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

Liturgy of the Hours


  • Friday 10 April 2020

    Good Friday


    Morning Prayer (Lauds)


    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.


    ________

    Hymn

    Lord, who throughout these forty days
    For us didst fast and pray,
    Teach us with thee to mourn our sins,
    And close by thee to stay.

    As thou with Satan didst contend,
    And didst the victory win,
    O give us strength in thee to fight,
    In thee to conquer sin.

    As thirst and hunger thou didst bear,
    So teach us, gracious Lord,
    To die to self, and daily live
    By thy most holy word.

    And through these days of penitence,
    And through thy Passiontide,
    Yea, evermore, in life and death,
    Jesus, with us abide.


    ________

    Psalm 50 (51)
    God, have mercy on me


    “You must be made new in mind and spirit, and put on the new nature of God’s creating” (Eph 4:23,24).

    God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all.

    Have mércy on me, Gód, in your kíndness. *
        In your compássion blot óut my offénce.
    O wásh me more and móre from my gúilt *
        and cléanse me fróm my sín.

    My offénces trúly I knów them; *
        my sín is álways befóre me.
    Against yóu, you alóne, have I sínned; *
        what is évil in your síght I have dóne.

    That you may be jústified whén you give séntence *
        and be withóut repróach when you júdge,
    O sée, in gúilt I was bórn, *
        a sínner was Í concéived.

    Indéed you love trúth in the héart; *
        then in the sécret of my héart teach me wísdom.
    O púrify me, thén I shall be cléan; *
        O wásh me, I shall be whíter than snów.

    Make me héar rejóicing and gládness, *
        that the bónes you have crúshed may revíve.
    From my síns turn awáy your fáce *
        and blót out áll my gúilt.

    A púre heart creáte for me, O Gód, *
        put a stéadfast spírit withín me.
    Do not cást me awáy from your présence, *
        nor depríve me of your hóly spírit.

    Give me agáin the jóy of your hélp; *
        with a spírit of férvour sustáin me,
    that I may téach transgréssors your wáys *
        and sínners may retúrn to yóu.

    O réscue me, Gód, my hélper, *
        and my tóngue shall ríng out your góodness.
    O Lórd, ópen my líps *
        and my móuth shall decláre your práise.

    For in sácrifice you táke no delíght, *
        burnt óffering from mé you would refúse,
    my sácrifice, a cóntrite spírit. *
        A húmbled, contrite héart you will not spúrn.

    In your góodness, show fávour to Síon: *
        rebúild the wálls of Jerúsalem.
    Thén you will be pléased with lawful sácrifice, *
        hólocausts óffered on your áltar.

    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.

    God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all.


    Psalm-prayer

    Father, he who knew no sin was made sin for us, to save us and restore us to your friendship. Look upon our contrite heart and afflicted spirit and heal our troubled conscience, so that in the joy and strength of the Holy Spirit we may proclaim your praise and glory before all the nations.


    ________

    Canticle
    Habakkuk 3
    The Lord will appear in judgement


    “Lift up your heads, for your redemption is near at hand” (Lk 21:28).

    Jesus Christ showed his love for us and freed us from our sins with his life’s blood.

    Lord, I have heard of your fame, *
        I stand in awe at your deeds.
    Do them again in our days, †
        in our days make them known! *
        In spite of your anger, have compassion.

    God comes forth from Teman, *
        the Holy One comes from Mount Paran.
    His splendour covers the sky *
        and his glory fills the earth.
    His brilliance is like the light, †
        rays flash from his hands; *
        there his power is hidden.

    You march out to save your people, *
        to save the one you have anointed.
    You made a path for your horses in the sea, *
        in the raging of the mighty waters.

    This I heard and I tremble with terror, *
        my lips quiver at the sound.
    Weakness invades my bones, *
        my steps fail beneath me
    yet I calmly wait for the doom *
        that will fall upon the people who assail us.

    For even though the fig does not blossom, *
        nor fruit grow on the vine,
    even though the olive crop fail, *
        and fields produce no harvest,
    even though flocks vanish from the folds *
        and stalls stand empty of cattle,

    Yet I will rejoice in the Lord *
        and exult in God my saviour.
    The Lord my God is my strength. †
        He makes me leap like the deer, *
        he guides me to the high places.

    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.

    Jesus Christ showed his love for us and freed us from our sins with his life’s blood.


    ________

    Psalm 147 (147B)
    God, the foundation of Jerusalem


    “Come, and I will show you the bride that the Lamb has chosen” (Rev 21:9).

    We venerate your Cross, Lord; we praise and glorify your holy resurrection. Because of the tree joy has come into the whole world.

