Good Evening Dear Ones!
Happy Take Care Tuesday! Wow! I just woke up from my nap and realized I wanted to complete my words to you. Rest time for me comes at different times of the day! Still trying to adjust to walking, recovering from my parathyroidectomy and the fall I took in June! We all need to become more mindful of the life God has given us to live. When God says "Whoa, slow down!" we really need to be enthusiastically compliant. Four years ago I was undergoing chemotherapy for colon cancer and learned this first hand. I sometimes forget about what I had learned. It still applies to me today. Recovery from any illness takes time. We all need to cut ourselves a lot of slack and not beat ourselves up. That is why we are in this period of reflection this week. Tonight we remember Moses the Black, Martin Luther King Jr's "I have a Dream" speech, and meditate and pray for racial reconciliation. Enjoy this meditative miscellany, and so Beloved Community let us begin!
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
"Take care of your body as if you were going to live forever; and take care of your soul as if you were going to die tomorrow." - Saint Augustine
"Look at the animals roaming the forest: God’s spirit dwells within them. Look at the birds flying across the sky: God’s spirit dwells within them. Look at the tiny insects crawling in the grass: God’s spirit dwells within them. Look at the fish in the river and sea….There is no creature on earth in whom God is absent… his breath had brought every creature to life… God’s spirit is present within plant as well. The presence of God’s spirit in all living things is what makes them beautiful; and if we look with God’s eyes, nothing on earth is ugly." - Pelagius
"God of our life, there are days when the burdens we carry chafe our shoulders and weigh us down; when the road seems dreary and endless, the skies gray and threatening; when our lives have no music in them, and our hearts are lonely, and our souls have lost their courage. Flood the path with light, run our eyes to where the skies are full of promise; tune our hearts to brave music; give us the sense of comradeship with heroes and saints of every age; and so quicken our spirits that we may be able to encourage the souls of all who journey with us on the road of life, to your honor and glory." - Saint Augustine
Grant us, Lord, to understand the value of soul friendship, to celebrate Your goodness seen in all creation, and to cherish every human being as made in Your own image. Help us to love peace, to prize love and to seek after harmony in every part of our life. Amen.
As the tamed horse
still hears the call of her wild brothers
and as the farmed goose flaps hopeful wings
as his sisters fly overhead,
so too, perhaps,
the wild ones amongst us
are our only hope in calling us back
to our true nature.
Wild ones
who have not been turned to stone
by the far-reaching grasp of the empire
and its programme of consumer sedation,
the killing of imagination.
Where, my friends,
have the wild ones gone?
Joel McKerrow
As it is the anniversary of the "I Have a Dream Speech" Let us pray this special Canon from the Brotherhood of Moses the Black
Canon for Racial Reconciliation
Glory to God for all the flowers in His garden
Tone 2
Ode I
Irmos: In the deep of old, the infinite power overwhelmed Pharaoh’s whole army, but the incarnate Word annihilated pernicious sin, exceedingly glorious is the Lord, for gloriously hath He been glorified.
Glory to God for all the flowers in His garden
Because “the Stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner”, the disparate races are conjoined again. (Ps 118:22)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Even as Christ commanded us to love the Lord thy God “with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength”, so He also called us to “love thy neighbor as thyself” (Mark 12:30), (Mark 12:31).
Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
The sum of humanity’s reconciliation to God is voiced in one acclamation. Theotokos. She who bears God.
Ode III
Irmos: By establishing me on the rock of faith, Thou hast enlarged my mouth over my enemies, and my spirit rejoices when I sing: There is none holy as our God, and none righteous beside Thee, O Lord.
Glory to God for all the flowers in His garden
Putting behind the Noahic curse (Gen 9:26), we press “toward the mark for the prize of high calling of God in Christ Jesus”, by seeing the mark of God upon each face. (Phil 4:14)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Splintered by callous condemnation, Noah’s sons split the races in three. But the blood of the Second person of the Trinity filled the divide, restoring a common humanity in Christ.
Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
The Theotokos not only joined man to God but also began the process of reconciling man to man and race to race.
Sedalion, tone 4
O Lord, when You close all the loftily divisive and distracting worldly windows, bring us to the doors of repentance.
By the left door of remorse, let us bring our hearts, broken and humbled. By the right door of resolve, let us bring our minds wholly redirected by your Holy Spirit to the throne of Christ.
Bring us to that table where all may find a place.
