Morning Prayer: 14 July – Psalm 125:1; Genesis 37:19; 1 Corinthians 11:1 ~ on dreaming dreams

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.

Pilgrimage

Psalm 125:1 NLT

Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever.

Genesis 37:19 NLT

“Here comes the dreamer!” they said.

1 Corinthians 11:1 NLT

And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.

Reflections

ASSISI

He was born in the small town of Assisi in the year 1182. Even today, as you walk through the Umbrian countryside, the peace of St Francis seeps into your soul and you begin to believe that perfect joy is possible. When the light of the Spirit was dying out all over the world, this man, this little man, this one man re-kindled the flame. He was only 45 years old when he died, but he left behind a Dream to dream and a Journey to challenge every man. (Murray Bodo)
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In Assisi the past is not history, but the life of Francis is now, just as Christ is now. And because Francis holds Christ’s hand and so do we: there is no time gap. (Norma Wise)
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I dreamt I saw a procession of saints, holy men and bishops in their fine robes and rich clothes. Behind them walked many poor people. And the poor had their eyes on the ground, searching it to be certain they could see the footprints of Jesus there and step in them. At the very back of the line was a little man, not very handsome and dressed in rags, but his head was held back, for his eyes were on heaven all the time. Poor fool. Poor, poor fool.
From the play Poor Fool, by the Northumberland Theatre Company
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There have been thousands of footsteps around Assisi, but through them all the footsteps of Francis seem freshly there, unaltered, calling out for us to walk in them, and learn. (Brenda Grace)

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.) Our Scripture readings and reflections will be taken from the Aidan Daily Readings (Celtic Daily Prayer) during the month of July. 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: 12 July – Psalm 124:1-5; Isaiah 35:3-4; Revelation 5:11-12 ~ on the indescribable

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.

San Giovanni evangelista a Patmos Jacopo Vignali, 17th century — San Giovanni evangelista a Patmos
Jacopo Vignali, 17th century

Pilgrimage

Psalm 124:1-5 NLT

What if the Lord had not been on our side? Let all Israel repeat: What if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us?

They would have swallowed us alive in their burning anger. The waters would have engulfed us; a torrent would have overwhelmed us. Yes, the raging waters of their fury would have overwhelmed our very lives.

Isaiah 35:3-4 NLT

With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, encourage those who have weak knees. Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.”

Revelation 5:11-12 NLT

Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. And they sang in a mighty chorus:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered — to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.”
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Reflections

PATMOS

‘Your task is a simple one, walk with Me, show mw to those who have seen Me, and to those who have been near, but are afraid,’ says the Lord.

And as he spoke he no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them.
(From The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis)
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John, at the end of his Gospel, says, ‘I suppose the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.’

Then, once again, he was chosen to describe the indescribable: not just what he had felt and touched, but what he had seen in a vision.

Liz Bell shares with us some of her memories of a visit to Patmos where John the Apostle was exiled, and where he received his Revelation:

Worship in the cave itself – this small cave some 2,000 years ago gave shelter to the beloved disciple of Jesus. Patmos – God’s love just drenched the place like the ‘thousand stars’. We walked two or three miles in the pitch dark down a rocky track with our candles, singing for joy and hearts burning with love.

On our final day we went looking for the Holy Well where God had provided the spring:

All men from all lands, kneel before you go, Bend down low, lost son, sad daughter, bend down and drink; I am the water of the well.

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: 11 July – Psalm 123:2-4; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 2:1-11 ~ on adoration

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.

Pilgrimage

Psalm 123:2-4 NLT

Adoration of the Magi Andrea Mantegna Italian, about 1495 - 1505 J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, CA — Adoration of the Magi
Andrea Mantegna
Italian, about 1495 – 1505
J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, CA

We 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. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy, for we have had our fill of contempt. We have had more than our fill of the scoffing of the proud and the contempt of the arrogant.

Isaiah 7:14 NLT

All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).

Matthew 2:1-11 NLT

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”

Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Reflections

HADDINGTON

The annual pilgrimage to Haddington in Scotland is quite an occasion. Time for ecumenical liturgy, for buses and sandwiches and quiet excitement. Then suddenly the moment as you look at the scene of Mary holding up her child and the royal visitors kneeling before Him: the wonder of it all, He came right down to me!
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In the white falling snow the pilgrim travels on, his face towards the sun. Beyond the open road he travels on past the lamp shining windows and faces in the fire before the midnight hour, for Christmas time has come around again… (Chris Simpson)
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Say, shall we yield Him, in cosly devotion, odours of Edom and offerings divine? Gems of the mountain and pearls of the ocean, myrrh from the forest or gold from the mine?

