You who gave sight to the blind man
who cried out to you,
have mercy on us, for we are sinners,
Lord, have mercy!
You who entered Zaccheus’ house,
bringing salvation
have mercy on us…
You who called out Lazarus from death,
have mercy on us…
You who forgave the adulterous woman,
have mercy on us…
You who never refused to eat
with prostitutes and sinners,
have mercy on us…
You who from the cross forgave
a robber and a murderer,
have mercy on us…
You who are the only one
who knows our sins,
have mercy on us…
You who loved Judas
to the end,
have mercy on us…
You who are the only one who loves the enemy,
have mercy on us…
You who died and rose
for our justification,
have mercy on us…

Come, O creator Spirit,
visit our minds,
fill with your love
the hearts you have created.
O sweet Consoler,
gift of the most high Father,
living water, fire, love,
holy chrism of the soul.
Finger of the hand of God,
promised by the Saviour,
pour out your seven gifts,
make the word be born in us.
Be light to the intellect,
living flame in our hearts;
heal our wounds
with the balm of your love.
Defend us from the enemy,
bring peace as your gift;
may your unfailing guidance
save us from all evil.
Light of eternal wisdom,
reveal to us the great mystery
of God the Father and the Son,
united in one single Love.
Amen.

I will sing to the Lord,
I will sing a new song.
He has made himself glorious
by his wonderful deeds.
Let us sing to the Lord
who’s defeated the enemy;
let us sing to the Lord
who reigns for ever.
Let us sing to the Lord
who’s defeated the enemy;
let us sing to the Lord
who reigns for ever.
Let us sing to the Lord,
to the God of my Father;
let us sing to the Lord,
the Lord is his Name.

Blessed be the Lord,
the God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people,
raising up for us a power of salvation
in the house of his servant David.
According to the promise made from ancient times,
through the mouths of his holy prophets,
that he would save us from our enemies
and from the hands of all those who hate us.
Fulfilling in this way the mercy
he had with our fathers,
remembering his holy Covenant,
and the oath he swore to our father, Abraham,
that he would set us free from fear
to be delivered from the hands of our enemies,
to serve him in holiness and virtue
in his presence all our days.
Blessed be the Lord...
And you, little child,
you shall be called Prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord
to prepare a way for him,
announcing to his people salvation
and forgiveness of their sins.
Because of the tender mercy of our God,
a sun, rising from on high, will visit us,
to give light to those who live in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Blessed be the Lord…

Let us sing to the Lord,
let us sing to the Lord.
He’s covered himself in glory,
in glory, in glory.
He has thrown into the sea
horse and rider.
My strength and my song
is the Lord.
He is my salvation,
he’s my God;
I will extol him.
He has thrown into the sea
horse and rider,
horse and rider.
The Lord is a warrior,
The Lord is his name;
Pharaoh’s chariots
and his hosts
he cast into the sea.
He has thrown into the sea…
My strength and my song…
Your right hand, O Lord,
glorious in power,
your right hand, O Lord,
shattered the enemy,
shattered the enemy.
He has thrown into the sea…
The enemy said:
"I will give chase and overtake,
I shall draw my sword,
I’ll share out the spoils,
my hand will destroy them.”
He has thrown into the sea…
One breath of yours you blew
and the sea closed over them,
they sank like lead
in the mighty waters,
in the waters of death.
He has thrown into the sea…
Who is like you among the gods,
who is like you, O Lord,
majestic in holiness,
terrible in deeds,
worker of wonders?
He has thrown into the sea…
You have guided this people
which you have rescued;
with strength you have led them,
with strength and love
to your Holy House.
He has thrown into the sea…
You have brought them in and planted them
on the mountain of your promise
where you, O Lord, reign;
you reign eternally,
you reign forever.
He has thrown into the sea…

The Lord is my shepherd,
I lack nothing;
in meadows of green grass
he lets me lie.
The Lord is my shepherd,
I lack nothing;
to the waters of life
he leads me.
He revives my strength
and guides me
in the way of love.
He revives my strength
and guides me
for the glory of his Name.
The Lord is my shepherd…
Though I pass
through a dark valley
I fear no harm
because you, because you,
because you are with me.
Your rod and your staff
console me,
look, they console me.
The Lord is my shepherd…
You prepare a banquet
before me
under the eyes of my enemies.
You anoint my head
with oil;
my cup brims over.
The Lord is my shepherd…
Yes, the joy of your love
will accompany me.
Yes, I shall live
in your house for ever.
The Lord is my shepherd…

