Meditations on Holy Week

The fig tree withers
and the temple is cleansed.
May the passions within us
find the same fate, as You,
the Lover of all Humankind
grant us Your Great Mercy
on the Tree.

As You entered into Jerusalem,
cleansing the Temple,
so enter our hearts, O Good One,
and drive from them the sinful passions
that beset us and defile us.
For You love humankind
and are the Savior of our souls.

O Lord Christ, as You were silent before Your accusers,
so we are silent before You, the Source of Living Waters
whom we have spurned time and time again.
Open our lips, O Lord, that our mouths might proclaim Your praise;
Silence the tongues of our accuser, the enemy of all souls,
and crush the head of the murdering dragon,
granting us Your Great Mercy
and the world's salavation.

As Joseph was lifted out of the pit
by the remembrance of the cupbearer,
so You Lord were lifted up on the Cross
causing the thief to cry out,
"Remember me in Your Kingdom, O Lord!"
His cry is ours so that this day
we might join You in the Paradise who is the Spirit,
You who are the Lover of Humankind
and the Savior of our souls.

Your cry, O Christ, upon the Tree
"My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"
spoken from God to God -- Hallelujah
for in our Godforsakenness of death
of sin, of corruption, You abide with us,
every crying out in intercession;
for you are the Lover of Humankind
and the saver of our souls.

The Tomb, cut out of rock,
will receive the one proclaimed,
"Behold, the Man!" on this day
of man's primordial creation.
From dust to dust, You return
to be resurrected the third day
so that we, being dust, might be raised
with You to Heaven,
for You are the lover of Humankind
and the Savior of our souls.

The Ascetic's Prayer

To be said upon rising in the morning, each morning:

Lord, this day I begin walking the path of Christ. Give me the strength of Your Holy Spirit, who is Life, to walk without stumbling. Give me the peace of Your Holy Spirit, who is Life, to be raised by You when I fall. Give me the wisdom of Your Holy Spirit, who is Life, to know that I am always a youth in this Spiritual life.

In the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who walked the path before me and is the Way Himself.

Amen.

A Children's Compline

This is, roughly, what we do each night for prayers. Being that we are RP, the Psalms listed are selections from either the red or blue psalter. This little liturgy is based off of the short, daily devotional compline in the Book of Common Prayer. Feel free, if you like, to use it in your family. We find it very beneficial to have a set pattern for night time prayers, especially since the various repetitions allow for good, extemporaneous conversation and catechesis. Also, we raise our hands at the appropriate time during the "call to worship" -- children understand liturgical action, sometimes better than adults do: they aren't natural dualists.

Children will quickly memorize much of this. Olivia has Psalm 134, the Shema, the Lord's Prayer, and the benediction down pat. This is good, especially since she is learning to pray and needs many models/grammars to work with.

Depending on the size of the reading (and remember, "faith comes by hearing, hearing comes by the Word of God") determines how long this takes. We average between 5-15 minutes.

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Call to Worship: Psalm 134 (read or sung)
"Behold now, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, you that stand by night in the House of the Lord! Lift up your hands in the holy place and bless the Lord! The Lord bless you out of Zion."

Reading: A passage from Scripture; we are going through the Pentateuch and afterwards will go through the Gospels
At the close of the reading: (Leader) "The Word of the Lord" (Everyone) "Thanks be to God"

(Leader) "And what do we believe about God?"
(Children) "The Shema: Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and strength. And you shall love your neighbor as yourself."
(Leader) "And what does Jesus say about the Shema?"
(Children) "There is no commandment greater than these" or "On these hang all the Law and the Prophets"

At the point, we ask for prayer requests, concentrating on what we are thankful for and for which neighbors we can pray. We either take turns praying or the leader offers all the requests to God. We end with the Lord's Prayer.

"Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be Your Name. Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory. Forever. Amen."

Psalm 4 (sung from the red psalter): "I will both lay me down in peace and quiet sleep will take, because Thou only me to dwell in safety, Lord, dost make. In safety, Lord, dost make."

Benedition: "The Almighty and Merciful Lord, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bless us and keep us. Amen."