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 that I am following Your will does not mean that I am actually doing […] Read more Meditation Day 22 If you have young children, Compline can be used as bed-time prayers with them or over them, substituting the child’s or children’s names in the boxed sections whenever they cannot say the prayer for themselves. E.g. ‘In peace will Martha lie down, for it is You, O Lord, You alone who makes her to rest secure.’ The pure in heart shall see God. The seeing of Him will be the sign that we are like Him, for only by being like Him can we see Him as He is. But when we shall be fit to look Him in the face, God only knows. That is the heart of my hopes […] Read more Meditation Day 25 The songs of prayer The songs of prayer lodge in our mouths. Let us sing through the snow. At the dinner table. On the rooftop where we dance. May these sounds heal our ears and those distant ears that hear. Hawksley Workman Read more Meditation Day 26

If this Compline is being used in a group setting the * notation indicates a change of reader; words in bold are said all together; words in bold italic are said by each person in turn; and + indicates where you might make the sign of the cross. Shall we say Compline tonight?’ Compline is used in the Northumbria Community as an optional extra to the Daily Office, but brings a perfect end to the day. Many use it on a regular basis, usually just before retiring to bed. On retreats it can be used to bring time together to a close as the whole household goes into quiet until next morning. These prayers are not lengthy and can be offered in just a few minutes. Whichever way we turn, O God, there is Your face in the light of the moon and patterns of stars, in sacred mountain rifts and ancient groves, in mighty seas and creatures of the deep. Whichever way we turn, O God, there is Your face in the light of eyes we love, in the salt […] Read more Meditation Day 23 Our lives are long enough to learn what we need to learn, but not long enough to change anything. That is our flaw. Each age must learn everything afresh. Such waste! Such waste – making all the mistakes once and again, each generation making the same mistakes, fumbling in ignorance and darkness. This oak was […] Read more Meditation Day 29 Among those schooled by Ita was Brendan, who honoured her as his foster-mother and adviser. The Compline that follows is named after her because of its emphasis on examination of the heart, and the prayers of care and protection for each soul who crosses our path.

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Let everything that has life, let everything that has breath give all the glory and honour and praise to the One who overcame death. Let every living thing sing of the mercies of our God. Let us exalt Him wherever we live with thanksgiving and joy in our hearts. If we don’t praise Him, the […] Read more Meditation Day 27 Ebba was the sister of Oswald and Oswy, who were both kings of Northumbria. She was consecrated a nun by Aidan and founded the ‘double’ (i.e. there were both men and women there) monastery at Coldingham, situated on St Abbs’s Head (which was subsequently named after her). Ebba died in the year 683. Bede described her as a ‘pious woman and a handmaid of Christ.’