Monday 30 December 2019
6th day within the octave of Christmas
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 18 (19)
Praise of God, the Lord of the law
“Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Mt 5:48).
Joseph, and Mary the mother of Jesus, wondered at what was being said about him.
The láw of the Lórd is pérfect, *
it revíves the sóul.
The rúle of the Lórd is to be trústed, *
it gives wísdom to the símple.
The précepts of the Lórd are ríght, *
they gládden the héart.
The commánd of the Lórd is cléar, *
it gives líght to the éyes.
The féar of the Lórd is hóly, *
abíding for éver.
The decrées of the Lórd are trúth *
and áll of them júst.
They are móre to be desíred than góld, *
than the púrest of góld
and swéeter are théy than hóney, *
than hóney from the cómb.
So in thém your sérvant finds instrúction; *
great rewárd is in their kéeping.
But whó can detéct all his érrors? *
From hídden faults acquít me.
From presúmption restráin your sérvant *
and lét it not rúle me.
Thén shall Í be blámeless, *
cléan from grave sín.
May the spóken wórds of my móuth, *
the thóughts of my héart,
win fávour in your síght, O Lórd, *
my réscuer, my róck!
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 7
Prayer of the just man under persecution
“Behold, the judge is standing at the door” (James 5:9).
Lord Gód, I take réfuge in yóu. *
From my pursúer sáve me and réscue me,
lest he téar me to píeces like a líon *
and drág me off with nó one to réscue me.
Lord Gód, if my hánds have done wróng, *
if I have páid back évil for góod,
I who sáved my únjust oppréssor: *
then let my fóe pursúe me and séize me,
let him trámple my lífe to the gróund *
and láy my sóul in the dúst.
Lórd, rise úp in your ánger, *
ríse against the fúry of my fóes;
my God, awáke! Yóu will give júdgement. *
Let the cómpany of nátions gather róund you,
taking your séat abóve them on hígh. *
The Lórd is júdge of the péoples.
Give júdgement for me, Lórd; I am júst *
and ínnocent of héart.
Put an énd to the évil of the wícked! *
Make the júst stand fírm,
you who tést mínd and héart, *
O júst Gód!
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 7
Gód is the shíeld that protécts me, *
who saves the úpright of héart.
Gód is a júst júdge *
slów to ánger;
but he thréatens the wícked every dáy, *
men who will nót repént.
Gód will shárpen his swórd; *
he has bráced his bów and taken áim.
For thém he has prepáred deadly wéapons; *
he bárbs his árrows with fíre.
Here is óne who is prégnant with málice, *
conceives évil and bríngs forth líes.
He digs a pítfall, dígs it déep; *
and in the tráp he has máde he will fáll.
His málice will recóil on himsélf; *
on his ówn head his víolence will fáll.
I will thánk the Lórd for his jústice: *
I will síng to the Lórd, the Most Hígh.
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
Father, you weigh what is in our hearts. Free us from oppressors, and, as we wait for your day of judgement, set a firm guard on our thoughts, so that while we return good for evil, we may still praise your kind of justice.
Or:
You know our hearts, Lord, but you are slow to anger and merciful in judging. Come, examine your Church, wash her clean of sin and great crowds will surround you with songs of praise.
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Short Reading
Deuteronomy 4:7
What great nation is there that has its gods so near as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call to him?
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℣. The Lord has remembered his loving mercy, alleluia.
℟. He has kept faith with the house of Israel, alleluia.
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Let us pray.
Almighty God and Father,
the human birth of your Only-Begotten Son
was the beginning of new life.
May he set us free from the tyranny of sin.
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.