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Feast of Mary, Mother of God – Day of Prayer for the Peace of the World

Mary is Mother of all Christians … we pray that the year just begun will see the whole Church journey towards visible unity in faith, service and mission, and so be a more effective sign and instrument of God’s Peace, Justice and Love to the world

                    [Reader]          LORD WE CRY TO YOU…
                    [Response]    BLESS OUR WORLD WITH PEACE

Mary is a sign of hope and humanity to the world … we pray on the threshold of our New Year that we will recognise every person as the dwelling of God; may peace and reconciliation defeat war and conflict especially in Israel/Palestine, Ukraine and wherever there is no peace: may justice and freedom everywhere progress, and all humanity be converted to their sisters and brothers

                    [Reader]          LORD WE CRY TO YOU…
                    [Response]    BLESS OUR WORLD WITH PEACE

Mary bore the Word of God to the world … we pray that in this coming Year of Synod, the People of God will walk together, listen together and renew and reform the Church together, and so find a new way of being the Church of God’s Love

                    [Reader]          LORD WE CRY TO YOU…
                    [Response]    BLESS OUR WORLD WITH PEACE

Mary, mother of the Creator, is the Mother of all Creation … may her wisdom and generous love guide us to take decisive life-style  and political decisions to limit Climate Warming before it is too late for the future of our planet and our children

                    [Reader]          LORD WE CRY TO YOU…
                    [Response]    BLESS OUR WORLD WITH PEACE

Mary opened her heart to the Divine dwelling within her and urges us to welcome as she did God’s amazing love … we pray for one another in our parish family,  that we may embrace the challenge of the God’s overshadowing Spirit to renew our inner life and rebuild our community in this challenging year that lies ahead

                    [Reader]          LORD WE CRY TO YOU…
                    [Response]    BLESS OUR WORLD WITH PEACE

Mary treasured the wonders of God in her heart … as this New Year begins, may all of us learn the art and joy of prayer more deeply and walk the life-giving paths of Silence and Contemplation

                    [Reader]          LORD WE CRY TO YOU…
                    [Response]    BLESS OUR WORLD WITH PEACE

Mary gathers all her sorrowing children – we pray for those regions of the world afflicted by war, famine and flood – for the grieving mothers of Gaza and Israel, Yemen and Sudan, Cameroon and Mali: may the world become weary of death, grow in compassion and justice, and seek to build one world shared equally and peacefully with all peoples

                    [Reader]          LORD WE CRY TO YOU…
                    [Response]    BLESS OUR WORLD WITH PEACE

Mary is a sign of wholeness and servant of healing: we pray for sick and those wounded in mind and body by the horror of war and for the courageous medical staff in Gaza’s hospitals:
Mary cared for both Joseph and Jesus at their dying – may carers, nurses, doctors and researchers treat all with dignity and with reverence for Life;
for all who have died recently especially… and victims of war and conflict, and all whose anniversaries are at this time: Pope Benedict XVI

                    [Reader]          LORD WE CRY TO YOU…
                    [Response]    BLESS OUR WORLD WITH PEACE

Mary, Mother of God, help us bring the Peace of Christ into the Year that lies before us

                                                   HAIL MARY…

On the threshold of another year, we pray in silence for our world and our families…

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Feast of the Holy Family

Jesus in the midst of the Holy Family teaches us that the Church is called to be a family of love and faith, safeguarding life and sharing compassion … may the Church always live the challenge of being family in Christ

                       [reader]                   LORD WE PRAY …
                       [response:]            Teach us how to love …

The Holy Family of Bethlehem were homeless, persecuted, refugees and exiles … we pray for the families in Gaza and Palestine, for all families exiled from their homeland,  for refugees fleeing war and violence which destroy life and the respect for life, for those seeking safe asylum in our land, for the millions of unaccompanied child refugees throughout the world; we pray too for all parents forcibly separated from their partners or children: may they be protected and find peace and stability

