Morning Prayer
Thursday, January 21
Opening Sentence
Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Isaiah 60:3
Confession
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor. Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.
Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life.
Amen.
Versicle and Response 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 will be forever. Amen.
The Lord has shown forth his glory: Come let us adore him.
Venite
Come let us sing to the Lord;*
let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving* and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God,* and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the caverns of the earth,* and the heights of the hills are his also. The sea is his, for he made it,*
Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee,* and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.* Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!
Glory be 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.
Antiphon
The Lord has shown forth his glory: Come let us adore him.
Psalm 37 Part I Noli aemulari
1Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; *
do not be jealous of those who do wrong.
2For they shall soon with er like the grass, *
and like the green grass fade away.
3Put your trust in the Lord and do good; *
dwell in the land and feed on its riches.
4Take delight in the Lord, *
and he shall give you your heart's desire.
5Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him, *
and he will bring it to pass.
6He will make your righteousness as clear as the light *
and your just dealing as the noonday.
7Be still before the Lord *
and wait patiently for him.
8Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers, *
the one who succeeds in evil schemes.
9Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; *
do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil.
10For evildoers shall be cut off, *
but those who wait upon the Lord shall possess the land.
11In a little while the wicked shall be no more; *
you shall search out their place, but they will not be there.
12But the lowly shall possess the land; *
they will delight in abundance of peace.
13the wicked plot against the righteous *
and gnash at them with their teeth.
14the Lord laughs at the wicked, *
because he sees that their day will come.
15the wicked draw their sword and bend their bow
to strike down the poor and needy, *
to slaughter those who are upright in their ways.
16their sword shall go through their own heart, *
and their bow shall be broken.
17the little that the righteous has *
18For the power of the wicked shall be broken, * but the Lord upholds the righteous.
Gloria Patri
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. Amen.
The Old Testament Lesson
Isaiah 45:5-17
5I am the Lord, and there is no other;
besides me there is no god.
I arm you, though you do not know me,
6so that they may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is no one besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other.
7I form light and create darkness,
I make weal and create woe; I the Lord do all these things.
8Shower, O heavens, from above,
and let the skies rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation may spring up, and let it cause righteousness to sprout up also; I the Lord have created it.
9Woe to you who strive with your Maker,
earthen vessels with the potter!
Does the clay say to the one who fashions it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘Your work has no handles’?
10Woe to anyone who says to a father, ‘What are you begetting?’
or to a woman, ‘With what are you in labor?’
11Thus says the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: Will you question me about my children,
or command me concerning the work of my hands?
12I made the earth,
and created humankind upon it;
it was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host.
13I have aroused Cyrus in righteousness,
and I will make all his paths straight; he shall build my city
and set my exiles free, not for price or reward, says the Lord of hosts.
14Thus says the Lord:
the wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Ethiopia, and the Sabeans, tall of stature,
shall come over to you and be yours, they shall follow you;
they shall come over in chains and bow down to you. they will make supplication to you, saying,
‘God is with you alone, and there is no other; there is no god besides him.’
15Truly, you are a God who hides himself,
O God of Israel, the Savior.
16All of them are put to shame and confounded,
the makers of idols go in confusion together.
17But Israel is saved by the Lord
with everlasting salvation;
you shall not be put to shame or confounded to all eternity.
the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Canticle 8
The Song of Moses
Cantemus Domino
Exodus 15:1-6, 11-13, 17-18
I will sing to the Lord, for he is lofty and uplifted; * the horse and its rider has he hurled into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my refuge; *
the Lord has become my Savior. This is my God and I will praise him, * the God of my people and I will exalt him. The Lord is a mighty warrior; *
Yahweh is his Name.
The chariots of Pharaoh and his army has he hurled into the sea; * the finest of those who bear armor have been
drowned in the Red Sea.
The fathomless deep has overwhelmed them; * they sank into the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in might; * your right hand, O Lord, has overthrown the enemy.
Who can be compared with you, O Lord, among the gods? * who is like you, glorious in holiness,
awesome in renown, and worker of wonders? You stretched forth your right hand; *
the earth swallowed them up.
With your constant love you led the people you redeemed; * with your might you brought them in safety to
your holy dwelling.
