Month: August 2014

Morning Prayer: 21 August – Psalm 48:1-3, 12-14; Isaiah 61:4; 2 Peter 3:8-9 – on God’s patience

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.

Psalm 48:1-3, 12-14

How great is the Lord, how deserving of praise, in the city of our God, which sits on his holy mountain! It is high and magnificent; the whole earth rejoices to see it! Mount Zion, the holy mountain, is the city of the great King! God himself is in Jerusalem’s towers, revealing himself as its defender.
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Go, inspect the city of Jerusalem. Walk around and count the many towers. Take note of the fortified walls, and tour all the citadels, that you may describe them to future generations. For that is what God is like. He is our God forever and ever, and he will guide us until we die.

Isaiah 61:4

Iona Abbey, founded by St Columba in 563 AD
Iona Abbey, founded by St Columba in 563 AD

They will rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing cities destroyed long ago. They will revive them, though they have been deserted for many generations.

2 Peter 3:8-9

But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

Reflection

IONA

The woodwork on the buildings of the small village gathered near the pier is so weathered that it makes them look as timeless as seagulls. At a monkish distance to the north, amid wide fields grazed by the islands sheep, the monastery looks as it must have looked when the Benedictines finished the premises 700 years ago: the plain square tower of St Mary’s Cathedral and the austere rectangular masses of the adjoining buildings are all of enduring grey stone with deep-cut windows under steep slated roofs. So solid does the monastery appear that it is hard to picture the ruined state it was in for four centuries after the Scottish Parliament outlawed the monastic life in 1561. Had the Act of Suppression come two years later it would have been a full thousand years since the first monks landed on Iona and began spreading the Christian faith in Scotland.
James H. Forest,
Sojourners magazine, May 1980)
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The Celtic monks, knowing the same restlessness and provocation which issues from the Almighty, depicted the Holy Spirit both as a dove and a wild goose. But where in our contemporary devotions are there glimpses that God, in the twentienth century, can be expected to surprise, contradict, upset or rile us in order that the kingdom may come?
John L. Bell & Graham A. Maule
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… and I say a prayer,
that the Wild Goose will come to me.
Iona, ‘Here I stand’
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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

_____________________________________

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.) Our Scripture readings and reflections will be taken from the Aidan Daily Readings (Celtic Daily Prayer) during the month of August. On Sundays, we’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: 20 August – Psalm 123:2; Numbers 24:16-17a; Revelation 22:16-18 – on watching and waiting

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.

Psalm 123:2

woman-in-prayerWe keep looking to the Lord our God for his mercy, just as servants keep their eyes on their master, as a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest signal.

Numbers 24:16-17a

… the message of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:

I see him, but not here and now. I perceive him, but far in the distant future. A star will rise from Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel.

Revelation 22:16-18

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star.”

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life. And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book.

Reflection

IONA

Iona Nunnery Ruins dates to thirteenth century
Iona Nunnery Ruins
dates to thirteenth century

The nunnery on Iona (now ruined) was established at the beginning of the thirteenth century, and the nuns were at first Benedictine, then later of the Augustine order.
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DAWN IN THE NUNNERY
Day breaks behind the Bens of Mull
streaming across the restless Sound
blessing with thy shadows
pillars and the ruined arches of the Nunnery.

Holy place of ancient silence
basking in prayers of countless years
etching in the early sky
a benediction while a North wind snatches
the Abbey bell.

With deep compelling resonance it sounds
evoking in hearts a hidden longing
echoes of a vocation long-locked
within the rosy glow of this rough granite –
a sacred call.

Eyes uplifted, elated in expectation,
our sinful human-ness suffused with
transforming grace, we glimpse
in fleeting simplicity of soul
our Morning Star. (Fiona Martin)
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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

_____________________________________

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.) Our Scripture readings and reflections will be taken from the Aidan Daily Readings (Celtic Daily Prayer) during the month of August. On Sundays, we’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: 19 August – Psalm 22:4-5; Genesis 44:16-17; 1 Corinthians 10:15-16 – on the presence of Christ

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.

