February 8th, 2026 – Penultimate Sunday after Epiphany (Divine Clemency Sunday)
ENTRANCE ANTIPHON
In my distress I called to the Lord
and he heard my cry.
I cried out from the bottom of the abyss
and you, O God, heard my voice.
I know you are a gracious God,
patient and merciful;
you forgive us our sins.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit
be with you all.
And with your spirit.
Brethren (brothers and sisters), let us acknowledge our sins,
and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.
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,
[All strike their 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.
May almighty God have mercy on us,
forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
GLORIA
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
Let us pray.
O God, who always await with open arms those who entrust themselves to your perfect fatherhood, graciously guide us on our way, that as we walk in your will, we may never wander far from the fount of life. Through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord and our God, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, forever and ever.
Amen.
LITURGY OF THE WORD
FIRST READING
A reading from the Prophet Baruch (Bar 1:15a; 2:9-15a)
You shall say in those days: ‘The Lord has kept the calamities ready, and the Lord has brought them upon us, for the Lord is righteous in all his works which he has commanded us to do. Yet we have not obeyed his voice, to walk in the statutes of the Lord which he set before us. And now, O Lord God of Israel, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and with signs and wonders and with great power and outstretched arm, and have made you a name, as at this day, we have sinned, we have been ungodly, we have done wrong, O Lord our God, against all your ordinances. Let your anger turn away from us, for we are left, few in number, among the nations where you have scattered us. Hear, O Lord, our prayer and supplication, and for your own sake deliver us, and grant us favour in the sight of those who have carried us into exile; that all the earth may know that you are the Lord our God.’
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
PSALM
Psalm 105 (106)
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
Both we and our fathers have sinned;
we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.
Our fathers, when they were in Egypt,
did not consider your wonderful works. R.
They did not remember the abundance of your mercy,
but rebelled against the Most High at the Red Sea.
Yet he saved them for his name’s sake,
that he might make known his mighty power. R.
Many times he delivered them,
but they were rebellious in their purposes,
and were brought low through their iniquity.
Nevertheless he regarded their distress, when he heard their cry. R.
He remembered for their sake his covenant,
and relented according to the abundance of his mercy.
Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name. R.
EPISTLE
A reading from the Letter of St Paul to the Romans (Rm 7:1-6a)
Do you not know, brethren – for I am speaking to those who know the law – that the law is binding on a person only during his life? Thus a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives; but if her husband dies she is discharged from the law concerning the husband. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress. Likewise, my brethren, you have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God. While we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are discharged from the law, dead to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Alleluia.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall be shown mercy.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you
And with your spirit.
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St John (Jn 8:1-11)
Glory to you, O Lord.
In those days. Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple; all the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in their midst they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such. What do you say about her?’ This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, ‘Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.’ And once more he bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the eldest, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus looked up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again.’
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
AFTER THE GOSPEL
Blessed be God,
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
merciful Father and God of all consolation,
who comforts us in all our sorrow.
PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
Brothers and sisters, as we now make our prayer for our community and for the world, let us all pray to Christ the Lord, not only for ourselves and our own needs, but for the entire people.
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
CONCLUSION OF THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
O God, you alone are good and the source of all goodness. Grant that in the face of your Truth we may never appear unworthy or ungrateful of your bountiful love. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Let us offer each other the sign of peace.
THE LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
All-merciful Father, accept this bread,
so that it becomes the body of Christ, your Son.
Amen
All-merciful Father, accept this wine,
so that it becomes the blood of Christ, your Son.
Amen
PROFESSION OF FAITH
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,
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.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
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 OVER THE GIFTS
As we offer our sacrifice, O merciful God, may we be purified of all evil and strengthened in our weakness. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
PREFACE
The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right and just.
It is truly right and just,
our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
holy Father, eternal and almighty God.
By his word of truth
and faithful to his promise,
in giving himself up to death
the Lord Jesus became the great High Priest.
Alone without sin,
he needed not to relieve his own guilt,
but – true Paschal Lamb –
by his Blood washed away the sin of the world.
Through this mystery of grace and united with all creation, we raise our hymn of praise:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
EUCHARISTIC PRAYER
You are indeed Holy, O Lord,
The fount of all holiness.
Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray,
by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall,
so that they may become for us
the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
At the time he was betrayed
And entered willingly into his Passion,
he took bread and, giving thanks, broke it,
and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take this, all of you, and eat of it,
For this is my Body,
Which will be given up for you.
In a similar way, when supper was ended,
he took the chalice
and, once more giving thanks,
he gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take this, all of you, and drink from it,
for this is the chalice of my Blood,
the Blood of the new and eternal covenant,
Which will be poured out for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this in memory of me.
The mystery of faith.
We proclaim your Death, O Lord,
and profess your Resurrection
until you come again.
Therefore, as we celebrate
the memorial of his Death and Resurrection,
we offer you, Lord,
the Bread of life and the Chalice of salvation,
giving thanks that you have held us worthy
to be in your presence and minister to you.
Humbly we pray
that, partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ,
we may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.
Remember, Lord, your Church,
spread throughout the world,
and bring her to the fullness of charity,
together with Leo our Pope
and Mario our Bishop,
and all the clergy.
Remember also our brothers and sisters
who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection,
and all who have died in your mercy:
welcome them into the light of your face.
Have mercy on us all, we pray,
that with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
with blessed Joseph, her Spouse
with the blessed Apostles,
and all the Saints who have pleased you throughout the ages,
we may merit to be coheirs to eternal life,
and may praise and glorify you
through your Son, Jesus Christ.
Through him, and with him, and in him,
O God, almighty Father,
In the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honour is yours,
Forever and ever
Amen.
THE COMMUNION RITE
BREAKING OF THE BREAD
God showed us love for us for,
when we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
At the Saviour’s command
and formed by divine teaching,
we dare to say:
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.
Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,
graciously grant peace in our days,
that, by the help of your mercy,
we may be always free from sin
and safe from all distress,
as we await the blessed hope
and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
For the kingdom,
the power and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Lord Jesus Christ,
who said to your Apostles:
Peace I leave you, my peace I give you,
look not on our sins,
but on the faith of Your Church,
and graciously grant her peace and unity
in accordance with your will.
Who live and reign for ever and ever.
Amen.
The peace and communion of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always.
And with your spirit.
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.
Lord, I am not worthy
that you should enter under my roof,
but only say the word
and my soul shall be healed.
AT HOLY COMMUNION
In love and pity
you have redeemed us, Lord.
You have raised us up and helped us grow
day by day,
for you are our Father and our Saviour
who lives forever and ever.
The Body of Christ.
Amen.
AFTER HOLY COMMUNION
Let us pray.
O God of mercy, who as we gather around your table have given us the grace of your forgiveness, grant that with your help we may henceforth turn aside from every sin and serve you with an undivided heart. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
Kyrie, eleison. Kyrie, eleison. Kyrie, eleison.
May almighty God bless you,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Go in peace.
In the name of Christ.
