Introduction:
O God, come to our aid;
God, make haste to help me.
Glory to you , Source of all being, Eternal Word and Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now and will be for ever, world without end. Amen. (Alleluia)
Benedictus
This was promised by the lips of your holy ones,
those who were your prophets from of old:
a saviour who would free us from our foes,
from the hands of all who hate us.
So your love for our forebears is fulfilled
and your holy covenant remembered.
You swore to Abraham and Sarah,
to grant us, that, free from fear
and saved from the hands of our foes,
we might worship in holiness and justice
all the days of our life in your presence.
As for this little child, he shall be called
a prophet of God, the Most High.
He shall go ahead of the Christ
to prepare the way before him,
to make known to God’s people their salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
and the loving-kindness of the heart of our God
who visits us like the dawn from on high.
You will give light to those in darkness,
those who dwell in the shadow of death
and guide us into the way of peace.
Glory to God, Source of all being, Eternal Word and Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now and will be for ever, world without end. Amen.
Flower of Carmel, Tall vine, blossom laden. Splendour of heaven, Child-bearing, yet maiden. None equals thee.
Mother so tender, Whom no man didst know, On Carmel’s children, Your favour bestow. Star of the Sea
Psalm 5:1-9, 11-12
To my words give ear, O God,
give heed to my groaning.
Attend to the sound of my cries,
my Saviour and my God.
It is you whom I invoke, O God.
In the morning you hear me;
in the morning I offer you my prayer,
watching and waiting.
You are no God who loves evil;
no sinner is your guest.
The boastful shall not stand their ground
before your face.
You hate all who do evil;
you destroy all who lie.
The deceitful and bloodthirsty one
our God detests.
But I through the greatness of your love
have access to your house.
I bow down before your holy temple,
filled with awe.
Lead me, O God, in your justice,
because of those who lie in wait;
make clear your way before me.
No truth can be found in their mouths,
their heart is all mischief,
their throat a wide-open grave,
all honey their speech.
All those you protect shall be glad
and ring out their joy.
You shelter them; in you they rejoice,
those who love your name.
It is you who bless the just one, Lord:
you surround us with favour as with a shield.
Glory to God...
It is you whom I invoke O God. In the morning you hear me.
Canticle | 1 Chronicles 29:10-13
O God, we praise the splendour of your name.
Blessed are you, O God,
the God of Israel your people,
for ever and ever.
Yours, O God, is the greatness, and the power,
and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty;
for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours.
Yours is the rule, O Lord,
and you are exalted as head above all.
Both riches and honour come from you,
and you rule over all.
In your hand are power and might;
and in your hand is the power to make great
and to give strength to all.
And now we thank you, O God,
and praise your glorious name.
Glory to God...
O God, we praise the splendour of your name.
O give to God, you people of God,
give to God glory and power;
give to God the glory of the divine name.
Adore God in the holy court.
God’s voice resounding on the waters,
God on the immensity of waters;
the voice of God, full of power,
the voice of God, full of splendour.
God’s voice shattering the cedars,
God shatters the cedars of Lebanon;
God makes Lebanon leap like a calf
and Sirion like a young wild ox.
God’s voice flashes flames of fire.
God’s voice shaking the wilderness,
God shakes the wilderness of Kadesh;
God’s voice rending the oak tree
and stripping the forest bare.
The God of glory thunders.
In the temple they all cry: ‘Glory!’
God sat enthroned over the flood;
God sits as ruler for ever.
God will give strength to the people,
and will bless the people with peace.
Glory to God...
Short reading | 2 Thessalonians 3:10-13
We gave you a rule when we were with you: not to let anyone have any food if they refused to do any work. Now we hear that there are some of you who are living in idleness, doing no work themselves but interfering with everyone else’s. In the name of Jesus Christ, we order and call on people of this kind to go on quietly working and earning the food that they eat. My sisters and brothers, never grow tired of doing what is right.
Responsory
Blessed be God from age to age. Blessed be God from age to age.
God alone has wrought marvellous works. Blessed be God from age to age.
Glory to God, Source of all being, Eternal word and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God from age to age.
Canticle | Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
Blessed be our Saviour and our God.
Blessed are you, the God of Israel,
you have visited your people and redeemed them,
and have raised up for us a mighty saviour
in the house of your servants.
This was promised by the lips of your holy ones,
those who were your prophets from of old:
a saviour who would free us from our foes,
from the hands of all who hate us.
So your love for our forebears is fulfilled
and your holy covenant remembered.
You swore to Abraham and Sarah,
to grant us, that, free from fear
and saved from the hands of our foes,
we might worship in holiness and justice
all the days of our life in your presence.
As for this little child, he shall be called
a prophet of God, the Most High.
He shall go ahead of the Christ
to prepare the way before him,
through the forgiveness of their sins,
and the loving-kindness of the heart of our God who visits us like the dawn from on high.
You will give light to those in darkness,
those who dwell in the shadow of death
and guide us into the way of peace.
Glory to God, Source of all being, Eternal Word and Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now and will be for ever, world without end. Amen.
Prayers and Intercessions
As the new day begins let us praise Christ in whom is the fullness of grace and the Spirit of God.
→ God, give us your Spirit.
We praise you, O God: -- and we thank you for all your blessings.
Give us peace of mind and generosity of heart: -- grant us health and strength to do your will.
May your love be with us during the day: -- guide us in our work.
Be with all those who have asked our prayers: -- and grant them all their needs.
Our Father…
Concluding Prayer
O God, be the beginning and the end of all that we do and say.
Prompt our actions with your grace and complete them with your
all-powerful help.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and
reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and
ever. Amen.
May God bless us and keep us from all harm and lead us into the life of the age to come. Amen.
Week 1 | Tuesday
Psalm 23 (24)
The one with clean hands and pure heart will climb the mountain of our God.
To God belongs the earth and its fullness,
the world and all its peoples.
It is God who set it on the seas
and on the waters made it firm.
Who shall climb the mountain of our God?
Who shall stand in that holy place?
The one with clean hands and pure heart,
who desires not worthless things,
who has not sworn so as to deceive a neighbour.
They shall receive blessings from our God
and reward from the God who saves them.
Such are those who seek God,
seek the face of the God of Jacob.
O gates, lift high your heads;
grow higher, ancient doors.
Let God enter, the God of glory!
Who is the God of glory?
Our God, the mighty, the valiant,
our God, the valiant in war.
O gates, lift high your heads;
grow higher, ancient doors.
Let God enter, the God of glory!
Who is this, the God of glory?
This is the God of armies,
this is the God of glory.
Glory to God...
The one with clean hands and pure heart will climb the mountain of our God.
Canticle | Tobit 13:1-5b,7-8
Praise the God of all ages in all your deeds.
Blessed is God, who lives for ever,
and blessed is God’s reign.
For God afflicts, and again shows mercy;
God leads down to Hades, and brings up again,
and there is no one who can escape God’s hand.
Acknowledge God before the nations, O chosen people,
for God has scattered us among them.
Make God’s greatness known there,
and exalt God in the presence of all the living;
because this is our saviour and our God,
this is our saviour for ever.
God will afflict us for our iniquities;
and again will show mercy,
but see what God will do with you;
give thanks to God with your full voice.
Praise the God of righteousness,
and exalt the God of all ages.
I give God thanks in the land of my captivity,
and I show that power and majesty to a nation of sinners.
Turn back, you sinners, and do right before God:
who knows if God will accept you and have mercy on you?
I exalt my God;
my soul exalts the God of heaven,
and will rejoice in that majesty.
Let all people speak,
and give God thanks in Jerusalem.
Glory to God ...
Praise the God of all ages in all your deeds.
Psalm 32 (33)
Praise is fitting for loyal hearts.
Ring out your joy to God, O you just;
for praise is fitting for loyal hearts.
Give thanks to God upon the lyre,
with a ten-stringed harp sing songs.
O sing a song that is new,
play loudly, with all your skill.
For the word of God is faithful
and all God’s works to be trusted.
God loves justice and right
and fills the earth with love.
By that word the heavens were made,
by the breath of God’s mouth all the stars.
God collects the waves of the ocean;
and stores up the depths of the sea.
Let all the earth fear God
all who live in the world revere God.
God spoke; and it came to be;
commanded; it sprang into being.
God frustrates the designs of the nations,
and defeats the plans of the peoples.
God’s own designs shall stand for ever,
the plans of God’s heart from age to age.
They are happy, whose God we worship,
the people chosen as God’s own.
From the heavens God looks forth,
and sees all the children of the earth.
From that place on high, God gazes
on all the dwellers on the earth;
God who shapes the hearts of them all;
and considers all their deeds.
A ruler is not saved by an army,
nor a warrior preserved by mere strength.
A vain hope for safety is the horse;
despite its power it cannot save.
Our God looks on those who love righteousness,
on those who hope in that love,
to rescue their souls from death,
to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul is waiting for the Most High.
God is our help and our shield.
In God do our hearts find joy.
We trust in that holy name.
May your love be upon us, O God,
as we place all our hope in you.
Glory to God ...
Praise is fitting for loyal hearts.
Short reading | Romans 13:11,12-13
You know what hour it is; how it is full time now for you to wake from sleep. The night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day.
Short Responsory
My helper is my God in whom I place my trust;
My helper is my God in whom I place my trust.
God is my refuge and sets me free;
My helper is my God in whom I place my trust.
Glory to God, Source of all being, Eternal word and Holy Spirit:
My helper is my God in whom I place my trust.
Canticle | Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
God has raised up a mighty saviour for us, as was promised through the lips of the prophets
Blessed are you, the God of Israel,
you have visited your people and redeemed them,
and have raised up for us a mighty saviour
in the house of your servants.
This was promised by the lips of your holy ones,
those who were your prophets from of old:
a saviour who would free us from our foes,
from the hands of all who hate us.
So your love for our forebears is fulfilled
and your holy covenant remembered.
You swore to Abraham and Sarah,
to grant us, that, free from fear
and saved from the hands of our foes,
we might worship in holiness and justice
all the days of our life in your presence.
As for this little child, he shall be called
a prophet of God, the Most High.
He shall go ahead of the Christ
to prepare the way before him,
to make known to God’s people their salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
and the loving-kindness of the heart of our God
who visits us like the dawn from on high.
You will give light to those in darkness,
those who dwell in the shadow of death
and guide us into the way of peace.
Glory to God, Source of all being, Eternal Word and Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now and will be for ever, world without end. Amen.
Prayers and Intercessions
As Christians called to share the life of God, let us praise Christ Jesus, the high priest of our faith.
→ You are our Saviour and our God.
Almighty God, you have baptised us, and made us a royal priesthood:
-- may we offer you a constant sacrifice of praise.
Help us to keep your commandments:
-- so that through your holy Spirit we may dwell in you, and you in us.
Everlasting wisdom, come to us: -- dwell with us and work in us today.
Help us to be considerate and kind: -- grant that we may bring joy, not pain, to those we meet.
Our Father…
Concluding Prayer
Look with favour on our morning prayer, O God,
and in your saving love
let your light penetrate the hidden places of our hearts.
May no sordid desires darken our minds,
renewed and enlightened as we are by your heavenly grace.
May God bless us and keep us from all harm and lead us into the life of the age to come. Amen.
In your light, God, we see light.
Sin speaks to the sinner
in the depths of their hearts.
There is no fear of God
before their eyes.
They so flatter themselves in their mind
that they know not their guilt.
In their hearts are mischief and deceit.
All wisdom is gone.
They plot the defeat of goodness
as they lie on their beds.
They have set their feet on evil ways,
they cling to what is evil.
Your love, O God, reaches to heaven;
your truth to the skies.
Your justice is like God’s mountain,
your judgements like the deep.
To both human and beast you give protection.
O Lord, how precious is your love.
My God, all your people
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 God ...
In your light, God, we see light.
Canticle | Judith 16:2-3a, 13-15
O God, you are great, you are glorious, you are wonderfully strong.
Begin a song to God with tambourines,
sing to God with cymbals.
Raise to God a new psalm;
exalt and call upon that holy name.
For God is the One who crushes wars.
I will sing to God a new song:
O God, you are great and glorious,
wonderful in strength, invincible.
Let all your creatures serve you,
for you spoke, and they were made.
You sent forth your Spirit, and it formed them;
there is none that can resist your voice.