For all the races of humanity can be found in your garden, where each of us is one of your beloved flowers.
Ode IV
Irmos: From a Virgin didst Thou come, not as an ambassador nor as an angel, but the very Lord himself incarnate, and didst save me the whole man. Wherefore I cry to Thee: Glory to Thy power O Lord.
Glory to God for all the flowers in His garden
Putting behind the pain of his brother’s murder, St Dionysius applied the fruit of familial repentance. He applied the forgiving balm of Christ to the repentant soul of his brother’s murderer. He gave him the sacrament of absolution after the man sincerely confessed his sins.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
The three Hypostases, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, regard the heart, not the might nor the melanin. Alas I will trust in Him Who has made all things, sees all things, hears all things and feels all things, great and small.
Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
O compassionately loving Mary, full of grace and mercy, teach us to love one another, even if love is not initially returned.
Ode V
Irmos: Thou who are the light of those lying in darkness, and the salvation of the despairing, O Christ my Savior, I rise early to pray to Thee, O King of Peace. Enlighten me with Thy radiance, for I know no other God beside Thee.
Glory to God for all the flowers in His garden
Putting behind the mark of Cain, we strive to see past our neighbor’s specks and concentrate on our own remarkably large beams of sin that need unceasing prayer.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
The consubstantial Trinity in God glorified seeks the restoration by adoption of all mankind. Yet all must come to the throne of grace by free will. How wonderful is our God.
Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Sweet Mother of the Merciful God, your raiment has threads from the four corners of the earth. All generations bless you.
Ode VI
Irmos: Whirled about in the abyss of sin, I appeal to the unfathomable abyss of Thy compassion: from corruption raise me up, O God.
Glory to God for all the flowers in His garden
Putting behind the memories of being sold into slavery, Joseph acknowledged that it was God and not his apologetic brothers who “did send me before you to preserve life” (Gen 45:5). So also let us acknowledge the fulfillment of God’s ineffable will.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one in essence and undivided. Man, though created, has been granted everlasting salvation by partaking of the body and blood of Christ. Thus, is man reunited to God and to man.
Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Rejoice O Virgin, for He who made thy womb more spacious than the Heavens, has come to reconcile Man to God and Man to Man.
Kontakion, tone 4
For the weak, let us share strength. For the strong in Christ, let us forego condemnation. For the strong can bear the infirmities of weak in Christ; through Him all things can be done, for the Trinity alone is Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal.
Ode VII
Irmos: When the golden image was worshipped in the plain of Dura, thy three children despised the godless order, thrown into the fire, they were bedewed and sang: blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers.
Glory to God for all the flowers in His garden
As all races may build the bridge of reconciliation through a sharing of the fruits of repentance, so relationship is reformed. While the Prodigal Son can give the fruit of humility, the Big Brother can give the fruit of patience and forgiveness.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Putting behind the cries of betrayal, Christ carried forward his cross. By love and obedience, not by nails, did He remain on the cross, trampling death by death.
Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Putting behind the crucifying cries, the Holy Virgin endured pain worse than the travail of birth. By love, she gave birth to love. By faith, she went from strength to strength. By hope, she watched the Light of Light, slip into Hades and then soar back to the Heavens.
Ode VIII
Irmos: O ye works, praise the Lord God, who descended into the fiery furnace with the Hebrew children and changed the flame into dew, and supremely exalt Him unto all ages.
Glory to God for all the flowers in His garden
Putting behind the memories of Israel, Daniel kept his sight on God, though he was a stranger in a strange land.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Even as repentance is more than being sorry, so racial reconciliation is more than having the oppressor offer an apology. The fruit of repentance may vary in form and fashion. The Prophet David would offer a psalm. St Zaccheus would offer a four fold restoration. St John Maximovitch would offer his fasting and an orphanage. St Menas would offer his martyr’s blood. St Luke would offer his icons and healing counsel. St Herman would leave familiar surroundings and bring Orthodoxy to America. St Thais would offer her thankful, heartfelt and tearful prayers. St Moses would offer his humble bag of spilling sand.
Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
O Joy of All Who Sorrow, sanctify us by your intercession before your Son and our Saviour. For He, who sat upon your arm, is strong and mighty, True God of True God. Help us to reunite together in love, patient co-suffering and unspeakable joy.
