Thursday 29 April 2021
Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin, Doctor
on Thursday of the 4th week of Eastertide
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
All hail the power of Jesus’ name;
Let Angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem
To crown him Lord of all.
Crown him, ye Martyrs of your God,
Who from his altar call;
Praise him whose way of pain ye trod,
And crown him Lord of all.
Hail him, ye heirs of David’s line,
Whom David Lord did call;
The God Incarnate, Man Divine,
And crown him Lord of all.
Let every tribe and every tongue
To him their hearts enthral,
Lift high the universal song,
And crown him Lord of all.
________
Psalm 142 (143)
A prayer in time of trouble
“A man is made righteous not by obedience to the Law, but by faith in Jesus Christ” (Gal 2:16).
For your name’s sake, Lord, give me life. Alleluia.
Lord, listen to my prayer:
turn your ear to my appeal.
You are faithful, you are just; give answer.
Do not call your servant to judgement
for no one is just in your sight.
The enemy pursues my soul;
he has crushed my life to the ground;
he has made me dwell in darkness
like the dead, long forgotten.
Therefore my spirit fails;
my heart is numb within me.
I remember the days that are past:
I ponder all your works.
I muse on what your hand has wrought
and to you I stretch out my hands.
Like a parched land my soul thirsts for you.
Lord, make haste and answer;
for my spirit fails within me.
Do not hide your face
lest I become like those in the grave.
In the morning let me know your love
for I put my trust in you.
Make me know the way I should walk:
to you I lift up my soul.
Rescue me, Lord, from my enemies;
I have fled to you for refuge.
Teach me to do your will
for you, O Lord, are my God.
Let your good spirit guide me
in ways that are level and smooth.
For your name’s sake, Lord, save my life;
in your justice save my soul from distress.
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.
Psalm-prayer
Lord Jesus, early in the morning of your resurrection, you made your love known and brought the first light of dawn to those who dwell in darkness. Your death has opened a path for us. Do not enter into judgement with your servants; let your Holy Spirit guide us together into the land of justice.
________
Canticle
(Isaiah 66)
Consolation and joy in the holy city
“The Jerusalem which is above is free and is our mother” (Gal 4:26).
I will see you again, and then your hearts will be filled with joy. Alleluia.
Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her,
all you who love her;
rejoice with her in joy,
all you who mourn over her;
That you may suck and be satisfied
with her consoling breasts;
that you may drink deeply with delight
from the abundance of her glory.
For thus says the Lord:
Behold, I will extend prosperity to her like a river,
and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream;
and you shall suck, you shall be carried upon her hip,
and dandled upon her knees.
As one whom his mother comforts,
so I will comfort you;
you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice;
your bones shall flourish like the 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
“You, O God, we worship; you, O Lord, we adore.”
The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he heals the broken-hearted. Alleluia.
Praise the Lord for he is good;
sing to our God for he is loving:
to him our praise is due.
The Lord builds up Jerusalem
and brings back Israel’s exiles,
he heals the broken-hearted,
he binds up all their wounds.
He fixes the number of the stars;
he calls each one by its name.
Our Lord is great and almighty;
his wisdom can never be measured.
The Lord raises the lowly;
he humbles the wicked to the dust.
O sing to the Lord giving thanks;
sing psalms to our God with the harp.
He covers the heavens with clouds;
he prepares the rain for the earth,
making mountains sprout with grass
and with plants to serve man’s needs.
He provides the beasts with their food
and young ravens that call upon him.
His delight is not in horses
nor his pleasure in warriors’ strength.
The Lord delights in those who revere him,
in those who wait for his love.
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.
Psalm-prayer
God our Father, great builder of the heavenly Jerusalem, you know the number of the stars and call each of them by name. Heal hearts that are broken, gather together those who have been scattered, and enrich us all from the plenitude of your eternal wisdom.
Or:
God, all-powerful and ever-living, from the beginning you have founded the holy Jerusalem. Gather the dispersed of Israel into your Church and heal the wounds our sins have caused. You clothe the lily with splendour and feed the birds of the air with your bounty. Grant to all who hope in you health of mind and body until the heights of heavenly Jerusalem rise before us.
________
Short Reading
Song of Songs 8:7
Love is something that no flood can quench, no torrents drown. Were a man to offer all the wealth of his house to buy love, contempt is all he would purchase.
________
Short Responsory
My heart has said of you: I have sought your presence, Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
– My heart has said of you: I have sought your presence, Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
It is your face that I will continue to seek.
– My heart has said of you: I have sought your presence, Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– My heart has said of you: I have sought your presence, Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
________
Canticle
Benedictus
The Messiah and the one who was sent before him
The holy virgin, Saint Catherine, never ceased praying to God to let peace return to his holy Church, alleluia.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel!
He has visited his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up for us a mighty saviour
in the house of David his servant,
as he promised by the lips of holy men,
those who were his prophets from of old.
A saviour who would free us from our foes,
from the hands of all who hate us.
So his love for our fathers is fulfilled
and his holy covenant remembered.
He swore to Abraham our father to grant us,
that free from fear, and saved from the hands of our foes,
we might serve him in holiness and justice
all the days of our life in his presence.
As for you, little child,
you shall be called a prophet of God, the Most High.
You shall go ahead of the Lord
to prepare his ways before him,
To make known to his people their salvation
through forgiveness of all their sins,
the loving-kindness of the heart of our God
who visits us like the dawn from on high.
He will give light to those in darkness,
those who dwell in the shadow of death,
and guide us into the way 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 holy virgin, Saint Catherine, never ceased praying to God to let peace return to his holy Church, alleluia.
________
Prayers and intercessions
With great joy let us praise Christ, the bridegroom of all virgins.
– Jesus, crown of virgins, hear us.
Lord Jesus, the holy virgins loved you as their only spouse;
may we never be separated from you.
– Jesus, crown of virgins, hear us.
You crowned your mother Mary as queen of all virgins;
by her prayers grant that we may serve you in purity of life.
– Jesus, crown of virgins, hear us.
The holy virgins followed you with undivided hearts;
do not allow us to be fascinated by this passing world and drawn away from you.
– Jesus, crown of virgins, hear us.
Lord Jesus, you are the bridegroom that the wise virgins were ready to meet;
let us watch for your coming with longing and hope.
– Jesus, crown of virgins, hear us.
May Saint N., who reigns in your kingdom, intercede for us;
through her prayers grant us wisdom and innocence of life.
– Jesus, crown of virgins, hear 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.
________
Almighty God, you made Saint Catherine of Siena
a contemplative lover of the Lord’s sufferings
and an ardent servant of your church.
Grant through her prayer
that your people may be united to Christ in his mystery,
and rejoice for ever in the revelation of his glory.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
________
The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
Copyright © 1996-2021 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.