Martin de Porres
Born in Lima in Peru in 1579, Martin de Porres was the illegitimate son of a Spanish knight and a black, Panamanian freewoman. He joined the Third Order of the Dominicans when he was fifteen years old and was later received as a lay brother into the First Order, mainly because of his reputation for caring for the poor and needy. As the friary almoner, he was responsible for the daily distribution to the poor and he had a particular care for the many African slaves, whose lives were a dreadful indictment of the Christian conquistadores. Martin became sought after for spiritual counsel, unusual for a lay brother at that time. His care for all God’s creatures led many to love and revere him and his own brothers chose him as their spiritual leader. He died of a violent fever on this day in the year 1639 and, because of his care for all, regardless of class or colour, is seen as the patron saint of race relations. EH
Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/jrf6v6t2
Say to the faint of heart: Be strong and do not fear.
Behold, our God will come, and he will save us. Isaiah 35
Gracious God,
your goodness surpasses everything else.
Uphold us day after day,
and teach us night after night,
that we may follow in the path of life
and be filled with resurrection joy;
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. BCW2018
Music: https://tinyurl.com/ycn4djk5
O Lord, open my lips.
And my mouth will declare your praise.
Make haste, O God, to deliver me;
make haste to help me, O Lord.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Praise to you, O Christ, Alleluia!
HYMN: Anne Steele
Tune: Epworth https://tinyurl.com/yk2jau5d
1 Ye wretched, starving poor,
Behold a royal feast!
Where mercy spreads her bounteous store
For ev’ry humble guest.
2 See, Christ, with open arms,
Invites, and bids you come;
O stay not back, though fear alarms;
For yet there still is room.
3 O come, and with us taste
The blessings of His love;
While hope expects the sweet repast
Of nobler joys above.
4 There, with united voice,
Before th’eternal throne,
Ten thousand thousand souls rejoice
In ecstasies unknown.
5 Ten thousand thousand more
Are welcome still to come;
Ye longing souls, the grace adore;
Approach, there yet is room.
PSALMS
Psalm 15 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y88d98g2)
1 Lord, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle *
or who shall rest upon thy holy hill?
2 Even he that leadeth an uncorrupt life *
and doeth the thing which is right,
and speaketh the truth from his heart.
3 He that hath used no deceit in his tongue,
nor done evil to his neighbour *
and hath not slandered his neighbour.
4 He that setteth not by himself,
but is lowly in his own eyes *
and maketh much of them that fear the Lord.
5 He that sweareth unto his neighbour,
and disappointeth him not *
though it were to his own hindrance.
6 He that hath not given his money upon usury *
nor taken reward against the innocent.
7 Whoso doeth these things *
shall never fall.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 16 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/ydhl4u74)
1 Preserve me, O God *
for in thee have I put my trust.
2 O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord *
Thou art my God, my goods are nothing unto thee.
3 All my delight is upon the saints, that are in the earth *
and upon such as excel in virtue.
4 But they that run after another god *
shall have great trouble.
5 Their drink-offerings of blood will I not offer *
neither make mention of their names within my lips.
6 The Lord himself is the portion of mine inheritance, and of my cup *
thou shalt maintain my lot.
7 The lot is fallen unto me in a fair ground *
yea, I have a goodly heritage.
8 I will thank the Lord for giving me warning *
my reins also chasten me in the night-season.
9 I have set God always before me *
for he is on my right hand, therefore I shall not fall.
10 Wherefore my heart was glad, and my glory rejoiced *
my flesh also shall rest in hope.
11 For why? thou shalt not leave my soul in hell *
neither shalt thou suffer thy Holy One to see corruption.
12 Thou shalt shew me the path of life;
in thy presence is the fulness of joy *
and at thy right hand there is pleasure for evermore.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 17 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/yahr8qsc)
1 Hear the right, O Lord, consider my complaint *
and hearken unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.
2 Let my sentence come forth from thy presence *
and let thine eyes look upon the thing that is equal.
3 Thou hast proved and visited mine heart in the night-season;
thou hast tried me, and shalt find no wickedness in me *
for I am utterly purposed that my mouth shall not offend.
