Leader: O God, come to our aid
All: O Lord, make haste to help us. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, Amen.
Incense is lit as a symbol of our prayer rising to God during the hymn.
Please sing the hymn together.
As I kneel before you, as I bow my head in prayer,
Take this day, make it yours and fill me with your love.
Ave Maria, gratia plena, dominus tecum, benedicta tu.
All I have I give you, ev’ry dream and wish are yours,
Mother of Christ, mother of mine, present them to my Lord.
Ave Maria, gratia plena, dominus tecum, benedicta tu.
As I kneel before you, and I see your smiling face,
Ev’ry thought, ev’ry word is lost in your embrace.
Ave Maria, gratia plena, dominus tecum, benedicta tu.
After saying the Antiphon together, please read Psalm 112 round the group with different people taking the different sections.
All: A shoot shall spring from the stock of Jesse; a flower shall grow out from his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him.
Give praise you servants of the Lord; praise the name of the
Lord. Let the name of the Lord be blessed; from this time
forth for evermore. From the rising of the sun to its going
down, let the name of the Lord be praised. The Lord is high
above all nations, & his glory above the Heavens.
Who is like the Lord our God, who sits enthroned on high,
but stoops to behold the heavens & the earth?
He takes up the weak out of the dust & lifts up the poor from
the ashes. He sets them with the princes, with the princes of
his people. He makes the woman of a childless home to be a
joyful mother of children.
All: Praise the name of the Lord.
All: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy
Spirit as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall
be, world without end, Amen.
All: A shoot shall spring from the stock of Jesse; a
flower shall grow out from his roots. The spirit
of the Lord shall rest upon him.
Psalm 147 will be sung as indicated.
Cantors: The Lord will give him the throne of David, his father,
And he will rule for ever.
Side 1: How good it is to sing praises to our God!
How pleasant it is to honour him with praise!
Side 2: The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem;
He gathers the exiles of Israel.
Side 1: He heals the broken-hearted
And binds up all their wounds.
Side 2: He counts the number of the stars
And calls them all by their names.
Side 1: Great is our Lord & mighty in power;
There is no limit to his wisdom.
Side 2: The Lord lifts up the lowly,
But casts the wicked to the ground.
Side 1: Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Make music to our God upon the harp.
Side 2: He makes grass grow upon the mountains
And green plants to serve us all.
Side 1: He provides food for flocks & herds
And for the young ravens when they cry.
Side 2: He has established peace on your borders,
He satisfies you with the finest wheat.
Side 1: He sends out his command to the earth,
And his word runs very swiftly.
Side 2: He gives snow like wool;
He scatters hoar frost like ashes.
Side 1: He scatters his hail like bread crumbs;
Who can stand against his cold?
Side 2: He sends forth his word & melts them;
He blows with his wind & the waters flow.
Side 1: He declares his word to Jacob,
His statutes & judgements to Israel.
Side 2: He has not done so to any other nation;
To them he has not revealed his judgements.
All: Great is our Lord
And mighty is his power.
All: Glory be to the Father and to the Son,
And to the Holy Spirit;
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,
World without end, Amen.
All: The Lord will give him the throne of David, his father,
And he will rule for ever.
Lent Reading (John 8.) followed by personal reflection.
Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’ They answered him, ‘We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, “You will be made free”?’
Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the Son has a place there for ever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you look for an opportunity to kill me, because there is no place in you for my word. I declare what I have seen in the Father’s presence; as for you, you should do what you have heard from the Father.’
Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now I am here. I did not come on my own, but he sent me.
Please stand for the Magnificat. & sing as indicated.
Cantors: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, Mary,
And the power of the most high will overshadow you.
Side 1: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
And my spirit rejoices in God, my salvation.
Side 2: For he has shown me such favour
Me, his lowly handmaiden.
Side 1: Now all generations will call me blessed,
Because the mighty one has done great things for me.
Side 2: His name is holy, his mercy lasts for generation after generation,
For those who revere him.
Side 1: He has put forth his strength;
He has scattered the proud & conceited,
Side 2: Torn princes from their thrones,
But lifted up the lowly.
Side 1: He has filled the hungry with good things;
The rich he has sent away empty.
Side 2: He has come to the help of his servant Israel,
He has remembered his mercy,
Side 1: As he promised to our fathers,
To Abraham & his children for ever.
All: Glory be to the Father and to the Son,
And to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,
World without end, Amen.
All: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, Mary,
And the power of the most high will overshadow you.
Intercessions:
Reader: Eternal Father, on this day through your angel you made known our salvation. ……….. pause …….Full of confidence, we pray,
All: Loving God, fill us with your grace.
Reader: Through your angel Gabriel you brought a message of peace & joy to Mary. May we give that message to those who are most in need of it ……… pause ……….. Full of confidence, we pray,
All: Loving God, fill us with your grace.
Reader: By the consent of your handmaid & the power of your holy spirit, your word came to dwell amongst us. Open our hearts to receive Jesus as Mary did. ……….. pause …….Full of confidence, we pray,
All: Lord, fill us with your grace.
Reader: We pray for people who have died today & those who will die tonight. We also remember in prayer those whose anniversaries of death occur tomorrow, remembering especially:
Pause for people to add silently or aloud any further intentions.
Leader begins the Our Father.
Leader: As it was your will, heavenly Father, that, at the angel’s message, your word should be conceived by the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant that, as we believe her to be truly the Mother of God, so may we be helped by her intercession. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.
All: Amen.
Leader: May Almighty God bless us – the Father Son and Holy Spirit,
All: Amen.