Jesus in the midst of the Holy Family teaches us that the Church is called to be a family of love and faith, safeguarding life and sharing compassion … may the Church always live the challenge of being family in Christ

                       [reader]                   LORD WE PRAY …
                       [response:]            Teach us how to love …

The Holy Family of Bethlehem were homeless, persecuted, refugees and exiles … we pray for the families in Gaza and Palestine, for all families exiled from their homeland,  for refugees fleeing war and violence which destroy life and the respect for life, for those seeking safe asylum in our land, for the millions of unaccompanied child refugees throughout the world; we pray too for all parents forcibly separated from their partners or children: may they be protected and find peace and stability

                       [reader]                   LORD WE PRAY …
                       [response:]            Teach us how to love …

We pray for the work of the CCS Adoption Society, asking God’s blessing as they seek to find good and safe homes for our most vulnerable children: may the Spirit work in the hearts of many families to encourage them to consider adoptive parenthood and fostering

                       [reader]                   LORD WE PRAY …
                       [response:]            Teach us how to love …

In a world of broken relationships and shattered dreams, we dare still to believe in love: so we pray for all families in all their diversity and challenges: for single parent families,  for same gender couples and their children, for all whose hopes for love have ended in divorce or separation,  for all children hurt by the break-up of parents … may they all experience healing and the hope of new beginnings

                       [reader]                   LORD WE PRAY …
                       [response:]            Teach us how to love …

We pray for all organisations that support marriage and the family, for those who offer counselling and healing for life’s wounds: for Marriage Encounter and Catholic Marriage Care, for Relate and the Association of Separated and Divorced Catholics; we pray too for the ministry to our LBGT+ community and for all whose sexual orientation lead them to other forms of family life – may we be a Church of Mercy and Welcome bringing hope and healing to those who feel excluded by the Church

                       [reader]                   LORD WE PRAY …
                       [response:]            Teach us how to love …

The Holy Family of Nazareth reveals to us God’s school of love:  we pray for all for Christian families that they may discover Christ and risk living his ideal of faithfulness and tenderness in their homes;  we pray for all the families of our parish and throughout the City,  that we may teach each other how to be truly human

                       [reader]                   LORD WE PRAY …
                       [response:]            Teach us how to love …

The sick, the elderly and the dying deserve special care and respect from families and the world of medicine – as we give thanks and pray for nurses, doctors and researchers who treat all people with dignity and with reverence for Life especially in Gaza; we pray for …;
for those who have died recently, especially … and all victims of the Israel/Palestine war and the many other conflict afflicting our world at this time
and for all whose anniversaries occur at this time, in particular …

                       [reader]                   LORD WE PRAY …
                       [response:]            Teach us how to love …

Mary and Joseph,  pray with us for the peace and stability of the peoples of our troubled world …

                                                             HAIL MARY …

We pray in a moment of silence for all the families of the world…

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ASSEMBLING & BLESSING OF THE CRIB

[PRIEST]
We come to bless our crib … by that we mean to ask God to bless everyone who will come to pray, with wonder, awe and love, before this visual image of the poverty and simplicity of our Saviour’s birth. St Francis of Assisi, who lived over 800 years ago, was the first to make a crib … then he used live animals and people: today we use figures to help us celebrate and ponder the mystery of God’s love appearing in human form.

[READER  –  the Ox]
For the People of God the Ox was a symbol of strength, ruggedness and power, all of which is to be harnessed to the service of humankind and the Kingdom of God.

[CONGREGATION]
Lord God, help us to harness our power and gifts to Your Service.

[READER   –  the Donkey]
The Donkey’s wandering is a symbol of freedom and choice. It is also a reminder that our forebears, the People of Israel, wandered aimlessly away from God and His Covenant.  An uncommon animal in Israel, and ritually unclean, yet it was good enough to carry Mary to Bethlehem, and later to carry Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to face His Passion.

[CONGREGATION]
Lord God, never let us wander away from You, but help us use our freedom to carry your love to the world.