Psalm 22:4-5

Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them. They cried out to you and were saved. They trusted in you and were never disgraced.

Genesis 44:16-17

Judah answered, “Oh, my lord, what can we say to you? How can we explain this? How can we prove our innocence? God is punishing us for our sins. My lord, we have all returned to be your slaves — all of us, not just our brother who had your cup in his sack.”

“No,” Joseph said. “I would never do such a thing! Only the man who stole the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may go back to your father in peace.”

Communion Cups in Iona Abbey
Communion Cups in Iona Abbey

1 Corinthians 10:15-16

You are reasonable people. Decide for yourselves if what I am saying is true. When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? And when we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ?

Reflection

IONA

Kenneth Macleod speaks in the same breath of Iona and of the Holy Grail, that cup which Christ blessed at His last supper, and which Joseph of Arimathea is often portrayed as holding at Christ’s wounded side to catch the drops of His blood. There is at once a simplicity, a deep mystery, and a faith that goes beyond purely rational considerations that is at the heart of the experience which is Iona, and as with the Grail, if the mystery it points to is Christ Himself and a love for Him, then perhaps that is what matters most, through the ebb and flow of many a tide.
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TO IONA
For their sake who lived and died in thee,
sang their faith and taught their joy to me,
for their sake I bow the knee,
Iona the blest,
isle of my heart, my grail. (Kenneth Macleod)
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THOU GRAIL-LIT IONA
My heart’s own shrine
where only lives what seemed to die,
my Grail-lit Isle,
ebb-tide, flow-tide, Christ is nigh. (Kenneth Macleod)
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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

_____________________________________

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.) Our Scripture readings and reflections will be taken from the Aidan Daily Readings (Celtic Daily Prayer) during the month of August. On Sundays, we’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: 18 August – Psalm 139:6-12; 2 Samuel 15:21; Revelation 12:11 – on facing death

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.

Psalm 139:6-12

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!

Traigh Bhan - The White Strand of the Monks The sand on the northeastern coast of Iona is beautifully clean and fine. The English name for this beach refers to the monks of the ancient abbey of Iona, a holy place for centuries.
Traigh Bhan – The White Strand of the Monks
The sand on the northeastern coast of Iona is beautifully clean and fine. The English name for this beach refers to the monks of the ancient abbey of Iona, a holy place for centuries.

I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night — but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.

2 Samuel 15:21

But Ittai said to the king, “I vow by the Lord and by your own life that I will go wherever my lord the king goes, no matter what happens — whether it means life or death.”

Revelation 12:11

And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.

Reflection

IONA

The White Sands of Iona skirt its north-western shore. They are of unusual whiteness, and are composed of the powdered shells of innumerable land-snails. The stretch of sand known as Traigh Bhan nam Manach (White Sands of the Monks) is believed to have been the scene of the third slaughter of Iona monks by the Danes, and the hard steep rock at the northern extremity is said to have been stained with the blood of the victims.
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Viking attack on the Holy Island of Iona. For 200 tears the brethren in Iona worked in peace with illuminating bibles (Book of Kells). When the Vikings brutally attacked the little island society in 794 AD, and set fire to the premises, the monks fled to the monastery in Kells in Ireland. During the peaceful decades, pilgrims had brought with them loads of gold and silver, to honour the holy Columba, so the Viking loot must have been considerable. The island’s treasures were so abundant that the Vikings returned many times to provide themselves of the riches. During one of their raids in 806 AD they showed exceptional brutality. A total of 86 monks were butchered on the beach, and the place today still bears the name of Bay of the Martyrs. It was following this attack the relics of St. Columba were moved to Kells in Ireland. After some peaceful years the relics were brought back to Iona. But in 825 AD the Vikings hit again. When the abbot refused to tell where the relics were kept, he was killed together with all his brethren. The next – and last – raid took place 160 years later – in 986 AD! This time it was the Dublin Vikings. Once more the monastery was plundered, and the abbot was killed together with 15 of his brethren. This was to be the last Viking attack on the Holy Island of Iona.
Viking attack on the Holy Island of Iona.
For 200 tears the brethren in Iona worked in peace with illuminating bibles (Book of Kells). When the Vikings brutally attacked the little island society in 794 AD, and set fire to the premises, the monks fled to the monastery in Kells in Ireland. During the peaceful decades, pilgrims had brought with them loads of gold and silver, to honour the holy Columba, so the Viking loot must have been considerable. The island’s treasures were so abundant that the Vikings returned many times to provide themselves of the riches. During one of their raids in 806 AD they showed exceptional brutality. A total of 86 monks were butchered on the beach, and the place today still bears the name of Bay of the Martyrs.

