A Lenten Day of Prayer
An invitation to explore the Paschal mystery
Welcome:
As you have found yourself in more solitude than you could have ever imagined during the COVID-19 pandemic, may this Lenten Retreat help you to know God’s desire for you in prayer, Scripture, silence, music, poetry, and visual experiences. Though we cannot be together, we have a bond in Christ as we practice “social distancing.” Take your time—even linger with it over days. Consider saying the bold texts out loud. Use the colored links for musical and visual experiences.
Morning Prayer:
Opening
Jesus Christ accomplished his work of human redemption and of the perfect glorification of God principally through his paschal mystery, in which by dying he destroyed our death, and by rising he restored our life.
Prayer
Father, may our Lenten observance prepare us to embrace the paschal mystery and to proclaim your salvation with joyful praise. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God for ever and ever. Amen
(one minute of silence)
Lord Jesus, Christ, Life-giving Bread (Words by Johann Rist)
Music by Micah Behr
Lord Jesus Christ, Life-giving Bread
(Click on blue title)
Lord Jesus Christ, life giving bread,May I in grace possess you.Let me with holy food be fed,In hunger I address you.Prepare me well for you, O Lord,And, humbly by my prayer implored,Give me your grace and mercy.
To pastures green, Lord, safely guide,To restful waters lead me;Your table well for me provide,Your wounded hand now feed me.Though weary, sinful, sick, and weak,Refuge in you alone I seek,To share your cup of healing.
O bread of heaven, my soul’s delight,For full and free remissionI come with prayer before your sightIn sorrow and contrition.Your righteousness, Lord, cover meThat I receive; you worthily,Assured of your full pardon.
I do not merit favor, Lord,My weight of sin would break me;In all my guilty heart’s discord,O Lord, do not forsake me.In my distress this comforts meThat you receive me graciously,O Christ, my Lord of mercy
Psalm 130
My Soul Waits for the Lord—A Song of Ascents.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
O Lord, hear my voice!Let your ears be attentiveto the voice of my pleas for mercy!
If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,O Lord, who could stand?But with you there is forgiveness,that you may be feared.
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,and in his word I hope;my soul waits for the Lordmore than watchmen for the morning,more than watchmen for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the Lord!For with the Lord there is steadfast love,and with him is plentiful redemption.And he will redeem Israelfrom all his iniquities
Confession
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
All: Most merciful God,we confess that we have sinned against youin thought, word, and deed,by what we have done,and by what we have left undone.We have not loved you with our whole heart;we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,have mercy on us and forgive us;that we 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.
A Prayer
You found me, a sinner, lost in darkness crying like the psalmist in prayer,
and because of Your willing care You were called Shepherd,
for not only did You care but You sought,
not only did You find, O worker of miracles
but with the goodness of Your love,
A love that defies description,
You rescued me, lifting me upon Your shoulder,
To set me down alongside Your heavenly army,
the heirs to Your fatherly legacy.
Gregory of Narek (950 - 1003 AD)
Response
O God, make speed to save us.O Lord, make haste to help us.
All: 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 Nicene Creed
Click on “The Nicene Creed” for a visual experience.
All: We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten from the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made; of the same essence as the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and was made human. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried. The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will never end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life. He proceeds from the Father and the Son, and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified. He spoke through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church. We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and to life in the world to come. Amen.
The Lesson
The Old Testament Lesson: From Ezekiel 37
The Babylonian captivity lasted for more than forty years.
Many died without seeing their homeland again.
And others gave up hope that their sorrow would ever be turned into gladness.
But one man believed.
He was the prophet Ezekiel.
In a dream he was shown a valley full of bones.
There were very many and they were very dry.
And in the dream the Spirit of God asked him, ‘Can these bones live? ’
Ezekiel answered, ‘Only you know, O God.’
Then the Spirit said to him, ‘Prophesy to these bones and say to them,
“I will cause breath to enter you and you shall live.
I will cause flesh and skin to cover you and you shall come back to life again.” ’
So Ezekiel spoke from God and suddenly there was a noise, rattling,
and the bones came together, bone attached to bone.
But still there was no breath in them.
