A SPRITUAL COMMUNION FOR USE WHEN CHURCH IS NOT A POSSIBILITY
In the Name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
SONG OF DAVID– from Psalm 89
I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.
God said: I will make him my first-born and higher than the kings of the earth. I will keep my love for him for ever, and my covenant will stand firm for him.
I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.
I will not break my covenant, nor change what has gone out of my lips. Once for all I have sworn by my holiness: I will not lie to David.
I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.
His line shall endure for ever and his throne as the sun before me; it shall stand fast for evermore like the moon, the abiding witness in the sky.
I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.
The Spirit of God be our guide
to lead us to peace and to glory.
Come, let us return to the Lord. Let us humble ourselves; let us strive to know our God,
(Hosea 6)
A time for reflection
Christ came in humility to share our lives: forgive our pride. Lord, have mercy.
Christ came with good news for all people: forgive our silence. Christ, have mercy.
Christ came in love to a world of suffering: forgive our self-centredness. Lord, have mercy.
May the God of love and power
forgive you and free you from your sins,
heal and strengthen you by his Spirit,
and raise you to new life in Christ our Lord. Amen.
COLLECT:
God our Father, who from the family of your servant David raised up Joseph the carpenter to be the guardian of your incarnate Son and husband of the Blessèd Virgin Mary: give us grace to follow him in faithful obedience to your commands; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW:
Chapter 1, verses 18 to 25
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.
But just when he had resolved to do this,
an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife,
for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus,
for he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.”
When Joseph awoke from sleep,
he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him;
he took her as his wife,
but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son;
and he named him Jesus.
REFLECTION:
Jesus, raised as the son of Joseph, a carpenter, probably learned carpentry.
What if he wasn’t particularly good at carpentry?
What if he tried to learn, and Joseph tried to teach him,
but he just didn’t have the knack for it?
What if his doors weren’t straight, and his tables and chairs wobbled?
What if he often hit his thumb with the hammer?
Certainly he was a master storyteller;
he knew his scripture; and he was smart enough to avoid some verbal traps.
But otherwise, scripture suggests he was just an average guy.
The people who watched him grow up in Nazareth
didn’t think he was anything special. Mark 6:1-6.
Isaiah, prophesying about the suffering servant,
says he was not a prince amongst people.
“There was no stately bearing to make us look at him,
nor appearance that would attract us to him.” Isaiah 53:2.
Paul says that Jesus “emptied himself, taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself ....” Philippians 2:7-8.
Maybe he humbled himself to the point of being just average at most things.
Divinity aside, maybe the human nature of Jesus was not first in his class….
Maybe he was not the most popular,
not the best athlete.
Maybe in adolescence, he suffered from acne and awkwardness.
Maybe the scriptures are silent about his teens and twenties
because he didn’t do anything noteworthy during those years.
Maybe Paul was right:
Aside from sin, maybe Jesus
was just like us. Hebrews. 4:15.
Lord Jesus Christ,
we acknowledge your rule over every realm of life:
We journey with you in prayer…...
Son of Mary: consecrate our homes.
Son of David: cleanse our politics.
Son of God: grant us eternal life.
Jesus the Carpenter: hallow our daily work.
Jesus the Saviour: save us from ourselves.
Jesus the Life-giver: renew your Church.
Jesus the Crucified: reveal your love and power to all who suffer.
Jesus the King: raise us to live and reign with you for ever.
Jesus the Word of God: perfect your creation
and bring the world to the knowledge of your love.
Jesus – be our companion and our guide. Amen.
- David Adam
Let us lift up our hearts, and give thanks to God.
Glory to God, Source of all being,
Eternal Word and Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and shall be for ever. Amen.
It is right and just to give our thanks for Jesus, Son of Mary, Your Son,
who grew in wisdom and stature in the home of Joseph the carpenter of Nazareth, and who, on the wood of the cross,
perfected the work of the world's salvation:
He brought good news to the poor, the hungry,
and those who weep.
He showed us how to see heaven through the eyes of a child.
He taught us that everyone who asks receives,
everyone who seeks finds,
and that for all who knock, the door will be opened.
Therefore, we raise our voices with all creation
to proclaim the glory of God, now and always:
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.
Come, O Lord, in much mercy down into my soul
and take possession and dwell there.
A poor dwelling, I confess, for so glorious a Person as You.
Yet, I am preparing for a fitting reception of You,
by holy and fervent desires of Your own inspiring.
Enter then, and adorn my soul,
and make it a worthy place for You to inhabit,
since it is the work of Your own hands.
Give me Yourself, without which,
even if You should give me all that You ever have made,
yet this would not satisfy my desires.
Let my soul ever seek You, and let me persist in seeking,
until I have found and am in full possession of You.
St. Augustine
At the Saviour’s command
and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
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.
Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every 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.
Time sit quietly in Our Lord’s Presence,
to receive that Presence spiritually.
As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
I come to the altar of God, to God, my delight, my joy.
Send forth Your light and Your truth; they will lead me; they will bring me
to Your holy mountain, to Your dwelling-place.
I come to the altar of God, to God, my delight, my joy. That I may come to the altar of God, God, my delight, my joy; that I may praise You with my whole being, O God, my God.
I come to the altar of God, to God, my delight, my joy. (Ps. 42)
Heavenly Father, whose Son grew in wisdom and stature in the home of Joseph the carpenter of Nazareth and on the wood of the cross perfected the work of the world's salvation: help us, to count the wisdom of the world as foolishness, and to walk with Him in simplicity and trust; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
WE ASK GOD'S BLESSING
Christ crucified draw us to himself,
to find in him a sure ground for faith,
a firm support for hope,
and the assurance of sins forgiven;
and the blessing of God Almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be upon us this day and remain with us always.
As we pray THE ANGELUS, we remember especially those whose livelihoods have been seriously affected by the present crisis; businesses that have been wiped out overnight, those struggling because of loss of wages, fearful for the long- and the short-term future…..
Mary and Joseph, pray with us for all facing hardship as a result of this virus.
The angel of the Lord brought tidings to Mary. And she conceived by the Holy Ghost.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst 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. Amen.
Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it unto me according to thy word.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst 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. Amen.
And the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst 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. Amen.
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
We beseech thee, O Lord, pour thy grace into our hearts,
that as we have known the Incarnation of thy Son Jesus Christ
by the message of an angel, so by his Cross and Passion
we may be brought unto the glory of his Resurrection;
through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.