Beside the rivers of Babylon,
remembering Jerusalem, we sat down to weep.
On the willows we hung up our guitars,
remembering Jerusalem, we sat down to weep.
"Sing" – our enemies told us;
"sing" – our oppressors told us;
they wanted us to sing songs of joy.
How could we sing
the Lord’s song in a foreign land?
If I forget you Jerusalem,
may my right hand wither;
may my tongue cleave to my mouth
if I don’t remember you, Jerusalem,
above all my joys.
Lord, ask account of our enemies,
Lord, ask account of our oppressors,
when they say to each other:
"Raze it to its foundations."
Capital
of criminal Babylon!
Who could repay you the evil
you have done to us?
Who could crush your little ones against the rock?
Beside the rivers of Babylon,
remembering Jerusalem, we sat down to weep.
On the willows we hung up our guitars,
remembering Jerusalem, we sat down to weep.

If the Lord does not build the house,
in vain do the builders toil.
If the Lord does not watch over the city,
in vain the watchman keeps vigil;
if the Lord does not watch over the city.
If the Lord does not build the house…
In vain is your early rising,
your going late to rest
to earn your daily bread.
God gives to his friends while they sleep!
God gives to his friends while they sleep.
If the Lord does not build the house…
Sons are a gift from the Lord,
like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are the sons of one’s youth.
Happy the man who has his quiver full of them,
he will not fear when enemies arrive.
If the Lord does not build the house…

I want to sing, to you I want to sing;
awake, awake my heart,
awake, harp and zither!
Have mercy on me, have mercy on me, O God;
in you my soul takes refuge.
I take refuge in the shadow of your wings
until the danger is over.
I want to sing…
I call on God, I call on God the most high,
to God who has done great things for me;
may he send from heaven and save me
from the hands of my enemies.
I want to sing…
I lie as in the midst of lions,
lions who devour men;
their teeth are spears and arrows,
their tongues sharpened swords.
I want to sing…
Have mercy on me, have mercy on me, O God,
they laid a net for my feet,
they dug a pit for me
but fell into it themselves.
I want to sing…
My heart is ready, my heart is ready, O God,
to you I will sing praises;
awake lyre and harp,
I will awake the dawn!
I want to sing…
I will praise you, Lord, among the peoples,
to you I will sing hymns among the nations;
for your love is higher than the heavens,
your faithfulness reaches the clouds.
I want to sing…

As a doe yearns for running streams,
so my soul is thirsting for you, my God,
My soul is thirsting for God, for the living God,
when shall I see the face of God?
Tears are my food day and night,
while my enemies say to me all day long:
"Where is your God? Where is your God?
Where is your God?"
My soul is filled with sadness
when I remember
how I used to walk
in the midst of a people rejoicing.
Why are you downcast my soul,
why do you sigh within me?
Hope in God, hope in God,
and you will praise him again.
Because he, he is my salvation.
He is my God, he is my God.
Hope in God, hope in God,
hope in God, hope in God,
and you will praise him again.
How many times have I said to God, my rock:
"Why have you forsaken me? "
Why do I walk
sadly oppressed by my enemies?
My bones are crushed
from hearing all day long:
"Where is your God?
Where is your God?"
Lord, send your light and your truth:
let them lead me to your holy temple,
then I will be able to sing to you a song of feast,
a song of joy on my guitar.
Why are you downcast my soul…

The Lord announces good news,
the messengers are an immense army,
the enemy kings flee, flee,
the woman of the house divides the spoils.
And while you are sleeping,
sleeping among the sheepfolds,
the wings of the dove
are covered with silver,
its feathers with gleaming gold.
And with her the snow falls
upon the mountain
upon the Dark Mountain.
The Lord announces good news…
Sing hymns to the Lord,
sing hymns to the Lord.
The Lord rides the heavens,
he rides the ancient heavens.
Behold! His voice thunders,
his voice,
his mighty voice, thunders.
The Lord announces good news…

O Lord our God,
how great is your name,
throughout the earth is your name;
above the heavens rises your love.
Through the mouths of babies and of infants,
you affirm your power, O Lord,
to reduce to silence enemies and rebels.
O Lord our God…
If I look at the heavens, the work of your hands,
the moon and the stars which you have set in place:
what is man that you should care for him?,
the son of man that you keep him in mind?
And yet, and yet, you have made him little less than the angels,
with glory and honour you have crowned him,
you have put all things under his feet.
O Lord our God…

