RELIGION AND ART

Prayer before Mass:  Almighty and ever-living God, I approach the sacrament of Your only-begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. I come sick to the doctor of life, unclean to the fountain of mercy, blind to the radiance of eternal light, and poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth. Lord, in Your great generosity, heal my sickness, wash away my defilement, enlighten my blindness, enrich my poverty, and clothe my nakedness. May I receive the Bread of Angels, the King of kings and Lord of lords, with humble reverence, with the purity and faith, the repentance and love, and the determined purpose that will help to bring me to salvation. May I receive the sacrament of the Lord’s Body and Blood, and its reality and power.   Kind God, may I receive the Body of Your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, born from the womb of the Virgin Mary, and so be received into His mystical body and numbered among His members.   Loving Father, as on my earthly pilgrimage I now receive...

Prayer before Mass:  Almighty and ever-living God, I approach the sacrament of Your only-begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. I come sick to the doctor of life, unclean to the fountain of mercy, blind to the radiance of eternal light, and poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth. Lord, in Your great generosity, heal my sickness, wash away my defilement, enlighten my blindness, enrich my poverty, and clothe my nakedness. May I receive the Bread of Angels, the King of kings and Lord of lords, with humble reverence, with the purity and faith, the repentance and love, and the determined purpose that will help to bring me to salvation. May I receive the sacrament of the Lord’s Body and Blood, and its reality and power.   Kind God, may I receive the Body of Your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, born from the womb of the Virgin Mary, and so be received into His mystical body and numbered among His members.   Loving Father, as on my earthly pilgrimage I now...

Father in heaven, Your Son Jesus Christ showed his love for you by serving his brothers and sisters in  need.  I now ask you to give me your help I serve you and your people Open my mouth to praise you in  word and song. Open my ears to hear your word. Open my hand to do your work well.  Take from me  all evil and distracting thoughts. Help me to know what I should do and do it well. Help me to serve reverently at your Holy Altar and  give you praise and glory now and for ever.  Amen Readings Lectures Reflection See how my Beloved comes, leaping on the mountains I hear my Beloved. See how he comes  leaping on the mountains, bounding over the hills. My Beloved is like a gazelle, like a young stag. See where he stands behind our wall. He looks in at the window, he peers through the lattice. My Beloved lifts up his voice, he says to me, ‘Come then, my love, my lovely one, come. For see, winter is past, the rains are over...

Father in heaven, Your Son Jesus Christ showed his love for you by serving his brothers and sisters in  need.  I now ask you to give me your help I serve you and your people Open my mouth to praise you in  word and song. Open my ears to hear your word. Open my hand to do your work well.  Take from me  all evil and distracting thoughts. Help me to know what I should do and do it well. Help me to serve reverently at your Holy Altar and  give you praise and glory now and for ever.  Amen Readings Lectures Reflection Your House and your sovereignty will  always stand secure before me   Once David had settled into his house and the Lord had given him rest from all the enemies surrounding him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, ‘Look, I am living in a house of cedar while the ark of God dwells in a tent.’ Nathan said to the king, ‘Go and do all that is in your mind, for the Lord is with you.’ But that very night...

Father in heaven, Your Son Jesus Christ showed his love for you by serving his brothers and sisters in  need.  I now ask you to give me your help I serve you and your people Open my mouth to praise you in  word and song. Open my ears to hear your word. Open my hand to do your work well.  Take from me  all evil and distracting thoughts. Help me to know what I should do and do it well. Help me to serve reverently at your Holy Altar and  give you praise and glory now and for ever.  Amen Readings Lectures Reflection Y ou will conceive and bear a son'   T here was a man of Zorah of the tribe of Dan, called Manoah. His wife was barren, she had borne no children. The angel of the Lord appeared to this woman and said to her, ‘You are barren and have had no child. But from now on take great care. Take no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean. For you will conceive and bear a son. No razor is to touch his head, for th...

Father in heaven, Your Son Jesus Christ showed his love for you by serving his brothers and sisters in  need.  I now ask you to give me your help I serve you and your people Open my mouth to praise you in  word and song. Open my ears to hear your word. Open my hand to do your work well.  Take from me  all evil and distracting thoughts. Help me to know what I should do and do it well. Help me to serve reverently at your Holy Altar and  give you praise and glory now and for ever.  Amen Readings Lectures Reflection             I will raise a virtuous Branch for David See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks – when I will raise a virtuous Branch for David, who will reign as true king and be wise, practising honesty and integrity in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel dwell in confidence. And this is the name he will be called: The-Lord-our-int...

Father in heaven, Your Son Jesus Christ showed his love for you by serving his brothers and sisters in  need.  I now ask you to give me your help I serve you and your people Open my mouth to praise you in  word and song. Open my ears to hear your word. Open my hand to do your work well.  Take from me  all evil and distracting thoughts. Help me to know what I should do and do it well. Help me to serve reverently at your Holy Altar and  give you praise and glory now and for ever.  Amen Readings Lectures Reflection Until he comes, the sceptre will not pass from Judah Jacob called his sons and said:   ‘Gather round, sons of Jacob, and listen; listen to Israel your father. Judah, your brothers shall praise you: you grip your enemies by the neck, your father’s sons shall do you homage, Judah is a lion cub, you climb back, my son, from your kill; like a lion he crouches and lies down, or a lioness: who da...