For the mountains shall be shaken to their foundations with the waters;
at your presence the rocks shall melt like wax,
but to those who fear you,
you will continue to show mercy.
Glory to God ...
O God, you are great, you are glorious, you are wonderfully strong.
Psalm 46 (47)
Cry to God with shouts of joy.
All peoples, clap your hands,
cry to God with shouts of joy!
For God, the Most High, we must fear,
great ruler over all the earth.
God subdues peoples under us
and nations under our feet.
Our inheritance, our glory, is from God,
given to our people out of love.
God goes up with shouts of joy;
the Most High goes up with trumpet blast.
Sing praise for God, sing praise,
sing praise to our God, sing praise.
God is ruler of all the earth,
sing praise with all your skill.
God is ruler over the nations;
God reigns on the holy throne.
The princes of the people are assembled
with the people of our ancestor’s God.
The rulers of the earth belong to God,
to God who reigns over all.
Glory to God…
Cry to God with shouts of joy.
Short reading | Tobit 4:14-15,16,19
Do to no one what you would not want done to you. Give your bread to
those who are hungry, and your clothes to those who are naked.
Ask advice of every wise person.
Bless your God in everything; beg God to guide your ways and bring your
paths and purposes to their end.
Short Responsory
Bend my heart to your will, O God; Bend my heart to your will, O God.
By your word, give me life; Bend my heart to your will, O God.
Glory to God, Source of all being, Eternal word and Holy Spirit; Bend my heart to your will, O God
Canticle | Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
Show us your mercy, O God, remember your holy covenant.
Blessed are you, the God of Israel,
you have visited your people and redeemed them,
and have raised up for us a mighty saviour
in the house of your servants.
This was promised by the lips of your holy ones,
those who were your prophets from of old:
a saviour who would free us from our foes,
from the hands of all who hate us.
So your love for our forebears is fulfilled
and your holy covenant remembered.
You swore to Abraham and Sarah,
to grant us, that, free from fear
and saved from the hands of our foes,
we might worship in holiness and justice
all the days of our life in your presence.
As for this little child, he shall be called
a prophet of God, the Most High.
He shall go ahead of the Christ
to prepare the way before him,
to make known to God’s people their salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
and the loving-kindness of the heart of our God
who visits us like the dawn from on high.
You will give light to those in darkness,
those who dwell in the shadow of death
and guide us into the way of peace.
Glory to God, Source of all being, Eternal Word and Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now and will be for ever, world without end. Amen.
Prayers and Intercessions
We give thanks to Christ and we praise him because he was not ashamed to call us his sisters and brothers.
→ Lord Jesus, we are your brothers and sisters.
Help us to live the new life of Easter:
-- so that all people may know through us the power of your love.
Every day is a proof of your love :
--
As you bring us to this new day, make us new in mind and in heart.
Teach us to see you present in all people:
— help us to recognise you most of all in those who suffer.
May our lives today be filled with your compassion:
— give us the spirit of forgiveness and a generous heart.
Concluding Prayer
God our Saviour,
through the grace of baptism you made us children of light.
Hear our prayer that we may always walk in that light
and work for truth, as your witnesses before people.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and
reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for
ever and ever. Amen.
May God bless us and keep us from all harm and lead us into the life of the age to come. Amen.
Psalm 56 (57)
Awake, lyre and harp: I will awake the dawn.
Have mercy on me, God, have mercy
for in you my soul has taken refuge.
In the shadow of your wings I take refuge
till the storms of destruction pass by.
I call to God the Most High,
to God who has always been my help.
May you send from heaven and save me
and shame those who assail me.
May God send truth and send love.
My soul lies down among lions,
who would devour the people.
Their teeth are spears and arrows,
their tongue a sharpened sword.
O God, arise above the heavens;
may your glory shine on earth!
They laid a snare for my steps,
my soul was bowed down.
They dug a pit in my path
but fell in it themselves.
My heart is ready, O God,
my heart is ready.
I will sing, I will sing your praise.
Awake, my soul,
awake, lyre and harp,
I will awake the dawn.
I will thank you, O God, among the peoples,
among the nations I will praise you
for your love reaches to the heavens
and your truth to the skies.
O God, arise above the heavens;
may your glory shine on earth!
Glory to God…
Awake, lyre and harp: I will awake the dawn.
Canticle | Jeremiah 31:10-14
Thus says God: my people shall be filled with my good things.
O nations, hear the word of God.
Proclaim it to the far-off coasts.
Say: ‘The one who scattered Israel will gather us,
and guard us as a shepherd guards the flock.’
For God has ransomed Jacob,
has saved us as a shepherd guards a flock.
They will come and shout for joy on Mount Zion,
they will stream to the blessings of the Most High, to the corn, the
new wine and the oil,
to the flocks of sheep and the herds.
Their life will be like a watered garden;
they will never be weary again.
Then the young girls will rejoice and will dance,
the men, young and old, will be glad.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
I will console them, give gladness for grief.
The priests I will again feed with plenty,
and my people shall be filled with my blessings.
Glory to God…
Thus says our God: my people shall be filled with my good things.
Psalm 47 (48)
The Most High is great and worthy to be praised in the city of our God.
The Most High is great and worthy to be praised in the city of our God.
God’s holy mountain rises in beauty,
the joy of all the earth.
Mount Zion, true pole of the earth,
the Great Ruler’s city!
God, in the midst of its citadels,
has shown Godself its stronghold.
For the rulers assembled together,
together they advanced.
They saw; at once they were astounded;
dismayed, they fled in fear.
A trembling seized them there,
like the pangs of birth.
By the east wind you have destroyed
the ships of Tarshish.
As we have heard, so we have seen
in the city of our God,
in the city of the God of hosts
which God upholds for ever.
O God, we ponder your love
within your temple.
Your praise, O God, like your name
reaches the ends of the earth.
With justice your right hand is filled.
Mount Zion rejoices;
the people of Judah rejoice
at the sight of your judgements.
Walk through Zion, walk all round it;
count the number of its towers.
Review all its ramparts,
examine its castles,
that you may tell the next generation
that such is our God,
our God for ever and always.
It is God who leads us.
Glory to God…
The Most High is great and worthy to be praised in the city of our God.
Short reading | Isaiah 66:1-2
Thus says our God:
With heaven my throne and earth my footstool, what house could you
build me,
what place could you make for my rest?
All of this was made by my hand and all this is mine — it is your God
who speaks.
But my eyes are drawn to the one of humble and contrite spirit, who
trembles at my word.
Short Responsory
I called with all my heart; God hear me; I called with all my heart; God hear me.
I will keep your commandments; I called with all my heart; God hear me.
Glory to God, Source of all being, Eternal word and Holy Spirit ;
I called with all my heart; God hear me.
Canticle | Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
Let us serve our God in holiness; God will deliver us from the hands of our enemies.
Blessed are you, the God of Israel,
you have visited your people and redeemed them,
and have raised up for us a mighty saviour
in the house of your servants.
This was promised by the lips of your holy ones,
those who were your prophets from of old:
a saviour who would free us from our foes,
from the hands of all who hate us.
So your love for our forebears is fulfilled
and your holy covenant remembered.
You swore to Abraham and Sarah,
to grant us, that, free from fear
and saved from the hands of our foes,
we might worship in holiness and justice
all the days of our life in your presence.
As for this little child, he shall be called
a prophet of God, the Most High.
He shall go ahead of the Christ
to prepare the way before him,
to make known to God’s people their salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
and the loving-kindness of the heart of our God
who visits us like the dawn from on high.
You will give light to those in darkness,
those who dwell in the shadow of death
and guide us into the way of peace.
Glory to God, Source of all being, Eternal Word and Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now and will be for ever, world without end. Amen.
Prayers and Intercessions
Let us begin this new day with Christ, thanking him for all he has brought to us, and asking him to bless us:
→ Accept and bless our work today.
You offered yourself to God on our behalf: -- join our offering with yours.
You are gentle and humble of heart: -- teach us to receive others as you did.
As each day begins, may your light rise in our hearts: -- may it shine forth in charity to the world.
Show your mercy to those who are sick: -- may each new day increase their trust in you.
Concluding Prayer:
Almighty and ever-living God,
we make our prayer to you at morning, noon and night:
dispel from our hearts the darkness of sin,
and bring us to the true light, Christ your Son, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. Amen.
May God bless us and keep us from all harm
and lead us into the life of the age to come. Amen.
Week 1 | Friday
Psalm 50 (51)
O God, you will be pleased with lawful sacrifice offered on your altar.
Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.
In your compassion blot out my offence.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.
My offences truly I know them;
my sin is always before me
Against you, you alone, have I sinned;
what is evil in your sight I have done.
That you may be justified when you give sentence
and be without reproach when you judge,
O see, in guilt I was born,
a sinner was I conceived.
Indeed you love truth in the heart;
then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom.
O purify me, then I shall be clean;
O wash me, I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me hear rejoicing and gladness,
that the bones you have crushed may revive.
From my sins turn away your face
and blot out all my guilt.
A pure heart create for me, O God,
put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
nor deprive me of your holy spirit.
Give me again the joy of your help;
with a spirit of fervour sustain me,
that I may teach transgressors your ways
and sinners may return to you.
O rescue me, God, my helper,
and my tongue shall ring out your goodness.
O God, open my lips
and my mouth shall declare your praise.
For in sacrifice you take no delight,
burnt offering from me you would refuse,
my sacrifice, a contrite spirit.
A humble, contrite heart you will not spurn.
In your goodness, show favour to Zion:
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will be pleased with lawful sacrifice,
holocausts offered on your altar.
Glory to God.. .
O God, you will be pleased with lawful sacrifice offered on your altar.
Canticle | Isaiah 45:15-26
All the descendants of Israel shall glory in victory through our God.
Truly, God of Israel, the Saviour.
you are a God who lies hidden.
They will be put to shame and disgraced,
all who resist you.
They will take themselves off in dismay,
the makers of idols.
But Israel is saved by our God,
saved for evermore.
You will never be ashamed or disgraced
through endless ages.
For this is the word of God,
the creator of heaven,
the God who made earth and shaped it,
God who made it firm.
God did not create it in vain,
but made it to be lived in.
‘I am your God, there is no other.
I have not spoken in secret, in some dark place,
I have not said to the people
“Search for me in vain.”
I am your God, I speak the truth,
I proclaim what is right.
Assemble, all of you, draw near
you who have escaped from the nations.
They know nothing, who carry around
their idols made of wood
and keep on praying to a god
that cannot save them.
State your case and bring your proofs,
consult among yourselves.
Who proclaimed this beforehand,
who foretold it long ago?
Was it not I, your God?
There is no god but me,
a God of justice, a saviour.
There is none but me.
Turn to me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth!
For I am God, there is no other;
by myself I swear it.
It is truth that goes forth from my mouth,
a word beyond recall.
To me every knee shall bow,
every tongue shall swear.
They will say: “In our God alone
are victory and power.
And to God will come in dismay
all who have resisted.
Through God will come victory and glory
for all Israel’s people.”
Glory to God...
All the descendants of Israel shall glory in victory through our God
Cry out with joy to our God, all the earth.
Serve our God with gladness.
Come before God, singing for joy.
Know that the Saviour, the Most High, is God.
God made us, we belong to God,
we are the people, the sheep of the flock.
Go within the gates, giving thanks.
Enter the courts with songs of praise.
Give thanks to God and bless God’s name.
Indeed, how good is our God,
eternal that merciful love.
God is faithful from age to age.
Glory to God...
Come before God, singing for joy.
Short reading | Ephesians 4:29-32
Do not use harmful words in talking. Use only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you. And do not make God’s Holy Spirit sad; for the Spirit is God’s mark of ownership on you, a guarantee that the Day will come when God will set you free. Get rid of all bitterness, passion and anger. No more shouting or insults. No more hateful feelings of any sort. Instead, be kind and tender-hearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you in Christ.
Short Responsory
In the morning let me know your love; In the morning let me know your love.
Make me know the way I should walk; In the morning let me know your love.
Glory to God, Source of all being, Eternal word and Holy Spirit ; In the morning let me know your love.
Canticle | Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
God has visited the people and has come to redeem them.
Blessed are you, the God of Israel,
you have visited your people and redeemed them,
and have raised up for us a mighty saviour
in the house of your servants.
