From the Prophet Hosea 11: 1.3-4, 9B

FIRST Readings

From the prophet Hosea 11: 1.3-4, 9b

Thus says the Lord: When Israel was a child I loved him, and I called my son out of Egypt. I myself taught Ephraim to walk, I took them in my arms; yet they have not understood that I was the one looking after them. I led them with reins of kindness, with leading-strings of love. I was like someone who lifts an infant close against his cheek; stooping down to him I gave him his food. For I am God, not man: I am the Holy One in your midst.

The word of the Lord. All: Thanks be to God.

A reading from the book of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

For everything there is a season, And a time for every matter under heaven. A time to be born, and a time to die. A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted. A time to kill and a time to heal.

A time to break down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh. A time to morn and a time to dance,

A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing.

A time to seek and a time to lose. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear, A time to sew, A time to keep silence and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate, A time for war and a time for peace.

A reading from the Prophet Isaiah (43:1-3 ‘Do not be afraid’)

But now, thus says the Lord, who created you Jacob, and who formed you Israel. ‘Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name, you are mine. Should you pass through the sea, I shall be with you, or through the rivers, they shall not swallow you up. Should you walk through fire you will not be scorched and the flames will not burn you. You are precious in my eyes and I love you. Do not be afraid for I am not with you.’

The Psalm could be sung – You Have Hemmed Me in Lord by Siobhan Dempsey based on Psalm 139

Second Readings

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Colossians 3:12-14

You are God's chosen race, his saints; he loves you and you should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has forgiven you; now you must do the same. Over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete them, put on love.

The Word of the Lord.

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Philippians 1:3-5, 8-10

I thank my God whenever I think of you; and every time I pray for all of you, I pray with joy, remembering how you have helped spread the Good News from the day you first heard it right up to the present.

You have a permanent place in my heart, and God knows how much I miss you all, loving you as Christ Jesus loves you. My prayer is that your love for each other may increase more and more and never stop improving your knowledge and deepening your perception so that you can always recognise what is best.

The word of the Lord.

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Philippians 4:4-9

I want you to be happy, always happy in the Lord; I repeat, what I want is your happiness. Let your tolerance be evident to everyone: the Lord is very near. There is no need to worry; but if there is anything you need, pray for it, asking God for it with prayer and thanksgiving, and that peace of God, which is so much greater than we can understand, will guard your hearts and your thoughts, in Christ Jesus. Finally, dear friends, fill your minds with everything that is true, everything that is noble, everything that is good and pure, everything that we love and honour, and everything that can be thought virtuous or worthy of praise. Keep doing all the things that you learnt from me and have been taught by me and have heard or seen that I do. Then the God of peace will be with you.

The word of the Lord.

Gospels

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke 12:22-31

All. Glory be to you, O Lord

And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat, nor about your body, what you shall put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grasses which is alive in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith/ And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be of anxious mind. For all the nations of the world seek these things; and your Father knows that you need them. Instead seek his kingdom, and these things will be yours as well.

The Gospel of the Lord. All: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 15:9-17 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other. The Gospel of the Lord. All: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayers of the Faithful

 We thank God for the support of our parents throughout the years. We hope that they know how much we appreciate them. Although sometimes we might have difficulty showing it, we pray they know how important they are to us. Lord hear us

 We pray for the staff of …… We would like to thank them for their guidance and support throughout these memorable years. We also pray for the students, may they be ambitious in their work, happy in everything they do and always have hope in their futures. Lord hear us

 Tonight we think of all the friends we have made during our years in ….. We remember our laughter and our tears. As we reach this stage of our life’s journey may we be blessed with good friends. May we always carry with us, good memories of our school friends. Lord hear us

 There are people already in God’s keeping, with whom we would have like to have shared this special evening. Our lives are better for having known them and we are grateful for that. We pray that they may know how much they are loved and missed. Lord hear us

 As we leave this stage of our lives, may we always keep the light of hope in our hearts. With each new day that comes and every step that we take, may we always remember the true essence of the human spirit, that is hope. Lord hear us

 Tonight we remember all places where peace does not prevail. We ask God’s Spirit to help world leaders to choose paths to peace. Lord hear us

 As we reach this crossroads, may we be guided and helped to choose the right road and to make the best of the gifts we have been given. May the Lord guide us to remain true to ourselves, as we step tentatively into the future. Lord hear us

Prayers of the Faithful

Let us pray. For the teachers and staff who have guided us over the past five years and have worked hard to help us achieve our dreams, we thank them for their efforts and ask God to bless them in their work. Lord hear us. All: Lord graciously hear us.

Let us pray, for our parents, they have watched us grow through the years and have shaped us into the young adults we are today. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to them and ask God to bless them on this special occasion. Lord hear us. All: Lord graciously hear us. Let us pray for all those who have died especially past students, teachers, relatives and friends. On this special day we ask their blessing on us and ask God to grant them eternal rest. Lord hear us. All: Lord graciously hear us.

Let us pray, for all of us who are graduating today, we have shared some of the most important years of our lives. We pray for the wisdom to choose the right path so that we can achieve our dreams. Lord hear us. All: Lord graciously hear us.

( A prayer to do with your schools order e.g.) We pray, For all the Loreto sisters worldwide. Loreto sisters work to further the cause of education for girls in countries where education is not freely available to girls. We pray that God will bless them and keep them safe. They remind us of our calling as Loreto girls to work for Justice and peace in our world. We pray that this sense of Justice will stay with us throughout our lives. Lord hear us. All: Lord graciously hear us.

We pray, for all of us who are graduating today, we have been together through some of the most important years of our lives. We pray in thanks for the time we’ve had together, the friendships we’ve made and the lessons we’ve learned. We ask God’s blessing on us as we face our exams and ask him to give us a future full of hope. Lord hear us. All: Lord graciously hear us.

We pray, for anyone who has died and for their families who are grieving. We remember especially anyone in sixth year who have lost close family members or friends. On this special day we remember our loved ones in our hearts knowing they are with us tonight to celebrate this wonderful occasion and they are looking on us with love. We ask God to grant them eternal rest.

Lord hear us. All: Lord graciously hear us.

We pray for all the students, in particular the incoming First Years. May they have as many happy and fulfilled years in this school as we have had here. Lord Hear Us. All: Lord graciously hear us.

We pray for direction in our lives. We ask God to lead us to where he wants us to be and give us the courage and resilience to face whatever the future brings and emerge as confident and responsible young women. Lord Hear Us. All: Lord graciously hear us.