O Lord, open my lips and my mouth
shall declare your praise. (Ps 51:17)
Glory to the Father…. Alleluia!
Hymn
Have mercy, Lord, on me,
For you are ever kind;
Let me, oppressed with loads of guilt,
Your faithful mercy find.
Wash off my foul offense,
And cleanse me from my sin;
For I confess my crime, and see
How great my guilt has been.
Against you, Lord, alone
And only in your sight,
Have I transgressed; and, though condemned,
Must own your judgment right.
Blot out my crying sins,
Nor me in anger view;
Create in me a heart that’s clean,
An upright mind renew.
The joy your favor gives
Let me again obtain;
And your free Spirit’s firm support
My fainting soul sustain.
Psalm 51:3-6a, 8-9, 12-15
I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners. (Lk 5:32)
The most difficult part of ongoing conversion is admitting that we really are sinners and allowing God to see and forgive us as we are, with all our weaknesses showing, especially the ones over which we seem to have no control.
Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.
In your compassion blot out my offense.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.
My offenses 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.
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.
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 fervor sustain me,
that I may teach transgressors your ways
and sinners may return to you.
Glory to the Father….
Word of God. 1 John 1:8-10
If we say, “We are without sin,” we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing. If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Lord, have mercy!
Canticle of Zechariah
Jesus said to them, “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do.” (cf. Lk 5:31)
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
God knows our failings through and through, yet never turns away from us. With humble, contrite hearts, let us pray:
R/Have mercy, God, in your kindness.
When we are reluctant to own our sins as sins: R/
When we are afraid, in our sinfulness, to pray: R/
When we feel hopeless about the sinful patterns in which we are trapped: R/
When we refuse to forgive others because we cannot forgive ourselves: R/
(Personal intentions)
Our Father….
O God of forgiveness, you sent your only Son to live and die among us in order to set us free from the merciless snares of sin and death. Forgive what we cannot forgive; heal what we dare not face; grant humility where we take refuge in false pride. Grant us singleness of heart and a steadfast spirit, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