Ode IX
Irmos: God the Word, who came forth from God, and who by ineffable wisdom came to renew Adam after his grievous fall to corruption through eating, and who ineffably took flesh from the Holy Virgin for our sake, Him do we the faithful with one accord magnify with hymns.
Glory to God for all the flowers in His garden
Putting behind the sorrow of racial division, let us see the good and commonality of one another in Christ. For the garment of gladness is the same.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Let God be glorified from above and from united voices below. Let those with much share so there would be none with little. Let the daily loaves that the Lord sends be split generously, so that the races will no longer be prone to splitting.
Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Yea, Holy Mother, Awesome Reconciler who cannot be put to shame, help us to heal our wounds of race, class, gender and nationality with the binding balm of the all-embracing Christ, who shall come again with glory, and whose manifold united kingdom will have no end.
Dismissal
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen +
Let us light our candles and be at prayer!
Light of the World Phos hilaron
Light of the world, in grace and beauty,
Mirror of God’s eternal face,
Transparent flame of love’s free duty,
You bring salvation to our race.
Now, as we see the lights of evening,
We raise our voice in hymns of praise;
Worthy are you of endless blessing,
Sun of our night, lamp of our days.
In Lak 'Ech
Tú eres mi otro yo.
You are my other me.
Si te hago daño a ti,
If I do harm to you,
Me hago daño a mi mismo.
I do harm to myself.
Si te amo y respeto,
If I love and respect you,
Me amo y respeto yo.
I love and respect myself.
Luis Valdez
A Smudging Prayer
Creator, our Father in heaven, we come to you as your children. We confess that we are weak and broken images of you. We pray for the forgiveness and healing you give in Jesus Christ. May his Spirit clean our spirits, minds, hearts, and bodies. We pray that your Holy Spirit will help us to worship in spirit and truth. We pray in the name of Jesus, so that his Spirit will carry our prayers to you. Amen.
We must dissent from the indifference. We must dissent from the apathy. We must dissent from the fear, the hatred and the mistrust. We must dissent from a nation that has buried its head in the sand, waiting in vain for the needs of its poor, its elderly, and its sick to disappear and just blow away. We must dissent from a government that has left its young without jobs, education or hope. We must dissent from the poverty of vision and the absence of moral leadership. We must dissent because America can do better, because America has no choice but to do better." - Thurgood Marshall
O God our shield and armor of light, whom we adore with all the angelic host: defend us from evil; watch over any who are in danger this night and give your angels charge over them; and grant that we may always rejoice in your heavenly protection and serve you bravely in the world; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
Psalm 86:1-13
86 Inclina, Domine
1 Bow down your ear, O Lord, and answer me, *
for I am poor and in misery.
2 Keep watch over my life, for I am faithful; *
save your servant who puts his trust in you.
3 Be merciful to me, O Lord, for you are my God; *
I call upon you all the day long.
4 Gladden the soul of your servant, *
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, *
and great is your love toward all who call upon you.
6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer, *
and attend to the voice of my supplications.
7 In the time of my trouble I will call upon you, *
for you will answer me.
8 Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord, *
nor anything like your works.
9 All nations you have made will come and worship you, O Lord, *
and glorify your Name.
10 For you are great;
you do wondrous things; *
and you alone are God.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
and I will walk in your truth; *
knit my heart to you that I may fear your Name.
12 I will thank you, O Lord my God, with all my heart, *
and glorify your Name for evermore.
13 For great is your love toward me; *
you have delivered me from the nethermost Pit
2 Chronicles 28:8-15
Intervention of Oded
8 The people of Israel took captive two hundred thousand of their kin, women, sons, and daughters; they also took much booty from them and brought the booty to Samaria. 9But a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded; he went out to meet the army that came to Samaria, and said to them, ‘Because the Lord, the God of your ancestors, was angry with Judah, he gave them into your hand, but you have killed them in a rage that has reached up to heaven. 10Now you intend to subjugate the people of Judah and Jerusalem, male and female, as your slaves. But what have you except sins against the Lord your God? 11Now hear me, and send back the captives whom you have taken from your kindred, for the fierce wrath of the Lord is upon you.’ 12Moreover, certain chiefs of the Ephraimites, Azariah son of Johanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai, stood up against those who were coming from the war, 13and said to them, ‘You shall not bring the captives in here, for you propose to bring on us guilt against the Lord in addition to our present sins and guilt. For our guilt is already great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.’ 14So the warriors left the captives and the booty before the officials and all the assembly. 15Then those who were mentioned by name got up and took the captives, and with the booty they clothed all that were naked among them; they clothed them, gave them sandals, provided them with food and drink, and anointed them; and carrying all the feeble among them on donkeys, they brought them to their kindred at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then they returned to Samaria.
