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 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 50 (51) God, have mercy on me O God, you will not spurn a humbled, contrite heart. 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 God, you will not spurn a humbled, contrite heart. Canticle Habakkuk 3 The Lord will appear in judgement In spite of your anger, Lord, have compassion. Lord, I heard what you gave me to hear, and I was struck with awe of your work. In the midst of the years, bring it to life; in the midst of the years you will make it known. When you are angry, you will remember your mercy. God will come from Theman, the holy one from the mountain of Pharan. His glory has covered the heavens and the earth is full of his praise. His brightness shall be like light itself, rays shining from his hands – there is his strength hidden. You went forth for the salvation of the people, for salvation with your anointed one. You made a way through the sea for your horses, in the silt of many waters. I have heard you, Lord, and my stomach churns within me; at the sound of your voice my lips tremble. My bones rot away, my steps stumble. I will rest and be quiet on the day of tribulation and let it overtake those who have invaded us. For the fig will not flower, the vines will not fruit, the work of the olive will be lost. The fields will yield no food, the flocks will be cut off from the sheepfold, there will be no cattle in the stalls. But I will rejoice in the Lord, take joy in God my saviour. The Lord God is my strength. He will make me as sure-footed as the deer. He will lead me up to the heights. 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. In spite of your anger, Lord, have compassion. Psalm 147 (147B) God, the foundation of Jerusalem O praise the Lord, Jerusalem. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem — Zion, praise your God. For he has strengthened the bars of your gates, he has blessed your children. He keeps your borders in peace, he fills you with the richest wheat. He sends out his command over the earth, and swiftly runs his word. He sends down snow that is like wool, frost that is like ashes. He sends hailstones like crumbs — who can withstand his cold? He will send out his word, and all will be melted; his spirit will breathe, and the waters will flow. He proclaims his word to Jacob, his laws and judgements to Israel. He has not done this for other nations: he has not shown them his judgements. 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 praise the Lord, Jerusalem. Short Reading Isaiah 49:8-9 © I have formed you and have appointed you as a covenant of the people, to restore the land and distribute the estates that lie waste, to say to prisoners, ‘Come out’, to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’ 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 his forerunner We saw his star rising in the East and we have come with gifts to adore the Lord. 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. We saw his star rising in the East and we have come with gifts to adore the Lord. Prayers and intercessions The Word of God, eternally begotten of the Father, became in the fulness of time a child born for us and a son given to us. Let us praise him: – Blessed be the Lord. Lord Jesus, be with us today; help us to live as men who have heard the good news of salvation. – Blessed be the Lord. Sun of Justice, radiance of God’s glory and light of the world; help those who live in darkness and find no answer to their problems. – Blessed be the Lord. For us you became a child at Bethlehem; renew the childlike simplicity of our faith. – Blessed be the Lord. You are the living bread, the source of eternal life; fill our hearts with joy through the sacrament of your body and blood. – Blessed be 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. God and Father, light of all mankind, make our hearts radiant with the splendour of that light which long ago you shed on our fathers in the faith, and give your people the joy of lasting peace. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and 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
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 06:39:00 +0000
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