This was promised by the lips of your holy ones,
those who were your prophets from of old:
a saviour who would free us from our foes,
from the hands of all who hate us.
So your love for our forebears is fulfilled
and your holy covenant remembered.
You swore to Abraham and Sarah,
to grant us, that, free from fear
and saved from the hands of our foes,
we might worship in holiness and justice
all the days of our life in your presence.
As for this little child, he shall be called
a prophet of God, the Most High.
He shall go ahead of the Christ
to prepare the way before him,
to make known to God’s people their salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
and the loving-kindness of the heart of our God
who visits us like the dawn from on high.
You will give light to those in darkness,
those who dwell in the shadow of death
and guide us into the way of peace.
Glory to God, Source of all being, Eternal Word and Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now and will be for ever, world without end. Amen.
Prayers and Intercessions
Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you. Through your cross and resurrection, you offer freedom and hope to those ready to receive them.
→ Show us your loving-kindness.
We are children of the day: -- help us to live in the light of your presence.
Guide our thoughts, our words, our actions: -- so that what we do today may be pleasing to you.
Help us to avoid wrongdoing: -- show us your mercy and love.
Through your passion and death, you have won life for us: -- give us the strength of your Holy Spirit.
Our Father
Concluding Prayer
Lord God, you hold out the light of your Word
to those who do not know you.
Strengthen in our hearts the faith you have given us,
so that no trials may quench the fire your Spirit has kindled with us.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
May God bless us and keep us from all harm and lead us into the life of the age to come. Amen.
Psalm 118 (119): 145-152
My eyes watch for you before dawn.
I call with all my heart; God, hear me,
I will keep your statutes.
I call upon you, save me
and I will do your will.
I rise before dawn and cry for help,
I hope in your word.
My eyes watch through the night
to ponder your promise.
In your love hear my voice, O God;
give me life by your decrees.
Those who harm me unjustly draw near;
they are far from your law.
But you, O God, are close,
your commands are truth.
Long have I known that your will
is established for ever.
Glory to God...
My eyes watch for you before dawn.
Canticle | Exodus 15:1-4a, 8-13, 17-18
My God is my strength, I will sing God’s praise; God is my salvation.
I will sing to my God, glorious the triumph!
Horse and rider have been thrown into the sea!
The Most High is my strength, my song, my salvation.
This is my God whom I extol,
my people’s God to whom I give praise.
Our God is a warrior! ‘The Most’ is God’s name.
The chariots of Pharaoh have been hurled into the sea.
At the breath of your anger the waters piled high;
the moving waters stood up like a dam.
The deeps turned solid in the midst of the sea.
The enemy said: ‘I will pursue and overtake them,
I will divide the plunder, I shall have my will.
I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.’
You blew with your breath, the sea closed over them.
They went down like lead into the mighty waters.
Who is like you among the gods, O God,
who is like you, so glorious in holiness,
spreading fear through your deeds, you who do marvels?
You stretched forth your hand,
the earth engulfed them;
your love has guided the people you redeemed,
your power has led them to your holy dwelling-place.
You will lead them and plant them on your mountain,
the place, O Lord, where you have made your home,
the sanctuary, Lord, which your hands have made.
Our God will reign for ever and ever.
My God is my strength, I will sing God’s praise; God is my salvation.
Psalm 116 (117)
O praise God, all you nations!
O praise God, all you nations!
acclaim God all you peoples!
Strong is God’s love for us;
God is faithful for ever.
Glory to God...
O praise our God, all you nations!
Short reading | 2 Peter 1:10-11
Sisters and brothers, you have been called and chosen: work all the harder to justify it by good deeds. If you do all these things there is no danger that you will ever fall away. In this way you will be granted admittance into the eternal kingdom of our God and saviour Jesus Christ.
Short Responsory
I called to you, God, you are my refuge; I called to you, God, you are my refuge.
You are all I have in the land of the living; I called to you, God, you are my refuge.
Glory to God, Source of all being, Eternal word and Holy Spirit;
I called to you, God, you are my refuge.
Canticle | Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
Give your light, O God, to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
Prayers and Intercessions
Christ became human to make us children of God and now intercedes for us before God in heaven. Let us give thanks for God’s loving mercy and pray:
→ Open to us the treasures of your love.
You have enlightened us in baptism: — we consecrate our day to you.
Fill us with praise of you today: — may we take your word with us wherever we may go.
Teach us to respond to your word like Mary our Mother: — may your word be fruitful in us.
Give us courage when things go wrong: — strengthen us with faith in you, with hope in your promises and with love of your will.
Concluding Prayer
Let the splendour of the resurrection,
light up our hearts and minds, Lord,
scattering the shadows of death,
and bringing us to the radiance of eternity.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
May God bless us and keep us from all harm
and lead us into the life of the age to come. Amen.
Week 2 | Monday
Psalm 41 (42)
When can I enter and see the face of God?
Like the deer that yearns
for running streams,
so my soul is yearning
for you, my God.
My soul is thirsting for God,
the God of my life;
when can I enter and see
the face of God?
My tears have become my bread,
by night, by day,
as I hear it said all the day long:
‘Where is your God?’
These things will I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I would lead the rejoicing crowd
into the house of God,
amid cries of gladness and thanksgiving,
the throng wild with joy.
Why are you cast down, my soul,
why groan within me?
Hope in God; I will praise God still,
my Saviour and my God.
My soul is cast down within me
as I think of you,
from the country of Jordan and Mount Hermon, from the Hill of Mizar.
Deep is calling on deep,
in the roar of waters;
your torrents and all your waves
swept over me.
By day our God will send
his loving kindness;
by night I will sing to him,
praise the God of my life.
I will say to God, my rock:
‘Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
oppressed by the foe?’
With cries that pierce me to the heart,
my enemies revile me,
saying to me all the day long:
‘Where is your God?’
Why are you cast down, my soul,
why groan within me?
Hope in God; I will praise God still,
my Saviour and my God.
Glory to God...
When can I enter and see the face of God?
Save us, God of all things,
strike all the nations with terror;
raise your hand against foreign nations,
that they may see the greatness of your might.
Our sufferings proved your holiness to them;
let their downfall prove your glory to us.
Let them know, as we ourselves know,
that there is no other God but you.
Give us signs again, work further wonders,
clothe your hand, your right arm in glory.
Assemble all the tribes and peoples,
as when they first received their inheritance.
Pity the poor people called by your name,
pity Israel, chosen as your first-born.
Have compassion on the holy city,
Jerusalem, the place of your rest.
Let Sion ring with your praises,
let your temple be filled with your glory.
Glory to God...
Show us, Lord, the light of your mercy.
The heavens proclaim the glory of God,
and the firmament shows forth the work of those hands.
Day unto day takes up the story
and night unto night makes known the message.
No speech, no word, no voice is heard
yet their span extends through all the earth,
their words to the utmost bounds of the world.
There God has placed a tent for the sun;
it comes forth like a bridegroom coming from his tent,
rejoices like a champion to run its course.
At the end of the sky is the rising of the sun;
to the furthest end of the sky is its course.
There is nothing concealed from its burning heat.
Glory to God...
Blessed are you, O God, in the vault of heaven.
Short Reading | Jeremiah 15:16
When your words came, I devoured them:
your word was my delight and the joy of my heart;
for I was called by your name, Lord, God of Sabaoth.
Short Responsory
Rejoice in God, O you just; for praise is fitting for loyal hearts.
Rejoice in God, O you just; for praise is fitting for loyal hearts.
Sing to him a new song.
Rejoice in God, O you just; for praise is fitting for loyal hearts.
Glory to God…
Rejoice in God, O you just; for praise is fitting for loyal hearts.
Canticle | Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
Blessed be God who has visited us and freed us.
Prayers and Intercessions
Christ has given us all a share in his priesthood.
We offer our prayers and ourselves in union with him.
→ Lord, accept our love and service.
Jesus Christ, you are the eternal priest: -- make this morning’s offering acceptable to God.
Lord, you are love itself: -- grant that we may love you.
Give us today the fruits of the Holy Spirit: -- make us patient, kind and gentle.
Give us the discernment to know the needs of our neighbours, -- and give us the courage to love them as sisters and brothers.
Concluding Prayer
Almighty God,
protect us by your power throughout the course of this day,
even as you have enabled us to begin it:
do not let us turn aside to any sin,
but let our every thought, word and deed
aim at doing what is pleasing in your sight.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and
reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever
and ever. Amen.
May God bless us and keep us from all harm
and lead us into the life of the age to come. Amen.
Psalm 42 (43)
O God, send forth your light and your truth.
Defend me, O God, and plead my cause
against a godless nation.
From deceitful and cunning people
rescue me, O God.
Since you, O God, are my stronghold,
why have you rejected me?
Why do I go mourning
oppressed by the foe?
O send forth your light and your truth;
let these be my guide.
Let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.
And I will come to the altar of God,
the God of my joy.
My redeemer, I will thank you on the harp,
O God, my God.
Why are you cast down my soul,
why groan within me?
Hope in God; I will praise him still,
my Saviour and my God.
Glory to God …
O God, send forth your light and your truth.
I said: In the noontide of my days I must depart;
I am consigned to the gates of Sheol
for the rest of my years.
I said, I shall not see our God
in the land of the living;
I shall look upon people no more
among the inhabitants of the world.
My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me like a shepherd’s
tent;
like a weaver I have rolled up my life;
he cuts me off from the loom.
From day to night you bring me to an end;
I cry for help until morning;
like a lion he breaks all my bones;
from day to night you bring me to an end.
Like a swallow or a crane I clamour,
I moan like a dove.
My eyes are weary with looking upward.
O Lord, I am oppressed; be my security!
Lo, it was for my welfare
that I had great bitterness;
but you have held back my life
from the pit of destruction,
for you have cast all my sins
behind your back.
For Sheol cannot thank you,
death cannot praise you;
those who go down to the pit
cannot hope for your faithfulness.
The living, the living, they thank you,
as I do this day;
parents make known to the children your faithfulness.
But God will save me,
and we will sing to stringed instruments
all the days of our life,
at the house of our God.
Glory to God…
Lord, come to our help all the days of our life.
To you our praise is due
in Sion, O God.
To you we pay our vows,
you who hear our prayer.
To you all flesh will come
with its burden of sin.
Too heavy for us, our offences,
but you wipe them away.
Blessed is the one whom you choose and call to dwell in your courts.
We are filled with the blessings of your house, of your holy temple.
You keep your pledge with wonders,
O God our Saviour,
the hope of all the earth
and of far distant isles.
You uphold the mountains with your strength,
you are girded with power.
You still the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
and the tumult of the peoples.
The ends of the earth stand in awe
at the sight of your wonders.
The lands of sunrise and sunset
you fill with your joy.
You care for the earth, give it water,
you fill it with riches.
Your river in heaven brims over
to provide its grain.
And thus you provide for the earth;
you drench its furrows;
you level it, soften it with showers;
you bless its growth.
You crown the year with your goodness.
Abundance flows in your steps,
in the pastures of the wilderness it flows.
The hills are girded with joy,
the meadows covered with flocks,
the valleys are decked with wheat.
They shout for joy, yes they sing.
Glory to God...
To you our praise is due in Sion, O God.
Short Reading | 1 Thessalonians 5:4-5
It is not as if you live in the dark, beloved, for that Day to overtake you like a thief. No, you are all children of light and children of the day: we do not belong to the night or to darkness.
Short Responsory
Hear my cry, Lord, for I hope in your word.
Hear my cry, Lord, for I hope in your word.
I rise before dawn and call for help.
Hear my cry, Lord, for I hope in your word.
Glory to God…
Hear my cry, Lord, for I hope in your word.
Canticle | Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
Lord, save us from the hands of all who hate us.
Prayers and Intercessions
Let us bless our Saviour, who by his rising to new life has freed the world from fear.
→ Lord, lead us to the truth.
Lord Jesus, as this day begins, we remember that you are risen:
— and therefore we look to the future with confidence.
We offer you our prayer this morning: -- take to yourself our cares, our hopes, and our needs.
Deepen in us our love for you today:
-- so that in all things we may find our good, and the good of others.
Lord Jesus, we pray that through our own troubles, we may learn to feel
the sufferings of others:
— help us to show them your compassion.
Concluding Prayer
True Light of the world, Lord Jesus Christ,
as you enlighten all people for their salvation,
give us grace, we pray, to herald your coming
by preparing the ways of justice and of peace.