[READER   –  the Shepherds]
Shepherds, especially the night watch, were among the lowest paid workers of the time. Despised, placed on the margins of society and religion, without power or influence, these men of poverty were the first to hear the Good News that ‘Today a Saviour has been born to you’.

[CONGREGATION]
Lord God, give us the love and the insight to welcome the poor into our hearts and homes and then discover that we have welcomed Christ Jesus.

[READER   –  Joseph]
Joseph, the man of dreams, and strong gentle man of faith: silent in the background, but ready to do whatever God might ask of him.

[CONGREGATION]
Lord God, come and gentle our strength; deepen in each of us the strong faith and  tender love of Joseph that we may dream Your Kingdom, and serve its Coming.

[READER   –  Mary]
Behold the handmaid of the Lord…the one who bore Jesus in her heart’s love before ever in her body’s womb.  Blessed is she who believed the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.

[CONGREGATION]
Lord God, fill us with grace that we may always say ‘YES’ to Your Word and overshadowing Spirit, that Jesus may ever take flesh in our lives.

[READER ]
Now all is ready.  We will sing one verse of ‘Away in a Manger’, No 66 as the Christ Child is carried to the Crib.

[PRIEST]
Let us now dedicate our Crib, and pray God’s Blessing upon all who gaze with wonder and pray with love before our God made man, Jesus!

Blessed are You, Lord God of all creation.  Through all ages you prepared a people as Your own.  When the time was ripe, You sent us a Saviour, conceived by the Spirit and born of the Virgin, a man like us in all things but sin. Loving Father, we pray, bless this our Crib + that we may marvel at Your goodness, imitate Your love, and journey in Your light, until the great day of Jesus coming in Glory, when we will live for ever and ever

                                      …AMEN!

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Blessing of Christmas Tree

READER: The erecting and decorating of Christmas Trees originated in Germany some three hundred years ago, and came to this country during the reign of Queen Victoria. It’s meaning comes from the story of the Fall in the Garden of Eden which we find in the Book of Genesis. It was originally called the ‘Paradise Tree’, symbolising the Tree of Life in the Garden. It was decorated by apples (and we have some apples on our tree), symbolic of the fruit of the tree of Good and Evil that the first Eve and the first Adam ate in disobedience to God. It also carried candles – lights to express the Jesus Light of the World,  Light of Forgiveness scattering the darkness. And it was decorated on Christmas Eve – the traditional Feast of Adam and Eve in the Eastern Church.

This year, however, this tree takes on a new meaning for us: as the rain forests are being destroyed and the eco-systems of our world are breaking down through the plundering and abuse of our beautiful planet, let this tree remind us that God entrusted the Earth to humanity (symbolised by Adam and Eve), to care for and live in communion with all creation. Let us listen to words of Pope Francis concerning the effects of Global Warming:

‘Climate change is a global problem with grave implications: environmental, social, economic, political and for the distribution of goods. It represents one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day. Its worst impact will be felt by developing countries. Many of the poor live in areas particularly affected by phenomena related to global warming. Changes in climate, to which animals and plants cannot adapt, lead them to migrate; this in turn affects the livelihood of the poor, who are then forced to leave their homes. There has been a tragic rise in the number of migrants seeking to flee from growing poverty caused by environmental degradation. They are not recognised as refugees. Our lack of response to these our brothers and sisters points to the loss of a sense of responsibility for each other upon which society is founded.’

So, as we draw close to Christmas Eve, to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Second Adam, gift of the Second Eve, Mary, we put in place the symbols of the First Adam and Eve. This reminds us that Mary’s loving obedience ‘untied the knot’ of Eve’s disobedience, and that Jesus, the New Adam, came to be the One who saves us from the First Adam’s sin. Jesus, the New Adam is the One who renews and heals all Creation and calls us to share in His redeeming work. The Tree that brought death is transformed by the Cross of Jesus Christ into the Tree of Everlasting Life. For on Christmas Day, we do indeed greet the Saviour!

