Cantica Gaudia

Season of Epiphany: Saturday Morning Prayer

Opening:  The glory of the Lord has risen upon us.  Let us rejoice and sing God’s praise.

Canticle: Glorify the Lord, all you works of the Lord,
Praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
In the firmament of her power, glorify the Lord,
Praise her and highly exalt her for ever.

Glorify the Lord, you angels and all powers of the Lord,
O heavens and all waters above the heavens,
Sun and moon and stars of the sky, glorify the Lord,
Praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Glorify the Lord, every shower of rain and fall of dew,
All winds and fire and heat.
Winter and summer, glorify the Lord,
Praise her and highly exalt her for ever.

Glorify the Lord, O chill and cold,
Drops of dew and flakes of snow,
Frost and cold, ice and sleet, glorify the Lord,
Praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Glorify the Lord, O nights and days,
O shining light and enfolding dark.
Storm clouds and thunderbolts, glorify the Lord,
Praise her and highly exalt her for ever.

Let us glorify the Lord: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
Praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord,
Praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Psalm: The heavens speaking is your rightness
People’s seeing is your brightness
All who see something less
And boast of this limited sight
And think it is sufficient
Shall be ashamed one day
When they see that all is nothing but you.

Reading: If you remove the yoke from among you,
The pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
If you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
Then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.
The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places,
And make your bones strong,
And you shall be like a watered garden,
Like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.
Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
You shall raise up the foundation of many generations;
You shall be called the repairer of the breach,
The restorer of streets to live in.

The Lord’s Prayer: Holy One,
We honor your name.
Let the world know your justice
Here as everywhere.
Give us the food we need
For both the body and the soul.
Forgive us the wrongs we do
As we forgive the wrongs of others.
Keep us safe from the evil
At large or of our own making.
We trust you for you made us and
We are yours, now and always.  Amen.

Prayer: Spirit of God, you search us out and know us; you echo our questioning and set us dreaming on the vastness of this universe and the unfathomable secrets of ourselves.  Direct our thinking this day, that we may do so with the mind in the heart, with intellect informed by affection.  May we, like Mary, ponder you in our hearts.  May we, like her, grow in grace and understanding, until on the last day our souls are fully realized and we rest, at last, in the mind of Christ.  Amen.

Collect:  We stand before the throne of God with countless crowds from every nation and race, tribe and language.  Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor, power and might be to our God for ever and ever.  Amen.

Going forth: Bless to me, O Lord, the earth beneath my feet; bless to me, O Lord, the path I tread toward you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.