We ask this in your name, living and reigning, one God, for ever and
ever. Amen.
May God bless us and keep us from all harm and lead us into the life of the age to come. Amen.
Psalm 76 (77)
Your ways, O God, are holy. What God is great as our God?
I cry aloud to God,
cry aloud so that God may hear me.
In the day of my distress I sought out God.
My hands were raised at night without ceasing;
my soul refused to be consoled.
I remembered my God and I groaned.
I pondered and my spirit fainted.
You withheld sleep from my eyes.
I was troubled, I could not speak.
I thought of the days of long ago
and remembered the years long past.
At night I mused within my heart.
I pondered and my spirit questioned.
‘Will God reject us for ever?
And show us favour no more?
Has God’s love vanished for ever?
Has the promise come to an end?
Does God forget all mercy
or in anger withhold compassion?’
I said: ‘This is what causes my grief;
that the way of the Most High has changed.’
I remember the deeds of God,
I remember your wonders of old,
I muse on all your works
and ponder your mighty deeds.
Your ways, O God, are holy.
What god is great as our God?
You are the God who works wonders.
You showed your power among the peoples.
Your strong arm redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
The waters saw you, O God,
the waters saw you and trembled;
the depths were moved with terror.
The clouds poured down rain,
the skies sent forth their voice;
your arrows flashed to and fro.
Your thunder rolled round the sky,
your flashes lighted up the world.
The earth was moved and trembled
when your way led through the sea,
your path through the mighty waters
and no one saw your footprints.
You guided your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Glory to God…
Your ways, O God, are holy. What God is great as our God?
My heart exults in our God,
I find my strength in my God;
my mouth laughs at my enemies
as I rejoice in your saving help.
There is none like our God,
there is none besides you.
There is no rock like our God.
Bring your haughty words to an end,
let no boasts fall from your lips,
for our God is a God who knows all.
It is God who weighs our deeds.
The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the weak are clothed with strength.
Those with plenty must labour for bread,
but the hungry need work no more.
The childless wife has children now
but the fruitful wife bears no more.
It is God who gives life and death,
who brings people to the grave and back;
it is God who gives poverty and riches.
God brings people low and raises them on high.
God lifts up the lowly from the dust,
and from the ash heap raises the poor
to set them in the company of the favoured
to give them a glorious throne.
For the pillars of the earth are our God’s
on them has been set the world.
God guards the steps of the faithful,
but the wicked perish in darkness,
for no one’s power gives them victory.
The enemies of our God shall be broken.
The Most High will thunder in the heavens,
our God will judge the ends of the earth.
God will give power to the chosen
and exalt the might of the anointed.
Glory to God…
My heart exults in God who humbles, and who exalts.
Psalm 96 (97)
Our God rules over all, let earth rejoice!
Our God rules over all, let earth rejoice!
let all the coastlands be glad.
Cloud and darkness are the raiment;
God’s throne, justice and right.
A fire prepares the path;
it burns up foes on every side.
The lightnings light up the world,
the earth trembles at the sight.
The mountains melt like wax
before the God of all the earth.
The skies proclaim God’s justice;
all peoples see that glory.
Let those who serve idols be ashamed,
those who boast of their worthless gods.
All you spirits, worship God.
Zion hears and is glad;
the people of Judah rejoice
because of your judgements, O God.
For you indeed are our God
most high above all the earth,
exalted far above all spirits.
But God loves those who hate evil,
guards the souls of the saints;
and sets them free from the wicked.
Light shines forth for the just
and joy for the upright of heart.
Rejoice, you just, in our God;
give glory to that holy name.
Glory to God…
Our God rules over all, let earth rejoice!
Short reading | Romans 8:35,37
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will affliction, or distress, or persecution, or hunger, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? Yet in all this we are conquerors, through God who has granted us great love.
Short Responsory
I will praise my God at all times; I will praise my God at all times.
That praise will be always on my lips; I will praise my God at all times.
Glory to God… I will praise my God at all times.
Canticle | Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
Let us serve God in holiness all our days.
Prayers and Intercessions
Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, who promised to be with the Church until the end of time. With confidence in his promise, we pray:
→ Stay with us, Lord Jesus.
In all things we are victorious through your love: -- take us into your care today.
Let the love of your Holy Spirit be in our hearts: -- so that we may consecrate this day to you.
Help all Christians to answer your call: -- may they be salt to the earth, and light to the world.
We pray for all those in industry: -- may they work in harmony for justice and for the good of the whole community.
Concluding Prayer
Shed your clear light on our hearts, O God,
so that walking continually in the way of your
commandments, we may never be deceived or misled.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and
reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever
and ever. Amen.
May God bless us and keep us from all harm and lead us into the life of the age to come. Amen.
Week 2 | Thursday
Psalm 79 (80)
O God, rouse up your might and come to our help.
O shepherd of Israel, hear us,
you who lead all your flock,
shine forth from your cherubim throne
upon Ephraim, Benjamin, Manasseh.
O God, rouse up your might,
O God, come to our help.
God of hosts, bring us back;
let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
Lord God of hosts, how long
will you frown on your people’s plea?
You have fed them with tears for their bread,
an abundance of tears for their drink.
You have made us the taunt of our neighbours,
our enemies laugh us to scorn.
God of hosts, bring us back;
let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
You brought a vine out of Egypt;
to plant it you drove out the nations.
Before it you cleared the ground;
it took root and spread through the land.
The mountains were covered with its shadow,
the cedars of God with its boughs.
It stretched out its branches to the sea,
to the Great River it stretched out its shoots.
Then why have you broken down its walls?
It is plucked by all who pass by.
It is ravaged by the boar of the forest,
devoured by the beasts of the field.
God of hosts, turn again, we implore,
look down from heaven and see.
Visit this vine and protect it,
the vine your right hand has planted.
They have burnt it with fire and destroyed it,
may they perish at the frown of your face.
May your hand be on the one you have chosen,
the one you have given your strength.
And we shall never forsake you again;
give us life that we may call upon your name.
God of hosts, bring us back;
let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
Glory to God …
O God, rouse up your might and come to our help.
Canticle | Isaiah 12:1-6
Our God has done marvellous things, let them be made known to the whole world.
I thank you, Lord: you were angry with me,
but your anger has passed and you give me comfort.
Truly, God is my salvation,
I trust, I shall not fear.
For God is my strength, my song,
truly God is my saviour.
With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.
Give thanks to our God, give praise to that name!
Make those mighty deeds known to the peoples.
Declare the greatness of God’s name,
sing a psalmto our God!
For God has done glorious deeds:
make them known to all the earth!
People of Zion, sing and shout for joy,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Glory to God…
Our God has done marvellous things,
let them be made known to the whole
world.
Ring out your joy to God our strength.
Ring out your joy to God our strength,
shout in triumph to the God of Jacob.
Raise a song and sound the timbrel,
the sweet-sounding harp and the lute;
blow the trumpet at the new moon,
when the moon is full, on our feast.
For this is Israel’s law,
a command of the God of Jacob.
God imposed it as a rule on Joseph,
going out against the land of Egypt.
A voice I did not know said to me:
‘I freed your shoulder from the burden;
your hands were freed from the load.
You called in distress and I saved you.
‘I answered, concealed in the storm cloud;
at the waters of Meribah I tested you.
Listen, my people, to my warning.
O Israel, if only you would heed!
‘Let there be no foreign god among you.
no worship of an alien god.
I am our God your God,
who brought you from the land of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.
‘But my people did not heed my voice
and Israel would not obey,
so I left them in their stubbornness of heart
to follow their own designs.
‘O that my people would heed me,
that Israel would walk in my ways!
At once I would subdue their foes,
turn my hand against their enemies.
‘But God’s enemies would cringe at their feet
and their subjection would last for ever.
But Israel I would feed with finest wheat
and fill them with honey from the rock.’
Glory to God…
Ring out your joy to God our strength.
Short reading | Romans 14:17-19
The reign of God does not mean food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit; the one who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by people. Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
Short Responsory
Early in the morning I will think of you, O God;
Early in the morning I will think of you, O God.
You have been my help; Early in the morning I will think of you, O God.
Glory to God... Early in the morning I will think of you, O God.
Canticle | Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
Give your people knowledge of salvation, Lord, and forgive us our sins.
Prayers and Intercessions
Blessed be our God and creator who hears the prayers of all peoples.
→ O God, hear us.
We thank you, for sending us Jesus your Son:
-- let us keep him before our eyes throughout this day.
Make wisdom our guide: -- help us walk in newness of life.
O God, give us your strength in our weakness: --
when we meet problems give us courage to face them.
Direct our thoughts, our words, our actions today, -- so that we may know, and do, your will.
Our Father…
Concluding Prayer
Heavenly God, true Light and Creator of light,
grant that faithfully pondering on all that is holy,
we may ever live in the splendour of your presence.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and
reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for
ever and ever. Amen.
May God bless us and keep us from all harm and lead us into the life of the age to come. Amen.
Week 2 | Friday
Psalm 50 (51)
O God, you will not spurn a humbled, contrite heart.
Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.
In your compassion blot out my offence.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.
My offences truly I know them;
my sin is always before me
Against you, you alone, have I sinned;
what is evil in your sight I have done.
That you may be justified when you give sentence
and be without reproach when you judge,
O see, in guilt I was born,
a sinner was I conceived.
Indeed you love truth in the heart;
then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom.
O purify me, then I shall be clean;
O wash me, I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me hear rejoicing and gladness,
that the bones you have crushed may revive.
From my sins turn away your face
and blot out all my guilt.
A pure heart create for me, O God,
put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
nor deprive me of your holy spirit.
Give me again the joy of your help;
with a spirit of fervour sustain me,
that I may teach transgressors your ways
and sinners may return to you.
O rescue me, God, my helper,
and my tongue shall ring out your goodness.
O God, open my lips
and my mouth shall declare your
praise.
For in sacrifice you take no delight,
burnt offering from me you would refuse,
my sacrifice, a contrite spirit.
A humble, contrite heart you will not spurn.
In your goodness, show favour to Zion:
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will be pleased with lawful sacrifice,
holocausts offered on your altar.
Glory to God…
O God, you will not spurn a humbled, contrite heart.
O God, 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 come from Mount Paran.
That splendour covers the sky
and glory fills the earth.
God’s brilliance is like the light,
rays flash from God’s hands;
there the 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 our God
and exalt in God my saviour.
The Most High God is my strength.
God makes me leap like the deer,
and guides me to the high places.
Glory to God…
In spite of your anger, Lord, have compassion.
Psalm 147
O praise our God, Jerusalem!
O praise our God, Jerusalem!
Zion, praise your God!
God has strengthened the bars of your gates
and has blessed the children within you.
God established peace on your borders,
and feeds you with finest wheat.
God sends out the word to the earth
and swiftly runs all commands.
God showers down snow white as wool,
and scatters hoar-frost like ashes.
God hurls down hailstones like crumbs.
The waters are frozen at that touch;
God sends forth the word and it melts them:
at the breath of God’s mouth the waters flow.
God’s word is made known to Jacob,
to Israel the laws and decrees.
God has not dealt thus with other nations;
and has not taught them those decrees.
Glory to God…
O praise our God, Jerusalem!
Short reading | Ephesians 2:13-16
Now, in union with Christ Jesus, you who used to be far away have been brought near by the death of Christ. For Christ himself has brought us peace, by making the Jews and Gentiles one people. With his own body he broke down the wall that separated them and kept them enemies.
He abolished the Jewish Law, with its commandments and rules, in order to create out of the two races one new people in union with himself, in this way making peace. By his death on the cross Christ destroyed the enmity; by means of the cross he united both races into one body and brought them back to God.
Short Responsory
I call to our God, the Most High, for God has been my help.
I call to our God, the Most High, for God has been my help.
May God send from heaven and save me.
I call to our God, the Most High, for God has been my help.
Glory to God …
I call to our God, the Most High, for God has been my help.
Canticle | Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
Through the loving mercy of our God, the Rising Son has come to visit us.
Prayers and Intercessions
O God we praise you for your Son Jesus Christ:
— through the Holy Spirit he offered himself in sacrifice to you, that
we might be delivered from death and selfishness, and be free to live
in your peace. → O God, in your will is our peace.
We accept this new day as your gift, Lord: -- grant that we may live in newness of life.
