Morning Prayer (Lauds)

If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, you should precede it with the Invitatory Psalm.

Introduction

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.

Hymn

Dawn sprinkles all the east with light;

Day o’er the earth is gliding bright;

Morn’s glittering rays their course begin;

Farewell to darkness and to sin.

Each phantom of the night depart,

Each thought of guilt forsake the heart:

Let every ill that darkness brought

Beneath its shade, now come to nought.

So that last morning, dread and great,

Which we with trembling hope await,

With blessed light for us shall glow

Who chant the song we sang below.

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 91 (92) Praise of God, the Creator

Lord, we proclaim your loving kindness in the morning and your truth throughout the night.

It is good to praise the Lord,

and to sing psalms to your name, O Most High,

to proclaim your mercy in the morning

and your faithfulness by night;

on the ten-stringed lyre and the harp,

with songs upon the lyre.

For you give me joy, Lord, in your creation:

I rejoice in the work of your hands.

How great are your works, O Lord,

how immeasurably deep your thoughts.

The fool does not hear,

the slow-witted do not understand.

When the wicked sprout up like grass,

and the doers of evil are in full bloom,

it will come to nothing, for they will perish for ever and ever;

but you, Lord, are the Highest eternally.

For behold, Lord, your enemies, how your enemies will perish,

how wrongdoers will be scattered.

You will give me strength as the wild oxen have;

I have been anointed with the purest oil.

I will look down upon my enemies,

and hear the plans of those who plot evil against me.

The just will flourish like the palm tree,

grow tall like the cedar of Lebanon.

They will be planted in the house of the Lord;

in the courts of our God they will flourish.

They will bear fruit even when old,

fresh and luxuriant through all their days.

They will proclaim how just is the Lord, my refuge,

for in him there is no unrighteousness.

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, we proclaim your loving kindness in the morning and your truth throughout the night.

Canticle	Deuteronomy 32

The things God has done for his people

Proclaim the greatness of our God.

Listen, heavens to what I say;

earth, hear the words of my mouth!

Let my teaching fall like the rain,

my speech descend like the dew,

like a shower on the grass,

like rain on the wheat.

For I shall call on the name of the Lord:

give praise to the greatness of our God!

His works are like a rock: they are perfect,

for all his ways are just.

God is faithful, he can do no wrong:

he is just and upright.

They have sinned against him, they are no children of his –

this filthy generation, wicked and perverse.

Is this how you repay the Lord,

you foolish and witless people?

Is he not your father, who took charge of you,

created you and made you exist?

Remember the days of old: think upon each generation.

Ask your father and he will tell you;

ask your ancestors, and they will let you know.

When the Most High divided the peoples,

when he was separating the children of Adam,

he laid down the boundaries of the people

according to the number of the children of Israel:

the Lord’s own portion was his people,

Jacob the measure of his inheritance.

He found him in a desert land, in a place of horror,

in the howling wilderness.

He protected him, looked after him,

guarded him as the apple of his eye.

Like an eagle teaching its chicks to fly, hovering close above them,

he spread out his wings and lifted him up,

carried him on his back.

The Lord alone led Jacob; no foreign god was with him.

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.

Proclaim the greatness of our God.

Psalm 8 The greatness of God, the dignity of man

How wonderful is your name over all the earth, O Lord.

How wonderful is your name over all the earth,

O Lord, our Lord!

How exalted is your glory

above the sky!

Out of the mouths of children and infants you have brought praise,

to confound your enemies, to destroy your vengeful foes.

When I see the heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and stars, which you set in their place –

what is man, that you should take thought for him?

what is the son of man, that you should look after him?

You have made him but one step lower than the angels;

you have crowned him with glory and honour;

you have set him over the works of your hands.

You have put everything beneath his feet,

cattle and sheep and the beasts of the field,

the birds in the air and the fish in the sea,

whatever passes along the paths of the waters.

How wonderful is your name above all the earth,

O Lord, our Lord!

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.

How wonderful is your name over all the earth, O Lord.

Short reading	Romans 12:14-16 ©

Bless those who persecute you: never curse them, bless them. Rejoice with those who rejoice and be sad with those in sorrow. Treat everyone with equal kindness; never be condescending but make real friends with the poor.

Short Responsory

I will sing to you with joy upon my lips.

– I will sing to you with joy upon my lips.

I will reflect on the greatness of your justice.

– I will sing to you with joy upon my lips.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

– I will sing to you with joy upon my lips.

Canticle	Benedictus

The Messiah and his forerunner

Lord, lead our feet in the path of peace.

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.

Lord, lead our feet in the path of peace.

Prayers and Intercessions

Let us celebrate Christ’s goodness and wisdom. We can see him in every one of our brethren, and love him; especially in those who are suffering. Let us pray to him urgently: