Divine Office – Liturgy of the Hours of the Roman Catholic Church (Breviary)

Morning Prayer

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Liturgy of the Hours Vol. I:
Ordinary: 653
Proper of Seasons: 521
Psalter: Wednesday, Week I, 736

Christian Prayer:

Ordinary: 689
Proper of Seasons: 195
Psalter: Wednesday, Week I, 738

Morning Prayer for Wednesday before Epiphany

God, come to my assistance.

— Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

HYMN

Hark the herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Christ by highest heav'n adored

Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!

Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

𝄞"Hark the Herald Angels Sing" by Rebecca Hincke • Available for Purchase • Title: Hark the Herald Angels Sing; Text: Charles Wesley (1739); Music: William H. Cummings (1840); Artist: Rebecca Hincke; (c) 2016 Surgeworks, Inc. • Albums that contain this Hymn: Hymns and Chants of Divine Office, Vol. 4

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 O Lord, in your light we see light itself.

Psalm 36

The malice of sinners and God’s goodness
No follower of mine wanders in the dark; he shall have the light of life (John 8:12).

Sin speaks to the sinner

in the depths of his heart.
There is no fear of God
before his eyes.

He so flatters himself in his mind

that he knows not his guilt.
In his mouth are mischief and deceit.
All wisdom is gone.

He plots the defeat of goodness

as he lies on his bed.
He has set his foot on evil ways,
he clings to what is evil.

Your love, Lord, reaches to heaven;

your truth to the skies.
Your justice is like God’s mountain,
your judgments like the deep.

To both man and beast you give protection.

O Lord, how precious is your love.
My God, the sons of men
find refuge in the shelter of your wings.

They feast on the riches of your house;

they drink from the stream of your delight.
In you is the source of life
and in your light we see light.

Keep on loving those who know you,

doing justice for upright hearts.
Let the foot of the proud not crush me
nor the hand of the wicked cast me out.

See how the evildoers fall!

Flung down, they shall never arise.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Psalm-prayer

Lord, you are the source of unfailing light. Give us true knowledge of your mercy so that we may renounce our pride and be filled with the riches of your house.

Ant. O Lord, in your light we see light itself.

Ant.2 O God, you are great and glorious; we marvel at your power.

Canticle – Judith 16:1,13-15

God who created the world takes care of his people
They were singing a new song (Revelation 5:9)

Strike up the instruments,

a song to my God with timbrels,
chant to the Lord with cymbals;
Sing to him a new song,
exalt and acclaim his name.

A new hymn I will sing to my God.

O Lord, great are you and glorious,
wonderful in power and unsurpassable.

Let your every creature serve you;

for you spoke, and they were made,
You sent forth your spirit, and they were created;
no one can resist your word.

The mountains to their bases, and the seas, are shaken;

the rocks, like wax, melt before your glance.
But to those who fear you,
you are very merciful.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. O God, you are great and glorious; we marvel at your power.

Ant. 3 Exult in God’s presence with hymns of praise.

Psalm 47

The Lord Jesus is king of all
He is seated at the right hand of the Father and his kingdom will have no end.

All peoples, clap your hands,

cry to God with shouts of joy!
For the Lord, the Most High, we must fear,
great king over all the earth.

He subdues peoples under us

and nations under our feet.
Our inheritance, our glory, is from him,
given to Jacob out of love.

God goes up with shouts of joy;

the Lord goes up with trumpet blast.
Sing praise for God, sing praise,
sing praise to our king, sing praise.

God is king of all the earth,

sing praise with all your skill.
God is king over the nations;
God reigns on his holy throne.

The princes of the people are assembled

with the people of Abraham’s God.
The rulers of the earth belong to God,
to God who reigns over all.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Psalm-prayer

God, King of all peoples and all ages, it is your victory we celebrate as we sing with all the skill at our command. Help us always to overcome evil by good, that we may rejoice in your triumph for ever.

Ant. Exult in God’s presence with hymns of praise.

READING Isaiah 45:22-23

Turn to me and be safe,

all you ends of the earth,
for I am God; there is no other!
By myself I swear,
uttering my just decree
and my unalterable word:
To me every knee shall bend;
by me every tongue shall swear.

Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell) – a moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.

RESPONSORY

The Lord has made known, alleluia, alleluia.

— The Lord has made known, alleluia, alleluia.

His saving power.

— Alleluia, alleluia.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

— The Lord has made known, alleluia, alleluia.

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH

Ant. Christ our God, in whom the fullness of the Godhead dwells, took upon himself our wounded nature and became the first new man, alleluia.

Luke 1:68 – 79

The Messiah and his forerunner

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;

he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old

that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:

to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High;

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God

the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Christ our God, in whom the fullness of the Godhead dwells, took upon himself our wounded nature and became the first new man, alleluia.

INTERCESSIONS

Let us glorify the Word of God who was revealed in the flesh, appeared to the angels, and was proclaimed to the nations. Let us faithfully acknowledge him:

We adore you, only-begotten Son of the Father.

Liberator of mankind, through the Virgin Mary you came to renew us,

— through her intercession keep us from our old ways.
We adore you, only-begotten Son of the Father.

You made your uncreated justice radiate from heaven to earth,

— direct our days and our nights in the brightness of the Sun.
We adore you, only-begotten Son of the Father.

Son of God, you have shown us the Father’s love,

— help us to show him to one another by our love.
We adore you, only-begotten Son of the Father.

You chose to dwell with us,

— make us worthy of your companionship.
We adore you, only-begotten Son of the Father.

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.

Concluding Prayer

Grant us, almighty God,

that the bringer of your salvation,
who for the world’s redemption came forth
with newness of heavenly light,
may dawn afresh in our hearts
and bring us constant renewal.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
— Amen.

DISMISSAL

May the Lord bless us,

protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life.
— Amen.

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Divine Office – Liturgy of the Hours of the Roman Catholic Church (Breviary)By Divine Office (DivineOffice.org)