Evening Prayer

                                                                           Collect for Peace at Evening Payer

Give 

to us, 

your

servants, 

that 

peace 

which the 

world cannot give...

John Donne, Poet and Priest (1772-1631)

                                                                                                               Psalm 89:1-2

Your love, 

O Lord, forever will I sing; from age to age my mouth shall proclaim 

your faithfulness. For I am persuaded 

that your love is established forever; you 

have set your faithfulness firmly in the heavens.  

 BEHOLD BE STRENGTHENED BE CHANGED 

John Donne

Evening Prayer of what Sr Electa ODC (and that doesn't mean obsessive compulsive!) tells me is Laetare (Rejoice) Sunday. I don't think it's because it's the first day of the Baseball season but it's yet another reason to rejoice....

                                                 Psalm 19:1,2 

The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows his handiwork. One day tells its tale to another, and one night imparts knowledge to another.

The Fourth Sunday in Lent

  John6:27

Sir, 

ever-

more 

give 

us 

this 

bread. 

Moving toward evening

                                                           Collect for the Fourth 

                                                                            Sunday in Lent

ever-more  

give us

that bread, 

that 

he may 

live 

in us 

& we 

in him;

John Keble, priest and renewer of the church (1792-1866)

  Psalm 89:14

Satisfy us 

with your 

loving-kindness 

in the morning,

that we may 

rejoice and be 

glad all the 

days of our life. 

New every morning is the love, 

our waking and uprising prove; 

though sleep & dankness safely brought, 

restored to life & power & thought. 

New mercies each returning day, 

around us hover as we pry; 

new perils past, new sins forgiven, 

new thoughts of God, new hopes of heaven. 

If on our daily course our mind 

be set to hallow all we find; 

New treasures still of countless price,

God will provide for sacrifice.

Old friends old, scenes will lovelier be,

as  more of heaven in each we see; 

some softening gleam of love & prayer 

will shine on every cross & care. 

The trivial round, the common task

will furnish all we ought to ask;

room to deny ourselves. a road

to lead s daily nearer God.

Only, O Lord, in the dear love,

fit us for perfect rest above,;

and help us, this & every day 

to live more nearly as we pray.

                   By John Kelbe

         

      BEHOLD  BE STRENGTHENED  BE CHANGED

Friday evening

                      Antiphon on Psalm 92

We 

will 

tell of your loving-kind-ness in the morn-ing and of your 

faithfulness in the night season. 

 
  Behold Be strengthened Be changed

Today Give Us This Day the person commemorated is MOSES: LIBERATOR AND MYSTIC

                                                          Genesis 47:7

Then  Joseph br-ought his 

fa-ther Jacob & presented him before Pharaoh & Jacob blessed Pharaoh... 

                  May we be granted even a small 

                       potion of  Joseph's perseverance &

                       forgiveness & Jacob's faith &

                       chutzpah. 

John of Damascus, priest (676-749)

                                                 John of Damascus

“I do not worship matter, 

I wor-ship the God of matter, who became matter for my sake, and deigned to inhabit matter, who work-ed out my salva-tion through matter.” 

John was a defender of icons during the Iconoclastic Controversy when images, icons,- any physical representation of God - was suspect. In 726 The Emperor had published his first Edict Against the Holy Images which formally began the Iconoclastic Controversy which did not end until 787 at the Council of Nicea.. John’s point was that it was not the icon itself that was venerated, but the spiritual reality it represented.  His enraged critics called him an idol worshipper and, ironically it was only his residence in Jerusalem, a city then under Muslim control, and thus beyond the emperor, that assured his safety. His feast, for many years celebrated on March, 27, is now on Dec. 4.

Thanks to the wonderful publication Give us this Day and Holy Women, Holy Men...... 

A Thursday in Lent, My friend Phil L's 30th AA birthday (yesterday actually) and Phil VM's 38th AA birthday and the 65th anniversary of my baptism

)   Psalm 43:3a

Send out 

your light 

and your 

truth that 

they may 

lead me 

Today Give us This Day commemorates The Mothers of the Disappeared Argentina. (1977-1983) Not ancient history....

                          Mark 6: 14-29

The 

king 

was deep

-ly grieved, yet out of regard for [his promise and his reputation] he did not want to refuse her. 

Between 1977 and 1983 over 20,000 people simply disappeared in Argen-tina.  The Mothers gathered in the Plaza in silent protest. “At a time when truth as everywhere suppres-sed, the Mothers became the conscience of a nation.”

 Behold 

       Be strengthened 

                  Be changed 

Second Vespers....

                                                                               Psalm 110:3

In the beauty of holi-ness have I begot-ten  you, like dew from the womb of the morning. 

Midday

                                              Forward Day by Day & Luke 1:38

The angel
of the Lord

appears to
Mary with a
wild plan. ....Will she do it?

     Then Mary said

 "Let it be with me according to your word. " 
Behold  Be strengthened  Be changed. 

The Annunciation of the Angel Gabriel to Mary (And our friend George Hemingway's 29th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood)

                                      Psalm 85:11

Truth shall spring 

up 

from 

the 

earth 

and righteousness 

shall look down from heaven.

          Today, in an instant,the whole course 

                 of human history changed forever. 

   Behold Be strengthened. Be changed. 

