Jean-Pierre de Caussade
Jean-Pierre de Caussade (born 1675) was a French Jesuit who died on this day in 1751. He was appointed spiritual director of a community of nuns and decided to share with them his ideas on the spiritual life. The material was published a century after his death as Self-Abandonment to Divine Providence. The book has become a Christian devotional classic. De Caussade gives us a rich and imaginative appreciation for the many ways that God speaks to us and others in the present moment. He also has a strong sense of everyday spirituality; in one passage, this eighteenth century spiritual director states that we are the sequel to the New Testament that is being written by the Holy Spirit. He challenges us to read “the book of life,” the record of divine action in the world, because we each have a divine purpose “in the plot of the Holy Scripture which unfolds every day.” 1
Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/4s87yty8
Remember your word to your servant, O Lord,
by which you have given me hope.
This is my comfort when I am brought low. Psalm 119
Lord, may your kingdom come into my heart
to sanctify me, nourish me and purify me.
How insignificant is the passing moment
to the eye without faith!
But how important each moment is
to the eye enlightened by faith!
How can we deem insignificant anything
which has been caused by you?
Every moment and every event is guided by you,
and so contains your infinite greatness.
So, Lord, I glorify you
in everything that happens to me.
In whatever manner you make me live and die,
I am content.
Events please me for their own sake,
regardless of their consequences,
because your action lies behind them.
Everything is heaven to me,
because all my moments manifest your love. Jean-Pierre de Caussade
Music: https://tinyurl.com/ufxekitx
God, come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory 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.
HYMN: James W VanDeventer
Tune: https://tinyurl.com/mrjwf7hv
1 All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.
Refrain:
I surrender all, I surrender all;
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.
2 All to Jesus I surrender,
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel Thy Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine. [Refrain]
3 All to Jesus I surrender,
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power,
Let Thy blessing fall on me. [Refrain]
PSALMS
Psalm 24 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y9wmst8w)
1 The earth is the Lord’s, and all that therein is *
the compass of the world, and they that dwell therein.
2 For he hath founded it upon the seas *
and prepared it upon the floods.
3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord *
or who shall rise up in his holy place?
4 Even he that hath clean hands, and a pure heart *
and that hath not lift up his mind unto vanity,
nor sworn to deceive his neighbour.
5 He shall receive the blessing from the Lord *
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 This is the generation of them that seek him *
even of them that seek thy face, O Jacob.
7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors *
and the King of glory shall come in.
8 Who is the King of glory *
it is the Lord strong and mighty, even the Lord mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors *
and the King of glory shall come in.
10 Who is the King of glory *
even the Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.
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 25 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y6uy8tmx)
1 Unto thee, O Lord, will I lift up my soul;
my God, I have put my trust in thee *
O let me not be confounded, neither let mine enemies triumph over me.
2 For all they that hope in thee shall not be ashamed *
but such as transgress without a cause shall be put to confusion.
3 Shew me thy ways, O Lord *
and teach me thy paths.
4 Lead me forth in thy truth, and learn me *
for thou art the God of my salvation;
in thee hath been my hope all the day long.
5 Call to remembrance, O Lord, thy tender mercies *
and thy loving-kindnesses, which have been ever of old.
6 O remember not the sins and offences of my youth *
but according to thy mercy think thou upon me, O Lord, for thy goodness.
7 Gracious and righteous is the Lord *
therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
8 Them that are meek shall he guide in judgement *
and such as are gentle, them shall he learn his way.
9 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth *
unto such as keep his covenant, and his testimonies.
10 For thy Name’s sake, O Lord *
be merciful unto my sin, for it is great.
11 What man is he, that feareth the Lord *
him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
12 His soul shall dwell at ease *
and his seed shall inherit the land.
13 The secret of the Lord is among them that fear him *
and he will shew them his covenant.
14 Mine eyes are ever looking unto the Lord *
for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.
15 Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me *
for I am desolate, and in misery.
16 The sorrows of my heart are enlarged *
O bring thou me out of my troubles.
17 Look upon my adversity and misery *
and forgive me all my sin.
18 Consider mine enemies, how many they are *
and they bear a tyrannous hate against me.
19 O keep my soul, and deliver me *
let me not be confounded, for I have put my trust in thee.
20 Let perfectness and righteous dealing wait upon me *
for my hope hath been in thee.
21 Deliver Israel, O God *
out of all his troubles.
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 26 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y9r5o6yo)
1 Be thou my Judge, O Lord, for I have walked innocently *
my trust hath been also in the Lord, therefore shall I not fall.
2 Examine me, O Lord, and prove me *
try out my reins and my heart.
3 For thy loving-kindness is ever before mine eyes *
and I will walk in thy truth.
4 I have not dwelt with vain persons *
neither will I have fellowship with the deceitful.
5 I have hated the congregation of the wicked *
and will not sit among the ungodly.
6 I will wash my hands in innocency, O Lord *
and so will I go to thine altar;
7 That I may shew the voice of thanksgiving *
and tell of all thy wondrous works.
8 Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house *
and the place where thine honour dwelleth.
