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 118 (119): 145-152
My eyes watch for you before dawn.
I call on you with all my heart –
answer me, Lord.
I will obey your laws.
I call on you –
save me
so that I can keep your decrees.
At first light I cry to you,
I put all my hope in your word.
In the night I keep watch,
pondering your sayings.
In your mercy, Lord, hear my voice;
in your justice, give me life.
My persecutors come to do me harm:
they are far from your law.
But you, Lord, are near to me,
and you are trustworthy in all your precepts.
From the beginning I have known your decrees,
how you have made them to last 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.
My eyes watch for you before dawn.
Canticle
Exodus 15
Hymn of victory after crossing the Red Sea
The Lord is my strength, I will sing his praise: he is my salvation.
I will sing to the Lord, for his triumph is glorious. Horse and rider he has cast into the sea.
The Lord is my support and my strength, and he has saved me.
This is my God, and I will give him glory
This is my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
The Lord is a warrior – ‘The Lord’ is his name!
Pharaoh’s chariots and army he has thrown into the sea.
Your storm raged, and the waters were piled high,
the flowing waters were a rampart, the sea-bed was exposed.
The enemy said: “I will follow and surround them;
I will divide their spoils,
have my fill of booty,
draw my sword and kill them all.”
Your wind blew,
and the sea covered them,
they sank like lead in the raging waters.
What god is like you, O Lord?
What god is like you,
so great in your holiness,
a worker of miracles,
terrible and worthy of praise?
You stretched out your hand and the earth swallowed them.
In your mercy you led your people whom you had redeemed,
in your strength you brought them to your dwelling-place.
You will lead them in and establish them
on the mountain that is your inheritance,
your solid dwelling-place, which you made, Lord;
your sanctuary, Lord, which your hands made firm.
The Lord will reign, to eternity and beyond!
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 Lord is my strength, I will sing his praise: he is my salvation.
Psalm 116 (117)
Praise of the merciful Lord
O praise the Lord, all you nations.
Praise the Lord, all nations; all peoples, praise him.
For his mercy is strong over us and his faithfulness is 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.
O praise the Lord, all you nations.
Short Reading
Wisdom 7:26-27
©
She is a reflection of the eternal light, untarnished mirror of God’s active power, image of his goodness. Although alone, she can do all; herself unchanging, she makes all things new. In each generation she passes into holy souls, she makes them friends of God and prophets.
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
God has visited his people and has brought them redemption.
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.
God has visited his people and has brought them redemption.
Prayers and intercessions
Let us praise Christ who was sent by God to be for us the One who is Wise, Just and Holy – our Redeemer.
– Lord, save us through your birth.
Lord of the universe, the shepherds found you in a manger:
save us from selfishness in the way we live.
– Lord, save us through your birth.
You so loved us in all our weakness that you came to be our Saviour;
help us to respect the dignity of every man.
– Lord, save us through your birth.
You took our nature but you did not sin;
help us to use your gifts as we should.
– Lord, save us through your birth.
You made the Church your bride without defect or blemish:
grant that all your faithful may persevere in it to the end.
– Lord, save us through your birth.
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.
God, our Father,
since through the human birth of your only Son you began in us the work of redemption,
keep us firm in faith,
and with Christ as the Shepherd of our souls
bring us the glory you have promised.
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.