PRIEST:   O God, who by the Power of Your Word and Hovering Spirit
                     did create all things and made them good
                     and created men and women in your own image and likeness:
                    pour your blessing upon this Paradise Tree …

PEOPLE:                 BLESSED BE GOD!

PRIEST:    May it be a sign for us children of Adam of our need of a Saviour
                      and of the sublime gift of Jesus Christ who recreates us
                      in the glorious image of the Second Adam …

PEOPLE:                  BLESSED BE GOD!

PRIEST:     May it be a sign for us of the Tree of the Redeeming Adam, Jesus,
                      who embraced the Wood of the Cross for our Salvation and Healing …

PEOPLE:                  BLESSED BE GOD!

PRIEST:        We bless and dedicate, O God, this Tree to your Honour and Glory
that it might shine with Light where once there was darkness,
that it might express the fruit of Redemption
where once sin held the sway,
that it might stand to remind us that Jesus came as the Saviour
who died on the Tree so that the Tree of the Cross might ever give Life

               IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER + AND OF THE SON
              AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

PEOPLE:                AMEN!

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Fourth Sunday of Advent B

‘Rejoice so highly favoured’ … The Angel announces the Good News to Mary … as we listen to one another in this Global Synod, may the Church always be faithful in announcing Good News to the world, and inviting all to utter their ‘Yes’ to God’s call

                          [reader]      SPEAK YOUR WORD..
                           [people]     OVERSHADOW US WITH YOUR SPIRIT…

‘His reign will have no end’ … we pray for all rulers and governments, that they will serve their people, not dominate them, raise up the poorest of their nations, not exploit them, build the peace not destroy it, especially in Israel/Palestine, the Ukraine, Sudan, Cameroon, and Central Africa, which so needs the Prince of Peace at this time

                          [reader]      SPEAK YOUR WORD..
                           [people]     OVERSHADOW US WITH YOUR SPIRIT…

‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you’ … that we will all open our lives and our community to the renewing, life-giving and empowering Holy Spirit, welcome Jesus into our hearts and so bring the intimacy and joy of God who is the Emmanuel – God with us – to the world around us

                          [reader]      SPEAK YOUR WORD..
                           [people]     OVERSHADOW US WITH YOUR SPIRIT…

‘You have won God’s favour, Listen!’ … we may prepare our hearts more than our homes for the coming of the Saviour, and in the quietness of prayer let the Spirit to overshadow us and bring Christ to birth within us

                          [reader]      SPEAK YOUR WORD..
                           [people]     OVERSHADOW US WITH YOUR SPIRIT…

‘The child will be holy, Son of God’ … For the children of our Inner City as their excitement grows:  may they not be hurt with a Christmas scarred by alcohol or drugs and not enough love;  may we learn true joy from the wonder in their eyes 

                          [reader]      SPEAK YOUR WORD..
                           [people]     OVERSHADOW US WITH YOUR SPIRIT…

‘I am the handmaid of the Lord’ … that we will find joy as we, like Mary, walk the way of the Disciple, surrender ourselves to God’s love, serve the poor, seek God’s vision for our lives and our parish as we are soon to enter a New Year – we pray in particular for our sisters and brothers seeking safe sanctuary among us

                          [reader]      SPEAK YOUR WORD..
                           [people]     OVERSHADOW US WITH YOUR SPIRIT…

‘And the Angel left her’ … we pray for all who will be sick, isolated or alone this Christmas and for …;
We pray eternal life for all who have died recently, especially …  and all killed by war and violence and for all who grieve at this Christmas period;
and for all whose anniversaries at this time:

                          [reader]      SPEAK YOUR WORD..
                           [people]     OVERSHADOW US WITH YOUR SPIRIT…

Mary, help us to say ‘Yes!’ to God and bear Jesus, Prince of Peace, to the world especially at this time of so much conflict and destruction…

HAIL MARY…

Like Mary, let us listen to the whispers of God for a moment…

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Fourth Sunday of Advent B

PRIEST:          My dear sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus,
                  We gather today on this last Sunday of Advent Preparation to share in this Eucharist God’s great call to bear Christ to the world.  Mary heard this call and answered with such love that he whom she already carried in her heart,  was now  conceived in her womb.  Overshadowed by the Spirit and abandoned to God’s Word and Will,  the Saviour can come to us, flesh of our flesh.  Let us utter our ‘Yes’ to the God who calls as we share Mary’s song of joy in the Coming of our Saviour.

