FIRST, THIRD, AND FIFTH WEEKS
MORNING PRAYER
READING
Deuteronomy 4:29b-31
you will find your God, if you search after him
with all your heart and soul. In your distress,
when all these things have happened to you in
time to come, you will return to the Lord your
God and heed him. Because the Lord is merciful,
God will neither abandon you nor destroy
you; neither will God forget the covenant with
your ancestors.
CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH
An evil and adulterous generation asks for
a sign, but no sign will be given to it except
the sign of the prophet Jonah.
Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
who shepherds the people and sets them free.
God raises from David’s house
a child with power to save.
Through the holy prophets
God promised in ages past
to save us from enemy hands,
from the grip of all who hate us.
The Lord favored our ancestors
recalling the sacred covenant,
the pledge to our ancestor Abraham,
to free us from our enemies,
so we might worship without fear
and be holy and just all our days.
And you child, will be called
Prophet of the Most High,
for you will come to prepare
a pathway for the Lord
by teaching the people salvation
through forgiveness of their sin.
Out of God’s deepest mercy
a dawn will come from on high,
light for those shadowed by death,
a guide for our feet on the way to peace.
INTERCESSIONS
Jesus, your prophet Jonah spent three days in
the belly of the sea monster, as you spent three
days in the tomb. From the darkness of the
greave, as from the depths of the sea, new life
came forth:
~ We place our trust in you.
In times of personal darkness, when you seem
far away:
In our search for ways to serve the needy more
effectively:
When confronted with indifference and opposi-
tion to the works of mercy:
When the efforts of peacemakers are frustrated
by prejudice and animosity:
When those whom we love and serve are sick
or dying:
THE LORD'S PRAYER
PRAYER
Loving God, we seek you with our whole heart
and soul. May our Lenten pilgrimage bring us
to Easter Joy, along the path of prayer and good
works. We make our request in the name of
Jesus who has gone before us in the way of salva-
tion. Amen.
BLESSING
Purify our hearts, O God, that we may be freed from sin. Amen.
Renew our hearts, O God, that they may burn with love for you. Amen.
Open our hearts, O God, that we may welcome all persons as our brothers and sisters. Amen.
EVENING PRAYER
READING
I John 1:8-9
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we
confess our sins, he who is faithful and
just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us
from all unrighteousness.
CANTICLE OF MARY
"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" Jesus said: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind."
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
Jesus, by your life on earth you taught us
that love is central to the Christian vocation.
You have called us to this Mercy community in
which we experience the union and charity that
Catherine McAuley bequeathed to us.
When breaches of charity occur among us:
~ Help us to speak the truth in love.
When misunderstandings threaten our unity:
~ Help us to bring prayer and patience to the
restoration of harmony.
When differences of opinion manifest themselves:
~ Help us to live together in affection and
mutual respect.
When we are discerning issues of community
importance:
~ Help us to listen openly to one another and
seek the common good.
When the poor and the afflicted cry out to us:
~ Help us to share our lives and resources with
them as a sign of your great love for him.
THE LORD'S PRAYER
PRAYER
Jesus, our teacher and brother, you have given
us the grace of a vocation to Mercy, not for
ourselves alone, but in order to draw others to
you through lives of prayer and service. May
we witness daily to your love for all your
children, especially those who are most in need.
We make this prayer with confidence in your
abiding love for us. Amen.
BLESSING
Purify our hearts, O God, that we may be freed from sin. Amen.
Renew our hearts, O God, that they may burn with love for you. Amen.
Open our hearts, O God, that we may welcome all persons as our brothers and sisters. Amen.