Cantica Gaudia

Ordinary Time, Fall: Thursday Morning Prayer

Opening: Cast your anxiety upon God alone. Do not become desirous of gold and silver which are profitless, but clothe yourself in wisdom like a robe, put knowledge upon you like a crown, and be seated upon a throne of perception.

Canticle: Praise my soul, our good Lord.
Sing songs to God’s name,
for God has brought my life
into fresh waters when I was thirsty.
God has fed me with the Bread of Life
when I was starving.
God has sustained me along all my days
and never has put me to shame.
Praise my soul, our good Lord,
for such abundant goodness.

Psalm: O Lord, you are my portion and my cup;
It is you who uphold my lot.
My boundaries enclose a pleasant land;
Indeed, I have a goodly heritage.
I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
My heart teaches me, night after night.
I have set the Lord always before me;
Because God is at my right hand I shall not fall.
My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices;
My body also shall rest in hope.
For you will not abandon me to the grave,
Nor let your holy one see the Pit.
You will show me the path of life;
In your presence there is fullness of joy, and in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.

Glory be to God, who made us, who bears our pain, and who loves us
As it was in the beginning, is now and will be always.  Amen.

Reading: There is in her a spirit that is intelligent, holy,
unique, manifold, subtle,
mobile, clear, unpolluted,
distinct, invulnerable, loving the good, keen,
irresistible,   beneficent, humane,
steadfast, sure, free from anxiety,
all-powerful, overseeing all,
and penetrating through all spirits
that are intelligent, pure, and altogether subtle.
For wisdom is more mobile than any motion;
because of her pureness she pervades and penetrates all things.
For she is a breath of the power of God,
and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty;
therefore nothing defiled gains entrance into her.
For she is a reflection of eternal light,
a spotless mirror of the working of God,
and an image of his goodness.
Although she is but one, she can do all things,
and while remaining in herself, she renews all things;
in every generation she passes into holy souls
and makes them friends of God, and prophets;
for God loves nothing so much as the person who lives with wisdom.
She is more beautiful than the sun,
and excels every constellation of the stars.
Compared with the light she is found to be superior,
for it is succeeded by the night,
but against wisdom evil does not prevail.

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: I listen quietly, Lord,
And the morning sounds of creation draw me to you.
It is then that I hear your voice,
“I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
Sometimes it is difficult to fully receive your pleasure in me,
To grasp that you are fond of me,
Even when I have nothing to show for myself.
May I remember that I am yours today.  Amen.

Collect: Holy God, whose fire of love never goes out: free us from the fear of scarcity that keeps us out of love's own feast; renew our trust in your abundance which knows no death and keeps no count, through Jesus Christ, the oil of gladness. Amen.

Going Forth: Strengthen the hands that work for peace.