Universalis
Thursday 15 January 2026    (other days)
Saint Ita, Virgin 
 on Thursday of week 1 in Ordinary Time

Using calendar: Ireland. You can change this.

Morning Prayer (Lauds)

If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, you should precede it with the Invitatory Psalm.
Based on the liturgy for the Common of One Virgin.

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
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 56 (57)
Morning prayer in time of affliction

Awake, lyre and harp: I will awake the dawn.
Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.
  My soul flies to you for refuge.
I will hide in the shelter of your wings
  until the time of ambush is past.
I will cry to God the Most High,
  to the God who cares for me.
He will send help from heaven to set me free.
  He will disgrace those who trample me underfoot.
  He will send forth his mercy and faithfulness.
My soul lies among lion-cubs
  that would devour the children of men.
Their teeth are spears and arrows,
  their tongues are pointed swords.
May you be exalted above the heavens, O God;
  let your glory cover the whole earth.
They prepared a trap for my feet;
  my soul was bent double under its burden;
they dug a pit in front of me
  – but they fell into it themselves.
My heart is ready, God.
  My heart is ready.
  I will offer you music and song.
Awake, my glory,
  awake, lyre and harp.
  I will awaken the dawn.
I will proclaim you among the peoples, Lord,
  and make music for you among the nations,
for your mercy reaches as high as the heavens,
  your faithfulness to the clouds.
May you be exalted above the heavens, O God;
  let your glory cover the earth.
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.
Awake, lyre and harp: I will awake the dawn.

CanticleJeremiah 31

The joy of those whom God sets free

Thus says the Lord: my people shall be filled with my good things.
All you nations, listen to the word of the Lord,
  proclaim it in the farthest islands:
“He who scattered his people Israel
  has brought them back together.
  He will care for them as a shepherd tends his flock.”
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob
  and freed him from the hand of his conqueror.
They will come and sing praises on Mount Zion,
  they will flood in to receive the good things of the Lord,
  grain, and wine, and oil,
  and the young of both herd and flock.
Their spirit will be like a richly watered garden,
  and they will hunger no more.
The young girl will dance for joy,
  young men and old men too.
“I will turn their weeping into gladness,” says the Lord,
  “I will comfort them and give them joy after sorrow.
  I will overwhelm my priests with rich food,
  and my good things will fill my people to overflowing.”
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.
Thus says the Lord: my people shall be filled with my good things.

Psalm 47 (48)
Thanksgiving for the safety of the people

The Lord is great and worthy to be praised in the city of our God.†
The Lord is great and greatly to be praised
  in the city of our God.
His holy mountain is a beautiful sight,
  the joy of all the earth.
Mount Zion is at its northernmost edge,
  the city of the great king.
Here among its palaces,
  God has shown himself as its refuge.
For the kings assembled,
  made alliance against it –
but when they saw it, they were amazed.
  Panic took them and they scattered.
Trembling took hold of them,
  pain like that of childbirth.
With the east wind
  you will destroy the ships of Tarshish.
What we had heard, we saw in the city of the Lord of hosts,
  in the city of our God,
  which God has founded for ever.
We ponder your mercy, O God,
  as we stand in your temple.
Your name, O Lord, and your praise
  will reach to the ends of the earth.
  Your right hand delivers justice.
Let Mount Zion be glad
  and the daughters of Judah rejoice,
  because of your judgements.
Go round Zion, see it all,
  count every tower.
Feel its strength,
  visit its palaces,
  so that you can tell the next generation –
Here is God, our God,
  here he remains for ever;
  and for ever he will lead us and guide 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.
The Lord is great and worthy to be praised in the city of our God.

Scripture 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.
My heart has said of you: I have sought your presence, Lord.
It is your face that I will continue to seek.
My heart has said of you: I have sought your presence, Lord.
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.

CanticleBenedictus

The Messiah and his forerunner

See, the wise virgin has gone to Christ: she shines among the choirs of virgins like the sun in the heavens.
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.
See, the wise virgin has gone to Christ: she shines among the choirs of virgins like the sun in the heavens.

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.

Lord God, it was through the power of your Spirit
  that Saint Ita was tireless in caring for the afflicted
  and in guiding the young towards holiness,
and so we pray:
  prepare in our hearts, as you prepared in hers, a home where you will dwell.
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.

The psalms and canticles here are our own translation from the Latin. The Grail translation of the psalms, which is used liturgically in most of the English-speaking world, cannot be displayed on the Web for copyright reasons. The Universalis apps and programs do contain the Grail translation of the psalms.

You can also view this page in Latin and English.


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