What is a shrine?
‘I rejoiced when I heard them say:
Let us go to the
Lord’s house.
Within your gates, O Jerusalem’
Ps 121(122)
John Paul II
A shrine is a prophetic sign of our hope and goal, the New
Jerusalem, to whom we are called when our lives in this world are
complete. In preparation for this, our
Lord invites us at the shrine, to offer ourselves afresh to the work of the
Holy Spirit to establish God’s Kingdom in our midst.
Here we remember the powerful activity of God in our
history. The revelation of Christ began
to be disclosed to our ancestors across Wessex under the care of St
Birinus. This revelation changed our
land, and we inherit its living legacy.
Here, God has built a ‘living temple’ amongst us, a place
where the love of God is constantly made known.
“I shall fix my home among them and live among them; I
will be their God and they will be my people” (2 Cor 6:16)
Here, the mystery of God is made present to those who
approach him with humble veneration.
The Word of God is heard, prayer is offered, and the sacraments are
celebrated. These actions express a spirit of welcome to everyone who is
attracted to holiness.
Here, we offer profound thanksgiving to God for his gift
of love to us. We praise the Lord for
his marvellous works and ask forgiveness for sins we have committed. We implore the gift of faithfulness in our
lives, and the help needed as we make our earthly pilgrimage.
“Ask and it shall be given to you”(Mt
7:7)
Here, remembering our origin in the love of God, we hear
the continuous call to work for the advancement of human dignity, for justice
and for peace. If God so loved us, so
too we must love others, and become ‘living stones’, supporting one another in
the edifice of Christ.
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Almighty God, Father of Mercy,
you gave our forefathers the light of faith
through the preaching of Saint Birinus.
Through his work in this land,
many were brought to life with the word of truth
and nourished with the sacraments of salvation.
By his ministry you gave us the faith;
by his prayers help us to grow in love
and bring Christ to all those around us.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Saint Birinus: pray for us.