Nepsis

Category: Time to Pray

  • Philippians 1 3–11

    I give thanks to my God,
    in every remembrance of you,
    always
    in every prayer of mine
    for you all,
    with joy,
    when making my prayer,
    because of your partnership in the gospel
    from the first day until now. ,
    Having been convinced of this very thing:
    that the one who began
    among you
    a good work
    will surely complete (it)
    at the day of Christ Jesus.

    So it is right for me to feel this (way)
    about you all
    because
    I have you all
    in my heart
    – both in my chains
    and in also the defense of the gospel,
    you all have been my partners in grace.

    For God is my witness
    that I long for you all
    with the compassion of Christ Jesus.

    And this is my prayer:
    that your love might
    abound more and more,
    in wisdom
    and in all knowledge,
    so that you might decide what is best
    in order that you will be pure and blameless
    on the day of Christ,
    bearing the fruit of righteousness
    through Jesus Christ
    for the glory and praise of God.

    Almighty God,
    purify our hearts and minds,
    that when your Son Jesus Christ comes again as judge and saviour
    we may be ready to receive him,
    who is our Lord and our God.
    Amen.

    Eternal Light, shine into our hearts;
    Eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil;
    Eternal Power, be our support;
    Eternal Wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance:
    That we may seek your face
    with all our heart and mind and soul and strength. Amen.

    Alcuin

  • Malachi 3 1–4

    Watch me! I am sending my messenger
    and he will clear the road before me.
    Suddenly the Lord
    -whom you are seeking,
    will come to his Temple
    and the messenger / angel of the covenant
    – whom you long for,
    behold he is coming.
    Says the LORD of hosts.

    And who can endure the day of his coming?
    And who can stand when he appears?
    For he will be like the fire of the refiners
    like the lye of the washers.

    He will act like a refiner and a purifier of silver
    and he will purify the sons of Levi
    and he will refine them like gold and silver.
    And they will bring to the LORD a right offering.
    And the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD
    as in the days past, and in former years.

    Almighty God,
    purify our hearts and minds,
    that when your Son Jesus Christ comes again as judge and saviour
    we may be ready to receive him,
    who is our Lord and our God.

    God, give me grace to accept with serenity
    the things that cannot be changed,
    Courage to change the things
    which should be changed,
    and the Wisdom to distinguish
    the one from the other.

    Living one day at a time,
    Enjoying one moment at a time,
    Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
    Taking, as Jesus did,
    This sinful world as it is,
    Not as I would have it,
    Trusting that You will make all things right,
    If I surrender to Your will,
    So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
    And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

    Amen.

  • Luke 21 25-36

    And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars,
    and upon the earth
    (there will be) distress
    among the nations
    confused
    by the sound
    of sea and waves,
    people will be fainting from fear
    and from the expectation of what is coming to the world,
    and then they will see
    the Son of Man coming in a cloud
    with power and great glory.
    Then as these things begin to happen
    look up
    and raise your heads
    because your redemption is near.

    And he told them a parable:
    Look at the fig tree and all the trees.
    When they put out their leaves,
    you, yourselves, watch and know
    that summer is near.
    In the same way,
    when you see these things happening
    know that the Kingdom of God is near.
    Truly I tell you
    in no way,
    will this generation pass away
    until all these things have happened.
    Heaven and earth will pass away
    but my words will never ever pass away.

    Watch out for yourselves
    so that your hearts may not be weighed down
    with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life
    and that day come upon you suddenly
    as a snare.
    For it will come all who live upon the whole earth
    so be alert at all times
    praying to escape all things about to happen
    and to stand before the Son of Man.

    Eternal Light, shine into our hearts,
    Eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil,
    Eternal Power, be our support,
    Eternal Wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance,
    Eternal Pity, have mercy upon us;
    that with all our heart and mind
    and soul and strength we may seek thy face
    and be brought by thine infinite mercy
    to thy holy presence;
    through Jesus Christ our Lord.

    Alcuin (735-804)

  • 1 Thessalonians 3 9-13

    How can we thank God
    to repay you
    for all the joy with which we rejoice
    because of you
    before our God,
    -night and d ay we e arnestly pray
    to see your face
    and to make complete
    that which is lacking in your faith?

    So may God himself, and our Father,
    and our Lord Jesus
    make straight our path to you.
    Then may the Lord make you increase and overflow
    in love for one another
    and for all,
    just as we also
    (abound in love)
    for you,
    so that your hearts
    may be strengthened,
    blameless in holiness,
    before God and our Father
    at the coming of our Lord Jesus,
    with all his holy ones.

    Lord, you have given me so much,
    I ask for one more thing –
    a grateful heart.

