Morning Prayer
+ In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening sentences
Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.
I arise today, through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to secure me: against snares of devils,
against temptations of vices, against inclinations of nature,
against everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and anear, alone and in a crowd.
Revelation 6:12-17 (ESV) – to be read aloud
When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
Reflection
Overview: The opening of the sixth seal answers the martyr’s question, “How long?” The answer is not given in terms of “when,” but conveys the certainty that their deaths will be vindicated. Great cosmic disturbances will come to pass and secular society, responsible for the lives of believers, will come to understand that God has already set into motion that chain of events by which his wrath will be fully carried out. (Mounce, p.150)
THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN SEALS
The Sixth Seal (6:12-17)
There is a profound theology underlying this language of cosmic catastrophe at the end of the age. It illustrates the transcendence of God and the dependence of his creation upon its creator…. It is the Bible’s picturesque way of describing the divine judgement falling on the world…. However, the language is not merely poetical or symbolic of spiritual realities but describes a real cosmic catastrophe whose character we cannot conceive. Out of the ruins of judgement will emerge a new redeemed order which John calls new heavens and a new earth (Rev.21:1)….
Those who experienced this catastrophe recognized it as the end of the world… and hid themselves (Isa 2:19)…. The expression “the day of the Lord” is an inclusive term, which can encompass the entire period that will end this age and inaugurate the age to come. It will be a day of judgement for the wicked – a day of wrath – but a day of redemption for the righteous…. The cosmic catastrophe convinces men that the day has come and the Lord is about to appear.
The sixth seal brings us to the threshold of the end; and then John stands back, as it were, to tell the story of the end in greater detail. The breaking of the seventh seal opens the book and begins the story of the events of the end time; this is the substance of the remainder of the Revelation. (Ladd, p.107-109)
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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: In September, we will begin reading through the Book of Revelation (ESV). Our purpose will be devotional, i.e. to discover the word of blessing that God has for us in these troubled times… to find hope and help for our daily lives.
This will not be a Bible Study per se: we will not attempt to unravel the “mysteries” of Revelation… that is far beyond our abilities and is not our interest here. However, so as not to get too far afield, we will rely on three study resources: primary – A Commentary on the Revelation of John (George Elton Ladd); supplemental Revelation (Leon Morris) and The Book of Revelation (Robert H. Mounce).
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.) 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.
The Peanut Gallery 