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.
Eternal glory of the sky,
Blest hope of frail humanity,
The Father’s Sole-begotten One,
Yet born a spotless Virgin’s Son.
Uplift us with thine arm of might,
And let our hearts rise pure and bright,
And, ardent in God’s praises, pay
The thanks we owe him every day.
The day-star’s rays are glittering clear,
And tell that day itself is near:
The shadows of the night depart;
Thou, holy Light, illume the heart.
Within our senses ever dwell,
And worldly darkness thence expel:
Long as the days of life endure,
Preserve our souls devout and pure.
The Faith that first must be possessed,
Root deep within our inmost breast:
And joyous Hope in second place,
Then Charity, thy greatest grace.
All laud to God the Father be;
All praise, eternal Son, to thee;
All glory, as is ever meet,
To God the Holy Paraclete.
Psalm 50 (51)
God, have mercy on me |
O God, you will not spurn a humbled, contrite heart.
Take pity on me, Lord, in your mercy;
in your abundance of mercy wipe out my guilt.
Wash me ever more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know how guilty I am:
my sin is always before me.
Against you, you alone have I sinned,
and I have done evil in your sight.
Know this, so that you may give just sentence
and an unbiased judgement.
See, I was conceived in guilt,
in sin my mother conceived me;
but you love truth in the heart,
and deep within me you have shown me your wisdom.
You will sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be made clean;
you will wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
You will make me hear the sound of joy and gladness;
the bones you have crushed will rejoice.
Turn your face away from my sins
and wipe out all my transgressions;
create a pure heart in me, God,
put a steadfast spirit into me.
Do not send me away from your presence,
or withdraw your holy spirit from me;
give me again the joy of your salvation,
and be ready to strengthen me with your spirit.
I will teach the unjust your ways,
and the impious will return to you.
Free me from the guilt of bloodshed, God, God my saviour,
and my voice will glory in your justice.
Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will proclaim your praise;
for you do not delight in sacrifices:
if I offered you a burnt offering, it would not please you.
The true sacrifice is a broken spirit:
a contrite and humble heart, O God, you will not refuse.
Be pleased, Lord, to look kindly on Zion,
so that the walls of Jerusalem can be rebuilt,
Then indeed you will accept the proper sacrifices, gifts and burnt offerings;
then indeed will bullocks be laid upon your altar.
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.
O God, you will not spurn a humbled, contrite heart.
| The Lord will appear in judgement |
In spite of your anger, Lord, have compassion.
Lord, I heard what you gave me to hear,
and I was struck with awe of your work.
In the midst of the years, bring it to life;
in the midst of the years you will make it known.
When you are angry, you will remember your mercy.
God will come from Theman,
the holy one from the mountain of Pharan.
His glory has covered the heavens
and the earth is full of his praise.
His brightness shall be like light itself,
rays shining from his hands –
there is his strength hidden.
You went forth for the salvation of the people,
for salvation with your anointed one.
You made a way through the sea for your horses,
in the silt of many waters.
I have heard you, Lord,
and my stomach churns within me;
at the sound of your voice my lips tremble.
My bones rot away, my steps stumble.
I will rest and be quiet on the day of tribulation
and let it overtake those who have invaded us.
For the fig will not flower,
the vines will not fruit,
the work of the olive will be lost.
The fields will yield no food,
the flocks will be cut off from the sheepfold,
there will be no cattle in the stalls.
But I will rejoice in the Lord, take joy in God my saviour.
The Lord God is my strength.
He will make me as sure-footed as the deer.
He will lead me up to the heights.
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.
In spite of your anger, Lord, have compassion.
Psalm 147 (147B)
God, the foundation of Jerusalem |
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord, Jerusalem
— Zion, praise your God.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates,
he has blessed your children.
He keeps your borders in peace,
he fills you with the richest wheat.
He sends out his command over the earth,
and swiftly runs his word.
He sends down snow that is like wool,
frost that is like ashes.
He sends hailstones like crumbs
— who can withstand his cold?
He will send out his word, and all will be melted;
his spirit will breathe, and the waters will flow.
He proclaims his word to Jacob,
his laws and judgements to Israel.
He has not done this for other nations:
he has not shown them his judgements.
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.
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
| Short reading |
Ephesians 2:13-16 © |
Now in Christ Jesus, you that used to be so far apart from us have been brought very close, by the blood of Christ. For he is the peace between us, and has made the two into one and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart, actually destroying in his own person the hostility caused by the rules and decrees of the Law. This was to create one single New Man in himself out of the two of them and by restoring peace through the cross, to unite them both in a single Body and reconcile them with God: in his own person he killed the hostility.
I will call upon the Lord, the Most High, because of his kindness to me.
– I will call upon the Lord, the Most High, because of his kindness to me.
He will send help from heaven and set me free.
– I will call upon the Lord, the Most High, because of his kindness to me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– I will call upon the Lord, the Most High, because of his kindness to me.
| The Messiah and his forerunner |
Because of the deep tenderness that God has for us, the Rising Son has come to us from on high.
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.
Because of the deep tenderness that God has for us, the Rising Son has come to us from on high.
| Prayers and Intercessions |
|
By his blood and through the Holy Spirit, Christ offered his own self to the Father to purify us from the works of death. Let us worship him in all sincerity:
– Lord, in your will is our peace.
Your goodness has given us the beginning of a new day:
give us also the beginning of a new life.
– Lord, in your will is our peace.
You created everything and by your providence you keep it in being:
may we discern your handiwork in every created thing.
– Lord, in your will is our peace.
With your blood you sealed the new and everlasting covenant:
may we keep our side of the bargain by following your precepts.
– Lord, in your will is our peace.
As you hung on the cross, water poured out mixed with blood:
may that saving stream wash away our sins and make the city of God rejoice.
– Lord, in your will is our peace.
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.
Almighty God,
as in this morning prayer we offer you our praise,
grant that in your kingdom,
together with your saints,
we may praise you with even greater joy.
[We make our prayer] 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.
AMEN
18th 
A blood relative of Christ, he was martyred in early apostolic times. Succeeding the apostle James, Simeon, the son of Cleophas, was, it may be said, the first bishop of Jerusalem. Under the Emperor Trajan he was arraigned before Atticus, the governor, on charges of being a Christian and a relative of Jesus. For at a certain period, all descendants of David were apprehended. After enduring all types of torture, he was affixed to a cross, even as His Savior. Those present marveled how a man of such advanced age (he was 120 years old) could so steadfastly and joyously bear the excruciating pains of crucifixion. He died on the 18th of February, 106 A.D. 
St. Flavian was patriarch of Constantinople, and he was hated by the Emperor Theodosius II's chancellor, partly because he would not give Church money to the Emperor. In 448, St. Flavian held a synod that condemned the abbot Eutyches for denying that Jesus Christ had two distinct natures, a denial that was the beginning of the Monophysite heresy. Eutyches then appealed to Pope St. Leo I, but the Pope sustained the decision and wrote his famous "Leo's Tome" to St. Flavian, a letter expounding the orthodox position on the matter. The Emperor called another council at Ephesus in 449, which St. Leo later called a "robber synod." Conducted in open violence, it unjustly deposed St. Flavian and Eusebius, Eutyches' accuser in 448. St. Flavian was beaten so severely that he died days later in his place of exile. In 451 the Council of Chalcedon vindicated St. Flavian, reinstated Eusebius and exiled the Bishop of Alexandria, who had supported the heresy. St. Pulcheria had St. Flavian's body brought back to Constantinople and buried with those of his predecessors.