Holy Family

EVENING PRAYER I

GREETING
O God, mother and father to us all,
we, your children, lift our voices in praise.
Source of all life and unity,
make us one in loving you.
 
DOXOLOGY
PSALM  122
And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him.
With joy I heard them say, “Let us go to the Lord’s house!” And now, Jerusalem, we stand inside your gates.

Jerusalem, the city so built that city and temple are one.
To you the tribes go up, every tribe of the Lord.

It is the law of Israel to honor God’s name. The seats of law are here, the thrones of David’s line.

Pray peace for Jerusalem: happiness for your homes,
safety inside your walls, peace in your great houses.

For love of family and friends
I say, “Peace be with you!”
For love of the Lord’s own house
I pray for your good.
 
READING
2 Corinthians 8:9
For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.
 
CANTICLE OF MARY
Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

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 forever.
INTERCESSIONS
We raise our voices to you, Triune God, as we pray for families.
You have given us family life as a model for creative and nurturing relationships:
~ May we foster loving and supportive relationships in our families and communities.
Our families were our first schools of life and faith:
~ May those early learnings continue to encourage us along the path of holiness.
Saint Joseph became the model for foster parents and stepparents:
~ May they accept responsibility for the raising of children.
Watch over those families marked by violence or addiction:
~ Strengthen them as they seek solutions to the ills that afflict them.
Give solace to those families who have lost children through death or abduction:
~ Give them courage and hope in the face of their loss.

THE LORD’S PRAYER
 
PRAYER
We give you thanks, our God, for our parents, brothers and sisters in whose company we have come to know you and experience your love. Bless them and all those who have been as family to us, nurturing and sustaining us, calling us to the fullness of life. Rejoicing in the gift of these strengthening relationships, we remember the widow and the orphan, the refugee and the homeless and all those who walk through life alone. For the generosity to welcome them into our circle of support and love, we pray, through the intercession of the Holy Family. Amen.
 
BLESSING
May God bless us with forgiving hearts. Amen. May God bless us with generous spirits. Amen. May God bless us with peace. Amen.
 

MORNING PRAYER

GREETING
O God, mother and father to us all, we, your children, lift our voices in praise.
Source of all life and unity, make us one in loving you.
 
DOXOLOGY
 
PSALM 139: 1–18, 23–24
When they had finished everything required by the law, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom.
You search me, Lord, and know me. Wherever I sit or stand,
you read my inmost thoughts;
whenever I walk or rest,
you know where I have been.

Before a word slips from my tongue,
Lord, you know what I will say.
You close in on me,
pressing your hand upon me.
All this overwhelms me — too much to understand!

Where can I hide from you?
How can I escape your presence?
I scale the heavens, you are there!
I plunge to the depths, you are there!

If I fly toward the dawn, or settle across the sea,
even there you take hold of me, your right hand directs me.

If I think night will hide me
and darkness give me cover, I find darkness is not dark.
For your night shines like day, darkness and light are one.

You created every part of me, knitting me in my mother’s womb.
For such handiwork, I praise you. Awesome this great wonder! I see it so clearly!

You watched every bone taking shape in secret,
forming in the hidden depths.
You saw my body grow according to your design.

You recorded all my days before they ever began.
How deep are your thoughts! How vast their sum!
like countless grains of sand, well beyond my grasp.

Search my heart, probe me, God!
Test and judge my thoughts.
Look! do I follow crooked paths?
Lead me along your ancient way.
 
READING
Deuteronomy 5:16
Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
 
CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH
When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends.

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 AND PRAYER AS IN EVENING PRAYER I
BLESSING
May God bless us with forgiving hearts. Amen. May God bless us with generous spirits. Amen. May God bless us with peace. Amen.
 

EVENING PRAYER II

GREETING
O God, mother and father to us all, we, your children, lift our voices in praise.
Source of all life and unity, make us one in loving you.
 
DOXOLOGY
PSALM  112
When they had finished everything required by the law, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom.
Happy those who love God and delight in the law.
Their children shall be blest, strong and upright in the land.

Their households thrive, their integrity stands firm.
A light shines on them in darkness, a God of mercy and justice.

The good lend freely and deal fairly,
they will never stumble;
their justice shall be remembered.

Bad news holds no power, strong hearts trust God. Steady and fearless,
they look down on their enemy.

They support the poor, their integrity stands firm,
their strength brings them honor.

Hatred devours the wicked. They grind their teeth;
their hopes turn to ashes.
 
READING
Philippians 2:6 – 7a
Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.
 
CANTICLE OF MARY
When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends.

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 forever.
INTERCESSIONS
We raise our voices to you, blessed Trinity, as we pray for families:
~ God, three in one, hear our Prayer.
Bless those families striving to live out the ideals of Christian community:
Bless those families who extend your love to others:
Bless those families whose concern encircles the needy and the poor:
Bless those families in need of healing: Bless those families living in the midst of violence:
 
THE LORD’S PRAYER
PRAYER
We give you thanks, our God, for our parents, brothers and sisters, in whose company we have come to know you and experience your love. Bless them and all who have been as family to us, sustaining us and calling us to the fullness of life. Rejoicing in these relationships, we remember the widow and the orphan, the refugee and the homeless and all who walk through life alone. For the generosity to welcome them into our circle of love, we pray, through the intercession of the Holy Family. Amen.

BLESSING
May God bless us with forgiving hearts. Amen. May God bless us with generous spirits. Amen. May God bless us with peace. Amen.