We use music to help us prepare for our time of prayer together.
Leader: During our prayer tonight may the God of Love open our eyes
to see the suffering of his people.
All: May we see.
Leader: May the God of Justice open our ears to hear those who cry out.
All: May we hear.
Leader: In the Power of the Spirit, may we know the truth.
All: And may the truth set us free.
Incense is lit & we sit.
Silently or aloud, as the week begins, we may like to place before the
Lord any particular thing that we have planned during the week – or
that you know is taking place – & ask for our prayer & God’s blessing.
We remain seated as we hear & join in with some Taize music.
Bless the Lord, my soul and bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, my soul. He rescues me from death.
Please read the antiphon & psalm as indicated.
All: Christ the Lord is a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek. Alleluia!
Reader 1:
The oracles of old exalted the king to stand at the right hand of God.
As priest & prince he was to rule not by descent but by God’s call. The
sceptre of power was placed in his hand, to shatter the heads of his enemies.
Through him God routed the armies, striding across corpses strewn in the way.
Reader 2:
A strange world to us, faded from view, kings riding out on horseback
to conquer. The wars of our time have tarnished the glory, the
rhetoric of God but masking our pride. Arrogance & pride are the
Gods that we follow, & even the wars we name holy or just degrade
those who wage them, reminding us all how cruel & cold the world can become.
Reader 1:
Yet as we dig deep in these words from the past, we see a vision of those
who would lead: They lay on themselves the robe of the priestly, willingly
weighed down by the burden of service, sacrificing themselves for the
good of their land, growing in discernment & wisdom. They bring greater
good from the conflicts around them, & they heal the wounds of the people.
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: Christ the Lord is a priest forever, according to the
order of Melchizedek. Alleluia!
Please sing the canticle as indicated.
Cantors: Praise God, all you his servants,
Both great & small, alleluia!
Cantors: Alleluia, salvation and glory and honour and power belong to our God,
His judgments are true and just, alleluia!
All: Alleluia, praise our God all you his servants,
You who fear him, small and great, alleluia!
Cantors: Alleluia, the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns,
Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, alleluia!
All: Alleluia, the marriage of the Lamb has come,
And his bride has made herself ready, alleluia!
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: Praise God, all you his servants,
Both great & small, alleluia!
Reading: 2 Thess 2: 13-14
We feel that we must be continually thanking God for you, sisters and
brothers whom the Lord loves, because God chose you from the
beginning to be saved by the sanctifying Spirit and by faith in the truth.
Through the Good News that he brought, he called you to this so that you
should share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Leader: Let my prayer come into your presence, O Lord.
All: Let my prayer come into your presence, O Lord.
Leader: Let it rise in your presence like incense.
All: Let my prayer come into your presence, O Lord.
Leader: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
All: Let my prayer come into your presence, O Lord.
Please stand to sing the Magnificat & the antiphon, as indicated.
Cantors: Wk 6:My son, remember that you received good things during your life,
Just as Lazarus received bad things.
Wk 14: The harvest is great but the labourers are few,
Pray to the Lord of the harvest that he may send labourers into his harvest.
Wk 22: When you are invited to a marriage feast, sit in the lowest place, then the one who invited you can say to you,
‘Friend, take a higher place’. Then everyone with you at table will see you honoured, alleluia!
Wk 30: The publican went home justified, for anyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
But those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Side 1: My being proclaims your greatness,
And my spirit finds joy in you, God my Saviour;
Side 2: For you have looked upon me, your servant, in my
lowliness:
All ages to come shall call me blessed.
Side 1: God, you who are mighty, have done great things for me:
Holy is your name.
Side 2: Your mercy is from age to age
Towards those who fear you.
Side 1: You have shown might with your arm,
And confused the proud in their inmost thoughts.
Side 2: You have deposed the mighty from their thrones,
And raised the lowly to high places.
Side 1: The hungry you have given every good thing,
While the rich you have sent away empty.
Side 2: You have upheld Israel, your servant,
Ever mindful of your mercy-
Side 1: Even as you promised our ancestors,
Promised Abraham, Sarah, and their descendants 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.
Repeat antiphon as above.
Intercessions:
Tonight we will pray freely & spontaneously, maybe inspired by
the opening sentences of our prayer together. At the end of
these prayers we sing together twice ………..
All: O Lord heal us, O Lord heal us, in your mercy hear our prayer.
Reader: We pray for people who have died today – for those who will die tonight – and we remember in prayer those whose anniversaries occur tomorrow, in particular:
Pause for people to add silently or aloud any further intentions.
Leader begins the Our Father….
Leader: Lord God, deepen our faith, strengthen our hope, enkindle our love: and so that we can obtain what you promise make us love what you command. 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.
All: Let us go in faith, blessed by God, & inspired by our prayer to renew ourselves & our creation. May we find the goodness of God’s creation where we don’t expect it, & may we see God’s face in the faces of those we meet. May the Spirit lead us in our sharing of God’s peace. Amen.
We conclude our prayer listening to some music.