ALL IN THE APRIL EVENING
Monastery of St. Alphonsus – 29 April 2013
Prelude All In The April Evening (Tynan/Roberton)
Agnus Dei Lamb of God (Deiss)
All sing: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us (2)
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace
Opening Prayer Let us pray,
All say: Generous and gracious God,
You bless us with love and mercy,
You refresh us with Easter hope,
You renew us with the power of your Spirit.
Fill our hearts with joy as we celebrate the gift of eternal life
And the joy of the resurrection,
Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Song Surrexit Christus, Alleluia (Taizé)
All sing: Oo Oo Oo Oo, Surrexit Christus, Alleluia
Oo Oo Oo Oo, Cantate Domino, Alleluia
Reading Luke 24:1-12
On the first day of the week, at the first sign of dawn, the women went to the tomb with the spices they had prepared; they found that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb, but on entering discovered that the body of the Lord Jesus was not there.
All sing: Oo Oo Oo Oo, Surrexit Christus, Alleluia
Oo Oo Oo Oo, Cantate Domino, Alleluia
As they stood there not knowing what to think, two men in brilliant white clothes suddenly appeared at their side. Terrified, the women lowered their eyes. But the two men said to them, ‘Why look among the dead for someone who is alive? He is not here; he has risen. Remember what he told you when he was still in Galilee: that the Son of Man had to be handed over into the power of sinful men and be crucified, and rise again on the third day?’ And they remembered his words.
All sing: Oo Oo Oo Oo, Surrexit Christus, Alleluia
Oo Oo Oo Oo, Cantate Domino, Alleluia
When the women returned from the tomb they told all this to the Eleven and to all the others. The women were Mary of Magdala, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James. The other women with them also told the apostles, but this story of theirs seemed pure nonsense, and they did not believe them.
All sing: Oo Oo Oo Oo, Surrexit Christus, Alleluia
Oo Oo Oo Oo, Cantate Domino, Alleluia
Song Song Of The Resurrection (Ronan McDonagh)
All sing: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia
Reading I Corinthians 15:21-22
For as by a man came death, by a man has come the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive.
Song O Death, Where Is Thy Sting? (Handel)
Acclamation
All say: Save us, saviour of the world,
For by your cross and resurrection, You have set us free.
Reflection Easter Poem (Helen Steiner Rice)
With our eyes we see
the beauty of Easter
as the earth awakens once more…
With our ears we hear
the birds sing sweetly
to tell us Spring again is here…
With our hands we pick
the golden daffodils
and the fragrant hyacinths…
But only with our hearts
can we feel the miracle of God’s love
which redeems all…
And only with our soul
can we make our ‘pilgrimage to God’
and inherit His Easter Gift of eternal life.
Instrumental
Reading Luke 24:13-35
Two of the disciples of Jesus were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking together about all that had happened. Now as they talked this over, Jesus himself came up and walked by their side; but something prevented them from recognising him. He said to them, ‘What matters are you discussing as you walk along?’ They stopped short, their faces downcast.
All sing: Remain with us, Lord we pray you, Alleluia.
Then one of them, called Cleopas answered him, ‘You must be the only person staying in Jerusalem who does not know the things have been happening there these last few days’. ‘What things?’ he asked. ‘All about Jesus of Nazareth’ they answered, ‘who proved he was a great prophet by the things he said and did in the sight of God and handed him over to be sentenced to death, and had him crucified. Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free. And this is not all: two whole days have gone by since it all happened; and some women from our group have astounded us: they went to the tomb in the early morning, and when they did not find the body, they came back to tell us they had seen a vision of angels who declared he was live. Some of our friends went to the tomb and found everything exactly as the women had reported, but of him they saw nothing.’
All sing: Remain with us, Lord we pray you, Alleluia.
Then he said to them, ‘You foolish men! So slow to believe the message of the prophets! Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory?’ Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself. When they drew near to the village to which they were going, he made as if to go on: but they pressed him to stay with them. ‘It is nearly evening’ they said’ and the day is almost over.’
All sing: Remain with us, Lord we pray you, Alleluia.
So he went in to stay with them. Now while he was with them at the table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognised him; but he had vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?’ They set out that instant and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven assembled together with their companions, who said to them, ‘Yes, it is true. The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.’ Then they told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised him at the breaking of bread.
All sing: Remain with us, Lord we pray you, Alleluia.
Instrumental
Reading Revelation 5:11-14
In my vision, I heard the sound of an immense number of angels gathered round the throne and the animals and the elders; there were ten thousand times ten thousand of them and thousands upon thousands, shouting, ‘The Lamb that was sacrificed is worthy to be given power, riches, wisdom, strength, honour, glory and blessing’. Then I heard all the living things in creation – everything that lives in the air, and on the ground, and under the ground, and in the sea crying, ‘To the One who is sitting on the throne and to the Lamb, be all praise, honour, glory and power, for ever and ever’.
Song The Holy City (Adams/Weatherly)
Prayer Queen of Heaven rejoice, alleluia: For He whom you were worthy to bear, alleluia, Has risen as He said, alleluia. Pray to God for us, alleluia.
Let us pray: O God, who by the Resurrection of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, granted joy to the whole world: grant we beseech You, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may lay hold of the joys of eternal life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Song Regina Coeli (Plainchant)
All sing: Regina cæli, lætare, alleluia:
Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia,
Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia,
Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.
Song Regina Coeli (Aichinger)
Reflection St. Catherine of Siena
I want you to look at the bridge of my only-begotten Son, and notice its greatness. It stretches from heaven to earth, joining the earth of your humanity with the greatness of the Godhead. And why should he have made of himself a roadway? So that you might in truth come to the same joy as the angels. But my Son’s having made of himself a bridge for you could not bring you life unless you make your way along that bridge.
Song Laudate Dominum (Taizé)
All sing: Laudate Dominum, Laudate Dominum, Omnes gentes Alleluia.
Reading Matthew 28:16
Meanwhile the eleven disciples set out for Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had arranged to meet them. When they saw him they fell down before him, though some hesitated. Jesus came up and spoke to them. He said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always.’
Song Laudate Dominum (W.A. Mozart)
Prayer Let us pray,
All say: God of renewal and restoration,
Refresh us with the water of life
that we will proclaim our faith in your Risen Son
by the lives we lead in His name.
We ask this in the Spirit of hope, Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Song We Shall Draw Water (Paul Inwood)
All sing: We shall draw water joyfully, singing joyfully, singing joyfully
We shall draw water joyfully from the wellsprings of salvation
Reflection Quotations (John O’Donohue)
When one flower blooms spring awakens everywhere…. May all that is unlived in you blossom into a future graced with love
Song Alleluia (Mozart)
Concluding Prayer Let us pray,
All say: God of love and mercy,
Increase the grace of the Easter season you have given to us,
That all may grasp and rightly understand
in what font they have been washed,
by whose spirit they have been reborn,
by whose blood they have been redeemed.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever. Amen
Concluding Song Let Us Rejoice (Marty Haugen)
All sing: This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad (2)