Liturgia
Prayer Reimagined
A Guide to Daily Prayer for Holy Week
On Mondays. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us; but if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I John 1:8, 9
On Tuesdays. Rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and repents of evil. Joel 2:13
On Wednesdays. 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
On Thursdays. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgivenesses, because we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by following his laws which he set before us. Daniel 9:9, 10
On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Jesus said, "If anyone will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Mark 8:34
A Prayer of Confession
Heavenly Father, I have sinned against you in thought, in word, in things in things I have done, and in things I have left undone. [Especially today, I am aware of: ____]. I am genuinely sorry, and want to live differently. Have mercy on me in my weakness, forgive me in my sin, strengthen all which is good in me, and fill me with Holy Spirit.
[Reflection and centering in silence]
On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. Come, let us adore him.
On Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Lord, open my lips, so my mouth can proclaim your praise.
Preparing for Prayer
Praise
[Read the Psalm for this week and/or sing or listen to another hymn or song of your choosing.]
Listen
[Read one or more of the scriptures appointed for this week, or another Biblical text of your choosing.]
[Read or listen to an inspirational text or message. If you are uncertain about what to read, I suggest Richard Rohr's daily meditations.]
[Take a few moments to quietly reflect on the text and/or message you have just heard.]
Thanks be to God for this word.
Declare
[At least once a week, take the time to review and recite a statement of faith that is appropriate to your faith tradition. The Apostle's Creed, which is set out below, is commonly recited during this time.]
I believe in God the Father, Almighty,
Creator of Heaven and Earth,
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
Born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Ponteus Pilate,
Was crucified, died, and buried.
He descended to the dead,
On the third day he rose again,
And is seated a the right hand of God the Father, Almighty,
From thence he shall come to judge the quick 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.
Ask
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 debts as we forgive our debtors,
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil,
For thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory forever.
Amen.
The Sufferages
Show us your mercy, O Lord;
And grant us your salvation.
Clothe our ministry with righteousness;
Let your people sing for joy.
Give peace, O Lord, in all the Earth,
For only in you can we live in safety.
Lord, keep our nation under your care,
And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
Let your ways be known in the Earth,
Your saving ways in all the nations.
Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten,
Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
Create in us clean hearts,
And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.
The Prayer for the Week
Living God, in your tender love, you sent your Son to take our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us an example of great humility. Help us to walk in the way of his suffering, so that we can share in his resurrection. Amen..
A Prayer for the Day
On Mondays. Lord, each new day is a gift from you. Be with me through this day, I pray, so that I am not vulnerable to sin or overwhelmed by adversity. And let all that I do be filled with divine purpose.
Almighty God, whose dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other that the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
On Tuesdays. Dear God, in you I live, and move and have my being. As I go about my work today, help me to remember that you are always near.
O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life: Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ, that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
On Wednesdays. Dear God, as you have turned the darkness of night into daylight, drive from me all wrong desires and guide me in the way of peace so that, when nightfall comes again, I can rejoice in the gift of this day.
Lord God, whose blessed Son our Savior gave his body to be whipped and his face to be spit upon: Give us grace to accept joyfully the sufferings of the present time, confident of the glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
On Thursdays. O God, you are the source of all peace and life. Protect me today from the anxieties of stress and the attacks of those who seek to harm me, so that I may live a life that is free of fear.
Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
On Fridays. May the souls of the departed, by the mercy of God, rest in peace and rise in glory.
Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
On Saturdays and Sundays. Dear God, you teach us that, just as you rested after creating the world, we too should rest from our work. Help me today to put away all of the worries and anxieties of the week, and fill me with the life and hope that comes through solitude and through the community of believers.
O God, Creator of heaven and earth: Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of life; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Prayer for Particular People and Situations
Take time to pray for other people and situations, both in your personal life and in the world at large. Here is a simple prayer for others.
The Benediction
Thanksgiving
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Almighty God, I humbly thank you for your goodness and your kindness to me, and to all of humanity. Thank you for creating and sustaining my life. And above all, thank you for rescuing the world through your Son Jesus. Thank you for your grace. Thank you for the hope of the resurrection. And help me to live in a way that is fully awake, aware of your mercies, so that I can praise you not only with words, but with a life that is filled with holiness and goodness.
On Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Dear God, you have given me grace at this time to bring my prayers before you, and you have promised that you are always with me. Fulfill, now, those prayers that I have made as they are best for me, granting me at this time the peace of dwelling in you, and in the age to come everlasting life.
The Benediction
On Mondays and Thursdays. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all evermore. Amen.
On Tuesdays and Fridays. May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
On Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. 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.