Morning Prayer

Wednesday, January 3^rd, 2024

Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus

Celebrant: The Most Reverend Stefan Oster

Bishop of Passau, Germany

God, + come to my assistance.
— Lord, make haste to help me.

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

HYMN

From lands beneath the rising sun,

through all the compass of the earth,

now let us sing to Christ the Lord,

the Virgin Mary’s newborn Son.

The hallowed Author of the world

a servant’s body has assumed,

that liberating flesh by flesh

he should not lose what he has made.

Pure grace from heaven entered then

the Mother’s womb, both sealed and closed;

the cloister of this maiden bride

bore secrets she could not have known.

The home of this pure heart became,

with sudden pow’r, the shrine of God;

a virgin still, she knew not man

and by a word conceived her Son.

She brought to birth her holy child,

whose advent Gabriel proclaimed,

whose presence John perceived with joy

and leapt within his mother’s womb.

He lay on straw with no complaint,

not shrinking from a manger bed;

an infant’s share of milk he drank,

while in his care he fed the birds.

The hosts on high exult with joy

and angels sing to God with praise;

the shepherds wondrously behold

the Shepherd, Maker of all things.

To you, Lord Jesus, glory be,

the Virgin Mother’s newborn Son,

with God the Father, ever blest,

and loving Spirit, ever one. Amen.

Tune: PUER NOBIS NASCITUR, 8 8 8 8

Music: adapted by Michael Praetorius, 1571-1621, in Musae Sionae, VI, 1809

PSALMODY

Ant.1 O Lord, send forth your light and your truth.

Psalm 36

The malice of sinners and God’s goodness

Side 1: Sin speaks to the sinner
in the depths of his heart.
There is no fear of God
before his eyes.

Side 2: He so flatters himself in his mind
that he knows not his guilt.
In his mouth are mischief and deceit.
All wisdom is gone.

Side 1: He plots the defeat of goodness
as he lies on his bed.
He has set his foot on evil ways,
he clings to what is evil.

Side 2: Your love, Lord, reaches to heaven;
your truth to the skies.
Your justice is like God’s mountain,
your judgments like the deep.

Side 1: To both man and beast you give protection.
O Lord, how precious is your love.
My God, the sons of men
find refuge in the shelter of your wings.

Side 2: 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.

Side 1: 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.

Side 2: See how the evil-doers fall!
Flung down, they shall never arise.

Side 1: Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

Side 2: as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be forever. Amen.

All: O Lord, in your light we see light itself.

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

Canticle: Judith 16:2-3a, 13-15

God who created the world takes care of his people

Side 1: Strike up the instruments,
a song to my God with timbrels,
chant to the Lord with cymbals.
Sing to him a new song,
exalt and acclaim his name.

Side 2: A new hymn I will sing to my God.
O Lord, great are you and glorious,
wonderful in power and unsurpassable.

Side 1: Let your every creature serve you;
for you spoke, and they were made,
you sent forth your spirit, and they were created;
no one can resist your word.

Side 2: The mountains to their bases, and the seas, are shaken;
the rocks, like wax, melt before your glance.
But to those who fear you,
you are very merciful.

Side 1: Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

Side 2: as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be forever. Amen.

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

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

Psalm 47

The Lord Jesus is King of all

Side 1: All peoples, clap your hands,
cry to God with shouts of joy!
For the Lord, the Most High, we must fear,
great king over all the earth.

Side 2: He subdues peoples under us
and nations under our feet.
Our inheritance, our glory, is from him,
given to Jacob out of love.

Side 1: God goes up with shouts of joy;
the Lord goes up with trumpet blast.
Sing praise for God, sing praise,
sing praise to our king, sing praise.

Side 2: God is king of all the earth.
Sing praise with all your skill.
God is king over the nations;
God reigns on his holy throne.

Side 1: The princes of the peoples are assembled
with the people of Abraham’s God.
The rulers of the earth belong to God,
to God who reigns over all.

Side 2: Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

Side 1: as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be forever. Amen.

All: Exult in God’s presence with hymns of praise.

READING

Isaiah 61:11b-12a

Say to daughter Zion,
your savior comes!
Here is his reward with him,
his recompense before him.
They shall be called the holy people,
the redeemed of the Lord.

RESPONSORY

The Lord has made known, alleluia, alleluia.
— The Lord has made known, alleluia, alleluia.

His saving power.
— Alleluia, alleluia.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
— The Lord has made known, alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL CANTICLE

Ant. The Word was made flesh; full of grace and truth he lived among us. For his fullness we have all received gift upon gift of his love, alleluia.

Canticle of Zechariah

Luke 1:68-79

All: Blessed + be the Lord, the God of Israel;

He has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior,

Born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old

That he would save us from our enemies.

From the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers

And to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:

To set us free from the hands of our enemies,

Free to worship him without fear,

Holy and righteous in his sight

All the days of our life.

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

For you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

To give his people knowledge of salvation

By the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God

The dawn from on high shall break upon us,

To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,

And to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

And to the Holy Spirit:

As it was in the beginning, is now,

And will be forever. Amen.

Ant. The Word was made flesh; full of grace and truth he lived among us. From his fullness we have all received gift upon gift of his love, alleluia.

INTERCESSIONS

Presider: Let us joyfully invoke the Son of God, our Redeemer, who became man in order to restore man:

All: Be with us, Emmanuel

Lector: Jesus, son of the living God, King of glory, and Son of the Virgin Mary, brighten this day with the glory of your incarnation.

All: Be with us, Emmanuel

Lector: Jesus, Wonder-Counselor, Mighty-God, Father of the future, Prince of peace, direct our lives according to the holiness of your human nature.

All: Be with us, Emmanuel

Lector: Jesus, all-powerful, patient, obedient, meek and humble of heart, show the power of your gentleness to all.

All: Be with us, Emmanuel

Lector: Jesus, Father of the poor, immeasurable goodness, our way and our life, grant your Church the spirit of poverty.

All: Be with us, Emmanuel

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

O God, who founded the salvation of the human race
on the Incarnation of your Word,
give your peoples the mercy they implore,
so that all may know there is no other name to be invoked
but the Name of your Only Begotten Son.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

— Amen.

DISMISSAL

The Lord be with you.
— And with your spirit.

May almighty God bless you,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
— Amen.

Go in peace.
— Thanks be to God.