THE INTRODUCTORY RITES

Entrance Antiphon
[Ps 84(83):10-11]
(Recited when there is no opening song)
Turn your eyes, O God, our shield; and look on the face of your anointed one; one day within your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.
Greeting
(The sign of the cross is made here)
P — The Lord be with you.
All — And with your spirit.
Introduction
(The priest may address the assembly using these or similar words)
P — Deep within us is an irrepressible longing to live forever. We rebel against the thought of dying because we feel that we are essentially spiritual and immortal.
But we also realize that immortality is not our natural possession. It has to be given to us by the Creator, who planted in our hearts such desire.
In today’s Gospel, the Lord Jesus reveals himself as the bread that came down from heaven. It is by accepting him who is the Father’s greatest gift that we will be able to live forever with God. May we celebrate this mystery with profound faith and receive him with love and thanksgiving.
Penitential Act
P — Brethren (brothers and sisters), let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries. (Pause)
All — I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, (strike your breast) through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore 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.
P — May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
All — Amen.
P — Lord, have mercy.
All — Lord, have mercy.
P — Christ, have mercy.
All — Christ, have mercy.
P — Lord, have mercy.
All — Lord, have mercy.
Gloria
All — Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father. Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Collect
P — Let us pray. (Pause)
O God, who have prepared for those who love you good things which no eye can see, fill our hearts, we pray, with the warmth of your love, so that, loving you in all things and above all things, we may attain your promises, which surpass every human desire.
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.
All — Amen.

THE LITURGY
OF THE WORD

First Reading [Prv 9:1-6] (Sit)
Wisdom is like a gracious lady who invites people to her house for dinner. She is the personification of God who provides good things for his people.
A reading from the Book of Proverbs
WISDOM has built her house, she has set up her seven columns; she has dressed her meat, mixed her wine, yes, she has spread her table. She has sent out her maidens; she calls from the heights out over the city: “Let whoever is simple turn in here”; to the one who lacks understanding, she says, “Come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed! Forsake foolishness that you may live; advance in the way of understanding.”
— The word of the Lord.
All — Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm (Ps 34)
R — Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
1. 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)
2. Glorify the Lord with me,/ let us together extol his name./ I sought the Lord, and he answered me/ and delivered me from all my fears. (R)
3. Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,/ and your faces may not blush with shame./ When the poor one called out, the Lord heard,/ and from all his distress he saved him. (R)

Second Reading (Eph 5:15-20)
St. Paul invites his Christian converts to live godly lives, thanking God for everything and attuning their conduct to His will.

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians
BROTHERS AND SISTERS: Watch carefully how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, making the most of the opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord. And do not get drunk on wine, in which lies debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and playing to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.
— The word of the Lord.
All — Thanks be to God.

Alleluia [Jn 6:56] (Stand)
All — Alleluia, alleluia.Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him, says the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel (Jn 6:51-58)
P — A reading from the holy Gospel according to John
All — Glory to you, O Lord.
JESUS said to the crowds: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”
—The Gospel of the Lord.
All — Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Homily (Sit)

Profession of Faith (Stand)
All — I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven,
(at the words that follow, up to and including and became man, all bow)
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Prayer of the Faithful
P — In this Eucharist, we lift up to our heavenly Father our humble petitions and ask him to give us our daily bread. With confidence, we pray:
R — Listen to the prayers of your Church, O Lord.
C — May the Church throughout the world become a beacon of light communicating the message of Jesus to all people. We pray: (R)
C — May bishops, priests, and deacons mirror in their lives the holiness and challenge of the Eucharist they celebrate. We pray: (R)
C — May government and civil leaders protect rights and dignity of the poor, the suffering, the abandoned, and the marginalized. We pray: (R)
C —May the sick, the depressed, and the dying be comforted with Jesus’ presence in the holy Eucharist. We pray: (R)
C — (The urgent concerns of the community are prayed here.)
P — Father, hear the prayers of your people whom you nourish by your body and blood. Hear our petitions and grant us eternal life with you.
Through Christ our Lord.
All — Amen.

THE LITURGY OF
THE EUCHARIST

Presentation of the Gifts
(Stand)
P — Pray, brethren…
All — 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 holy Church.
Prayer over the Offerings
P — Receive our oblation, O Lord, by which is brought about a glorious exchange, that, by offering what you have given, we may merit to receive your very self.
Through Christ our Lord.
All — Amen.
Preface VIII of the Sundays in Ordinary Time
P — The Lord be with you.
All — And with your spirit.
P — Lift up your hearts.
All — We lift them up to the Lord.
P — Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
All — It is right and just.
P — 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.
For when your children were scattered afar by sin, through the Blood of your Son and the power of the Spirit, you gathered them again to yourself, that a people, formed as one by the unity of the Trinity, made the body of Christ and the temple of the Holy Spirit, might, to the praise of your manifold wisdom, be manifest as the Church.
And so, in company with the choirs of Angels, we praise you, and with joy we proclaim:
All — Holy, Holy, Holy... (Kneel)

Acclamation (Stand)
All — Save us, Savior of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.

THE COMMUNION RITE
The Lord’s Prayer
All — Our Father…
P — Deliver us, Lord…
All — For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever.
Invitation to Peace
Invitation to Communion
(Kneel)
P — Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
All — Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

Communion Antiphon
(Jn 6:51-52)
I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever.
Prayer after Communion
(Stand)
P — Let us pray. (Pause)
Made partakers of Christ through these Sacraments, we humbly implore your mercy, Lord, that, conformed to his image on earth, we may merit also to be his coheirs in heaven.Who lives and reigns for ever and ever
All — Amen.

THE CONCLUDING RITES

P — The Lord be with you.
All — And with your spirit.
Prayer over the People
P — Bow for the blessings. (Pause)
Look, O Lord, on the prayers of your family, and grant them the assistance they humbly implore, so that, strengthened by the help they need, they may persevere in confessing your name.
Through Christ our Lord.
All — Amen.
P — And may the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, (†) and the Holy Spirit, come down on you and remain with you for ever.
All — Amen.
Dismissal
P — The Mass is ended. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord and one another.
All — Thanks be to God