SPIRITUAL COMMUNION FOR PENTECOST SUNDAY
✠In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Alleluia, Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed, alleluia!
O God our King and our Maker,
forgive us when we try to make you in our image;
forgive us when we turn to earthly rulers
for the wisdom and strength
you have already shown us.
Fulfil your purpose in us,
that we may be your people,
your temples upon this earth,
your sisters and brothers in love and mercy.
In trust and hope, we pray.
We ask you, Father, to forgive us and cleanse us from our sins,
and through the Holy Spirit enable us to live as you would want,
following the example of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.
THE GLORIA
Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to people of good will.
We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory,
Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father.
Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son,
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us;
you take away the sins of the world,
receive our prayer;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father,
have mercy on us.
For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
THE COLLECT O God, who by the mystery of today’s great feast sanctify your whole Church in every people and nation, pour out, we pray, the gifts of the Holy Spirit across the face of the earth and, with the divine grace that was at work when the Gospel was first proclaimed, fill now once more the hearts of believers. 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 Acts 2:1-11
When Pentecost day came round, the apostles had all met in one room,
when suddenly they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven,
the noise of which filled the entire house in which they were sitting;
and something appeared to them that seemed like tongues of fire;
these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them.
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak foreign languages
as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech.
Now there were devout men living in Jerusalem
from every nation under heaven, and at this sound they all assembled,
each one bewildered to hear these men speaking his own language.
They were amazed and astonished. “Surely” they said
“all these men speaking are Galileans?
How does it happen that each of us hears them in his own native language?
Parthians, Medes and Elamites; people from Mesopotamia,
Judaea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the parts of Libya round Cyrene; as well as visitors from Rome –
Jews and proselytes alike – Cretans and Arabs;
we hear them preaching in our own language
about the marvels of God.”
The word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
THE RESPONSORIAL PSALM - PSALM 103
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 for ever!
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 GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Alleluia, alleluia!
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Alleluia!
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (John 20:19-23)
In the evening of the first day of the week, the doors were closed
in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews.
Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them,
“Peace be with you,” and showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord,
and he said to them again, “Peace be with you.
“As the Father sent me, so am I sending you.”
After saying this he breathed on them and said:
“Receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive,
they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
THE HOMILY
Mary was the one in that Upper Room with the longest memory.
She had had the treasure in her heart, pondering more than 30 years.
She knew her baby in a mother’s way.
She knew the growing boy.
She knew every bend in the road of his life, as it were.
She’d been there at the beginning, when He turned water into wine.
She had noticed everything, been baffled by many things,
hurt by some, at other times so full of pride and delight.
She’d been painfully present at the foot of the Cross,
and overjoyed in the Upper Room
At Pentecost, her presence in that room was like an anchor for the others.
Mary, the first believer, the first to show her Son to the world,
sharing with the disciples her whole memory, her insight, her love of her Son.
Mary is no longer in that Upper Room;
Mary is still close to her Son, whose ear she has in her ministry of intercession.
Invite Mary into your own upper room,
to pray with you for the Spirit’s gifts of love, joy, peace, long-suffering,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Invite Mary to pray with you in overcoming a particular fear,
Invite Mary to pray with you as you face a challenging situation,
Invite Mary to pray for you in your search for wisdom in correct dealing.
You may well have read the report that thirty senior clerical and lay people
of the Diocese of Winchester are poised to place a vote of no confidence
in the Bishop of Winchester.
Winchester Diocese, and particularly Bishop Tim,
needs the prayers of Mary and the prayers of all of us
for the guidance and wisdom of the Holy Spirit.
Your prayers, please, for all trying to minister
in the benefices of this diocese,
where pressure on serving clergy is to be increased more than ever;
and for +Tim, who must feel very alone at the moment.
From the Catholic perspective alone there has been much hurt
in that there is no longer a Society presence in Southampton.
Pray for our own church that we may be able to
grow in the Catholic tradition that has been unbrokenly-ours since the 1850s.
Pray that the Holy Spirit will give us the energy and the will
to be the place God wants us to be.
Pray that the Holy Spirit will inspire us to follow Jesus into new initiatives
to make a difference for good in our parish and beyond it.
Mary, Mother of Jesus, Mother of the Church, pray for us.
As did the Apostles, with Mary, the Mother of Jesus
persevere in prayer in that Upper Room
on the feast of Pentecost, awaiting the Spirit promised by the Lord; let us, too, listen with quiet hearts to the Word of God, praying that the Holy Spirit, whom the Father sent
as the first fruits for those who believe, may bring to perfection his work in us and in the world. Amen.
