THE DIVINE HOURS

The Call to Prayer

"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD.

Isaiah 1:18, KJV

The Request for Presence

Awake, O my God, decree justice;* let the assembly of peoples gather around you. Let the malice of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous;* for you test the mind and heart, O righteous God.

Psalm 7:7, 10

The Greeting

Deliver me, O LORD, by your hand* from those whose portion in life is this world.

Psalm 17:14

The Refrain for the Midday Lessons

The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit;* a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Psalm 51:18

A Reading

For the tradition I received from the Lord and also handed on to you is that on the night he was betrayed the Lord Jesus took some bread, and after he had given thanks, he broke it, and he said, 'This is my body, which is slain for you; do this in remembrance of me.' And in the same way, with the cup after supper, saying, 'This is the cup of the new covenant in my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this in memorial of me.' Whenever you eat this bread, then, and drink this cup, you are proclaiming the Lord's death until he comes. Therefore anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily is answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone is to examine himself and only then eat of the bread or drink from the cup; because a person who eats and drinks without recognizing the body is eating and drinking his own condemnation.

1 Corinthians 11:23-29

The Refrain

The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit;* a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

The Midday Psalm

Why, O God, Have You Utterly Cast Us Off

O God, why have you utterly cast us off?* why is your wrath so hot against the sheep of your pasture? Remember your congregation that you purchased long ago,* the tribe you redeemed to be your inheritance, and Mount Zion where you dwell. Turn your steps toward the endless ruins;* the enemy has laid waste everything in your sanctuary. Your adversaries roared in your holy place;* they set up their banners as tokens of victory. They were like men coming up with axes to a grove of trees;* they broke down all your carved work with hatchets and hammers. They set fire to your holy place;* they defiled the dwelling-place of your Name and razed it to the ground. They said to themselves, "Let us destroy them altogether."* They burned down all the meeting-places of God in the land. There are no signs for us to see; there is no prophet left;* there is not one among us who knows how long. How long, O God, will the adversary scoff?* will the enemy blaspheme your Name for ever? Why do you draw back your hand?* why is your right hand hidden in your bosom?

Psalm 74:1-10

The Refrain

The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit;* a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

The Cry of the Church

Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.

The Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your Name. May your kingdom come, and your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for yours are the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

The Prayer Appointed for the Week

Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant that I, who celebrate with joy the day of the Lord's resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Concluding Prayer of the Church

Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that I may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Divine Hours are reprinted here with permission of Doubleday and Phyllis Tickle. Not for distribution without permission from the author.
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