A Song of the Wilderness
Isaiah 35:1-7,10
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, *
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
It shall blossom abundantly, *
and rejoice with joy and singing.
They shall see the glory of the Lord, *
the majesty of our God.
Strengthen the weary hands, *
and make firm the feeble knees.
Say to the anxious, “Be strong, do not fear! *
Here is your God, coming with judgment to save you.”
Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, *
and the ears of the deaf be unstopped.
Then shall the lame leap like a deer, *
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness *
and streams in the desert;
The burning sand shall become a pool *
and the thirsty ground, springs of water.
The ransomed of God shall return with singing, *
with everlasting joy upon their heads.
Joy and gladness shall be theirs, *
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Acts 22:6-21
Paul Tells of His Conversion
6 ‘While I was on my way and approaching Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone about me. 7I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 8I answered, “Who are you, Lord?” Then he said to me, “I am Jesus of Nazareth* whom you are persecuting.” 9Now those who were with me saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 10I asked, “What am I to do, Lord?” The Lord said to me, “Get up and go to Damascus; there you will be told everything that has been assigned to you to do.” 11Since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, those who were with me took my hand and led me to Damascus.
12 ‘A certain Ananias, who was a devout man according to the law and well spoken of by all the Jews living there, 13came to me; and standing beside me, he said, “Brother Saul, regain your sight!” In that very hour I regained my sight and saw him. 14Then he said, “The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear his own voice; 15for you will be his witness to all the world of what you have seen and heard. 16And now why do you delay? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on his name.”
Paul Sent to the Gentiles
17 ‘After I had returned to Jerusalem and while I was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance 18and saw Jesus* saying to me, “Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.” 19And I said, “Lord, they themselves know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. 20And while the blood of your witness Stephen was shed, I myself was standing by, approving and keeping the coats of those who killed him.” 21Then he said to me, “Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.” ’
A Song of Pilgrimage Priusquam errarem
Ecclesiasticus 51:13-16,20b-22
Before I ventured forth,
even while I was very young, *
I sought wisdom openly in my prayer.
In the forecourts of the temple I asked for her, *
and I will seek her to the end.
From first blossom to early fruit, *
she has been the delight of my heart.
My foot has kept firmly to the true path, *
diligently from my youth have I pursued her.
I inclined my ear a little and received her; *
I found for myself much wisdom and became adept in her.
To the one who gives me wisdom will I give glory, *
for I have resolved to live according to her way.
From the beginning I gained courage from her, *
therefore I will not be forsaken.
In my inmost being I have been stirred to seek her, *
therefore have I gained a good possession.
As my reward the Almighty has given me the gift of language,*
and with it will I offer praise to God
Luke 23:39-43
39 One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding* him and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah?* Save yourself and us!’ 40But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.’ 42Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into* your kingdom.’ 43He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’
A Song of the Spirit
Revelation 22:12-17
“Behold, I am coming soon,” says the Lord,
“and bringing my reward with me, *
to give to everyone according to their deeds.
39
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, *
the beginning and the end.”
Blessed are those who do God’s commandments,
that they may have the right to the tree of life, *
and may enter the city through the gates.
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to you, *
with this testimony for all the churches.
“I am the root and the offspring of David, *
I am the bright morning star.”
“Come!” say the Spirit and the Bride; *
“Come!” let each hearer reply!
Come forward, you who are thirsty, *
let those who desire take the water of life as a gift.
Almighty God, whose blessed Son guides our footsteps in the way of peace: Deliver us from paths of hatred and violence, that we, following the example of your servant Moses, may serve you with singleness of heart and attain to the tranquility of the world to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The Song of Mary Magnificat
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in you, O God my Savior, *
for you have looked with favor on your lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
you, the Almighty, have done great things for me,
and holy is your name.
You have mercy on those who fear you *
from generation to generation.
You have shown strength with your arm *
and scattered the proud in their conceit,
Casting down the mighty from their thrones *
and lifting up the lowly.
You have filled the hungry with good things *
and sent the rich away empty.
You have come to the help of your servant Israel, *
for you have remembered your promise of mercy,
The promise made to our forebears, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.
