大象传媒

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This script cannot exactly reflect the transmission, as it was prepared before the service was broadcast. It may include editorial notes prepared by the producer, and minor spelling and other errors that were corrected before the radio broadcast.

It may contain gaps to be filled in at the time so that prayers may reflect the needs of the world, and changes may also be made at the last minute for timing reasons, or to reflect current events.

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Radio 4 Opening Announcement:
大象传媒 Radio 4.听 It鈥檚 ten past eight and we go live now to Sacred Heart and St Theresa Roman Catholic Church, Coleshill for Sunday Worship which today draws on the spirituality of St Therese of Lisieux.听 The Celebrant is Canon John Udris and the preacher is Sister Elizabeth Obbard.听 The service begins as the congregation and choir sing the gathering hymn 鈥� 鈥楤e thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart鈥�.

~ SONG: Be thou my vision (Slane):

~ Canon John Udris:
O God come to our aid
~ ALL:
O LORD MAKE HASTE TO HELP US

~ Canon John Udris:
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
~ ALL:
AS IT WAS IN THE BEGINNING, IS NOW,
AND EVER SHALL BE, WORLD WITHOUT END. AMEN

听
~ Canon John Udris:
I welcome you this morning, to the Catholic Church dedicated to the Sacred Heart and St Theresa of the Child Jesus.听 The church鈥檚 foundation stone was laid in 1938 on the feast of St Theresa and despite wartime restrictions on labour and materials, the building was completed in 1942.听 It features some beautiful stained glass windows which were glazed at the insistence of the nuns, even as bombs were falling in Hams Hall just a few miles away.听 The nuns faithfully believed that the church would not be affected by the bombing and remarkably, it wasn鈥檛.

Later this month the relics of St Theresa of the Child Jesus, also known as St Therese of Lisieux, will be visiting England and the Church of Sacred Heart and St Theresa in Coleshill will be one of the venues that will host them.

As we sing together Psalm 62 鈥楳y soul is thirsting for you O God鈥�, we are reminded that its words capture the longing that lies at the heart of the spirituality of St Therese.听 She describes it in these words:听 鈥楳y heart is too large, nothing in this world that is called happiness can satisfy it.听 My heart is thirsting for the waters of eternal life!鈥�

~ SONG: My Soul is thirsting for you my God
Text & Music: Steve Angrisano 漏 OCP Publications

~ Canon John Udris:
Lord, when we feel abandoned
~ ALL:
REASSURE US WITH YOUR PRESENCE听

~ Canon John Udris:
When our hearts are satisfied with less
~ ALL:
MAKE US AWARE OF THE MORE YOU HAVE TO OFFER

~ Canon John Udris:
When we thirst for superficial and passing things
~ ALL:
HELP US FOCUS ON YOUR COMPLETE AND UNCHANGING LOVE FOR US.
AMEN

~ Canon John Udris:
Therese was a 19th Century Carmelite nun from Normandy who died from TB at the age of just 24.听 She lived most of her adult life in an enclosed order, seldom having contact with the outside world.听 Her life would have been unknown had it not been for her autobiography which she had been asked to write by her mother superior and which was published after her death.听 Called 鈥楾he Story of a Soul鈥�, it took the world by storm.听 Its straightforward simplicity strikes a chord in the hearts of those who read it.听 For many it has become a huge source of encouragement on their journey to God.听 Here鈥檚 how she describes prayer:

~ READER:
鈥淔or me it鈥檚 an outburst of the heart, it鈥檚 a simple look, a cry of gratitude and love in the midst of trial as well as joy, it鈥檚 something that expands my heart and unites me to Jesus.鈥�

~ Canon John Udris:
May our prayer this morning be proof of the truth of this.听

Apart from her autobiography, Therese also wrote some beautiful poems.听 This is one of her most touching, with the words adapted and music composed by one of today鈥檚 music directors, Mike Stanley.听 It expresses perfectly how a child lives in the immediacy of the present moment, not paralysed by the past or fretting about the future.听 Therese called it: 鈥楳on chant d鈥橝ujourd鈥檋ui鈥� - 鈥楳y Song of Today.鈥櫶�

~ SONG: My Song of Today
Music and adapted Words by Mike Stanley (words adapted from original French poetry of St Therese (and versification by C L Emery))
漏 CJM Music Ltd 2009

~ Canon John Udris:
Let us now say together the prayer so familiar to St Therese asking Mary, the Sweetest Star of Heaven, to pray with and for us as we say:

~ ALL:
Hail Mary, Full of Grace
The Lord is with thee,
Blessed art thou among women
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of god,
Pray for us sinners,
Now and at the hour of our death. Amen

~ Canon John Udris:
Our Scriptures this morning are traditionally linked to St Therese.听 So Let us open our ears and prepare our hearts to listen and hear God鈥檚 Word spoken to us.

~ READER:
A Reading from the Old Testament Book of Isaiah, chapter 66.

Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her,
听听 all you who love her;
rejoice with her in joy,
听听 all you who mourn over her鈥�
that you may nurse and be satisfied
听听 from her consoling breast;
that you may drink deeply with delight
听听 from her glorious bosom.
For thus says the LORD:
I will extend prosperity to her like a river,
听听 and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream;
and you shall nurse and be carried on her arm,
听听 and dandled on her knees.
As a mother comforts her child,
听听 so I will comfort you;
听听 you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice;
听听 your bodies shall flourish like the grass;
and it shall be known that the hand of the LORD is with his servants.

This is the Word of the Lord.
~ ALL:
THANKS BE TO GOD.

~ SUNG:
Keep my soul in peace before you, O Lord, before you O Lord

~ READER:
O Lord, my heart is not proud
nor haughty my eyes.
I have not gone after things too great
nor marvels beyond me.

~ SUNG:
Keep my soul in peace before you, O Lord, before you O Lord

~ READER:
Truly I have set my soul
in silence and peace.
A weaned child on its mother鈥檚 breast,
even so is my soul.

~ READER:
Keep my soul in peace before you, O Lord, before you O Lord

~ READER:
O Israel, hope in the Lord
both now and for ever.

~ SUNG:
Keep my soul in peace before you, O Lord, before you O Lord

~ Canon John Udris:
Let us stand to greet the Gospel

~ SUNG CELTIC ALLELUIA
Alleluia x4

~ DEACON:
The Lord be with you

~ ALL:
AND ALSO WITH YOU

~ DEACON:
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

~ ALL:
GLORY TO YOU, LORD

~ DEACON:
The disciples came to Jesus and said, 鈥淲ho is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?鈥澨� So he called a little child to him and set the child in front of them.听 Then he said, 鈥淚 tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.听 And so, those who make themselves as little as this little child are the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.听 Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.鈥�

~ DEACON:
This is the Gospel of the Lord.

~ ALL:
PRAISE TO YOU, LORD JESUS CHRIST.

~ SONG: Child of Grace (Therese of Lisieux)
漏 CJM Music Ltd 2009

~ Canon John Udris:
Emily Nugent was only 9 years old when, a couple of years ago, she was diagnosed with a rare and incurable form of cancer, from which she died in March.听 Emily's father, Martin, told us that, throughout her illness, she drew great strength from the life and faith of St Therese, whose name Emily took at her confirmation.

~ SHORTCUT:
IN: 鈥淲e kind of knew鈥︹��
OUT: 鈥溾�� and is so important to us鈥� she was amazing.鈥�
DUR: 2鈥�13鈥�

~ Sr Elizabeth Obbard:
鈥淲hoever welcomes a little child welcomes me鈥� and here in England many Catholics are waiting to welcome the relics of St Therese, someone who was truly a child of God, a child of the ordinary, who learned to love God in an extraordinary way.听 Just like Emily, Therese has been an inspiration to many; perhaps especially to the young, sick and suffering.

So what does it mean to be a child?听 Does it mean innocence or purity or playfulness or goodness?听 We may think we see all these things in children.听 But no.听 To be a child is simply to be dependent.听 A child cannot choose its parents or home.听 A child depends absolutely on others for food and clothing and warmth and love.听 A child can only hold out empty hands to receive what is given.听 It has nothing of its own.
听
This is how Therese lived and what she can teach us today: total dependence; total confidence.
听
Therese was the youngest of five sisters, the littlest and best loved of all.听 In her autobiography she tells us that when she was still very young her middle sister came along with a basket of doll's clothes, balls of thread, bits of material and so forth, with her doll sitting on top of the pile.听 She felt she was too much of a young lady now to play with dolls, so she said to Therese and another sister Celine who was with her; 'Here, darlings, I've finished with these.听 Take anything you want.'听 Celine looked in the basket and politely picked out a ball of coloured silk.听 Therese just said 'Well, I choose everything'.听 And she picked up the whole basket with all its contents and marched off, just like the confident little madam she was!
听
Now, that incident of her childhood, as Therese said herself, was to be the mark of her whole life.听 'I choose everything - the whole lot - whatever is God's will for me.'听 I don't just choose bits and pieces of my life, an episode here and there in which I can see God's hand at work - not just the day of my First Communion or the days of special celebration and happiness.听 I CHOOSE EVERYTHING.听 I choose to see God in absolutely EVERYTHING that happens, joyful or painful, because I am God's child, totally dependent on Him, gratefully receiving all from Him, confident that all He gives comes from the hand of one who loves me unconditionally.听 Here I am God, my hands are empty.听 Put into them and take out whatever you want.
听
For Therese that meant trusting God and continuing to trust Him in every event: for example, the early death of her mother, the difficulties of living closely in community with others, being faithful to prayer when she didn't feel like praying, bearing the anguish and grief of her father's prolonged mental illness in old age, and then facing her own early death from tuberculosis when God seemed hidden in impenetrable darkness.
听
Therese never did any great deeds.听 Her life was passed in the privacy of her family circle and later behind the convent walls of the Lisieux Carmel.听 Hers was the day to day existence of most people.听 It meant small daily choices to be either brave or cowardly, selfish or unselfish, kind or unkind.听 Her sorrows and joys were the sorrows and joys which make up ordinary lives like our own.
听
But to sustain and grow in an attitude of Gospel childlikeness over the years, an attitude of total dependence on God, choosing everything and every event as coming from the hand of a loving Father, pouring love into every detail of life and human relationships...听 That is not child's play.
听
But it is a holiness to which we can all aspire.听 It is why Therese has touched the hearts of so many.听 She is a loving person and love always wins through.听 And she promised to spend her heaven doing good on earth, because love like that doesn't end at death.
听
One life of love, trust and confidence affects everyone in the world in some mysterious way.
听
Therese quotes some words of Scripture as summing up her picture of God.听 They come from the prophet Isaiah: 鈥淚 will extend prosperity to her like a river, and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse and be carried on her arm, and dandled on her knees.听 As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you.鈥�
听
Do we picture God like that?
Do we want God to carry us, comfort us, hold us, with all the compassion of a mother for her child?
Surely we want this, so why are we holding back?听 Because we are not worthy?听 Not good enough? Not as 'holy' as Therese?
听
Well, the good news is that we don't have to be worthy of this love.听 We don't have to earn it.听 It is there waiting for us, pure gift, pure mercy.

