Morning Prayer
Boniface of Ross, Bishop, eighth century
Lent / Week 4 of Lent
O Lord, open our lips:
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Glory be to God, Source of all Being, Eternal Word, and Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever. Amen.
Amen.
Psalmody
Antiphon:
O God, you are my God;
eagerly I seek you.
Psalm 63.1
Opening
Psalm 63
1. My soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you,*
as in a barren and dry land where there is no water.
2. For your loving-kindness is better than life itself;*
my lips shall give you praise.
3. For you have been my helper,*
and under the shadow of your wings I will rejoice.
4. My soul clings to you;*
your right hand holds me fast.
Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever.
Amen.
or
Glory be to God, Source of all Being, Eternal Word, and Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever.
Amen.
or a suitable hymn
Psalm 42
1. As the deer longs for the water-brooks, *
so longs my soul for you, O God.
2. My soul is athirst for God, athirst for the living God; *
when shall I come to appear before the presence of
God?
3. My tears have been my food day and night, *
while all day long they say to me, “Where now is your
God?”
4. I pour out my soul when I think on these things: how I went with the multitude and led them into the house of God,*
with the voice of praise and thanksgiving, among
those who keep holy-day.
5. Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul, and why are you so disquieted within me? Put your trust in God; *
for I will yet give thanks to the Holy One who is the
help of my countenance and my God.
6. My soul is heavy within me; *
therefore I will remember you from the land of
Jordan, and from the peak of Mizar among the heights
of Hermon.
7. One deep calls to another in the noise of your
cataracts; *
all your rapids and floods have gone over me.
8. The Lord grants loving-kindness in the daytime; *
in the night season a song of God is with me, a prayer
to the God of my life.
9. I will say to the God of my strength, “Why have you
forgotten me *
and why do I go so heavily while the enemy oppresses
me?”
10. While my bones are being broken, my enemies mock me to my face; *
all day long they mock me and say to me, “Where now
is your God?”
11. Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul, and why are you so disquieted within me? Put your trust in God; *
for I will yet give thanks to the Holy One who is the
help of my countenance and my God.
Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever.
Amen.
or
Glory be to God, Source of all Being, Eternal Word, and Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever.
Amen.
Psalm 43
1. Give judgement for me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people; *
deliver me from the deceitful and the wicked.
2. For you are the God of my strength; why have you put
me from you? *
And why do I go so heavily while the enemy oppresses
me?
3. Send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, *
and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling;
4. that I may go to the altar of God, to the God of my joy and gladness; *
and on the harp I will give thanks to you, O God my
God.
5. Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul, and why are you so disquieted within me? Put your trust in God; *
for I will yet give thanks to the Holy One, who is the
help of my countenance, and my God.
Conclusion
Song of Manasseh Manasseh 1a, 4, 6-7, 9a, 9c, 11-12, 14b, 15b
1. O Lord Almighty and God of our forebears,*
you who made heaven and earth in all their glory:
2. All things tremble with awe at your presence,*
before your great and mighty power.
3. Immeasurable and unsearchable is your promise of mercy,*
for you are God, Most High.
4. You are full of compassion and very merciful,*
and you relent at human suffering.
5. O God, according to your great goodness,*
you have promised repentance and forgiveness to those
who have sinned against you.
6. The sins I have committed against you,*
are more in number than the sands of the sea.
7. I am not worthy to look up and see the heavens,*
because of my many sins and iniquities.
8. And now my heart bows before you,*
imploring your kindness upon me.
9. Unworthy as I am, I know that you will save me,*
according to your great mercy.
10. For all the host of heaven sings your praise,*
and your glory is for ever and ever.
Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever.
Amen.
or
Glory be to God, Source of all Being, Eternal Word, and Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever.
Amen.
Antiphon: O God, you are my God; eagerly I seek you.
Reading(s)
Genesis 49.1-28
Then Jacob called his sons, and said: ‘Gather around, that I may tell you what will happen to you in days to come.
Assemble and hear, O sons of Jacob;
listen to Israel your father.
‘Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my might and the first fruits of my vigour,
excelling in rank and excelling in power.
Unstable as water, you shall no longer excel
because you went up on to your father’s bed;
then you defiled it—you went up on to my couch!
