Morning Prayer: 4 June – Psalm 131; Nehemiah 1:4-11; Luke 17:7-10 ~ on unworthiness

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

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.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.

Morning readings in June

DESERT FATHERS – The sayings of The Desert Fathers (c. 300 AD) speak for themselves. (For further reading: The Wisdom of the Desert by Thomas Merton.)

Psalm 131 ESV

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.

O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.

Nehemiah 1:4-11 ESV

As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

Now I was cupbearer to the king.

Luke 17:7-10 ESV

“Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”

Reflections

They said of Abbot Pambo that in the very hour when he departed this life he said to the holy men who stood by him:

From the time I came to this place in the Desert, and built me a cell, and dwelt here, I do not remember eating bread that was not earned by the work of my own hands – nor do I remember saying anything for which I was sorry, even until this hour.

And thus I go to the Lord as one who has not even made a beginning in the service of God.

Aidan Readings – Aidan of Lindisfarne
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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

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Peanut Gallery: The general format for Morning Prayer is adapted from the Northumbrian Community‘s Daily Office, as found in Celtic Daily Prayer (see online resources here.) Having completed reading through the Gospel of John, our Scripture readings and reflections will be taken from the Aidan Daily Readings (Celtic Daily Prayer). We will continue with the Aidan readings until Pentecost Sunday, June 8th. On Sundays, I’ll return to the USCCB readings (see online resources here) and various liturgical resources in order to reflect the Church’s worship and concerns throughout the world. Photo illustrations and music videos, available online, are included as they illustrate or illuminate the readings. I will try to give credit and link to sources as best I can.

Morning Prayer: 3 June – Psalm 57; Jeremiah 17:9-10; Luke 21:8-15 ~ on seasons of destruction

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

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.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.

Morning readings in June

DESERT FATHERS – The sayings of The Desert Fathers (c. 300 AD) speak for themselves. (For further reading: The Wisdom of the Desert by Thomas Merton.)

Psalm 57 ESV

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me. God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts — the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!

They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my way, but they have fallen into it themselves. My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!

Jeremiah 17:9-10 ESV

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

Luke 21:8-15 ESV

And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.”

Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness. Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict….”

Reflections

They said of one monk that the more anyone despised or vexed him, the more he would run towards him saying:

Such men are a cause for progress for zealous people; while those who praise deceive and trouble the soul. Indeed, it is written, “Those who call you blessed are deceiving you.”

Abba Antony said:

The time is coming when people will be insane, and when they see someone who is not insane they will attack that person, saying: “You are insane, because you are not like us.”

Aidan Readings – Aidan of Lindisfarne
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Canticle:

Blessing

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

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Morning Prayer: 2 June – Psalm 6; Exodus 21:12-24; Matthew 5:38-48 ~ on vengeance

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

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.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.

Morning readings in June

DESERT FATHERS – The sayings of The Desert Fathers speak for themselves. (For further reading: The Wisdom of the Desert by Thomas Merton.)

Psalm 6 ESV

A panel from an ancient Egyptian monastery showing a monk with Christ. It was excavated in the early 20th century and is located in the Bawit room at the Louvre. — A panel from an ancient Egyptian monastery showing a monk with Christ.
It was excavated in the early 20th century and is located in the Bawit room at the Louvre.

O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath.

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord — how long? Turn, O Lord, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love. For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise? I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes.

Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer. All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.

Exodus 21:12-24 ESV

“Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death. But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee. But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.

“Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall be put to death.

“Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.

“Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death.

“When men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist and the man does not die but takes to his bed, then if the man rises again and walks outdoors with his staff, he who struck him shall be clear; only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall have him thoroughly healed.

“When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged. But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be avenged, for the slave is his money.

“When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot…”

Matthew 5:38-48 ESV

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect….”

Reflections

Abba Isaiah said:

When someone wishes to render evil for evil, he is able to hurt his brother’s conscience even by a single nod.
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A brother who was insulted by another brother came to Abba Sisois and said to him: ‘I was hurt by my brother, and I want to avenge myself.’

The old man tried to console him and said: “Do not do that, my child. Rather leave vengeance to God.”

But he said: “I will not quit until I avenge myself.”

Then the old man said: “Let us pray, brother.” And standing up he said: “O God, we no longer need you to take care of us since we now avenge ourselves.”

Hearing these words, the brother fell at the feet of the old man and said: “I am not going to fight with my brother any more. Forgive me, Abba.”

Aidan Readings – Aidan of Lindisfarne
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Canticle:

Blessing

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

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The Ascension of the Lord: Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9; Ephesians 1:15-23; Matthew 28:16-20 ~

THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentence and prayer:

In celebrating the Ascension of Jesus – we remember His sending out of the disciples, His promise to remain with us until the end of time, and His promise to send the Holy Spirit to be with us and in us.
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Almighty God, make our hearts dance with joy and thanksgiving; for in the ascension of Christ, Your Son, our human nature is raised above the heavens, and where Christ, the head, has gone before in glory we, his body, are called in hope. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.
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A Reading from the Book of Acts: Acts 1:1-11 (NLT)

Ascension Giotto di Bondone (1267-1337), Cappella Scrovegni a Padova — Ascension
Giotto di Bondone (1267-1337) Cappella Scrovegni a Padova

In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit.

During the forty days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.

Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”

He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere — in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”
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A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9 (NLT)

For the Lord Most High is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth. He subdues the nations before us, putting our enemies beneath our feet.
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Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King over all the earth. Praise him with a psalm.
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God reigns above the nations, sitting on his holy throne. The rulers of the world have gathered together with the people of the God of Abraham. For all the kings of the earth belong to God. He is highly honored everywhere.

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A Reading from the Letters: Ephesians 1:15-23 (NLT)

Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you.

I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called — his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else — not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.
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A Reading from the Gospels: Matthew 28:16-20 (NLT)

Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him — but some of them doubted! Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Intercessions:

Christ ascended into heaven, not to abandon us but to be our hope and to prepare a place for us in eternity. Filled with this certain hope and confident of His love and mercy, we offer these prayers on behalf of His people:

+ For church leaders who have been entrusted with the Word of God – that they may proclaim it without hesitation or fear…. Lord, hear our prayer.

+ For Christian missionaries, particularly those living in regions of war and devastation — that God’s Spirit may give them fresh enthusiasm…. Lord, hear our prayer.

+ For Christ’s disciples living in a Culture of Death – that we may be effective witnesses to the Gospel of Life which has been entrusted to us…. Lord, hear our prayer.

+ For the sick and those who suffer in any way – that they may be consoled by the Holy Spirit and strengthened by the love and presence of others…. Lord, hear our prayer.

+ For all who are unemployed and seeking work — that they may receive support, and find the work they need to live in dignity…. Lord, hear our prayer.

+ For all of us on our journey of faith — that Christ may sustain us and keep our minds and hearts fixed on heaven…. Lord, hear our prayer.

+ For family members who have strayed away from Christ – that our example of godliness may bring them back quickly…. Lord, hear our prayer.

+ For all who have died – that they may have eternal rest, and that we may always thank the Lord for their lives…. Lord, hear our prayer.

God most high, King of all the earth, You care for all You have made: hear these prayers we make in faith, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Spiritual Song “Hear Us From Heaven”

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+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

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