Cantica Gaudia

Season of Lent: Saturday Compline

Confession: Lord, you know who we are. You know everything we have done. We thirst for things that will never satisfy us. We commit ourselves to things that will never last. We worship things that will never bring salvation.

Still, you offer us the gift of living water. Still, you offer us the gift of eternal life. Forgive us, O Lord, and give us this living water, so that we may never thirst again. Amen.

Canticle: Lord, you now have set your servant free
To go in peace as you have promised
For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior,
Whom you have prepared for all the world to see:
A Light to enlighten the nations,
And the glory of your people Israel.

Reading: It is the God who said, Let light shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show us that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.

The Lord’s Prayer: Ground of all being, Mother of life, Father of the universe,
Your name is sacred, beyond speaking.
May we know your presence.
May your longings be our longings
in heart and in action.
May there be food for the human family today
and for the whole earth community.
Forgive us the falseness of what we have done
as we forgive those who are untrue to us.
Do not forsake us in our time of conflict
but lead us into new beginnings.
For the light of life, the vitality of life, and the glory of life
are yours now and for ever.
Amen.

Prayer:  Let the darkness of night surround us, let light and warmth gather us, and let God's people say amen.

Let the tools be stored away, let the work be over and done, and let God's people say amen.

Let the winds blow wild around us, but let hearts be glad and minds be calm, and let God's people say amen.

Going forth: O God our Father, by whose mercy and might the world turns safely into darkness and returns again into light: we give into your hands our unfinished tasks, our unresolved problems, and our unfulfilled hopes, knowing that only that which you bless will prosper. To your great love and protection we commit each other and all your people, knowing that you alone are our sure defender, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.