The Confession of Peter
Feast Day: January 18

Eucharistic Readings

Acts 4:8-13
1 Peter 5:1-4
Psalm 23
Matthew 16:13-19

Daily Office

Morning Prayer: Psalm 66,67; Ezekiel 3:4-11; Acts 10:34-44
Evening Prayer: Psalm 118; Ezekiel 34:11-16; John 21:15-22

Eucharistic Readings

Acts 4:8-13

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘Rulers of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is “the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone.” There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.’ Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus.

1 Peter 5:1-4

Now as an elder myself and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you to tend the flock of God that is in your charge, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion but willingly, as God would have you do it—not for sordid gain but eagerly. Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades away.

Psalm 23

 

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Matthew 16:13-19

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’


Morning Prayer


Lord open our lips
And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One
Have mercy on us (3x)

Their sound is gone out into all lands, and their words into the ends of the world. (Psalm 19:4)


Antiphon: Christ, the cornerstone, has built his church upon apostles and prophets; Come let us adore him.

Venite (Psalm 95:1-7)

Come let us sing to the Lord; *
let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *
and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God, *
and a great King above all gods.

In his hand are the caverns of the earth, *
and the heights of the hills are his also.

The sea is his, for he made it, *
and his hands have molded the dry land.

Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, *
and kneel before the Lord our Maker.

For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *
Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!

Antiphon: Christ, the cornerstone, has built his church upon apostles and prophets; Come let us adore him.

The Psalter

Psalm 66,67

Antiphon: Simon Peter answered, you are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.

1 Be joyful in God, all the earth; *
 sing the glory of his name;
   sing the glory of his praise.
2 Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds! *
 Because of your great strength
   your enemies shall bow before you.
3 ‘All the earth shall worship you, *
 sing to you, sing praise to your name.’
4 Come now and behold the works of God, *
 how wonderful he is in his dealings with humankind.
5 He turned the sea into dry land;
   the river they passed through on foot; *
 there we rejoiced in him.
6 In his might he rules for ever;
   his eyes keep watch over the nations; *
 let no rebel rise up against him.
7 Bless our God, O you peoples; *
 make the voice of his praise to be heard,
8 Who holds our souls in life *
 and suffers not our feet to slip.
9 For you, O God, have proved us; *
 you have tried us as silver is tried.
10 You brought us into the snare; *
 you laid heavy burdens upon our backs.
11 You let enemies ride over our heads;
   we went through fire and water; *
 but you brought us out into a place of liberty.
12 I will come into your house with burnt offerings
   and will pay you my vows, *
 which my lips uttered
   and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
13 I will offer you fat burnt sacrifices
   with the smoke of rams; *
 I will sacrifice oxen and goats.
14 Come and listen, all you who fear God, *
 and I will tell you what he has done for my soul.
15 I called out to him with my mouth *
 and his praise was on my tongue.
16 If I had nursed evil in my heart, *
 the Lord would not have heard me,
17 But in truth God has heard me; *
 he has heeded the voice of my prayer.
18 Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer, *
 nor withheld his loving mercy from me.

1 God be gracious to us and bless us *
 and make his face to shine upon us,
2 That your way may be known upon earth, *
 your saving power among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
 let all the peoples praise you.
4 O let the nations rejoice and be glad, *
 for you will judge the peoples righteously
   and govern the nations upon earth.
5 Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
 let all the peoples praise you.
6 Then shall the earth bring forth her increase, *
 and God, our own God, will bless us.
7 God will bless us, *
 and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.

Antiphon: Simon Peter answered, you are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.

Ezekiel 3:4-11

He said to me: Son of Man, go to the house of Israel and speak my very words to them. For you are not sent to a people of obscure speech and difficult language, but to the house of Israel-- not to many peoples of obscure speech and difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to them, they would listen to you. But the house of Israel will not listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me; because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. See, I have made your face hard against their faces, and your forehead hard against their foreheads. Like the hardest stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not fear them or be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. He said to me: Son of Man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart and hear with your ears; then go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to them. Say to them, "Thus says the Lord GOD"; whether they hear or refuse to hear.

Canticle
Te Deum Laudamus

You are God: we praise you;
You are the Lord; we acclaim you;
You are the eternal Father:
All creation worships you.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you;
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.

You, Christ, are the king of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.
When you became man to set us free
you did not shun the Virgin's womb.
You overcame the sting of death
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at God's right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come and be our judge.
Come then, Lord, and help your people,
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints
to glory everlasting.

Acts 10:34-44

Then Peter began to speak to them: ‘I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’

While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word.


