SOLEMNITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI, EP I

Corpus-Christi-icon

 

 

SERVICE OF LIGHT

Greeting/Invocation

 We light the EVENING CANDLE and say or sing:

Jesus Christ is the Light of the World!

~The Light no darkness can extinguish!

 

You have given them Bread from heaven, alleluia!

~Having all sweetness within it, alleluia!

 

HYMN FOR CORPUS CHRISTI

Sing my tongue the Savior’s glory, Of his Flesh the myst’ry sing:

Of the Blood, all price excelling, Which the world’s eternal King,

In a noble womb once dwelling, Shed for this world’s ransoming.

 

Giv’n for us, for us descending, From a virgin to proceed,

One like us in flesh contending, Scattered wide the Gospel seed,

Till his sojourn drew to ending, Which he closed in wondrous deed.

 

At the last great supper lying Circled by his chosen band,

Humbly with the law complying, First, he finished its command,

Then immortal Food supplying, Gave himself with his own hand.

 

Word made flesh, the bread of nature by his word to Flesh he turns;

Wine into his Blood he changes: What though sense no change discerns?

If the heart is truly wakened Faith its lesson quickly learns.

 

Down in adoration falling This great Sacrament we hail;

Over ancient forms of worship Newer rites of grace prevail;

Faith will tell us Christ is present, When our human senses fail.

 

To the everlasting Abba, and the Son who makes us free,

And the Spirit, God proceeding From them each eternally,

Be salvation, honor, blessing, Might and endless majesty. Amen.

Text: Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274); Tr. J.M. Neale, E. Caswall, et al. Tune: PANGE LINGUA Mode III

 

 

 

SERVICE    OF THE WORD

Evening Psalmody

Antiphon

The cup of salvation I will take up,

and will offer the sacrifice of praise.

Psalm 115/116

I trust in God, even when I say,

“I am sorely afflicted,”

I believe, even when I cry out,

“Everyone is lying!”

 

What gift can repay Adonai

for such goodness to me?

I will raise the cup of freedom

as I call on the Holy Name!

And I will fulfill all my vows

in the presence of the people.

 

Adonai you hate to see

your faithful ones perish and die.

It is I, the servant you love

the one you have freed from bondage,

who calls to you now for help.

 

I bring an offering of thanks

as I call on your Name.

I fulfill my vows to you, Adonai

standing before your assembly,

 in the courts of your house, my God,

in the very heart of Jerusalem.   

 

Glory to the ONE and to the WORD

And to the BREATH of Love!

As always before,

so now and evermore.  Amen

 

The cup of salvation I will take up,

and will offer the sacrifice of praise.

 

 

 

READING          DEUTERONOMY 8:14-16

“Do not forget ADONAI your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery;
who guided you through the vast and terrible desert
with its seraph serpents and scorpions,
its parched and waterless ground;
who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock
and fed you in the desert with manna,
a food unknown to your ancestors.”

 

 

Responsory

R.  God fed them with the finest wheat, * Alleluia, Alleluia.  V. And filled them with honey from the rock. * Alleluia, Alleluia. V.  Glory to the Abba and the Word and the Holy Breath of Love.

 

Gospel Canticle

Antiphon

O how loving is your Holy Spirit!

To show sweet kindness to your children,

you provide the most delicious heavenly Bread;

you fill the hungry with good things, and send the haughty rich away empty.

Canticle of Mary

My heart + is radiant with the Lord,

My whole being delights in God my Savior.

 

All people now will call me blessed

For God has loved this humble handmaid.

The Almighty has shown me great favor

Holy is the NAME,

 

Whose mercy embraces the faithful,

From one generation to the next.

The mighty arm of God,

Scatters the proud in their own conceit,

 

Pulls tyrants from their thrones

While lifting up the lowly:

Fills the famished with bounty,

And reveals the emptiness of riches.

 

Rescues lowly Israel,

Sharing such loving kindness,

As promised to our ancestors

To Abraham and Sarah, and their descendants forever.

 

Glory to the One and to the Word

And to the Breath of Love

As always before

So now and evermore. Amen

O how loving is your Holy Spirit!

To show sweet kindness to your children,

you provide the most delicious heavenly Bread;

you fill the hungry with good things, and send the haughty rich away empty.

 

 

 

SERVICE OF PRAYER

 Litany of Intercession

O Food for Those on the Way, you fed your people with manna in the desert and water from the rock, ~use us to provide food, drink, shelter and welcome to refugees and immigrants fleeing poverty, violence and injustice.

 

O Feast of Victory, you promised to “provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines;” ~may our participation in this Holy Meal conquer pride and greed and fill us with joy and delight in all the gifts of creation.

 

O Bread-Broken-and-Shared, you offer your life and your love, your grace and your strength, your body and your blood,  as a Banquet for us ~ may we in turn become bread for the world.

 

O Holy Communion, you form one body out of all who share one bread and one cup, ~empower all who celebrate this feast to join you in working for the unity and peace of the whole world.

 

O True Bread from Heaven, you are the foretaste of the things to come and pledge of eternal life, ~bring healing to those who are sick, freedom to those in prison, consolation to those who are grieving, and resurrection to all who have died.

 

O Jesus, Gentle Shepherd and Living Bread, feed us, guide us to the land of everlasting life.  

 

Prayer of Jesus

Our Dear Abba…

 

Closing Prayer

We bless and thank you, O Jesus our Love, for through the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist you transform us into members of your Body.  In this great Sacrament, we join you in offering our Abba a solemn pledge of undivided love and in offering our brothers and sisters a life  poured out in loving service of that kingdom where you live and love with the Abba and Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.  Amen.

 

Blessing

May Jesus, who like a Mother feeds us with himself,   bless + us with abundant life,  ~Amen.

 

Let us bless Adonai.   ~Thanks be to God.

 

 VM Adoratrix Card-for Blog

 Those who wish may end evening prayer with the Salve Regina

Marian Antiphon

Salve Regina, Mater misericordiae, Vita dulcedo et Spes nostra, salve!

Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Evae; Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes in hac lacrimarum vale. Eia, ergo, Advocata nostra, illos tuos misericordes oculos, ad nos converte; et Jesum benedictum fructum ventris tui, nobis, post hoc exilium ostende.  O Clemens, O Pia, O Dulcis, Virgo Maria!

 

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God;

~ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

 

Let us pray.  Holy, Mighty and Immortal God, through the working of the Holy Spirit, you prepared the body and soul of the glorious virgin Mother Mary, as a worthy dwelling for your Word; grant that we, who celebrate her memory each evening, may with the help of her prayers, be freed from ever-present evil, and come to share the fulness of life eternal.   Amen.