Here I stand looking out to sea
where a thousand souls have prayed
and a thousand lives were laid on the sand…
(Iona)
_____

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.
Psalm 116:15
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THE WHITE STRAND OF MONKS

Sea-sharp winds
shriek between rocks,
hurling gulls seaward,
shredding their thin cries,
clawing fragile clouds
till, remnant-torn,
their sharp tears
spatter matted heather,
and cleft rocks
bleed by a white strand
where wide-eyed monks
trembling wait.
(Fiona Martin)
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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

_____________________________________

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.) Our Scripture readings and reflections will be taken from the Aidan Daily Readings (Celtic Daily Prayer) during the month of August. On Sundays, we’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.

20th Ordinary Sunday: Isaiah 56:1, 6-7; Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 7; Romans 11:13-15, 29-32; Matthew 15:21-28 ~ “May all the nations praise you, O God.”

20TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

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

Opening prayer:

Everyone who calls on God’s name is welcome in God’s house.

God of the nations, all are invited to Your table and in Your family no one is a stranger. Satisfy the hunger of those who gather today in prayer, and mercifully extend to all the peoples on earth the joy of salvation and faith.

Grant this 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 Old testament: Isaiah 56:1, 6-7 (NLT)

This is what the Lord says:

Church of All Nations Jerusalem
Church of All Nations
Jerusalem

“Be just and fair to all. Do what is right and good, for I am coming soon to rescue you and to display my righteousness among you.
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“I will also bless the foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord, who serve him and love his name, who worship him and do not desecrate the Sabbath day of rest, and who hold fast to my covenant. I will bring them to my holy mountain of Jerusalem and will fill them with joy in my house of prayer. I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices, because my Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations.
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A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 7 (NLT)

Church of All Nations Jerusalem
Church of All Nations
Jerusalem

May your ways be known throughout the earth, your saving power among people everywhere. May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you.
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May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you.
_____

Then the earth will yield its harvests, and God, our God, will richly bless us.
_____

Yes, God will bless us, and people all over the world will fear him.
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A Reading from the Letters: Romans 11:13-15, 29-32 (NLT)

I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this, for I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them. For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead!
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For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. Now they are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share in God’s mercy. For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.
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A Reading from the Gospels: Matthew 15:21-28 (NLT)

have-mercy-on-me

Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.”

But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. “Tell her to go away,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.”

Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep — the people of Israel.”

But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, “Lord, help me!”

Jesus responded, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”

She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.”

“Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed.
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Intercessions:

God shed Your light on us and hear our prayers:

+ That people of every nation, race, colour and religion may be united in working for justice and peace….
Lord, hear us.

+ That those who follow Christ may never forget that all are welcome on God’s holy mountain….
Lord, hear us.

+ That all who suffer, in mind, body or spirit, may experience Christ’s healing power….
Lord, hear us.

+ That refugees from the chaos of war and the mayhem of evil may find protection, solace and rest for body and soul….
Lord, hear us.

+ That in our daily lives, we may show love to the people from other countries who live in our midst….
Lord, hear us.

+ That all who are preparing to return to school , both teachers and students, may find happiness in their endeavors and a deep faith to guide them….
Lord, hear us.

+ That those whose faith is known to God alone may come at the end of their lives to God’s holy mountain….
Lord, hear us.

+ For our brothers and sisters who have died and for those who grieve their loss – that all may be united in their heavenly home….
Lord, hear us.

Gracious God, all the nations find their help in You: teach us to trust in Your love as You grant our petitions, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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