William Wilberforce

Let your continual mercy, O Lord, enkindle in your Church the Never-failing gift of love, that, following the example of your servant William Wilberforce, we may have grace to defend the children of the poor, and maintain the cause of those who have no helper; for the sake of him who gave his life for us, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

¹ Praise the Lord!

How joyful are those who fear the Lord
    and delight in obeying his commands.
² Their children will be successful everywhere;
    an entire generation of godly people will be blessed.
³ They themselves will be wealthy,
    and their good deeds will last forever.
⁴ Light shines in the darkness for the godly.
    They are generous, compassionate, and righteous.
⁵ Good comes to those who lend money generously
    and conduct their business fairly.
⁶ Such people will not be overcome by evil.
    Those who are righteous will be long remembered.
⁷ They do not fear bad news;
    they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.
⁸ They are confident and fearless
    and can face their foes triumphantly.
⁹ They share freely and give generously to those in need.
    Their good deeds will be remembered forever.
    They will have influence and honor.

Psalm 112 – New Living Translation

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary

(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)

Judges 3:12-30 – Acts 1:1-14 – Matthew 27:45-54

Mary, Martha and Lazarus of Bethany

Generous God, whose Son Jesus Christ enjoyed the friendship and hospitality of Mary, Martha and Lazarus of Bethany: Open our hearts to love you, our ears to hear you, and our hands to welcome and serve you in others, through Jesus Christ our risen Lord; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

⁵ Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the clouds.
⁶ Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
    your judgments are like the great deep;
    man and beast you save, O Lord.

⁷ How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
    The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
⁸ They feast on the abundance of your house,
    and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
⁹ For with you is the fountain of life;
    in your light do we see light.

¹⁰ Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
    and your righteousness to the upright of heart!

Psalm 36 – English Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary

(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)

Judges 2:1-5, 11-23 – Romans 16:17-27 – Matthew 27:32-44

Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frederick Handel And Henry Purcell

Almighty God, beautiful in majesty and majestic in holiness, who teaches us in Holy Scripture to sing your praises and who gave your musicians Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frederick Handel and Henry Purcell grace to show forth your glory in their music: Be with all those who write or make music for your people, that we on earth may glimpse your beauty and know the inexhaustible riches of your new creation in Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,

   for his steadfast love endures forever!

2 Who can utter the mighty deeds of the LORD,

    or declare all his praise?

3 Blessed are they who observe justice,

   who do righteousness at all times!

4 Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people;

   help me when you save them,

5 that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones,

   that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation,

   that I may glory with your inheritance.

Psalm 106 – English Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary

(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)

Joshua 24:16-33 – Romans 16:1-16 – Matthew 27:24-31

St James the Elder, Apostle

O gracious God, we remember before you today your servant and apostle James, first among the Twelve to suffer martyrdom for the Name of Jesus Christ; and we pray that you will pour out upon the leaders of your Church that spirit of self-denying service by which alone they may have true authority among your people; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

O Lord my God, in you do I take refuge;
    save me from all my pursuers and deliver me,
² lest like a lion they tear my soul apart,
    rending it in pieces, with none to deliver.

³ O Lord my God, if I have done this,
    if there is wrong in my hands,
⁴ if I have repaid my friend with evil
    or plundered my enemy without cause,
⁵ let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it,
    and let him trample my life to the ground
    and lay my glory in the dust. Selah

⁶ Arise, O Lord, in your anger;
    lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies;
    awake for me; you have appointed a judgment.
⁷ Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you;
    over it return on high.

⁸ The Lord judges the peoples;
    judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness
    and according to the integrity that is in me.
⁹ Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
    and may you establish the righteous—
you who test the minds and hearts,
    O righteous God!
¹⁰ My shield is with God,
    who saves the upright in heart.

Psalm 34 – English Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary

(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)

Joshua 9:22-10:15 – Romans 15:14-24 – Matthew 27:1-10

Thomas A Kempis

Holy Father, who have nourished and strengthened your Church by the writings of your servant Thomas a Kempis: Grant that we may learn from him to know what we ought to know, to love what we ought to love, to praise what highly pleases you, and always to seek to know and follow your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen

1 Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!

     Praise befits the upright.

2 Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;

    make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!

3 Sing to him a new song;

    play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

4 For the word of the Lord is upright,

    and all his work is done in faithfulness.