‘Simeon and Levi are brothers;
weapons of violence are their swords.
May I never come into their council;
may I not be joined to their company—
for in their anger they killed men,
and at their whim they hamstrung oxen.
Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce,
and their wrath, for it is cruel!
I will divide them in Jacob,
and scatter them in Israel.
‘Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons shall bow down before you.
Judah is a lion’s whelp;
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He crouches down, he stretches out like a lion,
like a lioness—who dares rouse him up?
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him;
and the obedience of the peoples is his.
Binding his foal to the vine
and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,
he washes his garments in wine
and his robe in the blood of grapes;
his eyes are darker than wine,
and his teeth whiter than milk.
‘Zebulun shall settle at the shore of the sea;
he shall be a haven for ships,
and his border shall be at Sidon.
‘Issachar is a strong donkey,
lying down between the sheepfolds;
he saw that a resting-place was good,
and that the land was pleasant;
so he bowed his shoulder to the burden,
and became a slave at forced labour.
‘Dan shall judge his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.
Dan shall be a snake by the roadside,
a viper along the path,
that bites the horse’s heels
so that its rider falls backwards.
‘I wait for your salvation, O Lord.
‘Gad shall be raided by raiders,
but he shall raid at their heels.
‘Asher’s food shall be rich,
and he shall provide royal delicacies.
‘Naphtali is a doe let loose
that bears lovely fawns.
‘Joseph is a fruitful bough,
a fruitful bough by a spring;
his branches run over the wall.
The archers fiercely attacked him;
they shot at him and pressed him hard.
Yet his bow remained taut,
and his arms were made agile
by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
by the God of your father, who will help you,
by the Almighty who will bless you
with blessings of heaven above,
blessings of the deep that lies beneath,
blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
The blessings of your father
are stronger than the blessings of the eternal mountains,
the bounties of the everlasting hills;
may they be on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.
‘Benjamin is a ravenous wolf,
in the morning devouring the prey,
and at evening dividing the spoil.’
All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, blessing each one of them with a suitable blessing.
1 Corinthians 10.14-11.1
Therefore, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. Consider the people of Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar? What do I imply then? That food sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
‘All things are lawful’, but not all things are beneficial. ‘All things are lawful’, but not all things build up. Do not seek your own advantage, but that of others. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience, for ‘the earth and its fullness are the Lord’s.’ If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, ‘This has been offered in sacrifice’, then do not eat it, out of consideration for the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— I mean the other’s conscience, not your own. For why should my liberty be subject to the judgement of someone else’s conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why should I be denounced because of that for which I give thanks?
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. Give no offence to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, so that they may be saved. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
Silence
Response (Psalm 6.4)
Turn, O Lord, and deliver me.
Turn, O Lord, and deliver me.
Save me for your mercy’s sake.
And deliver me.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit
Turn, O Lord, and deliver me.
Song of Zechariah (Benedictus)
Song of Zechariah Antiphon: You will guide us with your counsel, O God: * and, after, receive us with glory. I will arise and go to my father and I will say to him, * Father I have sinned against heaven and before you.
1 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, *
who has come to his people and set them free.
2 The Lord has raised up for us a mighty Saviour,*
born of the house of his servant David.
3 Through the holy prophets, God promised of old*
to save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us,
4 to show mercy to our forebears, *
and to remember his holy covenant.
5 This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham:*
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
6 free to worship him without fear,*
holy and righteous before him, all the days of our life.
7 And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,*
for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way,
8 to give his people knowledge of salvation*
by the forgiveness of their sins.
9 In the tender compassion of our God*
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
10 to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,*
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever.
Amen.
or
Glory be to God, Source of all Being, Eternal Word, and Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever.
Amen.
(may be said by all)
Song of Zechariah Antiphon: You will guide us with your counsel, O God: * and, after, receive us with glory. I will arise and go to my father and I will say to him, * Father I have sinned against heaven and before you.
Prayers
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
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.
Do not bring us to the time of trial,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever.
Amen
Collect of the Day
Almighty God,
grant that we, who are weighed down by our sins,
may be relieved and encouraged by your grace;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end.
Amen
God most holy, we give you thanks for bringing us out of the shadow of night into the light of morning; and we ask you for the joy of spending this day in your service, so that when evening comes, we may once more give you thanks, through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord.
