mercy.

The commentator says
Please stand.

Opening Prayer
The presider, with hands joined, sings or says:
Let us pray.
Everyone pray silently for a while. Then, the presider extends his hands and says or sings
Father, help us to be like Christ your Son, who loved the world and died for our salvation. Inspire us by his love, guide us by his example, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.
or
God our Father, your Word, Jesus Christ, spoke peace to a sinful world and brought mankind the gift of reconciliation by the suffering and death he endured. Teach us, the people who bear his name, to follow the example he gave us: may our faith, hope and charity turn hatred to love, conflict to peace, death to eternal life. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
The people respond
Amen.

LITURGY OF THE WORD
Introduction to Reading I
The commentator says
The Israelites celebrate Passover on the Promised Land, which God gave them. The Passover meal recalls the salvation wrought by God and the reconciliation of a prodigal people.

Reading I Is 43:16-21
The lector proceeds with the proclamation.
A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah. Is 43:16-21
A short pause follows. Then, the lector continues with the reading.
Thus says the LORD,
who opens a way in the sea
and a path in the mighty waters,
who leads out chariots and horsemen,
a powerful army,
till they lie prostrate together, never to rise,
snuffed out and quenched like a wick.
Remember not the events of the past,
the things of long ago consider not;
see, I am doing something new!
Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
In the desert I make a way,
in the wasteland, rivers.
Wild beasts honor me,
jackals and ostriches,
for I put water in the desert
and rivers in the wasteland
for my chosen people to drink,
the people whom I formed for myself,
that they might announce my praise.
A short pause follows. Then, the Lector ends the reading with
The Word of the Lord.
The people answer
Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6
The lector says
The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
All say
The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
The lector says
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
All say
The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
The lector says
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
All say
The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
The lector says
Then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
All say
The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
The lector says
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
All say
The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
The lector says
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
All say
The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Introduction to Reading II
The commentator says
Being a follower of Christ does not come in an instant. We have to repent for our past mistakes and conform ourselves to Christ. We must continually renew ourselves.

Reading II Phil 3:8-14
The Lector proceeds with the proclamation.
A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians.
A short pause follows. Then, the lector continues with the reading.
Brothers and sisters:
I consider everything as a loss
because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things
and I consider them so much rubbish,
that I may gain Christ and be found in him,
not having any righteousness of my own based on the law
but that which comes through faith in Christ,
the righteousness from God,
depending on faith to know him and the power of his resurrection
and the sharing of his sufferings by being conformed to his death,
if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

It is not that I have already taken hold of it
or have already attained perfect maturity,
but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it,
since I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ Jesus.
Brothers and sisters, I for my part
do not consider myself to have taken possession.
Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind
but straining forward to what lies ahead,
I continue my pursuit toward the goal,
the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus.
A short pause follows. Then, the Lector ends the reading with
The Word of the Lord.
The people answer
Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation
The commentator signals the people for the gospel
Let us honor the Holy Gospel.
The music ministry leads the people in singing the appropriate song. The priest/deacon carries the Gospel Book to the Ambo.

Gospel Jn 8:1-11
The deacon/priest says or sings
The Lord be with you.
The people answer
And also with you.
The deacon/priest says or sings
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke.
The people answer
Glory to you, Lord.
All make the gospel sign. If incense is used, the proclaimer incenses the book of gospels.
The gospel is proclaimed.
Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area,
and all the people started coming to him,
and he sat down and taught them.
Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman
who had been caught in adultery
and made her stand in the middle.
They said to him,
“Teacher, this woman was caught
in the very act of committing adultery.
Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women.
So what do you say?”
They said this to test him,
so that they could have some charge to bring against him.
Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger.
But when they continued asking him,
he straightened up and said to them,
“Let the one among you who is without sin
be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Again he bent down and wrote on the ground.
And in response, they went away one by one,
beginning with the elders.
So he was left alone with the woman before him.
Then Jesus straightened up and said to her,
“Woman, where are they?
Has no one condemned you?”
She replied, “No one, sir.”
Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you.
Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”
A short pause follows. The deacon/priest ends the proclamation with
The Gospel of the Lord.
The people answer
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily
The presider or the homilist gives the homily.

