Holy Mass

Introductory Rites

Greeting of the Priest

Celebrant: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Assembly: Amen.

Celebrant: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
Assembly: And with your spirit.

Penitential Act

Celebrant: Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins, so that we may worthily celebrate the sacred mysteries.

Brief pause for silent reflection

Celebrant: Lord, you made us new creations in Baptism, have mercy on us.
Assembly: Lord, have mercy.

Celebrant: Christ, you gather us to your table, have mercy on us.
Assembly: Christ, have mercy.

Celebrant: Lord, you call us to form one family in the Church, have mercy on us.
Assembly: Lord, have mercy.

Celebrant: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
Assembly: Amen.

Gloria

Assembly: 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

Celebrant: [The Priest recites the specific Collect prayer for Marriage]
Assembly: Amen.

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading

Designated Reader/Readers

From the Song of Songs (Ct 2:8-16; 8:6-7)

Hark! My beloved! Here he comes, leaping across the mountains, bounding over the hills. My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Here he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattice.

My beloved speaks and says to me: "Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come! O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places of the cliff, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely."

My beloved is mine and I am his.

He says to me: "Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away."

The Word of the Lord.
Assembly: Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Reader/Psalmist, with response from the Assembly

From Psalm 44

Refrain: May the goodness of our God be with us every day.

My heart overflows with a goodly theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.

Refrain: May the goodness of our God be with us every day.

You are the fairest of the sons of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever. Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your splendor and your majesty.

Refrain: May the goodness of our God be with us every day.

Advance for the sake of truth and meekness and righteousness. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you.

Refrain: May the goodness of our God be with us every day.

Listen, daughter, and see, incline your ear, forget your people and your father's house; then the king will desire your beauty. For he is your Lord; bow down to him.

Refrain: May the goodness of our God be with us every day.

The richest of the people bring gifts; the daughter of the king is all glorious within; her clothing is interwoven with gold.

Refrain: May the goodness of our God be with us every day.

Second Reading

Designated Reader/Readers

From the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (12:31-13:8a)
If I have not charity, it profits me nothing.

Brothers and sisters, aspire to the greater gifts! And I will show you a still more excellent way.

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never ends.

The Word of the Lord.
Assembly: Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation

Assembly: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

Unless the Lord builds the house, in vain do its builders labor, alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

From the Gospel according to Matthew (7:21, 24-29)
He built his house on rock.

At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock.

"And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, and it fell; and great was its crash!"

When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Assembly: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

Celebrant: [Brief pause for silent reflection after the homily]

Liturgy of the Sacrament of Marriage

Interrogations before the Consent

The Priest addresses first the groom, then the bride, with these words:

Celebrant: Giuseppe, have you come here freely and without compulsion, to unite yourself in marriage with Alessandra?
Giuseppe: Yes.

Celebrant: Do you promise to love her and honor her all the days of your life?
Giuseppe: Yes.

Celebrant: Alessandra, have you come here freely and without compulsion, to unite yourself in marriage with Giuseppe?
Alessandra: Yes.

Celebrant: Do you promise to love him and honor him all the days of your life?
Alessandra: Yes.

Celebrant: Are you both prepared to accept children lovingly from God and to bring them up according to the law of Christ and his Church?
Giuseppe and Alessandra: Yes.

Consent

Giuseppe: I, Giuseppe, take you, Alessandra, to be my wife, and I promise to be faithful to you always, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, and to love you and honor you all the days of my life.

Alessandra: I, Alessandra, take you, Giuseppe, to be my husband, and I promise to be faithful to you always, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, and to love you and honor you all the days of my life.

Confirmation of Consent

Celebrant: [The Priest confirms the consent of the spouses.]

Blessing and Giving of Rings

Giuseppe and Alessandra exchange rings.

Giuseppe: Alessandra, receive this ring, a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Alessandra: Giuseppe, receive this ring, a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer of the Faithful

Designated Reader/Readers

Brothers and sisters, aware of the singular gift of grace and charity, by which God willed to perfect and consecrate the love of our brothers Giuseppe and Alessandra, let us ask the Lord that, sustained by the example and intercession of the saints, they may keep their marital bond faithfully.

Assembly: Lord, hear our prayer.

For Giuseppe and Alessandra, that through the holy union of Marriage, they may enjoy health of body and eternal salvation, let us pray.

For the Lord to bless the union of these spouses as he sanctified the wedding at Cana, let us pray.

For the Lord to make Giuseppe and Alessandra's love fruitful, grant them peace and support, and that they may be faithful witnesses of Christian life, let us pray.

For the Christian people to grow day by day in the certainty of faith, and that all who are oppressed by life's difficulties may receive the help of grace from above, let us pray.

For the Holy Spirit to renew in all spouses present here the grace of the sacrament, let us pray.

Pour out, Lord, upon Giuseppe and Alessandra the Spirit of your love, that they may become one heart and one soul: may nothing separate these spouses whom you have united, and, filled with your blessing, may nothing afflict them. Through Christ our Lord.

Assembly: Amen.

Liturgy of the Eucharist

Preparation of the Gifts

While the bread and wine are brought to the altar.

Prayer over the Offerings

Celebrant: [The Priest recites the prayer over the offerings.]
Assembly: Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

Celebrant: [The chosen Eucharistic Prayer will be followed. At the end, the Priest will say:]

Celebrant: Through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, for ever and ever.
Assembly: Amen.

Communion Rite

The Lord's Prayer

Celebrant and Assembly: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Assembly: Amen.

Sign of Peace

Celebrant: Let us offer each other the sign of peace.
Assembly: [The assembly exchanges the sign of peace]

Fraction of the Bread

Celebrant: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Assembly: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Assembly: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

Communion

Celebrant: Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lord. Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.

Assembly: Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

Prayer after Communion

Celebrant: [The Priest recites the prayer after Communion.]
Assembly: Amen.

Concluding Rites

Solemn Blessing of the Spouses

Celebrant: [The Priest imparts the solemn blessing to Giuseppe and Alessandra.]

Final Blessing and Dismissal

Celebrant: The Lord be with you.
Assembly: And with your spirit.

Celebrant: May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Assembly: Amen.

Celebrant: Go forth, the Mass is ended.
Assembly: Thanks be to God.