Thomas Merton
Thomas Merton was born in France in 1915. His early life was unset-tled and it was not until he was at Columbia University in New York that he began to explore Christian faith and the religious life. He was baptised in 1938 and entered the Trappist order at Gethsemani, Kentucky, in 1941. The publication of his autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain, in 1948 brought him recognition as an outstanding spiritual figure of the twentieth century. Many other books on spirituality and issues of social justice followed until his death by accidental electrocution while in Bangkok on 10 December 1968. FATS
Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/2p892t8n
Your merciful love, O God,
we have received in the midst of your temple.
Your praise, O God, like your name,
reaches the ends of the earth;
your right hand is filled with saving justice. Psalm 48
My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you
does in fact please you.
And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road,
though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always though
I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me,
and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. Amen. Thomas Merton
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: Carl Daw ©
Tune: Raquel https://tinyurl.com/ycy5cyj8
1 Surely it is God who saves me;
I shall trust and have no fear;
For the Lord defends and shields me,
And his saving help is near.
So rejoice as you draw water
From salvation’s healing spring;
In the day of your deliv’rance
Thank the Lord, his mercies sing.
2 Make God’s deeds known to the peoples:
Tell out his exalted Name.
Praise the Lord, who has done great things;
All his works God’s might proclaim.
Zion, lift your voice in singing;
For with you has come to dwell,
In your very midst, the great and
Holy One of Israel.
PSALMS
Psalm 53 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y6wzcn8t)
1 The foolish body hath said in his heart *
There is no God.
2 Corrupt are they, and become abominable in their wickedness *
there is none that doeth good.
3 God looked down from heaven upon the children of men *
to see if there were any, that would understand, and seek after God.
4 But they are all gone out of the way,
they are altogether become abominable *
there is also none that doeth good, no not one.
5 Are not they without understanding that work wickedness *
eating up my people as if they would eat bread?
they have not called upon God.
6 They were afraid where no fear was *
for God hath broken the bones of him that besieged thee;
thou hast put them to confusion, because God hath despised them.
7 O that the salvation were given unto Israel out of Sion *
O that the Lord would deliver his people out of captivity!
8 Then should Jacob rejoice *
and Israel should be right glad.
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 54 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y73kppwg)
1 Save me, O God, for thy Name’s sake *
and avenge me in thy strength.
2 Hear my prayer, O God *
and hearken unto the words of my mouth.
3 For strangers are risen up against me *
and tyrants, which have not God before their eyes, seek after my soul.
4 Behold, God is my helper *
the Lord is with them that uphold my soul.
5 He shall reward evil unto mine enemies *
destroy thou them in thy truth.
6 An offering of a free heart will I give thee,
and praise thy Name, O Lord *
because it is so comfortable.
7 For he hath delivered me out of all my trouble *
and mine eye hath seen his desire upon mine enemies.
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 55 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/yb9gqlve)
1 Hear my prayer, O God *
and hide not thyself from my petition.
2 Take heed unto me, and hear me *
how I mourn in my prayer, and am vexed.
3 The enemy crieth so, and the ungodly cometh on so fast *
for they are minded to do me some mischief;
so maliciously are they set against me.
4 My heart is disquieted within me *
and the fear of death is fallen upon me.
5 Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me *
and an horrible dread hath overwhelmed me.
6 And I said, O that I had wings like a dove *
for then would I flee away, and be at rest.
7 Lo, then would I get me away far off *
and remain in the wilderness.
8 I would make haste to escape *
because of the stormy wind and tempest.
9 Destroy their tongues, O Lord, and divide them *
for I have spied unrighteousness and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go about within the walls thereof *
mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it.
11 Wickedness is therein *
deceit and guile go not out of their streets.
12 For it is not an open enemy, that hath done me this dishonour *
for then I could have borne it.
13 Neither was it mine adversary, that did magnify himself against me *
for then peradventure I would have hid myself from him.
14 But it was even thou, my companion *
my guide, and mine own familiar friend.
15 We took sweet counsel together *
and walked in the house of God as friends.
16 Let death come hastily upon them,
and let them go down quick into hell *
for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them.
17 As for me, I will call upon God *
and the Lord shall save me.
18 In the evening, and morning, and at noon-day
will I pray, and that instantly *
and he shall hear my voice.
19 It is he that hath delivered my soul in peace
from the battle that was against me *
for there were many with me.
20 Yea, even God, that endureth for ever,
shall hear me, and bring them down *
for they will not turn, nor fear God.
21 He laid his hands upon such as be at peace with him *
and he brake his covenant.
22 The words of his mouth were softer than butter,
having war in his heart *
his words were smoother than oil, and yet be they very swords.
23 O cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall nourish thee *
and shall not suffer the righteous to fall for ever.
24 And as for them *
thou, O God, shalt bring them into the pit of destruction.
