Enter the Mystery

It’s Wednesday, and day three of our pilgrimage! Today, after breakfast, we set off in smaller groups to walk the Stations of the Cross.

Later this morning, we gather at the Parish Church for Mass of Ss Joachim and Anne.

After a free and relaxing afternoon, we gather again this evening, as we spend time in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, and making our procession through the Shrine Grounds, ending with Benediction.

Intercessions

We offer Intercessions in groups in and around the Holy House and Shrine Church.

Opening Prayers

+ In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful people.
And kindle in them the fire of your love.

Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be made.
And you shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray.
At the end of the prayer, all say: Amen.

The petitions collected from each group are offered under five main headings:

thanksgivings
for the sick
for those in need
for the departed
for the parish and community

The following pattern may be followed for each group of petitions:

Brief introduction

Petitions, interspersed with:
Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously, hear us 	or
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer 	or
Lord, we believe, increase our faith or
Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.

Silence

Prayer.

Concluding Prayers

Let us ask Our Lady of Walsingham to join her prayers with those
we have offered, as we say: Hail Mary, full of grace…

Either the Prayer of St Bernard and the Prayer of John Chrysostom
or a General Thanksgiving may be said, followed by:

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all evermore.  Amen.

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Mass of Ss Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Below you will find the hymns, reading and psalm for the Mass. You can find the Order of Mass here which opens in a new tab

Entrance Hymn

To God be the glory, great things He has done;
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
And opened the life gate that all may go in.

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
and give Him the glory, great things He has done.

O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
To every believer the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

Great things He has taught us, great things He has done,
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.

	
First Reading
A reading from the book of Ecclesiasticus  (44:1 10-15)

Let us praise illustrious men, our ancestors in their successive generations.  Here is a list of generous men whose good works have not been forgotten.  In their descendants there remains a rich inheritance born of them.  Their descendants stand by the covenants and, thanks to them, so do their children’s children.  Their offspring will last for ever, their glory will not fade.  Their bodies have been buried in peace, and their name lives on for all generations.  The peoples will proclaim their wisdom, their assembly will celebrate their praises.


Psalm
Response:
The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.
	
Hymn for the Preparation of the Gifts

My soul is filled with joy
As I sing to God my Saviour:
He has looked upon his servant,
He has visited his people.

And holy is his name
Through all generations!
Everlasting is his mercy
To the people he has chosen,
And holy is his name.

I am lowly as a child,
But I know from this day forward
That my name will be remembered,
For all folk will call me blessed.

I proclaim the pow’r of God!
He does marvels for his servants:
Though he scatters the proud-hearted
And destroys the might of princes.

To the hungry he gives food,
Sends the rich away empty.
In his mercy he is mindful
Of the people he has chosen.

In his love he now fulfils
What he promised to our fathers,
I will praise the Lord, my saviour
Everlasting is his mercy. 

Hymn during Communion

Now thank we all our God
with heart and hands and voices,
who wondrous things has done,
in whom his world rejoices;
who from our mothers' arms
has blessed us on our way
with countless gifts of love,
and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God
through all our life be near us,
with ever joyful hearts
and blessed peace to cheer us,
to keep us in his grace,
and guide us when perplexed,
and free us from all ills
of this world in the next.

All praise and thanks to God
the Father now be given,
the Son and Spirit blest,
who reign in highest heaven
the one eternal God,
whom heaven and earth adore;
for thus it was, is now,
and shall be evermore.


Recessional Hymn

Hail, holy Queen, enthroned above, O Maria!
Mother of mercy and of Love! O Maria.

Triumph, all ye Cherubim,
sing with us ye Seraphim,
heaven and earth resound the hymn:
Salve, salve, salve Regina!

Our life, our sweetness here below...
Our hope in sorrow and in woe...

To thee we cry, poor sons of Eve...
To thee we sigh, we mourn, we grieve..

This earth is but a vale of tears...
A place of banishment and fears...

Turn then most gracious Advocate..
To us, thine eyes compassionate...
	
When this our exile is complete...
Show us thy Son, our Jesus sweet...
	
O clement, gracious, Mother sweet…
O Virgin Mary we entreat...

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Eucharistic Adoration, Procession of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction

Exposition Hymn		              
KNEEL when the Blessed Sacrament is brought to the altar.

Be still, for the presence of the Lord,
the Holy One is here.
Come bow before him now,
with reverence and fear.
In him no sin is found,
we stand on holy ground.
Be still for the presence of the Lord,
the Holy One is here.

Be still, for the glory of the Lord
is shining all around;
He burns with holy fire,
with splendour he is crowned.
How awesome is the sight,
our radiant king of light
Be still for the glory of the Lord
is shining all around.

Be still for the power of the Lord
is moving in this place,
He comes to cleanse and heal,
to minister his grace.
No work too hard for him,
in faith receive from Him;
Be still, for the power of the Lord
is moving in this place.

Greeting
Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has bestowed on us in Christ every spiritual blessing in the heavens.
Blessed be God for ever!

Opening Prayer
At the end, all respond: Amen.

First Reading
	
Responsorial Psalm
Response:	The Lord gave them bread from heaven

Gospel Acclamation 

Gospel
	The Lord be with you.
	And also with you.

	Listen to the Gospel of Christ according to Saint N.
	Glory to you, O Lord.

