Morning Prayer (Lauds)
If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, you should precede it with the Invitatory Psalm.
INTRODUCTION
O God, come to our aid.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
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. Alleluia.
Hymn
O fathers of our ancient faith,
With all the heav’ns we sing your fame
Whose sound went forth in all the earth
To tell of Christ and bless His name.
You took the gospel to the poor,
The word of God alight in you,
Which in our day is told again:
That timeless word, forever new.
You told of God who died for us
And out of death triumphant rose,
Who gave the truth that made us free,
And changeless through the ages goes.
Like sparks among the straw, you ran
To set the universe ablaze,
To kindle love of Christ the Lord
And take his peace on all your ways.
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost
Whose gift is faith that never dies:
A light in darkness now, until
The day-star in our hearts arise.
Stanbrook Abbey Hymnal
Psalm 62 (63)
Thirsting for God
John, the apostle and evangelist, was chosen by the Lord because of his virginal purity. He was the disciple whom the Lord especially loved.
O God, you are my God, I watch for you from the dawn.
My soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you.
I came to your sanctuary,
as one in a parched and waterless land,
so that I could see your might and your glory.
My lips will praise you, for your mercy is better than life itself.
Thus I will bless you throughout my life,
and raise my hands in prayer to your name;
my soul will be filled as if by rich food,
and my mouth will sing your praises and rejoice.
I will remember you as I lie in bed,
I will think of you in the morning,
for you have been my helper,
and I will take joy in the protection of your wings.
My soul clings to you; your right hand raises me up.
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, the apostle and evangelist, was chosen by the Lord because of his virginal purity. He was the disciple whom the Lord especially loved.
Canticle
Daniel 3
All creatures, bless the Lord
This is John, the virgin to whose trust Christ, when he was dying on the cross, commended his Mother, the Virgin Mary.
Bless the Lord, all his works,
praise and exalt him for ever.
Bless the Lord, you heavens;
all his angels, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, you waters above the heavens;
all his powers, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, sun and moon;
all stars of the sky, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, rain and dew;
all you winds, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, fire and heat;
cold and warmth, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, dew and frost;
ice and cold, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, ice and snow;
day and night, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, light and darkness;
lightning and storm-clouds, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, all the earth,
praise and exalt him for ever.
Bless the Lord, mountains and hills;
all growing things, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, seas and rivers;
springs and fountains, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, whales and fish;
birds of the air, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, wild beasts and tame;
sons of men, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, O Israel,
praise and exalt him for ever.
Bless the Lord, his priests;
all his servants, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, spirits and souls of the just;
all who are holy and humble, bless the Lord.
Ananias, Azarias, Mishael, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt him for ever.
Let us bless Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
praise and exalt them for ever.
Bless the Lord in the firmament of heaven,
praise and glorify him for ever.
This is John, the virgin to whose trust Christ, when he was dying on the cross, commended his Mother, the Virgin Mary.
Psalm 149
The saints rejoice
The disciple whom Jesus loved said ‘It is the Lord,’ alleluia.
Sing a new song to the Lord,
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel rejoice in its maker,
and the sons of Zion delight in their king.
Let them praise his name with dancing,
sing to him with timbrel and lyre,
for the Lord’s favour is upon his people,
and he will honour the humble with victory.
Let the faithful celebrate his glory,
rejoice even in their beds,
the praise of God in their throats;
and swords ready in their hands,
to exact vengeance upon the nations,
impose punishment on the peoples,
to bind their kings in fetters
and their nobles in manacles of iron,
to carry out the sentence that has been passed:
this is the glory prepared for all his faithful.
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.
The disciple whom Jesus loved said ‘It is the Lord,’ alleluia.
Short Reading
Acts 4:19-20
©
Peter and John answered them, ‘You must judge whether in God’s eyes it is right to listen to you and not to God. We cannot promise to stop proclaiming what we have seen and heard.’
Short Responsory
You will make them rulers over all the land.
– You will make them rulers over all the land.
Your name, Lord, will be remembered.
– You will make them rulers over all the land.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– You will make them rulers over all the land.
Canticle
Benedictus
The Messiah and his forerunner
The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw his glory, alleluia.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption.
He has raised up the sign of salvation
in the house of his servant David,
as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones,
his prophets through the ages:
to rescue us from our enemies
and all who hate us,
to take pity on our fathers,
to remember his holy covenant
and the oath he swore to Abraham our father,
that he would give himself to us,
that we could serve him without fear
– freed from the hands of our enemies –
in uprightness and holiness before him,
for all of our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High:
for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path,
to let his people know their salvation,
so that their sins may be forgiven.
Through the bottomless mercy of our God,
one born on high will visit us
to give light to those who walk in darkness,
who live in the shadow of death;
to lead our feet in the path 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.
The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw his glory, alleluia.
Prayers and intercessions
Since we are part of a building that has the apostles for its foundation, let us pray to the Father for his holy people.
– Lord, remember your Church.
Father, when your Son rose from the dead, you showed him first to the apostles;
let us make him known, near and far.
– Lord, remember your Church.
You sent your Son into the world to proclaim the good news to the poor:
grant that we may bring his gospel into the darkness of men’s lives.
– Lord, remember your Church.
You sent your Son to plant in men’s hearts the seed of imperishable life;
may we labour to sow his word and reap a harvest of joy.
– Lord, remember your Church.
You sent your Son to reconcile the world with yourself by the shedding of his blood;
let us become his fellow workers in restoring men to your friendship.
– Lord, remember your Church.
You placed your Son at your own right hand in heaven;
receive the dead into the happiness of your kingdom.
– Lord, remember your Church.
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Almighty God,
who through your apostle John
unlocked for us the hidden treasures of your Word,
grant that we may grasp with fuller understanding
the message he so admirably proclaimed.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