5 He loves righteousness and justice;

     the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

20 Our soul waits for the Lord;

    he is our help and our shield.

21 For our heart is glad in him,

    because we trust in his holy name.

Psalm 34 – English Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary

(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)

Joshua 9:3-21 – Romans 15:1-13 – Matthew 26:69-75

Birgitta of Sweden 1373

O God, who by your Holy Spirit give to some the word of wisdom, to others the word of knowledge, and to others the word of faith: We praise your Name for the gifts of grace manifested in your servant Birgitta, and we pray that your Church may never be destitute of such gifts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
    I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
² I will be glad and exult in you;
    I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

³ When my enemies turn back,
    they stumble and perish before your presence.
⁴ For you have maintained my just cause;
    you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.

⁵ You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;
    you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
⁶ The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;
    their cities you rooted out; the very memory of them has perished.

⁷ But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
    he has established his throne for justice,
⁸ and he judges the world with righteousness;
    he judges the peoples with uprightness.

⁹ The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
    a stronghold in times of trouble.
¹⁰ And those who know your name put their trust in you,
    for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 9 – English Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary

(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)

Joshua 8:30-35 – Romans 14:13-23 – Matthew 26:57-68

Mary Magdalene

Almighty God, whose blessed Son restored Mary Magdalene to health of body and mind, and called her to be a witness of his resurrection: Mercifully grant that by your grace we may be healed of all our infirmities and know you in the power of his endless life; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

As a deer pants for flowing streams,
    so pants my soul for you, O God.
² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
   When shall I come and appear before God?
³ My tears have been my food day and night,
   while they say to me all the day long,
    “Where is your God?”
⁴ These things I remember, as I pour out my soul:
   how I would go with the throng
   and lead them in procession to the house of God
   with glad shouts and songs of praise,
   a multitude keeping festival.

⁵ Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?
   Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
  my salvation^] 6 and my God.

My soul is cast down within me;  therefore I remember you
   from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
⁷ Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls;
   all your breakers and your waves have gone over me.

Psalm 42 – English Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary

(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)

Joshua 8:1-22 – Romans 14:1-12 – Matthew 26:47-56

Gracious Lord and God, grant that we may always take delight in your service, for only through our faithfulness to you, the author of every good, will full and lasting happiness be ours. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
    for in you my soul takes refuge;
    in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
    till the storms of destruction pass by.
² I cry out to God Most High,
    to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
³ He will send from heaven and save me;
    he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah
   God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

⁴ My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts—
   the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
    whose tongues are sharp swords.

⁵ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
    Let your glory be over all the earth!

⁶ They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down.
   They dug a pit in my way, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
⁷ My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast!
   I will sing and make melody!
⁸  Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre!
    I will awake the dawn!
⁹ I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
    I will sing praises to you among the nations.
¹⁰ For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the clouds.

Psalm 57 – English Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary

(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)

Joshua 7:1-13 – Romans 13:8-14 – Matthew 26:36-46

O God, the strength of all who hope in you, accept our earnest prayer. And since without you we are weak and certain to fall, grant us always the help of your grace, that in following your commands we may please you in desire and in deed. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen

1 From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me.

    Let all Israel repeat this:

2 From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me,

    but they have never defeated me.

3 My back is covered with cuts,

    as if a farmer had plowed long furrows.

4 But the Lord is good;

    he has cut me free from the ropes of the ungodly.

5 May all who hate Jerusalem

    be turned back in shameful defeat.

6 May they be as useless as grass on a rooftop,

    turning yellow when only half grown,

7 ignored by the harvester,

    despised by the binder.

Psalm 129 – New Living Translation

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary

(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)

Joshua 4:19-5:1, 5:10-15 – Romans 12:9-21 – Matthew 26:17-25

Bartolome De Los Casas

Let your continual mercy, O Lord, enkindle in your Church the Never-failing gift of charity, that, following the example of your servant Bartolome de Las Casas, we may have grace to defend the children of the poor, and maintain the cause of those who have no helper; for the sake of him who gave his life for us, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

3 How long, O Lord?

    How long will the wicked be allowed to gloat?

4 How long will they speak with arrogance?

    How long will these evil people boast?

5 They crush your people, Lord,

    hurting those you claim as your own.

6 They kill widows and foreigners

    and murder orphans.

7 “The Lord isn’t looking,” they say,

    “and besides, the God of Israel doesn’t care.”

