April 25, 2024

Morning Prayer

Saint Mark's Day

Our Father, whichwho art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done inon earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them thatthose who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

O Lord, open thou our lips.
And our mouth shall show forth thy praise.
O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Praise ye the Lord.
The Lord's Name be praised.

PSALM 95.

O come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and shew ourselves glad in him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are all the corners of the earth, and the strength of the hills is his also.
The sea is his, and he made it; and his hands prepared the dry land.
O come, let us worship and fall down, and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For he is the Lord our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts: as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness;
When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works.
Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their hearts, for they have not known my ways;
Unto whom I sware in my wrath, that they should not enter into my rest.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

PSALM 119:33-40.

Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes, and I shall keep it unto the end.
Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall keep it with my whole heart.
Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein is my desire.
Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.
O turn away mine eyes, lest they behold vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.
O stablish thy word in thy servant, that I may fear thee.
Take away the rebuke that I am afraid of; for thy judgements are good.
Behold, my delight is in thy commandments; O quicken me in thy righteousness.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

PSALM 119:41-48.

Let thy loving mercy come also unto me, O Lord, even thy salvation, according unto thy word.
So shall I make answer unto my blasphemers; for my trust is in thy word.
O take not the word of thy truth utterly out of my mouth; for my hope is in thy judgements.
So shall I alway keep thy law; yea, for ever and ever.
And I will walk at liberty; for I seek thy commandments.
I will speak of thy testimonies also, even before kings, and will not be ashamed.
And my delight shall be in thy commandments, which I have loved.
My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and my study shall be in thy statutes.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

PSALM 119:49-56.

O think upon thy servant, as concerning thy word, wherein thou hast caused me to put my trust.
The same is my comfort in my trouble; for thy word hath quickened me.
The proud have had me exceedingly in derision; yet have I not shrinked from thy law.
For I remembered thine everlasting judgements, O Lord, and received comfort.
I am horribly afraid, for the ungodly that forsake thy law.
Thy statutes have been my songs, in the house of my pilgrimage.
I have thought upon thy Name, O Lord, in the night season, and have kept thy law.
This I had, because I kept thy commandments.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

PSALM 119:57-64.

Thou art my portion, O Lord; I have promised to keep thy law.
I made my humble petition in thy presence with my whole heart; O be merciful unto me, according to thy word.
I called mine own ways to remembrance, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.
I made haste, and prolonged not the time, to keep thy commandments.
The congregations of the ungodly have robbed me; but I have not forgotten thy law.
At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee, because of thy righteous judgements.
I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and keep thy commandments.
The earth, O Lord, is full of thy mercy: O teach me thy statutes.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

PSALM 119:65-72.

