January 1
Evening Prayer I
GREETING
God of the dawning, God of the night,
you are the eternal sun that brightens our way.
Mary, morning star, intercede for us
that we may offer this gift of praise to God.
DOXOLOGY
PSALM 119: 105–112, 169–176
We are children of God.
Your word is a lamp for my steps,
a light for my path.
I have sworn firmly
to uphold your just rulings.
I have suffered so much,
give me the life you promise.
Receive, Lord, all that I say,
and teach me your wisdom.
Though danger stalks,
I will never forget your law.
Though the wicked set traps,
I will not stray from you.
Your laws are my heritage,
the joy of my heart for ever.
I am determined to obey
for a lasting reward.
I rejoice before you, Lord,
let your word bring me light.
Hear my Prayer,
rescue me as you promised.
May praise be on my lips,
because you taught me your rule.
May praise be on my tongue,
because your commands are just.
Reach out and lead me,
I choose your path.
I long to be safe, Lord,
your law is my delight.
May I live to praise you,
upheld by your word.
If I stray like a lost sheep,
seek out your servant,
for I never forget your laws.
1Samuel 2:1–10
I acclaim the Lord’s greatness, source of my strength.
I acclaim the Lord’s greatness,
source of my strength.
I devour my foe,
I say to God with joy:
“You saved my life.
Only you are holy, Lord;
there is none but you,
no other rock like you.”
God knows when deeds match words,
so make no arrogant claims.
The weapons of the strong are broken,
the defenseless gain strength.
The overfed now toil to eat,
while the hungry have their fill.
The childless bear many children,
but the fertile learn they are sterile.
The Lord commands death and life,
consigns to Sheol or raises up.
God deals out poverty and wealth,
casts down and lifts up,
raising the poor from squalor,
the needy from the trash heap,
to sit with the high and mighty,
taking their places of honor.
God owns the universe
and sets the earth within it.
God walks with the faithful
but silences the wicked in darkness;
their power does not prevail.
God’s enemies will be broken,
heaven thunders against them.
The Lord will judge the earth,
and give power to the king,
victory to the anointed.
READING
Galatians 4:3 – 7
While we were minors, we were enslaved to the elemental spirits of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.
CANTICLE OF MARY
Like Mary, we dispose ourselves to receive God’s word and to act upon it.
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
With Mary, we lift our voices to you, most loving God:
~ Be with us, Loving One.
In the name of all expectant mothers, we pray:
In the name of women struggling for equality within church and society, we pray:
In the name of women suffering from violence and oppression, we pray:
In the name of women sharing in your creative energy, we pray:
In the name of women nurturing others by sharing their gifts, we pray:
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Prayer
Hear us this night, O God, as we pray on behalf of earth’s women. May their wisdom, their suffering, their joy and their strength be inspiration for us so that we may meet each of life’s events with courage and love. We place ourselves under the protection of Mary, your mother, who moved with grace through the events of her life. Through her intercession, we pray. Amen.
BLESSING
May our God renew us in love. Amen.
May our God fill all creation with hope. Amen.
May our God gather all peoples in peace. Amen.
MORNING PRAYER
GREETING
God of the dawning, God of the night,
you are the eternal sun that brightens our way.
Mary, morning star, intercede for us
that we may offer this gift of praise to God.
DOXOLOGY
PSALM 149
Of Mary was born Jesus, who is called the Messiah.
Sing a new song, you faithful,
praise God in the assembly.
Israel, rejoice in your maker,
Zion, in your king.
Dance in the Lord’s name,
sounding harp and tambourine.
The Lord delights
in saving a helpless people.
Revel in God’s glory,
join in clan by clan.
Shout praise from your throat,
sword flashing in hand
to discipline nations
and punish the wicked,
to shackle their kings
and chain their leaders,
and execute God’s sentence.
You faithful, this is your glory!
Hallelujah!
Colossians 1:12–20
Christ is an image of the God we cannot see.
Give thanks to the Father,
who made us fit
for the holy community of light
and rescued us from darkness,
bringing us into the realm
of his beloved Son
who redeemed us,
forgiving our sins.
Christ is an image
of the God we cannot see.
Christ is firstborn in all creation.
Through Christ the universe was made,
things seen and unseen,
thrones, authorities, forces, powers.
