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
Light’s glittering morn bedecks the sky,
Heav’n thunders forth its victor cry:
The glad earth shouts her triumph high,
And groaning hell makes wild reply.
While he, the King of sovereign might,
Treads down death’s strength in death’s despite,
And trampling hell by victor’s right,
Brings forth his sleeping saints to light.
Fast barred beneath the stone of late,
In watch and ward where soldiers wait,
Now shining in triumphant state,
He rises victor from death’s gate.
Hell’s pains are loosed and tears are fled:
Captivity is captive led:
The angel, crowned with light, hath said:
‘The Lord is risen from the dead.’
Author of all, be thou our guide
In this our joy of Eastertide;
Whene’er assaults of death impend,
Thy people strengthen and defend.
To thee who, dead, again dost live,
All glory, Lord, thy people give:
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete.
Psalm 142 (143)
A prayer in time of trouble
For your name’s sake, Lord, give me life. Alleluia.
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.
For your name’s sake, Lord, give me life. Alleluia.
Canticle
(Isaiah 66)
Comfort and joy in the holy city
I will see you again, and then your hearts will be filled with joy. Alleluia.
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.
I will see you again, and then your hearts will be filled with joy. Alleluia.
Psalm 146 (147A)
The Lord's goodness and power
The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he heals the broken-hearted. Alleluia.
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.
The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he heals the broken-hearted. Alleluia.
Short Reading
Romans 8:10-11
©
Though your body may be dead it is because of sin, but if Christ is in you then your spirit is life itself because you have been justified; and if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then he who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you.
Short Responsory
The Lord has risen from the dead, alleluia, alleluia.
– The Lord has risen from the dead, alleluia, alleluia.
For our sake he died on the cross, alleluia, alleluia.
– The Lord has risen from the dead, alleluia, alleluia.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– The Lord has risen from the dead, alleluia, alleluia.
Canticle
Benedictus
The Messiah and his forerunner
The disciple is not above his master; but the fully-trained disciple will be like his master. 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 disciple is not above his master; but the fully-trained disciple will be like his master. Alleluia.
Prayers and intercessions
Let us pray with confidence to God our Father. In Christ he has given all his children the pledge of resurrection.
– May the Lord Jesus be our life.
Father, by a pillar of fire you led your people through the desert;
may the risen Christ be the light of our lives.
– May the Lord Jesus be our life.
Through the voice of Moses you spoke on the mountain;
may the risen Christ be our word of life.
– May the Lord Jesus be our life.
With the gift of manna you fed your wandering people;
may the risen Christ be our bread from heaven.
– May the Lord Jesus be our life.
You drew water from the rock to save your children;
may the risen Christ fill us with his Spirit.
– May the Lord Jesus be our 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 God,
you restore our human nature
to a dignity higher than you gave it at creation.
Look with favour on the mystery of your love;
keep your gifts of grace intact
in those whose life you have renewed in baptism,
the sacrament of new birth.
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.
