Wednesday, March 5
Morning Prayer
Cono the Gardener

Opening Sentence

I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son." Luke 15:18, 19

Confession

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

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.

Invitatory Lent

Lord, open our lips.

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

Venite Psalm 95:1-7

Come let us sing to the Lord; *
let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *
and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God, *
and a great King above all gods.

In his hand are the caverns of the earth, *
and the heights of the hills are his also.

The sea is his, for he made it, *
and his hands have molded the dry land.

Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, *
and kneel before the Lord our Maker.

For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *
Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!

Antiphon

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

Psalm 101
Misericordiam ed judicium

1
I will sing of mercy and justice; *
to you, O LORD, will I sing praises.
2
I will strive to follow a blameless course;
oh, when will you come to me? *
I will walk with sincerity of heart within my house.
3
I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; *
I hate the doers of evil deeds;
they shall not remain with me.
4
A crooked heart shall be far from me; *
I will not know evil.
5
Those who in secret slander their neighbors I will destroy; *
those who have a haughty look and a proud heart I cannot abide.
6
My eyes are upon the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me, *
and only those who lead a blameless life shall be my servants.
7
Those who act deceitfully shall not dwell in my house, *
and those who tell lies shall not continue in my sight.
8
I will soon destroy all the wicked in the land, *
that I may root out all evildoers from the city of the LORD.

Psalm 109 Deus, laudem

1
Hold not your tongue, O God of my praise; *
for the mouth of the wicked,
the mouth of the deceitful, is opened against me.
2
They speak to me with a lying tongue; *
they encompass me with hateful words
and fight against me without a cause.
3
Despite my love, they accuse me; *
but as for me, I pray for them.
4
They repay evil for good, *
and hatred for my love.
5
Set a wicked man against him, *
and let an accuser stand at his right hand.
6
When he is judged, let him be found guilty, *
and let his appeal be in vain.
7
Let his days be few, *
and let another take his office.
8
Let his children be fatherless, *
and his wife become a widow.
9
Let his children be waifs and beggars; *
let them be driven from the ruins of their homes.
10
Let the creditor seize everything he has; *
let strangers plunder his gains.
11
Let there be no one to show him kindness, *
and none to pity his fatherless children.
12
Let his descendants be destroyed, *
and his name be blotted out in the next generation.
13
Let the wickedness of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, *
and his mother's sin not be blotted out;
14
Let their sin be always before the LORD; *
but let him root out their names from the earth;
15
Because he did not remember to show mercy, *
but persecuted the poor and needy
and sought to kill the brokenhearted.
16
He loved cursing,
let it come upon him; *
he took no delight in blessing,
let it depart from him.
17
He put on cursing like a garment, *
let it soak into his body like water
and into his bones like oil;
18
Let it be to him like the cloak which he wraps around himself, *
and like the belt that he wears continually.
19
Let this be the recompense from the LORD to my accusers, *
and to those who speak evil against me.
20
But you, O Lord my God,
oh, deal with me according to your Name; *
for your tender mercy's sake, deliver me.
21
For I am poor and needy, *
and my heart is wounded within me.
22
I have faded away like a shadow when it lengthens; *
I am shaken off like a locust.
23
My knees are weak through fasting, *
and my flesh is wasted and gaunt.
24
I have become a reproach to them; *
they see and shake their heads.
25
Help me, O LORD my God; *
save me for your mercy's sake.
26
Let them know that this is your hand, *
that you, O LORD, have done it.
27
They may curse, but you will bless; *
let those who rise up against me be put to shame,
and your servant will rejoice.
28
Let my accusers be clothed with disgrace *
and wrap themselves in their shame as in a cloak.
29
I will give great thanks to the LORD with my mouth; *
in the midst of the multitude will I praise him;
30
Because he stands at the right hand of the needy, *
to save his life from those who would condemn him.

Gloria Patri

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

Genesis 50:15-26

15 Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph's brothers said, "What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?"

16 So they approached Joseph, saying, "Your father gave this instruction before he died,

17 'Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.' Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father." Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

18 Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and said, "We are here as your slaves."

19 But Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God?

20 Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.

21 So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones." In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.

22 So Joseph remained in Egypt, he and his father's household; and Joseph lived one hundred ten years.

23 Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation; the children of Machir son of Manasseh were also born on Joseph's knees.

24 Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die; but God will surely come to you, and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob."

25 So Joseph made the Israelites swear, saying, "When God comes to you, you shall carry up my bones from here."

26 And Joseph died, being one hundred ten years old; he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.

Canticle 14 A Song of Penitence
Kyrie Pantokrator Prayer of Manasseh 1-2, 4, 6-7, 11-15


O Lord and Ruler of the hosts of heaven, *
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
and of all their righteous offspring:

You made the heavens and the earth, *
with all their vast array.

