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

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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 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: 16 August – Psalm 23:4-5; Genesis 49:29-33; Matthew 20:17 – on the darkest valley

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 23:4-5

Refugees fleeing from Mosul head to the self-ruled northern Kurdish region in Irbil, Iraq, June 12, 2014. Photo by AP

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.

Genesis 49:29-33

The abandoned Saint Elijah's Monastery—the oldest Christian monastery in Iraq—located in the Nineveh Province, just south of the city of Mosul. (Doug via Wikimedia Commons) — “Mosul is also very important for Christians, the prophet Jonah is buried there and also Abraham is supposed to be born in that part of Iraq.”
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The abandoned Saint Elijah’s Monastery—the oldest Christian monastery in Iraq—located in the Nineveh Province, just south of the city of Mosul. (Doug via Wikimedia Commons)

Then Jacob instructed them, “Soon I will die and join my ancestors. Bury me with my father and grandfather in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite. This is the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a permanent burial site. There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried. There Isaac and his wife, Rebekah, are buried. And there I buried Leah. It is the plot of land and the cave that my grandfather Abraham bought from the Hittites.”

When Jacob had finished this charge to his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and joined his ancestors in death.

Matthew 20:17

As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately and told them what was going to happen to him.

Reflection

IONA

On Whitsun Eve, Diarmit conducts Columba to bless the barn. It is now four years later, and Columba says to him:

This Saturday will be a Sabbath indeed to me; for it is to be the last of my laborious life on which I shall rest from all its troubles. During this coming night, before the Sunday I shall, according to the expression of the Scriptures, be gathered to my fathers. Even now my Lord Jesus Christ deigns to call me; to whom, this very night, and at His call, I shall go. So it has been revealed to me by the Lord. (Adamnan)

They both were hush’d
in one absorbing thought
God gave: God takes:
and death can never break
the bond of love which God’s own hand
has wrought.
Silent they homeward turn.
No words could make
fit utterance for that love which in
such silence spake.
Columba’s soul was gazing on the Lord:
his weary body scarcely could go on,
though leaning on Diarmit.
(R.M. Benson)
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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: 15 August – Psalm 84:1-12; 2 Kings 23:4; Luke 17:7-10 – on doorkeeping

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 84:1-12

Iraqi Christians pray during a mass at the Saint-Joseph church in Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, on July 20, 2014.(Photo: AFP-Safin Hamed)

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies. I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young at a place near your altar, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God! What joy for those who can live in your house, always singing your praises.

What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord, who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs. The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings. They will continue to grow stronger, and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.

O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, hear my prayer. Listen, O God of Jacob.

O God, look with favor upon the king, our shield! Show favor to the one you have anointed.

A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right. O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, what joy for those who trust in you.

2 Kings 23:4

Then the king instructed Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second rank and the Temple gatekeepers to remove from the Lord’s Temple all the articles that were used to worship Baal, Asherah, and all the powers of the heavens. The king had all these things burned outside Jerusalem on the terraces of the Kidron Valley, and he carried the ashes away to Bethel.

Luke 17:7-10

“When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, ‘Come in and eat with me’? No, he says, ‘Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later.’ And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not. In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.’”

Reflection

IONA

… to me, the least of saints, to me, allow that I may
keep a door in Paradise.
(The ‘Prayer of Columba’)

One duty of a door-keeper is to stand guard against all that is harmful; another is to welcome whoever may come as guest.

The One who was no less than God
took on the flesh of lowly man
and came to wash the feet of clay
because it was Your holy plan;
and I, no greater than my King
would ever seek a place
of humble service in Your house.

Oh, let me be a servant,
a keeper of the door!
My heart is only longing
to see forevermore
the glory of Your presence,
the dwelling of the Lord
Oh, let me be a servant,
a keeper of the door.
(Twila Paris)

… if so it be that I can see Thy glory,
even afar, and hear Thy voice, O God.
(The ‘Prayer of Columba’)

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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 Reading: Luke 20.27-40 (NLT) – like angels

Reading: Luke 20.27-40 (NLT)

Then Jesus was approached by some Sadducees — religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. They posed this question: “Teacher, Moses gave us a law that if a man dies, leaving a wife but no children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother’s name. Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children. So the second brother married the widow, but he also died. Then the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them, who died without children. Finally, the woman also died. So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her!”

Jesus replied, “Marriage is for people here on earth. But in the age to come, those worthy of being raised from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage. And they will never die again. In this respect they will be like angels. They are children of God and children of the resurrection.

“But now, as to whether the dead will be raised — even Moses proved this when he wrote about the burning bush. Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, he referred to the Lord as ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ So he is the God of the living, not the dead, for they are all alive to him.”

“Well said, Teacher!” remarked some of the teachers of religious law who were standing there. And then no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Prayer: Lord Jesus – What will it be like in heaven… in the presence of the living God? What will it be like in your presence at the throne of grace… to see you face to face? What will it be like to see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob… to see the prophets and apostles… to see the saints and angels… to see my loved ones who loved you? What will it be like to have a new resurrection body… no more pain, no more heartache, no more tears, no more death and dying? What will it be like in a place filled with your Light and Life… filled with unspeakable joy? I can only imagine.

Spiritual Song: “I Can Only Imagine” – Mercy Me & London Symphony Orchestra

Morning Reading: John 6.35, 38-40 NLT

Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty…. For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6.35, 38-40 NLT