You will bring them in and plant them * on the mount of your possession,
The resting-place you have made for yourself, O Lord, * the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hand has established. The Lord shall reign *
forever and forever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
The New Testament Lesson
Ephesians 5:15-33
15Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, 16making the most of the
time, because the days are evil. 17So do not be foolish but understand what the will of the
Lord is. 18Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, 19as
you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making
melody to the Lord in your hearts, 20giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for
everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
21Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of
the wife just as Christ is the head of the church, the body of which he is the Saviour. 24Just as
the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands.
25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26in
order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, 27so as to
present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind
yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish. 28In the same way, husbands should love
their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29For no one
ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the
church, 30because we are members of his body. 31‘For this reason a man will leave his father
and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ 32This is a great
mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church. 33Each of you, however, should love
his wife as himself, and a wife should respect her husband. the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Canticle 19
The Song of the Redeemed
Magna et mirabilia Revelation 15:3-4
O ruler of the universe, Lord God,
great deeds are they that you have done, * surpassing human understanding.
Your ways are ways of righteousness and truth, * O King of all the ages.
Who can fail to do you homage, Lord, and sing the praises of your Name? * for you only are the holy One.
All nations will draw near and fall down before you, * because your just and holy works have been revealed. 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.
The Gospel
Mark 4:21-34
21He said to them, ‘Is a lamp brought in to be put under the bushel basket, or under the bed,
and not on the lampstand? 22For there is nothing hidden, except to be disclosed; nor is
anything secret, except to come to light. 23Let anyone with ears to hear listen!’ 24And he said
and still more will be given you. 25For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.’
26He also said, ‘The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, 27and
would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know
how. 28The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the
head. 29But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has
come.’
30He also said, ‘With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use
for it? 31It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the
seeds on earth; 32yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and
puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.’
33With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; 34he did
not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples. the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The Apostle's Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord's Prayer 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.
Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen.
Suffrages
Show us your mercy, O Lord; And grant us your salvation.
Clothe your ministers with righteousness; Let your people sing with joy.
Give peace, O Lord, in all the world; For only in you can we live in safety. Lord, keep this nation under your care; And guide us in the way of justice and truth. Let your way be known upon earth;
Your saving health among all nations. Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten; Nor the hope of the poor be taken away. Create in us clean hearts, O God;
And sustain us with your Holy Spirit. Collect of the Day
Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ's glory, that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and forever.
Amen. For Mission
Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and
devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Collect of Commemoration
Almighty and everlasting God, who chooses those whom the world deems powerless to put the powerful to shame, Grant us so to cherish the memory of your youthful martyrs Agnes and Cecilia, that we might share their pure and steadfast faith in you; through Jesus Christ
our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.
Trinity Cycle of Prayer
Joyce and Salvador Irizarry
Let us pray now for our own needs and those of others. A Prayer of St. Chrysostom
Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your
Benediction
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy
Spirit. Amen. Romans 15:13
The Commemoration
Agnes is a Christian martyr who died at Rome around 304 in the persecution of Diocletian: the last and fiercest of the persecutions of Christianity by the Roman emperors. the
anniversary of her martyrdom is observed on 21 January. Her name means “pure” in Greek and “lamb” in Latin. She is said to have been only about twelve or thirteen when she died, and the remains preserved in St Agnes' Church in Rome are in agreement with this. It is said that her execution shocked many Romans and helped bring an end to the persecutions. Some said, “It is contrary to Roman law to put a virgin to death. Our leaders say that it is necessary to kill Christians in order to preserve the old Roman ways: but they are themselves scorning those ways in the process.”
Others said, “Do young girls constitute such a threat to Rome that it is necessary to kill them ?”
Others said, “If this religion can enable a twelve-year-old girl to meet death without fear, it is worth checking out.”
There is a narrative poem by Keats, called “The Eve of Saint Agnes.” It is a romantic poem
with a mediaeval setting, about an elopement the night before St Agnes' Day. the only tie-in with Agnes is that (presumably because she died as a young virgin), Agnes is regarded as the patron of young unmarried girls, and there is a folk-belief that a girl who goes to bed
