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1. INVITATION TO PRAY (Stand)
Leader Lord, open out lips
All And we shall praise our name.
Leader St.Francis was able to remain in constant communion with God, for he recognised God’s reflection in everything and everyone. St.Bonaventure wrote of him: “He saw in everything beautiful, Him who is beauty itself”. With St.Francis, all the saints in heaven and on earth, all people of good will and every creature of the Most High, we offer this morning hymn of praise.
2. ST.FRANCIS’ PRAISES BEFORE THE OFFICE
Leader “Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God Almighty, who was and who is, and who is coming”
(Rev.4:8)
All Let us praise and glorify him forever.
Leader “Worthy are you, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honour and power”
(Rev.4:11)
All Let us praise and glorify him forever.
Leader “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and divinity, and wisdom and strength
and honour and glory and blessing”
(Rev.5:12)
All Let us praise and glorify him forever.
Leader Let us bless the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit
All Let us praise and glorify him forever.
Leader “Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord”
(Dan. 3:57)
All Let us praise and glorify him forever.
Leader “Praise our God all you his servants, and you who fear him, the small and the great”
(Rev.19:5)
All Let us praise and glorify him forever.
Leader Praise him in his glory, heaven and earth, “and every creature that is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and such as are on the sea, and all that are in them”. (Rev.5:13)
All Let us praise and glorify him forever.
Leader Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit
All Let us praise and glorify him forever.
Leader As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
All Let us praise and glorify him forever.
PRAYER
All All – powerful, all holy, most high and supreme God, sovereign good, all good, every good, you who alone are Good, it is to you we must give all praise, all glory, all thanks, all honour, all blessings; to you we must refer all good always. Amen.
3 HYMN
All Sing Ant. Sing a new song, sing a new song
And wait upon the promise of the Lord
Creation sings a new song to the Lord,
The universal energies rejoice,
Through all the magnitude of space and time
Creatures proclaim the grandeur of Christ.
The mountains and the valleys and the plains,
The cattle and the wild beasts and the birds,
The shadows and the clouds, the rain and snow,
Praise and reflect the bounty of Christ.
The ocean deeps, the current and the tides,
The diatoms, the fishes and the whale,
The storm, the reef, the waterspout, the calm,
Praise and reflect the wonder of Christ.
The fruit trees in their seasons and the vine,
The eucalypt, the cedar and the palm,
The lotus and the orchid and the rose,
Praise and reflect the beauty of Christ.
The eye of man, the shaping hand, the mind,
With number and with symbol and design,
In work and play and artistry and prayer,
Praise and reflect the wisdom of Christ.
The love of man and woman clear as dawn
The will for truth and justice broad as day,
The wisdom of the heart profound as night,
Praise and reflect the glory of Christ.
4. THE PSALMODY (Sit)
Antiphoner 1 “In everything beautiful (Francis) saw Him who is beauty itself, and he followed his Beloved everywhere in his likeness imprinted on creation” (St.Bon.M.L.ix, 1)
Alternate O God, you are my God, I am seeking you,
verses my soul is thirsting for you,
my flesh is longing for you,
a land parched, weary and waterless;
I long to gaze on you in the Sanctuary,
to see your power and glory.
Your love is better than life itself,
My lips will recite your praise;
All my life I will bless you,
In your name lift up my hands;
My soul will feast most richly,
On my lips a song of joy and, in my mouth, praise.
On my bed I think of you,
I meditate on you all night long,
For you have always helped me,
I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings;
My soul clings close to you,
Your right hand support me.
Glory be…
As it was in the beginning…
(Silent prayer)
PSALM PRAYER
Lord, like Francis, may we see your love in every person and every created thing, and be led to praise you always for your goodness.
Antiphoner 1 “In everything beautiful (Francis) saw Him who is beauty itself, and he followed his Beloved everywhere by his likeness imprinted on creation”
Antiphoner 2 “This man, filled with the Spirit of God, never ceased to glorify, praise and bless the creator and Ruler of all things, in all the elements and creatures” (I Cel.80)
Alternate All things the Lord has made, bless the Lord:
verses give glory and eternal praise to him.
