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Arch Bishop Micheal Ralph Vendegna S.O.S.M.A.

Liturgy of the Hours

  • 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 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.

    Hymn  
    Alone with none but thee, my God,
    I journey on my way.
    What need I fear, when thou art near,
    O King of night and day?
    More safe am I within thy hand,
    Than if a host did round me stand.
    My destined time is fixed by thee,
    And death doth know his hour.
    Did warriors strong around me throng,
    They could not stay his power;
    No walls of stone can man defend
    When thou thy messenger dost send.
    My life I yield to thy decree,
    And bow to thy control
    In peaceful calm, for from thine arm
    No power can wrest my soul.
    Could earthly omens e’er appal
    A man that heeds the heavenly call!
    The child of God can fear no ill,
    His chosen dread no foe;
    We leave our fate with thee, and wait
    Thy bidding when to go.
    ’Tis not from chance our comfort springs,
    Thou art our trust, O King of kings.

    Psalm 79 (80)
    Lord, tend your vine
    Lord, rouse up your might and come to our help.
    Shepherd of Israel, listen –
      you who take Joseph as your flock.
    Shine out before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh –
      you who are enthroned upon the cherubim.
    Awaken your power and come to us,
      come to us and save us.
    Bring us back, O God:
      let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
    Lord God of hosts –
      how long will your anger endure
      against the prayers of your people?
    You have given us tears for our bread,
      abundance of tears for us to drink.
    You have made us a mockery among our neighbours,
      and our enemies laugh at us.
    Bring us back, O God of hosts:
      let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
    You brought a vine out of Egypt;
      planted it, and drove out the nations.
    You cleared the ground all about it,
      made firm its roots; and it filled the land.
    Its shade covered mountains,
      its boughs shaded the cedars of God;
    its leaves spread as far as the sea,
      its shoots as far as the River.
    So why did you destroy its wall,
      so that anyone could pluck its fruit,
      whoever was passing by?
    The wild boar of the forest broke it,
      every wild beast could graze off it.
    Turn back, O God of hosts,
      look down from heaven and tend this vine.
    Protect the vine, for your right hand planted it;
      and the son of man, whom you made strong.
    The vine is burnt and dug up;
      and they too will perish when they see you rebuke them.
    Stretch out your hand over your chosen one
      over the son of man, whom you made strong –
    and we will not forsake you, and you will give us life;
      and we will call on your name.
    Bring us back, Lord God of hosts:
      let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
    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, rouse up your might and come to our help.

    Canticle Isaiah 12 The rejoicing of a redeemed people
    The Lord has done marvellous things: let them be made known to the whole world.
    I will praise you, Lord, for when you were angry with me
      you calmed your rage and turned again to console me.
    Behold, God is my salvation:
      I will be confident, I will not fear;
    for the Lord is my strength and my joy,
      he has become my saviour.
    And you will rejoice as you draw water
      from the wells of salvation.
    And then you will say:
      “Praise the Lord and call upon his name.
    Tell the peoples what he has done,
      remember always the greatness of his name.
    Sing to the Lord, for he has done great things:
      let this be known throughout the world.
    Cry out with joy and gladness, you who dwell in Zion.
      Great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”
    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.
    The Lord has done marvellous things: let them be made known to the whole world.

    Psalm 80 (81)
    Solemn renewal of the covenant
    Ring out your joy to God our strength.†
    Shout with joy to God our helper,
      rejoice in the God of Jacob.
    Take up the song, sound the timbrel,
      play on the lyre and the harp.
    At the start of the month, sound the trumpet,
      at the full moon, at our festival.
    For this is the law for Israel,
      the decree of the God of Jacob.
    He gave it to Joseph, for a witness,
      when he went out of the land of Egypt;
      with words that had never been heard:
    “I freed his back from burdens;
      his hands were freed from heavy loads.
    In your tribulation you called on me and I freed you,
      I heard you from the heart of the storm,
      I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
    Listen, my people, and I will put my case –
      Israel, if you would only hear me!
    You shall not have any strange god,
      you shall not worship the gods of foreigners.
    For I am the Lord, your God,
      who led you out of the land of Egypt.
      Open wide your mouth and I shall fill it.
    But my people did not hear my voice:
      Israel did not turn to me.
    So I let them go on in the hardness of their hearts,
      and follow their own counsels.
    If my people had heard me,
      if only they had walked in my ways –
    I would swiftly have crushed their enemies,
      stretched my hand over those who persecuted them.
    The enemies of the Lord would be overcome with weakness,
      Israel’s would be the good fortune, for ever:
      I would feed them full of richest wheat
    and give them honey from the rock,
      to their heart’s content.
    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.
    Ring out your joy to God our strength.

    Short Reading Romans 14:17-19 ©
    The kingdom of God does not mean eating or drinking this or that, it means righteousness and peace and joy brought by the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ in this way you will please God and be respected by men. So let us adopt any custom that leads to peace and our mutual improvement.

    Short Responsory  
    Early in the morning I will think of you, O Lord.
    Early in the morning I will think of you, O Lord.
    You have been my help.
    Early in the morning I will think of you, O Lord.
    Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
    Early in the morning I will think of you, O Lord.

    Canticle Benedictus The Messiah and his forerunner
    Give your people knowledge of salvation, Lord, and forgive us our sins.
    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.
    Give your people knowledge of salvation, Lord, and forgive us our sins.

    Prayers and intercessions  
    Blessed be our God and Father: he hears the prayers of his children.
    Lord, hear us.
    We thank you, Father, for sending us your Son:
      let us keep him before our eyes throughout this day.
    Lord, hear us.
    Make wisdom our guide,
      help us walk in newness of life.
    Lord, hear us.
    Lord, give us your strength in our weakness:
      when we meet problems give us courage to face them.
    Lord, hear us.
    Direct our thoughts, our words, our actions today,
      so that we may know, and do, your will.
    Lord, hear us.

    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, true Light and Creator of light,
    grant that faithfully pondering on all that is holy,
      we may ever live in the splendour of your presence.
    Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
      who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
      one God, for ever and ever.
    Amen.

    The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
      Amen.