4 Because of men’s works, that are done against the words of thy lips *
I have kept me from the ways of the destroyer.
5 O hold thou up my goings in thy paths *
that my footsteps slip not.
6 I have called upon thee, O God, for thou shalt hear me *
incline thine ear to me, and hearken unto my words.
7 Shew thy marvellous loving-kindness,
thou that art the Saviour of them which put their trust in thee *
from such as resist thy right hand.
8 Keep me as the apple of an eye *
hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
9 From the ungodly that trouble me *
mine enemies compass me round about to take away my soul.
10 They are inclosed in their own fat *
and their mouth speaketh proud things.
11 They lie waiting in our way on every side *
turning their eyes down to the ground;
12 Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey *
and as it were a lion’s whelp, lurking in secret places.
13 Up, Lord, disappoint him, and cast him down *
deliver my soul from the ungodly, which is a sword of thine;
14 From the men of thy hand, O Lord,
from the men, I say, and from the evil world *
which have their portion in this life,
whose bellies thou fillest with thy hid treasure.
15 They have children at their desire *
and leave the rest of their substance for their babes.
16 But as for me, I will behold thy presence in righteousness *
and when I awake up after thy likeness, I shall be satisfied with it.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 15 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-15-1.mp3)
1 LORD, who may dwell in your tabernacle? *
who may abide upon your holy hill?
2 Whoever leads a blameless life and does what is right, *
who speaks the truth from his heart.
3 There is no guile upon his tongue;
he does no evil to his friend; *
he does not heap contempt upon his neighbor.
4 In his sight the wicked is rejected, *
but he honors those who fear the LORD.
5 He has sworn to do no wrong *
and does not take back his word.
6 He does not give his money in hope of gain, *
nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.
7 Whoever does these things *
shall never be overthrown.
Psalm 16 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-16.mp3)
1 Protect me, O God, for I take refuge in you; *
I have said to the LORD, “You are my Lord,
my good above all other.”
2 All my delight is upon the godly that are in the land, *
upon those who are noble among the people.
3 But those who run after other gods *
shall have their troubles multiplied.
4 Their libations of blood I will not offer, *
nor take the names of their gods upon my lips.
5 O LORD, you are my portion and my cup; *
it is you who uphold my lot.
6 My boundaries enclose a pleasant land; *
indeed, I have a goodly heritage.
7 I will bless the LORD who gives me counsel; *
my heart teaches me, night after night.
8 I have set the LORD always before me; *
because he is at my right hand I shall not fall.
9 My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices; *
my body also shall rest in hope.
10 For you will not abandon me to the grave, *
nor let your holy one see the Pit.
11 You will show me the path of life; *
in your presence there is fullness of joy,
and in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.
Psalm 17 (Gregorian Tone 6, alt.)
1 O Lord, hear a cause that is just, *
pay heed to my cry.
Turn your ear to my prayer: *
no deceit is on my lips.
2 From you may my justice come forth. *
Your eyes discern what is upright.
3 Search my heart and visit me by night. *
Test me by fire, and you will find no wrong in me.
4 My mouth does not transgress as others do; †
on account of the words of your lips, *
I have avoided the paths of the violent.
5 I kept my steps firmly in your paths. *
My feet have never faltered.
6 To you I call; for you will surely heed me, O God. *
Turn your ear to me; hear my words.
7 Display your merciful love, †
you who will deliver from their foes *
those who trust in your right hand.
8 Guard me as the apple of your eye. †
Hide me in the shadow of your wings *
9 from the violent attack of the wicked.
My foes encircle me with deadly intent. *
10 Their hearts tight shut, their mouths speak proudly.
11 They advance against me, and now they surround me. *
Their eyes watch to strike me to the ground.
12 They are like a lion ready to claw, *
like some young lion crouched in hiding.
13 Arise, O LORD, confront them, strike them down! *
Let your sword deliver my soul from the wicked!
14 Let your hand, O LORD, deliver me *
from those whose portion in life is of this world.
What you have stored up for them fills their bellies †
may their offspring be sated with its plenty *
and let them leave what is left for their young.
15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness *
when I awake I shall be filled
with the vision of your presence.
