Prayer for the Morning. December 23, 2022
Jesus Christ is the light of the world:
come, let us adore him!
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
Meter: LM
This hymn can be sung to the tune used for
On Jordan’s Bank
The great forerunner of the morn,
The herald of the Word, is born;
And faithful hearts shall never fail
With thanks and praise his light to hail.
With heav’nly message Gabriel came,
That John should be that herald’s name,
And with prophetic utt’rance told
His actions great and manifold.
John, yet unborn, gave still aright
His witness to the coming Light,
And Christ, the Sun of all the earth,
Fulfilled that witness at his birth.
Psalm 25:1-6
Lo, I am sending my messenger/ to prepare the way before me. (Mal 3:1)
John, the last great prophet, is the lamp, but Jesus Christ is the morning star for which the dark world yearns in hope.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
I trust you, let me not be disappointed;
do not let my enemies triumph.
Those who hope in you shall not be disappointed,
but only those who wantonly break faith.
Lord, make me know your ways.
Lord, teach me your paths.
Make me walk in your truth, and teach me:
for you are God my savior.
In you I hope all day long
because of your goodness, O Lord.
Remember your mercy, Lord,
and the love you have shown from of old.
Glory to the Father….
Word of God. 2 Peter 1:19
We possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable. You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
Jesus Christ is the Morning Star!
Canticle of Zechariah
The daybreak from on high will visit us/ to shine on those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow,/ to guide our feet into the path of peace. (Lk 1:78-79)
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 Jesus Christ, the light of the world, we pray:
R/Come and reward your people’s hope!
You come as the dawn of the everlasting day:
– sustain in courage those who keep vigil through the long night of suffering. R/
You come as the sun of justice to drive away the darkness of death:
– sustain in hope and faith the terminally ill and those who watch beside them. R/
You come as the light of the world:
– sustain in joy all who are called to proclaim the Gospel amid the clamor of this busy season. R/
Personal intentions
Our Father….
Lord Jesus Christ, you are the light in which we place our hope. Break upon minds clouded by confusion, hearts darkened by self-seeking, spirits dimmed by deadening habits, and set your people free to welcome your coming with joy, who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
