[Salvation]

Lauds -- Morning Prayer

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.

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A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.

Psalm 41 (42)

Longing for the Lord and his temple

When shall I come and stand before the face of God?

Like a deer that longs for springs of water,

  so my soul longs for you, O God.

My soul thirsts for God, the living God:

  when shall I come and stand before the face of God?

My tears are my food, by day and by night,

  and everyone asks, “where is your God?.”

I remember how I went up to your glorious dwelling-place

  and into the house of God:

  the memory melts my soul.

The sound of joy and thanksgiving,

  the crowds at the festival.

Why are you so sad, my soul,

  and anxious within me?

Put your hope in the Lord, I will praise him still,

  my saviour and my God.

My soul is sad within me,

  and so I will remember you

  in the lands of Jordan and Hermon,

  on the mountain of Mizar.

Deep calls to deep

  in your rushing waters:

and all your torrents, all your waves

  have flowed over me.

By day the Lord sends his kindness upon me;

  by night his song is with me,

  a prayer to the God of my life.

I will say to God:

  “You are my support, why have you forgotten me?

  Why must I go in mourning, while the enemy persecutes me?.”

As my bones break,

  my persecutors deride me,

  all the time saying “where is your God?.”

Why are you so sad, my soul,

  and anxious within me?

Put your hope in the Lord, I will praise him still,

  my saviour and my God.

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.

When shall I come and stand before the face of God?

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Canticle	Ecclesiasticus 36
A prayer for Jerusalem, the holy city
Lord, show me the light of your mercies.
God of all, have mercy on us, take notice of us,   and show us the light of your mercies. Make the nations fear you, who have not sought you out,   make them know that there is no God except you,   let them tell of your wonders. Lift up your hand over foreign nations, that they may see your power –   for just as in their sight you have been sanctified in us,   so in our sight you will be magnified in them. Lift up your hand so that they may know, as we know,   that there is no God but you, Lord. Bring forth new signs and repeat your wonders;   glorify your hand, show the strength of your arm. Gather together all the tribes of Jacob,   give them back the inheritance they had from the beginning. Take pity on your people, over whom we invoke your name,   and on Israel, whom you have made equal to your firstborn. Take pity on the city you have sanctified,   Jerusalem, the place of your rest. Fill Zion with your majesty;   fill your temple with your glory. 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, show me the light of your mercies.

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Psalm 18 (19)

Praise of God the creator

Blessed are you, Lord, in the firmament of heaven.

The skies tell the story of the glory of God,

  the firmament proclaims the work of his hands;

day pours out the news to day,

  night passes to night the knowledge.

Not a speech, not a word,

  not a voice goes unheard.

Their sound is spread throughout the earth,

  their message to all the corners of the world.

At the ends of the earth he has set up

  a dwelling place for the sun.

Like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,

  it rejoices like an athlete at the race to be run.

It appears at the edge of the sky,

  runs its course to the sky’s furthest edge.

Nothing can hide from its heat.

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.

Blessed are you, Lord, in the firmament of heaven.

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Short reading

Romans 12:1-2 ©

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.

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Canticle	Benedictus
The Messiah and his forerunner
Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate.
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.
Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate.

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Prayers and Intercessions

?

Blessed be God the Father. By his gift we offer him a sacrifice of praise on this Lenten day. Let us pray to him: – Teach us, Lord, the ways of heaven. Almighty and compassionate God, give us a spirit of prayer and penitence:   make us burn with love for God and man. – Teach us, Lord, the ways of heaven. Let us work with you to restore all things in Christ   and spread justice and peace through all the world. – Teach us, Lord, the ways of heaven. Teach us the nature and value of the whole of creation:   may we be united with it as we sing your praises. – Teach us, Lord, the ways of heaven. Forgive us for not seeing Christ’s presence in the poor, the unfortunate, in those who suffer:   for not revering your Son in them. – Teach us, Lord, the ways of heaven.

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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.

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O God, you tell us to mortify our bodies to cure our sick souls.

  Grant us the ability to abstain from all sin

  and the power to obey wholeheartedly all your holy commandments.

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.

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

A M E N

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Luke 6:36-38

Stop judging and you will not be judged. (Luke 6:37)

Stop judging and you will not be judged.

If you’re a defendant on trial in most democratic countries, you are presumed innocent until proven guilty. It’s up to the prosecution to find you guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. But even in lengthy trials with hours of testimony, mounds of evidence, and twelve jurors weighing all the facts, wrongful convictions can still get handed down. It shouldn’t surprise us, either. How many times have we made a snap judgment about someone and condemned them without a second thought—and been dead certain we were correct?

Jesus knew from experience just how wrong people can be. He himself was called a drunkard, a glutton, and a blasphemer. We can’t read someone’s heart to understand their motives, yet we make judgments in matters that have little or nothing to do with us. We criticize the people we see on the news and inwardly judge even our friends and neighbors if we hear some juicy gossip about them. It’s as if we’ve judged them without a fair trial.

But even if we do get it right from time to time, what good is that? In fact, our judgments on others do nothing but reveal our own hearts. When we cast stones, we show that our own hearts are stony (John 8:7). And what’s worse, we call down judgment on ourselves when we do so. To receive God’s forgiveness, we have to be aware of our own capacity to sin and be able to forgive it in others. We have to learn to deal with our own weaknesses and failings so we can be instruments of compassion rather than condemnation.

With Jesus’ help, we can recognize and root out our pride and judgmental attitudes. At every Mass, he is present in the Eucharist to bring us his mercy, so that we in turn can show it to others. When we partake of his body and blood, we receive the grace to see people as God sees us: as his children in need of patience, understanding, and love. As we sow these seeds of compassion and forgiveness into our relationships, we’ll reap them in our own lives—and we will see the kingdom of God spring up all around us!

“Lord, sometimes I fail to recognize your mercy, and then I cannot share it with others. Fill me anew with your Spirit, so I can witness to your saving love.”

Daniel 9:4-10; Psalm 79:8-9,11,13