Praying Together 2021

213 Gather Light a candle as a sign of God’s presence and sit quietly. Ring a bell or chime to start the prayer. The Lord be with you! And with your spirit. COLLECT By tradition, Saint Cecilia has become the patron saint of music. Let us pray for musicians and singers. (pause) O God, as Saint Cecilia always did, may we carry a song of praise in our heart and grant artists the gift to put it to music. Through Christ our Lord. Amen . SCRIPTURE A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah 55:6-9 Turn to the Lord! He can still be found. Call out to him. He is near. Give up your wicked ways and your evil thoughts. Return to the Lord our God. He will be merciful and forgive all your sins. The Lord says: "My thoughts and my ways are not like yours. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, my thoughts and my ways are higher than yours." The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. RESPONSE Today as we remember St Cecilia, the patron saint of music, let us spend some moments in prayer with God and listen to some cheerful orchestral music. What a blessing it is to have the gift of hearing. Can you imagine what it would be like if you couldn’t hear music, or the voices of people you love? While th e music plays, let’s thank God for all the blessings in our lives and pray that we may always carry a song of praise in our heart. DISMISSAL May the joy that comes from God fill our hearts. Amen. May God bless us in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Ring the bell or chime to signal the end of the prayer. Extinguish the candle. Monday St Cecilia 22 November 2021 “My thoughts and my ways are higher than yours.”