Fast from lethargy; feast on enthusiasm
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.
Let us sing the hymn together.
I, the Lord of sea & sky, I have heard my people cry.
All who dwell in dark & sin, my hand shall save.
I who made the stars of night, I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear my light to them? Whom shall I send?
Refrain: Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.
I, the Lord of snow & rain, I have borne my people’s pain.
I have wept for love of them. They turn away.
I will break their hearts of stone, give them hearts for love alone.
I will speak my word to them. Whom shall I send?
Refrain.
I, the Lord of wind & flame, I will send the poor & lame.
I will set a feast for them. My hand will save.
Finest wheat I will provide till their hearts be satisfied.
I will give my life to them. Whom shall I send?
Refrain.
Please sing the psalm & its antiphon as indicated.
Cantors: Happy are they to whom the Lord shows mercy;
They will never waver.
Cantors: Happy are those who fear the Lord
And joyfully keep God’s commandments!
All: Children of such as these will be powers on earth;
Each generation of the upright will be blessed.
Cantors: There will be riches and wealth for their families,
And righteousness stands firm forever.
All: Even in the darkness, light dawns for the upright,
For the merciful, compassionate and righteous.
Cantors: These good of heart lend graciously,
Handling their affairs honestly.
All: Kept safe by virtue, they are always steadfast,
And leave an everlasting memory behind them.
Cantors: With a trusting heart and confidence in the Lord,
They need never fear evil news.
All: Steadfast in heart they overcome their fears;
In the end they will triumph over their enemies.
Cantors: Quick to be generous, they give to the poor;
Their righteousness stands firm forever.
All: People such as these will always be honoured,
And this fills the wicked with fury.
Cantors: Grinding their teeth, they waste away,
Vanishing like their vain hopes.
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,
Side 2: He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
World without end, Amen.
All: Happy are they to whom the Lord shows mercy;
They will never waver.
Please say the special Lenten canticle and its antiphon as indicated.
All: God fulfilled what he had foretold in the words of all
the prophets: that Christ would suffer.
Side 1: Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps.
Side 2: He committed no sin, no guile was found on his lips. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return.
Side 1: When he suffered he did not threaten; but he trusted to him who judges justly.
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: God fulfilled what he had foretold in the words of all the prophets: that Christ would suffer.
Reading (Eph. 2. & John 3.) followed by a pause for silent reflection.
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast. 1For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Please sing the Magnificat & its antiphon as indicated.
Cantors: My son you are with me always, and all I have is yours.
But it was right that we should celebrate & rejoice,
Because your brother was dead & has come to life;
He was lost & is found.
Side 1: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
Side 2: For he has looked with favour on his lowly handmaid,
And from this day all generations will call me blessed.
Side 1: The Almighty has done great things for me:
Holy is his name.
Side 2: He has mercy on those who fear him
In every generation.
Side 1: He has shown the strength of his arm;
He has scattered the proud in their conceit.
Side 2: He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
And has lifted up the lowly.
Side 1: He has filled the hungry with good things,
And has sent the rich away empty.
Side 2: He has come to the help of his servant Israel,
For he has remembered his promise of mercy –
Side 1: The promise he made to our fathers,
To Abraham, Sarah and his children for ever.
All: Give praise to the Father Almighty,
To his Son Jesus Christ our Lord;
To the Spirit who dwells in our hearts,
Both now and for ever, Amen.
All: My son you are with me always, and all I have is yours.
But it was right that we should celebrate & rejoice,
Because your brother was dead & has come to life;
He was lost & is found.
Intercessions:
Reader: Let us pray for our families: for all their needs at this time. On this Mothering Sunday, let us remember all mothers, particularly our own …. pause ……. together we ask,
All: Fill our hearts with your love.
Reader: On this Laetare Sunday let us give thanks for all the good things in our lives that we so easily take for granted. …. pause ……. together we ask,
All: Fill our hearts with your love.
Reader: Be with all those people in our parishes & our neighbourhoods who tonight have no reason to rejoice. . …. pause ……. together we ask,
All: Fill their hearts with your love.
Reader: Help us to continue along our Lenten journey with faith & new resolution. …. pause ……. together we ask,
All: Fill our hearts with your love.
Reader: We pray for people who have died today – for those who will die tonight – and for those whose anniversaries of death occur tomorrow, remembering especially:
Pause for people to add silently or aloud any further intentions.
Leader then begins the Our Father….
Leader: Lord our God, listen to our prayers, fill our hearts, enlighten our minds, and set us once again with faith & trust on our journey towards Easter. 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: For each other we now pray……………..
All: May the Lord bless you; who you are & what you do. May you experience much joy & peace in your life! May you never get tired of doing good to all & hoping in God! In the morning may you feel the hope of a new day! In the evening may you go to sleep feeling God’s protection. May your life be full of consolation, peace & love! May you never lose hope & may the light of the Lord protect & guide you always. Amen.
As our time of prayer comes to an end we will hear
Geoffrey Nobes’s ‘Ubi Caritas’.