MORNING and Evening Prayer
of the Sisters of Mercy
Easter
SEVENTH WEEK THURSDAY
Morning Prayer
READING
Philippians 1: 27-28
Live your life in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the Gospel, and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing.
CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH
Live your life in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ.
Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
who shepherds the people and sets them free.
God raises from David’s house
a child with power to save.
Through the holy prophets
God promised in ages past
to save us from enemy hands,
from the grip of all who hate us.
The Lord favored our ancestors
recalling the sacred covenant,
the pledge to our ancestor Abraham,
to free us from our enemies,
so we might worship without fear
and be holy and just all our days.
And you child, will be called
Prophet of the Most High,
for you will come to prepare
a pathway for the Lord
by teaching the people salvation
through forgiveness of their sin.
Out of God’s deepest mercy
a dawn will come from on high,
light for those shadowed by death,
a guide for our feet on the way to peace.
INTERCESSIONS
Loving God, in Jesus you gave us a model to follow. He has shown us the way to life and holiness. Let us live in the pattern of his love and die in the pattern of his death.
The Spirit overshadowed Jesus at the Jordan as you named him your Beloved Son:
--May we be identified as his disciple by the compassion we show for our brothers and sisters.
The Spirit anointed Jesus to bring the Good News to the poor:
--May we proclaim the Good News to the poor and set the captives free.
The Spirit lead Jesus into the desert:
--May we be led through our personal deserts in to the fullness of life.
The Spirit descended upon the frightened disciples at Pentecost and transformed them into fearless messengers of the Gospel:
--May we be filled with bold, courageous faith to speak your truth to the world.
The Spirit remains with us so that we may not be left abandoned:
--May we be guided by the Spirit in all that we do.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
PRAYER
Spirit of God, come and transform us. Stir up in us an ardent desire to do your will and bring about the reign of mercy and justice. Holy Spirit, praying unceasingly within us, give our tongues the words to praise you, our hearts the fervor to love you. Sanctify the work of our lives that all our acts may give glory to God, today and always. Abide with us that we may abide with you. This we ask in faith. Amen.
Easter
SEVENTH WEEK THURSDAY
EVENING PRAYER
READING
2 Timothy 1: 3-7
I am grateful to God when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and love and of self-discipline.
CANTICLE OF MARY
Remember to rekindle the gift of God that is within you.
I acclaim the greatness of the Lord,
I delight in God my savior,
who regarded my humble state.
Truly from this day on All ages will call me blest.
For God, wonderful in power,
has used that strength for me.
Holy the name of the Lord!
Whose mercy embraces the faithful,
one generation to the next.
The mighty arm of God
scatters the proud in their conceit,
Pulls tyrants from their thrones,
and raises up the humble.
The Lord fills the starving
And lets the rich go hungry.
God rescues lowly Israel,
recalling the promise of mercy,
the promise made to our ancestors,
to Abraham’s heirs for ever.
INTERCESSIONS
Spirit of Piety, your people have longed to see your face and taste the sweetness of your presence. Our hearts thirst for you as a deer thirsts for flowing streams. Confident that you listen to those who place their trust in you, we pray:
For all teachers of prayer, spiritual directors and persons in retreat ministry:
--May the witness of their lives and the depth of their union with you bring others to Christ.
For all parents and grandparents:
--May the example they give in daily life be a source of inspiration to their children and grandchildren.
For all missionaries and evangelists:
--May their reverence for the religious expressions of the people to whom they minister foster the growth of god’s kingdom.
For all who long to discover you in the midst of daily activity:
--May they see your presence in the ordinary events of life.
For all artists, musicians, poets, and dancers:
--May the beauty they create nurture a sense of the holy.
For all our ancestors in faith:
--May we learn from them the way of piety and reverence.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
PRAYER
Spirit of God, come and transform us. Stir up in us an ardent desire to do your will and bring about the reign of mercy and justice. Holy Spirit, praying unceasingly within us, give our tongues the words to praise you, our hearts the fervor to love you. Sanctify the work of our lives that all our acts may give glory to God, today and always. Abide with us that we may abide with you. This we ask in faith. Amen.