We will be having an online communion service for Beltane on April 30, 2023. It is open for anyone and everyone to participate. We ask that you bring your own wine/juice and bread/crackers. The Chapel zoom room will be open at 2 pm est for fellowship and the service will begin at 2:15. The readings and prayers in this liturgy are a mixture of ancient and modern sources creatively woven together into a new synthesis. Many of the texts are medieval texts which would not have originally been used in a liturgical setting. You can get onto zoom by clicking HERE. You can read more about some of the ways people honour Beltane by clicking HERE. Looking forward to seeing many of you there!
Officiant
The Lord is king; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! The Lord is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples. Let them praise your great and awesome name. Holy is he! Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. Extol the Lord our God; worship at his footstool. Holy is he!
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Light the candle
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Everyone
God give me tears to erase my sins Let them come until I have been purified Let my heart burn with redemption’s flame Give me clear tears for Mary and Ita
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Reader 1
Based on the Food of the Soul and Isaiah 6
The prophet Isaiah saw the Lord on a throne He was so high and lofty that The hem of his robe filled the temple And he was attended to by angels The angels were the seraphim Each one had six wings Two wings covered their face Two wings covered their feet With the remaining two wings The angels flew up towards the Lord And sang to one another a song of praise As the temple filled with smoke “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory” Then the angels brought Isaiah a live coal Which had been taken from the altar The angel touched his lips with the fiery coal And then spoke to him saying “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is erased” The fire of the angels healed his sin And freed Isaiah to follow his Lord To speak to the people with clean lips And to revive the love of God in their hearts The countless seraphim are an abundance Of the affectionate love of God They excel beyond all the other angelic orders Their name means kindling-fire Between the Seraphim and God There are no other orders of angels The nearer to God any creature is The greater the burning light of the fire of love The Seraphim fill our hearts with fire So that they burn with affectionate love Which enables us to forgive all things Those who love the most are closest to God It is through this fire of love That human beings are united to God Just as God is life to the soul Her love is the food of the soul Just as the soul leaves the body When the body starves without nourishment In the same way God departs from the soul When the soul does not receive nourishment The food our soul requires to live Is divine, sweet, and worthy love Without love our souls perish And God no longer dwells within us May the Holy Spirit gant us that perfect love The one who conveys affection between The Mother and the Son in the Trinity And who dwells in unity with them forever
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Reader 2
A modern litany inspired by the Food of the Soul and the Stowe Missal
O God come to my assistance O Lord make haste to help me O God come to my assistance O Lord make haste to help me O God come to my assistance O Lord make haste to help me Heavenly Mother, Lord of Hosts Hear the prayers of your people We lift up our voices to your throne Around which the angels are found Have mercy upon us, we pray That we may in turn have mercy on others Cleanse the eyes of our hearts So that we may commune with the angels The name angel means messenger Because they distribute the will of God The scriptures teach that there are nine orders Which we may participate in through the virtues We lift up our minds to the angelic hosts Joining the meditations of our hearts With the eternal beauty of their creative song Beseeching their assistance in divine things Michael, power of God, pray for us Gabriel, strength of God, pray for us Raphael, remedy of God, pray for us The nine orders of heaven, pray for us O Angels, pray for us O Archangels, pray for us O Thrones pray for us That we may be made pure of heart O Lordships, pray for us O Principalities, pray for us O Dominions, pray for us That we may be illumined with divine light O Powers, pray for us O Cherubim, pray for us O Seraphim, pray for us That we may be united with God Blessed Cherubim, high authorities of the angels Angels of miracles, angels of wonders You are the diversity and abundance of knowledge You are the forms of every skillful art May we participate in your order of wisdom So that we may be filled with heavenly knowledge And the spiritual skills which allow us To know the Trinity through the fire of love We draw a circle in this place For the nine orders of angels In the highest order is the Son of God alone Joyfully embracing the faithful who come to him Lord of all Heaven and Earth Who created the celestial hierarchy By whom all of the cosmos is orchestrated Through whom we are lifted up towards the One Forgive us our many sins Enlighten our inner eyes Permit us to be one with you In the name of Christ our Lord Have mercy upon us, we pray O Christ hear our words O Christ hear our words O Christ hear our words
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Lighting of the incense
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Everyone
We say the prayer three times in the depths of our hearts, breathing in the first line and out the second.