All things quake with fear at your presence; *
they tremble because of your power.

But your merciful promise is beyond all measure; *
it surpasses all that our minds can fathom.

O Lord, you are full of compassion, *
long-suffering, and abounding in mercy.

You hold back your hand; *
you do not punish as we deserve.

In your great goodness, Lord,
you have promised forgiveness to sinners,*
that they may repent of their sin and be saved.

And now, O Lord, I bend the knee of my heart, *
and make my appeal, sure of your gracious goodness.

I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned, *
and I know my wickedness only too well.

Therefore I make this prayer to you: *
Forgive me, Lord, forgive me.

Do not let me perish in my sin, *
nor condemn me to the depths of the earth.

For you, O Lord, are the God of those who repent, *
and in me you will show forth your goodness.

Unworthy as I am, you will save me,
in accordance with your great mercy, *
and I will praise you without ceasing all the days of my life.

For all the powers of heaven sing your praises, *
and yours is the glory to ages of ages. Amen.

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.

2 You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak.

3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says "Let Jesus be cursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit.

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;

5 and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord;

6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.

7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

8 To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit,

9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,

10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

11 All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

Mark 8:11-26

11 The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, asking him for a sign from heaven, to test him.

12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, "Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation."

13 And he left them, and getting into the boat again, he went across to the other side.

14 Now the disciples had forgotten to bring any bread; and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.

15 And he cautioned them, saying, "Watch outbeware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod."

16 They said to one another, "It is because we have no bread."

17 And becoming aware of it, Jesus said to them, "Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened?

18 Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear? And do you not remember?

19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?" They said to him, "Twelve."

20 "And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?" And they said to him, "Seven."

21 Then he said to them, "Do you not yet understand?"

22 They came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him.

23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village; and when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, "Can you see anything?"

24 And the man looked up and said, "I can see people, but they look like trees, walking."

25 Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he looked intently and his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.

26 Then he sent him away to his home, saying, "Do not even go into the village."

Canticle 16 The Song of Zechariah
Luke 1:68-79

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;*
he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior,*
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old,

that he would save us from our enemies,*
from the hands of all who hate us.

he promised to show mercy to our fathers*
and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham,*
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

Free to worship him without fear,*
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,*
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

To give his people knowledge of salvation*
by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God*
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,*
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

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

Saint Cono the Gardener

Cono the gardener lived during the reign of emperor Decius in 251. He came from the town of Nazareth. He left his hometown and went to the city of Mandron, in the province of Pamphylia. There he stayed at a place called Karmela or Karmena cultivating a garden which he used to water and plant with various vegetables. From this garden he obtained what is necessary for life. He had such an upright and simple mind that, when he met those who wished to arrest him and saw that they greeted him, he also greeted in return from the bottom of his soul and heart. When they told him that governor Publius called the saint to go to him, the saint answered with simplicity: "What does the governor need me, since I am a Christian? Let him call those who think the way he does and have the same religion with him." So, the blessed man was tied and brought to the governor, who tried to move him to sacrifice to the idols. But the saint sighed from the bottom of his heart, cursed the tyrant and confirmed his faith in Christ with his confession, saying that it is not possible to be moved from it even though he might be tortured cruelly.

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 power of 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 Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done, on earth as it is in
heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass
against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Suffrages A

Show us your mercy, O Lord;

And grant us your salvation.

Clothe your ministers with righteousness;

Let your people sing with joy.

Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;

For only in you can we live in safety.

Lord, keep this nation under your care;

And guide us in the way of justice and truth.

Let your way be known upon earth;

Your saving health among all nations.

Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;

Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.

Create in us clean hearts, O God;

And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.

Collect of the Day: Fourth Sunday in Lent

Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

A Collect for Peace

O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Mission

O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

World Cycle of Prayer

We pray for the people of Finland.

Finland

Ecumenical Cycle of Prayer

We pray for our sisters and brothers, members of the Presbyterian Church in Canada.

The Presbyterian Church in Canada

For Peace

Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one Father; to whom be dominion and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

For our Country

Almighty God, who has given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech you that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of your favor and glad to do your will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion us into one united people. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in your Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to your law, we may show forth your praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in you to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For the President of the
United States
and all in Civil Authority

O Lord our Governor, whose glory is in all the world: We commend this nation to your merciful care, that, being guided by your Providence, we may dwell secure in your peace. Grant to the President of the United States, the Governor of this State (or, Commonwealth), and to all in authority, wisdom and strength to know and to do your will. Fill them with the love of truth and righteousness, and make them ever mindful of their calling to serve this people in your fear; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

A Prayer Attributed to St. Francis

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

General Thanksgiving

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

A Prayer of St. Chrysostom

Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.

Benediction

Let us bless the Lord.

Thanks be to God.
Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21