You who gave sight to the blind man
who cried out to you,
have mercy on us, for we are sinners,
Lord, have mercy!
You who entered Zaccheus’ house,
bringing salvation
have mercy on us…
You who called out Lazarus from death,
have mercy on us…
You who forgave the adulterous woman,
have mercy on us…
You who never refused to eat
with prostitutes and sinners,
have mercy on us…
You who from the cross forgave
a robber and a murderer,
have mercy on us…
You who are the only one
who knows our sins,
have mercy on us…
You who loved Judas
to the end,
have mercy on us…
You who are the only one who loves the enemy,
have mercy on us…
You who died and rose
for our justification,
have mercy on us…

The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right and just.
It is indeed right and just,
it is our duty and leads to our salvation
to give you thanks always and everywhere,
almighty and merciful God.
How wonderfully you created man
and still more wonderfully remade him.
You do not abandon the sinner,
but seek him out with a Father’s love.
You sent your Son into the world
to destroy death and sin by his Passion
and to restore life and joy by his Resurrection.
You sent the Holy Spirit into our hearts
to make us your children and heirs of your Kingdom.
You constantly renew our spirit
in the sacraments of your redeeming love,
freeing us from slavery to sin
and transforming us
into the likeness of your beloved Son.
Freeing us from slavery to sin
and transforming us
into the likeness of your beloved Son.
We thank you and bless you, O Lord,
for the wonders of your mercy;
and we join with the whole Church
in a new song of praise.
Holy, holy …

The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right and just.
It is right and just.
It is truly right and just,
our duty and our salvation
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Father most holy, through your beloved
Son, Jesus Christ.
your Word through whom
you made all things,
whom you sent as your Saviour
and Redeemer,
incarnate of the Holy Spirit,
and born of the Virgin.
Fulfilling your will
and gaining for you a holy people:
he stretched out his hands
as he endured his passion,
so as to break the bonds of death
and manifest the resurrection.
He stretched out his hands
as he endured his passion,
so as to break the bonds of death
and manifest the resurrection.
And so, with the Angels and all the Saints
we declare your glory
as with one voice we acclaim:
Holy, holy, holy...

Therefore, as we celebrate
the memorial of his Death and Resurrection,
we offer you Lord, the Bread of life
and the Chalice of salvation,
giving thanks that you have held us worthy
to be in your presence and minister to you.
Humbly we pray
that, partaking in the Body and Blood of Christ
we may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.
Remember, Lord, your Church,
spread throughout the world,
and bring her to the fullness of charity,
together with … our Pope,
…, our Bishop,
and all the clergy.
Remember also our brothers and sisters
who have fallen asleep
in the hope of the resurrection,
and all who have died in your mercy:
welcome them into the light of your face.
Have mercy on us all, we pray,
that with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
with the blessed Apostles,
and with all the Saints
who have pleased you throughout the ages,
we may merit to be coheirs to eternal life,
and may praise and glorify you
through your Son, Jesus Christ.
Through him, and with him, and in him,
O God almighty Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honour is yours,
for ever and ever.
Amen, amen, amen.

The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right and just.
It is right and just.
It is truly right and just,
our duty and our salvation,
at all times to acclaim you, O Lord,
but on this night / on this day / in this time
above all
to laud you yet more gloriously,
when Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.
For he is the true Lamb
who has taken away the sins of the world;
by dying, he has destroyed our death,
and by rising, restored our life!
By dying, he’s destroyed our death,
by rising, he restored our life!
By dying, he’s destroyed our death,
by rising, he restored our life!
Therefore, overcome with paschal joy,
every land, every people exults in your praise
and even the heavenly Powers,
with the angelic hosts,
sing, sing, the unending hymn of your glory,
as they acclaim:
Holy, holy, holy…

We praise you, O God,
we proclaim you as Lord,
O Eternal Father,
all the earth adores you.
To you sing the angels
and all the powers of heaven,
holy, holy, holy,
holy, holy, holy,
Lord God of the Universe!
Heaven and earth
are full of your glory.
The choir of apostles acclaims you
and the white-robed army of martyrs.
The voices of the prophets unite in your praise,
the holy Church proclaims your glory,
adoring your only Son,
and the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
O Christ, king of glory,
eternal Son of the Father,
you were born of the Virgin Mother
for the salvation of man.
Victorious over death,
you opened to the faithful the kingdom of Heaven.
You sit at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.
You will come to judge the world at the end of time.
Help your servants, O Lord,
redeemed by your precious blood.
May we be numbered with your saints
in everlasting glory.
Save your people, O Lord,
guide and protect your children.
Day by day we bless you,
we praise your name for ever.
Grant today, O Lord,
to keep us free from sin.
May your mercy be ever with us:
in you have we hoped.
Have mercy on us, O Lord,
have mercy on us.
You are our hope,
may we never be confounded.

