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

Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	Listening: This Chance May Be Your Last!
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D
Date:	Monday, September 25, 2006

Prv 3:27-34 / Lk 8:16-18

Today’s gospel ends with an enigmatic last line that lays itself open to confusion. "[T]o the one who has, more will be given; and he who has not, will lose even the little he thinks he has." That sounds like the worst side of capitalism: The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. But it’s not.

The whole thing comes clear if we pay attention to the beginning of the sentence which says, "Take heed how you hear...." Jesus is telling us that if we listen to Him with open minds and open hearts, the tiny bit of wisdom and understanding that we’ve already gained will grow and grow with His help. If, on the other hand, our hearts are closed to Him, even the little bit of wisdom that we think we’ve got will be shown for what it is: nothing.

So many thousands of people heard Jesus speak God’s Good News "in the flesh," and yet so many of them just walked away for any number of "reasons." We can always find a "reason" for stalling or putting off our listening to Him until tomorrow. When we’re tempted to do that, we would do well to ask how many more opportunities we’re certain of having. The correct answer is: None! So seize the opportunity while it’s at hand! You’ll never regret it!