Listening 2004 - Prayers for Conversations
The family, a home for New Pentecost

[ Prayer One ] [ Prayer Two ] [ Prayer Three ] Printer friendly copy: [pdf]] [ms word]

Opening Hymn

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
naught be all else to me save that thou art;
thou my best thought in the day and the night waking,
or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true Word;
I ever with thee, and thou with me, Lord;
thou my great Father, and I they true son;
thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.

Be thou my breast-plate, my sword for the fight;
be thou my armour, and be thou my might,
thou my soul's shelter, and thou my high tower,
raise thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Opening Prayer

Reading St. Paul's Prayer

This, then, is what I pray, kneeling before the Father, from whom every fatherhood,
in heaven or on earth, takes its name.

In abundance of his glory may he, through the Spirit, enable you to grow firm in power with regard to your inner self, so that Christ may live in your hearts through faith, and then, planted in love and built on love, with God's holy people you will have the strength to grasp the breadth and the length, the height and the depth; so that, knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond knowledge, you may be filled with the utter fullness of God.

Glory be to him whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine; glory be to him from generation to generation in the Church and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen.

Prayer and silence

Hymn

Be still and know that I am God, be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am God.

I am the Lord that healeth thee ...
In thee, O Lord, I put my trust ...

Reading from the Holy Gospel according to John

God has his home in our hearts

Jesus said: Anyone who loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him and we shall come to him and make a home in him.

Heavenly Father, make your home in me

W: Women
M: Men.
We pray the verses alternately

(W) Home is the cradle of life
(M) Home gives the gift of self

(W) Home where we find one another
(M) Home is the space of our intimacy

(W) Home is the harbour of our security
(M) Home is the shelter of our growth

(W) Home is the sanctuary of our love
(M) Home is the treasury of our memories

(W) Home is the temple of God's presence
(M) Home is the warm hearth of our love

(W) Home is the heart of all our longings
(M) Home is the hand of forgiveness

(W) Home is the source of all healing

(All)
Holy Spirit, Lover of my soul, my home is in you
In you I find the sacred space of our intimacy
In you the safe harbour of your care
In you the source of my growth
In you the memory of Christ who died
In you I become God¹s temple
In you the fire of his love
In you contentment for my longings
Holy Spirit, Soul of my soul,
My home is in you. Amen

Let us entrust our own families and all the families of our Diocese into the heart of Mary.
Hail Mary...

Final Blessing

[ Prayer One ] [ Prayer Two ] [ Prayer Three ] Printer friendly copy: [pdf]] [ms word]

Opening Hymn

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
naught be all else to me save that thou art;
thou my best thought in the day and the night waking,
or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true Word;
I ever with thee, and thou with me,
Lord; thou my great Father, and I they true son;
thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.

Be thou my breast-plate, my sword for the fight;
be thou my armour, and be thou my might,
thou my soul's shelter, and thou my high tower,
raise thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Opening Prayer

Reading St. Paul describes the home of New Pentecost:

Recognise that God has given to each one his measure of faith. Just as each of us has various parts in one body, and the parts do not all have the same function: in the same way, all of us, though there are so many of us, make up one body in Christ, and as different parts we are all joined to one another. Then the gifts that we have differ according to the grace that was
given to each of us: a gift of prophecy, a gift of practical service, of teaching or encouragement. When you give , you should give generously, from the heart; if you are put in charge, you must be conscientious; if you do works of mercy, let it be because you enjoy doing them. Let love be without pretence. Avoid evil; stick to what is good... look for opportunities to be hospitable.

Hymn

Be still and know that I am God, be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am God.

I am the Lord that healeth thee ...
In thee, O Lord, I put my trust ...

God is the Father of our Family

You are my Father
who loves each one of us,
who knows each one of us,
who cares for each one of us.

You are my Father
Who forgets no one,
who rejects no one,
who abandons no one.

You are my Father
Who knows our most secret fears,
who guides all our requests,
who responds to even our smallest needs.

You are my Father
Who reveals himself to the little ones,
who helps the weak and the oppressed,

You are my Father
who mercifully embraces the sinner.

You are my Father
Who constantly enlightens each one of us,
who constantly encourages each one of us,

You are my Father
who constantly supports and strengthens each one of us.

You are my Father
Who excludes no one from his love,
who lets nothing embitter him,
who is faithful to the end. Amen.

Our Father...

Let us entrust our own families and all the families of our Diocese into the heart of Mary.
Hail Mary...

Final Blessing

Be thou my vision, O Lord o my heart,
naught be all else to me save that thou art;
thou my best thought in the day and the night waking,
or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true Word;
I ever with thee, and thou with me,
Lord; thou my great Father, and I they true son;
thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.

Be thou my breast-plate, my sword for the fight;
be thou my armour, and be thou my might,
thou my soul's shelter, and thou my high tower,
raise thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Opening Prayer

A Reading from the acts of the Apostles
Gathered in the Upper Room awaiting Pentecost

When they reached the City they went to the upper room where they were staying; there were Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Jude son of James. With one heart all these joined constantly in prayer, together with some women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

Hymn

Be still and know that I am God,
be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am God.

I am the Lord that healeth thee ...
In thee, O Lord, I put my trust ...

God is the Father of our Family

Reflection: After a time of silent reflection we can pray together:

(Leader)

Mary,
in the midst of the apostles you powerfully interceded the coming of the promised Spirit,
who transformed weak men and women, and guides the Church on the road to victory.

Open our hearts for the Spirit of God that he may change the course of the world.

(All)

Holy Spirit, you are the soul of my soul. I humbly adore you.
Enlighten me, strengthen me, guide me comfort me.

Reveal your wishes to me as far as this is in accordance with the will of the Eternal Father.

Show me what Eternal Love wants of me.
Show me what I should do.
Show me what I should suffer.
Show me what I should humbly and thoughtfully accept, bear and endure.

Holy Spirit, show me your will and the will of the Father,
for I want my whole life to be nothing else than a continuous,
an everlasting yes to the wishes,
to the will of God the Eternal Father.

(Adapted by J.Kentenich from Cardinal Mercier)