Morning Prayer

--Today is the Feast of Saint Dismas--
Lent
Jesus said, 'If anyone will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.' Mark 8:34

Saint and Major Saints' Days
Their sound has gone out into all lands, and their message to the ends of the world. Psalm 19:4

Confession of Sin
Most merciful God,
I confess that I have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done, and by what I have left undone. I have not loved you with my whole heart; I have not loved my neighbors as myself. I am truly sorry and I humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on me and forgive me; that I may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

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

The Invitatory and Psalter

Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen

Venite
The Antiphon:

ⓘ   A short, reflective sentence recited alongside a psalm to deepen our understanding of the readings.

The Lord is full of compassion and mercy: Come let us adore him.

The Lessons

Psalm 131

⁽¹⁾ LORD, my heart is not haughty, Nor my eyes lofty. Neither do I concern myself with great matters, Nor with things too profound for me. ⁽²⁾ Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, Like a weaned child with his mother; Like a weaned child is my soul within me. ⁽³⁾ O Israel, hope in the LORD From this time forth and forever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Psalm 132

⁽¹⁾ LORD, remember David And all his afflictions; ⁽²⁾ How he swore to the LORD, And vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob: ⁽³⁾ Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house, Or go up to the comfort of my bed; ⁽⁴⁾ I will not give sleep to my eyes Or slumber to my eyelids,

⁽⁵⁾ Until I find a place for the LORD, A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.' ⁽⁶⁾ Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah; We found it in the fields of the woods. ⁽⁷⁾ Let us go into His tabernacle; Let us worship at His footstool. ⁽⁸⁾ Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength.

⁽⁹⁾ Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness, And let Your saints shout for joy. ⁽¹⁰⁾ For Your servant David's sake, Do not turn away the face of Your Anointed. ⁽¹¹⁾ The LORD has sworn in truth to David; He will not turn from it: 'I will set upon your throne the fruit of your body. ⁽¹²⁾ If your sons will keep My covenant And My testimony which I shall teach them, Their sons also shall sit upon your throne forevermore.'

⁽¹³⁾ For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place: ⁽¹⁴⁾ This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it. ⁽¹⁵⁾ I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread. ⁽¹⁶⁾ I will also clothe her priests with salvation, And her saints shall shout aloud for joy.

⁽¹⁷⁾ There I will make the horn of David grow; I will prepare a lamp for My Anointed. ⁽¹⁸⁾ His enemies I will clothe with shame, But upon Himself His crown shall flourish.'

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Psalm 133

⁽¹⁾ Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! ⁽²⁾ It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments. ⁽³⁾ It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the LORD commanded the blessing -- Life forevermore.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Exodus Chapter 7

⁽²⁵⁾ And seven days passed after the LORD had struck the river. ⁽¹⁾ And the LORD spoke to Moses, 'Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD: 'Let My people go, that they may serve Me. ⁽²⁾ But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all your territory with frogs. ⁽³⁾ So the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into your house, into your bedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your servants, on your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls. ⁽⁴⁾ And the frogs shall come up on you, on your people, and on all your servants.' ' '

⁽⁵⁾ Then the LORD spoke to Moses, 'Say to Aaron, 'Stretch out your hand with your rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.' ' ⁽⁶⁾ So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. ⁽⁷⁾ And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt. ⁽⁸⁾ Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, 'Entreat the LORD that He may take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the LORD.'

⁽⁹⁾ And Moses said to Pharaoh, 'Accept the honor of saying when I shall intercede for you, for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and your houses, that they may remain in the river only.' ⁽¹⁰⁾ So he said, 'Tomorrow.' And he said, 'Let it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God. ⁽¹¹⁾ And the frogs shall depart from you, from your houses, from your servants, and from your people. They shall remain in the river only.' ⁽¹²⁾ Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. And Moses cried out to the LORD concerning the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh.

⁽¹³⁾ So the LORD did according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courtyards, and out of the fields. ⁽¹⁴⁾ They gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. ⁽¹⁵⁾ But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as the LORD had said. ⁽¹⁶⁾ So the LORD said to Moses, 'Say to Aaron, 'Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the land, so that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.' '

⁽¹⁷⁾ And they did so. For Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and it became lice on man and beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. ⁽¹⁸⁾ Now the magicians so worked with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not. So there were lice on man and beast. ⁽¹⁹⁾ Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, 'This is the finger of God.' But Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the LORD had said.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

2 Corinthians Chapter 3

⁽⁷⁾ But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, ⁽⁸⁾ how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? ⁽⁹⁾ For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. ⁽¹⁰⁾ For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels.

⁽¹¹⁾ For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious. ⁽¹²⁾ Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech -- ⁽¹³⁾ unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. ⁽¹⁴⁾ But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ.

⁽¹⁵⁾ But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. ⁽¹⁶⁾ Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ⁽¹⁷⁾ Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. ⁽¹⁸⁾ But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Mark Chapter 10

⁽¹⁷⁾ Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, 'Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?' ⁽¹⁸⁾ So Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. ⁽¹⁹⁾ You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.' ' ⁽²⁰⁾ And he answered and said to Him, 'Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.'

⁽²¹⁾ Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, 'One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.' ⁽²²⁾ But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. ⁽²³⁾ Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, 'How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!' ⁽²⁴⁾ And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, 'Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!

⁽²⁵⁾ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.' ⁽²⁶⁾ And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, 'Who then can be saved?' ⁽²⁷⁾ But Jesus looked at them and said, 'With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.' ⁽²⁸⁾ Then Peter began to say to Him, 'See, we have left all and followed You.'

⁽²⁹⁾ So Jesus answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, ⁽³⁰⁾ who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time -- houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions -- and in the age to come, eternal life. ⁽³¹⁾ But many who are first will be last, and the last first.'

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.


The Song of Moses    Exodus 15:1 to 6, 11 to 13, 17 to 18

I will sing to the Lord, for he is lofty and uplifted;
the horse and its rider has he hurled into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and my refuge;
the Lord has become my Savior.
This is my God and I will praise him,
the God of my people and I will exalt him.
The Lord is a mighty warrior;
Yahweh is his Name.
The chariots of Pharoah and his army has he hurled into the sea;
the finest of those who bear armor have been drowned in the Red Sea.
The fathomless deep has overwhelmed them;
they sank into the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in might;
your right hand, O Lord, has overthrown the enemy.
Who can be compared with you, O Lord, among the gods?
who is like you, glorious in holiness,
awesome in renown, and worker of wonders?
You stretched forth your right hand;
the earth swallowed them up.
With your constant love you led the people you redeemed;
with your might you brought them in safety to
your holy dwelling.
You will bring them in and plant them
on the mount of your possession,
The resting-place you have made for yourself, O Lord,
the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hand has established.
The Lord shall reign forever and forever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.


The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord.
  He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
  He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
  He descended to the dead.
  On the third day he rose again.
  He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
  He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
  the holy catholic Church,
  the communion of saints,
  the forgiveness of sins,
  the resurrection of the body,
  and the life everlasting. Amen.

The Prayers

The Lord's Prayer   Traditional
Suffrages A

Seasonal Collect:  Fifth Sunday in Lent
Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Collect of the Day: Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Mission: Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Personal Prayers and Reflection

This is a time to pause, consider and listen. Pray for yourself and others. When you lack the words


Closing Prayers   Thanksgiving

Conclude with the following
Let Us Bless the Lord, Thanks be to God

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen. 2 Corinthians 13:14