How much longer will you forget me, O my Lord?
How much longer
will you hide your face from me?
I will sing to the Lord,
I will sing
to him who is my Saviour!
Look at me, answer me, O Lord my God,
give light to my eyes,
lest I sleep the sleep of death.
I will sing to the Lord…
Lest my foes say: "We have prevailed over him,"
lest my oppressors
rejoice because I've stumbled.
I will sing to the Lord…
But I, I rely upon your love,
and my heart
will rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord…

Lord, Lord Jesus!
May my plea reach your presence,
a new song spring from my lips;
may my tongue sing your words,
Jesus, my life!
May your hand be with me to help me,
I await salvation from you;
May my soul live to praise you;
look at me, I am lost!
Come in search of your servant,
come, Lord Jesus!
Come, for without you I'm lost,
come, Lord Jesus!

The Lord is my light and my salvation:
whom need I fear?
The Lord is the fortress of my life:
of whom shall I be afraid?
I am sure I shall see
your goodness, O Lord.
Wait for the Lord, take courage,
wait for the Lord, take courage,
wait for the Lord, take courage,
wait for the Lord.
One thing I ask of the Lord,
only one thing I seek:
to live in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life.
I am sure I shall see…
The Lord hides me in His shelter
in times of trouble.
The Lord stretches out His hand to me;
I shall walk in safety.
I am sure I shall see…

I had faith, even when I said:
"How wretched I am!"
I said in my affliction:
"No man can be trusted."
But the Lord pulled me out of death,
remembering his mercy,
and now, return to your rest,
O my soul.
What can I give back to the Lord
for the good he has done to me?
I will take, I will lift up,
I will take, I will lift up
the cup of salvation,
and I’ll invoke the name of the Lord.
I will offer you a sacrifice of praise,
crying out your name, O my Lord,
because you looked upon my state,
and you have saved me.
My prayer I lift up to you,
together with all your Church,
I shall walk in your presence,
among the living.
Precious in the eyes of the Lord
is the death of his children.
I will take, I will lift up…
The snares of death fettered me,
distress and anguish forced me down;
I called upon the name of the Lord
and he has saved me.
My soul, return to your rest,
you will walk in the presence of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of your God,
the God of the living.
What can I give back to the Lord
for the good he has done to me?
I will take, I will lift up…

Blessed be the Lord,
the God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people,
raising up for us a power of salvation
in the house of his servant David.
According to the promise made from ancient times,
through the mouths of his holy prophets,
that he would save us from our enemies
and from the hands of all those who hate us.
Fulfilling in this way the mercy
he had with our fathers,
remembering his holy Covenant,
and the oath he swore to our father, Abraham,
that he would set us free from fear
to be delivered from the hands of our enemies,
to serve him in holiness and virtue
in his presence all our days.
Blessed be the Lord...
And you, little child,
you shall be called Prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord
to prepare a way for him,
announcing to his people salvation
and forgiveness of their sins.
Because of the tender mercy of our God,
a sun, rising from on high, will visit us,
to give light to those who live in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Blessed be the Lord…

Let us sing to the Lord,
let us sing to the Lord.
He’s covered himself in glory,
in glory, in glory.
He has thrown into the sea
horse and rider.
My strength and my song
is the Lord.
He is my salvation,
he’s my God;
I will extol him.
He has thrown into the sea
horse and rider,
horse and rider.
The Lord is a warrior,
The Lord is his name;
Pharaoh’s chariots
and his hosts
he cast into the sea.
He has thrown into the sea…
My strength and my song…
Your right hand, O Lord,
glorious in power,
your right hand, O Lord,
shattered the enemy,
shattered the enemy.
He has thrown into the sea…
The enemy said:
"I will give chase and overtake,
I shall draw my sword,
I’ll share out the spoils,
my hand will destroy them.”
He has thrown into the sea…
One breath of yours you blew
and the sea closed over them,
they sank like lead
in the mighty waters,
in the waters of death.
He has thrown into the sea…
Who is like you among the gods,
who is like you, O Lord,
majestic in holiness,
terrible in deeds,
worker of wonders?
He has thrown into the sea…
You have guided this people
which you have rescued;
with strength you have led them,
with strength and love
to your Holy House.
He has thrown into the sea…
You have brought them in and planted them
on the mountain of your promise
where you, O Lord, reign;
you reign eternally,
you reign forever.
He has thrown into the sea…

