Morning Prayer

STAND

Invitatory

Leader: Lord, + open my lips.
All: And my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Leader: Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering.

Psalm 95
A call to praise God

Encourage each other daily while it is still today (Hebrews 3:13).

Leader: Come, let us sing to the Lord 
All: and shout with joy to the Rock who saves us.
Let us approach him with praise and thanksgiving 
  and sing joyful songs to the Lord.

All: Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering.

All: The Lord is God, the mighty God,
  the great king over all the gods.
He holds in his hands the depths of the earth 
  and the highest mountains as well.
He made the sea; it belongs to him, 
  the dry land, too, for it was formed by his hands.

All: Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering.

All: Come, then, let us bow down and worship, 
  bending the knee before the Lord, our maker.
For he is our God and we are his people, 
  the flock he shepherds.

All: Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering.

All: Today, listen to the voice of the Lord: 
Do not grow stubborn, as your fathers did
  in the wilderness, 
when at Meriba and Massah
  they challenged me and provoked me, 
Although they had seen all of my works.

All: Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering.

All: Forty years I endured that generation. 
I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray
  and they do not know my ways.”
So I swore in my anger, 
  “They shall not enter into my rest.”

All: Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering.

All: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, 
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, 
and will be for ever. Amen.

All: Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering.

Hymn

The glory of these forty days
We celebrate with songs of praise;
For Christ, by whom all things were made,
Himself has fasted and has prayed.

Alone and fasting Moses saw
The loving God who gave the law;
And to Elijah, fasting, came
The steeds and chariots of flame.

So Daniel trained his mystic sight,
Deliver’d from the lions’ might;
And John, the Bridegroom’s friend, became
The herald of Messiah’s name.

Then grant us, Lord, like them to do
Such things as bring great praise to you;
Our spirits strengthen with your grace
And give us joy to see your face.

O Father, Son, and Spirit blest,
To you be every prayer addressed
And by all mankind be adored,
From age to age, the only Lord.

Tune: Erhalt’ uns, Herr L.M.
Music: J. Klug’s Geistliche Lieder, 1547
Text: Latin, sixth century
Translation: Maurice F. Bell, 1906, alt.

SIT

Psalmody

Leader: You alone, I have grieved by my sin; have pity on me, O Lord.

Psalm 51
O God, have mercy on me

Your inmost being must be renewed, and you must put on the new man (Ephesians 4:23-24).

Leader: Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness. 
Side 1: In your compassion blot out my offense.
O wash me more and more from my guilt 
and cleanse me from my sin.

Side 2: My offenses truly I know them; 
my sin is always before me.
Against you, you alone, have I sinned; 
what is evil in your sight I have done.

Side 1: That you may be justified when you give sentence 
and be without reproach when you judge.
O see, in guilt I was born, 
a sinner was I conceived.

Side 2: Indeed you love truth in the heart; 
then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom.
O purify me, then I shall be clean; 
O wash me, I shall be whiter than snow.

Side 1: Make me hear rejoicing and gladness, 
that the bones you have crushed may revive.
From my sins turn away your face 
and blot out all my guilt.

Side 2: A pure heart create for me, O God, 
put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence, 
nor deprive me of your holy spirit.

Side 1: Give me again the joy of your help; 
with a spirit of fervor sustain me,
that I may teach transgressors your ways 
and sinners may return to you.

Side 2: O rescue me, God, my helper, 
and my tongue shall ring out your goodness.
O Lord, open my lips 
and my mouth shall declare your praise.

Side 1: For in sacrifice you take no delight, 
burnt offering from me you would refuse,
my sacrifice, a contrite spirit. 
A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.

Side 2: In your goodness, show favor to Zion: 
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will be pleased with lawful sacrifice, 
holocausts offered on your altar.

Side 1: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, 
and to the Holy Spirit:
All: as it was in the beginning, is now, 
and will be for ever. Amen.

Leader: You alone, I have grieved by my sin; have pity on me, O Lord.

Leader: Truly we know our offenses, Lord, for we have sinned against you.

Canticle: Jeremiah 14:17-21
The lament of the people in war and famine

The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the Good News (Mark 1:15).

