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
O Blessed Joseph, yours the praise
The choirs of angels sing,
The guardian of the Virgin blest,
And of her Child and King.
The prophets told of God to come:
The Son of God on earth;
Yours was the glory then to be
There at the Saviour’s birth.
To him, the Father’s only Son
You served as father here;
He was subjected to your will
He, whom the heavens revere.
As once you sought and found again
The Christ, the Lord of light;
So may we walk with him, like you
All humble in his sight.
O Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
The God of truth and grace,
By holy Joseph’s prayers grant
That we may see your face.
Stanbrook Abbey Hymnal
Psalm 62 (63)
Thirsting for God
The shepherds came quickly and they found Mary and Joseph, and the Child lying in the manger.
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.
The shepherds came quickly and they found Mary and Joseph, and the Child lying in the manger.
Canticle
Daniel 3
All creatures, bless the Lord
Joseph and Mary, the mother of Jesus, marvelled at what was being said of him, and Simeon gave them his blessing.
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.
Joseph and Mary, the mother of Jesus, marvelled at what was being said of him, and Simeon gave them his blessing.
Psalm 149
The saints rejoice
Joseph arose from sleep and, taking the child and his mother with him, left that night for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod.
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.
Joseph arose from sleep and, taking the child and his mother with him, left that night for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod.
Short Reading
2 Samuel 7:28-29
©
Lord, you are God indeed, your words are true and you have made this fair promise to your servant. Be pleased, then, to bless the House of your servant, that it may continue for ever in your presence; for you, Lord, have spoken; and with your blessing the House of your servant will be for ever blessed.
Short Responsory
The Lord made him master of his own house.
– The Lord made him master of his own house.
He constituted him ruler of all that he possessed.
– The Lord made him master of his own house.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– The Lord made him master of his own house.
Canticle
Benedictus
The Messiah and his forerunner
Joseph settled in a town called Nazareth. This was to fulfil the words spoken about Christ by the prophets: He will be called a Nazarene.
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.
Joseph settled in a town called Nazareth. This was to fulfil the words spoken about Christ by the prophets: He will be called a Nazarene.
Prayers and intercessions
Whatever we do or say, let us do it in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
– Lord, hear us.
As Joseph believed what you had told him, and became the guardian of your only Son:
so may we put our faith in you, and receive the fulfilment of your promise.
– Lord, hear us.
Father, give us that faith which gives substance to our hopes,
and make us certain of realities we do not see.
– Lord, hear us.
Joseph took the child Jesus into his care, loving and accepting him as his own Son:
may we accept all that God gives us, and care for those entrusted to us.
– Lord, hear us.
You have given man authority over the work of your hands and invited him to share in your creation:
help us to accept our responsibility by working for your glory and the good of all mankind.
– Lord, hear us.
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,
at the beginnings of our salvation,
when Mary conceived your Son and brought him forth in to the world,
you placed them under Joseph’s watchful care.
May his prayer still help your Church
to be an equally faithful guardian of your mysteries
and a sign of Christ to mankind.
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.