PRAYER
O God our dwelling place,
in Christ you made your home among us.
Lead us in the paths of truth and integrity
until you bring us to your holy mountain
and we live forever in your presence;
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. BCW2018
THE WORD OF GOD
READING: 2 Kings 4:1-7
Now there was a woman who had been married to a member of a group of prophets. She appealed to Elisha, saying, “My husband, your servant, is dead. You know how he feared the Lord. But now someone he owed money to has come to take my two children away as slaves.”
Elisha said to her, “What can I do for you? Tell me what you still have left in the house.” She said, “Your servant has nothing at all in the house except a small jar of oil.” He said, “Go out and borrow containers from all your neighbors. Get as many empty containers as possible. Then go in and close the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all those containers. Set each one aside when it’s full.”
She left Elisha and closed the door behind her and her sons. They brought her containers as she kept on pouring. When she had filled the containers, she said to her son, “Bring me another container.” He said to her, “There aren’t any more.” Then the oil stopped flowing, and she reported this to the man of God. He said, “Go! Sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what remains.”
HYMN: Lelia Morris
Tune: https://tinyurl.com/4969asy7
1 Are you looking for the fullness
of the blessing of the lord
In your heart and life today?
Claim the promise of your Father,
come according to His word,
in the blessed old time way.
Chorus:
He will fill your heart today to overflowing,
As the Lord commandeth you,
“Bring your vessels, not a few;”
He will fill your heart today to overflowing
With the Holy Ghost and pow’r.
2 Bring your empty earthen vessels,
clean thro’ Jesus’ precious blood,
Come, ye needy, one and all;
And in human consecration
wait before the throne of God,
‘Till the Holy Ghost shall fall. (Chorus)
3 Like the cruse of oil unfailing
is His grace forevermore,
And His love unchanging still;
And according to His promise
with the Holy Ghost and pow’r,
He will ev’ry vessel fill. (Chorus)
READING: Revelation 17:1-14
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls spoke with me. “Come,” he said, “I will show you the judgment upon the great prostitute, who is seated on deep waters. The kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality with her, and those who live on earth have become drunk with the wine of her whoring.”
Then he brought me in a Spirit-inspired trance to a desert. There I saw a woman seated on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names. It had seven heads and ten horns. The woman wore purple and scarlet clothing, and she glittered with gold and jewels and pearls. In her hand she held a gold cup full of the vile and impure things that came from her activity as a prostitute. A name—a mystery—was written on her forehead: “Babylon the great, the mother of prostitutes and the vile things of the earth.” I saw that the woman was drunk on the blood of the saints and the blood of Jesus’ witnesses. I was completely stunned when I saw her.
Then the angel said to me, “Why are you amazed? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and the seven-headed, ten-horned beast that carries her. The beast that you saw was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. Those who live on earth, whose names haven’t been written in the scroll of life from the time the earth was made, will be amazed when they see the beast, because it was and is not and will again be present. This calls for an understanding mind. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated. They are also seven kings. Five kings have fallen, the one is, and the other hasn’t yet come. When that king comes, he must remain for only a short time. As for the beast that was and is not, it is itself an eighth king that belongs to the seven, and it is going to destruction. The ten horns that you saw are ten kings, who haven’t yet received royal power. But they will receive royal authority for an hour, along with the beast. These kings will be of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. They will make war on the Lamb, but the Lamb will emerge victorious, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings. Those with him are called, chosen, and faithful.”
HYMN: Matthew Bridges; alt. Godfrey Thring
Tune: Diademata https://tinyurl.com/44btdpec
1 Crown him with many crowns,
the Lamb upon his throne.
Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns
all music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing
of him who died for thee,
and hail him as thy matchless king
through all eternity.
2 Crown him the Lord of life,
who triumphed o’er the grave,
and rose victorious in the strife
for those he came to save;
his glories now we sing
who died and rose on high,
who died eternal life to bring,
and lives that death may die.
3 Crown him the Lord of love;
behold his hands and side,
rich wounds, yet visible above,
in beauty glorified;
no angels in the sky
can fully bear that sight,
but downward bends their burning eye
at mysteries so bright.