25 The blood-thirsty and deceitful men
shall not live out half their days *
nevertheless, my trust shall be in thee, O Lord.
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 53 (Gregorian tonus peregrinus)
2 The fool has said in his heart,
“There is no God.”
Their deeds are corrupt, depraved;
no one does any good.
3 God looks down from heaven
on the human race,
to see if any are wise,
if any seek God.
4 All have left the right path,
depraved, every one;
there is no one who does any good,
no, not even one.
5 Do none who do evil understand?
They eat up my people as if eating bread;
they never call out to God.
6 There they shall tremble with fear without cause for fear
for God scatters the bones of your besiegers.
7 They are shamed; God rejects them.
Who will bring Israel salvation from Zion?
When God brings about the return of his people,
then Jacob will be glad and Israel rejoice.
Psalm 54 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-54-1.mp3)
1 Save me, O God, by your Name; *
in your might, defend my cause.
2 Hear my prayer, O God; *
give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For the arrogant have risen up against me,
and the ruthless have sought my life, *
those who have no regard for God.
4 Behold, God is my helper; *
it is the Lord who sustains my life.
5 Render evil to those who spy on me; *
in your faithfulness, destroy them.
6 I will offer you a freewill sacrifice *
and praise your Name, O LORD, for it is good.
7 For you have rescued me from every trouble, *
and my eye has seen the ruin of my foes.
| 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.
Psalm 55 (Gregorian Tone 5)
2 Give ear, 0 God, to my prayer;
do not hide from my pleading.
3 Attend to me and reply;
with my cares, I cannot rest.
4 I tremble at the shouts of the foe,
at the cries of the wicked,
for they pile up evil upon me;
in anger they malign me.
5 My heart is stricken within me;
death’s terror falls upon me.
6 Trembling and fear come over me,
and horror overwhelms me.
7 I say, “O that I had wings like a dove,
to fly away and be at rest!
8 I would indeed escape far away,
and take refuge in the desert.
9 I would hasten to find my shelter
from the raging wind and tempest.”
10 Confound and confuse their tongues, 0 Lord,
for I see violence and strife in the city!
11 Night and day they patrol its walls.
In its midst are wickedness and evil.
12 Destruction lies within it.
Its streets are never free
from tyranny and deceit.
13 If an enemy made taunts against me,
I could bear it.
If my rival had risen against me,
I could hide from him.
14 But it is you, as my equal, my friend,
whom I knew so well,
15 with whom I enjoyed friendly counsel!
We walked together in harmony in the house of God.
16 May death fall suddenly upon them!
Let them go down alive to Sheol,
for wickedness dwells in their homes,
and deep in their hearts.
17 As for me, I will cry to God,
and the LORD will save me.
18 Evening, morning, and at noon,
I will cry and lament,
and he will hear my voice.
19 He will redeem my soul in peace
in the attack against me,
for those who fight me are many.
20 God, who is enthroned forever,
will hear them and humble them.
For they will not amend their ways;
they have no fear of God.
21 The traitor has turned against his friends;
he has broken his pact.
22 His speech is softer than butter,
but war is in his heart.
His words are smoother than oil,
but they are swords unsheathed.
23 Entrust your cares to the LORD,
and he will support you.
He will never allow the just one to stumble.
24 But you will bring them down, O God,
to the pit of death:
the bloodthirsty and the liars
shall not live even half their days.
But I, I will trust in you, O Lord.
PRAYER
God our helper, hear our prayer
and uphold your church in times of testing.
Deliver us from evil,
so that from the rising of the sun to its setting
we may offer you our sacrifice of praise;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. BCW
THE WORD OF GOD
READING: Amos 9:11-15
On that day I will raise up
the meeting tent of David that has fallen,
and repair its broken places.
I will raise up its ruins,
and I will rebuild it like a long time ago;
so that they may possess what is left of Edom,
as well as all the nations who are called by my name,
says the Lord who will do this.
The days are surely coming, says the Lord,
when the one who plows
will overtake the one who gathers,
when the one who crushes grapes
will overtake the one who sows the seed.
The mountains will drip wine,
and all the hills will flow with it.
I will improve the circumstances of my people Israel;
they will rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them.
They will plant vineyards and drink their wine;
and they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
I will plant them upon their land,
and they will never again be plucked up
out of the land that I have given them,
says the Lord your God.
HYMN: Kathryn Galloway ©
Tune: Kingsfold https://tinyurl.com/mr329z95
1 When out of poverty is born
a dream that will not die,
and landless, weary folk find strength
to stand with heads held high,
it’s then we learn from those who wait
to greet the promised day,
‘The Lord is coming; don’t lose heart.
Be blest; prepare the way!’
2 When people wander far from God,
forget to share their bread,
they find their wealth an empty thing,
their spirits are not fed.
For only just and tender love
the hungry soul will stay.
And so God’s prophets echo still
‘Be blest; prepare the way!’