Amen
Let us bless the Lord:
Thanks be to God!
The Lord bless us and preserve us from all evil;
and bring us to life eternal.
Amen.
Evening Prayer
Boniface of Ross, Bishop, eighth century
Lent / Week 4 of Lent
O God make speed to save us;
O Lord make haste to help us.
Glory to God, Source of all Being, Eternal Word, and Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever.
Amen.
Psalmody
Antiphon: Show me your ways, O Lord, and teach me your paths.
Psalm 25.3
Opening (from Psalm 25)
1. You are the God of my salvation;*
in you have I trusted all the day long.
2. Remember, O Lord, your compassion and love,*
for they are from everlasting.
3. Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgressions;*
remember me according to your love.
4. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,*
for my hope has been in you.
Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever.
Amen.
or
Glory be to God, Source of all Being, Eternal Word, and Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever.
Amen.
or a suitable Hymn
Psalm 44
1. We have heard with our ears, O God, our ancestors have told us, *
the deeds you did in their days, in the days of old.
2. How with your hand you drove the peoples out and planted our ancestors in the land; *
how you destroyed nations and made your people
flourish.
3. For they did not take the land by their sword, nor did
their arm win the victory for them; *
but your mighty hand, your arm, and the light of your
countenance, because you favoured them.
4. You are my Sovereign and my God; *
you command victories for Jacob.
5. Through you we pushed back our adversaries; *
through your name we trampled on those who rose
up against us.
6. For I do not rely on my bow, *
and my sword does not give me the victory.
7. Surely, you gave us victory over our adversaries *
and put those who hate us to shame.
8. Every day we gloried in God, *
and we will praise your name for ever.
9. Nevertheless, you have rejected and humbled us *
and do not go forth with our armies.
10 You have made us fall back before our adversary, *
and our enemies have plundered us.
11. You have made us like sheep to be eaten *
and have scattered us among the nations.
12. You are selling your people for a trifle *
and are making no profit on the sale of them.
13. You have made us the scorn of our neighbours, *
a mockery and derision to those around us.
14. You have made us a byword among the nations, *
a laughing-stock among the peoples.
15. My humiliation is daily before me, *
and shame has covered my face;
16. because of the taunts of the mockers and blasphemers, *
because of the enemy and avenger.
17. All this has come upon us; *
yet we have not forgotten you, nor have we betrayed
your covenant
18. Our heart never turned back, *
nor did our footsteps stray from your path;
19. Though you thrust us down into a place of misery, *
and covered us over with deep darkness.
20. If we have forgotten the name of our God, *
or stretched out our hands to some strange god,
21. will you not find it out? *
For you know the secrets of the heart.
22. Indeed, for your sake we are killed all the day long; *
we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
23. Awake, O Lord! why are you sleeping? *
Arise! Do not reject us for ever.
24. Why have you hidden your face *
and forgotten our affliction and oppression?
25. We sink down into the dust; *
our body cleaves to the ground.
26. Rise up, and help us, *
and save us, for the sake of your steadfast love.
Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever.
Amen.
or
Glory be to God, Source of all Being, Eternal Word, and Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever.
Amen.
Conclusion
Song of Anselm
1. Jesus, as a mother you gather your people to you;*
you are gentle with us as a mother with her children.
2. Often you weep over our sins and our pride,*
tenderly you draw us from hatred and judgement.
3. You comfort us in sorrow and bind up our wounds,*
in sickness you nurse us and with pure milk you feed us.
4. Jesus, by your dying, we are born to new life;*
by your anguish and labour we come forth in joy.
5. Despair turns to hope through your sweet goodness;*
through your gentleness, we find comfort in fear.
6. Your warmth gives life to the dead,*
your touch makes sinners righteous.
7. Lord Jesus, in your mercy, heal us;*
in your love and tenderness, remake us.
8. In your compassion, bring grace and forgiveness,*
for the beauty of heaven, may your love prepare us.
Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever.
Amen.
or
Glory be to God, Source of all Being, Eternal Word, and Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever.
Amen.
Antiphon: Show me your ways, O Lord, and teach me your paths.
Reading(s)
Mark 7.24-37
From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, ‘Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ But she answered him, ‘Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.’ Then he said to her, ‘For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.’ So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be opened.’ And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.’
