Let's celebrate the Lord's Day ceremony during the coronavirus pandemic

The Setting Aside of the Day 

LEADER: Blessed are you, Lord our God, for the true rest you have given us in your Son Jesus and for this day which is a commemoration of his redeeming work. We welcome this day with gladness and consecrate it to the celebration founded in him. Look graciously upon your servants and show us your glory. Blessed are you, Lord our God, who favor your people in the days set aside to your honor. 

GROUP: Amen. The Blessing of the Bread 

LEADER: The eyes of all look to you, O Lord, and you give them their food in due season. 

GROUP: You open your hand, you satisfy the desire of every living thing. 

LEADER: Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who bring forth bread from the earth. 

GROUP: Amen. Distribute the bread and begin the meal. Blessings after the Meal 

LEADER: Let us bless the Lord. 

GROUP: Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forever. 

LEADER: Let us bless our God, of whose bounty we have partaken. GROUP: Blessed be our God, of whose bounty we have partaken and through whose goodness we live. 

LEADER: Blessed are you Lord our God, who feed the whole world with your goodness, with grace, with steadfast love and mercy. Through your great goodness food has never failed us. May it not fail us for ever and ever, for your great Name’s sake, since you nourish and sustain all beings, and do good to all, and provide food for all your creatures whom you have created. Blessed are you Lord our God, King of the Universe, who gives food to all. 

GROUP: Blessed be his name forever. 

LEADER: Blessed are you, Lord our God, for by your great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, for giving us new life in your Son. 

GROUP: Blessed be his name forever. 

LEADER: Have mercy, Lord our God, upon your people who belong to your Son, the dwelling place of your Spirit. Grant that the Christian people throughout the world may attain the unity for which Jesus prayed on the eve of his sacrifice, and that we in the [insert the name of your community here] may be a sign of that unity and a means of its growth. May all your people be renewed in the power of your Son’s return. Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Ruler and Builder of your people. 

GROUP: Blessed be his name for ever. As the cup is being passed, the Leader recites the following blessings from Numbers 6:24-26 

LEADER: May the Lord bless you and keep you; may the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. 

GROUP: Amen

The Lighting of the Candle The assistant usually presides over the Lighting of the Candle. 

ASSISTANT: In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. All things were made through him and without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it (Jn.1: 1-15). Heavenly Father, in honor of your Son, Light of the World and Author of Life, we are about to kindle the light for the Lord’s Day. On this day you raised your Son Jesus from the dead and began the new creation. May our celebration of his resurrection this day be filled with your peace and heavenly blessing. Be gracious to us and cause your Holy Spirit to dwell more richly among us. Father of Mercy, continue your loving kindness toward us. Make us worthy to walk in the way of your Son, loyal to your teaching and unwavering in love and service. Keep far from us all anxiety, darkness, and gloom; and grant that peace, light, and joy ever abide among us. 

GROUP: For in you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light. Assistant light the candle and recite the following blessing. 

ASSISTANT: Blessed are you, Lord our God, who created light on the first day and raised your Son, the Light of the World, to begin the new creation. Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who gives us joy as we kindle the light for the Lord’s Day. 

GROUP: Amen.

LEADER: Let us trust in the Lord and in his saving help. 

GROUP: The Lord is my light and my salvation. 

LEADER: Let us receive his life and rejoice in his presence.

GROUP: He is the true light that enlightens every man. 

LEADER: Let us keep his commandments and walk in his ways. 

GROUP: His word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. 

LEADER: Let us proclaim his goodness and show for his glory. 

GROUP: We are the light of the world and the salt of the earth. The Opening Proclamation 

LEADER: Brothers and sisters, this is the Lord’s Day. Let us welcome it in joy and peace. Today we set aside the concerns of the week that we may honor the Lord and celebrate his resurrection. Today we cease from our work in order to worship God and remember the eternal life to which he has called us. The Lord himself is with us, to refresh and strengthen us. Let us welcome God among us and give him glory. Let us love one another in Christ. May the Holy Spirit be with us, to deepen our devotion to the Lord and to increase our zeal for the way of life he has given us. It is possible to insert here a song and/or time of praise. The Blessing of the Wine Pour wine into the cup, raise it, and recite the following prayer. LEADER: Let us praise God with this symbol of joy and thank him for the blessings of the past week--for health, strength, and wisdom, for our life together in the [insert name of your community here], for the discipline of our trails and temptations, for the happiness that has come to us out of our work. 

The following section of the prayer will vary depending on the season. The leader should pick the appropriate form. Standard Form 

LEADER: Let us thank him this day especially for the great blessings he has bestowed on us in Christ. From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace. We who were dead through sin have been brought to life together with Christ and raised up with him and made to sit in heavenly places with him. Lord our God, you have brought us into the rest of Christ. 

GROUP: Now we live with him through the Holy Spirit, and we look for the day when we will dwell with him in your everlasting Kingdom. Lent 

LEADER: Let us thank him this day especially for the victory over sin that he won for us upon the cross and for this season in which we turn our eyes to him with renewed fervor, hungering and thirsting for righteousness. Lord our God, we fasted this week that we might seek your face. 

GROUP: And now we eat and drink with joy as we celebrate your salvation. Easter Season 

LEADER: Let us thank him this day especially for the great victory he has won for us in Christ. By his resurrection he has triumphed over sin, conquered death, defeated Satan, and won for us the riches of an eternal inheritance. We who were perishing through sin have been brought to life together with Christ and raised up with him and made to sit in heavenly places with him. Lord our God, you have given us a new birth through the resurrection of Christ.

GROUP: Now we live with him through the Holy Spirit and we look for the day when we will dwell with him in your everlasting Kingdom. Advent
LEADER: Let us thank him this day especially for the salvation we received in Christ. By his coming in the flesh he ransomed us from sin and the power of death, and by his coming again he will renew all things, destroy every evil, and establish the eternal reign of God on earth. Lord our God, you have made us yours sons and daughters through Jesus Christ.
GROUP: Now we live with him through the Holy Spirit and we look for the day when we will dwell with him in your everlasting Kingdom. Christmas Season
LEADER: Let us thank him this day especially for the great blessings he has bestowed on us in Christ. In him the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, reconciling earth to heaven, and imparting to us the fullness of life. In him the Word became flesh, enabling men and women of flesh to become children of God. Lord our God, you have revealed to us your glory in Jesus your Son and have made us partakers of the divine nature.
GROUP: Now we live with him through the Holy Spirit, and we look for the day when we will dwell with him in your everlasting Kingdom. From this point onwards the prayer continues without seasonal variations.
LEADER: Blessed are you Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has created the fruit of the vine.
GROUP: Amen.
The leader drinks from the cup and passes it to the others present.

How to make an Act of Perfect Contrition
Receive Jesus in Spiritual Communion when you can't go to mass during the COVID-19 Plague