Profession of Faith
The presider from the chair initiates the common recitation of the creed.
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day, he rose again.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body
and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayer of the Faithful
The presider gives a brief introduction, then invites the people to pray.
Let us pray to God our merciful Father to give us the strength to repent and sin no more. Let us say: LORD, HAVE MERCY.
The intentions are proclaimed by a deacon, lector or some members of the faithful from the ambo.

1. That the Church may always be a sanctuary for those seeking a new life, we pray.
2. That our society may be more open to those who have gone astray and want to come back, especially ex-convicts who have paid for their mistake and want to live a new life, we pray.
3. That those who are captives to sin may be encouraged by our forgiveness and acceptance to change their ways, we pray.
4. For our community, that through our service to our poor brethren we may lead them from illicit means of living so that they may live a decent life, we pray.
5. That we may forgive one another as God forgives us, we pray.

After the intentions, the presider says the concluding prayer.
Lord, you are merciful and forgiving. Help us to sin no more and live a better life. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
The people respond
Amen.

Panalangin ng Bayan
Aanyayahan ng tagapamuno ang lahat na manalangin
Manalangin tayo sa Diyos Ama upang bigyan tayo ng lakas upang magbago at huwag nang magkasala. Sabihin natin: PANGINOON, KAAWAAN MO KAMI.
Ipahahayag ang mga luhog mula sa Ambo.

1. Upang ang Simbahan ay laging maging kanlungan ng mga naghahangad sa bagong buhay, manalangin tayo.
2. Upang maging mas bukas ang ating lipunan sa mga nagkamali na gustong magbagong-buhay, lalo na ang mga galing sa preso, manalangin tayo.
3. Upang ang mga nakatali sa kanilang kasalanan ay mahikayat na magbago sa pamamagitan ng ating pagpapatawad at pagtanggap, manalangin tayo.
4. Upang sa pagtulong ng ating pamayanan sa mahihirap nating kapatid, mailayo natin ang mga kumakapit sa patalim upang makapamuhay sila ng desente at tuwid, manalangin tayo.
5. Upang makapagpatawad tayo gaya ng pagpapatawad ng Diyos sa atin, manalangin tayo.

Pagkatapos ng mga luhog, sasabihin ng tagapamuno.
Panginoon, ikaw ay mahabagin at mapagpatawad. Tulungan mo kaming huwag nang magkasala at mamuhay sa iyong pag-ibig sa pamamagitan ni Kristong aming Panginoon.
Tutugon ang lahat
Amen.

LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Prayer over the Gifts
Standing at the center of the altar, facing the people, the presider extends and then joins his hands, saying
Pray, brethren*,
that our sacrifice may be acceptable to God,
the almighty Father.
The people respond
May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands
for the praise and glory of his name,
for our good and the good of all His Church.
With hands extended, the presider says
Almighty God, may the sacrifice we offer take away the sins of those whom you enlighten with Christian faith. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
The people answer
Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer
Presider: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Presider: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them up to the Lord.
Presider: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: It is right to give him thanks and praise.

Preface for Lent
Eucharistic Prayer for Reconciliation I

Communion Rite

Communion
If there is no song, the antiphon is said

Jn 8:10-11

Has no one condemned you? The woman answered: No one, Lord. Neither do I condemn you: go and do not sin again.

Prayer after Communion
Then, standing at the chair or at the altar, the presider says or sings
Let us pray.
Everyone prays in silence for a while. Then, the presider extends his hands and sings or says
Almighty Father, by this sacrifice may we always remain one with your Son, Jesus Christ, whose body and blood we share, for he is Lord for ever and ever.
The people respond
Amen.

CONCLUDING RITE
Greeting
Facing the people, the presider extends his hands and sings or says
The Lord be with you.
The people answer
And also with you.

Solemn Blessing
The deacon/presider says
Bow your heads and pray for God’s blessing.
The presider extends his hands over the people while he says:
Lord, protect your people always, that they may be free from every evil and serve you with all their hearts. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
The people answer
Amen.

Blessing
The presider blesses the people with these words
May almighty God bless you,
the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit.
The people answer
Amen.

Dismissal
The deacon or presider says
Go in peace.
The people answer
Thanks be to God.