    George Herbert

  • Jeremiah 33 14-16

    There, days are coming (Yahweh’s declaration)
    when I shall act on the good word
    that I spoke concerning Israel’s household and Judah’s household.
    In those days and at that time
    I shall grow for David a right shoot,
    and he will implement authority and righteousness in the country.
    In those days Judah will find deliverance,
    and Jerusalem will dwell with confidence,
    and this is what it will be called: “Yahweh Is Our Righteousness”.’

    Be thou a bright flame before me,
    Be thou a guiding star above me
    Be thou a smooth path below me
    Be thou a kindly shepherd behind me
    Today – tonight -forever
    Amen.

    St Columba

  • 1 Corinthians 8 7-13

    But not in everyone is knowledge
    and some,
    because of their familiarity with idols even now,
    eat as with idols,
    and their conscience
    being weak
    is stained.


    Now ‘Food will not bring us to God’s judgement’
    For neither
    if we do not eat,
    are we worse off
    nor if we eat
    is there an advantage.

    Then watch that the ‘right to choose’ of yours
    does not somehow become a stumbling block
    to the weak.
    For if someone sees you
    who have knowledge,
    in an idol’s temple
    sitting at table
    will not their conscience
    -being weak-
    be strengthened to eat
    meat associated with idols?

    For, the weak one
    is being destroyed
    through your knowledge,
    the brother /sister for whom
    Christ died.

    In this way, sinning against your brothers/sisters
    and damaging their weak consciences
    you sin against Christ.

    For this reason
    if food causes my brother /sister
    to stumble
    I will certainly never ever eat meats,
    so that I may not cause my brother /sister to stumble.


    O Love, O God who created me, in your love recreate me.
    O Love, who redeemed me,
    fill up in me whatever part of your love
    has fallen into neglect within me.
    O Love, O God, who first loved me,
    grant that with my whole heart,
    and with my whole soul,
    and with my whole strength,
    I may love you.

    Gertrude the Great

  • 1 Corinthians 8 4-6

    So about the eating associated with the idols-
    we know that:
    ‘an idol is nothing in the (real or my?) world’,
    and that
    ‘there is no god, but one.’
    If after all, there are those said to be gods,
    whether in heaven or on earth
    -as indeed there are many gods and many lords…
    but for us
    there is one God, the Father,
    from whom are all things,
    and we are unto him
    and one Lord Jesus Christ
    through whom are all things
    and through whom we are.

    Teach us, good Lord,
    to serve thee as thou deservest;
    to give and not to count the cost;
    to fight and not to heed the wounds;
    to toil and not to seek for rest;
    to labour and not to ask for any reward,
    save that of knowing that we do thy will,
    through Jesus Christ our Lord.
    Amen

    St Ignatius

  • 1 Corinthians 8:1-3

    Then, about ‘meat offered to pagan gods’:


    we know that ‘we all possess knowledge.’
    Knowledge puffs up,
    conversely love builds up.
    Then if someone thinks they have known something,
    then they have not known yet what it is necessary to know.
    But if someone loves God,
    they are known by God.

    Grant, Lord,
    that we may hold to you without parting,
    worship you without wearying,
    serve you without failing;
    faithfully seek you,
    happily find you,
    and forever possess you,
    the only God,blessed now and for ever.
    Amen

    St Anselm

  • 1 Corinthians 7 36 -40

    But if anyone thinks he acting ‘improperly’
    towards his not-yet-married-woman
    if s/he is getting on in years
    and it should become necessary
    let him do what he wishes
    he does not sin.
    Let them marry.

    But whoever stands firm in his heart
    not having a need
    but having control over his own will-
    and has decided in his own heart this:
    – to keep her as his own not-yet-married-woman
    he will do well.

    A wife is bound for the time her husband is living.
    But if the husband dies, she is free to marry
    whoever she wishes,
    only in the Lord.
    Even so it is happier to remain as she is
    in my opinion
    And I think I have the Spirit of God.

    Thank you, dear Jesus,
    for all you have given me,
    for all you have taken away from me,
    for all you have left me.

    Thomas More (c.1478-1535)

  • 1 Corinthians 7 32-35

    And I wish you to be free from worry.
    An unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord,
    how he might please the Lord.
    But the man who has married is concerned about the things of the world
    how he might please his wife
    and he is divided.

    And the woman who is ‘free of marriage’
    and the not yet married girl are concerned about the things of the Lord,
    that ‘they might be holy
    in body and also in spirit.’
    But the married woman is concerned about the things of the world,
    how to please her husband.


    For I say this to benefit you yourselves,
    not to place on you a restriction
    but what is proper
    for devotion to the Lord,
    without distraction.

    Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
    Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
    Where there is injury, pardon;
    Where there is discord, union;
    Where there is doubt, faith;
    Where there is despair, hope;
    Where there is darkness, light;
    Where there is sadness, joy,
    For your mercy and for your truth’s sake. Amen