    O práise the Lórd, Jerúsalem! *
        Síon, práise your Gód!

    He has stréngthened the bárs of your gátes *
        he has bléssed the chíldren withín you.
    He estáblished péace on your bórders, *
        he féeds you with fínest whéat.

    He sénds out his wórd to the éarth *
        and swíftly rúns his commánd.
    He shówers down snów white as wóol, *
        he scátters hóar-frost like áshes.

    He húrls down háilstones like crúmbs. *
        The wáters are frózen at his tóuch;
    he sénds forth his wórd and it mélts them: *
        at the bréath of his móuth the waters flów.

    He mákes his wórd known to Jácob, *
        to Ísrael his láws and decrées.
    He has not déalt thus with óther nátions; *
        he has not táught them hís decrées.

    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.

    We venerate your Cross, Lord; we praise and glorify your holy resurrection. Because of the tree joy has come into the whole world.


    Psalm-prayer

    Lord, you established peace within the borders of Jerusalem. Give the fullness of peace now to your faithful people. May peace rule us in this life and possess us in eternal life. You are about to fill us with the best of wheat; grant that what we see dimly now as in a mirror, we may come to perceive clearly in the brightness of your truth.


    Or:

    All-powerful God, it is through your Church, generously endowed with gifts of grace and fortified by the Holy Spirit, that you send out your word to all nations. Strengthen your Church with the best of all food and make her dauntless in faith. Multiply her children to celebrate with one accord the mysteries of your love at the altar on high.


    ________

    Short Reading
    Isaiah 52:13-15

    See, my servant will prosper, he shall be lifted up, exalted, rise to great heights. As the crowds were appalled on seeing him – so disfigured did he look that he seemed no longer human – so will the crowds be astonished at him, and kings stand speechless before him; for they shall see something never told and witness something never heard before.


    ________

    Short Responsory


    Christ humbled himself for us and, in obedience, accepted death, even death on a cross.


    ________

    Canticle
    Benedictus
    The Messiah and the one who was sent before him

    Over his head was placed the charge against him: ‘This is Jesus, the Nazarene, the King of the Jews.’

    Bléssed be the Lórd, the Gód of Ísrael! *
        He has vísited his péople and redéemed them.

    He has raised úp for ús a mighty sáviour *
        in the hóuse of Dávid his sérvant,
    as he prómised by the líps of holy mén, *
        thóse who were his próphets from of óld.

    A sáviour who would frée us from our fóes, *
        from the hánds of áll who háte us.
    So his lóve for our fáthers is fulfílled *
        and his hóly covenant remémbered.

    He swóre to Ábraham our fáther to gránt us, *
        that frée from féar, and sáved from the hánds of our fóes,
    we might sérve him in hóliness and jústice *
        all the dáys of our lífe in his présence.

    As for yóu, little chíld, *
        you shall be cálled a próphet of Gód, the Most Hígh.
    You shall go ahéad of the Lórd *
        to prépare his wáys befóre him,

    To make knówn to his péople their salvátion *
        through forgíveness of áll their síns,
    the loving-kíndness of the héart of our Gód *
        who vísits us like the dáwn from on hígh.

    He will give líght to those in dárkness, †
        those who dwéll in the shádow of déath, *
        and gúide us into the wáy of péace.

    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.

    Over his head was placed the charge against him: ‘This is Jesus, the Nazarene, the King of the Jews.’


    ________

    Prayers and intercessions

    Let us pray to our Redeemer, who suffered for us, was buried, and rose from the dead.
    – Lord, have mercy on us.

    Lord and master, for us you became obedient even to death;
        keep us faithful to God’s will in the darkness of our lives.
    – Lord, have mercy on us.

    Jesus, our life, by dying on the cross you destroyed hell and death;
        grant that we may die with you and rise with you in glory.
    – Lord, have mercy on us.

    Christ, our king, you were the scorn of the people, a worm not a man;
        teach us to tread your path of humility.
    – Lord, have mercy on us.

    Jesus, our Saviour, you laid down your life for your friends;
        let us love one another as you have loved us.
    – Lord, have mercy on us.

    Jesus, our hope, you stretched out your hands on the cross to embrace all ages of men;
        gather all God’s scattered children into the kingdom of salvation.
    – Lord, have mercy on 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.


    ________


    Be mindful, Lord, of this your family,
        for whose sake our Lord Jesus Christ, when betrayed,
    did not hesitate to yield himself into his enemies’ hands
        and undergo the agony of the cross.
    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.


    Copyright © 1996-2020 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.