The last Sunday before Lent is fondly called "Alleluia Sunday" at St Mary's. While Fr A picks out a hymn to go with the readings for the first hymn, all the others have lots of alleluias in them, so we can kind of "get it out of our system" before Wednesday.
So, we started with this one:
Blest are the pure in heart,
for they shall see our God;
the secret of the Lord is theirs,
their soul is Christ's abode.
The Lord, who left the heavens
our life and peace to bring,
to dwell in lowliness with men,
their Pattern and their King;
still to the lowly soul
he doth himself impart
and for his dwelling and his throne
chooseth the pure in heart.
Lord, we thy presence seek;
may ours this blessing be;
give us a pure and lowly heart,
a temple meet for thee.
Sung to the tune Franconia.
Then for the offertory:
Ye watchers and ye holy ones,
bright seraphs, cherubim, and thrones,
raise the glad strain,
Alleluia!
Cry out, dominions, princedoms, powers,
virtues, archangels, angels' choirs,
Refrain:
Alleluia! alleluia! alleluia!
Alleluia! alleluia!
O higher than the cherubim,
more glorious than the seraphim,
lead their praises,
Alleluia!
Thou bearer of the eternal Word,
most gracious, magnify the Lord, Refrain
Respond, ye souls in endless rest,
ye patriarchs and prophets blest,
Alleluia,
alleluia!
Ye holy twelve, ye martyrs strong,
all saints triumphant, raise the song, Refrain
O friends, in gladness let us sing,
supernal anthems echoing,
Alleluia,
alleluia!
To God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Spirit, Three in One, Refrain
Sung to Lasst uns erfreuen.
Communion hymn was one that makes me cry every, single time we sing it. You think I'd get used to it, but no:
Alleluia! sing to Jesus!
His the scepter, his the throne.
Alleluia! His the triumph,
his the victory alone.
Hark! the songs of peaceful Zion
thunder like a mighty flood.
Jesus out of every nation
hath redeemed us by his blood.
Alleluia! not as orphans
are we left in sorrow now;
Alleluia! He is near us,
faith believes, nor questions how;
Though the cloud from sight received him
when the forty days were o'er
shall our hearts forget his promise,
'I am with you evermore'?
Alleluia! bread of heaven,
here on earth our food and stay!
Alleluia! here the sinful
flee to thee from day to day.
Intercessor, Friend of sinners,
earth's Redeemer, plead for me.
Where the songs of all the sinless
sweep across the crystal sea.
Alleluia! King eternal,
thee the Lord of lords we own;
Alleluia! born of Mary,
earth thy footstool,
heaven thy throne.
Thou within the veil hast entered,
robed in flesh, our great High Priest.
Thou on earth both Priest and Victim
in the Eucharistic Feast.
Sung to Hyfrydol.
Then we ended up with this one:
Sing alleluia forth in duteous praise,
ye citizens of heaven, O sweetly raise
an endless alleluia.
Ye powers who stand before the eternal Light,
in hymning choirs reecho to the height
an endless alleluia.
The holy city shall take up your strain,
and with glad songs resounding wake again
an endless alleluia.
In blissful antiphons ye thus rejoice
to render to the Lord with thankful voice
an endless alleluia.
Ye who have gained at length your palms in bliss,
victorious ones, your chant shall still be this:
an endless alleluia.
There, in one grand acclaim, for ever ring,
the strains which tell the honor of your King,
an endless alleluia.
This is sweet rest for weary ones brought back,
this is glad food and drink which ne'er shall lack:
an endless alleluia.
While thee, by whom were all things made, we praise
for ever, and tell out in sweetest lays
an endless alleluia.
Almighty Christ, to thee our voices sing
glory for evermore; to thee we bring
an endless alleluia.
Sung to St. Sebastian (Martins).
All in all, a fabulous day for singing at SMV!
I've always liked "Ye watchers and ye holy ones" but it never seemed to get played enough at any parish I've been in.
I hope you don't mind, but I've tagged you (youse?) for a meme over at my weblog. http://philangelus.wordpress.com
I'm new to blogging and I still don't "know" many bloggers, but I read here a lot, which is why I thought of you.