So the Spirit said, ‘Prophesy and say, “Thus says God,
Come from the four winds, O breath,
and breathe upon these bones that they may live.” ‘
So Ezekiel spoke from God and the breath came into them
and they lived and stood on their feet, a great number.
Then the Spirit said to Ezekiel, ‘These bones are the house of Israel.
They say that their bones are dried up and their hope is lost.
Therefore prophesy and say to them, “I am going to open your graves.
I am going to raise you from the pit of hopelessness.
And I am going to bring you back to your land.
I will breathe my spirit within you and you shall live
and I will place you on your own soil again.
And it happened as Ezekiel had seen in the dream.
Compiled from Scripture by J. Philip Newell
(one minute of silence)
Gloria Patri
All: 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
Suffrages
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 the 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 heart, O God;
And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.
A Prayer for the Human Family
O God,
you made us in your own image and redeemed usthrough Jesus your Son.
Look with compassion on the wholehuman family.
Take away the arrogance and hatred whichinfect our hearts.
Break down the walls that separate us;unite us in bonds of love.
Work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, inyour good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Let My Prayer Be Set forth in Your Sight. Psalm 141. Music by Micah Behr
I call to you, O Lord, come quickly to me;
hear me when I call to you.
May my prayer be set before you like incense;
may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.
(Click on the blue title)
psalm of being
you have made me, whispered to me in the depths of your love.
you have called me by name, counted out the hairs you designed for my head.
quietly, you hold my hand as I wait in the darkness.
you fill me with longing, with a hunger for light and bread and breath.
you open yourself to me and invite me to step inside.
when I have nothing see nothing know nothing you call me to burn like a candle like a raging fire
always waiting with power and gentle care in the shadows.
you call me to come into being to fill my deepest well with your water to walk one step at a time one tear, one terror, one sigh at a time.
in the utter dark you jangle your keys shuffle your feet, clear your throat, scrape your breath across my cheek. I cannot lose you
even if I try
Cynthia Reynolds 2019
This is where we would spend ten minutes in silence as a group before transitioning into personal silence. I left the text below to let you imagine the time.
We will be observing silence together for 10 minutes. When you hear the soft chime you may leave at your own pace to find a quiet place anywhere in the house to pray. Feel free to take a walk on the trails in our woods or take a nap in one of the bedrooms.
Box lunches will be available in the kitchen at 12:00. You’re invited to share lunch with others (maybe by Zoom now!) in the kitchen or dining room. Or you can take your lunch back to where you have been spending the morning in prayer.
Spiritual Direction appointments will begin at 12:45. Sign-up sheets for 20 minute sessions will be in on the kitchen island at lunch.
At 3:00 we will convene in the great room for a brief time of sharing. This is an elective session.
If you decide not to participate at 3:00, please be back in the great room at 3:30 to begin Afternoon Prayer.
Begin 10 minutes of silence: Consider setting a timer to help yourself relax into the silence.
3:00 Afternoon Prayer:
Opening The paschal mystery reveals that Christ’s passion and death, in loving obedience to his Father’s will, were necessary to bring to fruition God’s plan of salvation. His resurrection is proof and affirmation that God’s saving plan has been fulfilled. And his ascension enables the church to continue to make salvation available to all people through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer
Let nothing disturb you.
Let nothing make you afraid.
All things are passing.
God alone never changes.
Patience gains all things.
If you have God, you will want for nothing.
God alone suffices.
St. Teresa of Avila
(one minute of silence)
Psalm 122
A Psalm of Ascent
I was glad when the said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord
Our feet are standing within thy gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem that is built as a city that is compact together;
To which the tribes go up, even the tribes of the Lord—
An ordinance of Israel—to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
For there thrones were set for judgement,
The thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
May they prosper who love you.
May peace be within your walls,
And prosperity within your palaces.
For the sake of my brothers and my friends,
I will now say, “May peace be within you.”
For the sake of the house of the Lord your God
I will seek your good.
A Prayer of St. Brendan of Clonfert
Help me to journey beyond the familiar and into the unknown.
Give me the faith to leave old ways and break fresh ground with You.
Christ of the mysteries, I trust You to be stronger than each storm within me.
I will trust in the darkness and know that my times, even now, are in Your hand.
Tune my spirit to the music of heaven and make my obedience count for you.
Amen.