[approaching the Advent wreaths we sing ‘Magnificat’]

Let us pray…
O God of our History, from all eternity You have spoken forth Your Word of Love that gives Life, creating the heavens and earth,  making man and woman in Your own image and likeness.  You dreamed of a People ready  to serve Your Truth and Kingdom in the world. And in the fullness of time, You found a woman so full of love that Your Word could make His home in her heart and her womb. Through her your Son,  the Divine Word, is made Flesh and dwells among us.  Bless these Advent Candles of Light and Expectancy and bless our community with the faith and love of Mary,  that we might dare to abandon ourselves to You and welcome the Day of your Kingdom … In the Name of the Father, + and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit… AMEN!

READER:   Mary, the woman of faith, risked saying ‘yes’
                        to an unknown future in God’s plan:
                        for our lack of faith and trust,

                                         LORD HAVE MERCY…

                        Mary,  the woman of hope, embraced the overshadowing Spirit
                        and dared the impossible for God:
                        for the ways we risk little in the service of God and His kingdom,

                                         CHRIST HAVE MERCY…

                         Mary, the woman of love, welcomed the Word in her heart
before she welcomed the Word in her womb:
                         for our lack of love that silences God’s Word in today’s world,

                                         LORD HAVE MERCY…

PRIEST:   O Lord, stir up your might and come!
                      Touch us with Your overshadowing Spirit,
                      speak Your Word of forgiveness to our hearts and to our world,
                      so that the Saviour, our Emmanuel, may come again
                      and bring us to  everlasting life

                                         …AMEN!

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Third Sunday of Advent Year B (‘Gaudete’ Sunday)

PRIEST: My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
This third Sunday of Advent is a day for rejoicing…rejoicing that the coming of our Saviour is close at hand; rejoicing that his coming will bring Good News to the Poor, a new freedom and an era of healing and liberation; rejoicing that God still sends prophets like John the Baptist to witness to the Light and to challenge us to welcome the Christ who changes all things!
Let us now sing with joy as we witness the Coming of Christ that brings healing to our brokenness and forgiveness to our sinfulness, transforming us with His Coming…

[ proceed to wreath, singing ‘Rejoice in the Lord Always!’]

Let us pray…
O God, Mother and Father of all that lives, come among us and dance over us with your joy, as on a day of Festival! Fill our community with that rejoicing that comes from welcoming your Light, Jesus Christ, and sharing that light of forgiveness. liberation and healing with all our world. Bless this Advent Wreath and our parish so that we may hasten the day when your Son, our Brother, will fill all creation with joyous Glory…
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER + AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT…AMEN!

READER:     Lord, for the wastelands in our lives,
                          for the deserts of sin within us and our world:
                          the emptiness that deprives our earth of your joy;
                          we ask your mercy

                                              LORD HAVE MERCY…

                          Lord, for the violence and war that wastes our world,
for the deserts of unemployment and homelessness,
                         for the darkness of greed and luxury that wounds our planet;
                         we ask your mercy

                                              CHRIST HAVE MERCY…

                          Lord, because of the joy you have in forgiving us,
                          because you come to transforming us with healing and reconciliation;
                          with confidence we ask your mercy

                                              LORD HAVE MERCY…

PRIEST:      O Lord, stir up your might and come!
Clothe us in your joyous Light,
                        renew our hearts in your  compassion and forgiveness,
                        and bring us all to  your Day of unending Festival,
                       that we may rejoice to live for ever and ever              

                                                 AMEN!