First Vespers of the Annunciation the Virgin Mary

                                    the rev. Herbert O'Driscoll 

The Commemoration of the life of Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, martyred for the sake of justice, 1980

                                                                     Confession of sin 

  We have not loved You with our whole heart

  we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves

"give us such a view of your work that we may commit the future to you, confident that what we do in your Name will, in your time, grow and flourish to our glory"                                 

Archbishop Romero was saying mass 

on the evening of March 24, 1980,

and was just about to elevate the 

bread and wine at the Offertory 

when he was shot through the heart. 

He was the first bishop to be killed

at the altar since Thomas Becket 

in the twelfth century: "Who will 
rid me of this meddlesome priest?"  

May we have faith to be as 

meddlesome in our own day. 

Behold  Be strengthened  Be changed

Sunday Evening Prayer

                                                                                   Psalm 34:14 

 Turn 

 from 

 evil 

 and 

 do 

 good; 

 seek peace, and pursue it. 

The Third Sunday in Lent

                                               Psalm 93:5

Mightier than the sound of many waters,

mightier than the breakers of the sea, mightier is the Lord who dwells on high. 

Saturday, toward evening

                                     Psalm 23:1,2b, 3a

The 

Lord 

is my 

shep-

herd, 

I shall 

not 

want. 

He leads me beside still waters, he revives my soul

   Behold. Be strengthened. Be changed.

Gregory the Illuminator, Bishop of and Missionary to Armenia ca 332 (whose feast is actually tomorrow)

            Confession*

forgive

what we

have been, 

help us 

amend what 

we are, 

& direct 

what we 

shall be

*Confession  proposed in 1968 by the Joint Liturgical Commission, a British ecumenical group. Everything is the same as the BCP 

of 1970 (page 79) except for this part 
which in our book says is 
”We are truly sorry 
and we humbly 
repent.”                          I find this one much more helpful. 
                                  Our is a little too ... formulaic.... 
It reminds me that while forgiveness is God's and the 
future is God's, in the present God needs me to 
participate in amending my life today and making whatever amends and 
changes need to be made... 
He can't do that for me 
or without me. 

    "shine, we pray,  

    in our hearts 

    that we also 

    in our generation 

    may shine forth 

    your praise...” 

      Collect for St Gregory 

Evening Prayer

                                                    The Gospel of Mark 4:37-41

A great wind arose, with the waves beating the boat so that the boat was already being swamped. But Jesus was in the stern asleep on the cushion; and they woke him and said to him,  “Teacher, do you not care  that we are perishing?"  He woke up and rebuked the wind and said

to the sea       "Peace!  Be still!”      Then the 

wind ceased and there was a dead calm...

Thomas Ken, 16370-1711 Bishop of Bath and Wells

    Lenten Antiphon on the Venite 

The Lord 

is full 

of com-

passion 

& mercy; 

Come, 

let us

adore him. 

God, our heavenly father, make, we pray, the door of this Cathedral Church wide enough to welcome all who need human love and fellowship and a Father’s care; but narrow enough to shut out all envy, pride, and lack of love. Here may the temped find help, the sorrowing receive comfort, the careless be awakened to repentance, and the penitent be assured of your mercy; and here may all your children renew their strength and go on their way in hope and joy; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

                       Thomas Ken 

The First Evening of Spring

                                                                 Psalm 74:16

Yours is the day; yours also the night; you established the moon and the sun.

  Behold. Be strengthened. Be changed. 

St Cuthbert of Lindesfarn, 687.. And the First day of Spring, the Spring Equinox

                                                    Psalm 71:21

You 

strengthen 

me more & 

more, you 

enfold &

comfort me. 

In the New Lutheran  Book

Prayers are suggested 

for  the indifferent and those who have lost their faith; for a deeper awareness if the important of prayers, study and meditation; for the North of England, the church and the people; and for the Diocese and the Cathedral of Durham.  

Statue of St Cuthbert of Lindesfarn  whose shrine is at Durham Cathedral, pictured above. 

Evening Prayer of St Joseph

    Isaiah 63:9

It was no 

messenger 

or angel 

but his

presence 

that  saved 

them. 

The Feast of St Joseph, through whom Jesus is descended from the house and lineage of David.

                          Antiphon :Psalm 132

The Lord has sworn an oath 

to David, your line shall endure forever. 

The most interesting thing about God 
is not THAT he keeps his promises but 
HOW! It's often convoluted and almost 
always unexpected. You just never know.... 

Evening Prayer

                                                                                      Psalm 68:10

Blessed be the Lord day 

by 

day, 

the  

God of our 

salvation who bears our burdens. 

St Cyril of Jerusalem . Bishop (315- 386)

                                 Psalm 62:6

For God alone my soul in silence waits; 

truly my hope is in him. 

St Cyril’s Catechetical Letters, delivered as talks to adult catechumens, represent one of the first systematic accounts of Christian theology. Centered on the articles of the creed, it represents Cyril’s determination to present the faith in a positive light and to maintain a balance between belief and action.(Give us This Day) 

Evening Prayer

                                                          Collect for Peace 

Give 

to 

us... 

that 

peace 

which 

the 

world 

cannot

give... 

St Patrick, Bishop and Missionary to Ireland, 461. AND my friend Eddie’s 5h birthday!

                                           Psalm 56:3-4

When-ever 

I am afraid, 

I put 

my trust 

in you, 

In God whose word I praise, In God I trust 

and will not be afraid. 

Full moon

                                                          Psalm 8:4-5

When I consider the heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have set 

in their courses, What is man that you 

should consider him? The son of 

man that you should seek him out?