Holy One, open our lips:
and we shall proclaim your praise.
Glory to God, Source of all being,
Eternal Word and Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever. Amen.
Variable Psalms
Mondays: From Psalm 116, Dilexi, quoniam
I love the Lord *
who has heard the voice of my supplication,
who has listened to me *
whenever I called.
I came to grief and sorrow; *
then I called upon the name of the Lord:
Gracious is the Lord and righteous; *
our God is full of compassion.
Turn again to your rest, O my soul, *
for the Lord has treated you well.
I will walk in the presence of the Lord *
in the land of the living.
How shall I repay you, O Lord, *
for all the good things you have done for me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation *
and call upon your name.
I will fulfil my vows to the Lord *
in the presence of all the people.
In the courts of the house of the Lord, *
in the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Hallelujah!
CLOSING Isaiah 40
The Lord is the everlasting God,*
the Creator of the ends of the earth,
who does not faint nor grow weary,*
whose understanding is unsearchable,
who gives power to the faint,*
increase of strength to those who have no might.
Even youth shall faint and be weary;*
the young shall fall exhausted.
But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;* they shall mount up with wings like eagles.
They shall run and not be weary,*
they shall walk and not faint.
READING: Ecclesiastes 7:1–14
A good name is better than precious ointment,
and the day of death, than the day of birth.
It is better to go to the house of mourning
than to go to the house of feasting;
for this is the end of everyone,
and the living will lay it to heart.
Sorrow is better than laughter,
for by sadness of countenance the heart is made glad.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning;
but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise
than to hear the song of fools.
For like the crackling of thorns under a pot,
so is the laughter of fools;
this also is vanity.
Surely oppression makes the wise foolish,
and a bribe corrupts the heart.
Better is the end of a thing than its beginning;
the patient in spirit are better than the proud in spirit.
Do not be quick to anger,
for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.
Do not say, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’
For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.
Wisdom is as good as an inheritance,
an advantage to those who see the sun.
For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money,
and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to the one who possesses it.
Consider the work of God;
who can make straight what he has made crooked?
On the day of prosperity be joyful, and on the day of adversity consider; God has made the one as well as the other, so that mortals may not find out anything that will come after them.
Silence
PRAYERS
We have not put the voice of the voiceless first.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
We have colluded with the structures of greed.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
We have put money first, loving it too much.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
MONDAYS:
That Christians may never cease to go towards all people, and become ferments of reconciliation in the human family, we pray to the Lord.
For all who believe, for those who have a ministry in the Church, that they may be faithful witnesses to the Gospel, we pray to the Lord.
That the goods of the earth may be shared among all,
we pray to the Lord.
For all the nations of the earth, that wars and violence may cease,
we pray to the Lord.
For the poor and the afflicted, we pray to the Lord.
For those who are persecuted on account of Christ’s name, for all who are seeking justice, we pray to the Lord.
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
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.
Do not bring us to the time of trial,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
COLLECTS
Mondays: Jesus, Love of all loving, you were always in me and I was forgetting you. You were in my heart of hearts and I was looking for you elsewhere. When I kept myself far from you, you were waiting for me. And now I dare to tell you: Risen Christ, you are my life. Amen
Almighty and Everlasting God, you have given us grace in the profession of true faith to recognise the glory of the eternal Trinity: keep us steadfast in this faith and bring us to see you in your perfect and eternal unity; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.
God most holy, we give you thanks for bringing us out of the shadow of night into the light of morning; and we ask you for the joy of spending this day in your service, so that when evening comes, we may once more give you thanks, through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
The Lord bless us and preserve us from all evil; and bring us to life eternal. Amen.
St Ternans Banchory 