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 our aid.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
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.
Angels of God, you see the Father’s face,
Sharing his splendour, clothed in fire and flame,
Worshipping him, the terrible and great,
Singing for ever: Holy is his name.
Angels, you sang when Christ came down to earth,
Gave him your comfort in the hour of dread,
Solaced his spirit, anguished and alone,
Shouted his triumph, risen from the dead.
Angels, archangels, when he comes again,
Compassed in glory, fearful in his might,
Open for him the King’s eternal gates:
Then will he lead his faithful into light.
When to the Father, Son and Spirit blest,
Angels and mortals glad hosannas sing,
From all creation, from the world unseen,
Up to the Godhead perfect praise will spring.
Psalm 62 (63)
Thirsting for God
Let us praise the Lord, united with the angels. ‘Holy, holy, holy’ is the song of the cherubim and seraphim.
O God, you are my God, I watch for you from the dawn.
My soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you.
I came to your sanctuary,
as one in a parched and waterless land,
so that I could see your might and your glory.
My lips will praise you, for your mercy is better than life itself.
Thus I will bless you throughout my life,
and raise my hands in prayer to your name;
my soul will be filled as if by rich food,
and my mouth will sing your praises and rejoice.
I will remember you as I lie in bed,
I will think of you in the morning,
for you have been my helper,
and I will take joy in the protection of your wings.
My soul clings to you; your right hand raises me up.
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.
Let us praise the Lord, united with the angels. ‘Holy, holy, holy’ is the song of the cherubim and seraphim.
All creatures, bless the Lord
Angels of the Lord, give thanks to him for ever.
Bless the Lord, all his works,
praise and exalt him for ever.
Bless the Lord, you heavens;
all his angels, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, you waters above the heavens;
all his powers, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, sun and moon;
all stars of the sky, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, rain and dew;
all you winds, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, fire and heat;
cold and warmth, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, dew and frost;
ice and cold, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, ice and snow;
day and night, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, light and darkness;
lightning and storm-clouds, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, all the earth,
praise and exalt him for ever.
Bless the Lord, mountains and hills;
all growing things, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, seas and rivers;
springs and fountains, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, whales and fish;
birds of the air, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, wild beasts and tame;
sons of men, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, O Israel,
praise and exalt him for ever.
Bless the Lord, his priests;
all his servants, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, spirits and souls of the just;
all who are holy and humble, bless the Lord.
Ananias, Azarias, Mishael, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt him for ever.
Let us bless Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
praise and exalt them for ever.
Bless the Lord in the firmament of heaven,
praise and glorify him for ever.
Angels of the Lord, give thanks to him for ever.
Psalm 149
The saints rejoice
Holy Lord, all the angels in heaven glorify you: with one accord they say, ‘Our praise is your due, O God.’
Sing a new song to the Lord,
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel rejoice in its maker,
and the sons of Zion delight in their king.
Let them praise his name with dancing,
sing to him with timbrel and lyre,
for the Lord’s favour is upon his people,
and he will honour the humble with victory.
Let the faithful celebrate his glory,
rejoice even in their beds,
the praise of God in their throats;
and swords ready in their hands,
to exact vengeance upon the nations,
impose punishment on the peoples,
to bind their kings in fetters
and their nobles in manacles of iron,
to carry out the sentence that has been passed:
this is the glory prepared for all his faithful.
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.
Holy Lord, all the angels in heaven glorify you: with one accord they say, ‘Our praise is your due, O God.’
| Scripture Reading |
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| Genesis 28:12-13 © |
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Jacob had a dream: a ladder was there, standing on the ground with its top reaching to heaven; and there were angels of God going up it and coming down. And the Lord was there, standing over him, saying, ‘I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac.’
There the angel stood, by the altar in the temple.
– There the angel stood, by the altar in the temple.
In his hand he held a golden censer.
– There the angel stood, by the altar in the temple.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– There the angel stood, by the altar in the temple.
The Messiah and his forerunner
Truly I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and God’s angels ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.
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.
Truly I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and God’s angels ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.
| Prayers and intercessions | |
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Father, as you laid the foundation of creation, the stars of the morning sang for joy, and the sons of God in chorus chanted your praise:
– All you spirits, worship the Lord.
Lord, your heavenly servants were sent to men to guard and lead them.
Keep us faithful to your call today.
– All you spirits, worship the Lord.
Lord, the angels stand before your throne to praise you:
help us to seek your face today.
– All you spirits, worship the Lord.
Lord, your sons are called to be like angels of light:
keep us pure in heart and body.
– All you spirits, worship the Lord.
Lord, we thank you for your glorious power; we praise your victory over the powers of darkness:
for yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for all ages to come.
– All you spirits, worship the Lord.
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.
Lord God of hosts,
in your all-wise plan you assign to angels and to men
the services they have to render you.
Grant that the angels, who adore you in heaven,
may protect us here on earth.
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.
The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
The psalms and canticles here are our own translation from the Latin. The Grail translation of the psalms, which is used liturgically in most of the English-speaking world, cannot be displayed on the Web for copyright reasons; The Universalis apps and programs do contain the Grail translation of the psalms.
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