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.
Hymn
Creator of the earth and skies,
To whom the words of life belong,
Grant us thy truth to make us wise;
Grant us thy power to make us strong.
Like theirs of old, our life is death,
Our light is darkness, till we see
The eternal Word made flesh and breath,
The God who walked by Galilee.
We have not known thee: to the skies
Our monuments of folly soar,
And all our self-wrought miseries
Have made us trust ourselves the more.
We have not loved thee: far and wide
The wreckage of our hatred spreads,
And evils wrought by human pride
Recoil on unrepentant heads.
For this, our foolish confidence,
Our pride of knowledge and our sin,
We come to thee in penitence;
In us the work of grace begin.
Psalm 142 (143)
A prayer in time of trouble
In the morning let me know your love, O Lord.
Lord, listen to my prayer:
in your faithfulness turn your ear to my pleading;
in your justice, hear me.
Do not judge your servant:
nothing that lives can justify itself before you.
The enemy has hounded my spirit,
he has crushed my life to the ground,
he has shut me in darkness, like the dead of long ago.
So my spirit trembles within me,
my heart turns to stone.
I remind myself of the days of old,
I reflect on all your works,
I meditate once more on the work of your hands.
I stretch out my arms to you,
I stretch out my soul, like a land without water.
Come quickly and hear me, O Lord,
for my spirit is weakening.
Do not hide your face from me,
do not let me be like the dead,
who go down to the underworld.
Show me your mercy at daybreak,
because of my trust in you.
Tell me the way I should follow,
for I lift up my soul towards you.
Rescue me from my enemies:
Lord, I flee to you for refuge.
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
Your good spirit will lead me to the land of justice;
for your name’s sake, Lord, you will give me life.
In your righteousness you will lead my soul
away from all tribulation.
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.
In the morning let me know your love, O Lord.
Canticle
(Isaiah 66)
Comfort and joy in the holy city
The Lord will send peace flowing like a river upon Jerusalem.
Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad with her, all you who love her;
rejoice with her, rejoice, all you who mourned for her.
Suck and be filled at the breast of her consolation;
draw on the nipples of her glory, and overflow with delights.
For the Lord says this:
Behold, I will bring her peace as if it were a river;
like an overflowing torrent, the glory of the Gentiles.
You will suck, be borne on her hips,
and they will caress you as you lie in her lap.
As a mother comforts its child, so shall I comfort you:
you will be comforted in Jerusalem.
You will see, and your heart will rejoice,
and your bones will flourish like living grass.
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 will send peace flowing like a river upon Jerusalem.
Psalm 146 (147A)
The Lord's goodness and power
To our God be joyful praise.
Praise the Lord!
It is good to sing praise to our God;
it is a joy to sing his praises.
The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem:
he will call back Israel from exile.
He heals broken hearts
and binds up their wounds.
He counts all the stars;
he calls each of them by name.
Our God is great and great is his strength,
his wisdom is not to be measured.
The Lord supports the needy,
but crushes the wicked to the ground.
Sing out to the Lord in thanksgiving,
sing praise to our God on the harp.
He covers the sky with his clouds,
he makes rain to refresh the earth.
He makes grass grow on the hills,
and plants for the service of man.
He gives food to grazing animals,
and feeds the young ravens that call on him.
He takes no delight in the strength of the horse,
no pleasure in the strength of a man.
The Lord is pleased by those who honour him,
by those who trust in his kindness.
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.
To our God be joyful praise.
Short Reading
(1 Kings 8:51-53)
©
Lord, we are your people and your heritage. Be always watchful for the entreaty of your servant and of your people Israel, and listen to us whenever we call to you. For it was you who set us apart from all the peoples of the earth to be your own heritage.
Short Responsory
It is he who will free me from the snare of the hunters.
– It is he who will free me from the snare of the hunters.
And from the evil word.
– It is he who will free me from the snare of the hunters.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– It is he who will free me from the snare of the hunters.
Canticle
Benedictus
The Messiah and his forerunner
If anyone wishes to be a follower of mine, he must deny himself; he must take up his cross and come with me, says the Lord.
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.
If anyone wishes to be a follower of mine, he must deny himself; he must take up his cross and come with me, says the Lord.
Prayers and intercessions
Let us praise God for his loving kindness, which is revealed to us in Jesus Christ.
– Remember, Lord, that we are your children.
Lead us more deeply into the life of your Church;
and through us make it a clearer sign of the world’s salvation.
– Remember, Lord, that we are your children.
Lover of men, help us to play our part in the growth of the human city
and help us to build up your kingdom in every way.
– Remember, Lord, that we are your children.
May we come to Christ when we are burdened,
for he is the spring of living water who refreshes all who thirst.
– Remember, Lord, that we are your children.
Forgive the harm that we have done;
guide us in the path of justice and truth.
– Remember, Lord, that we are your children.
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, be the beginning and end
of everything we do and say.
Prompt our actions with your grace,
and complete them with your all-powerful help.
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.
