Monday 6 January 2020
Monday after Epiphany Sunday
or Saint André Bessette
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
O more than mighty cities known,
Dear Bethlehem, in thee alone
Salvation’s Lord from heaven took birth
In human form upon the earth.
And from a star that far outshone
The radiant circle of the sun
In beauty, swift the tidings ran
Of God on earth in flesh of man.
The wise men, seeing him, so fair,
Bow low before him, and with prayer
Their treasured eastern gifts unfold
Of incense, myrrh, and royal gold.
The fragrant incense which they bring,
The gold, proclaim him God and King;
The bitter spicy dust of myrrh
Foreshadows his new sepulchre.
All glory, Lord, to thee we pay
For thine Epiphany today;
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete.
________
Psalm 41 (42)
Longing for the Lord and his temple
“Let all who are thirsty come; all who want it may have the water of life” (Rev 22:17).
When can I enter and see the face of God?
Líke the déer that yéarns *
for rúnning stréams,
só my sóul is yéarning *
for yóu, my Gód.
My sóul is thírsting for Gód, *
the Gód of my lífe;
whén can I énter and sée *
the fáce of Gód?
My téars have becóme my bréad, *
by níght, by dáy,
as I héar it sáid all the day lóng: *
‘Whére is your Gód?’
Thése things will Í remémber *
as I póur out my sóul:
how I would léad the rejóicing crówd *
into the hóuse of Gód,
amid críes of gládness and thanksgíving, *
the thróng wild with jóy.
Whý are you cast dówn, my sóul, *
why gróan withín me?
Hope in Gód; I will práise him stíll, *
my sáviour and my Gód.
My sóul is cast dówn withín me *
as I thínk of yóu,
from the cóuntry of Jórdan and Mount Hérmon, *
from the Híll of Mízar.
Déep is cálling on déep, *
in the róar of wáters;
your tórrents and áll your wáves *
swept óver mé.
By dáy the Lórd will sénd *
his lóving kíndness;
by níght I will síng to hím, *
praise the Gód of my lífe.
I will sáy to Gód, my róck: *
‘Whý have you forgótten me?
Whý do Í go móurning *
oppréssed by the fóe?’
With críes that píerce me to the héart, *
my énemies revíle me,
sáying to me áll the day lóng: *
‘Whére is your Gód?’
Whý are you cast dówn, my sóul, *
why gróan withín me?
Hope in Gód; I will práise him stíll, *
my sáviour and my Gód.
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.
When can I enter and see the face of God?
Psalm-prayer
Father in heaven, when your strength takes possession of us we no longer say: Why are you cast down, my soul? So now that the surging waves of your indignation have passed over us, let us feel the healing calm of your forgiveness. Inspire us to yearn for you always, like the deer for running streams, until you satisfy every longing in heaven.
Or:
Lord God, never-failing fountain of life eternal, by the saving waters of baptism you called us from the depths of sin, to the depths of mercy. Do not forget the trials of our exile, but from the wellspring of the Word, satisfy our thirst for you so we may come rejoicing to your holy mountain.
________
Canticle
Ecclesiasticus 36
A prayer for Jerusalem, the holy city
“This is eternal life: to know you, the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (Jn 17:3).
Show us, Lord, the light of your mercy.
Save us, God of all things, *
strike all the nations with terror;
raise your hand against foreign nations, *
that they may see the greatness of your might.
Our sufferings proved your holiness to them; *
let their downfall prove your glory to us.
Let them know, as we ourselves know, *
that there is no other God but you.
Give us signs again, work further wonders, *
clothe your hand, your right arm in glory.
Assemble all the tribes of Jacob, *
as when they first received their inheritance.
Pity the poor people called by your name, *
pity Israel, chosen as your first-born.
Have compassion on the holy city, *
Jerusalem, the place of your rest.
Let Sion ring with your praises, *
let your temple be filled with your glory.
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.
Show us, Lord, the light of your mercy.
________
Psalm 18 (19)
Praise of God the creator
“The Rising Sun has come to visit us to guide our feet in the way of peace” (Lk 1:78,79).
Blessed are you, Lord, in the vault of heaven.
The héavens procláim the glóry of Gód, *
and the fírmament shows fórth the wórk of his hánds.
Dáy unto dáy tákes up the stóry *
and níght unto níght makes knówn the méssage.
No spéech, no wórd, no vóice is héard †
yet their spán exténds through áll the éarth, *
their wórds to the útmost bóunds of the wórld.
Thére he has pláced a tént for the sún; †
it comes fórth like a brídegroom cóming from his tént, *
rejóices like a chámpion to rún its cóurse.
At the énd of the ský is the rísing of the sún; †
to the fúrthest énd of the ský is its cóurse. *
There is nóthing concéaled from its búrning héat.
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.
Blessed are you, Lord, in the vault of heaven.
Psalm-prayer
To enlighten the world, Father, you sent to us your Word as the sun of truth and justice shining upon mankind. Illumine our eyes that we may discern your glory in the many works of your hand.
________
Short Reading
Isaiah 9:5
There is a child born for us, a son given to us and dominion is laid on his shoulders; and this is the name they give him: Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God, Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace.
________
Short Responsory
All the kings of the earth will adore him.
– All the kings of the earth will adore him.
All the peoples will serve him.
– All the kings of the earth will adore him.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– All the kings of the earth will adore him.
________
Canticle
Benedictus
The Messiah and the one who was sent before him
The Magi came to Bethlehem from the East to adore the Lord; they opened their treasures and offered him precious gifts: gold for a great king, frankincense for the true God, myrrh for his burial, alleluia.
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 Magi came to Bethlehem from the East to adore the Lord; they opened their treasures and offered him precious gifts: gold for a great king, frankincense for the true God, myrrh for his burial, alleluia.
________
Prayers and intercessions
We praise you, Christ. Through you God’s salvation reaches to the boundaries of the earth.
– Glory to you, Christ the Lord.
Christ, our Redeemer, you have drawn all men to yourself;
break down the walls of prejudice that separate man from man.
– Glory to you, Christ the Lord.
You came to live among us:
help us to recognize all the ways you are present in the Church and in the lives of men and women.
– Glory to you, Christ the Lord.
In you God stands revealed:
may our belief and good works be consistent with your teaching.
– Glory to you, Christ the Lord.
Immanuel, God with men, renew our lives completely;
make us a people you can call your own.
– Glory to you, Christ the Lord.
________
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, may the radiance of your glory light up our hearts
and bring us through the shadows of this world
until we reach our homeland of everlasting light.
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.