May Christ dwell in my heart through faith As I am being rooted and grounded in love
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Reader 3
An Old Irish litany
Lord God of Heaven and Earth We beseech you by the tenth order Which is the community of believers now living The saints who walk upon the ground We beseech Michael to assist us against the demons We beseech you in unison with Michael By the power of the land and the sea Without ceasing for all our days We beseech you with respect by the goodness of God We beseech you, O Lord, by your suffering body Which fasted in the form of white martyrdom We beseech you by the contemplative life We beseech you by the active life We beseech the inhabitants of heaven Along with Michael, for the sake of our souls We beseech the saints of the world to assist us We beseech the inhabitants of Heaven With Michael of the bright arm We beseech the triad of wind, sun, and moon We beseech you by ocean waves and fierce winds We beseech you by fire We beseech you by earth We beseech you by the four corners of the world And by the compass of the harmony of the stars We beseech the nine orders of Heaven Who are the stars of the night sky We beseech all the mysteries therein We beseech all the glories of Michael We beseech you every creature which has lived And which has tasted the sting of death We beseech you by every creature which is inanimate Because of the beauty and love of your mystery We beseech you by your divine love Which is deeper than the sea We beseech you according to your own nature O king of the fierce sun In the name of every saint of the faith Every saint that is, was, and shall be Every holy monk who does not deceive With the help of fair Michael the guardian May the hosts of heaven help us We beseech you Mother, we beseech you We beseech you by the power of time With its clear divisions of past, present, and future We beseech you by darkness We beseech you by light We beseech you all the elements in heaven and earth That our souls may receive the eternal sweetness By your infinite mercy and power over battles By your kindness to debtors O swift and mighty king of heaven Help us to be freed from every conflict We beseech you, Mother, we beseech you
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Reader 4
Based on the writing of Aelred of Rievaulx
What plot of land or what stream Turns up only one stone of a single kind? What forest produces only One tree of a single species? In this we can see the love of companionship Coming to light among creatures without sense Since none of them are left alone But each exists in a society of its own If this is true among rocks and trees How much more true it must be Among the society of animal kind Who are an image of loving friendship Though animals do not have reason In regards to friendship and loving society They imitate the human spirit in such a way That they appear to be rational beings They naturally follow the leader And enjoy each other’s company Frolicing together in their wilderness homes Expressing their love through sounds and actions Angels also live in a society Ordained for them by divine wisdom Among the nine orders of angels There is a tender love of friendship This friendship creates a harmony of will Preventing any envy from taking root The higher orders would seem to be more valuable If this danger was not countered by friendship Thus there is an entire host of angels To keep away all hints of loneliness With a heavenly communion of charity Multiplying the joy of the heavenly orders When God created the first human being She made a second person like the first In order to show us the blessing of friendship Which can be found in all of creation Divine power created Eve out of Adam In order to inspire friendship between them In a beautiful way the second human was created From the side of the first human So that our nature might teach us the truth That all people are equal to one another Among human beings no one is superior Because this is a property of friendship
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Officiant
Inspired by Dionyius’ Divine Names and Carmina Gadelica
Hail Mary, crowned with flowers! O noble rare star, O blossoming tree, O powerful and precious lamp, O sun that warms everyone, O ladder of the great path by which every saint ascends, may you be our safeguard towards the glorious Kingdom. Show us the way to the ladder of the great path, the same ladder which Jacob saw, upon which angels ascend and descend between heaven and earth. Open this path to us so that we may see across the veil which separates heaven and earth. Open our eyes so that we may see the Kingdom of Heaven in our midst.
Angels are divine intelligences which move in a spiral. First, they dance in a circle, at one with the illuminations given forth, without beginning or end, from the Good and the Beautiful. They also move in a straight line, guided by providence, so that they can offer perfect wisdom to those beneath them. And yet, they continue to remain completely themselves, dancing without end around the Beautiful and the Good, from which all identity arises. May we proceed alone to commune with the angels like David. May we be comforted by the company and conversation of angels like Cuthbert. May we experience the apparitions of the angels directly and fully like Columcille. May the holy angels, belonging to the nine orders of heaven, guard us and keep us safe.
Holy Mary, friend of Gabriel, bless our flocks and cattle, do not let hate or injury come near us, and drive the ways of the wicked far from us. The strength of the Triune be our shield in distress. The strength of Christ – his peace and his passion. The strength of the Spirit – physician of health. The strength of the precious Father – king of grace. Bless ourselves and our children. Bless everyone who shall come from our loins and bless the womb from which we came. May every holiness, blessing, and power be yielded to us every time and every hour. In the name of the Threefold above, Mother, Son, and Spirit everlasting. Be the cross of Christ to shield us downward. Be the cross of Christ to shield us upward. Be the cross of Christ to shield us roundward. Accepting our Beltane blessing from us. Accepting our Beltane blessing from us.