All we have to do, as Therese teaches, is to hold out our empty hands and hearts with all the confidence of a little child.
听
Don't wait for tomorrow.听 Don't wait until you feel good and holy and sinless, otherwise you will wait forever.

God loves you as you are.听 Just do what you can NOW to receive love, to give love, to be grateful.
听
And do it TODAY.
听

~ Canon John Udris:
Let us stand then to praise and thank God in song for the grace he has in store for us at the beginning of this new day in the words of the Benedictus: Blessed be the God of Israel.

~ SONG: Benedictus:
Marty Haugen 漏 GIA Publications Inc.

~ Canon John Udris:
Confident that God will listen to our prayers and answer them, let us bring to him our needs and the needs of the whole world.

~ SUNG:
God hears me when I pray (2)
Cynthia Gowens听 漏 2002 cjmmusic.com

~ READER 1:
The disciples came to Jesus and said, 鈥淲ho is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?鈥�

~ READER 2:
We pray for those who practice humility.听 May the God of all humbleness help us to value their example and seek to practice it in our own lives.

~ SUNG:
God hears me when I pray (2)

~ READER 1:
St Therese chose to see God in absolutely EVERYTHING that happened, joyful or painful, because she was God's child.

~ READER 2:
We pray for those who have died and all who miss them; may the God of all consolation, heal our broken hearts and welcome our loved ones into the fullness of his Kingdom.

~ SUNG:
God hears me when I pray (2)

~ READER 1:
鈥淚 will send peace flowing like a river upon Jerusalem.鈥�

~ READER 2:
We pray for those whose lives are torn apart by violence and by the absence of love; that the God of all mercy will give us the strength and determination to work for peace, so that we in turn may bring them comfort, support and hope for the future.

~ SUNG:
God hears me when I pray (2)

~ READER 1:
鈥淎nyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.鈥�

~ READER 2:
We pray for our homes, our schools and the communities in which we live; may the God who welcomes everyone, teach us the same hospitality.听 May he help us to treat everyone we meet with love, respect, thoughtfulness and consideration?

~ SUNG:
God hears me when I pray (2)

~ Canon John Udris:
St Therese left us a treasury of prayers and poetry.听 Using her words let us pray together:
~ ALL:
O GOD! MOST BLESSED TRINITY!
WE DESIRE TO LOVE YOU AND TO MAKE YOU LOVED鈥�
WE DESIRE TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR WILL PERFECTLY鈥�
BUT WE FEEL OUR OWN HELPLESSNESS,
SO听 BEG YOU O GOD, TO BE YOURSELF OUR SANCTITY. AMEN

~ Canon John Udris:
Jesus taught us to call his Father our Father and so with childlike trust and love we pray:
~ ALL:
OUR FATHER,
WHO ART IN HEAVEN,
HALLOWED BE THY NAME;
THY KINGDOM COME;
THY WILL BE DONE;
ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.
GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD.
AND FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES,
AS WE FORGIVE THOSE
WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US.
AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION;
BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
FOR THE KINGDOM, THE POWER AND THE GLORY ARE YOURS,
NOW AND FOREVER. AMEN.

~ Canon John Udris:
Thank you for joining us for this act of worship celebrating the life and witness of St Therese of Lisieux.听 We hope you have found encouragement and inspiration for your own daily walk with Christ.听

And so, let us pray:

God our father,
You promised your kingdom to the little ones and the humble of heart.
Give us grace to walk confidently in the way of St Therese of the Child Jesus,
So that, helped by her prayers,
We may see your eternal glory.
We make our prayer through Christ our Lord,
~ ALL:
AMEN

~ Canon John Udris:
The Lord be with you
~ ALL:
AND ALSO WITH YOU

~ Canon John Udris:
Let us go in the peace of Christ.
~ ALL:
THANKS BE TO GOD.

~ SONG: How great thou art:
Stuart K Hine 漏 Kingsway Music

~ INSTRUMENTAL PLAYOUT