Saturday 28 December 2019
The Holy Innocents, Martyrs - Feast
Mid-Morning Prayer (Terce)
Introduction (without Invitatory)
If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, use the version with the Invitatory Psalm instead.
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.
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Hymn
Come, Holy Spirit, live in us
With God the Father and the Son,
And grant us your abundant grace
To sanctify and make us one.
May mind and tongue made strong in love
Your praise throughout the world proclaim,
And may that love within our hearts
Set fire to others with its flame.
Most blessèd Trinity of love,
For whom the heart of man was made,
To you be praise in timeless song,
And everlasting homage paid.
Stanbrook Abbey Hymnal
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PSALMS OF THE DAY
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Psalm 118(119): 169-176
Meditating the word of the Lord in the Law
“His mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him” (Luke 1:50)
Joseph, and Mary the mother of Jesus, wondered at what was being said about him.
Lórd, let my crý come befóre you: *
téach me by your wórd.
Let my pléading cóme befóre you: *
sáve me by your prómise.
Let my líps procláim your práise *
because you téach me your státutes.
Let my tóngue síng your prómise *
for your commánds are júst.
Let your hánd be réady to hélp me, *
since I have chósen your précepts.
Lord, I lóng for your sáving hélp *
and your láw is my delíght.
Give lífe to my sóul that I may práise you. *
Let your decrées give me hélp.
I am lóst like a shéep; seek your sérvant *
for I remémber your commánds.
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.
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Psalm 44 (45)
The wedding of the King
“Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him” (Mt 25:6).
My héart overflóws with nóble wórds. †
To the kíng I must spéak the sóng I have máde, *
my tóngue as nímble as the pén of a scríbe.
Yóu are the fáirest of the chíldren of mén †
and gráciousness is póured upón your líps: *
because Gód has bléssed you for évermóre.
O míghty one, gírd your swórd upon your thígh; †
in spléndour and státe, ríde on in tríumph *
for the cáuse of trúth and góodness and ríght.
Take áim with your bów in your dréad right hánd. †
Your árrows are shárp, péoples fall benéath you. *
The fóes of the kíng fall dówn and lose héart.
Your thróne, O Gód, shall endúre for éver. †
A scéptre of jústice is the scéptre of your kíngdom. *
Your lóve is for jústice; your hátred for évil.
Therefore Gód, your Gód, has anóinted yóu †
with the óil of gládness abóve other kíngs: *
your róbes are frágrant with alóes and mýrrh.
From the ívory pálace you are gréeted with músic. †
The dáughters of kíngs are amóng your lóved ones. *
On your ríght stands the quéen in góld of Óphir.
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.
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Psalm 44 (45)
The King's bride
Lísten, O dáughter, give éar to my wórds: *
forgét your own péople and your fáther’s hóuse.
Só will the kíng desíre your béauty: *
Hé is your lórd, pay hómage to hím.
And the péople of Týre shall cóme with gífts, *
the ríchest of the péople shall séek your fávour.
The dáughter of the kíng is clóthed with spléndour, *
her róbes embróidered with péarls set in góld.
She is léd to the kíng with her máiden compánions. †
Théy are escórted amid gládness and jóy; *
they páss withín the pálace of the kíng.
Sóns shall be yóurs in pláce of your fáthers: *
you will máke them prínces over áll the éarth.
May this sóng make your náme for éver remémbered. *
May the péoples práise you from áge to áge.
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.
Joseph, and Mary the mother of Jesus, wondered at what was being said about him.
Psalm-prayer
When you took on flesh, Lord Jesus, you made a marriage of mankind with God. Help us to be faithful to your word and endure our exile bravely, until we are called to the heavenly marriage feast, to which the Virgin Mary, exemplar of your Church, has preceded us.
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Short Reading
(Lamentations 1:16)
I weep and my eyes dissolve in tears, since the comforter who could revive me is far away. My sons are in despair, the enemy has proved too strong.
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℣. The Lord gave them a robe of joy.
℟. He placed a crown of glory on their heads.
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Let us pray.
Lord God,
the Holy Innocents bore witness to you
not by speaking but by dying.
Grant that the faith we proclaim in words
may be borne out by deeds.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
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Let us praise the Lord.
– Thanks be to God.
Copyright © 1996-2019 Universalis Publishing Limited: see www.universalis.com. Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible are published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc, and used by permission of the publishers. Text of the Psalms: Copyright © 1963, The Grail (England). Used with permission of A.P. Watt Ltd. All rights reserved.