Monday 7 March 2022
Monday of the 1st week of Lent
(optional commemoration of Saints Perpetua and Felicity, Martyrs)
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.
________
Hymn
Creator of the earth and skies,
To whom the words of life belong,
Grant us thy truth to make us wise;
Grant us thy power to make us strong.
Like theirs of old, our life is death,
Our light is darkness, till we see
The eternal Word made flesh and breath,
The God who walked by Galilee.
We have not known thee: to the skies
Our monuments of folly soar,
And all our self-wrought miseries
Have made us trust ourselves the more.
We have not loved thee: far and wide
The wreckage of our hatred spreads,
And evils wrought by human pride
Recoil on unrepentant heads.
For this, our foolish confidence,
Our pride of knowledge and our sin,
We come to thee in penitence;
In us the work of grace begin.
________
Psalm 5
A morning prayer for help
“Those who have received the Word of God which dwells within will rejoice for ever.”
It is you whom I invoke, O Lord. In the morning you hear me.
To my words give ear, O Lord,
give heed to my groaning.
Attend to the sound of my cries,
my King and my God.
It is you whom I invoke, O Lord.
In the morning you hear me;
in the morning I offer you my prayer,
watching and waiting.
You are no God who loves evil;
no sinner is your guest.
The boastful shall not stand their ground
before your face.
You hate all who do evil;
you destroy all who lie.
The deceitful and bloodthirsty man
the Lord detests.
But I through the greatness of your love
have access to your house.
I bow down before your holy temple,
filled with awe.
Lead me, Lord, in your justice,
because of those who lie in wait;
make clear your way before me.
No truth can be found in their mouths,
their heart is all mischief,
their throat a wide-open grave,
all honey their speech.
All those you protect shall be glad
and ring out their joy.
You shelter them; in you they rejoice,
those who love your name.
It is you who bless the just man, Lord:
you surround him with favour as with a shield.
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.
It is you whom I invoke, O Lord. In the morning you hear me.
Psalm-prayer
Lord, all justice and all goodness come from you; you hate evil and abhor lies. Lead us, your servants, in the path of your justice, so that all who hope in you may rejoice with the Church and in Christ.
________
Canticle
1 Chronicles 29
To God alone be honour and glory
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 1:3).
Lord our God, we praise the splendour of your name.
Blessed are you, O Lord,
the God of Israel our father,
for ever and ever.
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power,
and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty;
for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours.
Yours is the kingdom, O Lord,
and you are exalted as head above all.
Both riches and honour come from you,
and you rule over all.
In your hand are power and might;
and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.
And now we thank you, our God,
and praise your glorious name.
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 our God, we praise the splendour of your name.
________
Psalm 28 (29)
Praise the word of the Lord
“A voice was heard from heaven, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son’” (Mt 3:17).
Adore the Lord in his holy court.
O give the Lord, you sons of God,
give the Lord glory and power;
give the Lord the glory of his name.
Adore the Lord in his holy court.
The Lord’s voice resounding on the waters,
the Lord on the immensity of waters;
the voice of the Lord, full of power,
the voice of the Lord, full of splendour.
The Lord’s voice shattering the cedars,
the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon;
he makes Lebanon leap like a calf
and Sirion like a young wild ox.
The Lord’s voice flashes flames of fire.
The Lord’s voice shaking the wilderness,
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh;
the Lord’s voice rending the oak tree
and stripping the forest bare.
The God of glory thunders.
In his temple they all cry: ‘Glory!’
The Lord sat enthroned over the flood;
the Lord sits as king for ever.
The Lord will give strength to his people,
the Lord will bless his people with 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.
Adore the Lord in his holy court.
Psalm-prayer
You live for ever, Lord and King. All things of the earth justly sing your glory and honour. Strengthen your people against evil that we may rejoice in your peace and trust in your eternal promise.
Or:
Your voice sounds over the waters, Lord, as you reign above the flood. May we, who are born again in Christ by the new gift of water, praise your wonderful deeds with him in your holy temple.
________
Short Reading
Exodus 19:4-6
You yourselves have seen what I did with the Egyptians, how I carried you on eagle’s wings and brought you to myself. From this you know that now, if you obey my voice and hold fast to my covenant, you of all the nations shall be my very own for all the earth is mine. I will count you a kingdom of priests, a consecrated nation.
________
Short Responsory
It is he who will free me from the snare of the hunters.
– It is he who will free me from the snare of the hunters.
And from the evil word.
– It is he who will free me from the snare of the hunters.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– It is he who will free me from the snare of the hunters.
________
Canticle
Benedictus
The Messiah and the one who was sent before him
Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
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.
Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
________
Prayers and intercessions
Blessed be Jesus, our Saviour. Through his death he has opened up for us the way of salvation. Let us pray:
– Direct your people, Lord, in the path of true life.
Merciful God, in baptism you gave us a life that is new;
may we ever grow in your likeness.
– Direct your people, Lord, in the path of true life.
Let us bring joy this day to those who are in need;
and draw us nearer to you through the help we give them.
– Direct your people, Lord, in the path of true life.
Help us to do what is right and good;
let us seek you always with all our heart.
– Direct your people, Lord, in the path of true life.
Forgive us for the times we have hurt other people, and failed to preserve the unity of your family;
Lord, have mercy on us.
– Direct your people, Lord, in the path of true life.
________
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.
________
Turn our hearts back to you, God our Saviour;
form us by your heavenly teaching,
so that we may truly profit by our Lenten observance.
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 © 1996-2022 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.