You made all things and keep all things in being:
-- give us the insight to see your hand at work in them all.
Christ sealed the new and everlasting covenant in his blood:
-- help us to live by this covenant and honour it.
As Jesus died on the cross, blood and water flowed from his side:
— as we share in the eucharist, pour out your Spirit upon us.
Concluding Prayer
Almighty God,
as in this morning prayer we offer you our praise,
grant that, in your kingdom, together with your saints,
we may praise you with even greater joy.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and
reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for
ever and ever. Amen.
May God bless us and keep us from all harm
and lead us into the life of the age to come. Amen.
Week 2 | Saturday
Psalm 91 (92)
O God, we proclaim your love in the morning and your truth in the watches of the night.
It is good to give thanks to our God,
to make music to your name, O Most High,
to proclaim your love in the morning
and your truth in the watches of the night,
on the ten-stringed lyre and the lute,
with the murmuring sound of the harp.
Your deeds, O God, have made me glad;
for the work of your hands I shout with joy.
O God, how great are your works!
How deep are your designs!
The foolish one cannot know this
and the fool cannot understand.
Though the wicked spring up like grass
and all who do evil thrive,
they are doomed to be eternally destroyed.
But you, O God, are eternally on high.
See how your enemies perish;
all doers of evil are scattered.
To me you give the wild ox’s strength;
you anoint me with the purest oil.
My eyes looked in triumph on my foes;
my ears heard gladly of their fall.
The just will flourish like the palm tree
and grow like a Lebanon cedar.
Planted in the house of our God
they will flourish in the courts of our God,
still bearing fruit when they are old,
still full of sap, still green,
to proclaim that our God is just.
In God, my rock, there is no wrong.
Glory to God…
O God, we proclaim your love in the morning and your truth in the watches of the night.
Listen, O heavens, and I will speak;
let the earth hear the words on my lips.
May my teaching fall like the rain,
my speech descend like the dew;
like rain drops on the young green,
like showers falling on the grass.
For I shall praise the name of our God.
O give glory to this God of ours!
The Rock: God’s deeds are perfect,
and all those ways are just.
A faithful God, without deceit,
a God who is right and just.
Those whom God begot unblemished
have become crooked, false, perverse.
Is it thus you repay our God,
O senseless and foolish people?
Is this not your God who created you,
the One who made you, on whom you depend?
Remember the days of old,
consider the years that are past;
ask your parents and they will show you,
ask your elders and they will tell you.
When the Most High gave the nations their heritage
and disposed people according to his plan,
in fixing the boundaries of the nations
God thought first of Israel’s ones.
For Israel was our God’s possession,
Jacob the one that was chosen.
God found them in a wilderness,
in fearful, desolate wastes;
God surrounded them, lifted them up,
and kept them as the apple of God’s eye.
Like an eagle that watches its nest,
that hovers over its young,
so God’s wings were spread and God took us,
placed us on outstretched wings.
Our God alone was our guide
and no other god was with us.
Glory to God…
Proclaim the greatness of our God.
Psalm 8
How great is your name, O God, through all the earth!
How great is your name, O God Most High,
through all the earth!
Your majesty is praised above the heavens;
on the lips of children and of babes
you have found praise to foil your enemy,
to silence the foe and the rebel.
When I see the heavens, the work of your hands,
the moon and the stars which you arranged,
what are we that you should keep us in mind,
mere mortals that you care for us?
Yet you have made us little less than a god;
with glory and honour you crowned us,
gave us power over the works of your hand,
put all things under our feet.
All of them, sheep and cattle,
yes, even the savage beasts,
birds of the air, and fish
that make their way through the waters.
How great is your name, O God Most High,
through all the earth!
Glory to God…
How great is your name, O God, through all the earth!
Short reading | Romans 12:14-16
Bless those who persecute you: bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.
Short Responsory
When I sing to you my lips shall rejoice; When I sing to you my lips shall rejoice.
My tongue shall tell the tale of your justice; When I sing to you my lips shall rejoice.
Glory to God … When I sing to you my lips shall rejoice.
Canticle | Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
Lord, guide our feet into the way of peace.
Prayers and Intercessions
God in heaven has adopted us as brothers and sisters of the only Son, and through the ages has stayed with us and kept us in love. Let us ask God for the needs of the world.
→ O God, help us as we work.
We pray for all who plan and build in our cities: -- give them respect for every human value.
Pour out your Spirit on artists, craftspeople and musicians:
— may their work bring variety, joy, and inspiration to our lives.
Be with us as the cornerstone of all that we build: -- for we can do nothing well without your aid.
You have created us anew in the resurrection of your Son:
— give us the strength to create a new life, and a new world.
Concluding Prayer
Let us praise you, O God
with voice and mind and deed;
and since life itself is your gift,
may all we have and are be yours.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and
reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God,
for ever and ever. Amen.
May God bless us and keep us from all harm and lead us into the life of the age to come. Amen.
Week 3 | Monday
Psalm 83 (84)
They are happy, who dwell in your house, O God.
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O God of hosts.
My soul is longing and yearning,
is yearning for the courts of our God.
My heart and my soul ring out their joy
to God, the living God.
The sparrow herself finds a home
and the swallow a nest for her brood;
she lays her young by your altars,
O God of hosts, my ruler and my God.
They are happy, who dwell in your house,
for ever singing your praise.
They are happy, whose strength is in you,
in whose hearts are the roads to Zion.
As they go through the Bitter Valley
they make it a place of springs
the autumn rain covers it with blessings.
they walk with ever growing strength,
they will see the God of gods in Zion.
O God of hosts, hear my prayer,
give ear, O God of Jacob.
Turn your eyes, O God, our shield,
look on the face of your anointed.
One day within your courts
is better than a thousand elsewhere.
The threshold of the house of God
I prefer to the dwellings of the wicked.
For our God is a rampart, a shield;
God will give us favour and glory.
Our God will not refuse any good
to those who walk without blame.
O God of hosts,
happy are all who trust in you!
Glory to God…
They are happy, who dwell in your house, Lord
It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of our God
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be raised above the hills;
and all the nations shall stream to it.
And many peoples shall come, and say,
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of our God,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that we may learn God’s ways
and that we may walk in God’s paths.’
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of our God from Jerusalem.
God shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.
O house of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of our God!
Glory to God…
Come, let us go up to the mountain of our God.
O sing a new song to our God,
sing to our God all the earth.
O sing to our God, bless God’s name.
Proclaim God’s help day by day,
tell among the nations that glory
and those wonders among all the peoples.
Our God is great and worthy of praise,
to be feared above all gods;
the gods of the heathens are naught.
It was our God who made the heavens,
God’s are majesty and state and power
and splendour in the holy place.
Give our God, you families of peoples,
give our God glory and power;
give our God the glory of that name.
Bring an offering and enter his courts,
worship our God in the temple.
O earth, tremble before God.
Proclaim to the nations: ‘God is king.’
The world was made firm in its place;
God will judge the peoples in fairness.
Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad,
let the sea and all within it thunder praise,
let the land and all it bears rejoice,
all the trees of the wood shout for joy
at the presence of our God who comes,
who comes to rule the earth.
With justice God will rule the world,
and will judge the peoples with truth.
Glory to God …
O sing to our God, bless God’s name
-------------------
Short reading | James 2:12-13
Talk and behave like people who are going to be judged by the law of freedom, because there will be judgement without mercy for those who have not been merciful themselves; but the merciful need have no fear of judgement.
Short Responsory
Blessed be our God from age to age; Blessed be our God from age to age.
God alone has wrought marvellous works; Blessed be our God from age to age.
Glory to God… Blessed be our God from age to age.
Canticle | Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
Blessed be God, our God.
Prayers and Intercessions
In the life of the incarnate Son, God has shown us the dignity of our labour. With this in mind we pray: → God, bless our work.
We bless you, O God, for bringing us to this day:
— we thank you for protecting our lives and giving us what we need.
Be with us, O God, as we take up our daily tasks:
— and help us to remember that it is in your world we live and
work.
You have called us to serve you responsibly in the world:
— help us to build a just and fair society.
Stay with us and with everyone we meet this day:
-- let us give your joy and your peace to the world.
Our Father…
Concluding Prayer
Ruler of heaven and earth, Lord God,
watch over our hearts and bodies this day.
Sanctify us, and guide our every thought, word and deed
according to the commandments of your law,
so that now and for ever your grace may free and save us.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
May God bless us and keep us from all harm and lead us into the life of the age to come. Amen.
Week 3 | Tuesday
Psalm 84 (85)
O God, you blessed your land; you forgave the guilt of your people.
O Lord, you once favoured your land
and revived the fortunes of Jacob,
you forgave the guilt of your people
and covered all their sins.
You averted all your rage,
you calmed the heat of your anger.
Revive us now, God, our helper!
Put an end to your grievance against us.
Will you be angry with us for ever,
will your anger never cease?
Will you not restore again our life
that your people may rejoice in you?
Let us see, O Lord, your mercy
and give us your saving help.
I will hear what God has to say,
a voice that speaks of peace,
peace for God’s people and friends
and all who turn to God in their hearts.
God’s help is near for those in fear
and God’s glory will dwell in our land.
Mercy and faithfulness have met;
justice and peace have embraced.
Faithfulness shall spring from the earth
and justice look down from heaven.
God will make us prosper
and our earth shall yield its fruit.
Justice shall march before God
and peace shall follow those steps.
Glory to God…
O God, you blessed your land; you forgave the guilt of your people.
We have a strong city;
God sets up salvation like walls and bulwarks.
Open the gates,
that the righteous nation which keeps faith may enter in.
You keep them in perfect peace,
whose mind is stayed on you,
because they trust in you.
Trust in our God forever,
for our God is an everlasting rock.
The way of the righteous is level;
you make smooth the path of the righteous.
In the path of your judgments, O Lord,
we wait for you;
My soul yearns for you in the night,
my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.
For when your judgments are in the earth,
the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
O Lord, you will ordain peace for us,
you have wrought for us all our works.
Glory to God…
At night my soul longs for you; I watch for you at daybreak.
Psalm 66 (67)
O God, let your face shed its light upon us.
O God, be gracious and bless us
and let your face shed its light upon us.
So will your ways be known upon earth
and all nations learn your saving help.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
Let the nations be glad and exult
for you rule the world with justice.
With fairness you rule the peoples,
you guide the nations on earth.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
The earth has yielded its fruit
for God, our God, has blessed us.
May God still give us a blessing
till the ends of the earth revere God.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
Glory to God…
O God, let your face shed its light upon us.
Short reading | 1 John 4:14-15
We ourselves saw and we testify
that God our origin sent the Son as saviour of the world.
If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them,
and they in God.
Short Responsory
My helper is my God in whom I place all my trust.
My helper is my God in whom I place all my trust
God is my refuge and sets me free. My helper is my God in whom I place all my trust.
Glory to God… My helper is my God; I will place my trust in him.
Canticle | Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
Our God has raised up a mighty saviour for us, as was promised through the lips of the prophets.
Prayers and Intercessions
By shedding blood for us, Christ gathered together a new people from
every corner of the earth.
Let us pray to Christ: —
Christ, be mindful of your people.
Christ, our saviour and redeemer: -- help us to know your power and your love.
Christ, our hope and courage: -- sustain us throughout the day.
Christ, our refuge and strength: -- fight with us against our weakness.
Christ, our joy and solace: -- stay with the poor and lonely.
Concluding Prayer
Almighty God,
to whom this world with all its goodness and beauty belongs,
give us grace joyfully to begin this day in your name,
and to fill it with an active love for you and our neighbour.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and
reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
May God bless us and keep us from all harm
and lead us into the life of the age to come. Amen.
Psalm 85 (86)
Give joy to your servant, O God, for to you I lift my soul.
Turn your ear, O God, 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,
for I cry to you all the day long.
Give joy to your servant, O God,
for to you I lift up my soul.
O God, you are good and forgiving,
full of love to all who call.
Give heed, O God, 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 God;
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, God, your way
so that I may walk in your truth.
Guide my heart to fear your name.
I will praise you, O 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 people seek my life;
to you they pay no heed.
But you, God of mercy and compassion,
slow to anger, O God,
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 favour
that my foes may see to their shame
that you console me and give me your help.