Come, ring out our joy to the Lord,
let us acclaim the rock
of our salvation!
Let us come before him
and give him thanks,
let us acclaim him
with songs of joy!
Because a mighty God is the Lord,
a great king above all other gods;
in his hands are the depths of the earth,
the heights of the mountains are his;
to him belongs the sea for he made it,
and the dry land shaped by his hands.
Come, ring out our joy to the Lord…
Come, let us bow low before him
and kneel before the God who made us;
he is the one who guides us in the desert.
Let us listen today to his voice;
let us not harden our hearts
as our fathers did before us.
Come, ring out our joy to the Lord…
In the desert your fathers tested me,
even though they had seen my deeds.
For forty years I was wearied
of that wicked generation;
then I took an oath in my anger:
"Never shall they enter my rest."
Come, ring out our joy to the Lord…

To the paschal victim
we offer today the sacrifice of praise.
The flock is ransomed by the Lamb,
the Innocent has reconciled us sinners to the Father.
Death and life contended
in mighty battle,
the Lord of life was slain,
yet he lives to reign.
Tell us Mary: what did you see upon the way?
The tomb of the Lord empty,
the glory of Christ as he rose,
the angels, the shroud and grave clothes.
For Christ my hope is risen:
he goes before us into Galilee.
He goes before us into Galilee.
Yes, we are sure: Christ is truly risen!
Yes, we are sure: Christ is truly risen!
He goes before us into Galilee.
He goes before us into Galilee.
To the paschal victim…
You, victorious King, give us your salvation!

I hoped, I hoped in the Lord
and he has stooped down to me;
he heard my cry for help,
he has pulled me out of the pit of death.
He has pulled me out of the pit of death,
from the mire of the marsh
he set my feet on a rock
and put me on a way of salvation.
I hoped, I hoped in the Lord…
He has put a new song on my lips,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
they will trust in the Lord.
I hoped, I hoped in the Lord…
Happy the man who trusts in the Lord,
who does not side with the proud
nor join those who follow false gods;
happy the man who trusts in the Lord.
I hoped, I hoped in the Lord…
How many wonders have you done, O my Lord,
how many plans have you made for us?
No one can be compared with you,
should I proclaim them,
they are too many to be counted.
I hoped, I hoped in the Lord…
Sacrifice and offering you do not want,
instead you have opened my ear.
You did not want sacrifice for sin,
then I said, "Here I am,
I'm coming to do your will."
Sacrifice and offering you do not want,
instead you have opened my ear.
You did not want sacrifice for sin,
then I said, "Here I am,
I'm coming to do your will."
I hoped, I hoped in the Lord…
In the scroll of the book it is written
that I should do, O Lord, your will;
my God, this is what I want:
your law in the depth of my heart.
I hoped, I hoped in the Lord…

As a doe yearns for running streams,
so my soul is thirsting for you, my God,
My soul is thirsting for God, for the living God,
when shall I see the face of God?
Tears are my food day and night,
while my enemies say to me all day long:
"Where is your God? Where is your God?
Where is your God?"
My soul is filled with sadness
when I remember
how I used to walk
in the midst of a people rejoicing.
Why are you downcast my soul,
why do you sigh within me?
Hope in God, hope in God,
and you will praise him again.
Because he, he is my salvation.
He is my God, he is my God.
Hope in God, hope in God,
hope in God, hope in God,
and you will praise him again.
How many times have I said to God, my rock:
"Why have you forsaken me? "
Why do I walk
sadly oppressed by my enemies?
My bones are crushed
from hearing all day long:
"Where is your God?
Where is your God?"
Lord, send your light and your truth:
let them lead me to your holy temple,
then I will be able to sing to you a song of feast,
a song of joy on my guitar.
Why are you downcast my soul…

Shout with joy,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel.
The Lord God is my salvation,
I will trust, I will not be afraid
for the Lord is my strength and my song;
he is my Saviour.
Shout with joy…
With joy you shall draw water
from the wells of salvation.
Praise the Lord, call upon his name,
manifest his marvels among the peoples.
Shout with joy…
Sing hymns to the Lord,
great things he has done for us.
Shout with joy,
all you people of Zion,
for God loves you.
Shout with joy…