Second Canticle
Benedictus

Antiphon: Simon, Son of Jonah, + you are favored indeed! You did not learn that from mortal men; / it was revealed to you by my heavenly Father.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; *
he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *
born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
that he would save us from our enemies, *
from the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers *
and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, *
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

Free to worship him without fear, *
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, *
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

To give his people knowledge of salvation *
by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God *
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, *
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

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.


Antiphon: Simon, Son of Jonah, + you are favored indeed! You did not learn that from mortal men; / it was revealed to you by my heavenly Father.

Collect:
Almighty Father, who inspired Saint Peter, first among the apostles, to confess Jesus as Messiah and Son of the living God: Keep your Church steadfast upon the rock of this faith, so that in unity and peace we may proclaim the one truth and follow the one Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Personal Prayers and Thanksgivings

Our Father…

Blessing:
Almighty Father, as we honor the Confession of Peter,
may we, too, confess your name,
and truly recognize that you are, indeed, the Christ,
the Son of the Living God,
who lives and reigns with him and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

Evening Prayer


O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.

Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One.
Have mercy on us (3x)

Their sound is gone out into all lands, and their words into the ends of the world. (Psalm 19:4)

Phos Hilaron
O gracious light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!

Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of Life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.

The Psalter

Antiphon: Jesus said, + you are Peter, the rock, / and on this rock I will build my church.

Psalm 118

1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; *
 his mercy endures for ever.
2 Let Israel now proclaim, *
 ‘His mercy endures for ever.’
3 Let the house of Aaron now proclaim, *
 ‘His mercy endures for ever.’
4 Let those who fear the Lord proclaim, *
 ‘His mercy endures for ever.’
5 In my constraint I called to the Lord; *
 the Lord answered and set me free.
6 The Lord is at my side; I will not fear; *
 what can flesh do to me?
7 With the Lord at my side as my saviour, *
 I shall see the downfall of my enemies.
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord *
 than to put any confidence in flesh.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord *
 than to put any confidence in princes.
10 All the nations encompassed me, *
 but by the name of the Lord I drove them back.
11 They hemmed me in, they hemmed me in on every side, *
 but by the name of the Lord I drove them back.
12 They swarmed about me like bees;
   they blazed like fire among thorns, *
 but by the name of the Lord I drove them back.
13 Surely, I was thrust to the brink, *
 but the Lord came to my help.
14 The Lord is my strength and my song, *
 and he has become my salvation.
15 Joyful shouts of salvation *
 sound from the tents of the righteous:
16 ‘The right hand of the Lord does mighty deeds;
   the right hand of the Lord raises up; *
 the right hand of the Lord does mighty deeds.’
17 I shall not die, but live *
 and declare the works of the Lord.
18 The Lord has punished me sorely, *
 but he has not given me over to death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, *
 that I may enter and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord; *
 the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me *
 and have become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders rejected *
 has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This is the Lord’s doing, *
 and it is marvellous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the Lord has made; *
 we will rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Come, O Lord, and save us we pray. *
 Come, Lord, send us now prosperity.
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; *
 we bless you from the house of the Lord.
27 The Lord is God; he has given us light; *
 link the pilgrims with cords
   right to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God and I will thank you; *
 you are my God and I will exalt you.
29 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; *
 his mercy endures for ever.

Antiphon: Jesus said, + you are Peter, the rock, / and on this rock I will build my church.

Ezekiel 34:11-16

For thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord GOD. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.

Canticle
Benedictus es, Domine

Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers; *
you are worthy of praise; glory to you.

Glory to you for the radiance of your holy Name; *
we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.

Glory to you in the splendor of your temple; *
on the throne of your majesty, glory to you.

Glory to you, seated between the Cherubim; *
we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.

Glory to you, beholding the depths; *
in the high vault of heaven, glory to you.

Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; *
we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.

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.

John 21:15-22

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.’ (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, ‘Follow me.’

Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; he was the one who had reclined next to Jesus at the supper and had said, ‘Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?’ When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, what about him?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!’



Second Canticle
Magnificat

Antiphon:You are the shepherd + of the sheep, O chief of the apostles, / to you were given the keys to the kingdom of heaven.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.


From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

The promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.

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.


Antiphon:You are the shepherd + of the sheep, O chief of the apostles, / to you were given the keys to the kingdom of heaven.


Collect:
Almighty Father, who inspired Saint Peter, first among the apostles, to confess Jesus as Messiah and Son of the living God: Keep your Church steadfast upon the rock of this faith, so that in unity and peace we may proclaim the one truth and follow the one Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Personal Prayers and Thanksgivings

Our Father…

Blessing:
Almighty Father, as we honor the Confession of Peter,
may we, too, confess your name,
and truly recognize that you are, indeed, the Christ,
the Son of the Living God,
who lives and reigns with him and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

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