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
Lord, who throughout these forty days
For us didst fast and pray,
Teach us with thee to mourn our sins,
And close by thee to stay.
As thou with Satan didst contend,
And didst the victory win,
O give us strength in thee to fight,
In thee to conquer sin.
As thirst and hunger thou didst bear,
So teach us, gracious Lord,
To die to self, and daily live
By thy most holy word.
And through these days of penitence,
And through thy Passiontide,
Yea, evermore, in life and death,
Jesus, with us abide.
Psalm 50 (51)
God, have mercy on me
Against you alone have I sinned: Lord, have mercy on me.
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.
Against you alone have I sinned: Lord, have mercy on me.
Canticle
Jeremiah 14
Lamentation of the people in the time of famine and war
We know our offences, Lord; we have sinned against you.
Let my eyes shed tears, night and day, let them never cease,
for the daughter of my people is afflicted with a great affliction,
with the worst of all wounds.
If I go out into the fields – behold, those slain by the sword;
if I go into the city – behold, those wasted by famine.
Prophet and priest go through the land, they know nothing.
Surely you have not rejected Judah, thrust him from you?
Surely Zion has not become hateful to your heart?
Why have you struck us down beyond all hope of healing?
We have looked for peace, but no good came;
we have looked for the time of healing, but trouble came instead.
We acknowledge, O Lord, our wickedness, and the evil done by our fathers:
we acknowledge that we have sinned.
Do not make us a reproach, for your name’s sake,
and do not make us a disgrace before the throne of your glory.
Remember the covenant you made with us: do not bring it to an end.
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.
We know our offences, Lord; we have sinned against you.
Psalm 99 (100)
Enter the Temple with joy
The Lord is God; we are his people, the sheep of his flock.
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.
The Lord is God; we are his people, the sheep of his flock.
Short Reading
Isaiah 53:11-12
©
By his sufferings shall my servant justify many, taking their faults on himself. Hence I will grant whole hordes for his tribute, he shall divide the spoil with the mighty, for surrendering himself to death and letting himself be taken for a sinner, while he was bearing the faults of many and praying all the time for sinners.
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
‘Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?’ Jesus said, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart.’
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.
‘Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?’ Jesus said, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart.’
Prayers and intercessions
We give thanks to Christ the Lord, who died on the cross that we might live. Let us pray to him with all our heart.
– Lord Jesus, may your death bring us to life.
Master and Saviour, you have taught us by your life and renewed us by your passion;
do not allow us to grow used to sin.
– Lord Jesus, may your death bring us to life.
You call on us to feed the hungry;
let us deny ourselves some food this day to help our brothers in their need.
– Lord Jesus, may your death bring us to life.
May we accept from your hands this day of Lent;
may we make it yours by deeds of love.
– Lord Jesus, may your death bring us to life.
End the rebellion within our hearts;
make us generous and willing to share.
– Lord Jesus, may your death bring us to life.
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, open our hearts to your grace.
Restrain us from all human waywardness
and keep us faithful to your commandments.
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.
