Thursday of the First Week of Lent – Morning Prayer

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Psalm 50

1 The LORD, the God of gods, has spoken; *
he has called the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.

2 Out of Zion, perfect in its beauty, *
God reveals himself in glory.

3 Our God will come and will not keep silence; *
before him there is a consuming flame,
and round about him a raging storm.

4 He calls the heavens and the earth from above *
to witness the judgment of his people.

5 “Gather before me my loyal followers, *
those who have made a covenant with me
and sealed it with sacrifice.”

6 Let the heavens declare the rightness of his cause; *
for God himself is judge.

7 Hear, O my people, and I will speak:
“O Israel, I will bear witness against you; *
for I am God, your God.

8 I do not accuse you because of your sacrifices; *
your offerings are always before me.

9 I will take no bull-calf from your stalls, *
nor he-goats out of your pens;

10 For all the beasts of the forest are mine, *
the herds in their thousands upon the hills.

11 I know every bird in the sky, *
and the creatures of the fields are in my sight.

12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you, *
for the whole world is mine and all that is in it.

13 Do you think I eat the flesh of bulls, *
or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving *
and make good your vows to the Most High.

15 Call upon me in the day of trouble; *
I will deliver you, and you shall honor me.”

16 But to the wicked God says: *
“Why do you recite my statutes,
and take my covenant upon your lips;

17 Since you refuse discipline, *
and toss my words behind your back?

18 When you see a thief, you make him your friend, *
and you cast in your lot with adulterers.

19 You have loosed your lips for evil, *
and harnessed your tongue to a lie.

20 You are always speaking evil of your brother *
and slandering your own mother’s son.

21 These things you have done, and I kept still, *
and you thought that I am like you.”

22 “I have made my accusation; *
I have put my case in order before your eyes.

23 Consider this well, you who forget God, *
lest I rend you and there be none to deliver you.

24 Whoever offers me the sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me; *
but to those who keep in my way will I show the salvation of God.”

 

Wednesday of the First Week of Lent – Evening Prayer

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Psalm 49

1 Hear this, all you peoples;
hearken, all you who dwell in the world, *
you of high degree and low, rich and poor together.

2 My mouth shall speak of wisdom, *
and my heart shall meditate on understanding.

3 I will incline my ear to a proverb *
and set forth my riddle upon the harp.

4 Why should I be afraid in evil days, *
when the wickedness of those at my heels surrounds me,

5 The wickedness of those who put their trust in their goods, *
and boast of their great riches?

6 We can never ransom ourselves, *
or deliver to God the price of our life;

7 For the ransom of our life is so great, *
that we should never have enough to pay it,

8 In order to live for ever and ever, *
and never see the grave.

9 For we see that the wise die also;
like the dull and stupid they perish *
and leave their wealth to those who come after them.

10 Their graves shall be their homes for ever,
their dwelling places from generation to generation, *
though they call the lands after their own names.

11 Even though honored, they cannot live for ever; *
they are like the beasts that perish.

12 Such is the way of those who foolishly trust in themselves, *
and the end of those who delight in their own words.

13 Like a flock of sheep they are destined to die;
Death is their shepherd; *
they go down straightway to the grave.

14 Their form shall waste away, *
and the land of the dead shall be their home.

15 But God will ransom my life; *
he will snatch me from the grasp of death.

16 Do not be envious when some become rich, *
or when the grandeur of their house increases;

17 For they will carry nothing away at their death, *
nor will their grandeur follow them.

18 Though they thought highly of themselves while they lived, *
and were praised for their success,

19 They shall join the company of their forebears, *
who will never see the light again.

20 Those who are honored, but have no understanding, *
are like the beasts that perish.

 

Wednesday of the First Week of Lent – Morning Prayer

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Psalm 119:49-72

49 Remember your word to your servant, *
because you have given me hope.

50 This is my comfort in my trouble, *
that your promise gives me life.

51 The proud have derided me cruelly, *
but I have not turned from your law.

52 When I remember your judgments of old, *
O LORD, I take great comfort.

53 I am filled with a burning rage, *
because of the wicked who forsake your law.

54 Your statutes have been like songs to me *
wherever I have lived as a stranger.

55 I remember your Name in the night, O LORD, *
and dwell upon your law.

56 This is how it has been with me, *
because I have kept your commandments.

57 You only are my portion, O LORD; *
I have promised to keep your words.

58 I entreat you with all my heart, *
be merciful to me according to your promise.

59 I have considered my ways *
and turned my feet toward your decrees.

60 I hasten and do not tarry *
to keep your commandments.

61 Though the cords of the wicked entangle me, *
I do not forget your law.

62 At midnight I will rise to give you thanks, *
because of your righteous judgments.

63 I am a companion of all who fear you *
and of those who keep your commandments.

64 The earth, O LORD, is full of your love; *
instruct me in your statutes.

65 O LORD, you have dealt graciously with your servant, *
according to your word.

66 Teach me discernment and knowledge, *
for I have believed in your commandments.

67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, *
but now I keep your word.

