THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

A TIME FOR REFLECTION AND PRAYER

 

06/04/20

This week, Holy Week, the daily prayer will be taken from the psalms of lament which express all kinds of grief, anger and desperation and are common, of course, to both Christian and Jewish traditions.  We begin with some verses from Psalm 38:

 

O Lord, all my longing is known to you;

my sighing is not hidden from you.

My heart throbs, my strength fails me;

as for the light of my eyes - it also has gone from me.

My friends and companions stand aloof from my affliction,

and my neighbours stand far off.

Do not forsake me, O Lord;

O my God, do not be far from me;

make haste to help me,

O Lord, my salvation.

 

All the best

 

Eleanor

 

Revd Eleanor Goodison

Associate Priest, Hoxne Benefice

Tel: 07876 143579

The spread of the Coronavirus is proving a very challenging time for all of us in this tight knit community and it has been very humbling to watch the community pulling together to support each other in any way, however small.

We could probably all do with some spiritual support, whatever our belief and faith, and that could just take the form of sitting quietly for a few minutes a day and meditating with our own thoughts and prayers, or using online reflections being offered by various faiths.

 Just sitting quietly thinking about family, friends and neighbours and how the current situation is affecting them and reflecting on ways you may be able to help, can have a huge effect on the well-being of the whole community.   Helping each other can take many forms: doing some shopping, putting bins out, walking a dog etc. or a phone call to a neighbour who is on their own just to give them the opportunity to talk to someone for a few minutes; any assistance, however small, can be vital.

 

Many of you will find prayer uplifting and here in the Hoxne Benefice, we are going to provide a prayer each day for you to use in whatever way you find helpful to you and those you live with. This may not always be a Christian prayer as we need to understand how the situation in which we find ourselves is affecting everyone in the community, whatever their belief and to help draw us together.  An explanatory note may accompany the daily prayer to assist.

 

All church services have been suspended for the time being but most churches in the Benefice will continue to  be open for private prayer, so please do go along and use the buildings if that is helpful to you.  Just remember to keep a safe distance from anyone else who may be in the church at the time.

 

 A PRAYER FOR ALL THOSE AFFECTED BY CORONAVIRUS

 Keep us, good Lord,

under the shadow of your mercy.

Sustain and support the anxious,

be with those who care for the sick,

and lift up all who are brought low;

that we may find comfort

knowing that nothing can separate us from your love

in Christ Jesus our Lord

 

THE ANGELUS

 

The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary:

and She conceived by the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee;

blessed are thou among women

and blessed is the fruit of they womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, 

now and at the hour of our death.  Amen

Behold the handmaid of the Lord:

be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Repeat.....Haily Mary (above)

And the Word was made Flesh

and dwelt among us.

Repeat.....Haily Mary (above)

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God:

that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee O Lord,

Thy grace into our hearts;

that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son

was made known by the message of an angel,

may by His Passion and Cross

be brought to the glory of his Resurrection,

through the same Christ Our Lord.    Amen

Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.

St Joseph, pray for us.