Morning Prayer (Lauds)
If you have already recited the Invitatory Psalm today, you should use
the alternative opening.
Lord, open our lips.
And we shall praise your name.
| Invitatory Psalm | Psalm 94 (95) |
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How wonderful is God among his saints: come, let us adore him.
(repeat antiphon*)
Come, let us rejoice in the Lord,
let us acclaim God our salvation.
Let us come before him proclaiming our thanks,
let us acclaim him with songs.
(repeat antiphon*)
For the Lord is a great God,
a king above all gods.
For he holds the depths of the earth in his hands,
and the peaks of the mountains are his.
For the sea is his: he made it;
and his hands formed the dry land.
(repeat antiphon*)
Come, let us worship and bow down,
bend the knee before the Lord who made us;
for he himself is our God and we are his flock,
the sheep that follow his hand.
(repeat antiphon*)
If only, today, you would listen to his voice:
“Do not harden your hearts
as you did at Meribah,
on the day of Massah in the desert,
when your fathers tested me –
they put me to the test,
although they had seen my works.”
(repeat antiphon*)
“For forty years they wearied me,
that generation.
I said: their hearts are wandering,
they do not know my paths.
I swore in my anger:
they will never enter my place of rest.”
(repeat antiphon*)
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.
(repeat antiphon*)
* If you are reciting this on your own, you can choose to say the antiphon once only at the start of the psalm and not repeat it.
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 76 (77)
Remembering the works of the Lord
Your ways, O God, are holy: what god is as great as our God?
I cried out loud to the Lord,
cried out to God, and he turned to me.
In my time of trouble I sought for God,
my hands stretched out all night long,
tireless in supplication.
My soul will not be consoled:
I think of God, and I sigh;
I meditate, and my spirit fails.
You have kept me awake, my eyes open;
in my distress, I did not speak.
I pondered on the days of old,
thought through the immemorial years.
In the night I meditated in my heart.
I was troubled, and I asked my soul:
Will God reject you for ever,
will he never again take you into his favour?
Has his kindness ended for ever,
his word come to an end for all generations?
Will God forget to show mercy,
will he lock up his mercies in his anger?
And I said, “I am wounded indeed,
that the Most High has changed.”
I will remember the works of the Lord.
I will remember your wonders, from the beginning.
I will ponder on all you have done,
think deeply through all your great deeds.
O God, your ways are holy:
what god is as great as our God?
You are God, you work wonders,
you made known your strength to your people.
By your own action you redeemed your people,
the children of Jacob and of Joseph.
The waters saw you, O God,
the waters saw you and writhed,
stirred up even to their depths.
The clouds poured down water,
the clouds sounded their voice,
your arrows shot forth.
Your voice thundered in the whirlwind,
your lightnings lit up the world,
the earth trembled and shook.
Your way led through the sea,
your paths through the great waters,
your steps left no trace behind them.
You led your people like a flock,
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
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.
Your ways, O God, are holy: what god is as great as our God?
The song of Hannah, mother of Samuel
My heart exults in the Lord: he humbles and he exalts.
My heart rejoices in the Lord,
my strength is raised up in the name of my God.
I cry out in triumph over my enemies
as I rejoice in your deliverance.
No-one is like the Lord, for he is holy;
no-one is like our God, for he is strong.
Do not pile boasting upon boasting:
keep proud words far from your mouth,
for the Lord is the God of all knowledge
and the judge of all actions.
The bow of the mighty is broken,
and the weak are clothed in strength.
Those who fed well must hire themselves out, for bread;
but the hungry are hungry no longer.
The barren woman has given birth to many;
but she who had many sons is left desolate.
The Lord brings death and brings life;
he leads down to the underworld and rescues from it.
The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
he lays low and raises up.
He lifts the needy from the dust and the poor from the dunghill
to sit among princes
to sit on the throne of glory.
To the Lord belong the poles of the earth;
from them he has suspended the world.
He will keep safe the feet of his chosen,
but the impious will be silent in the darkness
– for it is not by his own strength that a man becomes strong.
The Lord grinds down his enemies:
he will thunder on them from the heavens.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth,
give dominion to his king,
and raise up the standard of his anointed one.
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.
My heart exults in the Lord: he humbles and he exalts.
Psalm 96 (97)
The glory of God in his judgements
The Lord is king, let earth rejoice.†
The Lord reigns! Let the earth rejoice,
let the many islands be glad.
Clouds and dark mist surround him,
his throne is founded on law and justice.
Fire precedes him,
burning up his enemies all around.
His lightnings light up the globe;
the earth sees and trembles.
The mountains flow like wax at the sight of the Lord,
at the sight of the Lord the earth dissolves.
The heavens proclaim his justice
and all peoples see his glory.
Let them be dismayed, who worship carved things,
who take pride in the images they make.
All his angels, worship him.
Zion heard and was glad,
the daughters of Judah rejoiced
because of your judgements, O Lord.
For you are the Lord, the Most High over all the earth,
far above all other gods.
You who love the Lord, hate evil!
The Lord protects the lives of his consecrated ones:
he will free them from the hands of sinners.
A light has arisen for the just,
and gladness for the upright in heart.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord
and proclaim his holiness.
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 king, let earth rejoice.
| Scripture Reading | Romans 12:1-2 © |
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Think of God’s mercy, my brothers, and worship him, I beg you, in a way that is worthy of thinking beings, by offering your living bodies as a holy sacrifice, truly pleasing to God. Do not model yourselves on the behaviour of the world around you, but let your behaviour change, modelled by your new mind. This is the only way to discover the will of God and know what is good, what it is that God wants, what is the perfect thing to do.
The just shall rejoice in the sight of God.
– The just shall rejoice in the sight of God.
They shall be filled with gladness.
– The just shall rejoice in the sight of God.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– The just shall rejoice in the sight of God.
The Messiah and his forerunner
Francis, the destitute and lowly, enters heaven a rich man, acclaimed by the songs of angels.
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.
Francis, the destitute and lowly, enters heaven a rich man, acclaimed by the songs of angels.
| Prayers and intercessions | |
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Let us praise Christ, the holy God, and ask that we may serve him in justice and holiness all the days of our life.
– Lord, you alone are holy.
You were tempted in every way that we are, but you did not sin;
Lord Jesus, have mercy on us.
– Lord, you alone are holy.
You have called us to grow in love until there is no longer fear;
Lord Jesus, make us holy.
– Lord, you alone are holy.
You have told us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world;
Lord Jesus, enlighten our minds and hearts.
– Lord, you alone are holy.
In a world of human need it was your will to serve and not to be served;
let us become like you, Lord Jesus, in the humble service of our brothers.
– Lord, you alone are holy.
You are the radiant brightness of God’s glory, the perfect likeness of his nature;
Lord Jesus, let us see the splendour of your face.
– Lord, you alone are holy.
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, you made Saint Francis of Assisi
Christ-like in his poverty and humility.
Help us so to walk in his ways that,
with joy and love,
we may follow Christ your Son,
and be united to you.
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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