An Evening Prayer

HYMN   ( the following or some other appropriate hymn )
        My Soul is longing for you, my God.
        My soul is longing for you.
        You my God and I the one,
        the one who yearns for you.

AN EVENING BLESSING     (from Music of the Heart, David Adam,

                                        p. 100. SPCK, London.)
        Loving Lord, bless this place:
        Let your love be here.
        Fill it with your peace:
        Let your joy be here.
        Fill it with your grace:
        Let your light be here.
        Fill it with your power:
        Let your presence be here.
        Fill us with the knowledge
        That you are here.
        AMEN.


LORD OF JOY        (from Music of the Heart, David Adam, p. 104. 

                            SPCK, London.)
         You, Lord, are here, in this place.
        Your presence fills it,
        Your presence is joy.

        Lord of joy,
        Open our eyes to see your beauty,
        That we may delight in your creation.

        Open our ears to hear your call,
        That we may take pleasure in serving you.

        Lord of joy,
        Touch our hearts with your love,
        That we may be alert to your desire for us.

        Awaken us this day to behold your glory,
        That we may be aware of your presence.

        Lord of joy,
        Touch our dull eyes,
        That they may see beyond the obvious.
        Touch our deafened ears,
        That they may hear the still small voice.

        Lord of joy,
        This day protect us from evil,
        Guide us in our journeying,
        Keep us from all harm,
        That we may rejoice in your love and protection.
       

        Glory be to you ...
 

TODAY YOU BLESS US        (from Music of the Heart, David Adam, p. 112.  SPCK, London.)
        Today you bless us, Lord,
        Today, tomorrow, and always.
        With the sun's brightness,
        The rain's gentleness,
        The snow's whiteness.

        Today you bless us, Lord,
        Today, tomorrow, and always.
        With the earth's goodness,
        With the water's pureness,
        With the air's freshness.

        Today you bless us, Lord,
        Today, tomorrow, and always.
        With our friend's faithfulness,
        With our loved one's kindness,
        With your own holiness.

        Today you bless us, Lord,
        Today, tomorrow, and always.
        With strength for our work,
        Light for our way,
        Peace for our mind,
        Power for this day,
        Presence with us now,

        Love for always.

        Glory be to you ...


SCRIPTURE  2 Tim 3
You've been a good apprentice to me, a part of my teaching, my manner of life, direction, faith, steadiness, love, patience, troubles, sufferings - suffering along with me in all the grief I had to put up with in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. And you also well know that God rescued me! Anyone who wants to live all out for Christ is in for a lot of trouble; there's no getting around it. Unscrupulous con men will continue to exploit the faith. They're as deceived as the people they lead astray. As long as they are out there, things can only get worse. But don't let it faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed, sure of the integrity of your teachers - why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother's milk! There's nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another--showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.
 

PAUSE
 

INTERCESSIONS
God has granted us a rich inheritance of faith from the apostles. With gratitude let us pray:

    O GOD, WE PRAISE YOU!

Blessed be God for the holy Church
- built upon the foundation of the apostles' witness to the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Blessed be God for the good news of our salvation
- handed on from generation to generation from the apostles.

Blessed be God for the sacraments of baptism and penance
- through which we receive the new life of the risen Christ proclaimed by the apostles.

Blessed be God for the Eucharist
- in which we participate in the mystery of the cross witnessed by the apostles.


PERSONAL INTENTIONS

    Our Father...

CLOSING PRAYER
O Lord our God, you chose to build your Church upon the faith of ordinary people made extraordinary by the companionship of your Son and the power of the Holy Spirit. Keep us faithful to the gift which they received with such joy and handed on at such cost, through Christ our Lord. Amen.