Cantica Gaudia

Advent: Saturday Evening Prayer

Opening: If you meet the Virgin coming down the road, ask her into your house. She bears the word of God.

Canticle: My soul rejoices in the Lord,
My spirit leaps before my God and savior,
Who favors his waiting servant.
Listen!
From now on, everyone will call me happy!
For the heavens did great things unto me,
Holy is his name
From this time and forever,
Mercy flows to those who fear him.
His strong arm spread,
He scatters the thoughts of arrogant hearts,
He snatches the powerful from high places
And lifts up the empty.
The hungry are fed delicious food
And the rich sent away with nothing.
His child Israel is clothed in forgiveness,
Just as he spoke to our fathers,
Abraham and his seed forever.

Psalm: O Lord, how manifold are your works
In wisdom you have made them all
The earth is full of your creatures.
There is the great and mighty sea
Which teems with living things both great and small.
Upon it sails the ships
And there is Leviathan, the monster you made to sport in it.
All these look to you
To give them their food in due season.
What you give them they gather up
When you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
But when you hide your face they are dismayed
When you take away their breath they die,
And return to the dust they came from.
When you send out your spirit they are created
And you renew the face of the earth.

Antiphon: O King of the nations, and their desire,
the cornerstone making both one:
Come and save the human race,

which you fashioned from clay.

Reading: All beings are words of God, His music, His art. Sacred books we are, for the infinite camps in our souls. Every act reveals God and expands His being. I know that may be hard to comprehend. All creatures are doing their best to help God in His birth of Himself.

Enough talk for the night. He is laboring in me. I need to be silent for a while, worlds are forming in my heart.

The Lord’s Prayer:

Creator of all,
Alive in all things and greater than all things,
Your naming be held holy.
Your vision of our goodness be made manifest throughout the universe,
And your desires for us brought to fulfillment.
Give us that which is essential for our growth and work.
Offer forgiveness and healing to us as we forgive and heal those around us.
Protect us from unnecessary suffering and wasteful pain.
For all that is beautiful, strong and glorious has its roots in you
and expresses your will and your nature, which we share in, unendingly.  Amen.

Prayer: Leave me alone with God as much as may be. As the tide draws the waters close in upon the shore, make me an island, set apart, alone with you, God, holy to you.

Then with the turning of the tide, prepare me to carry your presence to the busy world beyond, the world that rushes in on me, till the waters come again and fold me back to you. Amen.

Collect: Holy Wisdom, in your loving kindness you created and restored us when we were lost: inspire us with your truth, that we may love you with our whole minds and run to you with open hearts, through Christ our Savior. Amen.

Going Forth: All good gifts are yours, God; we bless you always. Amen.