I shall not die
but I shall live
to proclaim
the deeds of the Lord.
He has punished me,
he has punished me,
but he
has not abandoned me to death.
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good,
his love is everlasting.
Let Israel say that he is good,
his love is everlasting.
Let the house of Aaron say:
"His love is everlasting."
Let those who fear the Lord say:
"His love is everlasting."
In my anguish I cried to the Lord,
he answered and saved me.
The Lord is at my side, I do not fear;
what can man do against me?
The Lord is with me, he is my helper;
I shall defy my foes.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in men.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in the powerful.
They surrounded me,
they surrounded me,
but in the name of the Lord
I overcame them.
I was pressed,
I was pressed,
but in the name of the Lord
I overcame them.
They swarmed around me like bees,
but in the name of the Lord I overcame them.
They blazed like a fire among thorns,
but in the name of the Lord I overcame them.
My strength and my song is the Lord;
he has been my salvation.
There are shouts of joy and victory
in the tents of the just.
The Lord's right hand is raised up
and has worked marvels for us.
I shall not die
but I shall live…
Open to me the gates of justice;
I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
This is the gateway of the Lord
through which the just will enter.
I thank you for you have answered me;
you have been my salvation.
The stone rejected by the builders
has become the corner stone.
This is the work of the Lord;
a marvel in our eyes.
This is the day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and exult in it.
I shall not die
but I shall live…
O Lord, grant us salvation!
O Lord, grant us success!
Blessed, in the name of the Lord,
blessed is he who comes.
We bless you from the house of the Lord;
the Lord God is our light.
Go forward in procession with branches,
even to the altar.
You are my God, I thank you,
my God, I praise you.
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good,
for his love is everlasting.

Tell the faint of heart,
tell, tell it to the poor:
"Courage! Do not be afraid,
your God is coming
to save you."
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
the ears of the deaf unsealed;
then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongues of the dumb shall sing for joy.
Because there will be a road,
a way of salvation,
a way, a path for the poor.
By this way shall return
all those ransomed by the Lord.
By this way shall return
all those ransomed by the Lord.
All the poor, the blind, the lame,
the far away from the Lord.
All the poor, the blind, the lame,
the far away from the Lord.
The sinners.
And they shall sing: “Happiness!”
And they shall sing: “Happiness!”
Alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia!

If anyone keeps my word,
he will never taste death.
You are the only One, the only One with joy,
who is like the Lord?
Crown of salvation:
Memorial of joy.
Day of rest and holiness
you’ve given to your people.
Abraham saw this day
and in Isaac he rejoiced.
Jacob and his sons
rested on this day.
Jacob and his sons
rested on this day.
Day of rest and holiness
you’ve given to your people.

I love the Lord for he listens
to the cry of my appeal,
for he turned his ear to me
on the day when I called him.
They surrounded me, the snares of death,
the bonds of Sheol held me fast,
they caught me, sorrow and distress,
I called on the name of the Lord:
"O Lord, my God, deliver me."
Return, my soul, to your rest,
for the Lord has been good to you;
He has rescued you from death
and kept your feet from stumbling.
He has rescued you from death
and kept your feet from stumbling.
I had faith even when I said:
"I am sorely afflicted,"
and when I said in my alarm
"No man can be trusted."
How can I repay the Lord,
for all his goodness to me?
The cup of salvation I will raise,
invoking the name of the Lord:
"O Lord, my God, deliver me."
Return, my soul, to your rest,
for the Lord has been good to you;
he has rescued you from death
and kept your feet from stumbling.
He has rescued you from death
and kept your feet from stumbling.

Mary, House of all blessing,
salvation of our age,
earthly abode of the Humble One.
You, as in Cana in Galilee,
have seen we were lacking wine,
that our feast was no feast,
that our life was no life,
because death reigned over us.
Mary, House of all blessing…
You have led us to your Son,
and have taught us to obey him,
and to do all that he tells us,
so as to change our water into new wine.
Victory! Victory!
Life Eternal in Christ risen!
Alleluia, allelu, alleluia!
Alleluia, allelu, alleluia!

