Morning Prayer (Lauds)
If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, you should precede it with the
Invitatory Psalm.
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.
Hark! a herald voice is calling
Through the shadows of the night
‘Cast away the dreams of darkness
Christ descends with heavenly light.’
Wakened by the solemn warning,
Let the earthbound soul arise;
Christ, her sun, all sloth dispelling,
Shines upon the morning skies.
Lo, the Lamb, so long expected,
Comes with pardon down from heav’n;
Let us haste, with tears of sorrow,
One and all to be forgiv’n;
So, when next he comes with glory,
And his judgement-day draws near,
Faithful he may find his servants,
Watching till their Lord appear.
Honour, glory, might, and blessing
To the Father and the Son,
With the everlasting Spirit,
While eternal ages run.
Psalm 5
A morning prayer for help
It is you whom I invoke, O Lord. In the morning you hear me.
Let my words come to your ears, O Lord:
hear my sighs.
Listen to the voice of my crying,
my King and my God.
As I make my prayer to you,
Lord, listen to my voice in the morning;
in the morning I will stand before you and await you.
You are not a God who loves evil.
The wicked cannot stay near you,
the unjust cannot remain in your presence.
You hate all who do evil –
you destroy all who speak falsehood –
the Lord abominates the bloody and deceitful man.
But in the abundance of your mercy you will admit me to your house:
I will worship you in your holy temple, with fear and reverence.
Lord, guide me in your justice, protect me from my enemies:
let me see the path I must follow.
For there is no truth in their mouth – their heart is a bottomless pit –
their throat is a wide open grave – their tongue seduces.
Punish them, Lord,
and let their own plans destroy them.
On account of their crimes, thrust them from your presence;
for they are rebels against you.
Let all who hope in you rejoice, triumph for ever.
You will shelter them and they will glory in you.
For you bless the just, O Lord,
and your good will surrounds them like 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.
To God alone be honour and glory
Lord our God, we praise the splendour of your name.
Blessed are you, Lord, God of our father Israel,
through all the ages.
All power and greatness are yours, O God;
glory, splendour, and majesty.
All things are yours, in the heavens and on the earth;
you rule over them, Lord, you are high above them all.
All riches and glory come from you,
you rule over all things.
In your hand lie strength and power,
your hand raises all things and sets them firm.
So now, our God, we give you thanks,
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
Adore the Lord in his holy court.
Give to the Lord, all his children,
his glory and power,
give to the Lord the glory of his name.
Worship the Lord in holy splendour.
The voice of the Lord is heard over the waters:
the God of majesty thunders,
God above all the waters.
The voice of the Lord in his power,
the voice of the Lord in his greatness.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars,
the Lord breaks down the cedars of Lebanon.
The Lord makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
Sirion like a wild ox.
The voice of the Lord cuts flames in two;
the voice of the Lord beats on the desert,
the Lord stuns the desert of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord puts the deer to flight,
it empties the thickets;
in his sanctuary, all praise his glory.
The Lord dwells above the raging flood,
he is enthroned 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.
| Scripture Reading | Isaiah 2:3 © |
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Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Temple of the God of Jacob that he may teach us his ways so that we may walk in his paths; since the Law will go out from Zion, and the oracle of the Lord from Jerusalem.
The glory of the Lord will shine on you, Jerusalem. Like the sun he will rise over you.
– The glory of the Lord will shine on you, Jerusalem. Like the sun he will rise over you.
His glory will appear in your midst.
– The glory of the Lord will shine on you, Jerusalem. Like the sun he will rise over you.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– The glory of the Lord will shine on you, Jerusalem. Like the sun he will rise over you.
The Messiah and his forerunner
Lift up your eyes, Jerusalem, and see the power of the king. Behold, the Saviour comes. He will free you from your bonds.
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.
Lift up your eyes, Jerusalem, and see the power of the king. Behold, the Saviour comes. He will free you from your bonds.
| Prayers and intercessions | |
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As we take up again our daily work, we turn to Christ and ask for his blessing.
– Come, Lord Jesus!
Christ, you are the Daystar, powerfully dispelling our darkness:
awaken our faith from sleep.
– Come, Lord Jesus!
Reveal your presence in the world
through the lives of Christian men and women.
– Come, Lord Jesus!
Come to create a new world,
where justice and peace may find a home.
– Come, Lord Jesus!
End the long night of our pride,
and make us humble of heart.
– Come, Lord Jesus!
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.
Give us the grace, Lord, to be ever on the watch for Christ your Son.
When he comes and knocks at our door,
let him find us alert in prayer,
joyfully proclaiming 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.
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.
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