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. Alleluia.
O Bethlehem, the Lord made you
The favoured city of all time;
It was your privilege to behold
The Saviour’s human birth sublime.
A beauteous star outshone the sun
And led the Magi to your gate,
With gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh,
The Saviour’s birth to celebrate.
With gold and incense they proclaimed
This Child to be both King and God;
The bitter myrrh a sign of grief,
Foreshadowing his most painful death.
As Eastern kings their gifts did bring,
So we, O Christ, your praises sing;
Like glory to the Father be
And to the Spirit equally. Amen
Read responsively.
Ant. Your light has come, Jerusalem, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. Nations shall walk by your light, alleluia.
Teach me the demands of your statutes
and I will keep them to the end.
Train me to observe your law,
to keep it with my heart.
Guide me in the path of your commandments;
for there is my delight.
Bend my heart to do your will
and not to love of gain.
Keep my eyes from what is false:
by your word, give me life.
Keep the promise you have made
to the servant who fears you.
Keep me from the scorn I dread,
for your decrees are good.
See, I long for your precepts;
then in your justice, give me life.
Lord, let your love come upon me,
the saving help of your promise.
And I shall answer those who taunt me
for I trust in your word.
Do not take the word of truth from my mouth
for I trust in your decrees.
I shall keep your law
for ever and ever.
I shall walk in the path of freedom
for I seek your precepts.
I will speak of your will before the powerful
and not be abashed.
Your commands have been my delight:
these I have loved.
I will worship your commands and love them
and ponder your statutes.
Remember your word to your servant
by which you gave me hope.
This is my comfort in sorrow:
that your promise gives me life.
Though the proud may utterly deride me
I keep to your law.
I remember your decrees of old
and these, Lord, console me.
I am seized with indignation at the wicked
who forsake your law.
Your statutes have become my song
in the land of exile.
I think of your name in the nighttime
and I keep your law.
This has been my blessing,
the keeping of your receipts.
My part, I have resolved, O Lord,
is to obey your word.
With all my heart I implore your favour;
show the mercy of your promise.
I have pondered over many ways
and returned to your will.
I made haste and did not delay
to obey your commands.
Thought the nets of the wicked ensnared me
I remembered your law.
At midnight I will rise and thank you
for your just decrees.
I am a friend of all who revere you,
who obey your precepts.
Lord, your love fills the earth.
Teach me your statutes.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now
and will be forever. Amen.
Ant. Your light has come, Jerusalem, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. Nations shall walk by your light, alleluia.
The LORD says,
“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to restore the survivors of Israel;
I will give you as a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
Concluding Prayer: Father you have revealed your Son to us through the Spirit who rested on him, and in whom we are baptized. Grant that, faithful to this gift, we may be witnesses to Jesus, proclaiming him as Lord, for ever and ever. Amen
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
Let my heart rejoice and be glad
in this time of prayer.
Remind me often of the great
blessings You have bestowed on me, oh my God.
Freedom
Lord, guide me always
to do Your holy will,
knowing that Your strength
will carry me through.
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
Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray.
When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came toward them early in the morning, walking on the sea. He intended to pass them by. But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
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
It was already late when the crowd was fed and Jesus, worn out by a long day of teaching, felt the need to go and be with his Father in prayer. We know he loved to go aside into a quiet place and, as it were, to recharge his batteries. As Matthew puts it in his version of this account, ‘He went up into the hills by himself to pray.’
Prayer is always an invitation to sit with the Master and to spend time in his company. Through our imagination we can be with him as he goes to a quiet place to be with his Father. Let us now join this same Jesus who went up into the hills to pray.
Conversation
What graces does God want to bestow on me in this time of prayer? If I listen deep inside, in the quiet of my heart, what is the Lord saying to me there?
A time of silence and contemplation.
Conclusion
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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