Says the Lord to my Lord:
"Sit at my right hand,
while I make your enemies,
a foot-stool for your feet,
a foot-stool for your feet,
a foot-stool for your feet."
The sceptre of your power
the Lord holds out from Sion:
"Rule in the midst of your enemies,
rule in the midst of your enemies."
From the womb of the dawn,
like dew I have begotten you,
from the womb of the dawn,
like dew I have begotten you.
Says the Lord to my Lord…
The Lord has sworn and will not repent:
"You are a priest forever
of the order of Melchisedek,
of the order of Melchisedek."
The Lord is at your right hand,
He will shatter all your enemies.
He will judge all the peoples,
he will judge all the nations.
Along the way he drinks from the torrent
and lifts high his head,
and lifts high his head,
and lifts high his head.
Says the Lord to my Lord…

Sing to the Lord, sing hymns to his name,
sing to the Lord, prepare a way
for him who rides on the clouds.
'The Lord' is his name,
rejoice before him:
Father of orphans and defender of widows,
is God.
To the poorest he gives a place in his house,
he frees prisoners – they are full of joy.
Let God arise,
let his enemies scatter,
let all the just rejoice
and let them sing for joy!
Sing to the Lord…

To you, O Lord, with my voice I cry for help,
Lord in my pleading I entreat you;
to you, O Lord, I pour out my lamentation,
to you my anguish I unfold.
I feel that my spirit is fainting,
but you know my path.
Look, Lord, in my path,
look, they have laid a snare for me,
look, at my right hand there is no one,
no one who knows me;
every comfort escapes me
because there is no one who cares for my soul.
To you I cry, O Lord,
to you I say:
"You alone are my refuge,
you are my portion on this earth,
my only happiness."
Listen, Lord, I am crying,
because my spirit is broken.
Free me, Lord, from my enemies,
because they are stronger than me.
Take my soul from this prison
that I may give thanks to your name;
then, the saints will gather round me,
they will rejoice because of your love for me.
To you, O Lord, with my voice I cry for help,
Lord in my pleading I entreat you;
to you, O Lord, I pour out my lamentation,
to you my anguish I unfold.
To you I cry, O Lord,
to you I say:
"You alone are my refuge,
you are my portion on this earth,
my only happiness."

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul,
to you, O my God.
I trust in you, O Lord,
do not let my enemies triumph over me.
Show me, O Lord, your way,
teach me, O Lord, teach me your path.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul,
to you, O my God.
Remember, O Lord, your love
and your compassion, that are eternal.
Do not remember, O Lord, my sins,
remember, O Lord, you are mercy.
Grant me, O Lord, your mercy,
immerse me, O Lord, in your mercy.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul,
to you, O my God.

I am calling you, I am calling you, O Lord;
come, hurry to me,
listen to my voice, for I cry to you.
Let my prayer be like incense,
the lifting up of my hands like the evening sacrifice.
Set, O Lord, a guard at my mouth,
a watchman at the gate of my lips;
lest my heart incline to evil,
or commit wicked deeds.
Let the just man strike me out of love
and correct me
lest the oil of the wicked anoint my head:
and I fall into the vice of his sins,
and I fall into the vice of his sins.
I am calling you…
To you, O Lord, I turn my eyes,
in you I take refuge, do not abandon my soul!
Guard me from the snares
they have laid for me,
from the traps of my enemies.
Let them fall into their own nets,
for, united to you, I go unharmed,
for, united to you, I go unharmed.
I am calling you…

Lord, do not punish me in your anger,
do not chastise me in your rage.
Have mercy on me, have mercy on me, O Lord,
I am fainting;
heal me O Lord,
all my bones are shaking.
My soul is very distressed.
But you, O Lord, how much longer?
But you, O Lord, how much longer?
Lord, do not punish me…
Turn to me, O Lord, rescue my soul,
save me, O Lord,
in your mercy.
For no one among the dead remembers you.
For no one among the dead remembers you.
Nor in Sheol do they sing your praise,
Nor in Sheol do they sing your praise,
Lord, do not punish me…
I am exhausted with my laments,
every night I drench my bed with tears
My eyes waste away with grief.
I grow old surrounded by my enemies.
Away from me, evildoers! –
for the Lord hears my lament,
for the Lord welcomes my prayer.
Lord, do not punish me…

Who knows what is One?
Who knows what is One?
I know what is One,
I know what is One.
One is our God who’s in heaven and earth,
one is our God who’s in heaven and earth.
Who knows what is two?
Who knows what is two?
I know what is two,
I know what is two.
Two, two the tablets of the Covenant,
two, two the tablets of the Covenant.
One is our God who’s in heaven and earth,
one is our God who’s in heaven and earth.
Who knows what is three?
Who knows what is three?
I know what is three,
I know what is three.
Three, three are the Patriarchs,
three, three are the Patriarchs.
Two, two the tablets of the covenant.
One is our God who’s in heaven and earth.
One is our God who’s in heaven and earth.
One is our God who’s in heaven and earth.
Who knows what is four…
Four, four are the nights… Three, three…
Five, five the books of the Law… Four, four…
Six, six the wings of the seraphim… Five, five…
Seven, seven the enemy nations… Six, six…
Eight, eight the people in the ark… Seven, seven…
Nine, nine the months of gestation… Eight, eight…
Ten, ten are the commandments… Nine, nine…

