5th Sunday of Lent

17 March 2-13

Entrance	For God so loved the world (mtgf)
Penitential Rite	Lenten (Bob Hurd)
Psalm 125	What marvels the Lord (mtgf)
Gospel Acclamation	Lenten (mtgf)
Preparation of Gifts	Verleih uns frieden (Mendelssohn)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Missa Ubi Caritas (Bob Hurd)
Lamb of God	Missa Ubi Caritas (Bob Hurd)
Communion Antiphon	Has no one condemned you (mtgf)
Communion	One in Body, Heart and Mind (Christopher Walker)
Final	There's a wideness in God's mercy

In the evening Masses we have been using one of the Common Psalms (90) - this has been our practice through the year. Tonight using it it struck me more forcibly that don't fully understand the Lenten choices of psalms. I was struck because I thought that the psalm response (the 'I') could be sing by the woman caught in adultery - 'Be with me, Lord' whereas it is less easy to apply "What marvels the Lord worked'. I suspect that the Lenten Psalm choices are more paired with the first reading rather than being a bridge with the Gospel - or more because all the readings are a piece they are expected to be heard sequentially - stage by stage, text by text. An implication of this is that we are hearing the gospel for the first time - i.e. we do not know the ending. In general I think the Lectionary is based on knowing the gospel in some way - not just the individual story but whole story - how it is understood in the light of the Paschal Mystery.

One in Body was chosen as something Celtic in inspiration for those who might have been expecting St Patrick today.

What is a good tune for There's a wideness? We used Hyfrydol - but that was for familiarity