Glory to God…
Give joy to your servant, Lord, for to you I lift my soul
Canticle | Isaiah 33:13-16
Blessed is the one who walks in justice and speaks what is true.
Hear, you who are far away,
what I have done;
and you who are near,
acknowledge my might.
The sinners in Zion are afraid;
trembling has seized the godless:
‘Who among us can live with the devouring fire?
Who among us can live with everlasting flames?’
Those who walk righteously and speaks uprightly,
who despise the gain of oppressions,
who shake their hands lest they hold a bribe,
who stop their ears from hearing of bloodshed
and shut their eyes from looking on evil,
They will live on the heights;
their place of defence will be the fortresses of rocks;
their bread will be given them,
their water will be sure.
Glory to God …
Blessed is the one who walks in justice and speaks what is true.
Sing a new song to our God
for God has worked wonders.
God’s right hand and holy arm
have brought salvation.
God has made know our salvation;
has shown justice to the nations.
God has remembered truth and love
for the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
Shout to God, all the earth,
ring out your joy.
Sing psalms to God with the harp
with the sound of music.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
acclaim the King, our God.
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 our God:
who comes to rule the earth.
God will rule the world with justice
and the peoples with fairness.
Glory to God…
Acclaim the Most High, our God
Short reading | Job 1:21,2:10
Naked I came from my mother’s womb, naked I shall return.
God gave, God has taken back. Blessed be the name of God!
If we take happiness from God’s hand, must we not take sorrow too?
Short Responsory
Bend my heart to your will, O God; Bend my heart to your will, O God.
By your word, give me life; Bend my heart to your will, O God.
Glory to God… Bend my heart to your will, O God.
Canticle | Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
Show us your mercy, O God, remember your holy covenant.
Prayers and Intercessions
God is love. Those who dwell in love dwell in God, and God in them.
In Jesus Christ we see how God loves us. Let us renew our faith in that
love:
→ Lord Jesus, you loved us and gave yourself for us.
You have given us life and light this morning: -- let us give thanks for such great gifts.
You are sole guide of the future: -- keep us from despair and the fear of what is to come.
Love has no ambition to seek anything for itself:
-- strengthen our will to give up selfishness today.
May your love in us overcome all things:
-- let there be no limit to our faith, our hope, and our endurance.
Concluding Prayer
O God, in your wisdom you created us, by your providence you rule us:
penetrate our inmost being with your holy light,
so that our way of life may always be one of faithful service to you.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and
reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and
ever. Amen.
May God bless us and keep us from all harm and lead us into the life of the age to come. Amen.
Psalm 86 (87)
Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
On the holy mountain is the city
cherished by our God.
Our God prefers the gates of Zion
to all Jacob’s dwellings.
Of you are told glorious things,
O city of God!
‘Babylon and Egypt I will count
among those who know me;
Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia,
these will be her children
and Zion shall be called ‘Mother’
for all shall be her children.’
It is God, our God Most High,
who gives each their place.
In the register of peoples is written:
‘These are her children,’
and while they dance they will sing:
‘In you all find their home.’
Glory to God…
Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
Canticle | Isaiah 40:10-17
Our God is coming in power; the prize of victory is with God.
Behold, God comes with might,
and God’s arm rules over all;
behold, a reward is with God,
and all recompense before God.
God will feed the flock like a shepherd;
and will gather the lambs the arms,
God will carry them in the bosom,
and gently lead those that are with young.
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of a hand
and marked off the heavens with a span,
enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure,
and weighed the mountains in scales
and the hills in a balance?
Who has directed the spirit of our God,
or as a counsellor has instructed God?
Who was consulted for any enlightenment,
and who taught God the path of justice;
taught God knowledge,
and showed the way of understanding?
Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
and are accounted as dust on the scales;
behold, God takes up the isles
like fine dust.
Lebanon would not suffice for fuel,
nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering.
All the nations are as nothing before God;
they are accounted as less than nothing and emptiness.
Glory to God…
Our God is coming in power; the prize of victory is with God.
God is our ruler; the peoples tremble.
God is throned on the cherubim; the earth quakes.
God’s name is great in Zion.
God is supreme over all the peoples.
Let them praise that name, so terrible and great.
God is holy, full of power.
You are a ruler who loves what is right;
you have established equity, justice and right;
you have established them in Jacob.
Exalt our God the Most High;
bow down before Zion, the footstool.
The Most High God is holy.
Among the priests were Aaron and Moses,
among those who invoked God’s name was Samuel.
They invoked our God and were answered.
To them God spoke in the pillar of cloud.
They did God’s will; they kept the law,
which the Most High, our God, had given.
O Lord our God, you answered them.
For them you were a God who forgives;
yet you punished all their offences.
Exalt our God the Most High;
bow down before the holy mountain
for God, our God is holy.
Glory to God…
Exalt our God, the Most High; bow down before his holy mountain.
Short reading | 1 Peter 4:10-11
Each one of you has received a special grace, so, like good stewards responsible for all these different graces of God, put yourselves at the service of others. If you are a speaker, speak in words which seem to come from God; if you are a helper, help as though every action was done at God’s orders; so that in everything God may receive the glory through Jesus Christ.
Short Responsory
I called with all my heart; O God hear me; I called with all my heart; O God hear me.
I will keep your commandments; I called with all my heart; O God hear me.
Glory to God… I called with all my heart; O God hear me.
Canticle | Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
Let us serve God in holiness and God will deliver us from the hands of our enemies.
Prayers and Intercessions
We adore and praise our God who reigns above the heavens.
This is the God of all things and before God all creation is as
nothing.
→ We adore you, our Lord and God.
Eternal God, it is by your gift that we praise you:
— the wonder of our making is only surpassed by the splendour and
joy of our coming to life in Christ.
Lord, be with us as we start a new day: -- move our hearts to seek you and our wills to serve you.
Deepen our awareness of your presence: -- teach us reverence and love for all that you made.
To know you is to love those you created:
-- let our lives and our work be of service to our sisters and brothers.
Our Father…
Concluding Prayer
Almighty, ever-living God,
shed the light of your glory
on the peoples who are living in the shadow of death,
as you did long ago,
when our Lord Jesus Christ, the Sun of Justice,
came among us from on high.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and
reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for
ever and ever. Amen.
May God bless us and keep us from all harm
and lead us into the life of the age to come. Amen.
Week 3 | Friday
Psalm 50 (51)
Against you alone have I sinned; God, have mercy on me.
Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.
In your compassion blot out my offences.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.
My offences truly I know them;
my sin is always before me
Against you, you alone, have I sinned;
what is evil in your sight I have done.
That you may be justified when you give sentence
and be without reproach when you judge,
O see, in guilt I was born,
a sinner was I conceived.
Indeed you love truth in the heart;
then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom.
O purify me, then I shall be clean;
O wash me, I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me hear rejoicing and gladness,
that the bones you have crushed may revive.
From my sins turn away your face
and blot out all my guilt.
A pure heart create for me, O God,
put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
nor deprive me of your holy spirit.
Give me again the joy of your help;
with a spirit of fervour sustain me,
that I may teach transgressors your ways
and sinners may return to you.
O rescue me, God, my helper,
and my tongue shall ring out your goodness.
O Lord, open my lips
and my mouth shall declare your praise.
For in sacrifice you take no delight,
burnt offering from me you would refuse,
my sacrifice, a contrite spirit.
A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.
In your goodness, show favour to Zion:
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will be pleased with lawful sacrifice,
holocausts offered on your altar.
Glory to God…
Against you alone have I sinned; God, have mercy on me.
Let my eyes run down with tears night and day,
and let them not cease,
for the virgin daughter of my people is smitten with a great wound,
with a very grievous blow.
If I go out into the field,
behold, those slain by the sword!
And if I enter the city,
behold, the diseases of famine!
For both prophet and priest ply their trade throughout the land,
and have no knowledge.
Have you utterly rejected Judah?
Does your soul loathe Zion?
Why have you smitten us
so that there is no healing for us?
We looked for peace, but no good came;
for a time of healing, but behold, terror.
We acknowledge our wickedness, O God,
and the iniquity of our people,
for we have sinned against you.
Do not spurn us, for your name’s sake;
do not dishonour your glorious throne;
remember and do not break your covenant with us.
Glory to God…
We know our offences, Lord; we have sinned against you.
Psalm 99 (100)
Our God is God; we are the people, the sheep of the flock.
Cry out with joy to our God, all the earth.
Serve our God with gladness.
Come before God, singing for joy.
Know that this, our God, is God.
God made us, we belong to God,
we are the people, the sheep of the flock.
Go within God’s gates, giving thanks.
Enter the courts with songs of praise.
Give thanks to God and bless God’s name.
Indeed, how good is our God,
eternal that merciful love.
God is faithful from age to age.
Glory to God…
Our God is God; we are the people, the sheep of the flock.
Short reading | 2 Cor 12:9b-10
I am most happy, then to be proud of my weaknesses, in order to feel the protection of Christ’s power over me. I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Short Responsory
In the morning let me know your love; In the morning let me know your love.
Make me know the way I should walk; In the morning let me know your love.
Glory to God… In the morning let me know your love.
Canticle | Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
Our God has visited the people, and has come to redeem them.
Prayers and Intercessions
We have a high priest, able to sympathise with us in our weakness,
one who, because of his likeness to us, has been tempted in every way,
but did not sin. Let us pray to Christ:
→ Show us your mercy and compassion.
For the joy which lay in the future, you willingly went to the cross:
— make us share your death, that we may also share your joy.
Lord, you said ‘Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink’:
— give your Spirit now to those who thirst for you.
You sent your disciples to preach the gospel to every nation:
— bless those men and women who devote their lives to preaching the
gospel today.
Help those in pain to know that God cares for them
— for God loves and cares for them like the Son.
Our Father…
Concluding Prayer
Almighty God,
let your light so penetrate our minds,
that walking by your commandments we may always follow you, our leader
and guide.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and
reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for
ever and ever. Amen.
May God bless us and keep us from all harm and lead us into the life of the age to come. Amen.
Week 3 | Saturday
Psalm 118 (119): 145-152 XIX
You, O Lord, are close: your ways are truth.
I call with all my heart; Lord, hear me,
I will keep your statutes.
I call upon you, save me
and I will do your will.
I rise before dawn and cry for help,
I hope in your word.
My eyes watch through the night
to ponder your promise.
In your love hear my voice, O God;
give me life by your decrees.
Those who harm me unjustly draw near;
they are far from your law.
But you, O God, are close,
your commands are truth.
Long have I known that your will
is established for ever.
Glory to God…
You, O Lord, are close: your ways are truth.
O God of my people and Lord of mercy,
who have made all things by your word,
and by your wisdom have formed us
to have dominion over the creatures you have made,
and rule the world in holiness and righteousness,
and pronounce judgment in uprightness of soul:
give me the wisdom that sits by your throne,
and do not reject me from among your servants.
For I am your slave
and the child of your servant,
one who is weak and short-lived,
with little understanding of judgment and laws;
for even if one is perfect among human beings,
yet without the wisdom that comes from you
they will be regarded as nothing.
With you is wisdom, who knows your works
and was present when you made the world;
and who understands what is pleasing in your sight
and what is right according to your commandments.
Send her forth from the holy heavens,
and from the throne of your glory send her,
that she may be with me and toil,
and that I may learn what is pleasing to you;
for she knows and understands all things,
and she will guide me wisely in my actions
and guard me with her glory.
Glory to God…
Lord, let your wisdom be with me to help me and to work with me.
O praise our God, all you nations,
acclaim God all you peoples!
Strong is God’s love for us;
God is faithful for ever.
Glory to God…
The truth of our God will stand firm for ever.
Short reading | Philippians 2:14-15
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may be innocent and pure, as God’s perfect children who live in a world of corrupt and sinful people. You must shine among them like stars lighting up the sky.
Short Responsory
I called to you, O God, you are my refuge; I called to you, O God, you are my refuge.
You are all I have in the land of the living; I called to you, O God, you are my refuge.
Glory to God… I called to you, Lord, you are my refuge.
Canticle | Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
Give your light, O God, to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
Prayers and Intercessions
From all eternity God chose Mary to be Mother of Christ.
Therefore she is above all other creatures both in heaven and on earth.
With her we proclaim:
→ My soul glorifies our God.
O God, your Son Jesus gave his mother to the Church, a perfect example
of faith:
— may we accept your word in faith, as she did.
