Saturday 14 December 2019
Saint John of the Cross, Priest, Doctor
on Saturday of the 2nd week of Advent
Morning Prayer (Lauds)
Introduction (without Invitatory)
If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, use the version with the Invitatory Psalm instead.
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
Who are these like stars appearing,
these, before God’s throne who stand?
Each a golden crown is wearing;
who are all this glorious band?
Alleluia! Hark, they sing,
praising loud their heavenly King.
Who are these of dazzling brightness,
clothed in God’s own righteousness?
These, whose robes of purest whiteness,
shall their lustre still possess,
still untouched by time’s rude hand?
Whence came all this glorious band?
These are they who have contended
for their Saviour’s honour long,
wrestling on till life was ended,
following not the sinful throng;
these who well the fight sustained,
triumph through the Lamb have gained.
These are they whose hearts were riven,
sore with woe and anguish tried,
who in prayer full oft have striven
with the God they glorified;
now, their painful conflict o’er,
God has bid them weep no more.
These, the Almighty contemplating,
did as priests before him stand,
soul and body always waiting
day and night at his command:
now in God’s most holy place
blest they stand before his face.
________
Psalm 91 (92)
Praise of God, the Creator
“The deeds of God’s only Son are praised” (St Athanasius).
Lord, we proclaim your love in the morning and your truth in the watches of the night.
It is góod to give thánks to the Lórd, *
to make músic to your náme, O Most Hígh,
to procláim your lóve in the mórning *
and your trúth in the wátches of the níght,
on the tén-stringed lýre and the lúte, *
with the múrmuring sóund of the hárp.
Your déeds, O Lórd, have made me glád; *
for the wórk of your hánds I shout with jóy.
O Lórd, how gréat are your wórks! *
How déep are yóur desígns!
The fóolish man cánnot knów this *
and the fóol cánnot understánd.
Though the wícked spring úp like gráss *
and áll who do évil thríve,
they are dóomed to be etérnally destróyed. *
But yóu, Lord, are etérnally on hígh.
Sée how your énemies pérish; *
all dóers of évil are scáttered.
To mé you give the wíld ox’s stréngth; *
you anóint me with the púrest óil.
My éyes looked in tríumph on my fóes; *
my éars heard gládly of their fáll.
The júst will flóurish like the pálm-tree *
and grów like a Lébanon cédar.
Plánted in the hóuse of the Lórd *
they will flóurish in the cóurts of our Gód,
stíll bearing frúit when they are óld, *
stíll full of sáp, still gréen,
to procláim that the Lórd is júst. *
In hím, my róck, there is no wróng.
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.
Lord, we proclaim your love in the morning and your truth in the watches of the night.
Psalm-prayer
Take our shame away from us, Lord, and make us rejoice in your saving works. May all who have been chosen by your Son always abound in works of faith, hope and love in your service.
Or:
Lord Jesus Christ, you taught your disciples that the Father is glorified by good works. Uproot your enemies even if they should grow as thick as weeds, and make us flourish in your courts and always remain in you as you are in the Father. May we bring forth a rich harvest in the radiance of your light.
________
Canticle
Deuteronomy 32
The things God has done for his people
“How often have I longed to gather your children as a hen gathers her young under her wings!” (Mt 23:37).
Proclaim the greatness of our God.
Listen, O heavens, and I will speak, *
let the earth hear the words on my lips.
May my teaching fall like the rain, *
my speech descend like the dew,
like rain drops on the young green, *
like showers falling on the grass.
For I shall praise the name of the Lord. *
O give glory to this God of ours!
The Rock — his deeds are perfect, *
and all his ways are just,
a faithful God, without deceit, *
a God who is right and just.
Those whom he begot unblemished *
have become crooked, false, perverse.
Is it thus you repay the Lord, *
O senseless and foolish people?
Is he not your father who created you, *
he who made you, on whom you depend?
Remember the days of old, *
consider the years that are past;
ask your father and he will show you, *
ask your elders and they will tell you.
When the Most High gave the nations their heritage *
and disposed men according to his plan,
in fixing the boundaries of the nations *
he thought first of Israel’s sons.
For Israel was the Lord’s possession, *
Jacob the one he had chosen.
God found him in a wilderness, *
in fearful, desolate wastes;
he surrounded him, he lifted him up, *
he kept him as the apple of his eye.
Like an eagle that watches its nest, *
that hovers over its young,
so he spread his wings; he took him, *
placed him on his outstretched wings.
The Lord alone was his guide *
and no other god was with him.
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.