Silence
Response Psalm 86.15
You, Lord, are gracious and full of compassion.
You, Lord, are gracious and full of compassion.
Slow to anger, full of kindness and truth.
Full of compassion.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
You, Lord, are gracious and full of compassion.
Song of Mary (Magnificat)
Song of Mary Antiphon: I will arise and go to my father and I will say to him, Father I have sinned against heaven and before you. Luke 15.18
1 My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,*
my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
2 who has looked with favour on his lowly servant;*
from this day all generations will call me blessed.
3 The Almighty has done great things for me,*
and holy is his name.
4 God has mercy on those who fear him,*
from generation to generation.
5 The Lord has shown strength with his arm*
and scattered the proud in their conceit,
6 casting down the mighty from their thrones*
and lifting up the lowly.
7 God has filled the hungry with good things*
and sent the rich away empty.
8 He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,*
to remember the promise of mercy,
9 the promise made to our forebears,*
to Abraham and his children for ever.
Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever.
Amen.
or
Glory be to God, Source of all Being, Eternal Word, and Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever.
Amen.
(may be said by all)
Song of Mary Antiphon: I will arise and go to my father and I will say to him, Father I have sinned against heaven and before you. Luke 15.18
Prayers
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
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.
Do not bring us to the time of trial,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
Collect of the Day
Almighty God,
grant that we, who are weighed down by our sins,
may be relieved and encouraged by your grace;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end.
Amen
Lord God almighty, come and dispel the darkness from our hearts, that in the radiance of your brightness we may know you, the only unfading light, glorious in all eternity.
Amen.
Let us bless the Lord:
Thanks be to God!
The God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing:
through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Night Prayer
Boniface of Ross, Bishop, eighth century
Lent / Week 4 of Lent
The Lord Almighty grant us a quiet night and a perfect end.
Amen.
O God, make speed to save us;
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory to God, source of all being, Eternal Word, and Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever.
Psalmody
Opening This or another suitable opening hymn may be sung.
"Before the ending of the day,
Creator of the world, we pray
That you, with steadfast love, would keep
Your watch around us while we sleep.
From evil dreams defend our sight,
From fears and terrors of the night;
Tread underfoot our deadly foe
That we no sinful thought may know.
O Father, that we ask be done
Through Jesus Christ, your only Son;
And Holy Spirit, by whose breath
Our souls are raised to life from death."
Antiphon: You, O Lord, are good and forgiving;* full of kindness and truth.
Psalm: Psalm 86
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.
14. The arrogant rise up against me, O God, and a band of violent men seeks my life;*
they have not set you before their eyes.
15. But you, O Lord, are gracious and full of compassion,*
slow to anger, and full of kindness and truth.
16. Turn to me and have mercy upon me;*
give strength to your servant; and save the child of your handmaid.
17. Show me a sign of your favour, so that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed;*
because you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever.
Amen.
or
Glory be to God, Source of all Being, Eternal Word, and Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever.
Amen.
Antiphon: You, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
full of kindness and truth.
Reading(s)
1 Thessalonians 5.9, 10
God destined us to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, so that whether we wake or sleep we might live with him.
Thanks be to God.
Silence
Response Psalm 31.5
Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
For you have redeemed me, Lord God of truth.
I commend my spirit.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Song of Simeon
Antiphon:
Preserve us, O Lord,* while waking, and guard us while sleeping, that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.
1. Now, Lord, you let your servant go in peace;*
your word has been fulfilled.
2. My own eyes have seen the salvation*
which you have prepared in the sight of every
people;
3. A light to reveal you to 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 shall be for ever.
Amen.
or
Glory be to God, Source of all Being, Eternal Word, and Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever.
Amen.
Antiphon: Preserve us, O Lord, while waking, and guard us while sleeping, that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.
Prayers
Collect
Keep watch, O God, with those who wake, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, comfort the suffering, pity the distressed, sustain the dying, and console those who mourn; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Conclusion
The Lord be with you;
and also with you.
Let us bless the Lord;
Thanks be to God.
May the almighty and merciful God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, bless and keep us.
Amen.
or
May we be hidden under the shadow of God’s wings, this night and for ever.
Amen.