68 You are good and you bring forth good; *
instruct me in your statutes.

69 The proud have smeared me with lies, *
but I will keep your commandments with my whole heart.

70 Their heart is gross and fat, *
but my delight is in your law.

71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted, *
that I might learn your statutes.

72 The law of your mouth is dearer to me *
than thousands in gold and silver.

 

Tuesday of the First Week of Lent – Evening Prayer

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Psalm 47

1 Clap your hands, all you peoples; *
shout to God with a cry of joy.

2 For the LORD Most High is to be feared; *
he is the great King over all the earth.

3 He subdues the peoples under us, *
and the nations under our feet.

4 He chooses our inheritance for us, *
the pride of Jacob whom he loves.

5 God has gone up with a shout, *
the LORD with the sound of the ram’s-horn.

6 Sing praises to God, sing praises; *
sing praises to our King, sing praises.

7 For God is King of all the earth; *
sing praises with all your skill.

8 God reigns over the nations; *
God sits upon his holy throne.

9 The nobles of the peoples have gathered together *
with the people of the God of Abraham.

10 The rulers of the earth belong to God, *
and he is highly exalted.

 

 

Tuesday of the First Week of Lent – Morning Prayer

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Psalm 45

1 My heart is stirring with a noble song;
let me recite what I have fashioned for the king; *
my tongue shall be the pen of a skilled writer.

2 You are the fairest of men; *
grace flows from your lips,
because God has blessed you for ever.

3 Strap your sword upon your thigh, O mighty warrior, *
in your pride and in your majesty.

4 Ride out and conquer in the cause of truth *
and for the sake of justice.

5 Your right hand will show you marvelous things; *
your arrows are very sharp, O mighty warrior.

6 The peoples are falling at your feet, *
and the king’s enemies are losing heart.

7 Your throne, O God, endures for ever and ever, *
a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom;
you love righteousness and hate iniquity.

8 Therefore God, your God, has anointed you *
with the oil of gladness above your fellows.

9 All your garments are fragrant with myrrh, aloes, and cassia, *
and the music of strings from ivory palaces makes you glad.

10 Kings’ daughters stand among the ladies of the court; *
on your right hand is the queen,
adorned with the gold of Ophir.

11 “Hear, O daughter; consider and listen closely; *
forget your people and your father’s house.

12 The king will have pleasure in your beauty; *
he is your master; therefore do him honor.

13 The people of Tyre are here with a gift; *
the rich among the people seek your favor.”

14 All glorious is the princess as she enters; *
her gown is cloth-of-gold.

15 In embroidered apparel she is brought to the king; *
after her the bridesmaids follow in procession.

16 With joy and gladness they are brought, *
and enter into the palace of the king.

17 “In place of fathers, O king, you shall have sons; *
you shall make them princes over all the earth.

18 I will make your name to be remembered
from one generation to another; *
therefore nations will praise you for ever and ever.”

 

Monday of the First Week of Lent – Evening Prayer

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Psalm 44

1 We have heard with our ears, O God,
our forefathers have told us, *
the deeds you did in their days,
in the days of old.

2 How with your hand you drove the peoples out
and planted our forefathers in the land; *
how you destroyed nations and made your people flourish.

3 For they did not take the land by their sword,
nor did their arm win the victory for them; *
but your right hand, your arm, and the light of your countenance,
because you favored them.

4 You are my King and my God; *
you command victories for Jacob.

5 Through you we pushed back our adversaries; *
through your Name we trampled on those who rose up against us.

6 For I do not rely on my bow, *
and my sword does not give me the victory.

7 Surely, you gave us victory over our adversaries *
and put those who hate us to shame.

8 Every day we gloried in God, *
and we will praise your Name for ever.

9 Nevertheless, you have rejected and humbled us *
and do not go forth with our armies.

10 You have made us fall back before our adversary, *
and our enemies have plundered us.

11 You have made us like sheep to be eaten *
and have scattered us among the nations.

12 You are selling your people for a trifle *
and are making no profit on the sale of them.

13 You have made us the scorn of our neighbors, *
a mockery and derision to those around us.

14 You have made us a byword among the nations, *
a laughing-stock among the peoples.

15 My humiliation is daily before me, *
and shame has covered my face;

16 Because of the taunts of the mockers and blasphemers, *
because of the enemy and avenger.

17 All this has come upon us; *
yet we have not forgotten you,
nor have we betrayed your covenant.

18 Our heart never turned back, *
nor did our footsteps stray from your path;

19 Though you thrust us down into a place of misery, *
and covered us over with deep darkness.

20 If we have forgotten the Name of our God, *
or stretched out our hands to some strange god,

21 Will not God find it out? *
for he knows the secrets of the heart.

22 Indeed, for your sake we are killed all the day long; *
we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

23 Awake, O Lord! why are you sleeping? *
Arise! do not reject us for ever.

24 Why have you hidden your face *
and forgotten our affliction and oppression?

25 We sink down into the dust; *
our body cleaves to the ground.

26 Rise up, and help us, *
and save us, for the sake of your steadfast love.

 

Day 41 – A personal note

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Now that these 40 days reading 40 Days Living the Jesus Creed have ended, what do we do on day 41 and afterwards?

