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

Opening sentence

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.

Listen for the voice of the Lord and enter into His peace.
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Morning Reading: Luke 23:46 NLT

Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.
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On Charles de Foucauld’s Prayer of Abandonment (Trevor Miller article excerpt)

To pray ‘whatever you do, I will thank you: I am ready for all, I accept all’ demands integrity and faith but it is important to understand that what we know as the ‘Prayer of Abandonment’ is not actually a prayer that Charles de Foucauld wrote for any eventual companions, or even one he prayed himself. Rather it is his reflection on the prayer of Jesus’ to his Father, written while he was a Cistercian monk in Syria, as he meditated on the Passion narratives in the Gospel… ‘it is the prayer of Jesus in his Passion; it is not our prayer.’

It is identifying with the Passion of Jesus, imagining what Jesus went through and the prayers, emotions and desires he expressed to his Father at this momentous time; it is following in his steps, standing in the prayer with him and all who call his Name….

We pray it with Jesus and each other because we want to grow in this spirit of abandonment uniting ourselves ‘in a place of complete surrender’ to His love and grace, mercy and forgiveness, as part of the mystery of faith…. To follow in his steps, is a representation of our surrender to Jesus as we continually say yes to Availability and Vulnerability.

It is particularly helpful to know that whatever our individual or collective circumstances or situation; whether good or bad or downright ugly; whatever twists and turns we may experience in an as yet unknown future, we’re holding on to the Lord of the Journey, moving united in Christ as Companions in Community. So what better prayer can we offer, alone and together, than to embrace the Spirit of Jesus within us and echo His words of faith:

Father,
I abandon myself into your hands;
do with me what you will.

Whatever you do, I will thank you:
I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me, as in all your creatures.
And I’ll ask nothing else, my Lord.

Into your hands I commend my spirit;
I give it to you
with all the love of my heart,
for I love you, Lord,
and so need to give myself,
to surrender myself into your hands,
with a trust beyond all measure,
Because you are my Father.

Northumbrian Community – “A Place of Complete Surrender” by Trevor Miller
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“Christ we do all adore Thee “

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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