Meditation and Prayer

Meditation

Praying with the saints

Matins

Keep us O Lord from useless fighting with words and grant that we always speak the truth, preserve us in the faith,
true and undefiled, so that we may always hold on to what we professed when we were baptised in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Grant that we may have you for our Father and that we live in your Son Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour and in the communion of the Holy Spirit our Paraclete through the same Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

Lauds

O gracious and holy Father, give us wisdom to perceive you, intelligence to understand you, diligence to seek you, patience to wait for you, eyes to behold you, a heart to meditate on you, and a life to proclaim you through with and in your beloved and only begotten first born from the dead in the flesh your Son Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour in the power and unity of your Holy Spirit our Paraclete.

Prime

O God, to save us you gave your beloved and only begotten Son to a most painful and bitter death on the most Holy Cross cleansing the waters, and by his glorious Resurrection in the flesh delivered us from all the power of the enemy and all it’s minions.
Grant us to die daily to sin so that we may live closer to him in the joy of the Resurrection through the same Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour in the unity and power of the Holy Spirit our Paraclete.

Terse

Open our hearts, O Lord and enlighten us by the grace of the Holy Spirit that we may seek what is pleasing to your will and so order our lives according to your commandments that we may be found worthy to enter your unending joys through Jesus Christ our only Lord and most loving
Saviour, who we beseech to reveal yourself to us who ask you, so that knowing you we may love you alone by day and by night and ever hold you in our thoughts.
Fill us with your love as is fitting for you to be loved and honoured as our God, so that love may fill the inner depths of our being and your love may own us all and your affection may fill all our senses so that we may know no other love apart from you, the fountain of the water of
life always to be desired and drunk, springing up to eternal life unto the endless ages of ages to come.

Sext

We bring before you Lord God our father the trouble and dangers of people and nations; the sighing of prisoners, the sorrows of the bereaved, the neccessities of strangers, the dependency of the weary, the failing powers of the aged, Lord draw near to each for the sake of and through your beloved and only Son Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, come O Holy Spirit our Paraclete, consolation of the sorrowful, down to us at this time with your mighty power into the depths of our hearts. Gladden there with your brightness every dark corner and make all rich with your comfort.
Give us inner warmth that our prayers and praises may go
up to you, our God, through your beloved and only begotten Son Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

None

Thanks to you, our only Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for all the gifts your have won for us, for all the pains and insults you have born for us.
O merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may we know you
more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, unto the endless ages of ages to come.

Vespers

Watch O Lord with those who wake or watch or weep tonight, and give your angels charge over those who wake or sleep.
tend your sick ones, O Lord Christ Jesus our only Lord and Saviour beloved and only Son of the living God O holy Father almighty in the unity and power of your Holy Spirit our Paraclete O welcome Comforter;
rest your weary ones;
bless your dying ones;
soothe your suffering ones;
pity your afflicted ones;
shield your joyous ones;
and all for your love’s sake;
and have us do the same for the sake of your most holy name baruch Adonai Yahweh tsidkenou our only righteousness unceasingly in the humble joy of your willing servants.

Evening Prayer

FOUNTAIN of light, thyself the light unending,

Lord, hear our prayer and, cleansing us from evil,

Take away darkness; let thy holy radiance

Shine on thy servants.

Now and at the evening which brings the end of labour, Lord, who hast kept us safe in thy protection, Grateful we offer thee our thanks and worship.

Since then the daylight fades into the darkness, let that sun light us which enlightens always choirs of angels in thy holy presence, light never failing.

From all the sins which we this day committed cleanse thou our conscience, Christ our Lord and Saviour;

So in the night time we may rest uninjured, Safe in thy friendship.

Six days we labour, working as thou willest; Then on the seventh resting by thine order, We look to that day which at last shall bring us, rest everlasting.

KINDLY light of glory, fount of light from light, blessed Jesus, coming from the Father in heaven,

2. The bright rays of day, the light of the sun fade; and we at the morning and evening hour confess thee with our hymn.

3. We praise the one God, almighty Father, Son and Holy Spirit the comforter, in the glory of the Trinity.

4. Son of God, worthy to be glorified at all times by pure tongues, giver of life, all ages proclaim thee.

To thee praise, to thee a hymn

is due; to thee glory, God the

Father and Son with the Holy Spirit,

for ever and ever. Amen.

Compline

Fiery creator of fire,
light giver of light,
life and author of life,
salvation and bestower of salvation,
in case the lamps should abandon
the joys of this night,
you who do not desire our death,
give light to our breast.
to those wandering from Egypt,
you bestow the double grace,
you show the veil of cloud,
and give the nocturnal light.
with a pillar of cloud in the day,
you protect the people as they go,
with a pillar of fire at evening,
you dispel the night with light.

You call out to your servant from the flame,
you do not spurn the bush of thorns,
and though you are consuming fire,
you do not burn what you illumine.
Now it is time that the cloudy bee-bread
should be consumed, all impurity boiled away, and the waxen flesh should shine
with the glow of the Holy Spirit.

You store now in the recesses of the comb the sweet food of the divine honey,
and purifying the inmost cells of the heart,
you have filled them with your word;
that the swarm of the new brood,
chosen by your mouth and spirit,
may leave their burdens and win heaven
on wings now free from care.

May your holy angels, O Christ Jesus, Son of the living God,
tend our sleep, our rest, our bright bed.
Let them reveal true visions to us in our sleep, O high prince of the universe, O great and mysterious king.
May no devils, no demons, no spirits of sorcery or magic, no evil spirits of any sort visible or invisible, no injury or terrifying dreams disturb our rest, our prompt and swift repose.
May our waking, our work, and our living be holy; our sleep, our rest, without hindrance or harm.

O holy Lord God of creation, we invoke you. you are our gracious counselor. do you turn your face toward our enemies, for you are our judgement without betrayal.

You are our king. You are our law. Yours are our spirits, souls, bodies, we love you, blessed Christ Jesus, for our spirits, souls, bodies are yours tonight, tomorrow and at all times unceasingly and now and unto the endless ages of ages to come.
O holy King. keep us in your royal dwelling all our days. Eating the feast from your table. Keep us in you,
O holy Jesus,
gentle friend,
morning star,
midday sun adorned,
brilliant flame of righteousness, life everlasting and eternity,
fountain ever-new, ever-living, ever-lasting,
heart’s desire of patriarchs, especially St. Enoch in the flesh,
longing of prophets, especially St. Elijah in the flesh, with St. Enoch, your holy prophets yet to come,
beloved master of St. Michael and St. Gabriel, your loyal warriors, holy archangels,
master of apostles and disciples,
giver of the law,
prince of the new testament,
Saviour of the saved,
judge of doom,
Son of the merciful Father without mother in heaven,
Son of the true virgin Mary, without father on earth,
true and loving brother,
keep us in you O holy God at all times unceasingly and now and unto the endless ages of ages to come,
blessed virgin who bore God and took care of him with tender love,
bright, with goodness full,
Mary miracle, the lion’s precious love,
virgin once, mother of Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour, and virgin still, all ye elect angels and saints of God, the same, pray for and with us unceasingly, baruch Adonai Yahweh Elohim olam eth Abba our Father and the Son Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour and the Holy Spirit our Paraclete deliver us unceasingly with and by the prayer and company of all your elect angels and saints for and with us unceasingly and now and always and unto the endless ages of ages to come.