3 When God took flesh and came to earth,
the world turned upside down,
and in the strength of woman’s faith
the Word of Life was born.
She knew that God would raise the low,
it pleased her to obey.
Rejoice with Mary in the call,
‘Be blest; prepare the way!’
READING: 2 Thessalonians 1
From Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy: To the church of the Thessalonians, which is in God our Father, and in the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace and peace to all of you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Brothers and sisters, we must always thank God for you. This is only right because your faithfulness is growing by leaps and bounds, and the love that all of you have for each other is increasing. That’s why we ourselves are bragging about you in God’s churches. We tell about your endurance and faithfulness in all the harassments and trouble that you have put up with. This shows that God’s judgment is right, and that you will be considered worthy of God’s kingdom for which you are suffering. After all, it’s right for God to pay back the ones making trouble for you with trouble and to pay back you who are having trouble with relief along with us. This payback will come when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his powerful angels. He will give justice with blazing fire to those who don’t recognize God and don’t obey the good news of our Lord Jesus. They will pay the penalty of eternal destruction away from the Lord’s presence and away from his mighty glory. This will happen when he comes on that day to receive honor from his holy people and to be admired by everyone who has believed—and our testimony to you was believed.
We are constantly praying for you for this: that our God will make you worthy of his calling and accomplish every good desire and faithful work by his power. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored by you, and you will be honored by him, consistent with the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
HYMN: Reginald Heber
Tune: Saxony
1. The Lord will come! the earth shall quake;
The hills their fixed seat forsake,
And with’ring from the vault of night,
The stars withdraw their feeble light.
2. The Lord will come! but not the same
As once in lowly form he came,
A silent Lamb to slaughter led,
The bruised, the suff’ring, and the dead.
3. The Lord shall come! in dreadful form,
With wreath of flame and robe of storm,
On cherub-wings, and wings of wind,
Anointed Judge of human-kind.
4. Go, tyrants! to the rocks complain!
Go, seek the mountain’s cleft in vain!
But faith, victorious o’er the tomb,
Shall sing for joy, The Lord has come!
READING: Matthew 23:25-36
Jesus continued, “How terrible it will be for you legal experts and Pharisees! Hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and plate, but inside they are full of violence and pleasure seeking. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup so that the outside of the cup will be clean too.
“How terrible it will be for you legal experts and Pharisees! Hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs. They look beautiful on the outside. But inside they are full of dead bones and all kinds of filth. In the same way you look righteous to people. But inside you are full of pretense and rebellion.
“How terrible it will be for you legal experts and Pharisees! Hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. You say, ‘If we had lived in our ancestors’ days, we wouldn’t have joined them in killing the prophets.’ You testify against yourselves that you are children of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead, complete what your ancestors did. You snakes! You children of snakes! How will you be able to escape the judgment of hell? Therefore, look, I’m sending you prophets, wise people, and legal experts. Some of them you will kill and crucify. And some you will beat in your synagogues and chase from city to city. Therefore, upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been poured out on the earth, from the blood of that righteous man Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the temple and the altar. I assure you that all these things will come upon this generation.”
CANTICLE Isaiah 55:6-11
(Chant by Henry Purcell, arr. James Turle)
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.
PRAYERS CWC
Lord God, send us your Spirit
to renew this weary, waiting world.
Hear our prayers.
Bring good news to the oppressed . . .
Come quickly to bring justice;
set all people free.
Bind up the brokenhearted . . .
Heal those who are sick and suffering;
sustain them by your grace.
Proclaim liberty to the captives . . .
Release those who are wrongly imprisoned;
break the chains of poverty and addiction.
Comfort those who mourn . . .
Support loved ones who are grieving;
fill them with your deep peace.
Rebuild the ancient ruins . . .
Restore our broken communities;
let them be places of safety and plenty.
Announce the year of your favor . . .
Show us glimpses of your new creation;
come among us here and now.
All this we pray in the name of Jesus,
the one anointed by your Spirit,
who comes to establish your holy realm
of righteousness, justice, and peace. Amen.
(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 in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread;
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.
Blessed are you, God, in Thomas,
who learned in silence to hear you
and feel your thirst for justice;
give us encouragement by his example
to be still that we may know you
and empowered to serve you. 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.
BCW2018 Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 2018
FATS For All the Saints, © The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, 2014
CWC Connections Worship Companion, ed. David Gambrell © Westminster John Knox Press
DL © Daniel Lawson; used with permission.
The three main scripture readings are © 2011 Common English Bible.
The traditional language psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer (1662). The modern language version of Psalms 54 is from the The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and is sung by Ryland Angel. Psalms 53 and 55 are from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles ©2010, 2018 The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, D.C. All rights reserved. ©2020 as recorded for the Chants and Rants YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@chantsandrants. The canticle is from Book of Common Prayer (2019) as recorded for the St Bernard Breviary https://www.bernardbreviary.com/chant-helps
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 