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 more than mighty cities known,
Dear Bethlehem, in thee alone
Salvation’s Lord from heaven took birth
In human form upon the earth.
And from a star that far outshone
The radiant circle of the sun
In beauty, swift the tidings ran
Of God on earth in flesh of man.
The wise men, seeing him, so fair,
Bow low before him, and with prayer
Their treasured eastern gifts unfold
Of incense, myrrh, and royal gold.
The fragrant incense which they bring,
The gold, proclaim him God and King;
The bitter spicy dust of myrrh
Foreshadows his new sepulchre.
All glory, Lord, to thee we pay
For thine Epiphany today;
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete.
Psalm 41 (42)
Longing for the Lord and his temple
When can I enter and see the face of God?
Like a deer that longs for springs of water,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, the living God:
when shall I come and stand before the face of God?
My tears are my food, by day and by night,
and everyone asks, “where is your God?”.
I remember how I went up to your glorious dwelling-place
and into the house of God:
the memory melts my soul.
The sound of joy and thanksgiving,
the crowds at the festival.
Why are you so sad, my soul,
and anxious within me?
Put your hope in the Lord, I will praise him still,
my saviour and my God.
My soul is sad within me,
and so I will remember you
in the lands of Jordan and Hermon,
on the mountain of Mizar.
Deep calls to deep
in your rushing waters:
and all your torrents, all your waves
have flowed over me.
By day the Lord sends his kindness upon me;
by night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
I will say to God:
“You are my support, why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go in mourning, while the enemy persecutes me?.”
As my bones break,
my persecutors deride me,
all the time saying “where is your God?.”
Why are you so sad, my soul,
and anxious within me?
Put your hope in the Lord, I will praise him still,
my saviour and my God.
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.
When can I enter and see the face of God?
Canticle
Ecclesiasticus 36
A prayer for Jerusalem, the holy city
Show us, Lord, the light of your mercy.
God of all, have mercy on us, take notice of us,
and show us the light of your mercies.
Make the nations fear you, who have not sought you out,
make them know that there is no God except you,
let them tell of your wonders.
Lift up your hand over foreign nations, that they may see your power –
for just as in their sight you have been sanctified in us,
so in our sight you will be magnified in them.
Lift up your hand so that they may know, as we know,
that there is no God but you, Lord.
Bring forth new signs and repeat your wonders;
glorify your hand, show the strength of your arm.
Gather together all the tribes of Jacob,
give them back the inheritance they had from the beginning.
Take pity on your people, over whom we invoke your name,
and on Israel, whom you have made equal to your firstborn.
Take pity on the city you have sanctified,
Jerusalem, the place of your rest.
Fill Zion with your majesty;
fill your temple with your 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.
Show us, Lord, the light of your mercy.
Psalm 18 (19)
Praise of God the creator
Blessed are you, Lord, in the vault of heaven.
The skies tell the story of the glory of God,
the firmament proclaims the work of his hands;
day pours out the news to day,
night passes to night the knowledge.
Not a speech, not a word,
not a voice goes unheard.
Their sound is spread throughout the earth,
their message to all the corners of the world.
At the ends of the earth he has set up
a dwelling place for the sun.
Like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
it rejoices like an athlete at the race to be run.
It appears at the edge of the sky,
runs its course to the sky’s furthest edge.
Nothing can hide from its heat.
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.
Blessed are you, Lord, in the vault of heaven.
Short Reading
Isaiah 9:5
©
There is a child born for us, a son given to us and dominion is laid on his shoulders; and this is the name they give him: Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God, Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace.
Short Responsory
All the kings of the earth will adore him.
– All the kings of the earth will adore him.
All the peoples will serve him.
– All the kings of the earth will adore him.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– All the kings of the earth will adore him.
Canticle
Benedictus
The Messiah and his forerunner
The Magi came to Bethlehem from the East to adore the Lord; they opened their treasures and offered him precious gifts: gold for a great king, frankincense for the true God, myrrh for his burial, 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 Magi came to Bethlehem from the East to adore the Lord; they opened their treasures and offered him precious gifts: gold for a great king, frankincense for the true God, myrrh for his burial, alleluia.
Prayers and intercessions
We praise you, Christ. Through you God’s salvation reaches to the boundaries of the earth.
– Glory to you, Christ the Lord.
Christ, our Redeemer, you have drawn all men to yourself;
break down the walls of prejudice that separate man from man.
– Glory to you, Christ the Lord.
You came to live among us:
help us to recognize all the ways you are present in the Church and in the lives of men and women.
– Glory to you, Christ the Lord.
In you God stands revealed:
may our belief and good works be consistent with your teaching.
– Glory to you, Christ the Lord.
Immanuel, God with men, renew our lives completely;
make us a people you can call your own.
– Glory to you, Christ the Lord.
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.
Lord, may the radiance of your glory light up our hearts
and bring us through the shadows of this world
until we reach our homeland of everlasting light.
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.
