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 my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
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.

A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.

Psalm 5
A morning prayer for help
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 pray to you in the morning, Lord, listen to my voice; 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.

Psalm 5

A morning prayer for help

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 pray to you in the morning, Lord, listen to my voice; 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.

Canticle	1 Chronicles 29
To God alone be honour and glory
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.

Canticle

1 Chronicles 29

To God alone be honour and glory

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.

Psalm 28 (29)
Praise the word of the Lord
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.

Psalm 28 (29)

Praise the word of the Lord

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.

A short Bible reading and responsory may follow here.

Canticle	Benedictus
The Messiah and his forerunner
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.

Canticle

Benedictus

The Messiah and his forerunner

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.

Some short prayers may follow here, to offer up the day's work to God.

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 that trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

A concluding prayer may follow here.

May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life.

A M E N

REgnum Christi

Payback Time
June 5, 2006

God doesn´t give up on us after one try. He often sends a number of messengers into our lives to draw us closer to him.

Boniface, bishop and martyr
Father Edward McIlmail, LC

Mark 12:1-12
Jesus began to speak to the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders in parables. "A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey. At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants to obtain from them some of the produce of the vineyard. But they seized him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent them another servant. And that one they beat over the head and treated shamefully. He sent yet another whom they killed. So, too, many others; some they beat, others they killed. He had one other to send, a beloved son. He sent him to them last of all, thinking, ´They will respect my son.´ But those tenants said to one another, ´This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.´ So they seized him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come, put the tenants to death, and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this scripture passage: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?" They were seeking to arrest him, but they feared the crowd, for they realized that he had addressed the parable to them. So they left him and went away.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I come before you humbly. As one who has frequently fallen into sin, I am aware of my weakness. Your great love, though, assures me that your grace can keep me on the path to holiness.

Petition: Let me see more clearly, Lord, what you are asking of me. Let me know what you want me to give back to you and to others.

1. Stand Corrected. Being corrected hurts. Being corrected in public hurts even more. And having one´s whole way of life corrected -- well, that really stings. And so it must have been for the group of leaders who approached Jesus. Our Lord, in a not-so-subtle way, tells them that they are wrong. Wrong about their self-righteousness, wrong about their narrow reading of Scripture, and wrong about how they think God works in the world. This blinded them to the Son of God when he came among them. We like to think we would have been different ― we would not have rejected Jesus, we tell ourselves. Are we so sure? Aren´t we really like the leaders of Jesus´ time when we fail to listen to his agents ― a bishop, a parish priest, a legitimate superior? Have I said no to him lately?

2. "Another Servant." God doesn´t give up on us after one try. He often sends a number of messengers into our lives to draw us closer to him. Such is the illogic of a Father´s love. Where do we miss the clues that God sends us? It could be in something a child says, a line from a homily, an e-mail from a friend in crisis ― these are the ordinary means God uses to reach out to us. Old Testament prophets faced rejection by the people of God. Have things changed much? Could I be turning a deaf ear to a prophet?

3. "This Is the Heir." The tenant farmers don´t seem very bright. They murder the son in order to get his inheritance. What father would give an inheritance to someone who killed his son? It doesn´t make sense. Then again, sin doesn´t make sense either. Many times we reject Christ in our life and then wonder why our prayers to God the Father go (seemingly) unanswered. What could we be thinking? How often do I offer up a sacrifice or an act of charity for a prayer intention?

Dialogue with Christ: Let me live up to the demands of my faith, Lord. Let me realize that my dignity as a Christian demands that I try to live a life worthy of my baptism ― that I not be satisfied living like everyone else.

Resolution: I will offer up a decade of the Rosary for a family member who is far from the faith.