Angels of the Lord! all bless the Lord:
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Heavens! Bless the Lord:
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Waters above the heaven! Bless the Lord:
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Powers of the Lord! all bless the Lord:
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Sun and moon! Bless the Lord:
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Stars of heaven! Bless the Lord:
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Showers and dews! Bless the Lord:
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Winds! Bless the Lord:
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Fire and heat! Bless the Lord
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Cold and heat! Bless the Lord:
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Dews and sleets! Bless the Lord:
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Frost and cold! Bless the Lord:
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Ice and snow! Bless the Lord:
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Nights and days! Bless the Lord
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Light and darkness! bless the Lord
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Lightning and clouds! Bless the Lord:
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Let the earth bless the Lord,
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Mountains and hills! Bless the Lord:
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Everything that grows on the earth! Bless the Lord:
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Springs of water! Bless the Lord:
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Seas and rivers! Bless the Lord:
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Sea beats and everything that lives in the
water! bless the Lord
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Birds of heaven! all bless the Lord:
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Animals wild and tame! All bless the Lord:
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Men and women! Bless the Lord:
Give glory and eternal praise to him.
Israel! Bless the Lord:
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Priest! Bless the Lord:
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Servants of the Lord! bless the Lord:
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Spirits and souls of the virtuous! Bless the Lord:
give glory and eternal praise to him.
The devout and humble hearted! Bless the Lord:
give glory and eternal praise to him.
Ananiah, Azariah, Mishael! Bless the Lord:
give glory and eternal praise to him.
May the Father, the son and Holy Spirit be praised:
give glory and eternal praise to him.
All you who worship him, bless the God of gods,
praise him and give him thanks, for his love
is everlasting.
(silent prayer)
PSALM PRAYRE
Lord, may everything we do add to the great chorus of praise that ascends everywhere at all times from your vast creation.
Antiphoner 2 “This man, filled with the Spirit of God, never ceased to glorify, praise and bless the Creator and Ruler of all things, in all the elements and creatures”.
Antiphoner 1 “Who would be able to narrate the boundless joy (Francis) felt, while contemplating in creature, the wisdom of their creator, his power and his goodness?” (1Cel.80)
Alternate Alleluia! Sing the Lord a new song,
verses let the congregation of the faithful sing his
praise!
Let Israel rejoice in his maker,
And Zion’s children exult in their King;
Let them dance in praise of his name,
Playing to him on strings and drums!
For the Lord has been kind to his people,
Conferring victory on us who are weak;
The faithful exult in triumph,
and prostrate before God they acclaim him
with panegyrics on their lips,
and a two – edged sword in their hands
to exact vengeance on the pagans,
to inflict punishment on the heathen,
to shackle their kings with chains
and their nobles with fetters,
to execute the preordained sentence.
Thus gloriously are the faithful rewarded.
Glory be..
As it was in the beginning…
(Silent prayer)
PSALM PRAYER
Lord, we look for the Day when your Kingdom will be fully established, and there will be peace at last in all the earth.
Antiphoner 1 “who would be able to narrate the boundless joy (Francis) felt, while contemplating in creatures, the wisdom of their creator, his power and his goodness?”
5.THE WORD OF GOD
Reader 1 A READING FROM THE BOOK OF SIRACH (43:28-35)
More than this we need not add;
let the last word be, he is all in all!
Let us praise him the more, since we cannot
Fathom him,
For greater is he than all his works;
Awful indeed is the Lord’s majesty,
and wonderful is his power.
Lift up your voices to glorify the Lord,
though he is still beyond your power to praise;
Extol him with renewed strength,
and weary not, though you cannot reach the end;
For who can see him and describe him?
or who can praise him as he is?
Beyond these many things lie hid;
only few of his works have we seen.
It is the Lord who had made all things,
and to those who fear him he gives wisdom.
This is the Word of the Lord.
