Invitation to Worship
Come, let us sing to Adonai, let us praise the God of all Creation!
We make the Sign of the Cross over our lips as we begin.
O Holy ONE + open my lips,
~And my mouth will proclaim your praise.
I was ill and you cared for me;
~What you did for the least, you did for me..
HYMN
We praise you, God, with joy this day
As proudly we proclaim
That in her life this woman’s love
Has glorified your name.
She longed for Christ, she heard for him
To seem him face to face,
And through the long a patient years
She found in him her peace.
She gave herself and all she owned
To find the pearl of price.
She waited for the Bridegroom’s call
And listened through the night.
Her patients and her sisters found
In her a mighty shield,
For in the fortress of her faith
They saw Your pow’r revealed.
O come and worship God this day,
The Abba and the Word–
And in their Spirit know the joy:
God’s love song that she heard
Text: Ralph Wright, OSB, alt. , Tune: AZMON 8.6.8.6.
PSALMODY
Antiphon
She saw in them the suffering face of Christ;
like the Good Samaritan, she became their mother.
Psalm 123/124
If it had not been for You, O Holy One,
this is Israel’s song,
If it had not been for You,
fear and chaos would reign in every heart;
Doubts would threaten to overwhelm
and anger would make us blind.
For you, O Merciful One, are ever-ready
to awaken the holy, the sacred within us;
Then do your Living Streams of Grace
enfold and keep us afloat.
Blessed are you, Adonai;
we did not become the prey of our enemies;
Our life, like a bird, has escaped
from the snare of the fowler.
Indeed the snare has been broken,
and we have escaped.
Our guidance comes from you, Holy Wisdom,
Giver of Life! Beloved of our hearts!
Glory to the One and to the Word,
and to the Holy Breath of Love;
as always before,
so now and evermore. Amen.
She saw in them the suffering face of Christ;
like the Good Samaritan, she became their mother.
READING Address of Benedict XIV for the Beatification of Marianne Cope
Marianne Cope’s life was one of profound faith and love which bore fruit in a missionary spirit of immense hope and trust. In 1862 she entered the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of Syracuse where she imbibed the particular spirituality of St. Francis of Assisi, dedicating herself wholeheartedly to spiritual and corporal works of mercy. Her own experience of consecrated life saw an extraordinary apostolate unfold, adorned with heroic virtue.
As is well known, while Mother Marianne was Superior General of her Congregation, the then-Bishop of Honolulu invited the Order to come to Hawaii and work among the lepers. Leprosy was spreading rapidly and causing unspeakable suffering and misery among the afflicted. Fifty other Congregations received the same plea for assistance, but only Mother Marianne, in the name of her Sisters, responded positively.
True to the charism of the Order and in imitation of St. Francis, who had embraced lepers, Mother Marianne volunteered herself for the mission with a trusting, “Yes!” And for 35 years, until her death in 1918, … dedicated her life to the love and service of lepers on the islands of Maui and Molokai.
Undoubtedly the generosity of Mother Marianne was, humanly speaking, exemplary. Good intentions and selflessness alone, however, do not adequately explain her vocation. It is only the perspective of faith which enables us to understand her witness—as a Christian and as a Religious—to that sacrificial love which reaches its fullness in Jesus Christ. All that she achieved was inspired by her personal love of the Lord, which she in turn expressed through her love of those abandoned and rejected by society in a most wretched way.
Silent Prayer
Responsory (Lent Antiphon A28)
R. I was a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me. * Whatever you did for one of the least, you did for me.
V. This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you.
*Whatever you did for one of the least, you did for me.
V. Glory to the Abba, and the Word, and the Holy Breath of Love.
Canticle of Zachary– Luke 1:68-79
Antiphon ( Per Annum A 64
There is no one who has left all things for my sake and for the Gospel
who will not receive a hundredfold and fulness of life.
Blessed + be Adonai, the God of Israel,
Who visits this people to set us free
Raising for us a sign of salvation
In the house and family of David.
God promised throughout past ages
In words of holy prophets
To save us from our enemies,
And from the control of our oppressors.
That freed from the grip of our foes
We might worship without fear
And be both just and holy
For the rest of our days.
And you, child, called “prophet of the Most High,”
Will go ahead to prepare the way,
By teaching this people of salvation
Through forgiveness of their sins.
For the loving compassion of the Holy One
As the Rising Sun will shine upon us
To illumine the darkness and dispel death’s shadow
To guide our feet on the way of peace.
Glory to the ONE and to the WORD
and to the BREATH of Love!
As always before,
so now and evermore. Amen
There is no one who has left all things for my sake and for the Gospel
who will not receive a hundredfold and fulness of life.
Intercessory Prayer
Mother Marianne heard your commandment to love God and neighbor, and recognized you in the suffering of the neediest of your people, ~ open our eyes to see you in our neighbors and our hearts to respond with compassion to their many needs.
Faithful to your teaching, St. Marianne served her neighbors, especially the most desolate outcasts afflicted by leprosy, ~ free us to use the gifts you have given us to serve the needs of our world with courage and generosity.
Mother Marianne alleviated both physical and spiritual sufferings, helping her friends to accept afflictions with patience and to celebrate their lives with beauty and joy; .~ help all those who care for others to enhance their healthcare with beauty and joy.
Mother Marianne’s care and concern for others manifested the great love you have for each of us; following the inspiration of her life and ministry, may each of us be vessels of your compassion and loving kindness towards all we meet today and everyday.
You taught us to pray…
Prayer of Jesus
Our Dear Abba in heaven…
Closing Prayer & Blessing
We give you thanks, Holy One, for with a mother’s love you have watched over us in the night and have led us from the shadows of darkness into morning’s light. As we celebrate this feast of St. Marianne Cope, the Mother of Lepers at Maui and Molakai, inspire us with her commitment and compassion for those scorned and excluded by society, culture and religion; for you live and reign in the power of love both now and forever. Amen.
May the God who calls and gifts each one of us to be vessels of healing and peace + bless us and all creation with freedom, flourishing and the fullness of life. ~Amen.
Let us bless Adonai;.
~Thanks be to God.