Vainly we offer each ample oblation, vainly with gifts would His favour secure; richer by far is the heart’s adoration, dearer to God are the prayers of the poor. (R. Huber)
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T.S. Eliot in his ‘Journey of the Magi’ writes as if he were one of the pilgrims who came from so far away. To us their significance lies in the moment of arrival, their kneeling, their gifts and adoration. For them, there is also a problem, for they return where they came from, but changed, no longer at ease as they were before.

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: 10 July – Psalm 123:1; Genesis 5:24; Acts 1:7-11 ~ on perspective

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.

Pilgrimage

Psalm 123:1 NLT

The Ascension of Christ Salvador Dali, 1958 — The Ascension of Christ
Salvador Dali, 1958

I lift my eyes to you, O God, enthroned in heaven.

Genesis 5:24 NLT

…walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.

Acts 1:7-11 NLT

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!”

Reflections

WALSINGHAM

In the tiny Chapel of the Ascension at Walsingham the picture behind the altar comes at first as something of a shock: a pair of feet sticking out from a large white cloud. It brings home to us the absurdity of the situation… a cloud received Him from our sight. God took Him – and what a way to go! He is gone ahead to prepare a place for us, and in ‘a way that baffles description’ – it is as simple as that.
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Help us understand that the pilgrimage of this life is but an introduction, a preface, a training school for what is to come. Then shall we see all of life in its true perspective. Then shall we not fall in love with the things of time, but come to love the things that endure. (Peter Marshall)
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… they have left their house and home, and turned pilgrims, seek a world to come, and they have met with hardship in the way and they do meet with troubles night and day. (John Bunyan)
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He walks with God who turns His face to Heaven, and keeps the blest commands by Jesus given; his life upright, his end untroubled peace. (Author unknown)

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: 09 July – Psalm 122:3-9; 2 Kings 4:4-5; Luke 1:46-53 ~ on praying for peace

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.

Pilgrimage

Psalm 122:3-9 NLT

Jerusalem is a well-built city; its seamless walls cannot be breached. All the tribes of Israel — the Lord’s people — make their pilgrimage here. They come to give thanks to the name of the Lord, as the law requires of Israel. Here stand the thrones where judgment is given, the thrones of the dynasty of David.

Pray for peace in Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper. O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls and prosperity in your palaces. For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “May you have peace.” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek what is best for you, O Jerusalem.

2 Kings 4:4-5 NLT

“…Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Pour olive oil from your flask into the jars, setting each one aside when it is filled.”

So she did as she was told. Her sons kept bringing jars to her, and she filled one after another.

Luke 1:46-53 NLT

Mary responded,

“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me. He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him. His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands.
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Reflections

MEDJUGORJE

Since June 1981 six young people from the village of Medjugorje in the former Yugoslavia claim to have been having visions of Mary, the Lord’s mother. She urges them to prayer especially for peace, to love of Jesus and faithfulness to the gospel, and to Scripture.

David du Plesis, a well-known Pentecostal, was one of the many who have visited there:

In my two days in that town I never heard an unkind word or criticism of anyone. The love, unity and fellowship I saw there are only possible in the power of the Holy Spirit. I am quite prepared for God to perform miracles in the twentieth century. And if one of these miracles involves messages delivered by the mother of Jesus, I believe God is capable of that. I saw young people reading the Bible. The priests told me that thousands of Yugoslavians, including the atheists and Moslems, have accepted Jesus Christ. They told me that their church is crowded to capacity every single day, and on weekends there are so many people waiting outside that they sometimes have fifty priests hearing confessions. The Mother has encouraged people to confess their sins and to accept Jesus’ forgiveness. The whole place is charged with the love of God. You can feel it and you can see it.

The village is in Croatia, and their priests have at times been imprisoned. Despite harassment by the police, there is a great peace in the hearts of the villagers, and young people. The only spectacular thing most people see is the lives of the people, which are really quite impressive. The pilgrims, like the villagers, are moved to repent, to convert their whole lives. Most return home dedicating themselves to prayer, fasting and spiritual growth.
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Jim Wallis writes;

The powers and principalities of this world are aware that prayer and its results are the most revolutionary of acts. That is why they consider those who pray to be a threat. Prayer is an action in itself, a potent political weapon to be used in spiritual warfare against the most powerful forces of the world.

Aidan Readings – Aidan of Lindisfarne
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