O Lord, thou hast dealt graciously with thy servant, according unto thy word.
O learn me true understanding and knowledge; for I have believed thy commandments.
Before I was troubled, I went wrong; but now have I kept thy word.
Thou art good and gracious; O teach me thy statutes.
The proud have imagined a lie against me; but I will keep thy commandments with my whole heart.
Their heart is as fat as brawn; but my delight hath been in thy law.
It is good for me that I have been in trouble; that I may learn thy statutes.
The law of thy mouth is dearer unto me than thousands of gold and silver.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Here beginneth the 4th chapter of Sirach.
My son, defraud not the poor of his living, and make not the needy eyes to wait long.
Make not an hungry soul sorrowful; neither provoke a man in his distress.
Add not more trouble to an heart that is vexed; and defer not to give to him that is in need.
Reject not the supplication of the afflicted; neither turn away thy face from a poor man.
Turn not away thine eye from the needy, and give him none occasion to curse thee:
For if he curse thee in the bitterness of his soul, his prayer shall be heard of him that made him.
Get thyself the love of the congregation, and bow thy head to a great man.
Let it not grieve thee to bow down thine ear to the poor, and give him a friendly answer with meekness.
Deliver him that suffereth wrong from the hand of the oppressor; and be not fainthearted when thou sittest in judgment.
Be as a father unto the fatherless, and instead of an husband unto their mother: so shalt thou be as the son of the most High, and he shall love thee more than thy mother doth.
Wisdom exalteth her children, and layeth hold of them that seek her.
He that loveth her loveth life; and they that seek to her early shall be filled with joy.
He that holdeth her fast shall inherit glory; and wheresoever she entereth, the Lord will bless.
They that serve her shall minister to the Holy One: and them that love her the Lord doth love.
Whoso giveth ear unto her shall judge the nations: and he that attendeth unto her shall dwell securely.
If a man commit himself unto her, he shall inherit her; and his generation shall hold her in possession.
For at the first she will walk with him by crooked ways, and bring fear and dread upon him, and torment him with her discipline, until she may trust his soul, and try him by her laws.
Then will she return the straight way unto him, and comfort him, and shew him her secrets.
But if he go wrong, she will forsake him, and give him over to his own ruin.
Observe the opportunity, and beware of evil; and be not ashamed when it concerneth thy soul.
For there is a shame that bringeth sin; and there is a shame which is glory and grace.
Accept no person against thy soul, and let not the reverence of any man cause thee to fall.
And refrain not to speak, when there is occasion to do good, and hide not thy wisdom in her beauty.
For by speech wisdom shall be known: and learning by the word of the tongue.
In no wise speak against the truth; but be abashed of the error of thine ignorance.
Be not ashamed to confess thy sins; and force not the course of the river.
Make not thyself an underling to a foolish man; neither accept the person of the mighty.
Strive for the truth unto death, and the Lord shall fight for thee.
Be not hasty in thy tongue, and in thy deeds slack and remiss.
Be not as a lion in thy house, nor frantick among thy servants.
Let not thine hand be stretched out to receive, and shut when thou shouldest repay.
Here endeth the first lesson.
We praise thee, O God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship thee, the Father everlasting.
To thee all Angels cry aloud; the Heavens, and all the powers therein.
To thee Cherubin and Seraphin continually do cry,
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth;
Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of thy glory.
The glorious company of the Apostles praise thee.
The goodly fellowship of the Prophets praise thee.
The noble army of Martyrs praise thee.
The holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge thee;
The Father of an infinite Majesty;
Thine honourable, true, and only Son;
Also the Holy Ghost the Comforter,
Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ;
Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man, thou didst not abhor the Virgin's womb.
When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death, thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.
We believe that thou shalt come to be our Judge.
We therefore pray thee, help thy servants, whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.
Make them to be numbered with thy saints, in glory everlasting.
O Lord, save thy people, and bless thine heritage.
Govern them and lift them up for ever.
Day by day we magnify thee;
And we worship thy Name ever, world without end.
Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin.
O Lord, have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us.
O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us, as our trust is in thee.
O Lord, in thee have I trusted; let me never be confounded.
Here beginneth the 22nd chapter of Acts.
Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you.
(And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)
I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.
And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.
As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished.
And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.
And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.
And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.
And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.
And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.
And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there,
Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.
And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.
For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;
And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.
And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee:
And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.
And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.
And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live.
And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air,
The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him.
And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?
When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.
Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea.
And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.
Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.
On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.
Here endeth the second lesson.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people;
And hath raised up a mighty salvation for us, in the house of his servant David;
As he spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets, which have been since the world began;
That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us:
To perform the mercy promised to our forefathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
To perform the oath which he sware to our forefather Abraham, that he would give us;
That we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear;
In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
And thou, Child, shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
To give knowledge of salvation unto his people for the remission of their sins,
Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the Day-spring from on high hath visited us;
To give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

O Almighty God, who hast instructed thy holy Church with the heavenly doctrine of thy Evangelist Saint Mark; Give us grace, that being not like children carried away with every blast of vain doctrine, we may be established in the truth of thy holy Gospel, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O God, who art the author of peace, and lover of concord, in knowledge of whom standeth our eternal life, whose service is perfect freedom; Defend us thy humble servants in all assaults of our enemies; that we surely trusting in thy defence, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O Lord our heavenly Father, Almighty and everlasting God, who hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day; Defend us in the same with thy mighty power; and grant that this day we fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger; but that all our doings may be ordered by thy governance, to do always that is righteous in thy sight, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.