WEEK FOUR
Thursday EVENING PRAYER

Greeting
O God, come to my assistance,
O Lord, make haste to help me.

Doxology
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Sprit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be world without end. Amen

PSALM 23
The goodness and love of God will tend me every day of my life.

The Lord is my shepherd,
I need nothing more.
You give me rest in green meadows,
setting me near calm waters,
where you revive my spirit.

You guide me along sure paths,
you are true to your name.
Though I should walk in death’s dark valley,
I fear no evil with you by my side,
your shepherd’s staff to comfort me.

You spread a table before me
as my foes look on.
You soothe my head with oil;
my cup is more than full.

Goodness and love will tend me
every day of my life.
I will dwell in the house of the Lord
As long as I shall live.

READING: Colossians 1:21-23

You who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, Christ has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before God – provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven.

CANTICLE OF MARY
Creation waits with eager longing for the dawning of your glory.

I acclaim the greatness of the Lord,
I delight in God my savior,
who regarded my humble state.
Truly from this day on
all ages will call me blest.

For God, wonderful in power,
has used that strength for me.
Holy the name of the Lord!
Whose mercy embraces the faithful,
one generation to the next.

The mighty arm of God
scatters the proud in their conceit,
pulls tyrants from their thrones,
and raises up the humble.
The Lord fills the starving
and lets the rich go hungry.

God rescues lowly Israel,
recalling the promise of mercy,
the promise made to our ancestors,
to Abraham’s heirs for ever.

INTERCESSIONS
O Jesus, trusting in your merciful love, we humbly come before you with our petitions for those in need:
~ Jesus, meek and humble of heart, hear us as we pray!


For the pope and all church leaders, that they may stand firm in the teachings of Christ and strong in proclaiming the gospel:

For all Christians, that we may work actively to heal the divisions among us:

For those whose desire to follow the commandments has grown weak, that their hearts may be strengthened by the mercy of God:

For our communities, that our lives of service may be directed to the honor and glory of God:

For all the dead whose earthly purpose was accomplished in the love of Christ, that they may now be secure in the embrace of that same love:


THE LORD’S PRAYER

PRAYER
Gentle Shepherd, you guide us to places of rest and revive our weary spirits. As we come to the end of this day we are grateful, once again, for these restoring gifts. Under your watchful care, may we rest secure through the night and rise refreshed and ready for your service. We ask this in confidence, for your hear and answer our prayers. Amen.

BLESSING
May the God of mercy bless and protect us all. Amen.
May the God of peace comfort us in times of trial. Amen.
May the God of love shine forth in our lives. Amen.