Mary listened to your voice and brought your Word into the world:
— by answering your call, may we too bring your Son to people.
You strengthened Mary to stand at the foot of the cross and filled her
with joy at the resurrection:
— by her intercession, lighten our sorrow and reinforce our hope.
Concluding Prayer
Most High God,
source and origin of our salvation, make our lives here on earth so
proclaim your glory,
that we may praise you without ceasing in heaven.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and
reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for
ever and ever. Amen.
May God bless us and keep us from all harm and lead us into the
life of the age to come. Amen.
Week 4 | Monday
Psalm 89 (90)
In the morning, O God, you fill us with your love.
O Lord, you have been our refuge
from one generation to the next.
Before the mountains were born
or the earth or the world brought forth,
you are God, without beginning or end.
You turn people back to dust
and say: ‘Go back, human ones.’
To your eyes a thousand years
are like yesterday, come and gone,
no more than a watch in the night.
You sweep them away like a dream,
like the grass which springs up in the morning.
In the morning it springs up and flowers:
by evening it withers and fades.
So we are destroyed in your anger,
struck with terror in your fury.
Our guilt lies open before you;
our secrets in the light of your face.
All our days pass away in your anger.
Our life is over like a sigh.
Our span is seventy years,
or eighty for those who are strong.
And most of these are emptiness and pain.
They pass swiftly and we are gone.
Who understands the power of your anger
and fears the strength of your fury?
Make us know the shortness of our life
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
God, relent! Is your anger for ever?
Show pity to your servants.
In the morning, fill us with your love;
we shall exult and rejoice all our days.
Give us joy to balance our affliction
for the years when we knew misfortune.
Show forth your work to your servants;
let your glory shine on their children.
Let the favour of our God be upon us:
give success to the work of our hands,
give success to the work of our hands.
Glory to God…
In the morning, Lord, you fill us with your love.
Sing to God a new song,
God’s praise from the end of the earth!
Let the sea roar and all that fills it,
the coastlands and their inhabitants.
Let the desert and its towns lift up their voice,
the villages that Kedar inhabits.
Let the inhabitants of Selah sing for joy,
let them shout from the tops of the mountains.
Let them give glory to God,
and declare praise in the coastlands.
Our God goes forth like a mighty fighter,
like a warrior, stirring up fury;
God cries out and shouts aloud,
God is mighty against all foes.
For a long time I have held my peace,
I have kept still and restrained myself;
now I will cry out like a woman in travail,
I will gasp and pant.
I will lay waste mountains and hills,
and dry up all their herbage;
I will turn the rivers into islands,
and dry up the pools.
I will lead the blind
in a way that they know not;
in paths that they have not known
I will guide them.
I will turn the darkness before them into light,
the rough places into level ground.
Glory to God …
Let the praise of our God resound from the ends of the earth.
Praise the name of God,
praise the Lord, servants of God,
who stand in the house of God
in the courts of the house of God.
Praise God for God is good.
Sing a Psalm to that name for God is loving.
For God has chosen Jacob and Rachel
and Israel as a true possession.
For I know that God is great,
that the Lord is high above all gods.
God does whatever is willed,
in heaven, on earth, in the seas.
God summons clouds from the ends of the earth;
makes lightning produce the rain;
from the treasuries God sends forth the wind.
The first-born of the Egyptians God smote,
of human and beast alike.
Signs and wonders were worked
in the midst of your land, O Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.
Nations in their greatness were struck
and kings in their splendour were slain.
Sihon, ruler of the Amorites,
Og, the ruler of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms of Canaan.
God let Israel inherit their land;
on those people the land was bestowed.
Glory to God…
Praise the name of our God, you who stand in the house of our God.
Short Reading | Judith 8:21-23
Remember that our ancestors were put to the test to prove their love of God. Remember how our ancestor Abraham was tested and became the friend of God after many trials and tribulations. The same was true of Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and all those who met with God’s favour. They remained steadfast in the face of tribulations of every kind.
Short Responsory
Rejoice in our God, O you just; for praise is fitting for loyal hearts.
Rejoice in our God, O you just; for praise is fitting for loyal hearts.
Sing to God a new song.
Rejoice in our God, O you just; for praise is fitting for loyal hearts.
Glory to God…
Rejoice in our God, O you just; for praise is fitting for loyal hearts.
Canticle | Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
Blessed be our God, who has visited us and freed us.
Prayers and Intercessions
Almighty God, the heavens cannot hold your greatness yet through the Son we have learned to say: → O God, may you rule on earth!
We praise you as your children: -- may your name be kept holy in the hearts of all people.
Help us to live in the hope of heaven today: -- make us ready to do your will on earth.
Give us this day the courage to forgive others: -- as you forgive us our trespasses.
Be with us in all our trials: -- do not allow us to fall away from you.
Concluding Prayer
Lord God,
you entrusted the earth to us to till it and care for it,
and made the sun to serve our needs;
give us grace today to work faithfully for your glory
and for our neighbour’s good.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and
reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for
ever and ever. Amen.
May God bless us and keep us from all harm and lead us into the life of the age to come. Amen.
Week 4 | Tuesday
Psalm 100 (101)
I will sing to you, O God, and I will walk in the way of perfection.
My song is of mercy and justice;
I sing to you, O God.
I will walk in the way of perfection.
O when, God, will you come?
I will walk with blameless heart
within my house;
I will not set before my eyes
whatever is base.
I will hate the ways of the crooked;
they shall not be my friends.
The false-hearted must keep far away;
the wicked I disown.
The one who slanders a neighbour in secret
I will bring to silence.
The one of proud looks and haughty heart
I will never endure.
I look to the faithful in the land
that they may dwell with me.
The one who walks in the way of perfection
shall be my friend.
No one who practices deceit
shall live within my house.
No one who utters lies shall stand
before my eyes.
Morning by morning I will silence
all the wicked in the land,
uprooting from the city of our God
all who do evil.
Glory to God….
I will sing to you, O God, and I will walk in the way of perfection.
Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our ancestors,
and worthy of praise;
and your name is glorified for ever.
For you are just
in all you have done to us,
for we have sinned
and lawlessly departed from you
and have sinned in all things.
For your name’s sake
do not give us up utterly,
and do not break your covenant.
Do not withdraw your mercy from us,
for the sake of Abraham your beloved
and for the sake of Isaac your servant
and Israel your holy one, to whom you promised
to multiply their descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as the
sand on the shore of the sea.
For we, O God, have become fewer than any nation,
and are brought low this day in all the world
because of our sins.
and at this time there is no prince, or prophet, or leader,
no burnt offering, or sacrifice, or oblation, or incense,
no place to make an offering before you
or to find mercy.
Yet with a contrite heart and a humble spirit may we be accepted,
as though it were with burnt offerings of rams and bulls,
and with tens of thousands of fat lambs.
Such may our sacrifice be in your sight today,
and may we wholly follow you,
for there will be no shame
for those who trust in you.
And now with all our heart we follow you,
we fear you and seek your face.
Glory to God…
O God, do not withdraw your favour from us.
Psalm 143 (144)
I will sing a new song to you, O God.
Blessed be God, my rock,
who trains my arms for battle,
who prepares my hands for war.
You are my love, my fortress;
you are my stronghold, my Saviour
my shield, my place of refuge.
You bring peoples under my rule.
Lord, what are we that you care for us,
mere mortals, that you keep us in mind;
we, who are merely a breath
whose life fades like a shadow?
Lower your heavens and come down;
touch the mountains; wreathe them in smoke.
Flash your lightnings; rout the foe,
shoot your arrows and put them to flight.
Reach down from heaven and save me;
draw me out from the mighty waters,
from the hands of alien foes
whose mouths are filled with lies,
whose hands are raised in perjury.
To you, O God, will I sing a new song;
I will play on the ten-stringed harp
to you who give kings their victory,
who set David your servant free.
Glory to God...
I will sing a new song to you, O God.
Short Reading | Isaiah 55:1
Oh, come to the water all you who are thirsty; though you have no
money, come!
Buy corn without money, and eat, and, at no cost, wine and milk.
Short Responsory
Hear my cry, O God, for I hope in your word; Hear my cry, O God, for I hope in your word.
I rise before dawn and call for help; Hear my cry, O God, for I hope in your word.
Glory to God… Hear my cry, O God, for I hope in your word.
Canticle | Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
Lord, save us from the hands of all who hate us.
Prayers and Intercessions
Our sufferings bring acceptance, acceptance brings hope and our hope
will not deceive us,
for the Spirit has been poured into our hearts.
It is through the same Spirit that we pray:
→ Stay with us, God, on our journey.
Help us to realise that our troubles are slight and short-lived:
— they are as nothing compared with the joy we shall have when we
reach our home with you.
Come to the lonely, the unloved, those without friends:
— show them your love, and help them to care for their brothers and
sisters.
Take away our pride, temper our anger:
— may we follow you in your gentleness; may you make us humble of
heart.
Give us the fullness of your Spirit, the Spirit of adoption:
— make our love for each other generous and sincere.
Our Father…
Concluding Prayer
Increase in us, Lord, your gift of faith,
so that the praise we offer you
may ever yield its fruit from heaven.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and
reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for
ever and ever. Amen.
May God bless us and keep us from all harm
and lead us into the life of the age to come. Amen.
Psalm 107 (108)
My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready.
My heart is ready, O God;
I will sing, sing your praise.
Awake, my soul;
awake, lyre and harp,
I will awake the dawn.
I will thank you, Lord, among the peoples,
among the nations I will praise you,
for your love reaches to the heavens
and your truth to the skies.
O God, arise above the heavens;
may your glory shine on earth!
O come and deliver your friends;
help with your right hand and reply.
From the holy place God has made this promise;
‘I will triumph and divide the land of Shechem,
I will measure out the valley of Succoth.
Gilead is mine and Manasseh,
Ephraim I take for my helmet,
Judah for my commander’s staff.
Moab I will use for my washbowl,
on Edom I will plant my shoe.
Over the Philistines I will shout in triumph.’
But who will lead me to conquer the fortress?
Who will bring me face to face with Edom?
Will you utterly reject us, O God,
and no longer march with our armies?
Give us help against the foe,
for the help of humans is vain.
With God we shall do bravely
and God will trample down our foes.
Glory to God…
My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready.
I will greatly rejoice in my God,
my soul shall exult in my God;
for God has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
and has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the earth brings forth its shoots,
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so our God will cause righteousness and praise
to spring up before all the nations.
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
until her vindication goes forth as brightness
and her salvation as a burning torch.
The nations shall see your vindication,
and all the rulers your glory;
and you shall be called by a new name
which the mouth of our God will give.
You shall be a crown of beauty
in the hand of our God,
and a royal diadem
in the hand of your God.
You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
and your land shall no more be termed Desolate;
but you shall be called My delight in her,
and your land Married;
for our God delights in you,
and your land shall be married.
For as a young man marries a maiden,
so shall your people marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so shall your God rejoice over you.
Glory to God…
Our God has clothed me in a garment of justice and salvation.
My soul, give praise to our God;
I will praise our God all my days,
make music to my God while I live.
Put no trust in princes,
In mortals in whom there is no help.
Take their breath, they return to clay
and their plans that day come to nothing.
They are happy who are helped by Jacob’s God,
whose hope is in the Most High, their God,
who alone made heaven and earth,
the seas and all they contain.
God is the one who keeps faith for ever,
who is just to those who are oppressed.
God is the one who gives bread to the hungry, our God, who sets
prisoners free,
God who gives sight to the blind,
who raises up those who are bowed down,
God, who protects the stranger
and upholds the widow and orphan.
It is God who loves the just
but thwarts the path of the wicked.
Our God will reign for ever,
Zion’s God, from age to age.
Glory to God…
I will praise my God all my days.
Short Reading | Deuteronomy 4:39-40
Understand this today and take it to heart: our God is God indeed, in heaven above as on the earth beneath, God is one and no other. Keep God’s laws and commandments as I give them to you today.
Short Responsory
I will praise God at all times; I will praise God at all times.
That praise will be always on my lips; I will praise God at all times.
Glory to God… I will praise God at all times.
Canticle | Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
Let us serve our God in holiness all our days.
Prayers and Intercessions
Praise be to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In great mercy, God has given us new birth into a living hope by
Christ’s resurrection from the dead. To God we pray: —
→ O God, give us your strength.