Everything was created
through Christ and for Christ.
Before anything came to be, Christ was,
and the universe is held together by Christ.
Christ is also head of the body, the church,
its beginning as firstborn from the dead
to become in all things first.
For by God’s good pleasure
Christ encompasses
the full measure of power,
reconciling creation with its source
and making peace by the blood of the cross.
READING
Acts 1:12 – 13a, 14
Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying. All these were constantly devoting themselves to Prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.
CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH
Because Mary entered fully into her son’s mission she became the Mother of Mercy and our model of faith.
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
With Mary to intercede for us, we pray for the needs of our world.
~ Mother of God, intercede for them.
For women who bring forth their children in uncertainty — for refugees and for the homeless, we pray:
For women whose health is jeopardized by bearing new life, we pray:
For women who lack the resources to care for their children, we pray:
For women whose children disappear, we pray:
For women who watch their children suffer and die, we pray:
For women who generously embrace the experience of motherhood, we pray:
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Prayer
Your maternal love surrounds us, God, nurturing and sustaining our lives. Inspired by your gentle care, may we offer our support and encouragement to those whom you have called to nurture new life. Give them strength and courage, patience and joy as they tend these most vulnerable members of your body. We offer this Prayer through the intercession of Mary who bore your Son Jesus to our world. Amen.
BLESSING
May our God renew us in love. Amen.
May our God fill all creation with hope. Amen.
May our God gather all peoples in peace. Amen.
EVENING PRAYER II
GREETING
God of the dawning, God of the night,
you are the eternal sun that brightens our way.
Mary, morning star, intercede for us
that we may offer this gift of praise to God.
DOXOLOGY
PSALM 138
Of Mary was born Jesus, who is called the Messiah.
I thank you with all I am,
I join heaven’s chorus.
I bow toward your holy temple,
to praise your name.
By your love and fidelity,
you display to all
the glory of your name and promise.
As soon as I call, you act,
renewing my strength.
Around the world,
rulers praise you
for your commanding word.
They sing of your ways,
“Great is your glory, Lord.”
Though high up,
you see the lowly;
though far away,
you keep an eye on the proud.
When I face an opponent,
you keep me alive.
You reach out your hand,
your right hand saves me.
Lord, take up my cause,
your love lasts for ever.
Do not abandon
what your hands have made.
Sirach 36:1–7,13,16–22
You have used us to show your holiness.
Show us mercy, God of all,
teach every land to fear you.
Strike boldly against the enemy,
display your power.
Make them an example of your glory,
as we once showed them your holiness.
Then they will know what we know:
there is no God but you.
Forge new signs, new wonders
with your strong right hand.
Gather every tribe of Jacob
to reclaim its birthright.
Be kind to Israel, your firstborn,
to the people who bear your name.
Deal gently with Jerusalem,
your holy city,
where your throne is fixed.
Fill Zion with your splendor,
your temple with your glory.
Make real the vision
prophets spoke in your name;
keep faith with what you began.
Reward those who hope in you,
prove the prophets right.
Answer the pleas of the faithful
and favor us as always.
Then the world will know
that you are God for ever.
READING
Micah 5:2, 4 – 5a
You, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace.
CANTICLE OF MARY
Because Mary entered fully into her son’s mission she became the Mother of Mercy and our model of faith.
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
With Mary to intercede for us, we pray for the needs of our world.
Mary was chosen to be the Mother of God:
~ May we embrace our call to bring God to birth in our time and culture.
Mary was the perfect disciple:
~ May we gladly walk in the gospel way with Jesus.
Mary treasured her experiences of God’s revelation:
~ May we be attentive to God’s movement in our lives.
Mary trusted that God’s promises to her would be fulfilled:
~ May we be animated by hope.
Mary was taken into heaven:
~ May the sick and dying be consoled by the promise of resurrection.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Prayer
Faithful God, in Mary you have given us the image of the perfect disciple who received the word of God and acted upon it, modeling for us the rhythm of action and contemplation to which our Mercy vocation calls us. Like her, may we know you dwelling within us; with her, may we bring you forth in our world. We ask this through her intercession, Jesus’ mother and ours. Amen.
BLESSING
May our God renew us in love. Amen.
May our God fill all creation with hope. Amen.
May our God gather all peoples in peace. Amen.