Prayer to St. Moses (From the Brotherhood of Moses the Black)
You forsook temporal riches, earthly fame, and fleshly pleasure and freely chose a life of poverty and deprivation to become rich in spirit. Having tasted the momentary sweetness of sin, you foresaw the bitter end that awaits a life of self-indulgence. Having stained your hands with the blood of your brother, you foretasted the anguish of hell. From this pit, you cried out to God Who raised you up as a testimony of His almighty power. In your ascent to near the Living God you did not spare yourself but willfully endured a life of hardship and struggle. By following the path of the Cross, your soul was empowered by the might of the Holy Spirit, your mind was illumined with the understanding of things divine, and your heart was filled with the burning love of God for thy fellow man. And though you lived in ancient times and in a distant land, today we find ourselves faced with the same struggle to overcome the evil that lies within us. In these perilous times, we call on your prayers—help us! For our brothers and sisters are dying daily and our children are born hopeless in a world barren of Christian love. Amidst these trials, we waver because our faith is weak and we know not how to endure suffering courageously. Pray that we be strengthened to live uprightly, walking in the light of the holy Gospel, ever seeking to do the will of God. And in the dreadful Day of Judgment, pray that we may be received with His Unoriginate Son, and His most holy and life creating Spirit, to whom belongs all glory, honour and worship, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Remembering prayers I wrote 4 years ago today and tomorrow when I was undergoing chemotherapy.
Lord Jesus as we prepare to dedicate our time of meditation of prayers,meditation, and empowerment to the Holy Spirit, may we always remember that you are continuing to heal and are our Blessed Savior who came to forgive us all our sins and that remind us that we are all family members.
Jesus, we pray for all those who travel this weekend and pray for traveling mercies for everyone.
Jesus, we pray for all those who sit vigil at bedside and we pray for peace and comfort of all concerned. We pray that those we witness may find comfort and peace.
Jesus, we pray for all those who are planning to raise funds for any disease or condition. We pray that people may give generously from their hearts and not by guilt.
Jesus, we pray for peace in this broken world and that all may be able to end their violent divisions.
Jesus, may we become peace makers, light shiners, hope bearers, and love bringers and show ourselves as lights of the world and the salt of the Earth.
Jesus, bring us rain that will heal this parched earth of ours.
Jesus, we pray for all those who are preparing to undergo medical tests and are awaiting test results.
Jesus, we continue to pray for justice, peace, mercy in our land and in all places around the world.
Jesus, we pray for the leaders of the nations that they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
Jesus, we pray for the least of these our family members that they may be welcomed in all places of sanctuary and that their needs may be met. May we show them love, compassion, and recognize you Lord Jesus in each face.
Jesus, accept these our prayers and those prayed on behalf of others in you most Holy Name. Amen
And this one
Holy Spirit, enliven us with your spirit so that we may bring love, peace, hope, and joy to this broken world.
Holy Spirit, heal our weary bodies, minds, and spirits that we may be wholly whole and spread the Good News of God in Christ to those who are in need of love, compassion, and acceptance.
Holy Spirit, bring your comforting spirit to all those who mourn and have been affected by tragedies.
Holy Spirit, quicken our minds that we may think aright and that our thoughts, words, and deeds may heal, comfort, and speak truth to power and that justice and peace may prevail upon Earth,
Holy Spirit, may we be soothed by the Waters of Life coursing through our veins and may we never thirst but thirst after righteousness.
Holy Spirit,empower us to practice random acts of kindness and to what is pleasing in God's Sight.
Holy Spirit, may we respond with a resounding yes! to God's Call for our lives.
Holy Spirit, empower us to speak for and serve the powerless.
Holy Spirit, may we feel your energizing presence that we may be guided to do all the things that God is having us do and to be.
God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit may our prayers be acceptable as we lift them to you and lay them gently in your holy and gracious arms. Amen.
Holy Spirit, heal our weary bodies, minds, and spirits that we may be wholly whole and spread the Good News of God in Christ to those who are in need of love, compassion, and acceptance.
Holy Spirit, bring your comforting spirit to all those who mourn and have been affected by tragedies.
Holy Spirit, quicken our minds that we may think aright and that our thoughts, words, and deeds may heal, comfort, and speak truth to power and that justice and peace may prevail upon Earth,
Holy Spirit, may we be soothed by the Waters of Life coursing through our veins and may we never thirst but thirst after righteousness.
