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

Morning Prayer

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Ribbon Placement:

Liturgy of the Hours Vol. I:
Ordinary: 653
Proper of Seasons: 346
Psalter: Wednesday, Week III, 979

Christian Prayer:

Ordinary: 689
Proper of Seasons: 125
Psalter: Wednesday, Week III, 886

Morning Prayer for December 20, Wednesday of the 3rd week of Advent

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

I bind unto myself today the strong name of the Trinity.

By invocation of the same,
The Three in One, the One in Three.
I bind unto myself today the power of God to hold and lead.
God's eye to watch, God's might to stay.
God's heavenly host to be my guard.

Chorus:

Christ be with me; Christ within me;
Christ behind me; Christ before me;
Christ to comfort and restore me;
Christ beneath me and above me;
Christ in hearts of all that love me;
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger;

I bind unto myself the name the strong name of the Trinity.

By invocation of the same,
The Three in One, the One in Three.
Of whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word.
Praise to the Lord of my salvation.
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

Chorus:

Christ be with me; Christ within me;
Christ behind me; Christ before me;
Christ to comfort and restore me;
Christ beneath me and above me;
Christ in hearts of all that love me;
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger;

𝄞"Prayer of St. Patrick" by Briege O'Hare And Marie Cox • Available on iTunes • Available for Purchase • Title: Prayer of St. Patrick; Text: Briege O'Hare, OSC, inspired by The Carmina Gadelica; Album: The Peace of God. Songs from a Celtic Monastery; Composed and arranged by: Briege O'Hare, OSC; Sung by: Marie Cox,RSM; (c) 2006 Hermitage Production; Used by permission • Albums that contain this Hymn: The Peace of God

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 The Lord, the mighty God, will come forth from Zion to set his people free.

Psalm 86

The prayer of the poor man in distress
Blessed be God who comforts us in all our trials (2 Corinthians 1:3, 4).

Turn your ear, O Lord, and give answer

for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my life, for I am faithful:
save the servant who trusts in you.

You are my God, have mercy on me, Lord,

for I cry to you all the day long.
Give joy to your servant, O Lord,
for to you I lift up my soul.

O Lord, you are good and forgiving,

full of love to all who call.
Give heed, O Lord, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my voice.

In the day of distress I will call

and surely you will reply.
Among the gods there is none like you,
O Lord; nor work to compare with yours.

All the nations shall come to adore you

and glorify your name, O Lord:
for you are great and do marvellous deeds,
you who alone are God.

Show me, Lord, your way

so that I may walk in your truth.
Guide my heart to fear your name.

I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart

and glorify your name for ever;
for your love to me has been great:
you have saved me from the depths of the grave.

The proud have risen against me;

ruthless men seek my life:
to you they pay no heed.

But you, God of mercy and compassion,

slow to anger, O Lord,
abounding in love and truth,
turn and take pity on me.

O give your strength to your servant

and save your handmaid’s son.
Show me a sign of your favor
that my foes may see to their shame
that you console me and give me your help.

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 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 great love of your name, and we will proclaim you more boldly before men and happily lead them to celebrate your glory.

Ant. The Lord, the mighty God, will come forth from Zion to set his people free.

Ant. 2 I shall not cease to plead with God for Zion until he sends his Holy One in all his radiant beauty.

Canticle – Isaiah 33:13-16

God’s flawless judgment
What God has promised is for you, for your children, and for those still far away (Acts 2:39).

Hear, you who are far off,

what I have done;
you who are near,
acknowledge my might.

On Zion sinners are in dread,

trembling grips the impious;
“Who of us can live with the consuming fire?
Who of us can live with the everlasting flames?”

He who practices virtue and speaks honestly,

who spurns what is gained by oppression,
brushing his hands
free of contact with a bribe,
stopping his ears lest he hear of bloodshed,
closing his eyes lest he look on evil.

He shall dwell on the heights,

his stronghold shall be the rocky fastness,
his food and drink
in steady supply.

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. I shall not cease to plead with God for Zion until he sends his Holy One in all his radiant beauty.

Ant. 3 The Spirit of the Lord rests upon me; he has sent me to preach his joyful message to the poor.

Psalm 98

The Lord triumphs in his judgment
This psalm tells of the Lord’s first coming and that people of all nations will believe in him (Saint Athanasius).

Sing a new song to the Lord

for he has worked wonders.
His right hand and his holy arm
have brought salvation.

The Lord has made known his salvation;

has shown his justice to the nations.
He has remembered his truth and love
for the house of Israel.

All the ends of the earth have seen

the salvation of our God.
Shout to the Lord, all the earth,
ring out your joy.

Sing psalms to the Lord with the harp

with the sound of music.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
acclaim the King, the Lord.

Let the sea and all within it thunder;

the world, and all its peoples.
Let the rivers clap their hands
and the hills ring out their joy.

Rejoice at the presence of the Lord,

for he comes to rule the earth.
He will rule the world with justice
and the peoples with fairness.

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 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.

Ant. The Spirit of the Lord rests upon me; he has sent me to preach his joyful message to the poor.

READING Genesis 49:10

The scepter shall never depart from Judah,

or the mace from between his legs,
While tribute is brought to him,
and he receives the people’s homage.

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

Your light will come, Jerusalem; the Lord will dawn on you in radiant beauty.

— Your light will come, Jerusalem; the Lord will dawn on you in radiant beauty.

You will see his glory within you;

— the Lord will dawn on you in radiant beauty.

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

— Your light will come, Jerusalem; the Lord will dawn on you in radiant beauty.

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH

Ant. The angel Gabriel was sent to the Virgin Mary, who was engaged to be married to Joseph.

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. The angel Gabriel was sent to the Virgin Mary, who was engaged to be married to Joseph.

INTERCESSIONS

To Christ our Lord, the light of the world, let us cry out with joy:

Come, Lord Jesus!

Dispel our darkness with the light of your presence,

— and make us worthy of your gifts.
Come, Lord Jesus!

Save us, Lord our God,

— that we may praise your holy name this day.
Come, Lord Jesus!

Enkindle in our hearts the flame of your love,

— and make us long to be united with you.
Come, Lord Jesus!

You bore our infirmity,

— aid the sick and those who are to die this day.
Come, Lord Jesus!

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

O God,

eternal majesty, whose ineffable Word
the immaculate Virgin received
through the message of an Angel,
and so became the dwelling-place of divinity,
filled with the light of the Holy Spirit,
grant, we pray, that by her example,
we may in humility hold fast to your will.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
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)