Proclaim the greatness of our God.
________
Psalm 8
The greatness of God, the dignity of man
“He has put all things under his feet, and appointed him to be the head of the whole Church” (Eph 1:22).
How great is your name, Lord, through all the earth.
How gréat is your náme, O Lórd our Gód, *
through áll the éarth!
Your májesty is práised above the héavens; *
on the líps of chíldren and of bábes
you have found práise to fóil your énemy, *
to sílence the fóe and the rébel.
When I see the héavens, the wórk of your hánds, *
the móon and the stárs which you arránged,
what is mán that you should kéep him in mínd, *
mortal mán that you cáre for hím?
Yet you have máde him little léss than a gód; *
with glóry and hónour you crówned him,
gave him pówer over the wórks of your hánd, *
put áll things únder his féet.
Áll of them, shéep and cáttle, *
yes, éven the sávage béasts,
bírds of the áir, and físh *
that máke their wáy through the wáters.
How gréat is your náme, O Lórd our Gód *
through áll the éarth!
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.
How great is your name, Lord, through all the earth.
Psalm-prayer
Almighty Lord, how wonderful is your name. You have made every creature subject to you; make us worthy to give you service.
Or:
Lord, creator of all that is, you made your Son one of us, a little less than the angels. When you crowned him with honour and glory, you raised the dignity of man beyond the skies. Always care for us, your royal children in your Son, the new Adam, so that one day we may be radiant with his splendour.
________
Short Reading
Wisdom 7:13-14
What I learned without self-interest, I pass on without reserve; I do not intend to hide her riches. For she is an inexhaustible treasure to men, and those who acquire her win God’s friendship, commended as they are to him by the benefits of her teaching.
________
Short Responsory
The people tell about the wisdom of the saints.
– The people tell about the wisdom of the saints.
The Church sings their praises.
– The people tell about the wisdom of the saints.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– The people tell about the wisdom of the saints.
________
Canticle
Benedictus
The Messiah and the one who was sent before him
The learned will shine as brightly as the vault of heaven, and those who have instructed many in virtue will shine like stars for all eternity.
Bléssed be the Lórd, the Gód of Ísrael! *
He has vísited his péople and redéemed them.
He has raised úp for ús a mighty sáviour *
in the hóuse of Dávid his sérvant,
as he prómised by the líps of holy mén, *
thóse who were his próphets from of óld.
A sáviour who would frée us from our fóes, *
from the hánds of áll who háte us.
So his lóve for our fáthers is fulfílled *
and his hóly covenant remémbered.
He swóre to Ábraham our fáther to gránt us, *
that frée from féar, and sáved from the hánds of our fóes,
we might sérve him in hóliness and jústice *
all the dáys of our lífe in his présence.
As for yóu, little chíld, *
you shall be cálled a próphet of Gód, the Most Hígh.
You shall go ahéad of the Lórd *
to prépare his wáys befóre him,
To make knówn to his péople their salvátion *
through forgíveness of áll their síns,
the loving-kíndness of the héart of our Gód *
who vísits us like the dáwn from on hígh.
He will give líght to those in dárkness, †
those who dwéll in the shádow of déath, *
and gúide us into the wáy of péace.
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 learned will shine as brightly as the vault of heaven, and those who have instructed many in virtue will shine like stars for all eternity.
________
Prayers and intercessions
Christ, the good shepherd, laid down his life for his sheep. Let us praise him with grateful hearts, as we pray:
– Lord, nourish the lives of your people.
Christ our Lord, in the holy pastors you reveal your love for us;
may we never be deprived of the care you show through them.
– Lord, nourish the lives of your people.
Through your sacred ministers you are present in our midst as the shepherd of our souls;
never cease to guide us through their teaching and encouragement.
– Lord, nourish the lives of your people.
In the saints who lead your people, you manifest your power of healing souls and bodies;
remain always with us to renew our lives in holiness.
– Lord, nourish the lives of your people.
By the example of the saints you instruct your faithful in the ways of wisdom and love;
through our pastors, help us grow to the full stature of perfection.
– Lord, nourish the lives of your people.
________
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 gave Saint John of the Cross
the grace of complete self-denial
and an ardent love for the cross of Christ.
Grant that by following always in his footsteps
we may come to the eternal vision of your glory.
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.
Copyright © 1996-2019 Universalis Publishing Limited: see www.universalis.com. Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible are published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc, and used by permission of the publishers. Text of the Psalms: Copyright © 1963, The Grail (England). Used with permission of A.P. Watt Ltd. All rights reserved.