Hide me
in the depths of your tent,
set me high
on a rock.
The Lord is my light and my salvation:
whom need I fear?
The Lord is the fortress of my life:
of whom should I be afraid?
Hide me…
When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh,
they, my opponents, my enemies,
are the ones who stumble and fall.
Hide me…
Even if an army encamped against me,
my heart would not be afraid;
though war were waged against me,
my trust would still be firm.
Hide me…
One thing I ask of the Lord,
only one thing I seek:
to live in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life.
Hide me…
The Lord hides me under his shelter
in times of trouble.
The Lord stretches out his hand to me,
I shall walk in safety.
Hide me…
Hear O Lord my voice when I call to you;
have mercy on me and be attentive.
I seek your face, O Lord,
do not hide your face from me.
Hide me…

Jesus entered Jericho, and was going through the city,
Jesus entered Jericho, and was going through the city.
And behold a man called Zaccheus,
chief of the publicans and very rich,
was trying to see Jesus.
But he could not, for he was short.
Then he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore,
because Jesus was to pass that way,
because Jesus was to pass that way.
When Jesus came to that place, he lifted up his eyes,
saw him and said to him:
“Zaccheus, come down at once,
for today it behoves me to stay at your house.”
for today it behoves me to stay at your house.”
Zaccheus came down in a hurry
and welcomed him full of joy.
Seeing this, they all murmured:
“He has entered the house of a sinner.”
And Zaccheus stood up and said to the Lord:
“Behold, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor
And if I have cheated anyone,
I will give him back fourfold.”
And Jesus answered him:
“Today salvation has entered this house,
Today salvation has entered this house.
Because he too is a son of Abraham,
because the Son of Man has come to seek
and save that which was lost.”
Jesus, entered Jericho, and was going…
“Today salvation has entered this house,
today salvation has entered this house.
Because he too is a son of Abraham.”
Zaccheus is you.
Zaccheus, come down at once.
The Lord wants to enter your house.

Listen to me, remotest islands, all the nations,
thus speaks the Lord, the Holy One of Israel
to him whose life is despised,
whom the nations loathe,
to the slave of the oppressors:
"The kings shall see you, they will stand up,
the princes of the earth
they will bow down,
I have chosen you, I’ve chosen you."
At the time of favour I will hear you,
on the day of salvation I will help you,
I have set you as a Covenant for the peoples.”
"The kings shall see you…
"You will say to prisoners: 'Come out!;'
you will say to the blind: 'See!;'
you will guide the peoples to the waters of life."
"The kings shall see you…
But Zion says:
"The Lord has abandoned me,
the Lord has forgotten me."
"Can a mother forget
the baby at her breast?
Or fail to cherish
the son of her womb?
Even if a mother
forget her baby
I will not forget you.
Look at me, I have branded you
on the palms of my hands.
Look at me, I have branded you
on the palms of my hands."
"The kings shall see you…

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.
For he has anointed me, he has sent me
to announce salvation,
to announce salvation,
to announce salvation
to the poor whose hearts are broken.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.
For he has anointed me, he has sent me
to announce salvation,
that the blind may see,
the lame may walk,
the lepers may be cleansed,
to announce salvation.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.
For he has anointed me, he has sent me
to announce salvation.

Blessed
be God,
the Father
of Jesus Christ,
for he has chosen us
before the creation of the world,
for he has blessed us
with every kind of love,
to be holy and blameless
in love.
To be
the praise of his glory,
the glory of his grace,
the grace of his love,
with which he loved us
in Jesus Christ.
Blessed…
In him
we have redemption,
the forgiveness of our sins
according to the richness of his love,
so that in the fullness of time,
all things would be united under Christ.
To be…
Blessed…
In him all of us,
who have heard the Word of truth,
the Good News
of our salvation,
have been sealed with the Holy Spirit,
making us his people.
To be…

The glorious cross of the risen Lord
is the tree of my salvation;
on it I feed, in it I delight,
in its roots I grow,
in its branches I lie down.
Its dew makes me glad,
its breeze gives me life,
in its shadow I have put my tent.
In hunger, my nourishment, in thirst, the fountain,
in nakedness, my clothing.
Hard path, narrow road,
Jacob's ladder, bed of love
where the Lord married us.
The glorious cross…
In fear, defence,
in stumbling, support,
in victory, crown,
in struggle, you are reward.
Tree of eternal life,
pillar of the universe,
skeleton of the earth,
your peak reaches heaven,
and in your open arms
shines the love of God.
The glorious cross…

Clothe yourselves in the armour of God,
carrying the weapons of light.
Because our struggle
is not against creatures of flesh and blood,
but against the spirits of evil
which live in this world of darkness.
Gird your loins
with the truth,
clothe yourselves
with the justice of the cross,
which does not resist evil,
but takes on itself the sins of others.
Having shod your feet
with zeal to announce of the Gospel,
above all
carry the shield of faith –
That Christ really loves you,
that he died on the cross for you
when you were wicked and a sinner.
Carry the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God,
and the helmet
of salvation.
That Christ Jesus rose from death!
That he is the Lord,
that he will come again, he will come again
and will take us with him!
Alleluia, allelu, allelu, alleluia!

