A Song of the Wilderness

The wilderness and the dry land shall rejoice,  •
the desert shall blossom and burst into song.

They shall see the glory of the Lord,  •
the majesty of our God.

Strengthen the weary hands,  •
and make firm the feeble knees.

Say to the anxious, ‘Be strong, fear not,
your God is coming with judgement,  •
coming with judgement to save you.’

Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened,  •
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

Then shall the lame leap like a hart,  •
and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy.

For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,  •
and streams in the desert;

The ransomed of the Lord shall return with singing,  •
with everlasting joy upon their heads.

Joy and gladness shall be theirs,  •
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever.  Amen.

Isaiah 35:1, 2b-4a, 4c-6, 10

 

 

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The Canticle of Habakkuk

Lord, I have heard of your fame,
I stand in awe at your deeds.
Do them again in our days and make them known.
In spite of your anger, have compassion.

God comes forth from Teman,
the Holy One comes from Mount Paran.
His splendor covers the sky
and his glory fills the earth.

His brilliance is like the light;
rays flash forth from his hands;
there his power lies hidden.

You march out to save your people,
to save the one you have anointed.
This I hear and I tremble with fear;
my lips quiver at the sound.

Weakness invades my bones,
my steps fail beneath me,
yet I calmly wait for the doom
that will fall on those who assail us.

For even though the fig tree does not blossom,
nor fruit grow on our vines,
even though the olive crop fail
and fields produce no harvest,

even though flocks vanish from the folds
and stalls stand empty of cattle,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord
and exult in God my savior.

The Lord my God is my strength.
He makes me leap like the deer.
He guides me to grace on the heights.
The Lord our God is my savior.

Habakkuk 3:1-19

 

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The Song of Jeremiah

Hear the word of the Lord, O nations,
proclaim it on distant coasts, and say:
He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together,
he guards them as a shepherd his flock.

The Lord shall ransom Jacob,
he shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror.

Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion,
they shall come streaming to the Lord’s blessings:
The grain, the wine, and the oil,
the sheep and the oxen;
They themselves shall be like watered gardens,
never again shall they languish.

Then the virgins shall make merry and dance,
and young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.
I will lavish choice portions upon the priests,
and my people shall be filled with my blessings,
says the Lord.

 

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Gloria in Excelsis

Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to people of good will.
We praise you,
we bless you,
we adore you,
we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory,
Lord God, heavenly King,
O God, almighty Father.
Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son,
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us;
you take away the sins of the world,
receive our prayer;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father,
have mercy on us.
For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

 

 

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Collect for Faith, Hope, and Charity

Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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Quaerite Dominum

Seek the Lord while he wills to be found; *
call upon him when he draws near.

Let the wicked forsake their ways *
and the evil ones their thoughts;

And let them turn to the Lord, and he will have compassion, *
and to our God, for he will richly pardon.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, *
nor your ways my ways, says the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, *
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

For as rain and snow fall from the heavens *
and return not again, but water the earth,

Bringing forth life and giving growth, *
seed for sowing and bread for eating,

So is my word that goes forth from my mouth; *
it will not return to me empty;

But it will accomplish that which I have purposed, *
and prosper in that for which I sent it.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.  Amen.

Isaiah 55:6-11

 

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The Song of Judith

Strike up the instruments,
a song to my God with timbrels,
chant to the Lord with cymbals;
Sing to him a new song,
exalt and acclaim his name.

A new hymn I will sing to my God.
O Lord, great are you and glorious,
wonderful in power and unsurpassable.

Let your every creature serve you;
for you spoke, and they were made,
You sent forth your spirit, and they were created;
no one can resist your word.

The mountains to their bases, and the seas, are shaken;
the rocks, like wax, melt before your glance.
But to those who fear you,
you are very merciful.

Judith 16:1, 13-15

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A Song of Hosea

Come, let us return to our God, *
who has torn us and will heal us.
God has struck us and will bind up our wounds, *
after two days revive us,
On the third day restore us, *
that in God’s presence we may live.
Let us humble ourselves, let us strive to know the Lord, *
whose justice dawns like morning light,
its dawning as sure as the sunrise.
God’s justice will come to us like a shower, *
like spring rains that water the earth.

Hosea 6:1-3

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Te Deum Laudamus

You are God: we praise you;
You are the Lord; we acclaim you;
You are the eternal Father:
All creation worships you.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you;
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.

You, Christ, are the king of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.
When you became man to set us free
you did not shun the Virgin’s womb.
You overcame the sting of death
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come and be our judge.
Come then, Lord, and help your people,
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints
to glory everlasting.

 

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Tuesday’s Round-up: Historical Gospels, Space and Religion, and Jonathan Edwards

Fr. Dwight Longenecker, an Evangelical turned Anglican turned Catholic priest, discusses the historical veracity of the New Testament gospels.

For sci-fi nerds: Rebecca J. Rosen, in The Atlantic, explores the relationship between space exploration and religion.

In a podcast, Michael McClymond discusses the life and thought of Jonathan Edwards.

 

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