Cantica Gaudia

Season of Easter: Sunday Compline

Confession:  God of all mercy, we confess that we have sinned against you, opposing your will in our lives. We have denied your goodness in each other, in ourselves, and in the world you have created. We repent of the evil that enslaves us, the evil we have done, and the evil done on our behalf. Forgive, restore and strengthen us through our Savior Jesus Christ, that we may abide in your love and serve only your will. Amen.

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through the grace of Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.

Canticle: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
For he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
In every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
He has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
And has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel,
For he has remembered this promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our forbears,
To Abraham and his children for ever.

Reading: No matter how long you might stay at the spring, you would always be beginning to see the water. For the water never stops flowing, and it is always beginning to bubble up again. It is the same with one who fixes his gaze on the infinite beauty of God. It is constantly being discovered anew, and it is always seen as something new and strange in comparison with what the mind has always understood. And as God continues to reveal himself, one continues to wonder...

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:  Strengthen, O Lord, the hands that holy things have taken, that they may daily bring fruit to your glory. Grant, O Lord, that that lips which have sung your praise within the sanctuary, may glorify you for ever, that the ears which have heard the voice of your songs, may be closed to the voice of clamor and dispute, that the eyes which have seen your great love, may also behold your blessed hope, that the tongues that have sung in holy praise, may ever speak the truth. Grant that the feet that have trod in your holy courts may ever walk in the light, and that the souls and bodies which have tasted of your living body and blood, may ever be restored in newness of life. Amen.

Going Forth: We close our eyes in peace and confidence, for Christ is with us through the long night. Alleluia!