Thursday, August 7, 2025
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.
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
At any time of the day or night, we can call on Jesus.
He is always waiting, listening for our call.
What a wonderful blessing.
No phone needed, no e-mails, just a whisper.
Freedom
Lord, I ask for the grace to know
that doing Your will is a joy
because Your will is my deepest desire
and You are always willing what is best for me.
Consciousness
In the presence of my loving Creator,
I look honestly at my feelings over the last day:
the highs, the lows and the level ground.
Can I see where the Lord has been present?
The Word of God
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist but others Elijah and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me, for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
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: The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Response: Thanks be to you, Lord Christ.
Inspiration
When Jesus begins to tell his disciples about his own suffering and death, Peter is horrified. In the Jewish understanding, to have a bad end like this would mean that God was opposed to them. This would destroy everything Jesus had tried to do. But Peter is seeing as humans see. Again and again, we must remind ourselves that God’s ways are not ours. We pray to trust in God’s ways of doing things.
Conversation
Friends don’t keep secrets from one another.
As I pray, can I look at Jesus as my friend
and share my innermost thoughts with Him,
trusting that He understands?
From SacredSpace.com
—A time of silence—
Amen
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
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