Morning Prayer

O Lord, open my lips.

And my mouth will proclaim your praise.

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O Light shine on our senses and dispel the sleep of our soul, to you before all else let our voice resound, and let us pay our vows to you. Amen

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Oh, what joy for those whose rebellion is forgiven,

whose sin is put out of sight!

Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin,

whose lives are lived in complete honesty!

When I refused to confess my sin,

I was weak and miserable,

and I groaned all day long.

Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.

My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.

Finally, I confessed all my sins to you

and stopped trying to hide them.

I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the LORD."

And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.

Therefore, let all the godly confess their rebellion to you while there is time,

that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.

For you are my hiding place;

you protect me from trouble.

You surround me with songs of deliverance.

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READING

Francois Fenelon

How can we expect to find Jesus if we do not

seek him in the states of this earthly life, in

loneliness and silence, in poverty and suffering,

in persecution and contempt, in annihilation

and the cross?

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Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

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COLLECT

Father of all humanity, you call your children

to walk in the light of Christ. Free us from

darkness and keep us forever in the radiance

of your truth, until we come at last to live

with you on high. We ask this through our

Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and

reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God

forever and ever. Amen