Spirituality: Daily Prayer

Saturday 30 May 2026

Morning Prayer

Saturday after the Day of Pentecost
Week of Proper 8

O Lord, open our lips:
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever.

Amen.

Psalmody

Antiphon: I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will praise my God while I have my being. (Psalm 104.34)


Opening

Venite

1 O come let us sing out to the Lord,*
let us shout in triumph to the rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before his face with thanksgiving*
and cry out to him joyfully in psalms.
3 For the Lord is a great God,*
and a great king above all gods.
4 In his hands are the depths of the earth,*
and the peaks of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his and he made it;*
his hands moulded dry land.
6 Come let us worship and bow down,*
and kneel before the Lord our maker.
7 For he himself is our God;*
we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
8 Today if only you would hear his voice:*
‘Do not harden your hearts as Israel did in the wilderness;
9 when your fathers tested me;*
put me to proof though they had seen my works.
10 Of whom I swore in my wrath:*
“They shall not enter my rest.”’

Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever. Amen.

or a suitable Hymn
(Or from Psalm 104)

1 You spread out the heavens like a curtain;*
you lay the beams of your chambers in the waters above;
2 You make the clouds your chariot;*
you ride on the wings of the wind;
3 You make the winds your messengers*
and flames of fire your servants.
4 You have set the earth upon its foundations,*
so that it never shall move at any time.

Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever. Amen.

or a suitable hymn


Psalm 119.97-120

Mem

97 Oh, how I love your law!*
all the day long it is in my mind.

98 Your commandment has made me wiser than my enemies,*
and it is always with me.

99 I have more understanding than all my teachers,*
for your decrees are my study.

100 I am wiser than the elders,*
because I observe your commandments.

101 I restrain my feet from every evil way,*
that I may keep your word.

102 I do not shrink from your judgements,*
because you yourself have taught me.

103 How sweet are your words to my taste!*
they are sweeter than honey to my mouth.

104 Through your commandments I gain understanding;*
therefore I hate every lying way.

Nun

105 Your word is a lantern to my feet*
and a light upon my path.

106 I have sworn and am determined*
to keep your righteous judgements.

107 I am deeply troubled;*
preserve my life, O Lord, according to your word.

108 Accept, O Lord, the willing tribute of my lips,*
and teach me your judgements.

109 My life is always in my hand,*
yet I do not forget your law.

110 The wicked have set a trap for me,*
but I have not strayed from your commandments.

111 Your decrees are my inheritance for ever;*
truly, they are the joy of my heart.

112 I have applied my heart to fulfil your statutes*
for ever and to the end.

Samekh

113 I hate those who have a divided heart,*
but your law do I love.

114 You are my refuge and shield;*
my hope is in your word.

115 Away from me, you wicked!*
I will keep the commandments of my God.

116 Sustain me according to your promise, that I may live,*
and let me not be disappointed in my hope.

117 Hold me up, and I shall be safe,*
and my delight shall be ever in your statutes.

118 You spurn all who stray from your statutes;*
their deceitfulness is in vain.

119 In your sight all the wicked of the earth are but dross;*
therefore I love your decrees.

120 My flesh trembles with dread of you;*
I am afraid of your judgements.

Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever. Amen.

Lord, you are just and your commandments are eternal. Teach us to love you with all our heart and to love our neighbour as ourselves, for the sake of Jesus our Lord.


Conclusion

Isaiah 45

1 Thus says the Lord who created the heavens,*
who formed the earth and made it;
2 who did not create it a chaos,*
but formed it to be inhabited -
3 Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth;*
for I am God: there is no other.
4 From my mouth has gone forth in righteousness*
a word that shall not return:
5 "To me every knee shall bow,*
every tongue shall swear".'
6 In the Lord all the offspring of Israel*
shall triumph and glory.

Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever. Amen.

Antiphon: I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will praise my God while I have my being.

Reading(s)

Proverbs 25.15-28

With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue can break bones. If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, or else, having too much, you will vomit it. Let your foot be seldom in your neighbour’s house, otherwise the neighbour will become weary of you and hate you. Like a war club, a sword, or a sharp arrow is one who bears false witness against a neighbour. Like a bad tooth or a lame foot is trust in a faithless person in time of trouble. Like vinegar on a wound is one who sings songs to a heavy heart. Like a moth in clothing or a worm in wood, sorrow gnaws at the human heart. If your enemies are hungry, give them bread to eat; and if they are thirsty, give them water to drink; for you will heap coals of fire on their heads, and the Lord will reward you. The north wind produces rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks. It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a contentious wife. Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain are the righteous who give way before the wicked. It is not good to eat much honey, or to seek honour on top of honour. Like a city breached, without walls, is one who lacks self-control.


1 Timothy 6.6-21

Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will bring about at the right time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honour and eternal dominion. Amen. As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life. Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid the profane chatter and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge; by professing it some have missed the mark as regards the faith. Grace be with you.


Silence


Response Psalm (Psalm 92.4)

In all you have done, O Lord, you have made me glad.
In all you have done, O Lord, you have made me glad.
I will sing for joy because of the works of your hands.
You have made me glad.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
In all you have done, O Lord, you have made me glad.

Benedictus

Benedictus antiphon: God will guide us in the way of peace.

1 Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel,* for he has come to his people and set them free.
2 He has raised up for us a mighty saviour,* born of the house of his servant David.
3 Through his holy prophets he promised of old* that he would save us from our enemies, from the hands of all that hate us.
4 He promised to show mercy to our forebears,* and to remember his holy covenant.
5 This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:* to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
6 free to worship him without fear,* holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.
7 You my child shall be called the prophet of the Most High,* for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
8 to give his people knowledge of salvation* by the forgiveness of all their sins.
9 In the tender compassion of our God* the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
10 to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,* and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever. Amen.

(may be said by all)

Benedictus antiphon: God will guide us in the way of peace.

Prayers

Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Do not bring us to the time of trial,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever.
Amen


Collect of the Day

Almighty and eternal God:
direct our lives according to your gracious will;
that, in the name of your beloved Son,
we may be strengthened to abound in good works;
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end.
Amen

God most holy, we give you thanks for bringing us out of the shadow of night into the light of morning; and we ask you for the joy of spending this day in your service, so that when evening comes, we may once more give you thanks, through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord.
Amen

Let us bless the Lord:
Thanks be to God!

The Lord bless us and preserve us from all evil;
and bring us to life eternal.
Amen.

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