Wednesday 29 April 2020
Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin, Doctor
on Wednesday of the 3rd week of Eastertide
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. Alleluia.
________
Hymn
All hail the power of Jesus’ name;
Let Angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem
To crown him Lord of all.
Crown him, ye Martyrs of your God,
Who from his altar call;
Praise him whose way of pain ye trod,
And crown him Lord of all.
Hail him, ye heirs of David’s line,
Whom David Lord did call;
The God Incarnate, Man Divine,
And crown him Lord of all.
Let every tribe and every tongue
To him their hearts enthral,
Lift high the universal song,
And crown him Lord of all.
________
Psalm 85 (86)
A poor man's prayer in time of trouble
“Blessed be God, who comforts us in all our sorrows” (2 Cor 1:3-4).
All the nations shall come to adore you, O Lord. Alleluia.
Turn your éar, O Lórd, and give ánswer *
for Í am póor and néedy.
Preserve my lífe, for Í am fáithful; *
save the sérvant who trústs in yóu.
You are my Gód, have mércy on me, Lórd, *
for I crý to you áll the day lóng.
Give jóy to your sérvant, O Lórd, *
for to yóu I líft up my sóul.
O Lórd, you are góod and forgíving, *
full of lóve to áll who cáll.
Give héed, O Lórd, to my práyer *
and atténd to the sóund of my vóice.
In the dáy of distréss I will cáll *
and súrely yóu will replý.
Among the góds there is nóne like you, O Lórd; *
nor wórk to compáre with yóurs.
All the nátions shall cóme to adóre you *
and glórify your náme, O Lórd:
for you are gréat and do márvellous déeds, *
yóu who álone are Gód.
Shów me, Lórd, your wáy †
so that Í may wálk in your trúth. *
Guide my héart to féar your náme.
I will práise you, Lord my Gód, with all my héart *
and glórify your náme for éver;
for your lóve to mé has been gréat: *
you have sáved me from the dépths of the gráve.
The próud have rísen agáinst me; †
rúthless men séek my lífe; *
to yóu they páy no héed.
But yóu, God of mércy and compássion, *
slów to ánger, O Lórd,
abóunding in lóve and trúth, *
túrn and take píty on mé.
O gíve your stréngth to your sérvant *
and sáve your hándmaid’s són.
Shów me a sígn of your fávour †
that my fóes may sée to their sháme *
that you consóle me and gíve me your hélp.
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.
All the nations shall come to adore you, O Lord. Alleluia.
Psalm-prayer
God of mercy and goodness, when Christ called out to you in torment, you heard him and gave him victory over death because of his love for you. We already know the affection you have for us; fill us with a greater love of your name and we will proclaim you more boldly before men and happily lead them to celebrate your glory.
________
Canticle
Isaiah 33
The Lord will give just judgement
“The promise that was made is for you and your children and for all those who are far away” (Acts 2:39).
Our eyes will see the King in his splendour. Alleluia.
Hear, you who are far off, *
what I have done;
and you who are near, *
acknowledge my might.
The sinners in Sion are afraid; *
trembling has seized the godless:
‘Who among us can dwell with the devouring fire? *
Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?’
He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, †
who despises the gain of oppressions, *
who shakes his hands lest they hold a bribe,
who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed *
and shuts his eyes from looking upon evil,
He will dwell on the heights; *
his place of defence will be the fortresses of rocks;
his bread will be given him, *
his water will be sure.
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.
Our eyes will see the King in his splendour. Alleluia.
________
Psalm 97 (98)
The Lord has brought salvation
“This psalm tells of the first coming of the Lord and of the faith of all peoples” (St Athanasius).
All men will see the salvation of our God. Alleluia.
Síng a new sóng to the Lórd *
for hé has worked wónders.
His ríght hand and his hóly árm *
have bróught salvátion.
The Lórd has made knówn his salvátion; *
has shown his jústice to the nátions.
He has remémbered his trúth and lóve *
for the hóuse of Ísrael.
All the énds of the éarth have séen *
the salvátion of our Gód.
Shóut to the Lórd, all the éarth, *
ríng out your jóy.
Sing psálms to the Lórd with the hárp *
with the sóund of músic.
With trúmpets and the sóund of the hórn *
acclaim the Kíng, the Lórd.
Let the séa and all withín it, thúnder; *
the wórld, and all its péoples.
Let the rívers cláp their hánds *
and the hílls ring out their jóy
Rejóice at the présence of the Lórd, *
for he comes to rúle the éarth.
He will rúle the wórld with jústice *
and the péoples with fáirness.
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.
All men will see the salvation of our God. Alleluia.
Psalm-prayer
Lord Jesus, you have revealed your justice to all nations. We stood condemned, and you came to be judged in our place. Send your saving power on us and, when you come in glory, bring your mercy to those for whom you were condemned.
Or:
Father, you deserve the lasting song of praise you formed upon the lips of men, by opening your boundless love to us through the mystery of your Son. Grant that the eucharistic gathering everywhere, by which the Church celebrates the Easter wedding feast, may always renew the song which we will sing to your glory in heaven.
________
Short Reading
Song of Songs 8:7
Love is something that no flood can quench, no torrents drown. Were a man to offer all the wealth of his house to buy love, contempt is all he would purchase.
________
Short Responsory
My heart has said of you: I have sought your presence, Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
– My heart has said of you: I have sought your presence, Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
It is your face that I will continue to seek.
– My heart has said of you: I have sought your presence, Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– My heart has said of you: I have sought your presence, Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
________
Canticle
Benedictus
The Messiah and the one who was sent before him
The holy virgin, Saint Catherine, never ceased praying to God to let peace return to his holy Church, alleluia.
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.
The holy virgin, Saint Catherine, never ceased praying to God to let peace return to his holy Church, alleluia.
________
Prayers and intercessions
With great joy let us praise Christ, the bridegroom of all virgins.
– Jesus, crown of virgins, hear us.
Lord Jesus, the holy virgins loved you as their only spouse;
may we never be separated from you.
– Jesus, crown of virgins, hear us.
You crowned your mother Mary as queen of all virgins;
by her prayers grant that we may serve you in purity of life.
– Jesus, crown of virgins, hear us.
The holy virgins followed you with undivided hearts;
do not allow us to be fascinated by this passing world and drawn away from you.
– Jesus, crown of virgins, hear us.
Lord Jesus, you are the bridegroom that the wise virgins were ready to meet;
let us watch for your coming with longing and hope.
– Jesus, crown of virgins, hear us.
May Saint N., who reigns in your kingdom, intercede for us;
through her prayers grant us wisdom and innocence of life.
– Jesus, crown of virgins, 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.
________
Almighty God, you made Saint Catherine of Siena
a contemplative lover of the Lord’s sufferings
and an ardent servant of your church.
Grant through her prayer
that your people may be united to Christ in his mystery,
and rejoice for ever in the revelation of his glory.
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.
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.