Brief silence to quiet our hearts and to acknowledge that Christ is among us.
V. O God, come to my assistance.
R. O Lord, make haste to help me.
V. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
R. as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen
O God of truth and mighty Lord,
Directly all in wise accord,
You clothe the day with splendour bright,
The noonday sun gives warmth and light.
Extinguish all the flames of strife!
From sinful passions shield our life!
Give health and strength to us, O Lord,
True peace of heart to us afford!
To God the Father and the Son,
To Holy Spirit, three in one,
May praise and honour, glory be
To you, eternal Trinity. Amen
Ant. You who dwell in the heavens, have mercy on us.
A prayer for mercy: a pilgrimage song
To you have I lifted up my eyes,
you who dwell in the heavens;
my eyes, like the eyes of slaves
on the hand of their lords.
Like the eyes of a servant
on the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes are on the Lord our God
till he show us his mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.
We are filled with contempt.
Indeed all too full in our soul
with the scorn of the rich.
(the disdain of the proud).
Thanksgiving for protection: a pilgrimage song
“If the Lord had not been on our side,”
this is Israel’s song.
“If the Lord had not been on our side
when they rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive
when their anger was kindled.
Then would the waters have engulfed us,
the torrent gone over us;
over our head would have swept
the raging waters.”
Blessed be the Lord who did not give us
a prey to their teeth!
Our life, like a bird, has escaped
from the snare of the fowler.
Indeed the snare has been broken
and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Unshakable trust: a pilgrimage song
Those who put their trust in the Lord
are like Mount Zion, that cannot be shaken,
that stands for ever.
Jerusalem! The mountains surround her;
so the Lord surrounds his people
both now and for ever.
The sceptre of the wicked shall not rest
over the land of the just
for fear that the hands of the just
should turn to evil.
Do good, Lord, to those who are good,
to the upright of heart;
but the crooked and those who do evil,
drive them away!
On Israel, peace!
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
Ant. You who dwell in the heavens, have mercy on us.
Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
V. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
R. In verdant pastures he gives me repose.
(from the None Office)
Lord God, grant that through our work we may provide for the needs of this life, while never losing sight of what is of true value, those things which alone remain for ever and ever. Amen.
—Time for prayer, with a particular focus on KLC—
At the end of each petition please say, “Lord in your mercy…”
and the rest of us will respond, “… hear our prayer.”
from Today’s Sacred Space
Presence
Lord, You are always there
waiting for me.
May I never be too busy to
find time to spend in Your presence.
Freedom
God is not foreign to my freedom.
Instead, the Spirit breathes life into my most intimate desires,
gently nudging me towards all that is good.
I ask for the grace to let myself be enfolded by the Spirit.
Consciousness
Help me, Lord, to be more conscious of Your presence.
Teach me to recognise Your presence in others.
Fill my heart with gratitude for the times Your Love has been shown to me through the care of others.
The Word of God
Once while Jesus was standing beside the Lake of Gennesaret and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.”When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to burst. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’s knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For he and all who were with him were astounded at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)
“Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.”
Reader: This is the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Response: Glory to You, Lord Jesus Christ.
Inspiration
Lord, you call us and invite us into the deep, to trust you radically, even when we don’t understand and it seems nonsensical to us. Your ways are not our ways, your thoughts not our thoughts, and you are the One who has perfect wisdom and perfect provision.
Peter knew the lake and the time to fish, but he put that wisdom aside on hearing Jesus telling him to put into deep water and lower the nets. May we be willing to accept that our understanding is limited, that we are small and finite and that by ourselves, even with great effort and good intentions, we can achieve little. But by following God’s will, amazing and incredible things are possible!
Conversation
Dear Lord, stay by my side always.
Gain for me a trusting heart.
Thank You for loving me.
Conclusion
I thank God for these few moments we have spent alone together and for any insights I may have been given concerning the text. Amen.
—15 minutes of silence—
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen
The Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology in Cambridge. Charity registered in England and Wales. Charity Number: 1191741
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