Let us rejoice in the Lord’s Coming as we sing…[‘Prepare the Way of the Lord’]

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Third Sunday of Advent Year B (‘Gaudete’ Sunday)

That the People of God will seek always to be prophets of the Light of Christ,  bringing freedom to those imprisoned in poverty and bitterness, and offering the nations the witness of the joy of Christ that no-one can take from us

                         [reader]               LORD WE PRAY…
                         [response:]        YOU ARE JOY ITSELF…

That the Human Right to peace and stability, to freedom from fear of war and injustice will everywhere be respected, that governments and leaders will guard the dignity of every human person; for a global commitment to deal with Climate Change before it is too late;  for an end to the horror of war in the land of Jesus’ birth and in Ukraine, Sudan, Mali, and Central Africa; and for all organisations that foster Human Rights and protect the oppressed and refugees; that our nation will welcome the stranger and joyfully offer safe haven to the persecuted

                         [reader]               LORD WE PRAY…
                         [response:]        YOU ARE JOY ITSELF…

John the Baptist prepares for Jesus by calling all to repentance:  we ask God to bless us with a profound desire for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Healing – may we leave behind all that has wounded and hurt us in the past and build a future with hearts made new

                         [reader]               LORD WE PRAY…
                         [response:]        YOU ARE JOY ITSELF…

Jesus gives us the Bread of his Unity:  may our new Catechumens, Gabe and Gray, find joy and peace as they journey the path of faith and prayer towards Full Communion with the Universal Church; we also pray God’s blessing and the guidance of the Holy Spirit for Canon Christopher Whitehead of St John’s, Bath, who has been appointed Bishop of Plymouth

                         [reader]               LORD WE PRAY…
                         [response:]        YOU ARE JOY ITSELF…

As the sounds of hollow tinsel joy assail us,  and the call of shops and lights summons us,  may God draw us aside to experience the profound joy of moments of silent communion in love with the God who comes only to transform us in love…

                         [reader]               LORD WE PRAY…
                         [response:]        YOU ARE JOY ITSELF…

For the thousands of children in our nation who like Jesus, will spend Christmas homeless, and the millions who suffer poverty in our land and throughout the world; for all the children of our parish and the Inner City as their excitement grows:  may they not be disappointed with a Christmas scarred by too much alcohol or by drugs and not enough love;  may we learn from the wonder in their eyes how truly to rejoice…

                         [reader]               LORD WE PRAY…
                         [response:]        YOU ARE JOY ITSELF…

That the sick may know the joy of healing and closeness to the God who comes to them: …
We pray for all recently dead, especially … and all who have perished through war, conflict and poverty
and those whose anniversaries are at this time, in particular …;

                         [reader]               LORD WE PRAY…
                         [response:]        YOU ARE JOY ITSELF…

Mary,  share with us your joy in waiting and loving, and guide with your wisdom

                                                         HAIL MARY…

We pray healing for our ‘Common Home’ in the silence of joy’s waiting…

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Second Sunday of Advent YB – ‘Bible Sunday’

May the Global Synod, entering a new phase, lead the whole Church always to root its life and decisions in the disturbing and life-giving Word of God, and to proclaim with integrity and joy the Gospel of Jesus, that the world may believe

                             [reader]           IN CHRIST WE PRAY…
                             [response]     LORD FEED US WITH YOUR WORD…

For all who seek after truth,  for those who cannot believe: that their hearts and minds be opened to God’s Word that brings Life, Mercy and Hope;  for a world divided by war and terrorism, racism and famine that all may heed the Gospel of Peace and live; that world leaders will come together in pursuit of peace, freedom and equality for all peoples especially in Israel/Palestine, and through the COP 28 Conference to heal the ravages of Climate Warming

                             [reader]           IN CHRIST WE PRAY…
                             [response]     LORD FEED US WITH YOUR WORD…