9 O shut not up my soul with the sinners *
nor my life with the blood-thirsty;
10 In whose hands is wickedness *
and their right hand is full of gifts,
11 But as for me, I will walk innocently *
O deliver me, and be merciful unto me.
12 My foot standeth right *
I will praise the Lord in the congregations.
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 24 (Joseph Barnby; https://tinyurl.com/45m649j3)
1 The earth is the Lord’s and all that fills it,
the compass of the world and all who dwell therein.
2 For he has founded it upon the seas
and set it firm upon the rivers of the deep.
3 ‘Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord,
or who can rise up in his holy place?’
4 ‘Those who have clean hands and a pure heart,
who have not lifted up their soul to an idol,
nor sworn an oath to a lie;
5 ‘They shall receive a blessing from the Lord,
a just reward from the God of their salvation.’
6 Such is the company of those who seek him,
of those who seek your face, O God of Jacob.
7 Lift up your heads, O gates;
be lifted up, you everlasting doors;
and the King of glory shall come in.
8 ‘Who is the King of glory?’
‘The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord who is mighty in battle.’
9 Lift up your heads, O gates;
be lifted up, you everlasting doors;
and the King of glory shall come in.
10 ‘Who is this King of glory?’
‘The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory.’
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.
Psalm 25 (Gregorian Tone V.1)
1 Unto you, O Lord, will I lift up my soul;
my God, I have put my trust in you; *
O let me not be ashamed,
neither let my enemies triumph over me.
2 For all those who hope in you shall not be ashamed, *
but those who deal untruly shall be put to confusion.
3 Show me your ways, O Lord, *
and teach me your paths.
4 Lead me forth in your truth and teach me, *
for you are the God of my salvation;
in you has been my hope all the day long.
5 Call to remembrance, O Lord, your tender mercies, *
and your loving-kindnesses, which have been from of old.
6 O remember not the sins and offenses of my youth, *
but according to your mercy
think on me, O Lord, in your goodness.
7 Gracious and righteous is the Lord; *
therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
8 Those who are meek shall he guide in judgment, *
and those who are gentle shall he teach his way.
9 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth *
to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
10 For your Name’s sake, O Lord, *
forgive my sin, for it is great.
11 Who is the one who fears the Lord? *
He shall teach him in the way that he shall choose.
12 He shall dwell at ease, *
and his seed shall inherit the land.
13 The Lord reveals his secret counsel to those who fear him, *
and he will show them his covenant.
14 My eyes are ever looking to the Lord, *
for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.
15 Turn to me, and have mercy on me, *
for I am desolate and in misery.
16 The sorrows of my heart are enlarged; *
O bring me out of my troubles.
17 Look upon my adversity and misery *
and forgive me all my sin.
18 Consider my enemies, how many they are, *
and how they bear a tyrannous hate against me.
19 O keep my soul and deliver me; *
let me not be ashamed, for I have put my trust in you.
20 Let integrity and righteous dealing preserve me, *
for my hope has been in you.
21 Deliver Israel, O God, *
out of all his troubles.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 26 (Gregorian Tone V.1)
1 Be my judge, O Lord, for I have walked innocently; *
my trust has been in the Lord; therefore I shall not fall.
2 Test me, O Lord, and prove me; *
examine my heart and my mind.
3 For your loving-kindness is ever before my eyes, *
and I will walk in your truth.
4 I have not dwelt with evildoers, *
neither will I have fellowship with the deceitful.
5 I have hated the company of the wicked, *
and will not sit among the ungodly.
6 I will wash my hands in innocence, O Lord, *
and so will I go to your altar,
7 That I may lift up the voice of thanksgiving *
and tell of all your wondrous works.
8 Lord, I have loved the habitation of your house *
and the place where your honor dwells.
9 O take not away my soul with the sinners, *
nor my life with the bloodthirsty,
10 Whose hands are full of wickedness, *
and their right hand full of bribes.
11 But as for me, I will walk innocently; *
O deliver me, and be merciful unto me.
12 My foot stands firm; *
I will praise the Lord in the congregations.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
PRAYER
Merciful God,
you continually show us your ways
of forgiveness and steadfast love.
Remember not our sins,
but recall your compassion to your children,
satisfy the longing of your people,
and fulfill all our hopes for eternal peace
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. BCW2018
THE WORD OF GOD
READING: Jeremiah 8:18-9:6
My joy is gone; grief is upon me;
my heart is sick.
Listen! The cry of the daughter of my people
from far and wide in the land:
“Is the Lord not in Zion?
Is her King not in her?”
(“Why have they provoked me to anger with their images,
with their foreign idols?”)
“The harvest is past, the summer is ended,
and we are not saved.”
For the brokenness of the daughter of my people I am broken,
I mourn, and horror has seized me.
Is there no balm in Gilead?
Is there no physician there?
Why then has the health of the daughter of my people
not been restored?
O that my head were a spring of water
and my eyes a fountain of tears,
so that I might weep day and night
for the slain of the daughter of my people!
O that I had in the desert
a traveler’s lodging place,
that I might leave my people
and go away from them!
For they are all adulterers,
a band of traitors.