8 Think again, you fools!

    When will you finally catch on?

9 Is he deaf—the one who made your ears?

    Is he blind—the one who formed your eyes?

10 He punishes the nations—won’t he also punish you?

    He knows everything—doesn’t he also know what you are doing?

Psalm 94 – New Living Translation

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary

(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)

Joshua 3:14-4:7 – Romans 12:1-8 – Matthew 26:1-16

Living God, you sent your Son among us to reveal your wisdom and make known your ways.

Increase our faith, that we may confess Jesus as your Son, take up his work on earth, and trust his promise to sustain the Church. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen

O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger,
    nor discipline me in your wrath!
² For your arrows have sunk into me,
    and your hand has come down on me.

³ There is no soundness in my flesh
    because of your indignation;
there is no health in my bones
    because of my sin.
⁴ For my iniquities have gone over my head;
    like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.

⁵ My wounds stink and fester
    because of my foolishness,
⁶ I am utterly bowed down and prostrate;
    all the day I go about mourning.
⁷ For my sides are filled with burning,
    and there is no soundness in my flesh.

Psalm 38 – English Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary

(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)

Joshua 3:1-13 – Romans 11:25-36 – Matthew 25:31-46

Olga Princess of Keiv, Confessor, 969; Vladimir of Kiev

God the All-Merciful, you brought your servant Princess Olga to the church and by the splendor of the Divine Liturgy you revealed to her grandson Vladimir the glories of your heavenly kingdom: Mercifully grant that we who commemorate them this day may be fruitful in good works and attain the glorious crown of your saints; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord , who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen

Philip H. Pfatteicher & Lesser Feasts and Fasts

 I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
    I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
² I will be glad and exult in you;
    I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

³ When my enemies turn back,
    they stumble and perish before your presence.
⁴ For you have maintained my just cause;
    you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.

⁵ You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;
    you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
⁶ The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;
    their cities you rooted out;
    the very memory of them has perished.

⁷ But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
    he has established his throne for justice,
⁸ and he judges the world with righteousness;
    he judges the peoples with uprightness.

Psalm 9 – English Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary

(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)

Joshua 2:15-24 – Romans 11:13-24 – Matthew 25:14-30

Almighty God, whose unfailing providence rules all things both in heaven and on earth, listen to the cry of your people and guide in your peace the course of our days. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen

1 To you I lift up my eyes,

    O you who are enthroned in the heavens!

2 Behold, as the eyes of servants

    look to the hand of their master,

as the eyes of a maidservant

    to the hand of her mistress,

so our eyes look to the Lord our God,

    till he has mercy upon us.

3 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,

    for we have had more than enough of contempt.

4 Our soul has had more than enough

    of the scorn of those who are at ease,

    of the contempt of the proud.

Psalm 123 – English Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary

(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)

Joshua 2:1-14 – Romans 11:1-12 – Matthew 25:1-13

Benedict of Nursia

Almighty and everlasting God, your precepts are the wisdom of a loving Father: Give us grace, following the teaching and example of your servant Benedict, to walk with loving and willing hearts in the school of the Lord's service; let your ears be open to our prayers; and prosper with your blessing the work of our hands; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

1 Oh, the joys of those who do not

    follow the advice of the wicked,

    or stand around with sinners,

    or join in with mockers.

2 But they delight in the law of the Lord,

    meditating on it day and night.

3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank,

    bearing fruit each season.

Their leaves never wither,

    and they prosper in all they do.

4 But not the wicked!

    They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.

5 They will be condemned at the time of judgment.

    Sinners will have no place among the godly.

6 For the Lord watches over the path of the godly,

    but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

Psalm 1 – New Living Translation

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary

(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)

Deuteronomy 31:7-13, 31:24-32:4 – Romans 10:1-13 – Matthew 24:15-31

Your sovereign rule, O God, draws near to us in the person of Jesus your Son. Your word summons us to faith, your power transforms our lives. Free us to follow in Christ’s footsteps, so that neither human loyalty nor earthly attachment may hold us back from answering your call. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen

6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness,

    and all the peoples see his glory.

7 All worshipers of images are put to shame,

    who make their boast in worthless idols;

    worship him, all you gods!

8 Zion hears and is glad,

    and the daughters of Judah rejoice,

    because of your judgments, O Lord.

9 For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;

    you are exalted far above all gods.