For a deep love of the Scriptures in our parish community, and in our own lives – may we  find inspiration in sharing the Word with one another and vision for empowering our mission; may God’s Word of love for the poor inspire our mission to change our world

                             [reader]           IN CHRIST WE PRAY…
                             [response]     LORD FEED US WITH YOUR WORD…

For God’s blessing upon the children and young people of our parish family, that filled with the Spirit they may devour the Word, as Bread for their lives and Wisdom for their journey, and so rejoice to proclaim the Word of God’s Mercy, Hope and Love, serving the Kingdom with enthusiasm

                             [reader]           IN CHRIST WE PRAY…
                             [response]     LORD FEED US WITH YOUR WORD…

For all who proclaim God’s Word to us: for our Minsters of Word and Communion, our Catechists and all who lead Children’s Liturgy, for the teachers in our schools and parents in their families: that all may grow in Christ as they share faith and the Word of God with those entrusted to them

                             [reader]           IN CHRIST WE PRAY…
                             [response]     LORD FEED US WITH YOUR WORD…

For the Bible Society, Scripture Union and ‘Bible Alive’ and all organisations seeking to share God’s Word with our world:  may they always offer the riches of the Bible with reverence for other world faiths and their sacred  scriptures

                             [reader]           IN CHRIST WE PRAY…
                             [response]     LORD FEED US WITH YOUR WORD…

For the sick, the lonely. the mentally disturbed and the housebound; we pray especially at this time all who suffer from HIV/Aids and those who care for them: also for …
We pray too for those who have died recently, especially … and the victims of war, conflict and poverty everywhere
and all whose anniversaries are at this time: …

                             [reader]           IN CHRIST WE PRAY…
                             [response]     LORD FEED US WITH YOUR WORD…

Mary, teach us to ponder the Word in our hearts and to treasure all that God speaks to our world…

HAIL MARY…

Let us pray in a moment’s silence for other needs 

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Second Sunday of Advent YB – ‘Bible Sunday’

PRIEST: We gather on this Bible Sunday, at the beginning of our second week of Advent Preparation and Prayer. On this Bible Sunday, we come together to listen to God’s Holy Word in the Bible, so that we may allow His Word to be made Flesh in our lives. That same Word will be spoken over bread of the earth and wine from the hills, with such power that the Word will become the Flesh and Blood of Christ in Eucharist.

Let us now praise the Light of God’s Word as we sing…

                           (‘The Lord is my Light’)

                            [ proceed to the wreath ]

Let us pray…
O God, from all eternity You have spoken forth Your Word, so that all creation may experience Your Love. Your Word first created Light at the dawning of time. In the fullness of that time, Your Word became Flesh in the poor Virgin of Nazareth. For Your People everywhere, Your Word remains the Light that guides our journey, the Lamp revealing the path before us. Bless our Advent Candles, and this our parish family, so that the Light of Your Word may grow in our hearts, inspire our lives, and guide our community,
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER  +  THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT,                                     … Amen!

READER:     Too often, Lord, we allow the false lights of our world to guide us,
                           rather than the Light of Your Word:
                           forgive us when we fail to root our lives in the Word of the Gospel…

                                           LORD HAVE MERCY…

                            Lord, for the many times we do not listen to Your Word in the Bible,
                           for the ways we leave it an unopened book, a treasure sadly neglected

                                           CHRIST HAVE MERCY…

                            Lord, the neglect of Your Word makes us less a People of Faith;
                           it weakens our witness to Your Presence and Your Kingdom:
                            so for the ways our lives do not shine with the Light of Your Word

                                           LORD HAVE MERCY…

PRIEST:     O Lord, stir up our hearts to prepare the way of Your Son,
                      the Word made Flesh, so that through His Coming on earth
                      we may serve you with lives filled with the Light of His Word,
                     for He Who will come again lives for ever and ever…
                                              AMEN!

As our children gather here we echo the Prophetic words of Isaiah

 (‘Prepare the Way of the Lord…’)