Morning Prayer
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening sentence
One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.
You will find the Lord your God, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Morning readings
Psalm 17:10, 14-15 NLT:
They are without pity. Listen to their boasting!
By the power of your hand, O Lord, destroy those who look to this world for their reward. But satisfy the hunger of your treasured ones. May their children have plenty, leaving an inheritance for their descendants. Because I am righteous, I will see you. When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied.
Deuteronomy 15:7-11 NLT:
“But if there are any poor Israelites in your towns when you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward them. Instead, be generous and lend them whatever they need. Do not be mean-spirited and refuse someone a loan because the year for canceling debts is close at hand. If you refuse to make the loan and the needy person cries out to the Lord, you will be considered guilty of sin. Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need.
1 Corinthians 13:3 NLT:
If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
Reflection/Prayer:
Stooping to help somebody. This position is called Mitzvah, a good deed. This they say, nudges God, right to the Book of Golden Deeds. And God writes down the Mitzvah in diamond-studded letters ten feet high.
In the twelfth century Moses Maimonides devised eight ways to nudge God for a Mitzvah while performing charity. Each one higher than the other.
- The highest degree is to make the man who needs charity self-supporting.
- The next highest degree is where the one that gives and the one that receives are not aware of each other.
- The third Inferior degree is where the recipient knows the giver, but the giver does not know the recipient.
- A lesser Mitzvah is when the poor man knows to whom he is indebted, but the giver does not know to whom he has given.
- The fifth degree is where the giver puts alms into the hands of the poor without being asked.
- The sixth degree is where he puts money into the hands of the poor after being asked.
- The seventh degree is where he gives less than he should, but does so cheerfully.
- The eighth degree is where he gives resentfully.
But there’s a catch to all these Mitzvahs. It’s best illustrated by an old story about a Rabbi, who was so addicted to golf that he even snuck off on the High Holy Day to play. That day he made a hole in one. As he danced with exultation, there was a rumble of thunder and a clap of lightning, and God’s voice boomed down on him. ‘So who are you going to tell?’ That’s the catch when you earn a Mitzvah. ‘So who are you going to tell? If you do, you’ll lose it.
The question is, what have you done for someone today, that you didn’t have to do… and whom didn’t you tell?’
Dave Berg, My Friend GOD
Canticle
Christ, as a light… illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield… overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
Blessing
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
_____________________________________
Peanut Gallery: The Morning Prayer readings are from the Daily Office of the Northumbrian Community as available online here… and in the book form, Celtic Daily Prayer available on Amazon.com.
The website and prayer book are rich in prayer resources and I commend them to you. For our purpose here, I will limit my selections to the Morning Prayer resources.
The Peanut Gallery 