Tag: Friday after Ash Wednesday

Morning Prayer: Fri, 03 Mar – Psalm 25; Matthew 25:14-18 ~ invest yourself

Friday after Ash Wednesday

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

Opening Sentences

O God, come to our aid. O Lord, make haste to help us. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
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Reading: Psalm 25 (NLT)

O Lord, I give my life to you. I trust in you, my God! Do not let me be disgraced, or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat.

No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.
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Reading: Matthew 25:14-18 (NLT)

risk-reward

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.

“The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.

Prayer:

Lord God: you have made me your servant; you have given me gifts, abilities and experience; and you have given me the responsibility to make the most of it all until you return.

+ Show me where you want me to invest myself in this season of my life.
+ Open up new possibilities for me that I have never considered before.
+ Give me wisdom and sound judgement in the decisions I make going forward.
+ Lead me out of my comfort zone into new opportunities for Kingdom service.

Lord God: I give my life to you; I trust in you. Through Jesus Christ, your Son and my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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“Trust In You” – Lauren Daigle


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Blessing

The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.

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

Morning Prayer: 12 February – Matthew 9:14-15 ~ then they will fast

Friday after Ash Wednesday

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

Opening Sentence

Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed. (Amos 5:15)

Morning Reading: Matthew 9:14-15 (NLT)

prayer-and-fasting

One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, “Why don’t your disciples fast like we do and the Pharisees do?”

Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

Morning Prayer

Christ my Savior, who redeemed me by your death and resurrection, have mercy on me.

+ You went up to Jerusalem to endure the passion and enter into glory – lead me into the paschal feast of eternal life.
+ Your heart was pierced with a lance – heal the wounds of my human weakness.
+ You made your cross the tree of life – share your victory with me.
+ You gave salvation to the repentant thief – pardon all my sins.

Merciful God, give me the grace to continue the chosen fast I have begun; so that the Lenten observance I have taken upon myself may be accomplished in sincerity of heart. Through my Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

“Grace” – Laura Story

Closing Sentences

Come back, says the Lord, and I will frown on you no more, since I am merciful and I shall not keep my resentment for ever. Come back, disloyal children, says the Lord. (Jeremiah 3:12,14)

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

Morning Prayer: 20 Feb – Is 58:1-9a; Mt 9:14-15 ~ fasting that pleases God

Friday after Ash Wednesday

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

Opening sentence and prayer:

Clothe the man you see to be naked and do not turn away from your own kin. Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, your integrity shall go before you.
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Give me the grace, Lord, to continue the works of contrition I have begun; so that the Lenten observance I have taken upon myself may be accomplished in sincerity of heart. Through my Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
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A Reading from the Old Testament: Isaiah 58:1-9a (NLT)

“Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast. Shout aloud! Don’t be timid. Tell my people Israel of their sins! Yet they act so pious! They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to learn all about me. They act like a righteous nation that would never abandon the laws of its God. They ask me to take action on their behalf, pretending they want to be near me. ‘We have fasted before you!’ they say. ‘Why aren’t you impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and you don’t even notice it!’

“I will tell you why!” I respond. “It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers. What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord?

homeless-man

“No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

“Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. Then when you call, the Lord will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.
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Seek good and not evil so that you may live, and the Lord will be with you. (Amos 5:14)
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A Reading from the Gospels: Matthew 9:14-15 (NLT)

One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, “Why don’t your disciples fast like we do and the Pharisees do?”

Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
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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 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 the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen