Taizé daily prayer

Taizé prayer is designed to be carried out in a community setting so ideally you would do it with others but failing that use your imagination to remember that others (in COTC, Taize and across the world) are also praying. Make an effort to try to prepare a space for personal prayer. A place of prayer can be made welcoming with very little: a cross, an open Bible, some candles, an icon, or some flowers. You can read more on the structure of Taizé Prayer and the practice of silence.

Daily prayer on a Monday

Psalm

O Lord, you once favored your land
and revived the fortunes of Jacob,
you forgave the guilt of your people
and covered all their sins.

Will you not restore again our life
that your people may rejoice in you?
Let us see, O Lord, your mercy
and give us your saving help.

I will hear what the Lord has to say
a voice that speaks of peace,
peace for his people and friends
and those who turn to God in their hearts.
Salvation is near for the God-fearing,
and Glory will dwell in our land.

Mercy and faithfulness have met;
justice and peace have embraced.
Faithfulness shall spring from the earth
and justice look down from heaven.

The Lord will make us prosper
and our earth shall yield its fruit.
Justice shall march in the forefront
and peace shall follow the way.

from Psalm 85

Reading

Paul wrote: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4,4-7

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,” John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Mark 1,1-8

Silence

Intercessions

O Wisdom, coming from the mouth of the Most High! You reign over all things from one end of the earth to the other; come and teach us the way of wisdom.
—Lord Jesus, come soon!

O Lord and Head of the house of Israel, you appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush and gave him the Law on Sinai; come with outstretched arm and ransom us.
—Lord Jesus, come soon!

O Morning Star, Splendor of Light eternal and bright Sun of justice; come and shine on all who live in darkness and in the shadow of death.
—Lord Jesus, come soon!

O King of the nations, you alone can fulfill their desires; Cornerstone, you make opposing nations one; come and save us. You formed us all from clay.
—Lord Jesus, come soon!

O Emmanuel, Hope of the nations and their Savior; come and save us, Lord our God.
—Lord Jesus, come soon!

The Spirit and the Bride say, Come!
—Amen! Lord Jesus, come soon!

Our Father

Prayer

Jesus, joy of our hearts, your Gospel assures us that the Kingdom of God is in our midst, and the gates of simplicity, and those of innocence, open within us.

Daily prayer on a Tuesday

Psalm

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul,
to you, my God.

My God, I trust you, let me not be disappointed;
do not let my enemies triumph.
Those who hope in you shall not be disappointed,
but only those who wantonly break faith.

Lord, make me know your ways.
Lord, teach me your paths.
Make me walk in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.

In you I hope all the day long
because of your goodness, O Lord.
Remember your mercy, Lord,
and the love you have shown from of old.
Do not remember the sins of years past.
In your love remember me.

The Lord is good and upright,
showing the path to those who stray,
guiding the humble in the right path,
and teaching the way to the poor.

from Psalm 25

Reading

Paul wrote: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil. May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.

1 Thessalonians 5,16-24

Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, You must be born from above. The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

John 3,3-8

Song

Silence

Intercessions

God our Father, we bless you for having called us to know you, to love you and to live with you.
—Maranatha, the Lord is coming!

You sent your beloved Son, your perfect image and the reflection of your face; he became like us in all things but sin.
—Maranatha, the Lord is coming!

In him you proclaimed the good news of your Kingdom; you forgive our offenses and heal our wounds.
—Maranatha, the Lord is coming!

Keep us in the communion of your Son; keep us alert as we wait for the day of his coming.
—Maranatha, the Lord is coming!

Give us your peace, so that we can communicate it to one another in mutual love, and serve the human family.
—Maranatha, the Lord is coming!

Our Father

Prayer

Jesus our joy, the simple desire for your presence is already the beginning of faith. And, in our life, the hidden event of a longing causes wellsprings to gush forth: kindness, generosity, and also that inner harmony which comes from the Holy Spirit in us.

Daily prayer on a Wednesday

Psalm

The heavens proclaim the glory of God,
and the firmament shows forth the work of God’s hands.
Day unto day takes up the story
and night unto night makes known the message.

No speech, no word, no voice is heard
yet their span extends through all the earth,
their words to the utmost bounds of the world.

There God has placed a tent for the sun;
it comes forth like a bridegroom coming from his tent,
rejoices like a champion to run its course.

At the end of the sky is the rising of the sun;
to the furthest end of the sky is its course.
There is nothing concealed from its burning heat.

from Psalm 19

Reading

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.

Isaiah 61,10-11

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

Luke 1,26-38

Song

Silence

Litany of praise

We give you thanks, O God, for revealing your love in creation,
—We bless your holy name.

For human beings made in your image and called to live in your communion,
—We bless your holy name.

For the promise of your reign in justice and peace, in holiness and charity,
—We bless your holy name.

For the revelation of your Kingdom in our midst through your Son, Jesus Christ,
—We bless your holy name.

For his humble birth and his holy life, for his words and his miracles,
—We bless your holy name.

For his sufferings and his death, for his resurrection and his entry into glory,
—We bless your holy name.

For your Church, called to be a place of communion for every human being,
—We bless your holy name.

For the coming of your Kingdom within us by the gift of the Holy Spirit,
—We bless your holy name.

By the coming of your Kingdom at the end of time, when you will be all in all,
—We bless your holy name.

Our Father

Prayer

God of all eternity, you know that our human language is almost incapable of expressing our longing for a communion with you. But you grant us the gift of a life hidden in you. And the sun rises on a new day, a day of trusting.

Daily prayer on a Thursday

Psalm

Defend me, O God, and plead my cause
against a godless nation.
From a deceitful and cunning people
rescue me, O God.

Send forth your light and your truth;
let these be my guide.
Let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.

And I will come to your altar, O God,
the God of my joy.
My redeemer, I will thank you on the harp,
O God, my God.

Why are you cast down, my soul,
why groan within me?
Hope in God; I will praise yet again,
my savior and my God.

from Psalm 43

Reading

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth. (…) Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Isaiah 11,1-9

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

Luke 1,39-45

Song

Silence

Intercessions

Renew in us, Lord, the joy of your call.
—Be with us, Lord Emmanuel!

Send upon us your Spirit of love: may we never shut our hearts to our neighbor.
—Be with us, Lord Emmanuel!

Renew the unity between Christians: may they manifest your love by their communion.
—Be with us, Lord Emmanuel!

Support those who suffer in their hearts or in their flesh: restore them to peace and health.
—Be with us, Lord Emmanuel!

Welcome those who have died into the life of eternity: may their eyes see the light that never sets.
—Be with us, Lord Emmanuel!

Our Father

Prayer

Jesus, light of our hearts, we would like to remain close to you, never abandoning you by our wayside. And when we come to know our weaknesses, unexpected resources appear within us. How could we refuse an inner vitality that comes from you?

May the peace of God, which is beyond all understanding, keep our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus.

Daily prayer on a Friday

Psalm

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord,
Lord, hear my voice!
O let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleading.

If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt,
Lord, who would survive?
But with you is found forgiveness:
for this we revere you.

My soul is waiting for the Lord.
I count on God’s word.
My soul is longing for the Lord
more than those who watch for daybreak.

Because with the Lord there is mercy
and fullness of redemption.
Israel indeed God will redeem
from all its iniquity.

Psalm 130

Reading

Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Isaiah 40,1-5

Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

Luke 1,46-55

Song

Silence

Litany of praise

God our Father, you sent your only Son in order to reconcile all things in him.
—See, God is coming to my aid.

Son of the living God, you shared our humanity and you gave your life for the salvation of the world.
—See, God is coming to my aid.

Holy Spirit, you came down upon Christ and you pour out the Father’s love upon all human beings.
—See, God is coming to my aid.

O Christ, may your incarnation and your birth make us love our human condition.
—See, God is coming to my aid.

May your faithfulness on earth make each of us faithful in our commitment.
—See, God is coming to my aid.

Our Father

Prayer

Christ Jesus, you were a human being; you know how humans aspire to inner peace. Our soul asks you: give us peace within. And in our darkness, you kindle the fire of your forgiveness and your compassion, a fire which never dies away.

Amen