Leader: O God of Life, of all Life & of each Life, we lay our lives before
you – we give our lives to you from whom nothing is hidden.
All: You are before us, around us & within us.
Leader: O Lord, you know the secret thoughts of every heart.
All: We bring our faith, our doubts – our joys & our sadness.
Leader: O God of Life, O generous Spirit,
All: Renew us with your Life, tonight, tomorrow & always.
Please join in the hymn:
Day is done, but love unfailing dwells ever here;
Shadows fall but hope prevailing, calms every fear;
Loving father, none forsaking, take our hearts of love’s own making,
Watch our sleeping, guard our waking, be always near.
Dark descends, but light unending shines through our night;
You are with us ever lending new strength to sight;
One in love your truth confessing, one in hope of heaven’s blessing,
May we see in love’s possessing, love’s endless light.
Eyes will close, but you, unsleeping, watch by our side;
Death may come: in love’s safe keeping still we abide,
God of Love, all evil quelling, sin forgiving, fear dispelling,
Stay with us, our hearts indwelling, this eventide.
Please sing the psalm as indicated after the Cantors have sung the antiphon.
Cantors: Our eyes are turned to the Lord;
We look for his mercy.
Side 1: To you have I lifted up my eyes,
You who dwell in the heavens:
Side 2: My eyes like the eyes of slaves
On the hands of their lords.
Side 1: Like the eyes of a servant
On the hand of her mistress ,
Side 2: So our eyes are on the Lord our God
Till he show us his mercy.
Side 1: Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.
We are filled with contempt.
Side 2: Indeed all too full is our soul with the scorn of the rich,
The disdain of the proud.
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: Our eyes are turned to the Lord;
We look for his mercy.
Please say this psalm as indicated.
All: Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made Heaven & earth.
Side 1: Had the Lord not been with us, let Israel say! Had the Lord not
been with us when people rose up against us, then would they have swallowed us alive.
All: Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made Heaven & earth.
Side 2: When their fury was inflamed against us, then would the
waters have overwhelmed us; the torrent would have swept
over us; over us would have swept the raging waters. Blessed
be the Lord, who did not leave us a prey to their teeth.
All: Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made Heaven & earth.
Side 1: We were rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare; broken was the snare & we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven & earth.
All: Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made Heaven & earth.
All: Glory be to the Father & to the Son & to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now & ever shall be, world without end, Amen .
All: Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made Heaven & earth.
We will sing the canticle as indicated.
Cantors: God planned to bring all things together under Christ
When the fullness of time had come.
Side 1: Let us give thanks to the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
For in our union with Christ, God has blessed us by giving us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly world.
Side 2: Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us through our union with Christ,
So that we would be holy & without fault before God.
Side 1: Because of God’s love, God had already decided that through Jesus Christ we would become God’s children.
This was God’s pleasure & purpose.
Side 2: Let us praise God for glorious grace,
For the free gift God gave us in Jesus.
Side 1: For by the death of Christ we are set free, our sins are forgiven,
How great is the grace of God which God gave us in such large measure.
Side 2: In all God’s wisdom & insight, God’s purposes were achieved:
The secret plan that was Christ.
Side 1: This plan which God will complete when the time is right,
Is to bring all creation together, everything in heaven & on earth.
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 planned to bring all things together under Christ
When the fullness of time had come.
Reading: James 4 11&12
Sisters & brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who slanders others or condemns them, is speaking against the law & condemning the law. But if you condemn the law you have stopped keeping it and become a judge over it. There is only one lawgiver & he is the only judge and has the power to acquit or to sentence. Who are you to give a verdict on your neighbour?
Pause for silent response.
Remain seated for the Magnificat(S the Ps 3. Tr 11.), joining in if you wish:
Refrain: Happy are they who believe that the promise of the Lord will be fulfilled.(2)
I sing with all my soul & praise the Lord,
My heart is glad because of God, my saviour,
For he has looked upon his humble servant,
And who am I to merit his attention? (refrain)
I may henceforth regard myself as happy,
Because my God has done great things for me.
And every generation gives herself
The Lord is mighty and his name is holy (refrain)
He gives his grace anew in every age to all who live in reverence with him.
Grace is his strength but he unmasks all pride and strips us bare of our self-conceit (refrain)
Dethroning all who hold authority; the poor & humble people he makes great.
He gives in great abundance to the hungry, sends the rich away with empty hands. (refrain)
His servant Israel he has remembered, he has been merciful to all his people.
For so had been his promise to our parents, to Abraham & to his seed for ever. (refrain)
Intercessions:
Reader: The God of Life is in our midst, ready to breathe energy &
compassion into our hearts. Open our hearts to receive …….
pause …… Generous God, All: please fill our hearts.
Reader: We pray for the gift of gratitude & the ability to express it.
Open our hearts to receive ……. pause …… Generous God,
All: please fill our hearts.
Reader: We pray for the gift of compassion, that we may be able to
reach out to others with it. Open our hearts to receive …….
pause …… Generous God, All: please fill our hearts.
Reader: We pray for the gift of hope, that we may be able to share it
with others day by day. Open our hearts to receive …….
pause …… Generous God, All: please fill our hearts.
Reader: We pray for people who have died today & for those who will
die tonight – we also remember those whose anniversaries
occur tomorrow, remembering especially:
Pause for people to add silently or aloud any further intentions.
Leader begins the Our Father.
All: Lord God, it is our task to proclaim you joyfully. May we carry
out that task & bring your peace to all whom we meet. We
make our prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Leader: May the Lord bless us; who we are & what we do. May we
experience joy & peace today & tomorrow. May we never get
tired of doing good & hoping in God! In the morning may we feel
the hope of a new day! In the evening may we go to sleep feeling
God’s protection. May our lives be full of consolation, peace & love!
May the light of the Lord protect & guide us always. All: Amen.