PRAYER SPACE

PRAYER SPACE

Advent –

The first candle of Advent is a symbol of Hope.

 In Advent ‘the hopes and fears of all the years’

are gathered together in a great cry of:

‘Come Lord Jesus’!

And, in 2023, this cry echoes around our bewildered humanity

as we experience the wars and disasters traumatizing our world.

The hardest part for us all seems to be that

‘We have no one to tell us how long it will last.’

We bring our shared sorrow to the Lord of Mercy.

 We hold His beloved Holy Land and the innocents caught up in all this terror in our hearts;

not forgetting Ukraine and all the other war zones.

We pray that God will shorten these days for all His children

and that He may bring deep healing to the traumatized, wounded, sick, 

and comfort and peace to the dying.

May Our Lady of Advent 

Bless and keep us safe

as we await with her 

The coming of Jesus

 

 

Feast of Christ the King

[ Sunday the 26th. November 2023]

Opening Prayer 

Almighty ever-living God,

whose will is to restore all things
in your beloved Son, the King of the universe,
grant, we pray,
that the whole creation, set free from slavery,
may render Your Majesty service
and ceaselessly proclaim your praise.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever.

Our Eternal King & Gentle Shepherd shine your Love & Mercy on us.

 

 

Solemnity of All Saints – 1st. November
Almighty, ever-living God,
we are celebrating with joy
the triumph of your grace in all the saints.
With so vast a multitude praying for us,
may we receive from you
the fullness of mercy we have always desired.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 

 

October 15th. Feast of St. Teresa of Jesus [Avila]

 

O God, who through your Spirit
raised up Saint Teresa of Jesus
to show the Church the way to seek perfection,
grant that we may always be nourished
by the food of her heavenly teaching
and fired with longing for true holiness.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

‘In You Lord, Creation finds its joy, you have clothed it in your beauty’

St. John of the Cross

Psalm 64:

To you our praise is due in Zion, O God.

To you we pay our vows, you who hear our prayer.

The ends of the earth stand in awe at the sight of your wonders,

The lands of sunrise and sunset you fill with your joy.

You care for the earth, give it water,

You fill it with riches.

You crown the year with your goodness. 

Abundance flows in your steps, 

 in the pastures of the wilderness it flows. 

The hills are girded with joy,

the meadows covered with flocks, 

The valleys are decked with wheat. 

They shout for joy.

‘In You lord, Creation finds its joy, you have clothed it in your beauty’

On 1 st. of September Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Orthodox and Evangelicals from all over the world unite to celebrate the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, an ecumenical initiative that aims to increase awareness among Christians of the need to protect our common home. The Season of Creation runs from Sept. 1st. to Oct. 4th. Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and ecology.

NOVENA TO OUR LADY OF KNOCK   14th – 22nd. August
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit, Amen.
Give praise to the Father Almighty,
To His Son, Jesus Christ the Lord,
To the Spirit who lives in our hearts,
Both now and forever. Amen.

 

Our Lady of Knock, Queen of Ireland, you gave hope to your
people in a time of distress and comforted them in sorrow.
You have inspired countless pilgrims to pray with confidence to your divine Son, remembering His promise,                            “Ask and you shall  receive, seek and you shall find.”

Help me to remember that we are all pilgrims on the road to
heaven.

Fill me with love and concern for my brothers and
sisters in Christ, especially those who live with me.

Comfort me when I am sick, lonely or depressed. Teach me how to take part ever more reverently in the Holy Mass.

Give me a greater love of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.                                                 

  Pray for me now and at the hour of my death. Amen.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world;
Have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world;
Have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world;
Grant us peace.

St. Joseph, pray for us.

St. John, pray for us.

All you Angels, pray for us.

Mother Mary, we trust in your compassionate intercession.

 

 

 

August 6th. Feast of the Transfiguration

Gospel Luke 9:28-36

‘This is my Son, the Chosen One. Listen to him.’