All Thanks be to God
THE TEACHING
Reader 2 ON THE CONTEMPLATION OF THE CREATOR IN HIS CREATURES
“In every work of the Artist (Francis) praised the Artist; whatever he found in the things made, he referred to the Maker. He rejoiced in all the works of the hands of the Lord, and saw beyond things pleasant to behold, their life – giving reason and cause. In beautiful things he saw beauty itself; all things were to him good. “He who made us is the best,” they cried out to him. Through His footprints impressed upon things, he followed his beloved everywhere; he made for himself from all things a ladder by which to come even to His throne” (11 Cel.165)
Here ends this reading
All Thanks be to God.
RESPNOSE
Antiphoner 1 “We must refer every good to the Most High Supreme God”
All “Acknowledging that all good comes from him; and we must thank him for it all”
Antiphoner 1 Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit
All “We must refer every good to the Most High Supreme God acknowledging that all good comes from him” (Rule of 1221)
6. THE SONG OF ZACHARY
Antiphoner 2 “Most high, all – powerful and good Lord;
All praise is yours, all glory, all honour and
all blessing” (Canticle of Br.Sun)
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
for he has visited his people, he has come to
their rescue
and he has raised up for us a power for
salvation
in the House of His servant David,
even as he proclaimed,
by the mouth of his holy prophets from
ancient times,
that he would save us from our enemies
and from the hands of all who hate us.
Thus he shows mercy to our ancestors,
thus he remembers his holy covenant,
then oath he swore
to our father Abraham
that he would grant us, free from fear,
to be delivered from the hands of our enemies,
to serve him in holiness and virtue
in his presence, all our days.
And you, little child
You shall be called prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord
to prepare the way for him.
To give his people knowledge of salvation
Through the forgiveness of their sins;
This by the tender mercy of our God
Who from on high will bring the rising Sun
to visit us,
to give light to those who live
in darkness and the shadows of death,
and to guide our feet
into the way of peace.
Glory be…
As it was in the beginning…
Antiphoner 2 “Most high, all – powerful and good Lord;
All praise is yours, all glory, all honour and all blessings”
7. THE PRAYERS
Leader In St.Francis’s life, we see something of how God intends all his creation to abide in harmony and peace. It gives us a glimpse of how it is to be at the Close of the Age, when the Kingdom of God’s justice will be established in its eternal perfection. May our lives help prepare the world for the Coming of that day.
1. May our tranquility of spirit, Lord, calm the violence in people’s lives, and convince them to “beat their swords into plowshare, and their spears into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks”
Response Where there is hatred,
let me sow love
Where there is injury, pardon.
2. May our reverence for all your creation transform the spirit of greed and destruction in those who mar the face of the earth for gain. May it hasten the promised Day when “there shall be no harm or ruin on all (your) holy mountain”
Response Where there is darkness
let me sow light
Where there is sadness, joy.
3. Lord, may our loving kindness to your downcast and poor draw them into your kingdom to experience your promise that you shall “wipe every tear from their eyes” , and that “there shall be no more death or mourning, crying out or pain, for the former world will pass away”
Response where there is doubt,
let me sow faith
Where there is despair, hope.
4. May our lives of Gospel simplicity and love attract others of your choosing, to join us in proclaiming to the world by everything we do and say, that
“Blessed are the poor in spirit … Blessed are the pure in heart… Blessed are the peacemakers… for the kingdom of heaven is theirs”
Response Grant that we may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be loved, as to love.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Leader With all God’s children who long for the fulfillment of his Kingdom we pray.
All Our Father…
Leader Father,
You helped our seraphic father Francis
To reflect the image of Christ Jesus
through a life of poverty and humility.
May we follow your Son
by walking in the footsteps of Francis of Assisi
and by imitating his joyful love.
We ask this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit
one God, forever and ever.
THE BLESSING
Leader Blessing and peace from the Lord Christ, who is the first – born of the new creation.
All Amen.
Leader Go now to be a “living sacrifice of praise” as you spread God’s love among His Children, and work amid His creation, to the glory of His Name.
All Thanks be to God. Amen. Alleluia!
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