As we come together to pray on this this great feast of the
Church, we will start with a part of a litany that honours
Mary. Incense is lit as a symbol of our prayer rising to God
Leader: Woman who wondered,
All: Remember us to God
Leader: Woman who listened,
All: Remember us to God
Leader: Woman who followed Jesus,
All: Remember us to God
Leader: Woman who was faithful to him,
All: Remember us to God.
Leader: Woman who loves him,
All: Remember us to God the Father, Son & Holy Spirit
Amen, Alleluia!
Please join in the hymn:
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.
We will listen to, or join in with, Bernadette Farrell’s version of Psalm 121, after saying the antiphon together.
All: God’s angel brought the good news to Mary & she
conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.
I rejoiced when I heard them say, ‘Let us go to the house of God’. And now our feet are standing in your gates, O Jerusalem.
(Refrain) Shalom, shalom, the peace of God be with you.
Shalom, shalom, God’s justice be ever near.
Like a temple of unity is the city, Jerusalem, it is there all tribes will gather, all the tribes of the house of God.
Refrain.
It is faithful to Israel’s law, there to praise the name of God, for the judgement seats of David are set out in Jerusalem.
Refrain.
For the peace of all nations pray, for God’s peace within your
homes. May God’s lasting peace surround us; may it dwell in Jerusalem. Refrain.
Psalm 126 & its antiphon will be sung as indicated.
Cantors: I am the servant of my God;
Let it be as you have said.
Side 1: Eternal God, our rock & our foundation,
Without you, all that we build is but rubble.
Side 2: Blindly & cheaply we construct on sand,
And the building subside & crumble.
Side 1: Those who guard the city, do so in vain;
The watchman cannot see the corruption within.
Side 2: The lights in the tower shine on through the night:
Is it all for vain profit? Will they soon turn to dust?
Side 1: Foolish we are to rise up so early,
Drawn to the work that consumes us.
Side 2: The bread of anxiety sours & gnaws at us,
We forget you give gifts while we sleep.
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: I am the servant of the Lord;
Let it be as you have said.
Lenten Reading(Gen 17.) followed by a pause for reflection.
Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come forth from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. And I will give to you, and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.
We express our communal response by joining in another
section of the litany.
Reader: Mother of God All: Reveal your son to us.
Reader: Mother of humankind All: Reveal your son to us.
Reader: Mother of the Church All: Reveal your son to us.
Reader: Our mother All: Reveal your son to us.
Please sing the Magnificat as indicated.
Cantors: Do not be afraid, Mary,
For you have found favour with God.
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.
All: Do not be afraid, Mary,
For you have found favour with God.
Prayers of Praise & Thanksgiving: read by different people:
Let us praise God the Father who chose Mary as the mother of his son and wanted all generations to call her blessed……pause …. With Mary, & with confidence we pray:
All: (sung) Glory to God, Glory to God, Glory to the Father, .
Let us praise Christ, the Son of Mary, who life, death &
Resurrection gives us reason to hope ……pause …. With Mary, &
with confidence we pray:
All: (sung) Glory to God, Glory to God, Glory to the Son.
Let us praise the spirit of God for being present among us. …
pause………. With Mary, & with confidence we pray:
All: (sung) Glory to God, Glory to God, Glory to the Spirit.
Reader: We pray for people who have died today – for those who will die tonight – & for those whose anniversaries of death occur tomorrow, remembering especially:
Pause for people to add silently or aloud any further prayers.
Leader begins the Our Father.
Leader: Shape us in the likeness of Christ whom we believe to be true God & true human. May Mary point us to her son who lives and reigns with you, our God, and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever.
All: Amen.
Leader: The Blessed Virgin Mary filled with the Holy Spirit, and Mother of God & of humanity, has gathered us around her Son. She shows us Jesus. She invites us to place our confidence in him. She is the reflection & the smile of the God who we ask to bless us – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All: Amen.
We conclude our celebration with the last section of the litany.
Leader: Mother, who went on believing,
All: We thank God for you.
Leader: Mother, who never lost hope,
All: We thank God for you.
Leader: Mother, who loved to the end,
All: We thank God for you.