 

Jesus took with him Peter and John and James and went up the mountain to pray. As he prayed, the aspect of his face was changed and his clothing became brilliant as lightning. Suddenly there were two men there talking to him; they were Moses and Elijah appearing in glory, and they were speaking of his passing which he was to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were heavy with sleep, but they kept awake and saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As these were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ – He did not know what he was saying. As he spoke, a cloud came and covered them with shadow; and when they went into the cloud the disciples were afraid. And a voice came from the cloud saying, ‘This is my Son, the Chosen One. Listen to him.’ And after the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. The disciples kept silent and, at that time, told no one what they had seen.

 

 

16th of July Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Star of sea and ocean,

gateway to man’s haven,

Mother of our Maker,

hear our prayer, O Maiden.

Guard us through life’s dangers

never turn and leave us.

May our hope find harbour

in the calm of Jesus.

Sing to God the Father

through the Son who saves us.

Joyful in the Spirit,

everlasting praises.

The feasts of The Holy Trinity, Corpus Christi, and the Sacred Heart refresh us in these times

of war, freak heat waves, and such suffering.

We can only pray:

‘Jesus I trust in you, I love you have Mercy. Deep from thy wounded side pour out your Love and Mercy.

Mercy, Mercy – forever will I sing of the Mercies, the Mercies of our King.

 

 

Pentecost – Come Holy Spirit – Alleluia!

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 103(104):1,24,29-31,34

Send forth your spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.

Bless the Lord, my soul!
Lord God, how great you are,
How many are your works, O Lord!
The earth is full of your riches.

Send forth your spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.

You take back your spirit, they die,
returning to the dust from which they came.
You send forth your spirit, they are created;
and you renew the face of the earth.

Send forth your spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.

May the glory of the Lord last forever!
May the Lord rejoice in his works!
May my thoughts be pleasing to him.
I find my joy in the Lord.

Send forth your spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.

The Ascension of the Lord

Alleluia, his the triumph, his the victory alone.

Hark! the songs of Holy Sion, thunder like a mighty flood:

Jesus out of every nation hath redeemed us by his Blood.

Alleluia!, not as orphans are we left in sorrow now;

Alleluia!, he is near us faith believes nor questions how.

Though the clouds from sight received Him when the forty days were o’er,

Shall our hearts forget his promise: ‘I am with you evermore’?

 Liturgical Hymn for the Ascension  (S.S. Wesley)

 

Easter Sunday – He is Risen, Alleluia!

                                          “Rejoice,  heavenly powers!

Sing choirs of angels!

Exult all creation around

God’s Throne!

Jesus Christ, our King has risen!

Rejoice, O earth in shining splendour,

Christ has conquered! Glory fills you!”

Holy Saturday

 

Good Friday – ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’

Holy Thursday – Eucharist – washing of each other’s feet in service and keeping Vigil

 

    ‘Stay here and keep watch with me.’

The Preface of the Mass used

on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of Holy Week

The victory of the Passion

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,

always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God,
through Christ our Lord.

For the days of his saving Passion
and glorious Resurrection are approaching,
by which the pride of the ancient foe is vanquished
and the mystery of our redemption in Christ is celebrated.

Through him, the host of Angels adores your majesty
and rejoices in your presence forever.
May our voices, we pray, join with theirs
in one chorus of exultant praise, as we acclaim

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

 

 

With Palm Sunday we enter the great days of Holy Week

and unite with all who are entering this week in great sorrow,

pain and the hell of war.

In Holy Week we ponder on the reality we recite in the Apostle’s Creed 

‘ He suffered..was crucified, died, and was buried.

 

 

His state was divine yet

Christ did not cling to his equality with God

but emptied himself …to become one with us

and he was humbler yet even to accepting death, death on a cross.

But God raised him high and gave him the name which is above all other names

so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld, should bend the knee at the name of Jesus and that every tongue should acclaim  Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

c.f. Philippians 2:6-11