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
From lands that see the sun arise,
To earth’s remotest boundaries,
The Virgin-born today we sing,
The Son of Mary, Christ the King.
Blest Author of this earthly frame,
To take a servant’s form he came,
That, liberating flesh by flesh,
Whom he had made might live afresh.
In that chaste parent’s holy womb,
Celestial grace hath found its home:
And she, as earthly bride unknown,
Yet calls that Offspring blest her own.
That Son, that royal Son she bore,
Whom Gabriel’s voice had told before;
Whom, in his Mother yet concealed,
The Infant Baptist had revealed.
All honour, laud and glory be,
O Jesu, Virgin-born, to thee;
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete.
Psalm 50 (51)
God, have mercy on me
Lord, you will be pleased with lawful sacrifice offered on your altar.
Take pity on me, Lord, in your mercy;
in your abundance of mercy wipe out my guilt.
Wash me ever more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know how guilty I am:
my sin is always before me.
Against you, you alone have I sinned,
and I have done evil in your sight.
Know this, so that you may give just sentence
and an unbiased judgement.
See, I was conceived in guilt,
in sin my mother conceived me;
but you love truth in the heart,
and deep within me you have shown me your wisdom.
You will sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be made clean;
you will wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
You will make me hear the sound of joy and gladness;
the bones you have crushed will rejoice.
Turn your face away from my sins
and wipe out all my transgressions;
create a pure heart in me, God,
put a steadfast spirit into me.
Do not send me away from your presence,
or withdraw your holy spirit from me;
give me again the joy of your salvation,
and be ready to strengthen me with your spirit.
I will teach the unjust your ways,
and the impious will return to you.
Free me from the guilt of bloodshed, God, God my saviour,
and my voice will glory in your justice.
Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will proclaim your praise;
for you do not delight in sacrifices:
if I offered you a burnt offering, it would not please you.
The true sacrifice is a broken spirit:
a contrite and humble heart, O God, you will not refuse.
Be pleased, Lord, to look kindly on Zion,
so that the walls of Jerusalem can be rebuilt,
Then indeed you will accept the proper sacrifices, gifts and burnt offerings;
then indeed will bullocks be laid upon your altar.
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.
Lord, you will be pleased with lawful sacrifice offered on your altar.
Canticle
Isaiah 45
All peoples, turn to the Lord
All the descendants of Israel shall glory in victory through the Lord.
In truth you are a hidden God,
the God and Saviour of Israel.
They were dismayed and ashamed, all the makers of idols,
all of them fled in dismay.
Israel has been saved by the Lord, saved for ever;
you will not be dismayed or ashamed,
to the end of time.
For thus says the Lord, the God
who made the heavens,
who made the earth, shaped it, set it firm –
he did not make it to be empty,
but to be full of life –
“I am the Lord, there is no other.
I have not spoken secretly,
in some dark corner of the earth.
I have not said to the children of Jacob, ‘seek me in vain.’
I am the Lord who speaks justice, who proclaims uprightness.
“Gather together, come, approach me
all you who have been rescued from the Gentiles.
They were ignorant, who raised up wooden idols
and begged favours of a god without power.
Announce it – come, ponder it together –
who was saying this from the beginning, who foretold this from the start?
Am I not the Lord?
Is there any other God but me?
Do you seek a just God who will save you? There is no other.
“Turn to me and you will be saved, all you ends of the earth;
for I am God, there is no other.
“I have sworn by my own being,
I have decreed a judgement that will not be revoked;
for every knee will bend to me,
every tongue swear by my name.”
“Only in the Lord,” they will say,
“are there justice and strength!”
All who resisted him will come to him, and be dismayed;
but in the Lord all descendants of Israel
will receive justice and glory.
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.
All the descendants of Israel shall glory in victory through the Lord.
Psalm 99 (100)
Enter the Temple with joy
Come before the Lord, singing for joy.
Rejoice in the Lord, all the earth,
and serve him with joy.
Exult as you enter his presence.
Know that the Lord is God.
He made us and we are his
– his people, the sheep of his flock.
Cry out his praises as you enter his gates,
fill his courtyards with songs.
Proclaim him and bless his name;
for the Lord is our delight.
His mercy lasts for ever,
his faithfulness through all the ages.
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.
Come before the Lord, singing for joy.
Short Reading
Isaiah 45:22-23
©
Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God unrivalled. By my own self I swear it, what comes from my mouth is truth, a word irrevocable: before me every knee shall bend, by me every tongue shall swear.
Short Responsory
The Lord has made known his salvation, alleluia, alleluia.
– The Lord has made known his salvation, alleluia, alleluia.
He has revealed his saving power.
– The Lord has made known his salvation, alleluia, alleluia.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– The Lord has made known his salvation, alleluia, alleluia.
Canticle
Benedictus
The Messiah and his forerunner
Christ, our God, in whom the fullness of the divine nature dwells, took on the frailty of our human nature and was born as the new man, 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.
Christ, our God, in whom the fullness of the divine nature dwells, took on the frailty of our human nature and was born as the new man, alleluia.
Prayers and intercessions
The Word of God was manifested in the flesh, seen by angels and preached among the nations. Let us praise him:
– Only Son of God, we adore you.
Redeemer of all men, you came into our lives through the Virgin Mary:
by her prayers grant that we may never be parted from you.
– Only Son of God, we adore you.
You manifested to us the faithfulness of God:
may you always be the light of our lives.
– Only Son of God, we adore you.
You let us see the Father’s love for us:
may we show to other people the loving care of God.
– Only Son of God, we adore you.
You came to live among us:
make us worthy to be your friends.
– Only Son of God, we adore you.
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,
the light of a new star in heaven heralded your saving love.
Let the light of your salvation dawn in our hearts
and keep them always open to your life-giving grace.
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.
