31 December 2022

HOLY HOUR
("Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!"Psalm 107:1)

HYMN: No. 90 Come into his presence with thanksgiving in your heart. (Joyful Celebration) Or
any other appropriate one.

LEADER:

With St Ambrose let us pray; “Divine word, eternal light, we adore and worship you. The only
begotten Son of the Father, you are Light of light, a perfect reflection of the Father’s infinite
splendour. Eternal light you came to dispel the world’s darkness. Thank you for the great prove of
your love for us. You have shown yourself to me Christ, face to face, it is in your Sacraments that I
meet you.” Let me bathe in your light, repose and delight in it. May my soul as a clear crystal,
reflect your light, diffuse your love”.

(Pause................ for Moments of Silent and Personal Adoration before the Eucharistic Lord)

INTRODUCTION:

The end of one year sparks starts another. No matter what has happened or what’s happening, we
can thank God for his presence. Gratitude isn’t just the feeling we get after something good happens
to us, it’s a way of thinking and being.We rise above any hard situation when we purposefully look
for what God is doing in the middle of it. Jesus was Lord of the margin. No matter how busy or
pressured He was, He was always able to be present to the present and His presence offered healing
and life to all those He met. After decades of ministry to hurting people, Nancy DeMoss
Wohlgemuth said she have come to believe that a failure to give thanks is at the heart of much, if
not most, of the sense of gloom, despair, and despondency that is so pervasive even among
believers today. Attitude of gratitude brings a host of blessings, while its absence has fatal
repercussions. No matter how little one may actually have, a grateful person enjoys a sense of
fullness. As the year comes to its close, we commit gratefully into God’s hands the happenings of
the past year and ask for direction and guidance to face the new coming year with joyful hope.

(Pause................ for Moments of Silent Personal Prayer)

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING:

ALL: We praise and thank you Lord. Or sing the antiphon “Oh give thanks to the Lord for
He is good…”
LEADER:

Gracious God, thank you for all of the good gifts of this year.Thank you for the supportive family
and friends, for the love received and given and laughter shared.

Thank you for the good health and for the modern healthcare facilities and medical professionals at
our service in moments of ill-health; for secured job and for food on our tables, for fresh air, clean
water, music, art, literature and culture.

Thank you for friendships reaffirmed, hurts forgiven, love recalled, hopes restored, trials and the
lessons learned and wisdom gained from the experiences of the past year.

Thank you for the help received, for random bursts of inspiration. For a book or a film that we
connect with, for peaceful or quiet time that we have been blessed with, this year.

Thank you for the assurance of your ever-abiding presence as we step into the unknown future with
new opportunities and challenges.

HYMN: No. 304. O Spirit, Source of Wisdom (Joyful Celebration) or any other.

SCRIPTURE READING: 1 Thes 5: 12-18

(Pause for few moments after the Scripture Reading)

REFLECTION:
In the letter to the Thessalonians, St Paul enumerates some clear paths to Christian Discipleship.
Respect and esteem in love those who labour among you, and are over you in Christ to
admonish you. (1 Thes 5:12-13a)

It is not always easy to submit to human authority that God places over us. Human as they are,
they can fail and be wrong but we are to respect and esteem our leaders in love because of their
labour in serving and leading God’s faithful. How often have we been frustrated with our
leaders in church? When was the last time we cared for Pastors in our Churches/Parishes and
showed our appreciation for their work?

Encourage the fainthearted. Help the weak, be patient with them all (1Thes 5:14b-14c)

The fainthearted among us could be those hurt or distressed from the afflictions and sufferings
of life. To encourage means to walk alongside with these brothers and sisters who need the
tangible experience of God through bonds of genuine love and care.

Pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thes 5:17-18)

Prayer is a spirit of dependence on God and the oil that keeps the lamp of our faith burning.
Like Paul, we ask Christ to increase our love for one another and to establish our hearts clean
and blameless before God and our neighbour. Christians ought to be thankful in all
circumstances. Being thankless can be a symptom of a spiritual decadence. But how can one
truly give thanks in poor circumstances? We look up to Christ who was in the poorest
circumstance when he was going to the cross to die for our sins.

Do not repay evil for evil…rejoice always (1Thes 5: 15-16)

We are not to return evil for evil but good for evil which is easier said than done. This principle
forbids us not to avoid people we do not like, or people who wrong us. We have to seek their
good and wellbeing. Christians are called to rejoice always. Joy is a hallmark of Christian life
and a fruit of the Spirit. (Gal 5: 22). In the midst of ups and downs of life, Christians can still
find reasons to be joyful in all seasons of life.The promises we have in the gospel is the good
news even in the most trying of circumstances.

HYMN: No. 133 Give thanks with a grateful heart. (Joyful Celebration) or any other.

(Pause....... for Silent Self- examination of conscience in the light of the Gospel)

What is the best thing that happened to me in 2022? What brings me the most joy and how am I
going to do more of that?

In what ways did I grow? Spiritually? Emotionally? Physically? What was the biggest thing I
learned this past year?

What do I need each day to feel my best? Quality sleep? Good nutrition and physical exercise?
Connection with those I love, daily quiet time of prayer? Or integration of all of the above and
more?

GENERAL INTERCESSIONS:

RESPONSE: Lord, hear our prayer.

For the leaders of the Church and the world; that they may be open to the guidance of the Spirit in
all their policies and plans for the coming New Year. We pray, R/-
We pray that we may enter the New Year joyfully, willing to learn and dream, remembering our
many gifts with thanks and looking forward to blessings yet to come. We pray, R/-
We pray that in the midst of life's uncertainties, we may stay grounded in the certainty of Your
unchanging love and face the new, with joyful hope. We pray, R/-
We pray for people who have had trying times due to sudden loss of their loved ones or loss of
property, that the Lord comfort and accompany their journey with his grace and grant eternal rest to
the departed loved ones. We pray, R/-

THE DIVINE PRAISES:(For Benediction)

Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
 Blessed be the name of Jesus.
Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be His Most Precious Blood.

Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.

Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His angels and in His Saints.

CLOSING HYMN: Let us bow in adoration…. or any other appropriate one.

CLOSING PRAYER:

BE OUR LIGHT FOR THE NEW YEAR

Come, Holy Spirit,

Spirit of the Risen Christ, be with us today and always.
Be our Light, our Guide, and our Comforter.
Be our Strength, our Courage, and our Sanctifier.
May this New Year be a time of deep spiritual growth for us,
A time of welcoming your graces and gifts,
A time for forgiving freely and unconditionally,
A time for growing in virtue and goodness. Amen. -- Unknown

-Commission For Liturgy

Archdiocese of Bombay.