+ Wed 27th – MIDWEEK MASS in the Seventh Week of Easter – plus Church opening info

27 May 2020

Happy Wednesday everyone –

The images used in today’s Parish Blog post are chosen just to celebrate children and learning as our parish school students are back full time this week. (If any of you are reading this I hope you’re not feeling as exhausted as the person on the cover picture of this post!)

(image credits: Unsplash collection)

Here in today’s post is the full Mass of the day – once again using what’s been our Wednesday idea of inviting people to participate in a combination of ways. And so the Intro and Liturgy of the Word uses guided text, voice recordings and the invitation to compose personal prayer to assist reflection – then the Liturgy of the Eucharist and end of Mass uses live stream inserted below.

CHURCH OPEN TOMORROW – PART OF WHAT MIGHT BECOME A FEATURE

Starting Thursday of this week (tomorrow 28th May) the church will be open from 8.45am to 10.45am on Thursdays for Prayer and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. From next week it will be open Wednesdays 9.45am-10.45am AND Thursdays 8.45am to 10.45am. Note that these opening times with Prayer and Adoration will fit well with the morning Mass times once they begin again soon – so it is hoped this Prayer time might become a special feature. This will include opportunities for our school children to make special visits to the church too. Our sincere thanks to the parishioners who volunteered in response to last week’s letter to the parish seeking leadership to oversee this idea of opening the church for special times. (see last Friday’s blog post 22nd May). We will need to operate on a careful welcome of 10 people in the church maximum at a time but the parishioners who are preparing to lead this initiative will make you very comfortable, welcome and aware of procedures. Hopefully this might become a really reflective and prayerful feature of the church here. It is also part of an idea that our school leadership team has expressed great enthusiasm to work with the parish to create … that is, to make Thursday morning, as a norm across the whole parish property, a time of quiet, prayer and reflection – with opportunities for children, parents and all parishioners to participate. HERE’S A VOICE RECORDING with some further comments to share with you about the planned church opening times ahead:

>>>Click on the triangle play button to activate the voice recording<<<

WELCOME TO MASS FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE SEVENTH WEEK OF EASTER

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON

All peoples, clap your hands.

Cry to God with shouts of joy, alleluia

INTRO TO MASS

>>>Click on the triangle play button to activate the voice recording<<<

OPENING PRAYER

Let us pray

Graciously grant to your Church, O merciful God,

that, gathered by the Holy Spirit,

she may be devoted to you with all her heart

and united in purity of intent.

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

THE LITURGY OF THE WORD

FIRST READING

A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles (20:28-38)

Paul addressed these words to the elders of the church of Ephesus:

‘Be on your guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you the overseers, to feed the Church of God which he bought with his own blood. I know quite well that when I have gone fierce wolves will invade you and will have no mercy on the flock. Even from your own ranks there will be people coming forward with a travesty of the truth on their lips to induce the disciples to follow them. So be on your guard, remembering how night and day for three years I never failed to keep you right, shedding tears over each one of you. And now I commend you to God, and to the word of God’s grace that has power to build you up and to give you your inheritance among all the sanctified.

‘I have never asked anyone for money or clothes; you know for yourselves that the work I did earned enough to meet my needs and those

of my companions. I did this to show you that this is how we must exert ourselves to support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, who himself said, “There is more happiness in giving than in receiving.”’

When he had finished speaking he knelt down with them all and prayed. By now they were all in tears; they put their arms round Paul’s neck and kissed him; what saddened them most was his saying they would never see his face again. Then they escorted him to the ship.

The word of the Lord

Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Psalm 121(122):1-5

Response>Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth

(image credit: Unsplash Collection .. No doubt plenty of parents have recent stories of some of their younger kids’ learning at home happening in unexpected ways!)

Show forth, O God, show forth your might,

your might, O God, which you have shown for us.

For the sake of your temple high in Jerusalem

may kings come to you bringing their tribute.

R>Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.

Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God, praise the Lord

who rides on the heavens, the ancient heavens.

He thunders his voice, his mighty voice.

Come, acknowledge the power of God.

R>Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.

His glory is on Israel; his might is in the skies.

God is to be feared in his holy place.

He is the Lord, Israel’s God.

He gives strength and power to his people.

Blessed be God!

R>Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

(cf: John 17:17)

Alleluia, alleluia!

Your word, O Lord, is truth;

make us holy in the truth.

Alleluia!

GOSPEL

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to John (17:11-19)

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:

‘Holy Father,

keep those you have given me true to your name,

so that they may be one like us.

While I was with them,

I kept those you had given me true to your name.

I have watched over them

and not one is lost

except the one who chose to be lost,

and this was to fulfil the scriptures.

(cont below image)

But now I am coming to you

and while still in the world I say these things

to share my joy with them to the full.

I passed your word on to them,

and the world hated them,

because they belong to the world

no more than I belong to the world.

I am not asking you to remove them from the world,

but to protect them from the evil one.

They do not belong to the world

any more than I belong to the world.

Consecrate them in the truth;

your word is truth.

As you sent me into the world,

I have sent them into the world,

and for their sake I consecrate myself

so that they too may be consecrated in truth.’

The Gospel of the Lord

HOMILY SHARED BY FR PAUL TODAY

>Click on the triangle play button to activate the voice recording<<<

PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL

You are invited to take some moments now to compose and pray some Prayers of the Faithful. The following themes might assist your own reflections:

a prayer for students and those who work in education, especially as schools now return
a prayer for parents and families, especially those with challenges at the moment
a prayer for each of us for a growing faith to live our lives with purpose
a prayer for our development of new skills and possibilities in each phase of our lives
a prayer for places in the world where COVID-19 is still so threatening – and where populations are living in great daily fear
?
?

And so we now bring the bread and wine to the altar – as we now stream the second part of today’s Mass from Our Lady of the Way church

THE LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

>>>Click on the triangle play button in the middle of the picture<<

See you in the next Parish Blog post and

With friendship in God’s mission

fr Paul

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