Holy Spirit,empower us to practice random acts of kindness and to what is pleasing in God's Sight.
Holy Spirit, may we respond with a resounding yes! to God's Call for our lives.
Holy Spirit, empower us to speak for and serve the powerless.
Holy Spirit, may we feel your energizing presence that we may be guided to do all the things that God is having us do and to be.
God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit may our prayers be acceptable as we lift them to you and lay them gently in your holy and gracious arms. Amen.
A Prayer attributed to St. Francis
Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is
hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where
there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where
there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where
there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to
be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is
in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we
are born to eternal life. Amen.
Teresa of Avila (1515–1582)
Christ Has No Body
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
The Lord’s Prayer or the alternative is said. From A New Zealand Prayer Book
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.
Or
Eternal Spirit,
Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples
of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom
sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
now and for ever. Amen.
The Song of Simeon Nunc dimittis
Luke 2:29-32
Lord, you now have set your servant free *
to go in peace as you have promised;
For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, *
whom you have prepared for all the world to see:
A Light to enlighten the nations, *
and the glory of your people Israel.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more
than we can ask or imagine: Glory to God from generation to
generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever.
Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21
St. Augustine's Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy. Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy. Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy. Amen.
Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy. Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy. Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy. Amen.
God’s Blessing be with you,
Christ’s peace be with you,
the Spirit’s outpouring be with you,
now and always. Amen.
(source: Celtic)
What you hold may you always hold.
What you do, may you always do and never abandon.
But with swift pace, light step and unswerving feet,
so that even your steps stir up no dust,
Go forward, the spirit of our God has called you.(St. Clare)
Live without fear: your Creator has made you holy, has always
protected you, and loves you as a mother. Go in peace to follow
the good road and may God’s blessing be with you always. Amen.
(source: from Saint Clare
Good Night Beloved Ones! Let us intently listen to God and what God is calling us to do and to be. I love you. May you all have a blessed and restful night.
Love and blessings!
Sara
Resources:
A New Zealand Prayer Book
Book of Common Prayer
Enriching Our Worship
Satucket for lessons and Biographies of our Saints of the Day Moses the Black and Augustine of Hippo
Walk With Me On Our Journey.
Metis Aboriginal Ministries
In Lak 'Ech- Luis Valdez
Northumbria Community
Other resources as noted.
Bonus Lessons for St. Augustine
Lord God, the light of the minds that know you, the life of the souls that love you, and the strength of the hearts that serve you: Help us, following the example of your servant Augustine of Hippo, so to know you that we may truly love you, and so to love you that we may fully serve you, whom to serve is perfect freedom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Psalm 87 Fundamenta ejus
1 On the holy mountain stands the city he has founded; *
the Lord loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
2 Glorious things are spoken of you, *
O city of our God.
3 I count Egypt and Babylon among those who know me; *
behold Philistia, Tyre, and Ethiopia:
in Zion were they born.
4 Of Zion it shall be said, "Everyone was born in her, *
and the Most High himself shall sustain her."
5 The Lord will record as he enrolls the peoples, *
"These also were born there."
6 The singers and the dancers will say, *
"All my fresh springs are in you."
Isaiah 62:6-12
6 Upon your walls, O Jerusalem,
I have posted sentinels;
all day and all night
they shall never be silent.
You who remind the Lord,
take no rest,
7 and give him no rest
until he establishes Jerusalem
and makes it renowned throughout the earth.
8 The Lord has sworn by his right hand
and by his mighty arm:
I will not again give your grain
to be food for your enemies,
and foreigners shall not drink the wine
for which you have laboured;
9 but those who garner it shall eat it
and praise the Lord,
and those who gather it shall drink it
in my holy courts.
10 Go through, go through the gates,
prepare the way for the people;
build up, build up the highway,
clear it of stones,
lift up an ensign over the peoples.
11 The Lord has proclaimed
to the end of the earth:
Say to daughter Zion,
‘See, your salvation comes;
his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.’
12 They shall be called, ‘The Holy People,
The Redeemed of the Lord’;
and you shall be called, ‘Sought Out,
A City Not Forsaken.
Hebrews 12:22-24,28-29
22But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23and to the assembly* of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. 28Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; 29for indeed our God is a consuming fire.
John 14:6-15
6Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you know me, you will know* my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’
8 Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ 9Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? 10Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 12Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14If in my name you ask me* for anything, I will do it.
15 ‘If you love me, you will keep* my commandments.
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