10 O you who love the Lord, hate evil!

    He preserves the lives of his saints;

    he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

11 Light is sown for the righteous,

    and joy for the upright in heart.

12 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,

    and give thanks to his holy name!

Psalm 97 – English Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary

(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)

Deuteronomy 3:18-28 – Romans 9:19-33 – Matthew 24:1-14

Direct the course of this world, Lord God, and order it in your peace, that your Church may serve you in serenity and quiet joy. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen

1 My heart is steadfast, O God!

    I will sing and make melody with all my being!

2 Awake, O harp and lyre!

    I will awake the dawn!

3 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;

    I will sing praises to you among the nations.

4 For your steadfast love is great above the heavens;

    your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!

    Let your glory be over all the earth!

6 That your beloved ones may be delivered,

    give salvation by your right hand and answer me!

Psalm 108 – English Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary

(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)

Numbers 35:1-3, 9-15, 30-34 – Romans 8:31-39 – Matthew 23:1-12

Attend with kindness, Lord God, to the cries of your people, that we may see the things that ought to be done and grow in the strength to do them. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen

1 O God, do not keep silence;

    do not hold your peace or be still, O God!

2 For behold, your enemies make an uproar;

    those who hate you have raised their heads.

3 They lay crafty plans against your people;

    they consult together against your treasured ones.

13 O my God, make them like whirling dust,

    like chaff before the wind.

14 As fire consumes the forest,

    as the flame sets the mountains ablaze,

15 so may you pursue them with your tempest

    and terrify them with your hurricane!

16 Fill their faces with shame,

    that they may seek your name, O Lord.

17 Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever;

    let them perish in disgrace,

18 that they may know that you alone, whose name is the Lord,

    are the Most High over all the earth.

Psalm 33 – English Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary

(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)

Numbers 32:1-6, 16-27 – Romans 8:26-30 – Matthew 23:1-12

Independence Day

Lord God Almighty, in whose Name the founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us, and lit the torch of freedom for nations then unborn: Grant, we pray, that we and all the peoples of this land may have grace to maintain these liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

1 Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!

    Praise befits the upright.

2 Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;

    make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!

3 Sing to him a new song;

    play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

4 For the word of the Lord is upright,

    and all his work is done in faithfulness.

5 He loves righteousness and justice;

    the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

16 The king is not saved by his great army;

    a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.

17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation,

    and by its great might it cannot rescue.

18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,

    on those who hope in his steadfast love,

19 that he may deliver their soul from death

    and keep them alive in famine.

Psalm 33 – English Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary

(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)

Numbers 24:1-13 – Romans 8:12-17 – Matthew 22:15-22

O God, you inspire the hearts of the faithful with a single longing. Grant that your people

may love what you command and desire what you promise, so that, amid the uncertain things of this world, our hearts may be fixed where true joys are found. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen

1 Justice—do you rulers know the meaning of the word?

    Do you judge the people fairly?

2 No! You plot injustice in your hearts.

    You spread violence throughout the land.

3 These wicked people are born sinners;

    even from birth they have lied and gone their own way.

4 They spit venom like deadly snakes;

    they are like cobras that refuse to listen,

5 ignoring the tunes of the snake charmers,

    no matter how skillfully they play.

6 Break off their fangs, O God!

    Smash the jaws of these lions, O Lord!

7 May they disappear like water into thirsty ground.

    Make their weapons useless in their hands.

Psalm 58 – English Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary

(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)

Numbers 23:11-26 – Romans 8:1-11 – Matthew 22:1-14

John Mason Neale and Catherine Winkworth

Almighty God, beautiful in majesty, majestic in holiness, you Have shown us the splendor of creation in the work of your servants John Mason Neale and Catherine Winkworth: Teach us to drive from the world the ugliness of chaos and disorder, that our eyes may not be blind to your glory, and that at length everyone may know the inexhaustible richness of your new creation in Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

1 Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!

    Praise befits the upright.

2 Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;

    make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!

3 Sing to him a new song;

    play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

4 For the word of the Lord is upright,

    and all his work is done in faithfulness.

5 He loves righteousness and justice;

    the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

20 Our soul waits for the Lord;

    he is our help and our shield.

21 For our heart is glad in him,

    because we trust in his holy name.

Psalm 33 – English Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary

(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)

Numbers 22:21-38 – Romans 7:1-12 – Matthew 21:12-22