The Lady Chapel
Welcome to the Lady Chapel
This is a place for quiet reflection.
I hope you find it useful.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit
Amen
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee;
blessed art thou amongst women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death
Amen.
Jesus said, Come to me, all whose work is hard, whose
load is heavy, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11.28
Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us
lay aside every weight, and the sin which clings so closely, and let us
run with perseverance the race that is set before us.
Hebrews 12.1
The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit: a broken and contrite
heart he will not despise.
Psalm 51.17
Gethsemane
I live in Gethsemane
And it is beautiful
Living in a garden
Has many joys;
Sunshine falling on grass;
Shade from trees
Gethsemane is peace
Gethsemane is seclusion;
Full of colour,
Infused with calm,
Echoing angelsong.
Gethsemane by day is full of song
And when the night falls
It is cool and dark,
And the stars shine
On the falling quietness
Gethsemane is lovely
And in the darkness
The jasmine perfume
Fills the air
And embraces our soul
Gethsemane soothes us
Quietly, softly,
One by one,
We fall asleep,
While One remains awake.
Gethsemane comforts us
And on behalf of us all
He prays, eternally,
And His tears fall
While we sleep on
Gethsemane does not sleep
The grass here is greener
Than anywhere else;
The flowers more radiant,
The trees taller
Gethsemane is watered by tears
Alone and sleepless,
Fretful in the dark;
Come into the garden
Where He prays for you.
Gethsemane will give you peace
See the stars shine above;
Hear the prayers
Of the One who prays for you
And whose tears fall
Gethsemane is prayer
Know that eternally
His prayers for you continue
And will never end;
They will lull you to sleep
I live in Gethsemane
And it is beautiful
I live in a high and holy place,
but also with him who is contrite
and lowly in spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly
and to revive the heart of the contrite.
Isaiah 57 v 15
Stay with Me
Padre Pio
Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You.
You know how easily I abandon You.
Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak and I need Your strength, that I may not fall so often.
Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life, and without You, I am without fervor.
Stay with me, Lord, for You are my light, and without You, I am in darkness.
Stay with me, Lord, to show me Your will.
Stay with me, Lord, so that I hear Your voice and follow You.
Stay with me, Lord, for I desire to love You very much, and always be in Your company.
Stay with me, Lord, if You wish me to be faithful to You.
Stay with me, Lord, for as poor as my soul is, I wish it to be a place of consolation for You, a nest of Love.
Stay with me, Jesus, for it is getting late and the day is coming to a close, and life passes,
death, judgement, eternity approaches.
It is necessary to renew my strength, so that I will not stop along the way and for that, I need You.
It is getting late and death approaches. I fear the darkness, the temptations, the dryness, the cross, the sorrows.
O how I need You, my Jesus, in this night of exile!
Stay with me tonight, Jesus, in life with all its dangers, I need You.
Let me recognize You as Your disciples did at the breaking of bread, so that the Eucharistic Communion be the light which disperses the darkness, the force which sustains me, the unique joy of my heart.
Stay with me, Lord, because at the hour of my death, I want to remain united to You,
if not by Communion, at least by grace and love.
Stay with me, Jesus, I do not ask for divine consolation, because I do not merit it, but the gift of Your Presence,
yes, I ask this of You!
Stay with me, Lord, for it is You alone I look for. Your Love, Your Grace, Your Will, Your Heart, Your Spirit,
because I love You and ask no other reward but to love You more and more.
With a firm love, I will love You with all my heart while on earth and continue to love You perfectly during all eternity.
Amen
Thanks to John C for offering me the lovely prayer by Padre Pio
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows
Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
It seems from what I have gathered so far, that different types of Crucifixes are displayed in Churches of different Denominations....What I want to know is, why do they differ?
The different portrayals of the crucifixion reflect different interpretations of the passion to any particular denomination.
Catholics will often show Christ suffering in great agony, because to them the passion; the suffering and death of the Lord for mankind, is central to their understanding of our suffering, and our own death. The emphasis is on Christ as the Lamb of God, the willing sacrifice, laying down his life freely for us all. The direct connection with the Passover Lamb is emphasised by the inscription above Christ's head INRI; Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.
Orthodox representations, which are very rare in statue form but appear in iconography, are far more stylised, and emphasise the relationship between Christ the King, and his sacrifice for mankind, rather than his personal suffering. Orthodox are very wary of showing the intense suffering, as the Catholics do; it is not part of their theology to be able to represent this. The inscription is no longer INRI but, 'The King of Glory and the Angels.'
And a third variant with more resonance for the free churches is the crucifix with an image of the risen Christ standing in glory, with his arms outstretched in welcome. This is Christ our High Priest. This is also the Christ of the empty cross; resurrected and standing before the Father on our behalf.
These three different ways of seeing the same event are all equally valid.
When the magi came to worship the Christ child they brought three gifts; gold for the King, frankincense for the High Priest and myrrh for the Sacrificial Lamb.
Similarly, we can offer either gold, frankincense or myrrh; to King, High Priest or Lamb of God; all perspectives are equally acceptable.
In other words, we don't all have to be Catholics.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven
and earth.
Psalm 124.8
An Act of Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen
Kyrie
God the Father
have mercy on us
God the Son
have mercy on us
God the Holy Spirit
have mercy on us
Holy, blessed and glorious Trinity,
have mercy on us.
Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord;
and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils
and dangers of this night; for the love of thy only Son,
our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
The Beatitudes
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Nunc Dimittis
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace
according to thy word.
For mine eyes have seen
thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared
before the face of all people;
To be a light to lighten the Gentiles;
and to be the glory of thy people Israel.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son
and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be
world without end.
Amen.
From Under Milk Wood, by Dylan Thomas
At the doorway of Bethesda House, the Reverend
Eli Jenkins recites to LLareggub Hill his sunset poem
Every morning, when I wake,
Dear Lord, a little prayer I make,
O please to keep thy lovely eye
On all poor creatures born to die.
And every evening at sun-down
I ask a blessing on the town,
for whether we last the night or no
I'm sure is always touch-and-go.
We are not wholly bad or good
Who live our lives under Milk Wood
And Thou, I know, wilt be the first
To see our best side, not our worst.
O let us see another day!
Bless this holy night, I pray,
And to the sun we all will bow
And say goodbye - but just for now!
Be present, O merciful God, and protect us through the silent hours of this night,
so that we who are wearied by the changes and chances of this fleeting world,
may repose upon thy eternal changelessness, through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen.
May the Almighty and merciful Lord grant unto each one of us
pardon and remission of all our sins,
time for amendment of life,
and the grace and comfort of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost,
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen
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