4 Crown him the Lord of years,
the potentate of time,
creator of the rolling spheres,
ineffably sublime.
All hail, Redeemer, hail!
for thou hast died for me;
thy praise shall never, never fail
throughout eternity.
READING: Luke 14:15-24
When one of the dinner guests heard Jesus’ remarks, he said to Jesus, “Happy are those who will feast in God’s kingdom.” Jesus replied, “A certain man hosted a large dinner and invited many people. When it was time for the dinner to begin, he sent his servant to tell the invited guests, ‘Come! The dinner is now ready.’ One by one, they all began to make excuses. The first one told him, ‘I bought a farm and must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I bought five teams of oxen, and I’m going to check on them. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ When he returned, the servant reported these excuses to his master. The master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go quickly to the city’s streets, the busy ones and the side streets, and bring the poor, crippled, blind, and lame.’ The servant said, ‘Master, your instructions have been followed and there is still room.’ The master said to the servant, ‘Go to the highways and back alleys and urge people to come in so that my house will be filled. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will taste my dinner.’”
CANTICLE Colossians 1:12-20
(Chant by John Michael Talbot https://tinyurl.com/ya95yzto)
Ant. He is the first born of all creation,
in every way the primacy is his.
Let us give thanks to the Father
for having made you worthy
to share the lot of the saints in light.
He rescued us from the power of darkness
and brought us into the kingdom of his beloved Son.
Through him we have redemption,
the forgiveness of our sins.
He is the image of the invisible God,
the first-born of all creatures.
In him everything in heaven and on earth was created,
things visible and invisible.
All were created through him; all were created for him.
He is before all else that is.
In him everything continues in being.
It is he who is head of the body, the church!
He who is the beginning, the first-born of the dead,
so that primacy may be his in everything.
It pleased God to make absolute fullness reside in him
and, by means of him, to reconcile everything in his person,
both on earth and in the heavens,
making peace through the blood of his cross.
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.
THE PRAYERS BCW
God of all mercies,
we praise you that you have brought us to this new day,
brightening our lives with the dawn
of promise and hope in Jesus Christ.
Especially we thank you for
the warmth of sunlight,
the wetness of rain and snow,
and all that nourishes the earth…
the presence and power of your Spirit . . .
the support and encouragement we receive from others . . .
those who provide for public safety and well-being . . .
the mission of the church around the world. . . .
Merciful God,
strengthen us in prayer
that we may lift up the brokenness of this world for your healing,
and share in the saving love of Jesus Christ.
Especially we pray for
those in positions of authority over others . . .
the lonely and forgotten . . .
children without families or homes . . .
agents of caring and relief . . .
the church in Asia and the Middle East….
(Plainsong Mode 2: https://tinyurl.com/yctqq8cf)DL
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today the bread of life;
and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
Everloving God, you have made of one kindred all races of humanity; we thank you for your servant Martin of Porres, whom you emboldened by your Spirit to strive passionately and patiently for justice and harmony; may we, in our land and throughout the world, have a like commitment to people of every race and colour, that all may be one in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. FATS
Music: https://tinyurl.com/y9efvwm5
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen. 2 Cor. 13:14
BCW Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 1993.
DL © Daniel Lawson; used with permission.
BCW2018 Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 2018
EH Exciting Holiness Edited by Brother Tristam SSF, © European Province of the Society of Saint Francis, 1997
FATS For All the Saints, © The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, 2014
The main scripture readings are © 2011 Common English Bible.
The traditional-language psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer (1662). The modern language versions of Psalm 15 and 16 are from The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and are sung by Ryland Angel. Psalm 17 is from The Abbey Psalms and is from the Chants & Rants YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@chantsandrants
Musical links are usually either to artists’ albums posted on Spotify or to recordings made available at smallchurchmusic.com. Audio stripped from YouTube videos is footnoted accordingly above.
Compilation © 2025 Stephen T. Benner. All links worked at the time they were created, but I cannot accept responsibility for their content or any damage resulting from their use. The linked content is under the control of the respective content creators and is subject to change at any time. Any copyright texts included in this compilation are provided for non-commercial purposes related to study or worship. Please contact the respective copyright holders for permission to use the texts in other contexts.
Oremus 