Prayer for the Morning (Wednesday, December 22)

Saint Peter Canisius

Prayer for the Morning

In Jesus Christ, God has come among his people:

let us give thanks and praise!

Glory to the Father…. Alleluia!

Hymn

From east to west, from shore to shore,

Let every heart awake and sing

The holy Child whom Mary bore,

The Christ, the everlasting King.

Behold, the world’s Creator wears

The form and fashion of a slave;

Our very flesh our Maker shares,

His fallen creature, man, to save.

For this how wondrously he wrought!

A maiden, in her lowly place,

Became, in ways beyond all thought,

The chosen vessel of his grace.

She bowed her to the angel’s word

Declaring what the Father willed,

And suddenly the promised Lord

That pure and hallowed temple filled.

Canticle. 1 Chronicles 16:8-12

Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled. (Lk 1:45)

Bearing the promised Messiah, Mary went in haste to share the joy of God’s gift with her cousin Elizabeth. In them met the end of Israel’s long, patient vigil for the fulfillment of God’s promise and the dawn of the new and eternal day of salvation.

Give thanks to the Lord, invoke his name;

make known among the nations his deeds.

Sing to him, sing his praise,

proclaim all his wondrous deeds.

Glory in his holy name;

rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord!

Look to the Lord in his strength;

seek to serve him constantly.

Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,

his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.

Glory to the Father….

Word of God. Isaiah 52:7

How beautiful upon the mountains/ are the feet of him who brings glad tidings,/ Announcing peace, bearing good news,/ announcing salvation, and saying to Zion,/ “Your God is King!”

Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! (Zep 3:14)

Canticle of Zechariah

Here he comes/ springing across the mountains,/ leaping across the hills. (Sg 2:8)

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…

Intercessions

To the One in whom God’s promise is fulfilled we pray:

R/Come and reward your people’s hope.

You came forth from the bosom of the Father to clothe yourself in our humanity:

– bring joy to those who long in faithful prayer to see your face. R/

You came to stir to life the prophet prepared to announce your coming to the world:

– stir to joy all those you have appointed to preach the Gospel in our day. R/

You came to fulfill the promise made to Israel:

– grant perseverance to those who live according to your promised kingdom. R/

Personal intentions

Our Father….

O God, during this season of hope you call your beloved people to arise in joy to greet the celebration of the coming of your Son as the promised Messiah. Free us from all that would keep us from looking forward with eagerness to his return in glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Read More

The questions about the Eucharist that really matter

In a mixed marriage, does the couple have to promise to raise their children Catholic to be married in the Church?