Leader: Let my eyes stream with tears 
Side 1: day and night, without rest,
over the great destruction which overwhelms 
the virgin daughter of my people, 
over her incurable wound.

Side 2: If I walk out into the field, 
look! those slain by the sword;
if I enter the city, 
look! those consumed by hunger.
Even the prophet and the priest 
forage in a land they know not.

Side 1: Have you cast Judah off completely? 
Is Zion loathsome to you?
Why have you struck us a blow 
that cannot be healed?

Side 2: We wait for peace, to no avail; 
for a time of healing, but terror comes instead.
We recognize, O Lord, our wickedness, 
the guilt of our fathers; 
that we have sinned against you.

Side 1: For your name’s sake spurn us not, 
disgrace not the throne of your glory; 
remember your covenant with us, and break it not.

Side 2: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, 
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, 
and will be for ever. Amen.

Side 1: Truly we know our offenses, Lord, for we have sinned against you.

Leader: The Lord is God; we are his people, the flock he shepherds.

Psalm 100
The joyful song of those entering God’s temple

The Lord calls his ransomed people to sing songs of victory (Saint Athanasius).

Leader: Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth. 
Side 1: Serve the Lord with gladness. 
Come before him, singing for joy.

Side 2: Know that he, the Lord, is God. 
He made us, we belong to him, 
we are his people, the sheep of his flock.

Side 1: Go within his gates, giving thanks. 
Enter his courts with songs of praise. 
Give thanks to him and bless his name.

Side 2: Indeed, how good is the Lord, 
eternal his merciful love. 
He is faithful from age to age.

Side 1: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, 
and to the Holy Spirit:
All: as it was in the beginning, is now, 
and will be for ever. Amen.

Leader: The Lord is God; All: we are his people, the flock he shepherds.

Reading

Isaiah 53:11b-12

Lector: Through his suffering, my servant shall justify many,
   and their guilt he shall bear.
Therefore I will give him his portion among the great,
   and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty,
Because he surrendered himself to death
   and was counted among the wicked;
And he shall take away the sins of many,
   and win pardon for their offenses.

Responsory

Lector: God himself will set me free, from the hunter’s snare.
All: God himself will set me free, from the hunter’s snare.

Lecotr: From those who would trap me with lying words
All: and from the hunter’s snare.

Lector: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
All: God himself will set me free, from the hunter’s snare.

Gospel Canticle

Leader: Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the law? Jesus said to him: You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart.

Canticle of Zechariah
Luke 1:68-79
The Messiah and his forerunner

Leader: Blessed + be the Lord, the God of Israel; 
All: he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior, 
born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old 
  that he would save us from our enemies, 
  from the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers 
and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear, 
holy and righteous in his sight
   all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; 
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation 
by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God 
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, 
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, 
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, 
and will be for ever. Amen.

Leader: Teacher, All: what is the greatest commandment in the law? Jesus said to him: You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart.

Intercessions

Leader: Thanks be to Christ the Lord, who brought us life by his death on the cross. With our whole heart let us ask him:
All: By your death raise us to life.

Leader: Teacher and Savior, you have shown us your fidelity and made us a new creation by your passion,
All: keep us from falling again into sin.

Leader: Help us to deny ourselves today,
All: and not deny those in need.

Leader: May we receive this day of penance as your gift,
All: and give it back to you through works of mercy.

Leader: Master our rebellious hearts,
All: and teach us generosity.

The Lord's Prayer

Leader: Let us again offer our praise to God and pray in the words of Christ:

Leader: Our Father, All: 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.

Concluding Prayer

Leader: Merciful Father,
fill our hearts with your love
and keep us faithful to the gospel of Christ.
Give us the grace to rise above our human weakness.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
All: Amen.

Dismissal

If a priest or deacon presides, he dismisses the people:

Leader: The Lord be with you.
All: And with your spirit.

Leader: May almighty God bless you,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.

Leader: Go in peace.
All: Thanks be to God.

In the absence of a priest or deacon and in individual recitation, Morning Prayer concludes:

Leader: May the Lord + bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
All: Amen.