They bend their tongues like bows;
they have grown strong in the land for falsehood and not for truth,
for they proceed from evil to evil,
and they do not know me, says the Lord.
Beware of your neighbors,
and put no trust in any of your kin,
for all your kin are supplanters,
and every neighbor goes around like a slanderer.
They all deceive their neighbors,
and no one speaks the truth;
they have taught their tongues to speak lies;
they commit iniquity and are too weary to repent.
Oppression upon oppression, deceit upon deceit!
They refuse to know me, says the Lord.
HYMN: Walter Shirley
Tune: Rhys-y-Groen https://tinyurl.com/mr257w95
1 Peace, troubled soul, whose plaintive moan
Hath taught each scene the note of woe,
Cease thy complaint, suppress thy groan,
And let thy tears forget to flow;
Behold, the precious balm is found,
To lull thy pain, to heal thy wound.
2 Come, freely come, by sin oppresed;
On Jesus cast thy weighty load;
In him thy refuge find, thy rest,
Safe in the mercy of thy God;
Thy God’s thy Saviour–glorious word!
For ever love and praise the Lord.
READING: Hebrews 2:1-9
Therefore we must pay greater attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message declared through angels proved valid, and every transgression or disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? It was declared at first through the Lord, and it was confirmed for us by those who heard him, while God added his testimony by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, distributed according to his will.
Now God did not subject the coming world, about which we are speaking, to angels. But someone has testified somewhere,
“What are humans that you are mindful of them
or mortals that you care for them?
You have made them for a little while lower than the angels;
you have crowned them with glory and honor,
subjecting all things under their feet.”
Now in subjecting all things to them, God left nothing outside their control. As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to them, but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
HYMN: Thomas Kelly
Tune: Coronae https://tinyurl.com/3d2jf77k
1 Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious:
see the Man of Sorrows now;
from the fight returned victorious,
every knee to Him shall bow.
Crown Him! Crown Him!
Crowns become the Victor’s brow.
2 Crown the Savior, angels, crown Him;
rich the trophies Jesus brings;
in the seat of pow’r enthrone Him,
while the vault of heaven rings.
Crown Him! Crown Him!
Crown the Savior King of kings.
3 Sinners in derision crowned Him,
mocking thus the Savior’s claim;
saints and angels crowd around Him,
own His title, praise His name.
Crown Him! Crown Him!
Spread abroad the Victor’s fame!
4 Hark, those bursts of acclamation!
Hark! those loud triumphant chords!
Jesus takes the highest station;
O what joy the sight affords!
Crown Him! Crown Him!
King of kings, and Lord of lords!
READING: Mark 10:28-34
Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the good news who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the gentiles; they will mock him and spit upon him and flog him and kill him, and after three days he will rise again.”
CANTICLE Isaiah 55:6-11
(Setting by Gregory Wilbur: https://tinyurl.com/yawmg8fp)
Seek ye the Lord while he may be found,
Call ye upon him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts:
And let him return unto the Lord,
and he will have mercy upon him;
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
As the heavens are higher than the earth,
My ways and thoughts are higher than yours.
And let him return unto the Lord,
and he will have mercy upon him;
and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.
For as the rain cometh down, and snow from heaven,
And maketh it bring forth and bud that it may give seed to sow,
that it may give bread to eat.
So shall my world be that goeth forth out of my mouth:
It shall not return unto me void,
but it shall accomplish that which I please it shall prosper
in the thing whereunto I sent it.
THE PRAYERS BCW
In penitence and faith let us make our prayer to the Father
and ask for his mercy and grace.
For your holy people,
that they may triumph over evil and grow in grace:
We pray to you, O Lord.
For candidates for baptism and confirmation,
that they may live by every word that proceeds from your mouth:
We pray to you, O Lord.
For the leaders of the nations,
that you will guide them in the ways of mercy and truth:
We pray to you, O Lord.
For the needy,
that they may not be forgotten,
nor the hope of the poor be taken away:
We pray to you, O Lord.
For the sick in body, mind and spirit,
that they may know your power to heal:
We pray to you, O Lord.
For the poor in spirit,
that they may inherit the kingdom of heaven
and see you face to face: :
We pray to you, O Lord.
Let us commend the world, for which Christ suffered,
to the mercy and protection of God. Amen.
(Plainsong: https://tinyurl.com/ahnrtv59)ELW
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.
God of truth,
whose Wisdom set her table
and invited us to eat the bread
and drink the wine of the kingdom:
help us to lay aside all foolishness
and to live and walk in the way of insight,
that we may come with Jean-Pierre de Caussade
to the eternal feast of heaven;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. EH
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
ELW The Lord’s Prayer is from Setting Five in Evangelical Lutheran Worship.
The main scripture readings are from the New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The traditional language psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer (1662). Psalm 24 is from Common Worship and comes from the RSCM album The Gift of This New Day. Psalms 25 and 26 are from Book of Common Prayer 2019 and come from the St. Bernard Breviary https://www.bernardbreviary.com/chant-helps.
EH Exciting Holiness Edited by Brother Tristam SSF, © European Province of the Society of Saint Francis, 1997
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 © 2026 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 