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
We bless you, Father, Lord of Life,
To whom all living beings tend,
The source of holiness and grace,
Our first beginning and our end.
We give you thanks, Redeeming Christ,
Who bore our weight of sin and shame;
In dark defeat you conquered sin,
And death, by dying, overcame.
Come, Holy Spirit, searching fire,
Whose flame all evil burns away.
Come down to us with light and love,
In silence and in peace to stay.
We praise you, Trinity in One,
Sublime in majesty and might,
Who reign for ever, Lord of all,
In splendour and unending light.
Stanbrook Abbey Hymnal
Psalm 50 (51)
God, have mercy on me
O Lord, wash me more and more from my guilt. Alleluia.
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.
O Lord, wash me more and more from my guilt. Alleluia.
Canticle
Jeremiah 14
Lamentation of the people in the time of famine and war
Christ bore our sins in his own body on the cross. Alleluia.
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.
Christ bore our sins in his own body on the cross. Alleluia.
Psalm 99 (100)
Enter the Temple with joy
Come before the Lord, singing for joy. Alleluia.
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.
Come before the Lord, singing for joy. Alleluia.
Short Reading
Acts 5:30-32
©
It was the God of our ancestors who raised up Jesus, but it was you who had him executed by hanging on a tree. By his own right hand God has now raised him up to be leader and saviour, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins through him to Israel. We are witnesses to all this, we and the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.
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
Jesus Christ died and has risen from the dead; he sits at the right hand of God, where he lives for ever, making intercession for us, 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.
Jesus Christ died and has risen from the dead; he sits at the right hand of God, where he lives for ever, making intercession for us, alleluia.
Prayers and intercessions
To God be honour and glory for ever. May he fill us with hope and with the power of the Holy Spirit.
– Lord, you are our help and our salvation.
Almighty Father, send your Holy Spirit to turn our words into prayers and our seeking into finding;
– Lord, you are our help and our salvation.
Send your Holy Spirit to turn our darkness into light and our falseness into truth;
– Lord, you are our help and our salvation.
Send your Holy Spirit to bring order out of chaos and love out of hatred;
– Lord, you are our help and our salvation.
Send your Holy Spirit to change contempt for the weak into reverence for your children;
– Lord, you are our help and our salvation.
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.
Let us pray.
Lord God,
you opened for us the way to eternal life
when Christ your Son was taken up to glory
and your Holy Spirit came to enlighten your Church.
Grant that, as we share in so great a gift,
our faith may grow ever stronger,
our service ever more loyal.
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.
