March 7, 2021           Third Sunday of Lent

Opening             I Heard the Voice            #462

1. I heard the voice of Jesus say,

“Come unto me and rest;

Lay down, thou weary one, lay down

Thy head upon my breast.”

I came to Jesus as I was,

So weary, worn and sad;

I found in him a resting place,

And he has made me glad.

2. I heard the voice of Jesus say,

“Behold, I freely give

The living water; thirsty one,

Stoop down, and drink, and live.”

I came to Jesus, and I drank

Of that lifegiving stream;

My thirst was quenched, my soul revived,

And now I live in him.

Text: CMD; Horatius Bonar, 1808–1889, alt. Music: trad. English melody, adapt. by Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1872–1958.

Offertory            Earthen Vessels              #410

We hold a treasure, not made of gold, in earthen vessels, wealth untold;

one treasure only: the Lord, the Christ, in earthen vessels.

1. Light has shone in our darkness:

God has shone in our heart

with the light of the glory of Jesus, the Lord.

2. God has chosen the lowly

who are small in this world;

in this weakness is glory in Jesus, the Lord.

Text based on 2 Cor 4:6-7; 1 Cor 1:27-29. Text and music © 1975, John B. Foley, S.J. and OCP. All rights reserved. 

Communion      I Am the Bread of Life    #327

1. I am the Bread of life.

              You who come to me shall not hunger;

              and who believe in me shall not thirst.

              No one can come to me unless the Father beckons.

And I will raise you up, and I will raise you up,

and I will raise you up on the last day.

2. The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world,

              and if you eat of this bread, you shall live forever, you shall live forever.

3. Unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man

              and drink of his blood, and drink of his blood, you shall not have life within you.

4. I am the Resurrection, I am the life. If you believe in me,

              even though you die, you shall live forever.

5. Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ,

              the Son of God, who has come into the world.

Text: John 6; Suzanne Toolan, SM, b.1927

© 1966, 1970, 1986, 1993, GIA Publications, Inc.

Spiritual Communion Prayer

At Thy feet, O my Jesus, I prostrate myself and I offer Thee repentance of my contrite heart, which is humbled in its nothingness and in Thy holy presence. I adore Thee in the Sacrament of Thy love, the ineffable Eucharist. I desire to receive Thee into the poor dwelling that my heart offers Thee. While waiting for the happiness of sacramental communion, I wish to possess Thee in spirit. Come to me, O my Jesus, since I, for my part, am coming to Thee! May Thy love embrace my whole being in life and in death. I believe in Thee, I hope in Thee, I love Thee. Amen. (This prayer is attributed to Servant of God Rafael Merry del Val. This cardinal is known for having promoted the Litany of Humility.)

Closing                Save Your People           #107

Refrain

Save your people, O Lord. Show us the way to come home.

We have been wandering far from your love. Save your people, O Lord.

1. One thing I ask, O Lord, this I seek: to dwell forever in your house,

that I may gaze on your loveliness all the days of my life.

2. For you will hide me in the shelter of your wings and from the arrows of my foes.

You set me high on a mountaintop, saved me from my distress.

Text based on Psalm 27. Text and music © 1983, OCP. All rights reserved.

Music lyrics reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.