O Jesus, my love,
how much you have loved me,
how much you have loved me.
O Jesus, my love…
O Jesus, you have received sins from me,
so that I receive forgiveness from you.
O Jesus, my love…
You have received the thorns of pride from me,
so that I receive humility from you.
O Jesus, my love…
You have received the lashes of lust from me,
so that I receive love and purity from you.
O Jesus, my love…
You have been stripped by me,
so that I receive freedom from riches from you.
O Jesus, my love…
You have received gall and vinegar from me,
so that I receive sweetness from you.
You have received insults and mockery from me,
so that I receive meekness from you
You have received the nails from me,
so that I receive obedience from you
O Jesus, my love…
You have received the cross from me,
so that I receive salvation from you.
O Jesus, my love…
You have received death from me,
so that I receive life from you.
O Jesus, my love…
You have received the tomb from me,
so that I receive resurrection from you.
O Jesus, my love…
From me, O Lord, you have received death and sin,
so that I receive from you, all of yourself,
to me, to me, you gave yourself.
O Jesus, my love…

You who dwell in the gardens,
where my companions are listening,
let me hear your voice,
let me hear your voice.
Flee, my beloved,
like a gazelle,
like a young stag,
on the sweet scented mountains.
I am in his eyes
as one who has found peace,
my vineyard is here in front of me,
my vineyard is here in front of me,
Flee, my beloved,
like a gazelle,
like a young stag,
on the sweet scented mountains.
You who dwell in the gardens…
The Church through Baptism has been introduced into the gardens of the Kingdom "where the
companions are listening."
There, as she has been made mother and teacher of all nations because of the experience of
love she has received and because of the suffering, the joys, the failures, the recoveries and – we
could say – because of the history of salvation that the Song of Songs expresses, the Church is
invited by the Bridegroom to let her voice be heard in a final yearning.
The Church answers with an eschatological paschal cry: what she has come to know and
experienced of the Bridegroom makes her desire to flee with him in a final exodus "to the sweet
scented mountains," which is Heaven, forever free.

Like honey flowing from the comb
and milk from the breast of a woman
who loves her babies,
as a spring pours out its peaceful waters,
so my heart pours out its praise.
And from my lips springs forth praise for him
and my mouth is full of the sweetness of his name
and my limbs delight in his songs.
Because his light eases my pain,
because his simple and loving gaze
heals my heart,
because immortal life
has made its home within us.
Alleluia, alleluia, allelu, allelu, alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, allelu, allelu, alleluia!
Like honey flowing from the comb
and milk from the breast of a woman
who loves her babies,
as a spring pours out its peaceful waters,
so my heart pours out its praise.
And my face lights up with his joy
and my spirit rejoices in his love
and my heart, filled with his serene light,
feels the love of his gaze.
Because in him fear becomes trust.
Because in him fear becomes trust.
Because in him salvation is secure.
Because in him salvation is secure.
Because immortal life
has made its home within us.
Alleluia, alleluia, allelu, allelu, alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, allelu, allelu, alleluia!

You have covered death with shame,
you have thrown hell into mourning,
you have struck iniquity,
you have deprived injustice of her children,
as Moses did to Pharaoh,
as Moses did to Pharaoh.
You have brought us from slavery to freedom,
from darkness to light, from death to life.
You are the passover of our salvation,
you are the lamb born of Mary.
Mary, she-lamb without blemish,
Mary, the innocent she-lamb.
You have been slain in Abel,
you have been bound in Isaac,
sold in Joseph,
abandoned on the waters in Moses,
persecuted in David,
mocked and despised in all the prophets.
You are the lamb who does not open his mouth,
you are the lamb born of Mary.
Mary, she-lamb without blemish…
You were taken from the flock,
led to sacrifice,
slaughtered in the evening,
buried in the night,
your blessed body did not experience corruption.
You rose from death,
and made mankind rise
from the depths of the tomb.
You are the lamb who does not open his mouth,
you are the lamb born of Mary.
Mary, she-lamb without blemish…