St Peters RC Church Hamilton

“ ‘I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the LORD. It shall come to pass in that day that I will answer, says the LORD. ‘I will answer the heavens, and they shall answer the earth. The earth shall answer with grain, with new wine, with oil...’” (Hosea 2 v 20, 22)

That day is the day of the Lord Jesus,

He who lived to die upon a † for us,

For our salvation and sanctification.

All work of righteousness emanates from Christ Jesus,

The promise of our Father of mercy.

“ ‘I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in loving kindness and mercy.” (Hosea 2 v 19)

Surely the world needs to know this,

To recognise that healing forgiveness

Is found only in the life and sacrifice of Jesus.

Jesus, the Divine Healer is our forever Saviour.

“ ‘I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the LORD.” (Hosea 2 v 20)

Upon our sinful world is gifted Your mercy,

The gracious gift of holiness offered us in Jesus.

What am unimaginable blessing falls to us

At the †of forgiveness re-called in the Holy Eucharist.

“Let them praise Your great and awesome name – He is holy.” (Psalm 99 v 3)

We too, are being made holy,

For we believe in the salvation won for us at the † .

We come to holy communion to receive from Christ Jesus.

We look to find the power of holy love and mercy

And we do this sacramentally by the Holy Eucharist.

“So we, who are not saints, must still proceed by the same road; by loveliness, patience, trust in God, recollecting that we are in His presence, and thankfulness for His mercies.” (“The Soil of our Hearts” St John Henry Newman)

Jesus, the Christ, our Saviour and King,

To Him, we His flock, all homage bring,

With heartfelt thanks and warmest adoration,

For Jesus is Lord, the Victor of our salvation.

“...who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sin, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes we were healed.” (based on 2 Peter 2 v 24)

“For we were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to our Shepherd and Overseer of our souls.” (based on 2 Peter 2 v 25)

“Now because we died with Christ we believe that we will continue to live with Him...He only needed to die once, and when He did so He dealt with the power of sin once and for all. Now He lives to reveal the truth of God and His amazing grace.” (Romans 6 v 6, 10 The Truth) Please pray with regard to our sin dealt with mercifully at the † of salvation, the reality brought to us in the holy Eucharist, is re-presenting to us freedom from our limitations and healing from our brokenness, as we are reborn in the love of Christ Jesus, according to our Father’s mercy, as worked by the Holy Spirit who draws us to new life.

“With the † we are freed from the restraint of the enemy, and we clutch on to the strength of salvation.” (St Theodore the Studite) Yes, please, please pray with thanksgiving for all that is made holy in sharing of life with the Lord Jesus. “For those who live in Christ Jesus have been set free from all condemnation. Through Christ Jesus a different principle now lives in us, a new law: the Spirit of Life.

He has set us free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8 v 1, 2 The Truth) Amen.