Leader: Our God is a God who says to us, ‘I will be your God’.
All: And we will be your people & we will try to live as the people of God.
Leader: We gather as the people of God, trying to live as Jesus did.
All: We remember that Jesus is the way, the truth & the life.
Let us join in with the chant. (Light in our Darkness – track 5)
O Domine, O Christe, dona nobis pacem.
(O Lord, O Christ, Give us peace.)
Please say the antiphon & psalm as indicated:
All: If I forget you Jerusalem, let my right hand wither.
Reader 1: By the waters of Babylon we sat down & wept when
we remembered the smouldering city. We hid our
harps in the thickets of the willow; silently & bitterly we grieved.
All: Silently & bitterly we grieved.
Reader 2: They who drove us captive from our homeland demanded of us a song of our joy. Goaded by their torment, we cried out, ‘Sing the Lord’s praise in a strange land? How can we throw our pearls before swine? You trample on our name, you rob us of hope, we cannot betray what is holy & precious. To proclaim what is intimate is to lose it for ever’.
All: To proclaim what is intimate is to lose it for ever’.
Reader 1: It is hard to be faithful & firm, as despair overwhelms us in torrents. Troubled we are & uncertain, no longer assured of God’s presence. O God, do you hear the cries of our hearts now that we are so far from your city? On foreign soil can we worship you still? Have you withdrawn from us for ever?
All: Have you withdrawn from us for ever?
Reader 2: Yet if I forget you, Jerusalem, may the hand that plucks the harp wither. May my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth if I do not give Jerusalem my heart’s desire.
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: If I forget you Jerusalem, let my right hand wither.
Pause for reflection.
Please sing the second psalm & antiphon as indicated.
Cantors: Before the angels
I will bless you, my God.
Side 1: I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart;
Before the gods I will sing your praise.
Side 2: I will bow down towards your holy temple and praise your name
Because of your love and faithfulness.
Side 1: For you have glorified your name
And your word above all things.
Side 2: When I called, you answered me;
You increased my strength within me.
Side 1: All the kings of the earth will praise you, O Lord,
When they have heard the words of your mouth.
Side 2: They will sing of the ways of the Lord,
That great is the glory of the Lord.
Side 1: Though the Lord be high, he cares for the lowly;
He perceives the haughty from afar.
Side 2: Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
You keep me safe.
Side 1: You stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies,
Your right hand shall save me.
Side 2: O Lord, your love endures forever;
Do not abandon the work of your hands.
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: Before the angels,
I will bless you, my God.
Reading: 1 Peter 5 1-4.
So I encourage those who are elders among you: I am a colleague of theirs in this office, & I have my share in the glory that is going to be revealed. Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, overseeing them not under compulsion but voluntarily, in God’s way, wholeheartedly rather than out of desire for dishonest gain, & not like people who lord it over their flock, but acting as models for the flock. And with the appearance of the Chief Shepherd you will receive the unfailing crown of glory.
Pause for reflection.
Leader: This is a man who loves his sisters & brothers & intercedes for the people.
All: This is a man who loves his sisters & brothers & intercedes for the people.
Leader: He laid down his life for his sisters & brothers.
All: This is a man who loves his sisters & brothers & intercedes for the people.
Leader: Glory be to the Father & to the Son & to the Holy Spirit.
All: This is a man who loves his sisters & brothers & intercedes for the people.
Please remain seated for the Magnificat and join in with the CD.
Taize Alleluia Tr.6.
Magnificat Anima Mea. (My soul magnifies the Lord)
Intercessions
Reader: Creator God, from this place & time, allow the web of
prayer to extend outwards & touch all people, all
creation on this planet, and the far distant stars of
the universe. …pause …… in praise we sing,
All: Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Reader: In the heat of the day, in the discussions, decisions, I
may have rushed past you, deaf & blind to your spirit
…..… pause …… in humility we sing,
All: Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Reader: We remember those who face this evening with fear
or dread…pause …… in intercession we sing,
All: Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Reader: Calm our fears & anxieties, & those of people in war-
torn places. We remember in prayer those who are
dying of hunger tonight, or unable to feed their
already starving children …… in trust we sing,
All: Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Reader: We remember our sisters & brothers who have no
roof over their heads tonight, & particularly those
migrants in northern France……… in praise we sing,
All: Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Reader: We pray for those who have died today & those who
will die tonight. We also remember in prayer those
whose anniversary of death occurs tomorrow – in
particular, …………….
We pause to add silently or aloud any personal intercessions …
Leader introduces the Our Father ………
Leader: As we pray before you, Lord, we ask you, in your mercy,
for the grace always to ponder in our hearts what we
proclaim with our lips & for the gift of integrity to
help us live in a way that reflects what we proclaim.
We make our prayer through Christ our Lord,
All: Amen.
Our blessing tonight is an Irish Blessing (Sacred Weave Tr13)
May the road rise with you;
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
May the rain fall soft upon your fields.
Until we meet again, may God hold you in the hollow of his hand.