Christ the King Bidding Prayers for Easter (year C), 2019

bidding prayers, Christ the King,

Priest: Dear friends, we have reflected on the story of our salvation and renewed our baptismal promises. Now we offer our prayers to the Father with hearts full of hope.

Reader: Let us pray for all those who have come into full communion with the Church on this holy night. On Easter morning, we welcome in baptism Harry Oliver Biggs and we pray for his family and community of Christ the King as they share their faith with him……..Pause

Father, in your love, hear our prayer.

We pray for peace and reconciliation wherever they are most needed……. Pause

Father, in your love, hear our prayer.

Let us pray that the Church may always be an active influence in the world to care for the poor and overlooked; and for those who are enslaved by people or addiction…. Pause

Father, in your love, hear our prayer.

We pray for Cora Carroll who died earlier this week. She was a long and faithful member of St Brigid’s with her sisters Maureen and Teresa and our thoughts are with her family and friends. We remember all who have died in recent months: may those who mourn find strength for the future in the light of Easter…. Pause

Father, in your love, hear our prayer.

Let us be quiet for a few moments, in the joy of God’s love for us…….Longer pause…..(No response)

Let us share in the joy and prayer of Our Lady as we say:

O Queen of Heaven rejoice, alleluia,

For the Son whom you merited to bear, alleluia,

Has risen as He said, alleluia;

Pray to God for us, alleluia,

Rejoice and be glad. O Virgin Mary, alleluia

Because the Lord is truly risen, alleluia!

Priest: Creator God, risen Son, Holy Spirit: grant us, if it be your will, what we ask as your loving children. Amen.                    

Quick, let’s run!

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The motto of the Beda College, my seminary in Rome, is “Christo Spectante Curramus” roughly translated as “Let us run under the eyes of Christ”, words taken from a sermon of our patron St Bede. I must admit a more popular translation with students was “Quick, let’s run, Christ is watching”…

Earlier in Lent we heard in the parable of the Prodigal Son of our God who runs to us. Several times people ran up to Jesus in the Gospels, and sometimes they ran to tell others about Jesus, like the swineherds. This week we will witness the disciples running away from Jesus when He is arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane.

But l think the most important instances of running in the Gospels happen early on Easter morning. Matthew 28, Mark 16 and John 20 all speak of Mary Magdalen running from the empty tomb to tell the Apostles. Then Luke 24 and John show us the wonderful image of Peter and John racing each other to get to the tomb first.

What are these moments telling us? The Father of the Prodigal Son cannot wait to embrace his returning son, such is his loving and merciful heart. Those who received miracles from Our Lord often could not wait to tell others, broadcasting it around the countryside. The fact the apostles ran away shows us the weakness of our humanity under stress – would we have done any different?

Then on that first bright Easter morning Mary Magdalen and the women became the first preachers of the Easter Gospel, so anxious to tell others. And finally Peter and John make a dash together for the Easter Space – the Empty Tomb. The energy this experience gave them, with the power of the Holy Spirit, would take them and the Church across the face of the globe.

And so here we are, celebrating these events this Holy Week. We have inherited that Good News, we are its guardians and “transmitters” for our times. Will we run away? Or will we come together this week and hasten to the Easter Garden to be revived, re-excited? Then, like Magdalen, Peter and John we must run to our world to share the Good News.

Please take a Holy Week poster for your front window, and an Easter card.

Fr Matthew