Liturgia
Prayer Reimagined
A Guide to Daily Prayer for Easter
On Mondays. On this day the Lord has acted; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays. Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
On Wednesdays. If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Christ has entered, not into a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.
During the Final Days of Easter. You shall receive power when the Holy Ghost has come upon you; and you shall be my witness in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
[Reflection and centering in silence]
On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Alleluia. The Lord indeed is risen. 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.]
The Psalm for the first week of Easter is 118
Glory to God: Creator, Son, and Holy Spirit, who are yesterday, today, and forever.
Listen
[Read one or more of the scriptures appointed for this week, or another Biblical text of your choosing.]
The texts for the first week of Easter are:
Acts 10:34-43
Colossians 3:1-4
John 20:1-18
If you are reading through the entire Bible, you should also read Leviticus 11-12
[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
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.
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.
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.
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.
On Fridays. May the souls of the departed, by the mercy of God, rest in peace and rise in glory.
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.
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.