Daily Common Prayer
As we move through lent this year we invite you to a practice of prayer and scripture that will connect you with God and to other past and present. For more info on the Book of Common Prayer check out the introduction at the end of this post.
March 2, 2015
Remember me in your mercy, Lord: and unite us by your cross.
Psalm 13
How long, O Lord? will you forget me for ever?: how long will you hide Your face from me? How long shall I have perplexity in my mind, and grief in my heart, day after day?: how long shall my enemy triumph over me? Look upon me and answer me, O LORD my God: give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death; lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”: and my foes rejoice that I have fallen. But I put my trust in your mercy: my heart is joyful because of your saving help. I will sing to the LORD, for he has dealt with me richly: I will praise the name of the Lord Most High.
Remember me in your mercy, Lord: and unite us by your cross.
Twentieth-century nun and philosopher Edith Stein asked, “Do you want to be totally united to the Crucified? If you are serious about this, you will be present, by the power of His Cross, at every front, at every place of sorrow, bringing to those who suffer, healing and salvation.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Sometimes we don’t realize the intensity of the things for which we pray, Lord. Keep us courageously mindful that your way is laden with tears on the way to resurrection. Amen.
To practice the whole Daily Common Prayer, you can click here (it includes daily scripture, prayers and reflections)
Introduction to the Book of Common Prayer
Christians have been singing and praying and worshiping together for thousands of years. We can sometimes forget that and view our worship, our prayers as something we do on our own…private.
This year during the Lent season, we want to dive into an exciting, new (for us!) practice…of praying prayers with people around the world, from diverse places, traditions, denominations. We’re going to do this from what is called “The Common Prayer” (www.commonprayer.net), a book with prayers and scriptures for every day, called a “liturgy”.
Liturgy (literally means “the work of the people”) is a communal response to the sacred. Its something we do together, as a way to ground ourselves TOGETHER in Christ.
Every day you will have the chance to join people…in all parts of the world, praying some of these very same prayers. There is strength in numbers, and there is a powerful sense of unity that can come as people from diverse places and circumstances pray together, even though they have never met, and don’t even speak the same language.
We also want to encourage you to do this in community….whenever possible.
So maybe you want to find a common time in your home to pray these prayers and read these scriptures together, or include them at the beginning of your cell gatherings…to remind us that we are NOT on this faith journey alone, but are meant to live our lives in community.