At the end: 
	This the Gospel of the Lord.
	Praise to you, O Christ.

Homily									        

Hymn (KNEEL or SIT)
O bread of heaven, beneath this veil
thou dost my very God conceal;
my Jesus, dearest treasure, hail;
I love thee and adoring kneel;
each loving soul by thee is fed
with thine own self in form of bread.

O food of life, thou who dost give
the pledge of immortality;
I live; no, ’tis not that I live;
God gives me life, God lives in me:
he feeds my soul, he guides my ways,
and every grief with joy repays.

O bond of love, that dost unite
the servant to his living Lord;
could I dare live, and not requite
such love then death were meet reward:
I cannot live unless to prove
some love for such unmeasured love.

Beloved Lord in heaven above,
there, Jesus, thou awaitest me;
to gaze on thee with changeless love,
yes, thus I hope, thus shall it be:
for how can he deny me heaven
who here on earth himself hath given?

Prayers
Sung Response:
Christ our Light:
you are the bread of life, hear our prayer, O Lord.


Hymn before the Procession

Jesus, we enthrone you,
we proclaim you our King,
standing here in the midst of us
we raise you up with our praise.
And as we worship build a throne,
and as we worship build a throne
and as we worship build a throne.
Come, Lord Jesus, and take your place.


Processional Hymns
Zion, sing in exultatation,
sing your song of jubilation,
sing in praise of Christ your King.
Sing to Christ in adoration,
sing the new song of salvation,
homage to your Saviour bring.

Bless-ed and praised be Jesus Christ
in the most holy sacrament.
Hosanna, hosanna,
hosanna in excelsis.

Sing of love beyond all telling,
love from Jesus’ heart upwelling,
giving all that love can give.
See him as his life is ending,
to his chosen friends attending,
giving all that all might live.

Greet your Lord with acclamation,
sing with joy in celebration
of his gift of living bread.
Let your mind with love be dwelling
on his gift, all gifts excelling,
gift by which your heart is fed

See the King his table spreading;
see the Lamb his lifeblood shedding;
see in blood the New Law sealed.
All is new, the old has vanished;
all is real, with shadows banished,
what is hidden stands revealed.

Listen, Christ’s own words obeying,
hear him now command you, saying:
“Do this in my memory.”
Gifts now offer, love expressing,
faith now bring, his presence blessing,
where no human eye can see.

Christians let your faith grow stronger:
what was bread is bread no longer
blood is here where once was wine.
Touch and sight are here deceivers,
mind and heart, be true believers:
truth is here beneath the sign.

Bread and wine are here concealing
what to faith God is revealing:	
outward signs his glory hide.
Bread becomes its very Giver,
wine redemption’s mighty river,
flowing from the Saviour’s side.

When we eat the bread of gladness,
there is here no cause for sadness:
Christ can suffer pain no more.
One or many, each is given
whole, entire, the bread of heaven:
mortal minds can but adore.

Bad and good, in equal measure,
find the selfsame hidden treasure,
with unequal loss and gain.
Here the good receive salvation,
sinners earn their condemnation:
from one table, joy or pain.

When you see the host divided,
let your faith by this be guided:
ev’ry fragment Christ contains.
Risen body is not broken
only outward sign and token:
Christ his living self remains.

Praise to Jesus, bread from  heaven,
angel’s food to pilgrims given,
God the Father’s gift of love.
In one perfect immolation
Isaac’s offering, lamb’s oblation,
manna raining from above.


Hail our Saviour’s glorious Body,
which his Virgin Mother bore;
hail the Blood which, shed for sinners,
did a broken world restore;
hail the sacrament most holy,
flesh and blood of Christ adore.

To the Virgin for our healing,
his own Son the Father sends;
from the Father’s love proceeding
sower, seed, and Word descends:
wondrous life of Word incarnate
with his greatest wonder ends.	

On that paschal evening see him
with the chosen twelve recline,
to the old law still obedient
in its feat of love divine;
love divine, the new law giving,
gives himself as Bread and Wine

By his word the Word almighty
makes of bread his flesh indeed;
wine becomes his very life blood;
faith God’s living Word must heed!
faith alone may safely guide us
where the senses cannot lead!

KNEEL

Come adore this wondrous presence;
bow to Christ, the source of grace!
here is kep the ancient promise
of God’s earthly dwelling place!
Sight is blind before God’s glory,
faith alone may see his face!

Glory be to God the Father,
praise to his coequal Son,
adoration to the Spirit,
bond of love, in Godhead one!
Blest be God by all Creation
joyously while ages run!

Collect
Let us pray.

At the end of the prayer, all respond: Amen.

Benediction

Reposition Hymn
Guide me, O Thou great Redeemer,
Pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but Thou art mighty;
Hold me with Thy powerful hand.
Bread of Heaven, Bread of Heaven,
Feed me till I want no more...

Open now the crystal fountain,
Whence the healing stream doth flow
Let the fire and cloudy pillar
Lead me all my journey through.
Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,
be thou still my Strength and Shield...

When I tread the verge of Jordan,
Bid my anxious fears subside;
Death of deaths and hell’s destruction
Land me safe on Canaan’s side.
Songs of praises, songs of praises,
I will ever give to Thee...

When returning them, please remove the candles from the shades and place them in the box provided.