We can keep repeating the Jesus Creed.  We can keep facing each day strengthened by having these two commandments not only in our mind but also in our hearts and souls.  And maybe we can see more clearly each day that God’s love and grace empowers us to love and extend God’s grace, God’s kingdom to those we meet.

Maybe you want to reread the book or maybe share the book with someone.  Maybe you want to flip back through the book and see what you marked and reread those passages.
Maybe you want to think about the days or passages that impressed you the most and reread those parts.

My prayer is that these 40 days have been the start of developing a deep and on-going appreciation and commitment to making the Jesus Creed part your life each day.

Charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

 

Monday of the First Week of Lent – Morning Prayer

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Psalm 41

1 Happy are they who consider the poor and needy! *
the LORD will deliver them in the time of trouble.

2 The LORD preserves them and keeps them alive,
so that they may be happy in the land; *
he does not hand them over to the will of their enemies.

3 The LORD sustains them on their sickbed *
and ministers to them in their illness.

4 I said, “LORD, be merciful to me; *
heal me, for I have sinned against you.”

5 My enemies are saying wicked things about me: *
“When will he die, and his name perish?”

6 Even if they come to see me, they speak empty words; *
their heart collects false rumors;
they go outside and spread them.

7 All my enemies whisper together about me *
and devise evil against me.

8 “A deadly thing,” they say, “has fastened on him; *
he has taken to his bed and will never get up again.”

9 Even my best friend, whom I trusted,
who broke bread with me, *
has lifted up his heel and turned against me.

10 But you, O LORD, be merciful to me and raise me up, *
and I shall repay them.

11 By this I know you are pleased with me, *
that my enemy does not triumph over me.

12 In my integrity you hold me fast, *
and shall set me before your face for ever.

13 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, *
from age to age.

 

First Sunday of Lent – Evening Psalm

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Psalm 103

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul,*
and all that is within me, bless his holy Name.

2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,*
and forget not all his benefits.

3 He forgives all your sins*
and heals all your infirmities;

4 He redeems your life from the grave*
and crowns you with mercy and loving-kindness;

5 He satisfies you with good things,*
and your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.

6 The LORD executes righteousness*
and judgment for all who are oppressed.

7 He made his ways known to Moses*
and his works to the children of Israel.

8 The LORD is full of compassion and mercy,*
slow to anger and of great kindness.

9 He will not always accuse us,*
nor will he keep his anger for ever.

10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,*
nor rewarded us according to our wickedness.

11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,*
so is his mercy great upon those who fear him.

12 As far as the east is from the west,*
so far has he removed our sins from us.

13 As a father cares for his children,*
so does the LORD care for those who fear him.

14 For he himself knows whereof we are made;*
he remembers that we are but dust.

15 Our days are like the grass;*
we flourish like a flower of the field;

16 When the wind goes over it, it is gone,*
and its place shall know it no more.

17 But the merciful goodness of the LORD endures for ever on those who fear him,*
and his righteousness on children’s children;

18 On those who keep his covenant*
and remember his commandments and do them.

19 The LORD has set his throne in heaven,*
and his kingship has dominion over all.

20 Bless the LORD, you angels of his,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,*
and hearken to the voice of his word.

21 Bless the LORD, all you his hosts,*
you ministers of his who do his will.

22 Bless the LORD, all you works of his,
in all places of his dominion;*
bless the LORD, O my soul.

First Sunday of Lent – Morning Psalm

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Psalm 63

1 O God, you are my God; eagerly I seek you;*
my soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you,
as in a barren and dry land where there is no water.

2 Therefore I have gazed upon you in your holy place,*
that I might behold your power and your glory.

3 For your loving-kindness is better than life itself;*
my lips shall give you praise.

4 So will I bless you as long as I live*
and lift up my hands in your Name.

5 My soul is content, as with marrow and fatness,*
and my mouth praises you with joyful lips,

6 When I remember you upon my bed,*
and meditate on you in the night watches.

7 For you have been my helper,*
and under the shadow of your wings I will rejoice.

8 My soul clings to you;*
your right hand holds me fast.