Turn our eyes to Jesus Christ your Son. -- May he lead us in our faith and bring it to perfection.
We pray for cheerfulness and a generous heart:
— may we bring joy to our homes, to our work, and to all whom we
meet.
We pray for all who are working today:
— be with them at home and in the city, in the factory and in the
fields.
We pray for those who have no work:
— we pray for the disabled and the sick, for those who cannot find
work, and for those who are retired.
Concluding Prayer
Remember, O God, your solemn covenant,
renewed and consecrated by the blood of the Lamb,
so that your people may obtain forgiveness for their sins,
and a continued growth in grace.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and
reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and
ever. Amen.
May God bless us and keep us from all harm and lead us into the life of the age to come. Amen.
Week 4 | Thursday
Psalm 142 (143):1-11
In the morning let me know your love, O God.
O God, listen to my prayer:
turn your ear to my appeal.
You are faithful, you are just; give answer.
Do not call your servant to judgment
for no one is just in your sight.
The enemy pursues my soul;
and has crushed my life to the ground;
I was made to dwell in darkness
like the dead, long forgotten.
Therefore my spirit fails;
my heart is numb within me.
I remember the days that are past:
I ponder all your works.
I muse on what your hand has wrought
and to you I stretch out my hands.
Like a parched land my soul thirsts for you.
O God, make haste and answer;
for my spirit fails within me.
Do not hide your face
lest I become like those in the grave.
In the morning let me know your love
for I put my trust in you.
Make me know the way I should walk:
to you I lift up my soul.
Rescue me, my God, from my enemies;
I have fled to you for refuge.
Teach me to do your will
for you, O God, are my God.
Let your good spirit guide me
in ways that are level and smooth.
For your name’s sake, God, save my life;
in your justice save my soul from distress.
Glory to God …
In the morning let me know your love, O God.
Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her,
all you who love her;
rejoice with her in joy,
all you who mourn over her:
that you may suck and be satisfied
from her consoling breast;
that you may drink deeply with delight
from the abundance of her glory.
For thus says our God:
Behold, I will extend prosperity to her like a river,
and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream;
and you shall suck, you shall be carried upon her hip, and dandled
upon her knees.
As one whom a mother comforts,
so I will comfort you;
you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice;
your bones shall flourish like the grass.
Glory to God ...
God will send peace flowing like a river upon Jerusalem.
Praise our God for God is good;
sing to our God who is loving:
to God our praise is due.
God builds up Jerusalem
and brings back Israel’s exiles,
God heals the broken-hearted,
and binds up all their wounds.
God fixes the number of the stars;
and calls each one by its name.
Our Lord is great and almighty;
God’s wisdom can never be measured.
God raises the lowly;
and humbles the wicked to the dust.
O sing to God giving thanks;
sing psalms to God with the harp.
God covers the heavens with clouds;
and prepares the rain for the earth,
making mountains sprout with grass
and with plants to serve our needs.
God provides the beasts with their food
and young ravens that call out loud.
True delight is not in horses
nor pleasure in warriors’ strength.
Our God delights in those who trust,
in those who wait for that love.
Glory to God…
To God be joyful praise.
Short Reading | Romans 8:18-21
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Short Responsory
Early in the morning I will think of you, O God; Early in the morning I will think of you, O God.
You have been my help; Early in the morning I will think of you, O God.
Glory to God... Early in the morning I will think of you, O Lord.
Canticle | Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
Give your people knowledge of salvation, O God and forgive us our sins.
Prayers and Intercessions
It is God’s will that all people should find God in the face of the beloved Son. Let us honour God as we say:
→ Hallowed be your name.
Christ greeted us with good news: -- may the world hear it through us and find hope.
We praise and thank you, God of heaven and earth:
-- you are the hope and joy of people in every age.
May Christ’s coming transform the Church:
— and renew its youth and vigour in the service of all people.
We pray for Christians who suffer for their belief: -- sustain them in their hope.
Our Father …
Concluding Prayer
Grant us, O God, a true knowledge of salvation,
so that, freed from fear and from the power of our foes,
we may serve you faithfully, all the days of our life.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and
reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for
ever and ever. Amen.
May God bless us and keep us from all harm and lead us into the life of the age to come. Amen.
Psalm 50 (51)
A pure heart create for me, O God, put a steadfast spirit within me.
Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.
In your compassion blot out my offence.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.
My offences truly I know them;
my sin is always before me
Against you, you alone, have I sinned;
what is evil in your sight I have done.
That you may be justified when you give sentence
and be without reproach when you judge,
O see, in guilt I was born,
a sinner was I conceived.
Indeed you love truth in the heart;
then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom.
O purify me, then I shall be clean;
O wash me, I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me hear rejoicing and gladness,
that the bones you have crushed may revive.
From my sins turn away your face
and blot out all my guilt.
A pure heart create for me, O God,
put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
nor deprive me of your holy spirit.
Give me again the joy of your help;
with a spirit of fervour sustain me,
that I may teach transgressors your ways
and sinners may return to you.
O rescue me, God, my helper,
and my tongue shall ring out your goodness.
O God, open my lips
and my mouth shall declare your praise.
For in sacrifice you take no delight,
burnt offering from me you would refuse,
my sacrifice, a contrite spirit.
A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.
In your goodness, show favour to Zion:
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will be pleased with lawful sacrifice,
holocausts offered on your altar.
Glory to God…
A pure heart create for me, O God, put a steadfast spirit within me.
Canticle | Tobit 13:8-11,13-15
Rejoice, O Jerusalem, since through you all will be gathered together to our God.
Let all people speak
and give God thanks in Jerusalem.
O Jerusalem, the holy city,
God will afflict you for the deeds of your children,
but again will show mercy to the children of the righteous.
Give thanks worthily to our God
and praise the Ruler of the ages,
that the tent may be raised for you again with joy.
May God cheer all those within you who are captives,
and love those within you who are distressed,
to all generations forever.
Many nations will come from afar,
to the name of our God,
bearing gifts in their hands
gifts for the God of heaven.
Generations of generations
will give you joyful praise.
Rejoice and be glad
for the children of the righteous,
for they will be gathered together
and will praise the God of the righteous.
How blessed are those who love you!
They will rejoice in your peace.
Blessed are those who grieve
over all your afflictions;
for they will rejoice for you upon seeing all your glory,
and they will be made glad for ever.
Let my soul praise God the great King!
Glory to God…
Rejoice, O Jerusalem, since through you all will be gathered together to our God.
O praise our God, Jerusalem!
Zion, praise your God!
God has strengthened the bars of your gates
and has blessed the children within you.
God established peace on your borders,
and feeds you with finest wheat.
God sends out the word to the earth
and swiftly runs all command.
God showers down snow white as wool,
and scatters hoar-frost like ashes.
God hurls down hailstones like crumbs.
The waters are frozen at the touch;
God sends forth the word and it melts them:
at the breath of God’s mouth the waters flow.
God’s word is made known to Jacob,
to Israel all laws and decrees.
God has not dealt thus with other nations;
and has not taught them the decrees.
Glory to God…
Sion, praise your God, who has sent out his word to the earth.
Short reading | Galatians 2:19b-20
With Christ I hang upon the cross, and yet I am alive; or rather, not I; it is Christ that lives in me. True, I am living, here and now, this mortal life; but my real life is the faith I have in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Short Responsory
I call to our God, the Most High, for God has been my help.
I call to our God, the Most High, for God has been my help.
May God send from heaven and save me.
I call to our God, the Most High, for God has been my help.
Glory to God…
I call to our God, the Most High, for he has been my help.
Canticle | Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
Through the loving mercy of our God, the Rising Son has come to visit us.
Prayers and Intercessions
Christ is the image of the unseen God, the first-born of all creation, and the first to be born from the dead. All things are to be reconciled through him because he made peace by his death on the cross. We pray to him: → Lord Jesus, come to us today.
We have been baptised into your death:
— may we be cleansed of greed and envy, and be clothed in the
strength and gentleness of your love.
We have been sealed with the Holy Spirit who has been given to us:
— confirm us in your service and help us to bear witness to you in
the society in which we live.
Before you suffered, you longed to eat the Passover with your
disciples:
— as we take part in your eucharist, may we share in your
resurrection.
You continue to work in your faithful people:
— create through them a new world where injustice and destruction
will give way to growth, freedom and hope.
Our Father ...
Concluding Prayer
O God, bestow a full measure of your grace on us
who are gathered here in prayer.
As you work within us
to keep us in the path of your commandments,
may we receive consolation in this present life
and eternal joys in the next.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
May God bless us and keep us from all harm and lead us into the life of the age to come. Amen.
Week 4 | Saturday
Psalm 91 (92)
It is good to make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning.
It is good to give thanks to our God,
to make music to your name, O Most High,
to proclaim your love in the morning
and your truth in the watches of the night,
on the ten-stringed lyre and the lute,
with the murmuring sound of the harp.
Your deeds, O Lord, have made me glad;
for the work of your hands I shout with joy.
O Lord, how great are your works!
How deep are your designs!
The foolish one cannot know this
and the fool cannot understand.
Though the wicked spring up like grass
and all who do evil thrive,
they are doomed to be eternally destroyed.
But you, O God, are eternally on high.
See how your enemies perish;
all doers of evil are scattered.
To me you give the wild ox’s strength;
you anoint me with the purest oil.
My eyes looked in triumph on my foes;
my ears heard gladly of their fall.
The just will flourish like the palm tree
and grow like a Lebanon cedar.
Planted in the house of God
they will flourish in the courts of God,
still bearing fruit when they are old,
still full of sap, still green,
to proclaim that God is just.
In God, my rock, there is no wrong.
Glory to God…
It is good to make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning.
I will take you from the nations,
and gather you from all the countries,
and bring you into your own land.
I will sprinkle clean water upon you,
and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses,
and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
A new heart I will give you,
and a new spirit I will put within you;
and I will remove from your body the heart of stone, and give you a
heart of flesh.
And I will put my spirit within you,
and cause you to walk in my statutes
and be careful to observe my ordinances.
You shall dwell in the land
which I gave to your ancestors;
and you shall be my people,
and I will be your God.
Glory to God…
I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit in you.
How great is your name, O God Most High,
through all the earth!
Your majesty is praised above the heavens;
on the lips of children and of babes
you have found praise to foil your enemy,
to silence the foe and the rebel.
When I see the heavens, the work of your hands,
the moon and the stars which you arranged,
what are we that you should keep us in mind,
mere mortals that you care for us?
Yet you have made us little less than a god;
with glory and honour you crowned us,
gave us power over the works of your hand,
put all things under our feet.
All of them, sheep and cattle,
yes, even the savage beasts,
birds of the air, and fish
that make their way through the waters.
How great is your name, O God Most High,
through all the earth!
Glory to God…
On the lips of children and of babes you have found praise, Lord.
Short reading | 2 Peter 3:13-14
What we are waiting for is what was promised: the new heavens and new earth, the place where righteousness will be at home. So then, my friends, while you are waiting, do your best to live lives without spot or stain so that God will find you at peace. Think of God’s patience as your opportunity to be saved.
Short Responsory
When I sing to you my lips shall rejoice; When I sing to you my lips shall rejoice.
My tongue shall tell the tale of your justice; When I sing to you my lips shall rejoice.
Glory to God… When I sing to you my lips shall rejoice.
Canticle | Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
Lord, guide our feet into the way of peace.
Prayers and Intercessions
God’s gift was not a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit of power, and love,
and self-control.
With complete confidence we pray:
→ Send us your Spirit.
Praise be to God, in union with our Redeemer, Jesus Christ:
— in Christ you have given us every spiritual blessing.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary brought Christ into the world:
— through the Church, may Christ be born again today in all human
hearts.
O God, may your Spirit lead us forward out of solitude:
— may the Spirit lead us to open the eyes of the blind, to proclaim the
Word of light, to reap together
the harvest of life.
Let our striving for your kingdom not fall short through selfishness or
fear:
— may the universe be alive with the Spirit, and our homes be the
pledge of a world redeemed.
Concluding Prayer
All-powerful, eternal God,
splendour of true light and never-ending day:
at this return of the morning hour
chase away the night of sin,
and fill our minds with the glory of your coming,
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns
with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and
ever. Amen.
May God bless us and keep us from all harm
and lead us into the life of the age to come. Amen.