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 107 (108)
Praise of the Lord and a plea for help
My heart is ready, O God – my heart is ready. I shall sing and make music. Awake, my glory! Rise up, harp and lyre! We will awaken the dawn. I will proclaim you to the peoples, O Lord, sing of you to the nations: for your kindness is great, it reaches the heavens; great is your faithfulness, high as the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory stretch over the earth. Give deliverance to your beloved, let your right hand bring safety – answer my prayer! God has spoken from his holy place: “I shall triumph, dividing Shechem, measuring off the vale of Succoth. Gilead is mine, mine is Manasseh; Ephraim my helmet, Judah my sceptre. But Moab shall be my wash-basin, on Edom I will place my sandal; I will cry in triumph over the Philistine”. Who shall lead me to the fortified city? Who shall lead me to Edom? Surely you, God – although you rejected us. Will you not come out, O God, with our armies? Give us help in our troubles, for vain is the help of man. With God we shall triumph – he will trample our enemies. 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 107 (108)

Praise of the Lord and a plea for help

My heart is ready, O God –
my heart is ready.
I shall sing and make music.
Awake, my glory!
Rise up, harp and lyre!
We will awaken the dawn.

I will proclaim you to the peoples, O Lord,
sing of you to the nations:
for your kindness is great, it reaches the heavens;
great is your faithfulness, high as the clouds.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory stretch over the earth.
Give deliverance to your beloved,
let your right hand bring safety – answer my prayer!

God has spoken from his holy place:
“I shall triumph, dividing Shechem,
measuring off the vale of Succoth.
Gilead is mine, mine is Manasseh;
Ephraim my helmet, Judah my sceptre.
But Moab shall be my wash-basin,
on Edom I will place my sandal;
I will cry in triumph over the Philistine”.

Who shall lead me to the fortified city?
Who shall lead me to Edom?
Surely you, God – although you rejected us.
Will you not come out, O God, with our armies?
Give us help in our troubles,
for vain is the help of man.
With God we shall triumph –
he will trample our enemies.

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	Isaiah 61-62
The prophet rejoices over the new Jerusalem
I will rejoice with joy in the Lord, and my spirit shall be joyful in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation and wrapped me round with the robe of justice, like a bridegroom decked with a crown, like a bride adorned with her jewels. Just as the earth sends up its shoots, and the garden makes its seeds to sprout, so the Lord God will make justice spring up and praise before all the nations. For Sion’s sake I will not be silent, for the sake of Jerusalem I will not be still until her justice comes forth as brightness, and her salvation is lit up like a torch. And the Gentiles shall see your justice, and all the kings see your glory. You shall be called by a new name, chosen by the mouth of the Lord. You shall be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. No longer called “Forsaken”, your land no longer called “Desolate”, you will be called “My pleasure in her”, and your land “The Wedded”; for the Lord has been well pleased with you, and your land will receive its bridegroom. For as a young man takes a virgin to wife, so will your sons take you; and as a husband takes joy in his spouse, so your God will rejoice at you. 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

Isaiah 61-62

The prophet rejoices over the new Jerusalem

I will rejoice with joy in the Lord,
and my spirit shall be joyful in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation
and wrapped me round with the robe of justice,
like a bridegroom decked with a crown,
like a bride adorned with her jewels.

Just as the earth sends up its shoots,
and the garden makes its seeds to sprout,
so the Lord God will make justice spring up
and praise before all the nations.

For Sion’s sake I will not be silent,
for the sake of Jerusalem I will not be still
until her justice comes forth as brightness,
and her salvation is lit up like a torch.

And the Gentiles shall see your justice,
and all the kings see your glory.
You shall be called by a new name,
chosen by the mouth of the Lord.
You shall be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord,
a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

No longer called “Forsaken”,
your land no longer called “Desolate”,
you will be called “My pleasure in her”,
and your land “The Wedded”;
for the Lord has been well pleased with you,
and your land will receive its bridegroom.

For as a young man takes a virgin to wife,
so will your sons take you;
and as a husband takes joy in his spouse,
so your God will rejoice at you.

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 145 (146)
The blessedness of those who hope in the Lord
Praise the Lord, my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life, make music to my God as long as I exist. Do not trust in princes to save you, they are only sons of men. One day their breath will leave them, they will return to the ground; on that day perish all their plans. Happy the one whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth and all that is in them, who keeps faith for ever, who gives justice to the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord frees prisoners, he gives light to the blind, he raises the fallen. The Lord loves the upright, cares for strangers, sustains orphans and widows; but the wicked he sends astray. The Lord will reign for all ages, your God, O Sion, from generation to generation. 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 145 (146)

The blessedness of those who hope in the Lord

Praise the Lord, my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life, make music to my God as long as I exist.

Do not trust in princes to save you, they are only sons of men.
One day their breath will leave them, they will return to the ground; on that day perish all their plans.

Happy the one whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who made heaven and earth and all that is in them,
who keeps faith for ever, who gives justice to the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord frees prisoners, he gives light to the blind, he raises the fallen.
The Lord loves the upright, cares for strangers, sustains orphans and widows; but the wicked he sends astray.

The Lord will reign for all ages, your God, O Sion, from generation to generation.

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.

Short reading	Deuteronomy 4:39 - 40 ©
Understand this today, therefore, and take it to heart: the Lord is God indeed, in heaven above as on earth beneath, he and no other. Keep his laws and commandments as I give them to you today.

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.

Prayers and Intercessions

Christ, through whom his Father’s glory shines, enlightens us by his word. With love we pray to him: - King of eternal glory, hear us.
Blessed are you – our faith comes from you and leads us to you as its fulfilment:: you have called us out of the shadows into your wonderful light.
You opened the eyes of the blind and made the deaf hear:: help us when we do not believe.
Lord, may we remain always in your love:: let us never be separated.
Make us resist temptation, and when troubles come, give us endurance:: but when things go well for us, may we remember to give you thanks.

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.

Lord, remember the new covenant, which has been sealed with the blood of the Lamb.
May your people receive forgiveness for their sins
and move ever forward towards redemption.

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.

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

A M E N

Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.

Other Articles by Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
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Whom the Lord Loves, He Disciplines

January 30, 2007

Heb 12:4-7, 11-15 / Mk 6:1-6

How often have you thought to yourself, “There’s no justice in this world. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer. The evil prosper, and the good are left in outer darkness.” It surely seems that way at times, and the “why” of it all seems a great mystery. Why is that good woman who never did harm to anyone suddenly left alone as the sole support of four tiny children? Why did this freak accident cause permanent damage to the finest young dad in the parish? Why did that good priest have to suffer so much from his tormenters? So many whys and so few answers.

The mystery of evil is exactly that, a mystery. But we can gain some insight and some leverage in dealing with it by attending to a line in today’s epistle: “Whom the Lord loves, he disciplines.” Before we dash into misunderstanding, we need to clarify the meaning of “discipline.” To discipline is to teach, not to punish. What the passage suggests is that the Lord at times ALLOWS certain evils in order to draw forth some larger good — which, unfortunately, may not be immediately visible to us. God’s view is long term, and ours is so short.

If we believe that God is indeed a loving father, then the corollary is that in God’s good time all things will work for the good of those who trust him — even if we never see it clearly in our own lifetime. So make your heart open to being taught and re-formed. In the Lord, we have the greatest and most loving teacher of all.