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 56 (57)
Morning prayer in time of affliction
O God, arise above the heavens. Alleluia.
Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.
My soul flies to you for refuge.
I will hide in the shelter of your wings
until the time of ambush is past.
I will cry to God the Most High,
to the God who cares for me.
He will send help from heaven to set me free.
He will disgrace those who trample me underfoot.
He will send forth his mercy and faithfulness.
My soul lies among lion-cubs
that would devour the children of men.
Their teeth are spears and arrows,
their tongues are pointed swords.
May you be exalted above the heavens, O God;
let your glory cover the whole earth.
They prepared a trap for my feet;
my soul was bent double under its burden;
they dug a pit in front of me
– but they fell into it themselves.
My heart is ready, God.
My heart is ready.
I will offer you music and song.
Awake, my glory,
awake, lyre and harp.
I will awaken the dawn.
I will proclaim you among the peoples, Lord,
and make music for you among the nations,
for your mercy reaches as high as the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
May you be exalted above the heavens, O God;
let your glory cover the earth.
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.
O God, arise above the heavens. Alleluia.
Canticle
Jeremiah 31
The joy of those whom God sets free
The Lord has ransomed his people, alleluia.
All you nations, listen to the word of the Lord,
proclaim it in the farthest islands:
“He who scattered his people Israel
has brought them back together.
He will care for them as a shepherd tends his flock.”
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob
and freed him from the hand of his conqueror.
They will come and sing praises on Mount Zion,
they will flood in to receive the good things of the Lord,
grain, and wine, and oil,
and the young of both herd and flock.
Their spirit will be like a richly watered garden,
and they will hunger no more.
The young girl will dance for joy,
young men and old men too.
“I will turn their weeping into gladness,” says the Lord,
“I will comfort them and give them joy after sorrow.
I will overwhelm my priests with rich food,
and my good things will fill my people to overflowing.”
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 has ransomed his people, alleluia.
Psalm 47 (48)
Thanksgiving for the safety of the people
God is here, our God for ever and ever, alleluia.
The Lord is great and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain is a beautiful sight,
the joy of all the earth.
Mount Zion is at its northernmost edge,
the city of the great king.
Here among its palaces,
God has shown himself as its refuge.
For the kings assembled,
made alliance against it –
but when they saw it, they were amazed.
Panic took them and they scattered.
Trembling took hold of them,
pain like that of childbirth.
With the east wind
you will destroy the ships of Tarshish.
What we had heard, we saw in the city of the Lord of hosts,
in the city of our God,
which God has founded for ever.
We ponder your mercy, O God,
as we stand in your temple.
Your name, O Lord, and your praise
will reach to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand delivers justice.
Let Mount Zion be glad
and the daughters of Judah rejoice,
because of your judgements.
Go round Zion, see it all,
count every tower.
Feel its strength,
visit its palaces,
so that you can tell the next generation –
Here is God, our God,
here he remains for ever;
and for ever he will lead us and guide 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.
God is here, our God for ever and ever, 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
If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love. 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.
If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love. Alleluia.
Prayers and intercessions
Let us offer our prayer to Christ, who rose from the dead and is living always in his Church.
– Lord, stay always with us.
Lord, you triumphed over sin and death;
be present in our midst with your eternal life.
– Lord, stay always with us.
Come to us with your untiring strength;
and reveal in our lives the loving-kindness of God.
– Lord, stay always with us.
You alone can reconcile men and create a new spirit within them;
end the conflicts which divide our world.
– Lord, stay always with us.
Deepen our faith in your final victory;
let us find strength in the hope of your coming.
– Lord, stay always with 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.
Lord God,
we were sinners and your grace made us holy,
we were without hope and you filled us with joy.
Stand by us in your saving work,
and stay with us in your gifts of grace.
May we never fail to persevere
in the holiness that comes from faith.
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.