THE PROFESSION OF FAITH
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
He ascended into heaven,
He is seated at the right hand of the Father,
And he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Prayer of the Faithful (Bidding Prayers)
From around the world we hear many adults and children crying, O God;
crying for food and drink and someone to enfold them in loving arms.
Hear their prayers, dear Lord,
and make us instruments of your peace.
We see the desolate eyes of refugees, O God;
escaping along war devastated roads,
or looking from transit camps, and from behind barbed wire,
for glimmers of hope.
Hear their prayers, dear Lord,
and make us the instruments of your peace.
We read about the abused sisters and brothers, O God;
cringing from family violence,
or suffering in inhumane conditions,
or assaulted in their own homes by strangers.
Hear their prayers, dear Lord,
and make us the instruments of your peace.
We hear the sobbing of the broken-hearted, O God;
living through the death of relationship,
watching at the bed of the dying,
or following a hearse to the cemetery.
Hear their prayers, dear Lord,
and make us the instruments of your peace.
We know about the disasters that afflict others, O God;
those devastated by disease or war,
and the minds that have cracked under pressure.
Hear their prayers, dear Lord,
and make us the instruments of your peace.
We read about your church, O God;
in some places overcrowding its buildings,
in others battling to maintain services,
or in some countries meeting secretly behind locked doors.
Hear their prayers, dear Lord,
and make us the instruments of your peace.
We ask Mary to pray with us, as we with her
bring our care for the situation in which we find ourselves
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee,
blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of our death.
God of loving care, may the boldness of your Spirit transform us, may the gentleness of your Spirit lead us, and may the gifts of your Spirit equip us to serve and worship you now and always.
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
This is holy space
God is here - you are welcome
This is your space to be with God And God's space to be with you
Make yourself at home
Be yourself
Be real
There's no rush
Let God love you
Let God know you
Let God heal you
Let God speak to you
Receive from God
Commune with God…..
Sit for a moment in silence
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give thanks and praise.
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.
For, bringing your Paschal Mystery to completion,
you bestowed the Holy Spirit today
on those you made your adopted children
by uniting them to your Only Begotten Son.
This same Spirit, as the Church came to birth,
opened to all peoples the knowledge of God
and brought together the many languages of the earth
in profession of the one faith.
Therefore, overcome with paschal joy,
every land, every people exults in your praise
and even the heavenly Powers, with the angelic hosts,
sing together the unending hymn of your glory,
as they 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.
At the Saviour’s command
and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say:
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come, thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
graciously grant peace in our days,
that, by the help of your mercy,
we may be always free from sin
and safe from all distress,
as we await the blessed hope
and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
For the kingdom,the power
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles:
Peace I leave you, my peace I give you,
look not on our sins,
but on the faith of your Church,
and graciously grant her peace and unity
in accordance with your will.
Who live and reign for ever and ever. 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.
Time to sit quietly to receive the Lord’s Presence spiritually.
“My Jesus, I believe that You are present
in the Most Holy Sacrament of the altar.
I love You above all things,
and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart …
I embrace You as if You were already there
and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You,”
“To find oneself confronted by a piece of bread,
and then to be told that this is the presence of Jesus,
involves an act of faith: reason is inadequate.
This sign of bread both conceals and points to the presence of Jesus; it is Jesus himself, Son of God and Son of Mary,
Jesus of Bethlehem, of Nazareth, of the Last Supper,
Jesus of Calvary, Jesus of the Resurrection;
Jesus – the same yesterday, today and the same for ever.
Jesus, the Bread – the Window that opens on to the invisible.”
Carlo Carretto – “In Search of the Beyond”
THE BLESSING
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
The Spirit of truth lead us into all truth,
give us grace to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
and strengthen us to proclaim the word and works of God;
and may the blessing of Almighty God,
the Father, the Son, ✠ and the Holy Spirit come down on us
and remain with us no and always. Amen.
The Regina Coeli
Joy to thee, O Queen of Heaven! Alleluia. He whom thou wast meet to bear, alleluia. As he promised, hath arisen, alleluia. Pour for us to him thy prayer, alleluia.
Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia.
All: For the Lord is risen indeed, alleluia!
Let us pray.
O God, who through the resurrection
of Thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ
didst vouchsafe to give joy to the world:
grant, we beseech thee,
that through His Mother, the Virgin Mary,
we may obtain the joys of everlasting life.
Through Christ our Lord.
Let us go forth in peace.
Thanks be to God.