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Reader 5
Based on the writings of Colum Cille
The heavenly planter of the original seeds The ancient of days who was never born Had no beginning and no end And exists outside of all time eternally Christ, the only begotten one, is with him So is the co-eternal Holy Spirit Together in the unending light of God The Holy Trinity - Three in One He created the blessed angels and archangels As part of the nine heavenly orders He created them so that the goodness and power Of the gifts of the Trinity could be expressed The Most High God looked forward Towards the unfolding harmony of the universe He created the Heaven and the Earth Then he poured forth the waters of the sea He made the leaves of grass underfoot He created the trees of the forest He made the sun, moon, stars, and fire Birds, fish, cattle, beasts, and all living things He created all things which are needed Then, when he had finished his work He made the original human being In order to rule it with knowledge God planted a paradise with beautiful rivers Among its flowers can be found the tree of life The leaves of this tree never fall and they heal the nations The loveliness of the garden is beyond any description The stars and other lights of heaven Were created all together at once When they saw the beautiful and expansive creation The angels burst forth in praise of its architect They sang a song of thanksgiving Which never wavered in its beauty and power They did not sing this harmony out of obligation It sprang forth freely from their love When Christ returns, the Trinity will be praised With the prayerful singing of hymns There will be thousands of angels dancing With four living creatures full of eyes There will be twenty four happy elders Who will reject their worldly crowns Throwing them at the feet of the Lamb of God And they will sing Holy! Holy! Holy!
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Everyone prepares their bread and wine
Officiant
Jesus took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves, for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”
Everybody
Loving Mother God, from whom all things come and to whom all things will return, bless this bread and wine that it may be for us a Celestial Medicine. Open our eyes that we may see these simple elements for what they truly are – the body and blood of Christ. May we rejoice in the gift of our own embodiment through the grace of your embodiment in this simple food and drink. As we take the body of Christ into our own bodies, may the sacred harmony of the angel song fill our hearts and minds and may we be united with your Son, who is beyond all nature and yet is the substance of all nature. Amen
Officiant
May the mixture of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ be salvation for us unto everlasting life. Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.
Everyone takes communion
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Officiant
A chant from the Stowe Missal
They knew the Lord, alleluia In the breaking of bread, alleluia The bread that we break, alleluia Is the body of our Lord Jesus Christ, alleluia The cup which we bless, alleluia Is the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, alleluia For the forgiveness of our sins, alleluia May your mercy be upon us, O Lord, alleluia For we have hoped in you, alleluia They knew the Lord, alleluia We believe, O Lord We believe that in this breaking of the body And the shedding of blood That we are redeemed And we trust that by receiving This sacrament we will be strengthened So that what we hold at present In faith we will come to enjoy In true heavenly fruitfulness Through Christ our \ Lord May our prayer ascend, alleluia To your throne of brightness, Lord, alleluia And let our prayer, alleluia Not return to us empty amen
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5 min of silence
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Officiant
A payer from the Stowe Missal
Lord God Almighty, you test your servants by measure, but glorify them beyond measure; your commands are finite but your rewards are infinite: hear our prayers through the witness and merits of the saints, and grant that their patronage may aid us to a growth in faith and the fruit of good works, to the goodness of joy, to the reward of health, to religious devotion, to growth in holy fear. May the holy martyrs pray for us, and for our dead, and for our flocks, and for all the fruits of our land, and for all those dwelling in this place. All the innumerable multitude of your saints and the choirs of angels praise you, the Almighty, the God of the creatures of heaven and earth, through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom all the angels and archangels, prophets and apostles, martyrs, confessors, holy women, and all the saints, in a perpetual hymn and with ceaseless praises, with the four animals and the twenty-four elders sing together, saying Holy, Holy, Holy.
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Reader 6
Based on Gregory of Nyssa
Sisters and brothers, lovers of peace and mercy, this is the true perfection of the human being: not to avoid evil because, like slaves, we fear punishment, nor to do good in hope of reward, as if by means of a contract we could purchase the life of virtue. On the contrary, without concern for our own hopes and worries, we consider losing God’s friendship as the only thing we fear and we consider becoming God’s friend the only object of our desire. Therefore, go out into the world with the fire of friendship kindled in your hearts. Let your peace be known to all and give mercy to everyone you encounter. Be humble. Be kind. Be courageous. Be filled with the Holy Spirit and allow the light of heaven to guide you on the path eternal, the journey into God which never ends and is always new. The mass is completed. Go in peace.
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