Musical Notes | November 3-4

The readings for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time encourage us to love God and love our neighbors through God’s grace. We open the service with the hymn “O Breathe on Me, O Breath of God” (# 902), prayerfully asking God to fill us with love that we can return both to God and to our neighbor.  The Psalm that follows acknowledges, “I love you, Lord, my strength” (# 1183). The preparation hymn is “Where Charity and Love Prevail” (#706).  The Communion hymn, (#919) “I Come with Joy,” recalls that through Jesus’s priesthood, we are brought into communion with God, who is Love, and that the Eucharist strengthens us to share God’s love with others.  Joyfully we close the service with praise and love toward God through verses 1 & 3 of hymn #598 “O God Beyond All Praising.”