Kryie Eleison: Music by Micah Behr
(Click on blue title)
Kyrie Eleison (Lord, have Mercy)
Christe` Eleison (Christ, have Mercy)
The Lesson:
New Testament Lesson: From John 11
There was a man in Bethany who was very ill.
His name was Lazarus and his sisters were Mary and Martha.
They sent a message to Jesus, saying, ‘The one whom you love is ill.’
So he said to his disciples, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep.
I am going to wake him up.’
After two days of travel Jesus approached Bethany and learned that Lazarus hasd died.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming she ran to meet him and said,
‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’
And Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.’
Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live.’
Martha ran back to the house to say to her sister,
‘The teacher is here and is calling you.’
So Mary got up quickly and went to him
And when she found him she knelt at his feet with tears in her eyes and said,
‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’
When Jesus saw her he wept.
And those who were present said, ‘See you he loved him.’
They took Jesus to the tomb of Lazarus,
It was a cave with a stone laid against it.
And Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone,’
But Martha objected, ‘Lord, my brother has been dead four days.
Already there is a stench.’
Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believe you would see the glory of God?’
So they rolled the stone away.
And Jesus cried in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’
Lazarus stepped out of the cave, his body still bound in strips of cloth.
Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him. Let him go.’
And there were many who believed because of this sign
But when word reached the religious leaders in Jerusalem
they were jealous.
And from that day they began to plot against Jesus.
Compiled from Scripture by J Philip Newell
(one minute of silence)
Responses
Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit;
For you have redeemed me, O Lord, O God of truth.
Keep us, O Lord, as the apple of your eye;
Hide us under the shadow of your wings.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Intercessions
In peace, let us pray to the Lord, saying, "Lord, have mercy"
For the holy Church of God, that it may be filled with truth and love, and be found without fault at the day of your coming, we pray to your, O Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For all who fear God and believe in you, Lord Christ, that our divisions may cease, and that all may be one as you and the Father are one, we pray to you, O Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the mission of the Church, that in faithful witness it may preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth, we pray to you, O Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace of the world, that a spirit of respect and forbearance may grow among nations and peoples, we pray to you, O Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For those in positions of public trust, that they may serve justice, and promote the dignity and freedom of every person, we pray to you, O Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For all who live and work in this community, we pray to you, O Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For a blessing upon all human labor, and for the right use of the riches of creation, that the world may be freed from poverty, famine, and disaster, we pray to you, O Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the poor, the persecuted, the sick, and all who suffer; for refugees, prisoners, and all who are in danger; that they may be relieved and protected, we pray to you, O Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For our enemies and those who wish us harm, and for all whom we have injured or offended, we pray to you, O Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For all who have commended themselves to our prayers; for our families, friends, and neighbors; that being freed from anxiety, they may live in joy, peace, and health, we pray to you, O Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For all who have died in the communion of your Church, and those whose faith is known to you alone, that, with all the saints, they may have rest in that place where there is no pain or grief, but life eternal, we pray to you, O Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For yours is the majesty, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, now and for ever.
Amen.
A Prayer
When it seemed there was no hope
you showed us new ways forward, O God.
When it seemed there were only endings
you showed us new beginnings.
Strengthen our belief in the power of life over death.
Strengthen our belief in the force of truth over falsehood
That we may be bearers of hope in the world,the we may be bears of hopes.
J. Phillip Newell
The Lord's Prayer
Click on “The Lord’s Prayer” for a visual experience.
All: Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your Name,your kingdom come,your will be done,on Earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our sinsas we forgive thosewho sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial,and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,and the glory are yours,now and for ever. Amen.
O Gracious Light Phos hilaron
O gracious Light,pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of the sun,and our eyes behold the vesper light,we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,O Son of God, O Giver of life,and to be glorified through all the worlds.
Musical Response: Phos hilaron
Music by Micah Behr
Phos Hilaron: O Gladsome Light
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Thank you for setting aside this time for prayer and silence at Lent. Special thanks to Cynthia Reynolds and Catherine Schneider for their insights and contributions of poetry and prayers. And to Micah Behr and Mary Shin for their gift of music and sharing it with us by video. We all missed sharing this retreat with you in person.
~Phoebe
Here is a final piece by Micah.
St. Patrick’s Prayer