1. Weekly Theme W/C 7th May 2012 “God given Gifts”

2. The month of May In the Catholic tradition the month of May is dedicated to Mary. We remember the role she played in our salvation. By saying “Yes” to God Mary enabled the “Word” to become flesh. Her faith allowed Jesus to enter into our world. Holy Virgin by God’s degree, You where called eternally; That he could give his Son to our race. Mary, we praise you, hail full of grace

3. John 15:1-8 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

4. God our Father, look upon us with love. Your Son Jesus has shown us his love and asks us to stay close to him, by using our gifts and talents for the benefit of others; so that we may all come close to you in love. Amen

5. We are called, we are chosen. We are Christ for one another. We are promise for tomorrow while we are for Him today. We are sign, we are wonder. We are sower, we are seed. We are harvest, we are hunger. We are question, we are creed. While you have breath on this day, Give yourself. Amen

6. O Lord of All Gifts, You taught us to live and to love. You taught us how to serve one another as You served, not counting the cost but being available to all. We pray that You will give us generous hearts and spirits that willingly give of our time, talent and treasure to build up Your Kingdom here on earth. Take our feet where they need to go, give us hands that readily reach out to others, give us ears to hear the silent cries of another, eyes to see their needs and hearts to reach out to them. May we bring You to them in our own unique way. We ask this in all humility and gratitude. Amen.

7. We will be Your people-- We have made the choice. We will be Your Body, Heart and soul and voice. We will be Your presence; We will be Your hands, Always gladly giving All that love demands Amen

8. Discovery I cannot invent new things Like the airships which sail on silver wings; But today a wonderful thought was given. And the thought was this: That a secret plan Is hid in my hand; that my hand is big, big, because of this plan. That God, who dwells in my hand, knows this secret plan of the things he will do for the world using my hand.

9. Lord, let Your life and energy flow into us, giving us the power to love and care for one another. Help us to be committed to You, even in the face of many challenges. Teach us to use the unique gifts that you have given us to make the world a better reflection of your will for all humankind. Amen

10. I thank you for everything You have given me. My gifts of time and talents are precious gifts, enable me to use them to do Your will.

12. Dear God, we thank you for all your blessings. We know that all our gifts come from you. May we always give of ourselves. May we use our gifts in a way that shows our gratitude for them. Amen

14. A prayer in preparation for the 2012 Games Eternal God, Giver of joy and source of all strength, we pray for those who prepare for the London Olympic and Paralympic games. For the competitors training for the Games and their loved ones, For the many thousands who will support them, For the Churches and others who are organising special events and who will welcome many people from many nations. In a world where many are rejected and abused, we pray for a spirit of tolerance and acceptance, of humility and respect and for the health and safety of all. May we at the last be led towards the love of Christ who is more than gold, today and forever. Amen