4th Sunday of Lent (Year A, 2014)

Sunday, 30 March 2014

 

Entrance	Praise we our God with joy
Kyrie	Missa Orbis Factor
Psalm	His goodness shall follow me (Chris O’Hara)
Gospel Acclamation	Glory and Praise (mcb)
Preparation of the Gifts	Hear my prayer, O Lord (Henry Purcell, 1659-1695)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen	Missa Orbis Factor
Agnus Dei	Missa Orbis Factor
Communion	Lord, your love has drawn us near (Stephen Dean)
Postcommunion	(silence)
Recessional	Out of darkness (Christopher Walker)

 

The fourth Sunday of Lent is Laetare Sunday, because of the opening words of the Entrance antiphon: Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her, and our opening hymn reflected this.

Today’s second reading from Ephesians spoke about darkness and light. Chris Walker’s stirring setting of 1 Peter 2:9 made for a powerful recessional song on the same theme.

In the Gospel story from St John, the man born blind sees his healing as proof that Jesus truly came from God, with the words We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners. In the devout hope that actually he does, we sang Purcell’s impassioned and dramatic setting of the plea for divine assistance which opens Ps 101(102). Choral scholar Ellie Slorach conducted us with skill and insight.

The responsorial psalm verses were set to the Irish folk melody She moved through the fair, beautifully sung by Evie Parker, another of our choral scholars this year.