VI - “DO ALL FOR LOVE”
Ambiance
Prepare on, or at the foot of the altar, signs of the preceding vigil:
The perfume of incense
Oil
Lighted lamps
Jar with water and a towel
Bread broken
Background music during the proclamation of the Canticle of Canticles
Reader
From the Canticle of Canticles 8:7
Love no flood can quench,
no torrents drown.
Were a man to offer all his family wealth
to buy love,
contempt is all that he would gain.
Leader
The meeting of Jesus with the sinner of Luke’s Gospel described a very delicate scene, laden with “pathos” and committing all the senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste of tears and kissed flesh. The sinner’s gestures are an expression full of faith in Jesus’ pardon, the delicate and exultant response of the love that accepted being loved. She expresses a tender and passionate love for the Lord Jesus, the God who made himself close to us to express his love for us and make himself loved by us … a love “strong as death” …” which even floods cannot quench …”. A love which, in as much as it is an experience of pardon, makes one capable of loving, and in such a capacity to love open itself to the love of God, lets itself thank God and express this thanks: “Lord, you have done everything for me, I do not think you could do more …” so I ask the grace to make known to the world that purity of intention which consists in doing all for Your love”.
LISTENING TO THE WORDLuke 7: 36-50
From the Gospel according to Luke
One of the Pharisees invited him to a meal. When he arrived at the Pharisee’s house and took his place at table, suddenly a woman came in who had a bad name in the town.. She had heard he was dining with the Pharisee and brought an alabaster jar of ointment, she waited behind him at his feet, weeping, and her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them away with her hair, then she covered his feet with kisses and anointed them with the ointment.
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet he would know who this woman is and what sort of a person it is who is touching him and what a bad name she has. Then Jesus took him up and said, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’ He replied, ‘Say on, Master’. ‘There was once a creditor who had two men in his debt: one owed him five hundred denarii, the other fifty. They were unable to pay, so he let them both off, Which of them will love him more?’ Simon answered, ‘The one who was let off more, I suppose. Jesus said, ‘You are right’.
Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, ‘You see this woman? I came into your house and you poured no water over my feet, but she has poured out her tears over my feet and wiped them away with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she has been covering my feet with her kisses ever since I came in. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. For this reason I tell you that her sins, many as they are, have been forgiven her because she has shown such great love.’ Then he said to her, ‘ Our sins are forgiven.’ Those who were at table wit him began to say to themselves, ‘Who is this man that even forgive sins?’ But he said to the woman ‘ You faith has saved you, go in peace.’
SILENCE
Background music.
If the group is small, the signs are taken back in this way:
Two by two, they go to the from of the jar, wash one another’s hands and wipe them in the same way.
They anoint one another’s hands and finally, before returning to their places make the sign of the cross with oil and take a lighted lamp.
If the group is big, the sign is limited to that of the perfume.
ASSUNTA SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HER LIFE
Reader
Florence, 22nd November 1903
Dearest ones, I ask the Lord for the grace to make known to the world that purity of intention that consists in doing everything out of love for God, even the most ordinary actions.I ask Jesus the grace for all of you to practise this and you ask the same for me from the Child Jesus through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin”.
THE WORD BECOMES PRAYERHosea 2: 16-25
Proclaimed by a soloist and alternated by a sung refrain
But look, I am going to seduce her
and lead her into the desert
and speak to her heart.
There I shall give her back her vineyards
and make the Vale of Anchor
a gateway of hope.
There she will respondas when she was young,
as on the day when she came up from Egypt. (Ref.)
When that day comes – Declares Yahweh
You will call me ‘My husband’
No more will you call me ‘my Baal’.
I shall banish the names of Baals from her lips
and their name will be mentioned no more. (Ref.)
When that day comes
I shall make a treaty for them
with the wild animals,
with the birds of heaven
and the creeping things of the earth;
I shall break the bow and the sword
and warfare, and banish them
from the country.
And I will let them sleep secure.
I shall betroth you to myself for ever.
I shall betroth you
in uprightness and justice,
and faithful love and tenderness.
Yes, I shall betroth you to myself in loyalty
and in the knowledge of Yahweh.
When that day comes, I shall respond
- declares Yahweh – (Ref.)
I shall respond to the heavens
and they will respond to the earth
and the earth will respond to the grain,
the new wine and the oil,
and they will respond to Jezreel. (Ref.)
I shall sow her in the country to be mine,
I shall take pity on Lo-Ruhamah,
I shall tell Lo-Ammi, ‘You are my people’,
And he will say ‘You are my God.’ (Ref.)
LET US PRAY WITH FRANCIS OF ASSISI - PRAYER “ABSORBEAT”
Proclaimed or sung all together
May the power of your love,
O Lord, fiery and sweet as honey,
wean my heart from all that is under heaven,
so that I may die for love of your love,
you who were so good as to die for love of my love.