Hide me
in the depths of your tent,
set me high
on a rock.
The Lord is my light and my salvation:
whom need I fear?
The Lord is the fortress of my life:
of whom should I be afraid?
Hide me…
When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh,
they, my opponents, my enemies,
are the ones who stumble and fall.
Hide me…
Even if an army encamped against me,
my heart would not be afraid;
though war were waged against me,
my trust would still be firm.
Hide me…
One thing I ask of the Lord,
only one thing I seek:
to live in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life.
Hide me…
The Lord hides me under his shelter
in times of trouble.
The Lord stretches out his hand to me,
I shall walk in safety.
Hide me…
Hear O Lord my voice when I call to you;
have mercy on me and be attentive.
I seek your face, O Lord,
do not hide your face from me.
Hide me…

Lord, listen to my prayer,
pay heed to my supplication.
You who are faithful,
you who are faithful, answer me;
in your justice, answer me.
Do not call your servant to judgement,
no one is just in your sight.
The enemy pursues me,
crushes my life to the ground.
You who are faithful…
To you I stretch out my hands,
like a parched land I stand before you.
Answer me soon, O Lord,
my spirit faints within me.
You who are faithful…
Let me know the way,
the path to walk.
Save me from my enemies,
I entrust myself to you, O Lord.
You who are faithful…
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
Let your good spirit guide me,
let your good spirit guide me on level ground.
You who are faithful,
you who are faithful, answer me;
in your justice, answer me.

Like the impulse of rage against the enemy,
like the impulse of love towards the beloved,
so is my impulse towards you,
you, the Immortal One, fullness of the world!
You are the way! How marvellous it is!
You are the way! You are love!
You are the way! You are the path!
You are the way! You are the life!
You are the way! You are the truth!
You are the life!
You gave yourself to me without reservation,
and full of mildness, you diminished your greatness
that I might not tremble at your sight –
you, the Immortal One, fullness of the world!
You are the way…
You became like me, that I might learn to know you:
you took a form like mine, that I might receive you.
You became sin for me,
full of mercy,
that my sins
might not turn me away from you.
You are the way...
God, who created me when I was not,
knew everything that I would do;
So he took pity on me,
and in his mercy
he ordained that I beg him
for his nature.
You are the way…

You have heard that it was said:
"An eye for eye, a tooth for a tooth."
But I say to you, I say to you:
Do not resist evil,
do not resist evil,
do not resist evil
do not resist evil.
And if anyone strikes you
on the right cheek,
offer him the other one as well.
And if anyone takes you to court
to have your clothes,
give him your cloak as well.
And if anyone forces you to walk one mile,
walk two miles with him.
If anyone deprives you of what’s yours,
do not claim it back.
Do not resist evil…
You have heard that it was said:
"You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy."
But I say to you, I say to you:
love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you,
pray for those who persecute you,
bless those who curse you.
Be perfect,
as your Father in Heaven is perfect,
because he is good towards the wicked,
because he is good towards sinners.
Do not resist evil…
And you will be sons of your heavenly Father,
who makes the sun rise
on the good and bad alike,
and sends his rain
also on the wicked.
Do not resist evil…

Lifting up his eyes to his disciples, Jesus said:
Happy are you poor
for yours is the Kingdom of God.
Happy are you that now are hungry
for you shall be filled.
Happy are you that now are weeping
for you shall laugh.
Happy are you when men hate you and insult you
on account of the Son of Man,
rejoice on that day,
for your reward shall be great in heaven.
But woe to you that now are rich
for you already have your consolation.
Woe to you that now are full
for you shall go hungry.
Woe to you that now are laughing
for you shall mourn and weep.
Woe to you when all men speak well of you,
so they spoke of the false prophets.
But to you who are listening I say:
love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you.
Bless those who curse you,
pray for those who ill-treat you.
To him who slaps you on one cheek
offer the other one as well.
To him who takes away your cloak,
do not refuse your tunic.
Give to every one who asks you
and from him who takes your goods do not ask for their return.
Do not judge.
Do not condemn.
Forgive.
And you will be forgiven.
Love your enemies…
Do not judge…