Penitential Service
Gathering Song Come Bring Your Burdens To God (South African Traditional)
All sing: Come bring your burdens to God,
Come bring your burdens to God,
Come bring your burdens to God for Jesus will never say no.
Opening Prayer Let us pray,
All say: God of mercy and compassion,
we know that our faults weigh us down and stop us from living in the freedom you bought for us by your death on the cross:
Give us the courage to name our sins
Give us the strength to hand them over to you
Give us the grace to accept your gift of forgiveness.
We ask this in the Spirit through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Redeemer for ever and ever. Amen.
Reading Micah 7:18-19
What god can compare with you: you take our fault away,
Pardoning crime,
Not cherishing anger for ever
But delighting in showing mercy?
Once more have pity on us,
tread down our faults,
to the bottom of the sea
throw all our sins.
(Read 3 times by 3 different people)
Responsorial Psalm My Soul Give Thanks (Ronan McDonagh)
All sing: My soul give thanks to the Lord and never forget all his blessings
(One minute of silence and reflection to absorb what we have heard)
Gospel Acclamation Lent (Columba McCann O.S.B.)
All sing : Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ!
Glory praise and honour to you!
Gospel Matthew 6:9-15
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You should pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven,
may your name be held holy,
your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us.
And do not put us to the test, but save us from the evil one.
‘Yes if you forgive others their failings your heavenly Father will also forgive you yours; but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either.’
Examination of Conscience
1. Our Father in heaven …
We’re all in this together. The Lord’s Prayer is a communal prayer just as this is a communal celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Jesus invites us to meet him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation not only as individuals but as members of a community of believers who have something in common.
Do we think of others when we pray or are we selfishly focused on ourselves?
Do we recognise the responsibility we share for each other’s welfare?
If we have failed in this way we ask forgiveness:
Lord, have mercy – Lord, have mercy
2. May your name be held holy …
We have been made ‘holy’ by our Baptism and our mission is to preserve that grace throughout our lives.
Do we live lives that are truly wholesome and good?
Do we make an effort to develop a sense of holiness and respect for life?
If we have failed in this way we ask forgiveness:
Lord, have mercy – Lord, have mercy
3. Your kingdom come
We can create heaven on earth by living up to the example of Jesus who was just, merciful and inclusive.
Do we build up the kingdom of justice and truth or do we destroy it by our greed?
Do we create an atmosphere of forgiveness or are hard and begrudging?
If we have failed in this way we ask forgiveness:
Lord, have mercy – Lord, have mercy
4. Your will be done on earth as in heaven
Jesus gives us the supreme example of obedience to the will of God by his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane – ‘let thy will not mine be done’.
Do we avoid the hard things in life and take the easy way out?
Do we adopt the motto ‘my way or the highway’ because of pride and lack of humility?
If we have failed in this way we ask forgiveness:
A Thiarna déan trócaire, A Thiarna déan trócaire
5. Give us today our daily bread
This prayer encourages us to live in the present praying for our immediate needs and nourishment. It also opens up the challenge of acknowledging the needs of the whole community for both spiritual nourishment and the vital sustenance in life.
Do we waste time and energy in worrying about the future and ignoring the present?
Do we look beyond our own need for nourishment to the cause of victims of famine?
If we have failed in this way we ask forgiveness:
A Thiarna déan trócaire, A Thiarna déan trócaire
6. And forgive us our debts
We need to know our weaknesses and failing before we can ask for forgiveness. This calls for a great deal of honesty, courage and humility.
Do we always blame others for our own mistakes ignoring the truth?
Do we take time to listen when others are trying to point out our faults?
If we have failed in this way we ask forgiveness:
A Thiarna déan trócaire, A Thiarna déan trócaire
7. As we have forgiven those who are in debt to us
These two phrases of the prayer go hand in hand. We don’t understand God’s forgiveness if we cannot forgive ourselves and others in turn?
Do we hold on to past hurts making our own lives and those of others a living hell?
Do we meet others half way or make it difficult to mend fences in relationships?
If we have failed in this way we ask forgiveness:
Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison
8. And do not put us to the test
We all know the reality of the slippery slope of temptation – we think that we can be strong and full of resistance – the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.
Do we avoid situations, people and places which will lead us to fall into bad habits?
Do suffer from the pride of thinking that we can manage our addictions on our own?
If we have failed in this way we ask forgiveness:
Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison
9. But save us from the evil one
We are invited to place our trust in a God who will protect us from harm. However, we have to cooperate with God in allowing God to keep us from harm.
Do we dismiss the presence of evil in our arrogance?
Do we lack trust in God placing ourselves and our opinions above all else?
If we have failed in this way we ask forgiveness:
Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison
Act of Sorrow
All say: O my God, I thank you for loving me.
I am sorry for all my sins,
For not loving others and for not loving you.
Help me to live like Jesus and try not to sin again.
Peace Song The Peace of the Earth (Arr. John Bell/Marty Haugen)
All sing: The peace of the earth be with you, the peace of the heavens, too
The peace of the rivers be with you, the peace of the oceans too.
Deep peace flowing over you,
God’s peace growing in you.